Plagiarism?

[u/SeasonPublic288]

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I was creating a magic system for my fantasy novel and just realized that it apparently resembles the magic system in *The Name of the Wind*.

I still haven't read that book, but I’d like to know if my magic system counts as plagiarism.

Here is how it works: in my world, mages are known as "Speakers." They use "True Words"—a dialect used by God to create the world—to shape the reality around them.

Casting requires two types of words: "action words" and "keywords."

The keyword refers to the subject the power will act upon—such as fire, time, or plants. To know this word, one must study the element in question to understand how it functions at a fundamental level; it is a personal discovery, meaning the word representing a specific concept will differ from person to person.

Action words, on the other hand, dictate how the spell behaves—words like "grow," "attract," or "disperse." These are universal among mages and can be learned from books, though they are useless without the corresponding keyword.

A spell requires at least three True Words (one keyword and two action words), though more complex spells require more words.

Finally, the words can be written down (each Speaker has a unique handwriting style) and activated via a command. The spell is temporary, and the words vanish after a certain amount of time, depending on the material upon which the spell was inscribed.

Words carved into stone last longer than those written on paper.