Results 31 to 60 of 76
Thread: How do you call a male witch?
-
2014-10-16, 06:13 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Switzerland
- Gender
-
2014-10-16, 06:14 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2006
- Location
- UK
- Gender
-
2014-10-16, 06:28 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2007
Re: How do you call a male witch?
I wonder what were the first sympathetic characters called warlocks? There's the protagonist of The Magic Goes Away:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...eMagicGoesAway
but it seems more like that's his name, not his profession.Marut-2 Avatar by Serpentine
New Marut Avatar by Linkele
-
2014-10-16, 07:15 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2010
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
Time is but a pattern in the currents of causality,
an ever changing present that determines our reality,
the past we see as history, the future seed with prophecy,
and all the time we think on time our time is passing constantly.
Starlight and Steam RPG
-
2014-10-16, 08:36 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2006
- Location
Re: How do you call a male witch?
To be fair, the dragon doesn't always seem to like Merlin.
But more to the point, while the term "oathbreaker" may be part of the etymology, it's worth noting that traditionally, the term "witch" was synonymous with "bride of Satan." I doubt most modern practitioners of the wiccan faith who call themselves "witches" would agree to that definition applying to them.
In Harry Potter, "witch" just means "female wizard," and "wizard" is the male of "witch." I don't know that Rowling ever used "warlock," nor technically "sorcerer" outside of the American version of the title of the first book. (And I really don't know why they changed "Philosopher's Stone" to "Sorcerer's Stone" for the American version.)
In Sabrina, the Teenaged Witch and Bewitched, "witch" is the name of the race/species as well as the women thereof, and the men are generally referred to as "warlocks" if it's not being used as a racial identifier. "He's a witch," might be said in the same way that an older text might indicate that "she's (of the race of) Man."
In D&D, "witch" was a hypothetical cross between wizard and adept written in the DMG to try to show how to design a class. (It wasn't very well done.) "Warlock" is a pretty cool class. In PF, "Witch" is a pretty cool class, and I think, if I squint at it right, it's what PF was trying to make in answer to the Warlock (what with the Hexes trying to match Invocations...but there's no Eldritch Blast equivalent).
If you decide the male form of "witch" is "warlock" in your fictional setting, the only people who will gainsay you are those who've tried to redefine the words for their own purposes, most of them related to a modern religion. And their redefinition is technically no more or less valid than yours in a real-world sense, and certainly is less so when it comes to discussing your fictional setting. (This is not to invalidate their choice of definition, either, just to indicate that they don't get to dictate to you what your terms in your fictional setting are. Especially not when their own definitions are new and deliberately friendlier than certain older ones.)Last edited by Segev; 2014-10-16 at 08:37 AM.
-
2014-10-16, 08:47 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2010
- Location
- Lake Wobegon
- Gender
-
2014-10-16, 09:07 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2007
Re: How do you call a male witch?
It actually crops up a few times - there's references to rowdy warlocks being thrown out of inns, I think.
Marut-2 Avatar by Serpentine
New Marut Avatar by Linkele
-
2014-10-16, 09:11 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2008
- Location
- Orlando, FL
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
-
2014-10-16, 09:25 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2011
- Location
- An Abyssal Tower
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
The etymology of the term witch is hard, likely something to do with divination which is apparently the primary concern of practitioners of the magic arts if the etymologies are anything to go by. However it can apply to both male and female, as well as both good and evil, individuals.
The terms wizard and warlock are much easier to track down. Wizard meaning an "individual who is characterised by wisdom" and warlock meaning "oathbreaker". It wasn't until the distinction between science and the supernatural was understood that wizards gained their current association with magic. Warlocks on the other hand have always had a negative connotation in regards to unnatural acts, cannibalism, diabolatry, etc. As for how it keeps getting confused as the male version of witch, we probably have the Scottish to thank for that.
In short, one should probably ask the witch in question what he wants you to call him to avoid any misunderstanding.Mauve Shirt, Savannah, Gnomish Wanderer, Cuthalion and Smuchmuch get cookies for making me avatars. (::)
(::) Current avatar by Smuchmuch (::)
Co Founder of LUTAS - For all your less than useful heroes out there.
My Deviant Art. Careful, it's full of ponies.
Dragons!
-
2014-10-16, 11:26 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2014
Re: How do you call a male witch?
As for how it keeps getting confused as the male version of witch, we probably have the Scottish to thank for that.
-
2014-10-16, 02:00 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2014
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
Spoiler: Pixel avatar and Raincloud Durkoala were made by me. The others are the work of Cuthalion.
Cuteness and Magic and Phone Moogles, oh my! Let's Watch Card Captor Sakura!Sadly on asmallhiatus.
Durkoala reads a book! It's about VR and the nineties!
-
2014-10-16, 02:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2014
- Location
- London, UK
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
From what I remember of my undergrad, a lot of Middle/Old English uses of witch and it's roots are primarily used for males anyway. Hagtessen was a specifically female term, which is where 'hag' comes from. The popular understanding of witch is an Early Modern invention.
Choose whatever in-universe term suits your sort of character. It might say 'Witch' on your character sheet, but you might be a shaman, wise man, brujo, magician, scholar of the arcane or whatever suits your concept.
(For example, if he 5e campaign in my area ever gets started, I want to play a Tiefling Warlock - who is RP'ed as a Shaman/Wise Woman of her Tribe, because she is completely unaware that the Ancestor-Spirit from which she draws her power is a Devil. As far as she is concerned, Great-Grandfather was simply a powerful leader of her people, wise in the ways of magick.)
-
2014-10-16, 02:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2010
- Location
- Dallas, TX
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
The word "witch" has many different meanings and many different connotations. Depending on the usage, the answer could be one of many things. Ask the DM and other players what they think is appropriate.
