Question Magic terminology

I just wanna check that I'm not talking about different things if I use Manna, Essence, or Quintessence in describing what fuels spells.

Pretty sure it's been Essence through the stories. My thought was a different, non-human contact,Sidhect magical culture might call it something else, and I didn't want to make up a word, so re-purpose one people should maybe know.. That bugged me a little that Unga was using the same terms as modern practitioners.

"Mana" seemed to only appear when "Mana storm" was discussed... In The Evil That Men Do Part 4 and 5

And only Mimeo seems to call it "Quintessence"?

I think it may not be usual in the more academic Whateley usage, BUT if memory serves well, when one of the characters was explaining the concept, they DID mention that "Quintessence" and "Mana" are used as synonyms. Chalk it to different schools of magic having their own terminologies -- perhaps if you have a character from another school, you might deliberately have them using a different term.

Different schools of magic, different parts of the world.

Astrodragon wrote: Different schools of magic, different parts of the world.

Come to think of it, some of the self-taught folks would also be using some colorful or off-kilter terms, not just "mana", "mojo", "juice", "orgone", "humours", etc.

Manna of course has a biblical meaning (and also shows up in the Torah and the Qu'ran) as 'divine food' (or bread as grinding is mentioned)

It has since taken on a broader meaning of being both physical and spiritual sustenance. Mana was an alternative spelling or simply an incorrect one in the different translations, but D&D I believe popularised it as their unit of magical power.

The Whateley universe is pretty consistent in using Essence, but it would be interesting, if totally non-canon, to use man(n)a and/or quintessence as a slight variation of essence. Where the later is the magical power a mage has gathered in his or her well for spellcasting, the first could be used for the power that is supplied externally (with a heavy implication of divine and infernal beings supplying that power, though it also might be how powerful spirits are capable of bestowing wizard abilities on avatars).

Practically it makes no difference in how magic works in the Whateley universe, but it would be a fun little source of contention between wizards and the magic department on the one side, and the likes of rev. Englund and other priestly types and religious mages and paladins on the other. (regular mages and wizards would need to light their well and fill it with essence. priests and paladins would need to open a conduit to the divine and widen it to draw enough power. Both would risk drawing too much power at once and burn themselves up)

It could lead to some fun flavour text in a story even if it is totally not canon.

Erianaiel wrote: Manna of course has a biblical meaning (and also shows up in the Torah and the Qu'ran) as 'divine food' (or bread as grinding is mentioned)

Note that Mana, as in magical power derives from the Polynesian word.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana