4b) Why do some of you use the word Witch? Wiccan?
Description
This article is from the Paganism FAQ, by susanhk@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Susan Harwood Kaczmarczik) with numerous contributions by others.
4b) Why do some of you use the word Witch? Wiccan?
First, not everyone in alt.pagan is Wiccan/Witchy, so this
question only applies to some of the people.
Witch is a very old word meaning "magic-maker", from a root which
meant "bending" and "shaping". For many of us, the word Witch is a
powerful reclaiming of that inherent human power to make changes
around us. For others, including some of the people within Wicca,
that word is not their word. Some people within Wicca take the
adjective "Wiccan" and use it as a noun.
(Some people question the authenticity of the etymology that says
"witch" means "to bend or shape." They believe that the word is
simply from the Old English for "wise one" and has no relation to the
root mentioned above -- which gives us the modern word "wicker," for
instance. However, this definition is a good way to think of how a
modern Witch might see him/herself.)
Continue to:
My Books
