Another Tribute to Zombies.

Total fan of Lindsey Sterling. Go to her fan sites and check her out.

Witches Part 6 - Hallowedspell Witches

Finally, what witches are like in the Hallowedspell Universe...

To start with, in the Hallowedspell stories most people think witches are not real. Most people in the universe don't believe in magic. The Hallowedspell stories are about those few individuals who do end up discovering that magic is real and that witchcraft (real witchcraft) is not about Wicca.

But to discuss witchcraft in Hallowedspell, one really ought to discuss magic first.

Magic is the power which the Unseen-world uses to move things and change things. It is basically the power of elves and demons. Magic can be stolen, learned, and abused. So, witchcraft is basically magic knowledge, skill, or ability stolen from elves and demons. It is considered counterfeit to the power of God, and often it is used for selfish purposes.

Who are/can be witches?
Anyone who chooses to practice magic. Witches are not born. It is more like a career choice. You can train up to be a witch in the same way people in some churches train up to be priests. They gather in covens, mostly gender divided, as real witchcraft does not bring people together but in fact tears them apart. Witches end up looking out for 'me first'. They tend to be back-stabbing, vengeful, vindictive, and often petty. They also study ways to be manipulative. And they become incredibly power-hungry. They hide their covens within sororities, fraternities, aid societies, community clubs, political parties, and corporations.  

Here is the sticky part. Some witches may claim to be followers of Wicca in an attempt to declare discrimination if they are ever caught performing dangerous witchcraft. But most witches come across as any old person. She could be your mother, or a librarian, or school teacher, a nurse in a hospital, or your mayor. And not all witches are women. It is a craft, not a gender. However, admittedly, most 'witches' are women. It is not because men are less inclined to evil (as some historically believed) but that most men tend to go solo when pursuing power. Also, witchcraft is a subtle art that for some men, just isn't their style.

One thing to remember is that not all magic users are witches. Setting aside all those born with natural magic ability such as elves, demons, and their half-blood offspring (a subject for a later date), most magic in the Hallowedspell universe is learned. There are necromancers who use magic for the raising and controlling of the dead, for example. Vampires also have a form of magic that they use which enables them to fly, shape-shift, and hypnotize their victims - a magic which is learned rather than comes with being a vampire (as most books would have it). Yet magical ability can also be caught by either a curse, contact with elfish/demonic persons, or through infection (look back at the section on werewolves and partial lycanthropic toxemia).

Now, here is the thing about witchcraft in Hallowedspell...
Though some witches may argue that there is a difference between dark magic and light magic in their craft, this is just a rationalization to use any magic they want. Magic is in fact volatile, something extremely dangerous and regarded in the Hallowedspell universe as inadvisable. That is to say, a human being using magic is like a two-year-old using a power drill. That's a lot of power in that toddler's hands. You can just imagine the damage that kid could do - to himself and to the world around him.

More facts about witches in the Hallowedspell Universe:

• Though witches desire power and love magic, they would rather experiment and use other beings than actually cast spells on themselves to become more powerful. Thus, witches are often the cause for the proliferation of various demons and monsters in the world. For example, werewolves are initially a witch creation (again, see the werewolf section), as well as the Vimp. 

• Witches tend to upset the unseen world, including the demons in it. This can backfire on them, as demons of the unseen world don't like mortals meddling in their affairs. However, some demons will use witches on occasion. But the demons do not consider the witches their allies. In fact, they see them as irritants and threats. Witches, after all, sometimes hunt demons for their parts to use in spells. Also, Witches especially love to stalk elves, as parts of elf hair, skin, and flesh are potent elements in doing magic. Elves, in turn, despise witches.

• Witches do create/gather familiars to help them in their work. Witch familiars are used to help with stealing, spying, and blackmail. Blackmail is often a witch's most powerful weapon. There are about 2 types of familiar. 1. Animal pets endowed with extra abilities to help the witches. 2. Humans turned to animals to help the witches in their work. The first type is usually a willing helper, but because they have animal attention spans they require a lot of training. The second type is usually an unwilling helper. These people are frequently related to the witches as family or 'close friends' that the witches thought would be useful later. Though the witches prefer this kind of familiar, these tend to escape from the witches at the first opportunity. And though many humans-turned-familiar seek to be cured, it is almost impossible without the witch who be-spelled the familiar in the first place (There is a third type of familiar, demon friends, but most witches don't use them as demons are just as selfish and dangerous as witches are).

