Wicca and Faerie

The Origins of Witchcraft

The intention of this article is to define the original pre-christian Wicca and Faerie beliefs. Were they opposed, similar, or the same?

The words Wicca and feminine Wicce first appear in 11th century English literature. It is thought to derive from the Germanic root "Wikkja" meaning a magick practitioner. The word faerie appeared around the same time in France, used to mean "magickal". It is thought to derive from the Latin "fata" meaning fate.

Germanic paganism entered literature in the 10th and 11th centuries. It was a polytheistic religion and the principle gods were Odin, Thor, and Tyr. The Goddess of Magick was Frijja. During the Viking age, this goddess split into two personalities, Frigg and Freyja. The magick that Friija taught was called Seidr. Her followers were mainly women, but there were some males as well. In England Seidr was attributed to Elves.

Celtic paganism was recorded by the Roman invaders and Christian monks. It was a polytheistic religion which spanned from Spain, through France, to Britain. It may have been influenced by Roman paganism in the 5-6th centuries. Celts believed in an Otherworld which they called Sidhe, meaning "peace". They believed this to be the home of the Fey, the Ancestors, Nature Spirits, Gods and Goddesses. Faeries appeared in the Medieval Romances as a race of magick practitioners. 

The Elves, like the Faeries, were considered a magickal race. They were originally fertility gods and goddesses who appear ever-youthful and beautiful. They were thought to live in the forests and underground places, or in wells and springs.

In the Arthurian Romances, Arthur's half-sister Morganna is a Fey. Arthur is half-fey and Morganna cares for him in the Otherworld. Morganna is based on the Celtic Goddess Morrigan "great queen".

The Elves were also able to cross-breed with humans. Half-elves were naturally very skilled in Seidr. The God of the Elves was Freyr, twin brother of Freyja. The Elves could be very dangerous if offended, but the pentagram was thought to protect people from the Elves. The pentagram was used into the 20th century as a symbol of protection.

The Norse and Celtic beliefs met in Britain in the 5th century. This was the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon culture, from which England derives its name. It was the Anglo-Saxons that first used the word Witch to described magick practitioners. It seems likely to me that the Witch was a combination of the Celtic Fey and the Norse Elf. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word Witch has a "possible connection to Gothic Weihs "holy" and Germanic Weihan "consecrate", and writes, "the priestes of a suppressed religion naturally become magicians to its successors or opponents."

Witches, like Faeries and Elves, were depicted as supernatural creatures. All three races became predominantly female. The Faeries and Elves started to be depicted as smaller creature, no bigger than a thumb. Witches on the other hand were not miniaturised, instead they were demonised. It was during the 17th century that women across Europe were accused of being Witches and punished by torture and death.

Sea Priestess Grace