History Main / MagicalSeventhSon

* In ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' episode "Still Valley", a Confederate soldier met an old man who had magical powers because he was the seventh son of a seventh son. He also had a DealWithTheDevil thing going on.

* In ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'', Septimus is a powerful wizard, and the seventh son of a seventh son.

Traditionally, this trope was AlwaysMale, possibly because "seventh daughter of a seventh daughter" doesn't quite roll off the tongue. (Though it's more likely for less [[DoubleStandard charitable reasons]].) Modern works, however, have an increasing tendency to feature the distaff version--especially in FeministFantasy, where the author may explicitly add a "take that!" comment about the traditional version.

* It's mentioned in ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'' that Elphaba's preacher father is the seventh son of a seventh son and that he comes from a line of six ministers. He fully expected his firstborn to be a son, but he instead got a daughter. It, along with Elphaba's [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation green skin]], are just the start of Elphaba's life of screwing with her father's expectations.

* In ''Series/{{Charmed}}'', a seventh son of a seventh son is revealed to be TheChosenOne to defeat a powerfull witch, by using her own wand against her.

* It's mentioned in ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'' that Elphaba's preacher father is the seventh son of a seventh son and that he comes from a line of six ministers. He fully expected his firstborn to be a son, but he instead got a daughter. It, along with Elphaba's [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation green skin]], are just the start of Elphaba's life of screwing with her father's expectations.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter,'' according to WordOfGod, this is why Ginny Weasley, the seventh child of her parents, is a PintSizedPowerhouse. However, in this case it's PlayedWith because both of her parents had only two siblings each.

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* In ''Film/TheSeeker'', a movie based on Creator/SusanCooper's novel ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising'', Will is the seventh son of a seventh son, and destined to save the world from darkness.

* In [[Creator/BobHope Hope]] and [[Music/BingCrosby Crosby's]] ''[[Film/RoadTo Road to Bali]]'', they sing "Hoot Mon", which has the lyric "The seventh son of the seventh son of a son-of-a-gun from [[TrrrillingRrrs Perrrrrrrrrth]]".

* ''Literature/{{Worldweavers}}'': Thea, as the seventh child of two seventh children, is supposed to have powerful magic. She's so bad at magic that her parents wind up sending her to a boarding school that specializes in people who can't do magic (in the world of the series, almost everyone can do magic). [[spoiler:She's later revealed to have command over two of the four classical elements, fire and air. This is ''extremely'' rare.]]

* In ''Film/TheSeeker'', a movie based on Creator/SusanCooper's novel ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising'', Will is the seventh son of a seventh son, and destined to save the world from darkness.

* Taken UpToEleven in Creator/OrsonScottCard's ''Literature/TheTalesOfAlvinMaker''. Alvin is not only a seventh son, he is the seventh son of a seventh son, his parents' thirteenth child, and to top it all off was born with a caul, and is a powerful "maker"--a rare and powerful form of magic. The first novel in the series is even named ''Seventh Son''.
** Alvin's younger brother, interestingly, is also (sort of) the seventh son of a seventh son, because their oldest brother died just after Alvin was born. Calvin doesn't have quite Alvin's level of power, but he's more powerful than average by a good bit.
** And their father, Alvin Sr., is also above average.

* In ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'', Septimus is a powerful wizard, and the seventh son of a seventh son.

* In Creator/PatriciaCWrede's ''Literature/FrontierMagic'', Lan is the seventh son of a seventh son, and so a natural magician. Others point out to Eff that she's a seventh daughter, even if she is a [[ThirteenIsUnlucky thirteenth child]]. The AlwaysMale part of the trope is averted by the series, as double-seventh daughters are also magically gifted. It just takes a while for anyone to realize that the seventh ''daughter'' of a seventh ''son'' counts as a double-seven - all previously recorded double-sevens are seventh sons of seventh sons or seventh daughters of seventh daughters.
* In ''Literature/TheWardstoneChronicles'', being the seventh son of a seventh son is literally a job requirement to be a spook.
* In Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/TalesOfTheFiveHundredKingdoms'' series, Sasha has some small magics, in part because he's a seventh son. Also, in ''One Good Knight'', Gina mentions that three of her siblings have magical abilities.
--> "That kind of startled my parents, they had no idea that there was magic in their blood,but the sibs in question are the seventh born, the ninth born, and the thirteenth born, so that probably explains it."