So... Are witches good or evil in the Hallowedspell Universe?

Yeah, they're pretty bad. But as they are also human, they have a chance to change. As with any practitioner of dangerous things, a practice can be stopped. Life is, after all, about becoming the best version of ourselves.

Witches Part 5 - Modern Witchcraft

Ok, to be fair, we ought to go back to the first definition of witchcraft that I posted in the beginning of this segment. So, according to Wikipedia, “Witchcraft (also called witchery or spellcraft) broadly means the practice of, and belief in, magical skills and abilities that are able to be exercised individually, by designated social groups, or by persons with the necessary esoteric secret knowledge. Witchcraft is a complex concept that varies culturally and societally, therefore it is difficult to define with precision and cross-cultural assumptions about the meaning or significance of the term should be applied with caution. Witchcraft often occupies a religious, divinatory, or medicinal role, and is often present within societies and groups whose cultural framework includes a magical world view. Although witchcraft can often share common ground with related concepts such as sorcery, the paranormal, magic, superstition, necromancy, possession, shamanism, healing, spiritualism, nature worship, and the occult, it is usually seen as distinct from these when examined by sociologists and anthropologists.” [Emphasis added]

Ok, this is the foundation for what I am about to discuss. If indeed the term witchcraft  ought to be applied with caution, we must bear in mind here that the word will be used descriptively and not as a criticism. I will be using the word to describe a world view that practices and believes in magical skills and abilities that can be used individually or by groups. This basically means that those that practice divination or spell casting are practicing witchcraft in the strictest sense of the word.

Ok... so let's go with divination first.
Ever go to a fortune teller? That's divination. Ouija boards. That's divination. Ever play games where you tried to tell the future (no matter how silly those games were)? That's divination. Ever watch Harry Potter where Trelawney taught class? That class was called Divination. Zoltar from Big, is divination. Those gypsy stereotypes? Divination. Astrology goes under this section also. Here is a dry explanation I found on YouTube. Another POV on Astrology. And a documentary (which also talks about Moon Madness, another subject for another day). You get the idea. Some divination is taken seriously, but some of it is treated as just a game in our modern society.

Now, is it real? I am not the one to tell you. I don't dabble in that kind of stuff. But here is one YouTuber's take on it.

Now as for Wicca. There are conflicting arguments about where it came from. Some claim it was in fact Celtic in origin, but according to Wikipedia, Wicca originated in the early twentieth century. One of the early influencers of the formation of Wicca was an anthropologist by the name of Margaret Murray. She and other anthropologists who studied the 'witch-cult hypothesis' influenced a number of people who formed their own covens. Later, a British man named Gerald Gardner wrote about a coven he claimed to have joined in the 1930's. He brought Wicca to public attention in his book Witchcraft Today. "The terms "Wicca" and "Wiccen" were first used by Charles Cardell," though. Mr. Cardell claimed to be a hereditary witch and not of Mr. Gardner's tradition. Several kinds of Wiccan traditions spread through England, and consequently, did not really get along. Wicca came to the Unites States and had its first coven in Long Island. By the 1960's more Wiccans began to settle in the US, and by 1972 the first Wiccan Church was recognized by the Federal Government. Lots of covens and kinds of Wiccan groups have sprouted up since then.  Feminism also put its stamp on Wicca by creating a branch known as Dianic Wicca, which mostly focuses on the female goddess rather than the polytheistic pagan view.

So, do Wiccans do magic? That really is the question. Here's one take. Another Wiccan site.
Another Wiccan site.

Ok, fine. But are there people who do magic spells?
Actually, you can find just about any sort of stuff online. Here is on site for spells. I'm not saying it is Wiccan, though, because there is no sign it is. Here is another one. And another.

So....there are those who do take magic seriously and really believe in it.

What about Voodoo? Voodoo started off as an West African religion. It was brought to the western hemisphere by the slaves. It continued strong in areas of Haiti and Louisiana. Is it real? I've never seen anything, but here is another YouTuber's presentation on his own experience with voodoo witchcraft.

