Every festival grows a wizard somewhere around one in the morning. Someone at the edge of the fire circle pulls up a hood, picks up a walking stick that was a fallen branch an hour ago, and the drummers start following them across the field.
Nobody voted for them. The cloak ran the whole campaign.
It's an old trick. Wizard began as a name for a wise one, and the priestly magi of ancient Persia handed us the word magic. Magus is half our name, and a magus is a magician: as Magus and Lylyth Fawn, we draw dragons, spellbooks, pyramids and all-seeing eyes and put them on hooded cloaks. Here's why wizards wear cloaks, how a wizard differs from a sorcerer or a mage, the six cloaks we'd hand any spellcaster, and how to build a D&D or ren faire costume around one.
Why do wizards wear cloaks?
Because a cloak tells everyone at a glance who the wise one is. The wizard archetype grew from wise old mentors and court prophets like Merlin, and fantasy dressed them in robes or a cloak, a pointed hat and a staff. On a cold night, a hooded cloak also keeps a stargazer warm.
The word itself is a compliment. Wizard comes from the Middle English wysard, "wise" plus -ard, and only took on the sense of "magic user" around the 1500s (Wiktionary). Older still are the magi, priests of Zoroastrianism and earlier Iranian religions, whose Greek name magos gave English "magic" and "magician" (Wikipedia).
Then there's Merlin, the wizard of Arthurian legend. Geoffrey of Monmouth shaped him in his History of the Kings of Britain around 1136: the boy prophet who reveals a red dragon and a white dragon fighting beneath a king's tower, and the sage who brings the stones of Stonehenge from Ireland. In Geoffrey's later Life of Merlin (1150), the wizard lives for a time in the woods and retires to watch the stars from a forest house with seventy windows (Wikipedia). Seventy windows and a night sky. That's a man who needed a good hood.
Fantasy kept the look and made the wand or staff part of the uniform. Terry Pratchett observed that the robes are how a magician lets everyone know they can do magic (Wikipedia). A cloak is a job title you can wear.
What's the difference between a wizard, a sorcerer and a mage?
In tabletop games, a wizard learns magic from study and spellbooks, a sorcerer is born with it, often through magical ancestry, and "mage" is the umbrella word for anyone who casts. In folklore the lines blur. For a costume, a wizard cloak leans scholarly, while a sorcerer cloak can be wilder, brighter and full of creatures.
Those labels have a paper trail. The original Dungeons & Dragons called its spellcasters "magic-users" to sidestep the baggage of words like wizard or warlock; the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons swapped in "mage," which later became "wizard." Wizards cast from spellbooks, while sorcerers carry an innate gift and a magical bloodline (Wikipedia).
So scholars and scryers suit art full of books, script and sacred geometry, sorcerers suit dragons and unicorns, and mages can wear either, which is the best perk of the title.
Which Magus Fawn cloak suits your kind of magic?
Choose by archetype. Magus Fawn makes hooded wizard cloaks for the forest wizard, the sorcerer, the scholar of spellbooks, the seer, the temple magician and the high priest, each carrying a different piece of visionary art: horned skulls in roses, a dragon and a unicorn, an Enochian grimoire, an all-seeing eye and two visions of ancient Egypt.
Every one shares the same build: a micro-mink poly outer (listed fabric weight 200 g/m²), a faux-fur lining in black or white, heavy drawstrings on the hood, a double front zipper and four pockets, two deep side pockets and two interior stash pockets, one of them zippered. The fit is unisex from XS to 5XL, and each cloak is made to order. Each of these six designs comes in both a men's and a women's listing with the same spec.
The forest wizard: Forest Wizard. If Merlin had kept a wardrobe for his years among the trees, it would look like the Forest Wizard men's festival cloak ($250). Around the back, pale horned skulls hang in a mirrored pair, wrapped in roses and trailing vines, with rosettes in rose gold and cream opening like flowers that bloom only after dark. Up front, pink blossoms, green leaves and silver-grey sunbursts drift down the panels and sleeves. Bone and blossom on one cloak is an old wizard lesson: every ending feeds something new. Our barter faire story The Trader in the Wizard Cloak follows this design through a frosty autumn night.
The sorcerer: Blue Sorceress. A sorcerer's power comes from the bloodline, and the Blue Sorceress men's festival cloak ($250) wears its family tree on the back: a frost-pale dragon with feathers coils around a white unicorn, the two of them riding a whirlpool of blue light. On the front, mirrored unicorns rise from glowing teal water under rows of midnight-blue waves, with an opal moon on each shoulder. All ice and deep ocean, it looks like a spell caught halfway through.
The scholar of spellbooks: Enochian Vision Gold. For the wizard who learned it all from books, the Enochian Vision Gold women's festival cloak ($250) is a grimoire you can walk around in. A pentagram inside a circle sits under the hood, an eye watches beneath it, and an open book rests above two blades and a chalice, framed by columns of angelic letters that deepen from bright gold to old bronze. The script nods to John Dee, the Elizabethan scholar who began working with the scryer Edward Kelley in 1582 and recorded that angels dictated several books through Kelley, some in an Enochian language (Wikipedia). Our Enochian Vision colorway guide shows every color.
The seer: Mystic Eye Gold. Every party of adventurers needs a lookout who spots everything first. On the Mystic Eye Gold men's festival cloak ($250), a violet eye opens at the nape, just below the hood, and three Flower of Life spheres in pale blue descend the spine inside arches of gold knotwork laid over deep green. Gold filigree climbs the sleeves. It reads like court regalia, the cloak of the advisor who stands one step behind the throne and quietly knows how the story ends.
