This idea is the seed of something that I hope will eventually bloom into my next campaign setting.
A world where the written word is, in itself, a spell, and the mere act of writing and/or reading is the casting.
The idea would be that all non-magical knowledge would be learned aurally through repetitive chanting, so that conventional, non-magical academies and schools would be filled with essentially choir-classes, learning "textbook" chants parrot-fashion in lecture-chantries.
As for the magic, it will be tied to the gods, as inspired by the religion vs magic thread. Each deity will have their own alphabet, and priests (who are also the mages of the setting) are those who have been taught the alphabet of a certain deity. When phrases are written/inscribed/tattooed/carved onto something, they will produce different magical effects depending on a) the specific spell-phrase and b) the alphabet used, as each god's alphabet has powers related to their portfolio.
At the moment, the list of deities - and, therefore, "schools" of magic - I am imagining runs something as follows:
The Blood-God, whose alphabet pertains to wounds and wounding. Its phrases can ward against injuries, make weapons deliver more serious wounds, prevent or speed the healing of cuts, and so forth.
The Bull-God, whose alphabet gives fertility or strength - strength to a building's load-bearing wall, to a warrior's sword-arm, to the axles of a chariot, et cetera.
The Crab-God, whose alphabet is that of defence and acquisition, whose words harden armour and fill pockets.
The Fever-God, whose alphabet has power over illness and disease, either bringing it like poison, or driving it from a sick patient.
The Fire-God, whose alphabet forms words that either bring or ward against burning and heat - used to make a fighter's blade more fearsome, or to protect a wooden building from accidents.
The Maggot-God, whose alphabet is the runes of death, and whose words can consume and destroy, bringing entropy and decay.
The Moon-God, whose alphabet contains the words of true and primal wisdom, whose sigils can illuminate the truth at the heart of the world.
The Serpent-God, whose alphabet is sinuous and lithe, the words and symbols bringing speed, agility, and dextrousness where they are written.
The Storm-God, whose alphabet can summon or banish the weather, and whose phrases are etched and painted onto the hulls of ships and towers.
Any thoughts, feedback, or suggestions are very welcome at this early stage :)
I'm still on the fence about a setting focused entirely on writing, but having each specific god have their own alphabet, or having magic in general based on writing would be a neat way to portray magic. You'd have to make a great back story as to why people just don't invent a non-divine alphabet.
You could also make their "pencil" and "paper" have to pertain to their portfolio.
Quote from: KindlingThe Blood-God, whose alphabet pertains to wounds and wounding. Its phrases can ward against injuries, make weapons deliver more serious wounds, prevent or speed the healing of cuts, and so forth.
writing with blood or scribing on flesh, skin, or hides?
Quote from: KindlingThe Crab-God, whose alphabet is that of defence and acquisition, whose words harden armour and fill pockets.
writing on shells?
Quote from: KindlingThe Fire-God, whose alphabet forms words that either bring or ward against burning and heat - used to make a fighter's blade more fearsome, or to protect a wooden building from accidents.
writing with or in ash? or even writing with a lit stick, like kids with sparklers.
Quote from: KindlingThe Storm-God, whose alphabet can summon or banish the weather, and whose phrases are etched and painted onto the hulls of ships and towers.
using water to wet sand? or writing runes with washed-up driftwood
I hadn't really imagined that the whole setting would be based on writing, just the magic system... which might end up being quite significant element, but not to the point of overwhelming others (hopefully).
I really like your suggestion of different writing materials for the different alphabets, but it does seem a little impractical - for example if you wanted to proof a building against fire, writing on it in ash could be washed off by rain. Maybe the specific, as you put it, pencils and papers, form a kind of symbolic ideal of writing for each deity, but in practice, other materials are used as well, as the situation demands. In game terms your spell-phrase could maybe get a bonus if you're using your alphabet's ideal materials...
I can easily see the written word as magic, when you look at all cultures being illiterate in their beginning. Think of the "talking leaves" invented by native american (I forget who, Sacajewia??), as native americans were all illiterate until Europeans showed up. The idea of carrying a train of thought to another who have not heard the words - being "recorded" as somethign truly magical.
Consider the ancient Picts, who had a developed Runic language, but not a common written language. Runes are magical symbols, because they have recognized meaning. In a literate society, this seems normal in non-magical, but to an illiterate culture using symbols, runes, letters is a very magical idea.
Consider the Japanese, who were a literate people, yet the nobles/samurai constantly practiced their calligraphy skills. Though they were literate, being able to hand-script the iconographs exactly was of crucial importance. Thus it takes practice to make viable letters. As if chicken scratch has no arcane value, but practiced proper strokes drawn correctly might have true or arcane value.
The majority of cultures would have to be illiterate in general in order for Word Magic to have any meaning, depending on your setting that should be no problem at all.
GP
As GP mentioned this has real life parallels, but isn't what you're suggesting typical of how magic was portrayed pre-Vancian? I recall reading at least a few things where that's how you learned magic.
M.