Anyway, plenty of creepy stuff on the Net.

Is it real? Is it not? You decide.
Final installment will be about witchcraft in the Hallowedspell universe.

Witches Part 4 - Witch Hunting

Whenever people think of historical witches, they think of the Salem Witch Trials, usually. But the fact is, witches have been hunted since forever. In fact, originally, witchdoctors were not doctors who were witches, but, according to Wikipedia, "one who diagnoses and cures maladies caused by witches". In fact, some witch hunts continue even today. For example, in Ghana they actually have witch camps where the accused 'witches' can flee for safety.

But to give an early history of witch hunting... Witch hunting really didn't get much of a start in Europe until the 1400's. Around then the document Mallus Maleficarum came into being. According to one source (which for one reason I thought was Wikipedia, but isn't) said, " The main purpose of the Mallus was to attempt to systematically refute arguments claiming that witchcraft does not exist, discredit those who expressed skepticism about its reality, to claim witches were more often women than men, and to educate magistrates on the procedures that could find them out and convict them." Wikipedia entry.
This document basically became the handbook for hunting witches... a nasty piece of work. By the 1500's witchcraft hysteria began to rise. And worse, with the Reformation, witch hunts actually increased. Near the end of that century, King James VI himself authorized the torture of suspected witches. It brings back to me that whole scene from Monty Python again.

No one really survives once accused. The most famous test is to strip a woman, bind her hands and legs and throw her into water. If she floats, she's a witch. If she drowns she isn't. Unfortunately, she ends up dead either way. Here is a list of more tests in more detail. Let it be said, back then you were not innocent until proven guilty.

The witch trials did not really end. We'd like to think they did. But they tend to slow down and rise up depending on the hysteria of the area. For example, the Enlightenment in the 1680's was attributed for ending most of the witch trials in Europe, but it flared up in the Americas. Of course the most famous of those were the Salem Witch Trials.

The Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692 and has been the subject of much speculation. Were the girls faking it? That is how it is portrayed in The Crucible. Also in The Devil in Massachusetts. This is what the History Channel has to say on it.

Ok... But there were other theories that maybe the girls weren't faking it. That their 'antics' were in fact not antics, but Ergot poisoning. Ergot is basically the natural , fungal, formation of LSD which often happens to rye when the conditions are too moist. Since people back then believed in witches they decided to blame the events on witches. Some people think their convulsions may have been caused by Lyme Disease. But most modern explainers agree that it wasn't witches.

Now, as I said, witch hunting still continues on today. And I don't mean the metaphorical witch hunts such as looking for Communists or people to blame for something or other. I mean people still seeking and burning witches. Here are a few I found on the net.

in New Gunea, here also.
In Kenya.
In Gambia.
In India.
In Saudi Arabia.
In Nepal.

Freaky huh. I shows human nature does not change much. The hunts just shift.

The real question now comes up.... Is witchcraft real? Or is it just a superstition or Halloween thing? For those in America, it may be the Wiccan Religion. Or it may be a green-faced hag from the Wizard of OZ. It feels safer for most to mythologize it.

So, let's mythologize it for now with this...

Merry Christmas.
Next installment will look more at where modern witchcraft came from.

Witches Part 3 - Modern Depictions

Ok, so we've got the historical witches, the cliché of witches, and now we'll see the way people in film and books today see witches.
 
Today, like with most monsters, witches are depicted as both good and evil. It really depends on the genre. If it is Horror, the witch will most likely be evil. If the genre is Fantasy, the witch has a greater chance for being good but not always. But if the witches are on TV they are more likely to be good. Let's start with the classics first...
 
Bewitched, Sabrina the Teen-aged Witch, Wendy the Good Little Witch, Charmed...etc.
And in film Bell, Book, and Candle,  Beautiful Creatures, Harry Potter, Halloweentown, Kiki's Delivery Service, Practical Magic, etc.

These  kinds of shows tend to show the witches trying to blend into regular society as regular folk. They are usually the protagonist, often blonde, though more recently good witches have been shown with brown hair. They live by certain personal codes of conduct, and don't usually declare they are witches to other people. It is a private thing mostly because they know everyone else will misunderstand. Mostly, though, the witchcraft is depicted as something they are born with rather than learned or as a religious practice.