The temple magician: Egyptian Atlantis. Ancient Egypt had a word for magic, heka, and gave it a god of the same name; the goddess Isis was sometimes called Great Lady of magic (Wikipedia). The Egyptian Atlantis men's festival cloak ($250) is a temple wall from that world, lifted out of the sea and still gleaming: an eye in a medallion under the hood, a golden tree in a ring at the center, and pyramids, columns, sphinxes and jackals standing guard toward the hem. Spread your arms and the whole temple opens like a pair of wings. Kopano, who bought the women's Egyptian Atlantis cloak, wrote in May 2026: "Everything about the item is good . Very impressed"
The high priest: Mystical Egypt. Where Egyptian Atlantis is the temple, the Mystical Egypt men's festival cloak ($250) is the person who holds its keys. The front reads like a carved doorway: tall columns of gold hieroglyphs and ankhs, the Eye of Horus over the heart and a crescent moon at the shoulder. Turn around and a pharaoh in a royal headdress presides over seven chakra lights stacked from red at the base to violet at the crown. Hood up and hands in pockets, it's the calmest wizard in the crowd.
How do you make a wizard costume for D&D night or a ren faire?
Start with a hooded cloak that already tells the story, then add three props: a staff, a book and something that glints. A Magus Fawn cloak carries the symbols in its art, so the rest can stay simple: dark layers, boots for walking, a satchel and rings. Pick the cloak by class, then dress the character around it.
The staff. A sanded branch, a thrifted walking stick or a curtain rod wrapped in leather cord all work, and a staff makes you easy to find in a crowd.
The spellbook. A leather-bound journal with a ribbon is perfect under your arm at the faire or beside your character sheet at game night.
The glint. Rings, a crystal pendant or a brass compass on a chain catch the light when you raise your hands; anything small and precious rides in the zippered interior pocket.
The color. In the Dragonlance setting of D&D, a wizard's robe color shows their moral alignment (Wikipedia), so choose a cloak like filling in a character sheet: gold for the scholar or priest, blue and teal for the sorcerer, roses and vines for the forest wizard. Pick the white lining and the raised hood becomes a halo.
For game night itself, the Electric Dragonscape hooded blanket with ears ($150) puts a dragon in your corner: gold-tipped horns, frost-blue and violet scales and a jeweled medallion below. It's poly fleece at 300 g/m², cut as one roomy pullover in a single size (4XL), with ears on the hood, a quarter zip at the front and an oversized pocket. Merlin's legend begins with two dragons under a tower, so you're in good company.
Sizing a wizard cloak for cold faires and long nights
Wizards work late, so plan for the hours after sunset. Our FAQ suggests sizing up for outerwear like cloaks, "sometimes even 2 sizes up to fit extra layers under," which matters if you'll wear a sweater or a costume tunic underneath. Between sizes? Email your measurements to art@magusfawn.com and we'll help; we typically reply within 1–2 business days. Tyler, who bought an Ophanim cloak, wrote in November 2025: "Very cozy, a little longer than expected", a useful note if you're on the shorter side.
Every cloak is made to order: production takes 7–11 business days, then delivery takes 6–14 business days, so order at least five weeks before the faire or the campaign finale. US shipping is free on orders of $70 and up, and every piece comes with one free size exchange, but the sizing email is still worth the minute. Machine wash cold with like colors, no bleach, tumble dry low or hang dry, and skip the iron and the dry cleaner. The dye-sublimated art won't fade or crack, so the gold stays gold.
The wise one's coat
A wizard started out as simply a wise person, and the wise ones are older than the word: Egypt's god of magic, the Persian magi, Merlin and his dragons, Dee and his angels. Storytellers have dressed them in robes and hoods for centuries. Pick your kind of magic and pull it up.
Find your wizard cloak: women's cloaks · men's cloaks · all festival cloaks · hooded blankets
More cloak reading: rave cloaks for men and are festival cloaks worth it?
Frequently asked questions
Who was Merlin?
Merlin is the wizard and prophet of Arthurian legend. Geoffrey of Monmouth shaped the familiar version around 1136, blending older Welsh tales of the prophets Myrddin and Emrys. His Merlin reveals two battling dragons beneath a tower, moves the stones of Stonehenge from Ireland and, in a later book, retires to stargaze from a forest house with seventy windows.
What does the word wizard mean?
Wizard comes from the Middle English wysard, made from "wise" plus the ending -ard, so it first meant a wise person or sage. The sense of someone who works magic arrived around the 1500s. A wizard cloak from Magus Fawn honors both meanings: art full of old learning, worn by whoever feels wise tonight.
What does magus mean?
A magus is a magician or wise one. The word comes from the magi, priests of Zoroastrianism and earlier Iranian religions, whose Greek name, magos, also gave English the words magic and magician. The singular magus entered English from Old French in the late 14th century. It's also half of the name Magus Fawn.
Is a wizard cloak the same as a wizard robe?
Not quite. A robe is a long gown worn as the main garment, while a cloak is the outer layer that goes over everything else, usually with a hood. Fantasy wizards often wear both. A Magus Fawn wizard cloak is that hooded outer layer, so a tunic, a sweater or a full robe can go underneath.
Written by Magus & Lylyth Fawn, the Los Angeles artists behind Magus Fawn. Magus makes VR and digital visionary art and produces Psy EDM. Lylyth makes fractal digital art and runs design and customer care. We've been selling wearable art since 2020 (4.8★ from 147 reviews as of October 2026), and every piece is made to order here at magusfawn.com. Come say hi on Instagram @magusfawn.
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