In Literature

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In fiction a wish is a supernatural demand placed on the recipient's unlimited request. When it is the center of a tale, the wish is usually a template for a morality tale, "be careful what you wish for" writ large; it can also be a small part of a tale, in which case it is often used as a plot device.

The template for most fictional wishes is The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, specifically the tale of Aladdin. Although in the tale of Aladdin the actual wishes were only part of the tale and his demands, while outrageous per se, were mainly variations on wealth (which is still often taken as the most 'common' request).

Classically the wish provider is typically a spirit, jinni or similar entity. The entity is bound or constrained within a commonplace object (Aladdin's oil lamp for example) or a container closed with Solomon's seal. Releasing the entity from its constraint, usually by some simple action, allows the object's possessor to 'make a wish', that is present their demands to the entity.

The subservience of the, by necessity, extraordinarily powerful entity to the wishee is explained in a number of ways. The entity may be grateful to be 'free' of its constraint and the wish is a thank-you gift. The entity may be bound to obedience by its 'prison' or some other item in the wishee possesses. The entity may, by its nature, be unable to exercise its powers without an initiator.

Other wish providers are a wide variety of, more or less, inanimate objects. W.W. Jacob's Monkey's Paw being a well-known example. The manga Doraemon is a modern spin on this theme.

Some wishes appear to be granted by nothing in particular. Snow White's mother's wish for a beautiful child might have been a coincidence, but the father's in The Seven Ravens and the mother's in The Raven transform their children into ravens.

The number of wishes granted is variable. Aladdin had an unlimited number. Three is more common, but others may be granted to fit the constraints of the tale. In The Three Princesses of Whiteland, the ring grants two wishes; it is given to the hero so he can visit his parents and then return to his wife, and so when he uses the second wish he is trapped.

Several authors have spun variations of the 'wish for more wishes' theme, though some sources see this wish as 'cheating'. For example, in Douglas Hofstadter's Pulitzer Prize winning book Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid, a wish for more wishes is called a "meta-wish" and can only be granted by a "MetaGenie".

In many stories the wording of the wish is extremely important - a common problem is either the granter of the wish being extremely literal or through malice granting the request in a manner designed to cause maximum distress (such as a request for wealth being granted through inheritance/insurance on the death of a loved one). Certain authors have also tried an 'always on' approach, the careless use of the word 'wish' in everyday conversation having, often unpleasant, consequences. An example is seen in the 1967 film Bedazzled and its 2000 remake.

In Practice

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Of course, the making of wishes occurs outside of the realm of fictitious magical items, and circumstances for making wishes abound.

Some traditional opportunities for wishing

• Blowing out candles on a birthday cake
• Blowing a fallen eyelash off of a friend's finger
• Blowing dandelion achenes
• Tossing a coin into a wishing well or fountain
• Locking pinky fingers with someone who just said the same thing as you at the same time (as an alternative to a "jinx")
• Wishing upon a star
• Seeing a shooting star
• Seeing the time 11:11 on a clock.
• Finding a genie by rubbing an oil lamp
• Finding, or breaking, the wishbone in a turkey

Internalization of wishes

Magical possibilities aside, the act of formulating a wish can be beneficial. The wisher has an opportunity to identify what they most desire ("I can have anything at all in the world--what do I want?"). Often, wishing is a time for first becoming aware of a previously-unarticulated hope. Once identified, these hopes can become personal goals.

See also

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• Three wishes joke

External Links

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• more Predictions Wishing Dictionary

Fiction by topic | Superstitions