Now, for the evil witches:
The Witches of Eastwick, Hocus Pocus, The Witches, Stardust, The Craft, and there are plenty more.

These kinds of witches show a combination of learned magic and magical gifts. And though some of these witches tend to still hide what they are, in most cases they don't. They are too powerful or they just don't care, taking pleasure in watching others fear and tremble.

Films about witch hunts:
The Blair Witch Project,  Season of the Witch, and Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters, the Crucible, the Covenant,  and there are plenty more.

These take on both the fantasy elements of witch hunting and the historical elements. Most such films are horror, meant to scare.

Here is a site that lists more TV witches.
Here is a site that lists more movie witches.

Most of the films and shows above will almost always mention the Salem Witch trials. But for the record, wicth hunts have taken place all over the world. The next blog will cover those.

Witches Part 2 - the Cliches

There are a lot of myths that surround the Halloween version of witches. For example, Halloween witches ride on brooms, wear pointy hats, are ugly, old, and have familiars. Long crooked fingers, warts, and wearing only black and carrying wands are other clichés.
But where to they come from?

The Broom - originally the pagans used staffs in their rituals, especially in their dances on the full moon. But with the influx of Christianity they had to hide their staffs to protect themselves. The broom is a common household object and an easy place to hide a staff. The thing was, when they went leaping about in the night on some of their dances, seen at a distance it looked like they were flying on the brooms. Thus, the myth.

The Pointed Hat - this is a funny one because medieval witches were originally depicted as bare headed and naked. No hat. According to a Slate article, "It wasn’t until the 1710s and 1720s that children’s chapbooks in England began illustrating supernatural tales with crones in peaked hats." So, it is possible it came out of one artist's rendition and it just stuck.
 
The Green-faced and Ugly Witch - according to a vlog the green-faced witch actually started with the movie The Wizard of Oz. But ugly witches are a throwback from the trio of witches: the mother, the crone, and the maiden archetype. This archetype is present in the legends of King Arthur, though a trio of crones often shows up in Greek Mythology and Macbeth. Mostly people remember the crone, though the seductress 'maiden' pops up now and again. This archetype is common in neo-paganism as the Triple Goddess. It also shows up in Terry Pratchett novels.

Black Cats - this actually comes from the idea that witches have animal familiars that help

them. According to some, they come from the devil. According to other sources, the familiars are of faerie origin. Some believe that the black cats are the witches themselves. Cats all over the world have been seen as omens of good and bad luck.

Wands - Honestly, I never associated witches with wands at all. Faerie Godmothers, maybe. Harry Potter witches, sure. But the traditional witches, nope. So, for the record, I'm not sure who invented the whole wand thing.

Next blog, famous TV and movie witches.

Witches Part 1

After a bit of research I realized that the topic of witches is perhaps the most touchy... Yeah, people have banned vampire books  and werewolf books. But there are extreme objectors on both sides when it comes to the nature of witches and their role in history. If fact, if you mention the word witch, it is like dropping a bomb on the world. I mean some rather nice books were banned because they had witches in them...good witches or evil witches. Books like The Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, The Witches, and Strega Nona. It's like everyone is screaming "She's a witch! Burn her!"

So, I'm going to cover the different aspects of witches in history, literature, and the modern beliefs about witches and witchcraft. Then I'll introduce what witches are like in the Hallowedspell universe, as within every novel series there are different needs and characteristics that make up the nature of magic in that universe.

So, an intro on witches....

According to Wikipedia:

“Witchcraft (also called witchery or spellcraft) broadly means the practice of, and belief in, magical skills and abilities that are able to be exercised individually, by designated social groups, or by persons with the necessary esoteric secret knowledge. Witchcraft is a complex concept that varies culturally and societally, therefore it is difficult to define with precision and cross-cultural assumptions about the meaning or significance of the term should be applied with caution. Witchcraft often occupies a religious, divinatory, or medicinal role, and is often present within societies and groups whose cultural framework includes a magical world view. Although witchcraft can often share common ground with related concepts such as sorcery, the paranormal, magic, superstition, necromancy, possession, shamanism, healing, spiritualism, nature worship, and the occult, it is usually seen as distinct from these when examined by sociologists and anthropologists.”