-
2014-10-16, 06:12 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2009
Re: How do you call a male witch?
"Good witches" go back a fair way. Consider "The Wizard of Oz" (published 1900), or Cinderella's "fairy godmother".
I think it would be fair to say that historically, both "witch" and "warlock" have negative connotations, but a lot of work has been put into rehabilitating the image of "witch" (particularly in the last few decades), whereas virtually no-one has ever tried to portray a sympathetic "warlock"."None of us likes to be hated, none of us likes to be shunned. A natural result of these conditions is, that we consciously or unconsciously pay more attention to tuning our opinions to our neighbor’s pitch and preserving his approval than we do to examining the opinions searchingly and seeing to it that they are right and sound." - Mark Twain
-
2014-10-16, 08:12 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2013
Re: How do you call a male witch?
-
2014-10-16, 11:15 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2011
- Location
- An Abyssal Tower
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
I didn't really want to go into that because of the prohibition on discussing religion, but you're right. As you are in regards to the connotations of witchcraft through the ages. The term witch itself though is neutral when divorced from its cultural and historical associations.
Mauve Shirt, Savannah, Gnomish Wanderer, Cuthalion and Smuchmuch get cookies for making me avatars. (::)
(::) Current avatar by Smuchmuch (::)
Co Founder of LUTAS - For all your less than useful heroes out there.
My Deviant Art. Careful, it's full of ponies.
Dragons!
-
2014-10-16, 11:31 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2014
- Location
- Vancouver, Canada
Re: How do you call a male witch?
Wizard, Witch, Conjurer, Warlock, Sorcerer, Caster, Mage, Magic User, Magician, Enchanter, Magus,
That's all the various titles for magic users I could find on wikipedia.
I'm not sure if I actually helped but this is a pretty complete list of names for spell casters.
-
2014-10-17, 12:30 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2010
- Location
- The Great PNW
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
Author of The Auspician's Handbook and The Tempestarian's Handbook for Spheres of Power.Greenman by Bradakhan/Spring Greenman by Comissar/Autumn Greenman by Sgt. Pepper/Winter Greenman by gurgleflep
Ask me (or the other authors) anything.
-
2014-10-17, 01:18 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2007
Re: How do you call a male witch?
Last edited by hamishspence; 2014-10-17 at 01:19 AM.
Marut-2 Avatar by Serpentine
New Marut Avatar by Linkele
-
2014-10-17, 01:34 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2011
- Location
- Somewhere south of Hell
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
Dunno. Sounds like most warlocks to me. Look at Morgana leFey.
IFF we equate game classes with modern religions which we do not on this forum.
I always heard there was relation to Vorlakya(?), myself. Though I'm sure I'm mangling the word – old root for vampire and or werewolf.
Really need to start fact checking these things, I think.
-
2014-10-17, 01:39 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2013
Re: How do you call a male witch?
My PF witch just called himself a witch. Of course, he was rocking 20 Int/7 Wis/7 Cha, had a level of monk and worked for the Pathfinder Society, so maybe his advice isn't the soundest per se.
-
2014-10-17, 02:21 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2010
- Location
- The Great PNW
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
Apparently that's (for the most part) right. I had thought they also used 'white witch', but it seems that's a term used primarily by folklorists and only rarely by the folk healers and commonfolk. They also were called 'conjurers' (hence 'conjure' as a synonym for 'hoodoo'), 'dry' (related to 'druid'), 'pellars' (from 'expeler') and 'dyn hysbys'.
Author of The Auspician's Handbook and The Tempestarian's Handbook for Spheres of Power.Greenman by Bradakhan/Spring Greenman by Comissar/Autumn Greenman by Sgt. Pepper/Winter Greenman by gurgleflep
Ask me (or the other authors) anything.
-
2014-10-17, 04:45 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2008
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
The reason modern witches don't like the term Warlock is due to two reasons: It got no real good or benevolent etymology. And it implies males got higher status than females. On the positive side; for roleplaying, this might be something one wants to have, since it would make for great villainy. I personally would have preferred to use "Warlock" as a gender neutral term, if used, to avoid perpetuate non-neutral gender tropes.
-
2014-10-17, 09:56 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2006
- Location
-
2014-10-17, 02:42 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2014
- Gender
-
2014-10-17, 02:47 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2008
Re: How do you call a male witch?
Today, I learned why The Dresden Files uses the term "warlock" to refer to a wizard who goes rogue and breaks the Laws of Magic.
-
2014-10-17, 03:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2011
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
In one setting I'm using, Warlock refers to a mage that fights on the front lines in battle.
As for what I would call a male witch. Well in the context of D&D I'd probably just call them all witches, just like you call female wizards by the same name. Otherwise I'd generally just use Warlock. Witch hardly means anything positive in etymology any more than warlock does. I also fail to see how the existence of a male term is in of itself somehow sexist. Especially considering witch is still the norm. It's not like anyone's trying to commandeer the word and start calling female witches warlockesses or something dumb like that.Avatar based on artwork by Jabari Weathers
-
2014-10-17, 03:58 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2012
- Location
- San Diego, CA
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
Last edited by Ceiling_Squid; 2014-10-17 at 03:59 PM.
-
2014-10-17, 04:04 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2013
Re: How do you call a male witch?
Wizard is probably the most technically correct answer.
-
2014-10-18, 05:41 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2007
- Location
- Imagination Land
- Gender
Re: How do you call a male witch?
I am well aware of both of those works, and even being over a hundred years old, The Wizard of Oz is quite recent. And Cinderella doesn't even count because fairies are not the same as witches.
As a point of reference, the Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692. Witch trials were being conducted by the European inquisitions as early as the 15th century.