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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Storm Raven" data-source="post: 3224738" data-attributes="member: 307">He asked for popular representations of wizards wearing armor prior to 1970. You cannot get much more popular than The Once and Future King. I didn't say that it was the only representation of Merlin. I said it was a popular one at the time that showed someone clearly identifiable as a wizard who was wearing armor.And so we have a representation of a wizard, who wears armor and wields weapons. From before 1970. Sure, Dallben doesn't do either, but he never leaves Caer Dallben until the final pages of Book 5 either, and that's after the fighting is over. Nothing says that you cannot have wizards who wear amor and wizards who do not in fantasy literature. The question is: is one more "correct" than the other. Given much of the fantasy Most of them aren't out fighting in wars either. But, for example, the transplanted Khargad at Roke is shown wearing armor. The lord of the Isle of O is clearly a practitioner (although not a Roke-mage) and wears armor.Actually, he is encountered. In The Farthest Shore the grey mage conjures up his shade, who is clearly wearing armor. He is also described as having worn armor by the priestesses of Atuan.It runs contrary to the depiction of mages who aren't out at war in the books. Most of the mages who go out and fight (I rememberd another one, the mage who defeated the dragon of the Enlades is described as an armored warrior) choose to wear armor. The thing about the books is that so few mages actually go out and fight, so the references are relatively rare (since the book mostly features mages at school, or living in small towns, or exploring uninhabited caves), but when they do, it is clear that there is no prohibition against doing so.For another reference: the wizards in the Melnibone books (including Elric, who is clearly a wizardly individual) wear armor, carry swords, and so on.</blockquote>

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