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Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Origin== [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle Englis...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Wish.jpg|right|frame]]
==Origin==
[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English] wisshen, from [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._600-1100.09THE_OLD_ENGLISH.2C_OR_ANGLO-SAXON_PERIOD Old English] wȳscan; akin to Old High German wunsken to wish, [[Sanskrit]] vāñchati he wishes, vanoti he strives for
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12th_century before 12th Century]
==Definitions==
:transitive verb
*1: to have a [[desire]] for (as something unattainable) <wished he could live his life over>
*2: to give [[expression]] to as a wish : bid <wish them good night>
*3a : to give form to (a wish)
:b : to express a wish for
:c : to request in the form of a wish : order
:d : to [[desire]] (a [[person]] or [[thing]]) to be as specified <cannot wish our [[problems]] away>
*4: to confer (something unwanted) on someone : foist
:intransitive verb
*1: to have a [[desire]] : want <wishing for more>
*2: to make a wish <wish on a falling [[star]]>
==Description==
A '''wish''' is a [[hope]] or [[desire]] for something. Fictionally, wishes can be used as plot devices. In [[folklore]], opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.
==In literature==
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"; it can also be a small part of a tale, in which case it is often used as a plot device. You can wish on many [[things]] for example: wishing wells, dandelions when you blow the [[seeds]], [[stars]] and much more. When you wish in a well you throw [[money]] in, in the [[hope]] your wish comes true, the money normally goes to a [[charity]].
A template for fictional wishes could be ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_One_Thousand_and_One_Nights The Book of One Thousand and One Nights]'', specifically the tale of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin Aladdin], although in the tale of Aladdin the [[actual]] wishes were only part of the tale. Also, Aladdin's demands, while outrageous, were mainly variations on [[wealth]] (which is still often taken as the most common request).
Classically the wish provider is often a [[spirit]], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie Genie] or similar [[entity]], bound or constrained within a commonplace object (Aladdin's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_lamp oil lamp] for example) or a container closed with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon Solomon]'s seal. Releasing the [[entity]] from its constraint, usually by some simple [[action]], allows the object's possessor to make a wish.
The subservience of the extraordinarily powerful [[entity]] to the wisher can be explained in several 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 that the wisher 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkey%27s_Paw Monkey's Paw] is an example of this. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Anthony Piers Anthony] puts a spin on this [[idea]] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Roogna Castle Roogna]: a [[magic]] ring claims to grant wishes and then claims credit when a wish comes true, apparently from the unaided [[efforts]] of the characters—but every wish made on the ring sooner or later comes true.
Some wishes [[appear]] to be granted by nothing in particular. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White Snow White]'s mother's wish for a [[beautiful]] [[child]] might have been a [[coincidence]], but the [[father]]'s wish in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Ravens The Seven Ravens] [[transforms]] his sons into ravens, just as the [[mother]]'s wish in The Raven transforms her daughter. This is common in a tale involving a [[person]], [[male]] or [[female]], wishing for a child, even one that is a hedgehog, or a sprig of myrtle, or no bigger than a hazel nut.
The [[number]] of wishes granted varies. Aladdin had an unlimited number. As in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Perrault Charles Perrault] tale [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ridiculous_Wishes The Ridiculous Wishes], three is the most common, but others may be granted to fit the constraints of the tale. Several [[authors]] have spun variations of the wish for more wishes theme, though some disallow this as cheating.
In many [[stories]] the wording of the wish is extremely important. For example, characters often say, "I wish I was [[wealthy]]." This wording could be taken [[literally]], the wish granted so that at one time the wisher was (used to be) wealthy but is not any more. Saying, "I wish to be wealthy", then because "to be" refers to either the [[present]] or the [[future]], they would become [[wealthy]].
A common problem is the granter of the wish being either 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.
