Wonder and entertainment
Illusion, sleight of hand and the pleasure of being fooled.
Wonder and entertainment is the aim of the stage magician: to astonish an audience who knows it is being fooled. Conjuring, illusion, mentalism and street magic belong here, from the cups and balls of ancient Rome to Robert-Houdin, Houdini, Harry Kellar, P. C. Sorcar of India, Siegfried and Roy, and David Copperfield. This page covers the art, its history and its ethics, and does not reveal how any trick is done.
The art of the honest lie
A magician promises a trick and delivers astonishment. The pleasure comes from the gap between what is seen and what is known. Performers speak of misdirection, timing, patter and showmanship. Magicians also keep an informal rule not to expose methods, so that audiences can keep the pleasure and the craft keeps its livelihood. This is the most open part of the subject, in which no one is asked to believe.
Where it is performed
Magic has always had a street and a stage. In India, P. C. Sorcar Sr. (1913 to 1971) toured the world and became a national name. In China and Japan, conjuring was part of variety theatre and a distinct craft. In the Arab world and the Ottoman empire, performers worked in coffee houses and fairs. In the West, the music hall, the television special and the Las Vegas show carried the art into mass entertainment.
Who is welcome
For much of its history, the profession was dominated by men, with women as assistants, though performers such as Adelaide Herrmann broke the pattern. Racial stereotypes shaped acts: Western performers played Chinese or Indian magicians in costume, and Chung Ling Soo's disguise was a famous case. Today, magicians from many countries and women performers are widely visible. Magicians from Egypt, Lebanon, Iran and Nigeria now work on global stages and in festivals, and a few have become well known beyond their borders.
Entertainers against fraud
Houdini and James Randi spent years exposing mediums and faith healers who claimed real powers, arguing that honest conjurers protect the public. Scholars of the mind use magic to study attention, memory and belief. The boundary matters: claiming genuine supernatural power for a trick and charging for it is fraud, not entertainment. As the code puts it, the trick can be admired and enjoyed without the secret being known, and children and adults alike keep that pleasure.
Wonder and entertainment on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomDavid Devant
English magician and early film exhibitor known for witty stage presentationIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 5 moreBuatier De Kolta
A French stage magician known for mechanical illusions and the vanishing chair.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚫 Iceland and 1 moreNorse mythology
The mythic tales of the North Germanic peoples and their ancient gods.Tradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 3 moreEdward Kelley
An English occultist and scryer who worked with John Dee to contact angels and practice alchemy.Figure 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomEgyptian Hall
A London exhibition hall known for magic shows and Egyptian-style architecture, demolished in 1905.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCornish mythology
The folk tales and legends of Cornwall, shared with Brittany and Wales.Tradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 3 moreJoseph Pinetti
An eighteenth-century magician who brought illusion to the theatre and pioneered stage advertising.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreDaniel Dunglas Home
A Scottish physical medium known for levitation and spirit communication during the Victorian era.Belief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 3 moreSaturnalia
An ancient Roman winter festival of role reversal and feasting in honor of SaturnTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚦馃嚧 NorwaySteilneset Memorial
A 2011 monument in Norway marking the 1621 Vard酶 witch trials and their victims.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 morePietro d'Abano
A medieval physician and astrologer accused of heresy and magic.Text 路 Healing 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚙馃嚜 BelgiumServais Le Roy
A Belgian magician who designed classic illusions and performed in a famous trio act.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceKykeon魏蠀魏蔚蠋谓
An Ancient Greek ritual drink linked to the Eleusinian Mysteries and peasant lifeSubstance 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 5 moreCount of St. GermainComte de Saint Germain
An 18th-century European adventurer known for alchemy, music, and claims of immortality.Figure 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 3 moreEusapia Palladino
An Italian medium whose s茅ances were investigated by leading scientists and magicians in the late nineteenth century.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainMaslama al-Majriti兀亘賵 丕賱賯丕爻賲 賲爻賱賲丞 亘賳 兀丨賲丿 丕賱賲噩乇賷胤賷
A tenth-century scholar of alchemy and astronomy in Islamic Spain.Figure 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomJohn Nevil Maskelyne
A Victorian magician who exposed fraud and invented the pay toiletIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 5 moreJean Eug猫ne Robert-HoudinJean-Eug猫ne Robert-Houdin
A French clockmaker who elevated stage magic into a refined theatrical art.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomIsaac Fawkes
An English conjurer who moved magic from the fairground to fashionable London society.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomHarry Price
A British psychic researcher and conjurer who investigated paranormal claims and exposed fraudulent mediums.Tradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 2 morePhantasmagoria
A horror theatre using magic lanterns to project frightening images in the darkIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 3 moreAlexander Herrmann
A 19th-century magician known for sleight of hand and card throwingIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 3 moreWelsh mythologyY Chwedlau
The ancient legends of Wales and the Celtic Britons, preserved in medieval manuscripts.Tradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreThe Fool
A tarot card of unique status, depicting a wanderer or madman outside the numbered sequence.Text 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalySola Busca tarot
