A witch (Art by LawtonLonsdale)
| “ | The Italians call them Strega. The Yoruba of West Africa call them Aje, meaning 'mother'. Where my mother was from, they called them Häxa. And here, we call them Witch. Over the centuries vampires have fought them and fought beside them, bedded them and burned them. Whether adversary or ally they've always been a force to be reckoned with. | „ |
| ~ Harry Dresden |
A Witch, also known as a Sorceress, Enchantress, or Beldam, is a human who has become endowed with the magical arts of sorcery.
Overview[]
While those who practice in magic are dubbed as witches, those who view it as a religion are Wiccans. Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. Witches have existed for many centuries, passing down their knowledge and skills through generations of family lines. Witches also divided themselves into communities known as clans or covens. Each coven had its own territory with definite but irregular borders which varied from season to season based on the growth of plants and the migration of animals.
During the Middle-Ages, witches were seen as worse than rebels, "the most notorious traitor and rebel that can be", by Christians. They were regarded as not only political traitors, but spiritual traitors as well. Much of the confusion that springs from them comes from their ability to straddle the play's borders between reality and the supernatural. They are so deeply entrenched in both worlds that it is unclear whether they control fate, or whether they are merely its agents. They defy logic, not being subject to the rules of the real world.
Throughout the ages, witches were among the many infamous characters cemented in the forefront of the supernatural world. They could be reliable allies or extremely dangerous enemies. Nevertheless, the knowledge and power they wield make them either invaluable or unpredictable. Due to their importance and place in the world, there are tales that speak of them aiding many legendary figures such as Sparda, Cain, and even gods like Odin who sought them out for knowledge.
Description[]
While similar, witches are different from mages as the latter displays more broader terms of magical power. Witches on the other hand, use magic through the harnessing of spiritual energy. They were practitioners of magic revolving around the influence of the moon and the evocation of beings from spirit world. While well versed in the supernatural and metaphysical arts, they were also keen in the arts of alchemy, chemistry, acrobatics, medicine, anatomical health, and what could be assumed, various sciences of many sorts, to temper and refine their body and soul in the process of handling the powerful forms of magic that they would come to wield.
Contrary to popular belief, not all witches receive their magic from demons, nor do they all worship the Devil. Some witches, such as Wiccans, receive their power from nature and may practice witchcraft however they see fit. Instead, it is revealed that the witches worship two prominent deities from different mythologies that being Cernunnos and Hecate, the latter being the goddess of witchcraft, the former a nature deity, and a majority receive their powers from them.
Depending upon the individual, some witches practice their power by certain belief systems, such as Hoodoo, Voodoo, Wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world. Probably the most obvious characteristic of a witch was the ability to cast spells, "spell" being the word used to signify the means employed to carry out a magical action. A spell could consist of a set of words, a formula or verse, or a ritual action, or any combination of these. Their use of spellwork is, again, similar to that of a Mage but witches perform said incantations less so than a Mage but are arguably deadlier.
Powers and Abilities[]
Witches were some of the most dangerously powerful mortals on Earth, acknowledged even by other powerful supernatural beings. Their most common form of attribute are spells. Spells traditionally were cast through many methods, such as by the inscription of runes or sigils on an object to give it magical powers: by the immolation or binding of a wax or clay image (poppet) of a person to affect him or her magically, by the recitation of incantations, by the performance of physical rituals, by the employment of magical herbs as amulets or potions, by gazing at mirrors, swords or other specula (scrying) for purposes of divination, and by many other means.
Witches were also said to gain power from the use of their hair due to hair having amazing properties in witchcraft. Since hair was associated with strength, virility, and psychic protection the abundance of hair only created that much more power for the witch. Indeed, a witch's power is bound to her hair to the point where even shaking it would double the amount of mystical power of the witch. Witches have also been shown to fly at great speeds, whereby they would rub Flying Ointment onto themselves to attune to the mystical properties of a Cloud-Pine tree.
