In Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, it is often mentioned that wizards (all male, with the sole exception of Eskarina in Equal Rites) are required to be celibate.* The reason usually given is that indulging in sex would drain their magical power. In Sourcery, it appears that this is a myth invented to cover up the real reason: A wizard is often the eighth son of an eighth son (the number eight having magical potency in the Discworld). If a wizard were allowed to have children, he might have eight sons, and the eighth would be a “sourcerer” of incomparable and dangerous potency. OTOH, at the end of Mort, Mort remarks to Ysabell that the young wizard Cutwell “doesn’t seem to do much magic anymore” since he has become a close associate of Queen Keli. But on the third (or fourth?) hand – witches (entirely female) can do magic without being celibate, as Nanny Ogg enthusiastically demonstrates.
So what’s the answer? Why do wizards have to be celibate? Or do they? Is this something Pterry has ever hinted at exploring in future novels?
*For which they seem to overcompensate in their indulgence in the pleasures of the table.
The idea of male sexuality being a drain on magical power is common to the kinds of stuffy western ritualistic cults Pratchett is sending up with his Unseen University wizards, whereas the idea of female sexuality as a source of magical power is common to the kinds of earth-based religions the witches are based in.
I would say, as for the Sourcery revelation, that for most wizards, they probably believe it is true, which makes it true for them.
The real reason IMO - and I think I’ve seen this verified somewheres - is because of the 8th son of the 8th son. When you had sourcerers, you had the Magic Wars, which are also alluded to here and there. So they changed to big dinners, celibate wizards, and built a university dedicated not to ascting much magic - all to avoid the wars.
My impression is that they “rule” of celibracy is more of an ego-protecting excuse than anything. Wizards tend to be spotty, bookish nerds who are too frightened of women to look one in the eye, much less actually “do it.” Having a rule against fraternization protects them from feeling awkward…
The entire university system was designed not so much to allow people to do magic so much as to allow them to not do magic. Which is, on the whole, much, much harder.
I always just assumed it was just a parallel characterisation of Western priesthood, because of the former wizard who’s married to that officious twit witch in the short story “The Sea and Little Fishes” but obviously I don’t think about it as hard as y’all do.
It’s dealt with explicitly in Sourcery, where the 8th son of an 8th son (a sourcerer) darn near destroys the disc. Sourcerers are channels through which new magic flows into the world. If enough magic builds up, even Rincewind can get it to work for him; real end up drunk on power.
As others have said, the true point of Unseen University’s wizard caste is to restrict wizards from running rampant with magic and shattering the Disc. All that stuff about sex and celibacy is just a smokescreen to keep folks like the Dean and the Senior Wrangler from pollulting the gene pool.
