Names of the Witch

©2016 Max Dashu Chapter 3 from Witches and Pagans:
Women in European Folk Religion, 700-1100

Meanings of witch-words in European languages. Prophetic witches, knowers, wisewomen, diviners. Sortiaria, sortilega, and sorceress. The völur: staff-women.
Chant, invocation, charms. Healing witches: lyb, luppa, and lybbestre; herbalists, herb-chants, the wyrtgælstre. Mugwort and the serpent-initiation of Chernobyl. Shapeshifters, mascae, night-farers. Wolf-witches in Ireland and Scandinavia. From hagedisse to hexe. A litany of ethnic witch-names.

The etymology and history of "witch" itself is complex and disputed. It is discussed in chapter 2, "Wyccecraeft." The open access chapter, "Names of the Witch," follows it.

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