Investigating Witches and Witchcraft

Investigating Witches and Witchcraft — page 5 — OD Gandalf the good wizard of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books and movies is just one of the many magical beings both benevolent and malevolent of Middle earth The live action film version of Gandalf is played by Ian McKellen pictured here 8

Investigating Witches and Witchcraft — page 6 — THE WORLD OF WITCHCRAFT Witches are often described in Western books and movies as being women especially old women However people practicing or accused of practicing witchcraft have included both women and men of various ages WHAT S A WARLOCK Warlock is one name for a man who practices witch craft The term may come from the Old English word waerloga meaning oath breaker which is why it is not a term often used positively Male witches are also some times called sorcerers or wizards or simply witches Wizard comes from a word meaning wise Some people use the label warlock to mean a wizard with stronger and more complex powers WITCH POWERS AND METHODS Let s look at the powers associated with witchcraft and what it means to influence people and events Witch craft has been thought to control death and disease feel ings of love and hate crop failure and success and the weather Although some events attributed to witchcraft

Investigating Witches and Witchcraft — page 7 — The Maori people historically believed in makutu or witchcraft The group of Maori warriors shown here is performing the haka a war dance displaying strength and unity 10

Investigating Witches and Witchcraft — page 8 — THE WORLD OF WITCHCRAFT might otherwise be considered bad luck other sup posed feats of witchcraft are more extreme and fantastic such as the transformation of people into animals It is said that a witch might bring about some of these hap penings through spells sometimes called incantations Spells are words spoken in a certain way with mag ical intent The correct recitation often with gestures is thought to unleash supernatural power Some societ ies believe that incorrect recitation can not only cancel the magic but also cause the death of the reciter The language of spells is sometimes archaic and not always understood Much magical language however is directly linked with the aim of the spell in a poetic way An exam ple is a Maori spell giving speed and grace to a canoe which speaks of the swiftness of a flying bird and the lightness of a sea gull Witches are also associated with blessings and curses which are verbal expressions similar to spells Certain gestures as well as words may be bound up with the act of blessing as in putting one's hands on the head of the person being blessed The curse a wish to cause harm or misfortune is usually directed against others However a form of curse associated with oaths con tracts and treaties is directed against oneself if one lies or fails to keep a promise People practicing witchcraft have used a variety of other means to attempt to achieve their goals as well These include divination amulets and charms dolls or other figures to represent enemies and potions 11

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