==See also==
*'''''[[Wishful thinking]]'''''
[[Category: Psychology]]
[[Category: Religion]]
==Origin==
[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._1100-1500_.09THE_MIDDLE_ENGLISH_PERIOD Middle English] wisshen, from [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=English#ca._600-1100.09THE_OLD_ENGLISH.2C_OR_ANGLO-SAXON_PERIOD Old English] wȳscan; akin to Old High German wunsken to wish, [[Sanskrit]] vāñchati he wishes, vanoti he strives for
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12th_century before 12th Century]
==Definitions==
:transitive verb
*1: to have a [[desire]] for (as something unattainable) <wished he could live his life over>
*2: to give [[expression]] to as a wish : bid <wish them good night>
*3a : to give form to (a wish)
:b : to express a wish for
:c : to request in the form of a wish : order
:d : to [[desire]] (a [[person]] or [[thing]]) to be as specified <cannot wish our [[problems]] away>
*4: to confer (something unwanted) on someone : foist
:intransitive verb
*1: to have a [[desire]] : want <wishing for more>
*2: to make a wish <wish on a falling [[star]]>
==Description==
A '''wish''' is a [[hope]] or [[desire]] for something. Fictionally, wishes can be used as plot devices. In [[folklore]], opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.
==In literature==
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"; it can also be a small part of a tale, in which case it is often used as a plot device. You can wish on many [[things]] for example: wishing wells, dandelions when you blow the [[seeds]], [[stars]] and much more. When you wish in a well you throw [[money]] in, in the [[hope]] your wish comes true, the money normally goes to a [[charity]].
A template for fictional wishes could be ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_One_Thousand_and_One_Nights The Book of One Thousand and One Nights]'', specifically the tale of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin Aladdin], although in the tale of Aladdin the [[actual]] wishes were only part of the tale. Also, Aladdin's demands, while outrageous, were mainly variations on [[wealth]] (which is still often taken as the most common request).
Classically the wish provider is often a [[spirit]], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie Genie] or similar [[entity]], bound or constrained within a commonplace object (Aladdin's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_lamp oil lamp] for example) or a container closed with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon Solomon]'s seal. Releasing the [[entity]] from its constraint, usually by some simple [[action]], allows the object's possessor to make a wish.
The subservience of the extraordinarily powerful [[entity]] to the wisher can be explained in several 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 that the wisher 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkey%27s_Paw Monkey's Paw] is an example of this. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Anthony Piers Anthony] puts a spin on this [[idea]] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Roogna Castle Roogna]: a [[magic]] ring claims to grant wishes and then claims credit when a wish comes true, apparently from the unaided [[efforts]] of the characters—but every wish made on the ring sooner or later comes true.
Some wishes [[appear]] to be granted by nothing in particular. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White Snow White]'s mother's wish for a [[beautiful]] [[child]] might have been a [[coincidence]], but the [[father]]'s wish in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Ravens The Seven Ravens] [[transforms]] his sons into ravens, just as the [[mother]]'s wish in The Raven transforms her daughter. This is common in a tale involving a [[person]], [[male]] or [[female]], wishing for a child, even one that is a hedgehog, or a sprig of myrtle, or no bigger than a hazel nut.
The [[number]] of wishes granted varies. Aladdin had an unlimited number. As in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Perrault Charles Perrault] tale [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ridiculous_Wishes The Ridiculous Wishes], three is the most common, but others may be granted to fit the constraints of the tale. Several [[authors]] have spun variations of the wish for more wishes theme, though some disallow this as cheating.
In many [[stories]] the wording of the wish is extremely important. For example, characters often say, "I wish I was [[wealthy]]." This wording could be taken [[literally]], the wish granted so that at one time the wisher was (used to be) wealthy but is not any more. Saying, "I wish to be wealthy", then because "to be" refers to either the [[present]] or the [[future]], they would become [[wealthy]].
A common problem is the granter of the wish being either 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.
==See also==
*'''''[[Wishful thinking]]'''''
[[Category: Psychology]]
[[Category: Religion]]