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.