A spell or charm is a set of words that when spoken invoke some magical effect. Spells are sometimes called 'incantations' or 'enchantments'.
In order to be effective, spells must be performed by a magical being. To this end, a spell recited by a mortal will not work. Whilst spells require to be spoken they can also be performed non-verbally[1] Reading a spell backwards correctly can reverse the effects.[2] Certain spells have their own reversal spell.
Spells that create negative magical effects, that harm others, are called curses. These spells are difficult and should not be taken lightly.
Spellcasting
The ability to cast spells is called spellcasting. Few magical beings such as witches, demons, Whitelighters, and warlocks are born with this ability and consider it to be a basic ability with which they are born.
A witch who lost her active powers maintains the ability to cast spells. Only when the powers are bound or permanently stripped may this ability be lost in the process.
List of spells
A complete, alphabetical list of all the spells on Charmed can be found here. Below is an overview of what spell was used in which episode and who cast it.
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
| Nº | Episode | Spell | Cast by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "No Country for Old Ones" | List of spells# | |
| 02 | "Magically Malicious" | List of spells# | |
| 03 | "The Perks of Being a Whitelighter" | List of spells# | |
| 04 | "Charmed Assault" | List of spells# | |
| 05 | "Whatever Happened to the Demon with a Soul?" | List of spells# | |
| 06 | "Will o' the Witch" | / | |
| 07 | "Hard Knox Life" | List of spells# | |
| 08 | "Love is a Burning Thing" | / | |
| 09 | "Haste Makes Wasteland" | List of spells# | |
| 10 | "The Curious Case of Benjamin Turner" | / | |
| 11 | "Fear Always Comes Back" | / | |
| 12 | "Virtue" | List of spells# | |
| 13 | "Court of Love" | / | |
| 14 | "The Four Sisters, Part 1" | List of spells# | |
| 15 | "The Four Sisters, Part 2" | List of spells# | |
| 16 | "Happy Ending" | / | |
| 17 | "Effigy" | / | |
| 18 | "Tribunal and Tribulations" | List of spells# | |
| 19 | "Something Old, Something Prue" | List of spells# | |
| 20 | "The Reason" | List of spells# | |
Notes
- Spells work even if they are recorded, as long as they are cast by a witch. Three college students used a recording of Phoebe casting a spell to turn animals into men.[3]
- A haiku can also be considered a spell. Paige Matthews proved this when she wrote a haiku to vanquish Ludlow.
- Protection spells are dangerous since the spell's compulsion towards keeping the subject safe would not allow the subject to move in an attempt to prevent any possible danger.[4]
- Skilled witches can combine spells to make a single, more powerful spell for the same purpose.[5]
- Past magic can be drawn upon for a spell. Phoebe discovered this with the spell that vanquished the Source of All Evil.
Trivia
- Of all the Charmed Ones, Phoebe is considered to be the best at writing spells (although for one episode she was stated to be best at potions).
- Curtis Kheel, one of the writers of Charmed, stated in the Book of Shadows-documentary that the spells were always the last part of the scripts to be written. This due to the difficulty of rhyming.
- The most spells were cast in season 6 (53 spells), the least in season 8 (18 spells). Spells that were mentioned or cast offscreen are not counted. The most often used spell in the series is the To Call a Lost Witch spell.
- Season 6 is also the only season to contain only one episode were no spells were cast. All other seasons have at least five episodes in which no spells are cast.
See also
References
- ↑ The Charmed Ones and Wyatt Halliwell have both been shown using spells non-verbally.
- ↑ As demonstrated by the demon Abraxas in the season 2 episode "Witch Trial".
- ↑ As seen in "Animal Pragmatism"
- ↑ As seen in the season 7 episode "Styx Feet Under".
- ↑ Phoebe Halliwell combined two vanquishing spells to vanquish the Demon of Illusion.