Forgetful Spells: How to Create and Use Them

Forgetful spells are magic spells in fantasy settings (often in role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons or various books and films) that cause a person or creature to lose memories or become unaware of certain events. These spells can have varying levels of effect, from causing short-term amnesia to erasing specific memories or even making someone forget entire periods of their life.

In the context of these spells, forgetfulness can serve many purposes, such as:

Erasing memories: A caster may use a forgetful spell to make someone forget an event, person, or piece of information.
Avoiding detection: Spells can be used to make someone forget they saw something they weren’t supposed to, ensuring the caster can act without leaving a trace.
Amnesia: A spell might cause someone to forget a large chunk of their life, or specific details, which could be a form of punishment or a way to protect someone’s mind.
Selective forgetfulness: In some cases, the spell only targets specific memories, allowing someone to forget a specific conversation, experience, or encounter, while leaving other memories intact.

These types of spells are often used in stories involving magical creatures, wizards, or situations where secrets need to be kept or memory manipulation plays a role.

1. Memory Alteration Spells

Memory alteration spells are a category of magic that manipulates the mind, often erasing or changing memories. These spells can be used for a variety of reasons, such as protecting someone from traumatic experiences, preventing secrets from being revealed, or altering someone’s perception of an event. Here are some examples:

In Harry Potter:

Obliviate: This is the most famous memory-modifying spell in the Harry Potter series. It is used to erase specific memories, often to keep the wizarding world secret from Muggles. The effect of this spell can be mild or severe, depending on how it’s cast. In some cases, people may only forget a few minutes or hours, while in other cases, larger chunks of their memories can be wiped away entirely.
- Example: After encountering magical creatures or witnessing something dangerous, wizards might use Obliviate to ensure Muggles do not remember what they’ve seen. It can also be used to erase personal memories or experiences that are too painful or dangerous for someone to keep.

In Fantasy Worlds:

Memory manipulation spells can vary widely in their effects. Some might allow you to completely erase someone’s memories, while others might only change specific details of a memory. In many fantasy settings, powerful wizards or mages use these spells to control or protect people by altering their recollections of past events.

2. Forgetfulness or Confusion Spells

These spells don’t necessarily erase memories but can cause confusion or disorientation, preventing a person from remembering something or from being able to recall important information. Forgetfulness or confusion spells are often used in combat or as a form of deception.

In Dungeons & Dragons (D&D):

Modify Memory: This spell is used to change or alter a creature’s memories. A caster can cause a person to remember an event differently or create false memories. The spell can erase a portion of someone’s memory, making them forget specific events or manipulate the sequence of what they recall. It can be particularly useful for erasing certain facts, like the knowledge of a secret or a plot.
- Mechanics: In D&D, this spell is a 5th-level enchantment, and the caster can modify memories up to 10 minutes long. However, it only works if the person involved fails their saving throw. The spell does not necessarily “erase” memories but alters or replaces them.
Confusion: This spell doesn’t erase memories but creates disorientation and a temporary inability to think clearly. In D&D, it causes creatures within the area to act in strange ways, often causing them to forget their objectives and act randomly. While not directly targeting memory, this is a form of “forgetfulness” in the sense that it causes the target to lose their focus and direction.
- Mechanics: Affected creatures can’t think rationally, causing them to move erratically, possibly forgetting to act or focus on the task at hand.
Feeblemind: Another D&D spell that severely impacts mental faculties, causing the target to lose all memory and knowledge of spells, abilities, and even basic language. While not strictly a “forgetfulness” spell, it can be seen as a drastic form of memory destruction, leaving the person in a state of helplessness.
- Mechanics: This spell can reduce the target’s Intelligence to 1, meaning they can no longer remember or perform advanced tasks, spells, or combat maneuvers.

3. Memory-Related Spells in Other Fantasy Settings

Other fantasy novels, games, or movies have their own variations on memory-altering magic, and these spells can range from subtle to extreme:

In The Lord of the Rings:

The concept of memory-altering magic isn’t as overt, but there are moments where the mind is affected. One notable example is the character of Gollum, who has a fragmented memory due to the influence of the One Ring. Though not a “spell” in a typical sense, the Ring manipulates Gollum’s mind and memories, forcing him into a constant state of obsession, effectively erasing his earlier personality and memories.

In The Witcher:

Dimeritium: This isn’t strictly a memory spell but a way to neutralize magic. In The Witcher, the use of certain types of magic can cause confusion or disorientation in the minds of those affected. There are also some magical creatures (like certain demons or enchantresses) that can manipulate memories and perceptions.

4. Practical Uses of Forgetful Spells

Forgetful spells are used for many reasons, depending on the caster’s intent and the severity of the spell. Here are some common practical uses:

Protection: Often, forgetful spells are used to protect people from dangerous or traumatic experiences. For example, wiping someone’s memory of witnessing a dangerous magical creature, or erasing traumatic events from their minds to prevent lasting emotional harm.
Security: In the Harry Potter universe, Obliviate is used frequently by wizards to protect the secrecy of magic from Muggles. This kind of memory erasure helps maintain the illusion that magic doesn’t exist.
Manipulation: Memory-altering spells can be used for manipulation, either by changing someone’s memories to suit the caster’s goals or by erasing inconvenient memories. This can be a powerful tool for spies, manipulators, or even in love potions, where someone might erase their doubts or alter their affections.
Combat or Deception: In many games or stories, confusion spells or temporary forgetfulness effects are used during combat to disorient opponents or make them forget their objectives. A spell that causes an opponent to forget the strategy or mission they’re working on can turn the tide of battle.

5. Psychological and Moral Implications of Forgetful Spells

While forgetful spells can be used for beneficial purposes, they also have significant psychological and moral implications. These spells raise questions about free will, consent, and personal identity. If you erase someone’s memory or manipulate their recollections, are you altering who they are as a person? Is it ethical to erase someone’s painful memories or even the memories of a traumatic event?

Moral Dilemma: For instance, in some situations, a forgetful spell may be used for good, such as erasing the memories of a loved one after an act of violence, but it also poses the question of whether it’s better to let someone live with their memories, even if they’re painful, rather than erasing part of who they are.
Loss of Identity: Changing someone’s memories or erasing parts of their life could cause them to lose a sense of who they are, leading to an identity crisis. These spells can make characters forget their connections, relationships, and goals, and in the worst cases, they might make them a shadow of themselves.

Conclusion

Forgetful spells, whether in the form of memory manipulation, confusion, or full amnesia, have vast and varied applications across many fantasy settings. In settings like Harry Potter and Dungeons & Dragons, these types of magic can protect secrets, manipulate events, or even incapacitate enemies. However, they also carry with them complex ethical questions about the nature of memory, personal identity, and the consequences of altering someone’s mind.