The oldest complete 78-card tarot deck with unique illustrations and Roman numerals.Text 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreThirteen Treasures of the Island of BritainTri Thlws ar Ddeg Ynys Prydain
A collection of magical objects from late-medieval Welsh legendText 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainAnjanaan藞hana / an.xa.n蓽
Cantabrian fairies who protect forests and bring gifts to children.Being 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreBevis of Hampton袩芯胁械褋褌褜 芯 袘芯胁械-泻芯褉芯谢械胁懈褔械
A medieval chivalric romance about a hero's exile and return across Europe and the Near EastText 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyScrofa semilanuta
A legendary sow seen in a dream that became the ancient emblem of Milan.Figure 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 FranceYan-gant-y-tan
A Breton demon who carries five candles and is said to bring bad luck.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomTrow
Nocturnal spirits of the Orkney and Shetland islands, known for mischief and musical abduction.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚟馃嚭 Hungary and 1 moreS谩rk谩ny
A winged reptilian beast from Hungarian folklore, linked to weather and literary heroes.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomPearlin Jean
A Scottish ghost said to haunt the ruins of Allanbank estate in BerwickshireBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyTredesin de Mars
A Milanese spring celebration marked by a flower fair and a legendary stoneTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 2 moreClassical elements
Ancient theories that explain all matter as combinations of earth, water, fire, air, and aetherBelief 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyDe Umbris Idearum
A 1582 treatise by Giordano Bruno on memory, magic and philosophyText 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreBogle
A Northumbrian and Scots household spirit or ghost known for perplexing people.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 1 moreDogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie
A foundational treatise on ritual magic by 脡liphas L茅vi, structured around the tarot.Text 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 3 moreKlabautermann
A North Sea ship kobold that aids sailors and signals a vessel's doom.Being 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreGiants (esotericism)
Spiritual beings linked to lost continents and root races in occult literatureBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚪馃嚫 Serbia and 3 moreBo啪i膰袘芯卸懈褯
A Slavic figure linked to the new year and spring, whose name now marks ChristmasFigure 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyAlchemical DoorPorta Alchemica
A Roman gate covered in alchemical symbols and legends of transmutationCharm 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyMagic Circle of the German Democratic RepublicMagischer Zirkel der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik
A national association for stage magicians in East Germany from 1956 to 1990.Illusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyGli ExperimentiGli Experimenti de la Ex.ma S.r Caterina da Furlj Matre de lo inllux.mo S.r Giouanni de Medici
A 16th-century manuscript of alchemical, medicinal, and cosmetic recipes by Caterina SforzaText 路 Healing 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyBologna bottle
A glass vessel that withstands hammer blows but shatters from an internal scratchCharm 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 1 moreAirship of Clonmacnoise
A medieval Irish legend of a ship in the sky and its anchorBelief 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandJack O'The Lantern
An Irish folktale about a deceitful man condemned to wander with a carved lanternFigure 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 1 moreTelekinesis
A purported psychic ability to move objects with the mind aloneBelief 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Xana: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
- Kykeon: Marsyas, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Harry Price: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, source
- Alexander Herrmann: Photographer unidentified, Public domain, source
- The Fool: Johann Georg Rauch, Public domain, source
- Cornish mythology: waterborough, Public domain, source
- Daniel Dunglas Home: Nadar, Public domain, source
- Saturnalia: Themadchopper, Antoine-Fran莽ois Callet, CC0, source
- Steilneset Memorial: Stylegar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Irish folklore: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Bevis of Hampton: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Scrofa semilanuta: M.casanova, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yan-gant-y-tan: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source
- Classical elements: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- S谩rk谩ny: Albrecht D眉rer, Public domain, source
- Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie: Eliphas Levi, Public domain, source
- Klabautermann: Anton von Werner, Public domain, source
- Giants (esotericism): Athanasius Kircher, Public domain, source
- Alchemical Door: Sailko, CC BY 2.5, source
- Gli Experimenti: Mattman723, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Airship of Clonmacnoise: Joseph Mischyshyn, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Jack O'The Lantern: Bodrugan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- David Devant: Simon Edwards Esq, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Telekinesis: Strobridge Lithographing Co., Public domain, source
- Pietro d'Abano: Marco Chemello (Wikimedia Italia), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eusapia Palladino: Baldi., Public domain, source
- John Nevil Maskelyne: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Jean Eug猫ne Robert-Houdin: Carcharoth (Commons), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Isaac Fawkes: William Hogarth, Public domain, source
- Phantasmagoria: Alphonse de Neuville or A. Jahandier, Public domain, source
- Norse mythology: Lorenz Fr酶lich, Public domain, source
- Edward Kelley: Thomas Pennant, Public domain, source
- Egyptian Hall: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Tredesin de Mars: A ntv, Public domain, source