The archetype of a magical familiar is strong. If you think about it, cats, bats, and other actual, living animals are common images that come to mind. But, not all animal companions are familiars. I have had people ask me if either of my cats are my familiars, and I always want to either laugh or spit out my drink. No, not either of those idiots. If a familiar is an existence outside the magician that helps the magician with their magic, neither of my cats would fit the bill. Neither would any of my quail. All of them are, and forever will be, pets. I’m lucky if they don’t just knock all my stuff off of my desk, or deign to allow me to sleep at night. 

At the same time, there are plenty of familiars within pop culture magic and pop culture in general that make for interesting familiar ideas. 

What Makes a Familiar? 

There are a few questions to ask yourself on whether or not something is a familiar. Does it have its own will, even if it is small? Has it made the choice (via quest, or friendliness, or otherwise) to help you? Does it help you with your magic? If the answer to these is all ‘yes’ then you have a familiar. Otherwise you might have a dumb lap cat. 

Device Familiars

I covered Intelligent Devices from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha in a previous post. I would categorize these familiars as semi-autonomous individuals that have a consciousness of their own, but also can be used as an advanced tool by a magician. I think that magical constructs that are created via programing, or apps, could fall into this category.

The ‘systems’ that exist in webcomics about villainesses or other game-like systems also fit into the ‘device’ category. A Rotom-phone within a Pokemon paradigm could also be considered half spirit, half device. 

Spirit Familiars

Anything that does not have a physical body at the start can be considered a spirit familiar. My familiar did not come to me with a physical body, so I made one for her. Clow Card Spirits and Pokemon fall into this category for the most part. They are not attached to a specific device, but you can create something for them or give them a physical anchor for them. 

I have heard about familiars being kept in stones, swords, but I really like plushes. I think there is something very special about making a physical anchor for a spirit familiar. It feels very intimate, and it is a lovely service you can do to help the two of you grow closer. 

Object Familiars

I separate these from Device Familiars, but the line can blur. A friend of mine has a staff that is a familiar, and Palismans from The Owl House also can be considered object familiars. This could be a gem, a pocket watch, or a book. My friend Rune has mentioned in his book Just a Pack of Cards that each tarot deck has its own spirit. Grimoires are often considered to have their own guardian spirits—if not the book itself having a consciousness. 

Plant Familiars

This is a category that I have the least amount of knowledge of. I have heard of plants being teachers and transformers for those they aid, and there are even books out these days on plant familiars. For those magicians who live in an apartment, this may be a good choice out of convenience. This has a great potential for both magicians who need a little help monitoring their familiars’ conditions as well as those who make use of plant ingredients. Plants, like actual animals, give physical indicators of their health. And regularly caring for a plant will ensure the magician it is attached to will cultivate a good relationship. I also imagine that any ingredients produced by that familiar would be especially potent. 

All of these familiar types are rather untraditional, at least within public consciousness. Are there any that your familiars fit, or types of familiars you think you would be well suited for?