Unfamiliar Familiars!

  The concept of the familiar is spread throughout various cultures.  The Romans, for example, believed that each household was protected by a familiar whose job it was to keep the family from harm.  Shamans and medicine peope of various tribal traditions on several continents honored the spirits of animals for their wisdom and assistance in magical working.  This includes rabbits, dogs, mice, even lowly insects

  In the Middle Ages, the familiar took on the role of Witch's companions and assistant, aiding her in diagnosing illnesses, divining for lost objects, and helping with spells and charms.  Familiars usually assumed animal forms; nearly any animal in the vicinity was a possible collaborator.

  Today's Witches view their familiars in an altogether different light.  For the modern Witch, a familiar can be any animal that the individual feels an affinity for.  These animals are far from being just household pets - they are treated as partners in the practice of magic.  Animals are believed to be more sensitive to vibrations from the unseen world, and so act as a kind of psychic radar, indicating negative energy by their behavior.  Familiars also bring added energy to magic working through their affinity with the spirit world and attunement with their Witch.

  Some Witches also use the term "familiar" to describe though forms created magically and empowered to carry out a certain task on the astral plane.  Although they play the same role as animal familiars, these spirit familiars are more versatile.  Their presence is often experienced as a voce, vision, or strong felling of peace.  If necessary, they can be associated with inanimate objects, such as a stone, piece of jewelry or other talisman.

  A question at this point:  Why has the cat become the most well-known familiar?  Why not some of the more esoteric animals?  Especially since the familiar was supposed to be able to take any form?  Some scholars believe that the cat, being both plentiful and self-sufficient, was an easy scapegoat for suspicions by nonmagical people.  Anyone who has tried to keep a cat out of anywhere it wants to be knows that cats can magically appear where they are least wanted.  Also, the cat’s association with the mysteries of  and the magic of foreign lands made it easy for people to believe that they were involved in bewitchments.

  Let’s take a look at some of the less familiar familiars through history.  Toads were common familiars in the Roman days.  They were thought to confer invisibility and detect poison.  It was also believed that they could influence the weather.  Today toads are welcomed into a Witch’s garden since they will eat pests that eat the plants.

  Bees were popular as well, since they produced honey (which could be magically changed into alcohol), and required little maintenance.  Legends say, if a Witch or sorceress managed to eat a queen bee before she was arrested, she would be able to withstand torture and trial without confessing.

  In  England a chicken named  was charged with being a familiar in the seventeenth century.  Three other chickens were also cited as imps in the case.  In the same trials, a Witch was accused of having flies for her familiars.  Another unusual familiar was the snail.  John Bysack, and accused Witch, confessed to having six snail familiars.

  Mice were another common familiar in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.  Easy to keep and tame, mice were quiet companions who would keep an elderly lady entertained and amused.  Rats, although not as amiable as mice, are also easy to train and require little care.  Both can be affectionate without being as pushy as a larger animal. 

  Hares and rabbits were also associated with witchcraft.  A number of superstitions surround the hare �?such ass its association with fertility and luck.  Spiders are another small creature that is common and self-sufficient.  The strength of a spider web is legendary, and the spider’s ability to escape swatting gave them the illusion of immortality.  Killing a spider in the fall is said to bring rain, something that cold mean disaster to a farm-based economy.

  Dogs got their share of bad press as well, especially black ones.  The Black Dog was often sited as the proceeder or associate of many a ghostly vision in the English Moors.  The Black Dog of Cornwall was a beneficent dog who warned sailors of dangerous tides.. White dogs with red ears belonged to the Sidhe.

  Snakes have gotten bad press since the Garden of Eden, but in Rome they were revered not only as protectors but also as oracles �?since they were believed to communicate directly to the goddess Hertha.  Snakes also served the same purpose as cats in removing pests, even though their flat unblinking gaze makes some uncomfortable.

  The finding of an animal familiar is a very personal thing, and often the Witch will send out a psychic call to attract a suitable one.  An immediate and overwhelming felling of kinship between the Witch and the animal usually signifies the discovery of the new familiar.

By Bried Foxsong

Llewellyns�?2004 Magical Almanac