The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
Black Magic - Intent, Fact & Knowledge
wardenferry419:
What causes the taint by using magic to kill?
huangjimmy108:
--- Quote from: wardenferry419 on October 27, 2017, 08:03:11 AM ---What causes the taint by using magic to kill?
--- End quote ---
From what Harry explain in book 9, it is simply a natural consequences of believing that killing is right. Magic only works when one truly believes in something. So when a wizard kill someone with magic, the wizard beleves that the kill is right, that it should be done, that it is right and proper.
Apparently, such a thing reinforces itself. Unless the wizard actively make choices against this belief, the beliefs will change the wizard.
actually, we saw this process in action. Harry's temper is getting worse due to shadow Lash's influence. In book 8, when he brutally attack the fetch, Harry could still feel the forboding and wrongness of the act, though he does not question himself strongly. In book 9, one year after , it took Murphy's intense questioning before he even willing to acknowledge that there is a problem. He even try to deny it. And this is a problem on the early stage and happened to Harry, a relatively experienced wizard with strong willpower, and it is not even black magic. To a teenager, new to their power, we can imagine what such magic and belief reinforcement could do.
This is probably the only text explanation for the taint available.
huangjimmy108:
--- Quote from: Rasins on October 26, 2017, 06:37:14 PM ---Intent is not a factor in being tainted by black magic.
I seem to recall a WoJ where he said that if a wizard uses magic to light a candle and the candle gets knocked over, burning the house down and humans die, the wizard will be tainted.
--- End quote ---
I need to see that WoJ.
I doubt it is the case though. If knocking down a candle lighted by magic could cause taint, the warden swords would be far worse.
If a wizard light a candle and intentionally knock it down to cause a fire for the express purpose to kill someone, maybe there will be taint, but in this case there is killing intent.
If Harry light a candle and then he is captured and knock unconscious by a vampire, and then the vampire use that candle to burn someone to death, it will be stupid if Harry is tainted by that.
wardenferry419:
Could the taint be a spiritual suffering for doing a wrong act that a person believed had to be done?
huangjimmy108:
Hypothetically,It could be, but we have nothing either in the text or in WoJ to support it. Though what Harry explain in book 9 maybe wrong or incomplete, it is about the only thing we have and actually saw the process in action.
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