Now, the objectors to witchcraft are mostly religious. Some people say it is because religious people are intolerant. Others say it is because witchcraft is evil. So, to be fair I'll give both sides on the subject.

Let's stick with the Judeo-Christian POV for a second (even though witchcraft is condemned by Islam and by those of other faiths as well). This source is Wikipedia.

“The New Testament condemns the practice as an abomination, just as the Old Testament had (Galatians 5:20, compared with Revelation 21:8; 22:15; and Acts 8:9; 13:6), though the overall topic of Biblical law in Christianity is still disputed. The word in most New Testament translations is "sorcerer"/"sorcery" rather than "witch"/"witchcraft".” “Jewish law views the practice of witchcraft as being laden with idolatry and/or necromancy; both being serious theological and practical offenses in Judaism. Although Maimonides vigorously denied the efficacy of all methods of witchcraft, and claimed that the Biblical prohibitions regarding it were precisely to wean the Israelites from practices related to idolatry, according to Traditional Judaism, it is acknowledged that while magic exists, it is forbidden to practice it on the basis that it usually involves the worship of other gods.…"magic" was seen more as divine miracles (i.e., coming from God rather than "unclean" forces) than as witchcraft.... Judaism does make it clear that Jews shall not try to learn about the ways of witches (Deuteronomy/Devarim 18: 9–10) and that witches are to be put to death. (Exodus/Shemot 22:17)”

Ok. So to sum it up witchcraft was originally condemned because it basically led people to worship a different god. And yeah, witches were to be put to death. But to be fair, so were adulterers and kids who disobeyed their parents (it's in Leviticus. Trust me).

When Christianity spread into Europe it encountered pagan religions. When it did, those in power did not deal with those pagans kindly. It was basically a supplanting of one religion for another, often through war and violence (Take the example of Yaroslav 'the wise' who forced all the people under his rule to get baptized in the Dneper River in the middle of winter. A Ukrainian woman once told me the people wore crosses not to show their faith, but to keep from getting killed by holding up the cross as proof they were baptized). In fact, many Christian holidays were set on pagan holidays to supplant their worship. Easter is celebrated with a lot of pagan symbols... the bunny, the Easter grass, the eggs...all are fertility symbols related to the goddess Ostara connected with spring Equinox. All Saints Day is held the day right after the pagan New Year, Samhain. Christmas is held the same as the pagan holiday, Yule. Since the Christians could not get the pagans to end their worship they adopted the pagan holiday dates and morphed the worship towards the Christian saints and martyrs. In a way, that made Christianity as polytheistic as the pagans as nowhere in the Bible does it say it is ok to worship anyone besides God (check the 10 Commandments. it is pretty clear).  They may not see it that way, but that does not make it any less true.

Ok, so what about people who do not think witchcraft is bad? That is to say, what about Wicca? Wicca is a modern belief and practice of witchcraft. In our modern day, it is treated as a religion--and therefore under the protection of religious freedom. The way Wiccans see themselves is the same as the way people of other religious denominations see themselves--as practitioners of a faith sacred to them.

So, maybe you are freaking out and screaming "What about Satanism!!!!??? Don't they worship Satan?!?!"

This is what Wikipedia says about that:

“Satanism is a broad term referring to diverse beliefs that share a symbolic association with, or admiration for, Satan, who is seen as a liberating figure. While it is heir to the same historical period and pre-Enlightenment beliefs that gave rise to modern witchcraft, it is generally seen as completely separate from modern witchcraft and Wicca, and has little or no connection to them. Modern witchcraft considers Satanism to be the "dark side of Christianity" rather than a branch of Wicca: - the character of Satan referenced in Satanism exists only in the theology of the three Abrahamic religions, and Satanism arose as, and occupies the role of, a rebellious counterpart to Christianity, in which all is permitted and the self is central."

So if you ask a Wiccan if they are Satan worshippers they will get really, really offended because you have bought into a stereotype. Wiccans are pagans, basically. Read up or google the Wiccans to see how they feel about themselves.

That is it for now. We'll go on later to specifics.

A Zombie Song!!!

I had to share this. I found this and I think she is awesome.
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