06-05-2019, 02:08 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Wormtooth Nation
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Powerstone historical names
I'm looking for traditional/mystical/theological names for what GURPS calls powerstones.
I find myself consistently needing to come up with names for things that store mana/rpm energy/fp for use in magic. Sometimes 'powerstone' is fine but I keep wondering if the idea of a powerstone is really so recent that we don't have ancient words for it? The spiritual energy which powers magic is a concept familiar to mysticism since ancient times. It's been called jeeva, anima, spiritus, breath, chi or ki, shakti, just off the top of my head. Thaumatology is helpful here, with a variety of traditions described in various ways, but the sections on powerstones doesn't help me. I've been scouring my brains and books of lore and failing to come up with anything at all, which makes me feel like I must be missing something obvious. Ideas?
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06-05-2019, 02:13 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
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Re: Powerstone historical names
The words reservoir and vessel come to mind.
They may not have special names because they are not the magic itself, just the container. |
06-05-2019, 02:21 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
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Re: Powerstone historical names
You missed manna off the top of my head.
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My GURPS publications GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits; GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits; Pyramid articles. Buying them lets us know you want more! My GURPS fan contribution and blog: REFPLace GURPS Landing Page My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items) My GURPS Wiki entries |
06-05-2019, 02:22 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
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Re: Powerstone historical names
Yeah energy that you can save and store for later use is more a modern concept.
__________________
My GURPS publications GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits; GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits; Pyramid articles. Buying them lets us know you want more! My GURPS fan contribution and blog: REFPLace GURPS Landing Page My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items) My GURPS Wiki entries |
06-05-2019, 02:26 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Saint Paul, MN
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Re: Powerstone historical names
Most common terms have been repurposed for specific types of RPG magical items, but I think of talismans, amulets, and periapts.
The Wikipedia List of mythological objects might be helpful or, specifically, its sections on gemstones or stones. |
06-05-2019, 02:32 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Powerstone historical names
Well, plenty of things were seen as having magical potency that could be made use of later, but it tends to be specific in purpose rather than generally useful, and not really rechargeable.
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06-05-2019, 02:46 PM | #8 | |
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Wormtooth Nation
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Re: Powerstone historical names
Quote:
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"Guys, I think maybe this whole time we've been the villains." |
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06-05-2019, 02:51 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Wormtooth Nation
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Re: Powerstone historical names
This is sort of a digression but it's fun so... I'm not aware of any mystic tradition which uses that word for that purpose. To my understanding, mana means bread, specifically, the kind of bread given to the Jews wandering the deserts to keep them alive during the exodus. If you know of a traditional use of the word as reference to spell energy I certainly would enjoy knowing about it, since I've driven my friends bonkers referring to all the mana cards in magic the gathering as "bread producing territories" and creatures as "bread nom nom nom."
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"Guys, I think maybe this whole time we've been the villains." |
06-05-2019, 03:14 PM | #10 | |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
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Re: Powerstone historical names
Quote:
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magic, powerstone, vocabulary |
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