* In the ''Literature/DaughterOfTheForest'', the first book in the ''Literature/TheSevenwatersTrilogy'':
** Sorcha is the seventh daughter of Lord Colum (himself a seventh son). Her six brothers are bound in a curse to be forever swans by her stepmother that only the seventh child can lift.
** Oonagh and Colum's son Ciarán is the seventh son of a seventh son. Even Sorcha herself comments on this when she hears about the birth.
* In ''Literature/TheSecretOfPlatform13'', Odge the hag is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. Her mother was eagerly expecting what would surely be her [[GoodIsBadAndBadIsGood most terrifying child yet]], and was disappointed when she came out looking [[AmbiguouslyHuman remarkably human]], except for heterochromia, one blue tooth, and a small bump that ''hopefully'' will grow into an extra toe one day.
* In Creator/SusanCooper's novel ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising'', Will is the seventh son of a seventh son, and was born with a caul. He has a major role to play in the battle between the Light and the Dark.
* It doesn't come up as an important plot point in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', but WordOfGod notes that Ginny being the seventh child in her family (albeit the [[OutnumberedSibling first daughter]]) was supposed to symbolize her as someone special. She is also the first girl born into the Weasley family in several generations.
* A variant in the Creator/PiersAnthony novel ''Literature/FractalMode'' - Nona is the ninth born of the ninth generation, granting her the ability to have truer and stronger magic then other girls, and the potential to flip the magical patriarchy to a matriarchy. Which will flip again when there is born a male ninth of the ninth.
* A seventh son of a seventh son can allegedly see the torcs of Droods in the ''Literature/SecretHistories'' series. In ''Live and Let Drood'', a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter proves she can, too.
* In ''Literature/TheBalancedSword'', Tobimar Silverun is "Seventh of Seven", the seventh child of a seventh child; he completes a quest that his family has been unsuccessfully attempting for centuries, and in the process learns to unlock the power he's inherited from a divine ancestor.
* In ''Literature/GrooshamGrange'', wizards are all seventh sons of a seventh son and witches are all seventh daughters of a seventh daughter.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode, "Terror of the Zygons" has a landlord who claims to have the power of [[{{Seers}} second sight]] because he's the seventh son of a seventh son.
* In the SoapOpera ''Series/DaysOfOurLives'', a shadowy crime lord called "The Phoenix" claims to be the seventh son of a seventh son and to have magical powers.

* In ''{{Series/Highlander}}'', the fortune teller mentions Duncan being this. The mystical part is probably in connection with his immortality.

** In ''Discworld/EqualRites'', Eskarina is the eighth ''daughter'' of an eighth son, which [[GenderRestrictedAbility isn't supposed to work]], but somehow it does. Women are supposed to be witches, not wizards, but Eskarina is simply too wizardy.

-->''I might be your third man, girl''\\
''But it's a fact I'm the seventh son.''

-->''"I can heal the sick, an' even raise the dead--\\

--> -- '''Willie Dixon''', "Seventh Son"

''Almost'' AlwaysMale, possibly because "seventh daughter of a seventh daughter" doesn't quite roll off the tongue.

* In [[BobHope Hope]] and [[BingCrosby Crosby's]] ''[[Film/RoadTo Road to Bali]]'', they sing "Hoot Mon", which has the lyric "The seventh son of the seventh son of a son-of-a-gun from [[TrrrillingRrrs Perrrrrrrrrth]]".

* In ''Literature/GrooshamGrange'', wizards are all seventh son of a seventh son and witches are all seventh daughter of a seventh daughter.

* In [[Film/SeventhSon2015 Seventh Son]], the trope is unsurprisingly played straight as Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son. [[spoiler: At the same time, he's the offspring of a human father and a witch mother, making him a unique combination with astounding potential.]]

* In [[BobHope Hope]] and [[BingCrosby Crosby's]] ''[[RoadTo Road to Bali]]'', they sing "Hoot Mon", which has the lyric "The seventh son of the seventh son of a son-of-a-gun from [[TrrrillingRrrs Perrrrrrrrrth]]".

* A variant in the PiersAnthony novel ''Literature/FractalMode'' - Nona is the ninth born of the ninth generation, granting her the ability to have truer and stronger magic then other girls, and the potential to flip the magical patriarchy to a matriarchy. Which will flip again when there is born a male ninth of the ninth.

* In [[Film/SeventhSon2015 Seventh Son]], the trope is unsurprisingly played straight as Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son. [[spoiler: Potentially subverted, as his visions are instead said to be due to his mother being a witch]]