# Mana

- Term: General term
- Canonical: https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/mana/

> A pool of magical energy spent to cast spells and replenished by rest or potions, usually shown as a blue bar. It is the chief alternative to [Vancian magic](https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/vancian-magic/) and made famous in card games by Magic: The Gathering's lands.

A pool of magical energy spent to cast spells and replenished by rest or potions, usually shown as a blue bar. It is the chief alternative to [Vancian magic](https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/vancian-magic/) and made famous in card games by Magic: The Gathering's lands.

**Origin:** From a Polynesian and Melanesian word for spiritual power, described to Western readers by R. H. Codrington in The Melanesians (1891); Larry Niven's 1969 story Not Long Before the End imagined mana as a finite, exhaustible resource.

## Quick answers

**What does "Mana" mean?**
A pool of magical energy spent to cast spells and replenished by rest or potions, usually shown as a blue bar. It is the chief alternative to Vancian magic and made famous in card games by Magic: The Gathering's lands.

**Where does the term "Mana" come from?**
From a Polynesian and Melanesian word for spiritual power, described to Western readers by R. H. Codrington in The Melanesians (1891); Larry Niven's 1969 story Not Long Before the End imagined mana as a finite, exhaustible resource.

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From The Lantern Hall (https://www.lanternhall.org/), a museum of fantasy literature and roleplaying games.