Legendborn

Legendborn combines two systems of magic in its protagonist; Bree is both a Rootcrafter and a Bloodcrafter. These systems are based in historical occult traditions: the European grimoire tradition as well as the oral traditions of Black rootwork. The systems are distinguished by the language and practices they use—both in Deonn’s novel and her source materials.

The system of magic that The Order of the Round Table uses is inspired by grimoires (books of magic) that can be traced back to medieval and renaissance alchemists. Famous grimoires, like Henry Cornelius Agrippa’s Occult Philosophy, include blood magic that summons demons. This is similar to how Davis uses blood magic to open Gates for Shadowborn with the intent of starting Camlann—the war to end all wars.

The focus on the elements and pentacles (five-pointed stars) in the grimoire tradition is also reflected in the Order. The latter defines magic through five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and aether—or “quintessence”—which, according to Sel’s readings of the Order’s “gramarye[s]” (275), or grimoires, “cannot be created or destroyed, only infused into a body or manipulated into a temporary mass” (276). This element is most effectively directed by Merlins, like Sel, who “are the Order’s sorcerers” (80) and part demon (part incubus, like Merlin).

There is a high cost to the Order’s Bloodcrafting: a lack of consent and shortened life spans. The descendants of the Knights of the Round Table, or Scions, “can’t opt out of their blood. And once Awakened, they feel this…this need. To fight. Directly from their knights” (145). Possession is not a choice but carried through bloodlines. Both Awakened Scions and their Oath-linked Squires suffer from Abatement: a drain of life that causes them to die in their 30s.

Bree is able to resist Bloodcraft magic, like mesmer and Oaths, through “pain” (72) and carrying a second blood-linked magic: Rootcraft. Deonn offers an author’s note clarifying that Rootcraft is inspired by “rootwork, also known as hoodoo or conjure” (496). Though the details of this spiritual practice are often orally passed down by practitioners, folklorist Harry Middleton Hyatt conducted a series of anthropological interviews titled “Hoodoo—conjuration—witchcraft—rootwork” that provide details about the art. More recently, and including more accurate information, books like Flash of the Spirit by Robert Ferris Thompson and Conjuring Culture by Theophus Smith explain the practices of rootwork: spirit possession, ancestor worship, healing, and protection.

At the heart of Rootcraft is a borrowing of “root”—their term for “aether”—rather than ownership of the magical element. Patricia tells Bree: “Rootcrafters—borrow root temporarily, because we believe energy is not for us to own” (223). Rootcraft focuses on summoning ancestors, rather than demons, and is used for “healing, protection, and self-knowledge. The same can be said for therapy” (315). There are many different styles of Rootcrafting; Bree’s mom did Wildcrafting, or working with plants, but Bree is a Medium.

As an heir of both kinds of magic, Bree is also an outcast from both systems. Her mom kept a low profile because she and Bree have “something else even more special inside us that only we know about, because other Rootcraft users wouldn’t like what we have” (389). This “special” part is Arthur, carried in their bloodline because of rape and slavery. The Order, as seen in its condonement of slave owning, is a deeply racist institution. However, despite her outsider status, Bree is the most powerful magic user in the world of Legendborn.