Mage

Mages are people skilled and educated in the use of magic. Female mages are often called sorceresses, while male mages are called sorcerers. Only rare individuals have the potential to become mages and many of those with this potential are doomed to madness. Unless the individual in question - also known as a Source - learns to control their power quickly, he or she may end up a half-insane, slobbering oracle. That is why schools of sorcery were created, where talented children study for many years, acquiring knowledge and mastering magical skills. Because of their powers, mages age more slowly than ordinary people. They can extract magical energy from the four elements, transport themselves long distances and heal, as well as kill, in the blink of an eye. They have extensive scientific and political knowledge; in the latter respect, many mages are the equals of rulers.

The words "mage", "sorcerer" and "sorceress" are used mostly to refer to people trained in magical academies like Aretuza or Ban Ard and is rarely used to refer to magic-wielding druids or priests (especially the latter, since they claim to be given their powers by the gods).

In the Witcher saga, mages are also heavily involved in politics and are well organized. In the beginning there was the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, which was later replaced by the Lodge of Sorceresses.