>>75345474>Even Tolkien>never bothered to put much of an explanation in the "why" or "how" of the magic of his world.Well you see, little timmy, there's art and then there's the machine. "Art" describes most human, elven, and divine magic, and it works on the idea that super smart/skilled/talented people can exceed human limitations. Galadriel's telepathy is superhuman social skills, Elrond's forge (and most magic items) is superhuman craftsmanship, and songs fo power represent superhuman artistry.
The other kind of magic is "the machine", where you spend your spiritual essence and diminish yourself in order to empower your earthly designs, and that desribes most of the shit that Sauron and Morgoth got up to.
Anyway, back to OP, I like the idea that primitive humanoids lived ritual lives. The "active ingredients" in those rituals would eventually be isolated and developed, but in the beginning they weren't "casting spells", they were just living in harmony with magical forces.
