hedge wizard

From hedge (“third-rate”) + wizard (“someone who uses magic”). Compare hedge priest, hedge whore.

hedge wizard (plural hedge wizards)

1. (fantasy) An inferior wizard; a wizard of limited ability and little or no formal training.

   Hypernyms: wizard; see also Thesaurus:magician

   • 1962 October, Fritz Leiber, “The Unholy Grail”, in Fantastic, volume 10, number 11:

     There was something hysterical about the way Mouse insisted on that ‘great,’ for to the world Glavas Rho was but a hedge-wizard, no better than a Mingol necromancer with his second-sighted spotted dog or a conjurer beggar of Quarmall.

   • 1988, Mercedes Lackey, “Dragon's Teeth”, in Spell Singers, page 52:

     "And Portravus has no mage—" said mousy Herjes, looking as much frightened as worried. "Just a couple of hedge-wizards and some assorted Low Magick practitioners. And not a lot of money to spare to hire one."

   • 1990 November, Gregg Sharp, “Hedge Wizards”, in Dragon, volume 15, number 6, page 19:

     “Hedge wizard” is a term that’s come up in my campaign to describe the proprietors of small “magic shops” in villages and cities in AD&D® campaigns. Hedge wizards specialize in minor but useful magicks, using spells like mending and knock rather than magic missile and irritation. Hedge wizards are usually low-level mages with sage and herbalist abilities.

   • 2002, Mike Mearls, The Quintessential Wizard, page 11:

     To the young hedge wizard, a wizard of only 5th level seems to be a mighty archmage.

   • 2016, Rowan Speedwell, Bitterwood:

     "I don't know of any great mage in the Bitterwood," Daene said. "Hedge-wizards aplenty, and weather-witches—every village has them."

   • 2020, Russell Archey, The Seven Spires:

     He talked of magic, which she found interesting. She'd never spoken to a true wizard before. Hedge wizards, perhaps, but never someone as knowledgeable and powerful as a spire wizard.

• hedge witch

• hedge wizard at the Google Books Ngram Viewer.