Item from The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
The Old Blood magic — the ability to bond with animals, sharing mind and heart, persecuted as beastly perversion by a kingdom that fears what it doesn't understand.
The Wit is older than the Skill, older than the Farseers, possibly older than human civilization in the Six Duchies. It connects humans to the web of all life — animals, plants, the living world itself. At its most basic, it allows communication with animals. At its deepest, it creates a bond so profound that user and animal share thoughts, sensations, and eventually personality. The Six Duchies has declared the Wit abomination. Wit-users are burned alongside their bond animals. The Old Blood community — families who have carried the Wit for generations — live in hiding, practicing their magic in secret. The persecution is built on fear: the fear that Wit-users lose their humanity through animal contact, becoming beasts in human skin. It's a lie, but it's a convenient one for a kingdom that has always valued control.
The Wit has no visible manifestation, but its effects are felt. A Wit-user senses the life energy of every living thing around them — a web of awareness that makes the world feel populated in a way that non-users cannot perceive. The bond between user and animal is invisible but tangible to both parties, creating a shared consciousness where human and beast overlap.
Also known as: The Wit, Old Blood Magic, Beast Magic