Categories of magic in the fantasy world

I am an avid reader of fantasy stories. Each time I visit the library or bookstore, the fantasy genre would be one section I will not miss. It just occurred to me that it might be interesting to categorize the different types of magic "available" in the fantasy world. I have come up with the following list after a wee bit of brainstorming. I might have missed out a few either because they are not big enough to warrant a category or that I simply forgot about them - so you can always add on to make your own list. Drop me a comment if you feel that I have missed any big and important category - I would be happy to update this post. :-) In the order these categories came to me: 1. By religion Remember we are now discussing the fantasy world in books and stories - so please don't start throwing stones at me and insisting there is only one God in this world and that I would be tossed into h*ll without even my sleeping bag for spewing such blasphemy. So, we were talking about religion. Some authors explain the magical nature of the worlds they create using religion. There are usually several religious sects in the world where the followers will have various powers granted by their "divine overlords". For instance, one of my favorite authors, Raymond E. Feist, features this concept. We can also see this in the Boudica series by Manda Scott. Either this, or the characters themselves are Gods. I particularly love the Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony. 2. By bloodline/gene/species This, in my opinion, is the most popular choice among authors and most books fall into this category, using it as either a predominant or secondary theme. Characters in the stories have magical powers if they were born in the right family, race or species. If you want power in these worlds, you have to pre-arrange for the right Daddy and Mummy. You need to check out Terry Goodkind who is ranked very high on my list. Other good ones include the Amber chronicles by Roger Zelazny, Demon Child trilogy by Jennifer Fallon, books by Robin Hobb, Saga of Seven Suns series by Kevin J. Anderson, Tears of Artamon series by Sarah Ash, Death Gate Cycle series by Margaret Weis, Vampire/Witches chronicles by Anne Rice and not forgetting of course, our beloved Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. 3. By object This is more common as a central concept in fairy tales. In more adultish fiction, it usually takes that of a secondary nature. However, we do have quite a few outstanding books revolving around objects. I recommend the Thomas Covenant chronicles by Stephen R. Donaldson, EA Cycle series by David Zindell and the Fifth Ring trilogy by Mitchell Graham. I guess you can count the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien too. 4. By geographical location In this kind of world, the magic depends on which part of the world you are born in. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson hints of this elegantly. "The Still" and "The King" by David Feintuch utilize this concept too. Largely, I think most stories fall into these four broad categories (those stories involving "special destiny" thingies don't count. Or, make them a fifth category! :P). Granted that most throw in spells, potions, gestures and what-have-you's, it's hard to find one that is completely out of these four. PS.: There are definitely more books than those I have mentioned in this post. However, I only mentioned those that I personally like. Further, I am sure there are still many more I have not yet had the chance to read. ;-)