Witch was a term with multiple meanings in the Realms, but was most frequently misapplied to any kind of wizard[4][5][6] and commonly carried a connotation of evil.[5][6]
Types of Witch[]
- A "witch" could refer to a type of wizard, usually female, who gained instruction in the ways of magic from an extra-planar patron,[7][8] such as Graz'zt.[9] Those who used this meaning referred to males as "warlocks".[8][note 1] In the Feywild, this entity was typically an archfey or the goddess Sehanine Moonbow.[10]
- For Elminster and those of his generation, "witch" referred to any self-taught herbalist or spellcaster of arcane magic. Such witches usually lived a rural life,[5] in villages or land that bordered wilderness,[10] and mainly concerned themselves with making a living through casting spells applicable to daily life.[5]
- Bubudow were witches that specialized in the use of medicinal herbs.[11]
- Mediums, also known as spirit channelers, were witches that specialized in necromancy and communicating with the dead. The entities these witches gained instruction and spells from were spirits.[3]
History[]
In 1100 DR, the term "witch" began commonly being used in some areas of the Realms as a pejorative for female spellcasters and servitors of hags. Such as in Chessenta, Turmish, and the Vilhon Reach. Such usage would last into the 1300's DR,[5] being especially common among the Bedine of Anauroch.[12]
In the 14th Century DR, one could sometimes find spellsingers being referred to as witches in the Western Heartlands.[13] Around that same time, it was not uncommon for superstitious people in the Vast to label mages as "witches" and burn them on a stake.[6] and fearful citizenry of Ravens Bluff were referring to local Eilistraean drow as "black-eared witches",[14] and people on the continent of Kara-Tur were occasionally using the term to refer to individual women who were wu-jen.[15][16][17]
On Eleint 13, in the Year of the Spur, 1348 DR, the wizard Alice Clarkson was burned at the stake by the villagers of Mossbridges under suspicsion of witchcraft after a rash of cow killings. Shortly afterwards, the true culprits were revealed to be two trolls and a gnoll.[6]
By the late 15th century DR, the term "witch" had taken on a negative connotation in the Moonsea region.[18]
Notable "Witches"[]
Notable individuals in the Realms that were referred to by others as witches or had the title of witch included the following:
- Athaeal, an elven woman who was known by some as the "Witch-Queen of Evermeet".[19]
- Ayana No-Shui, a powerful female wu-jen that served as the prime counsel of chieftain Shan Khantayan in the 14th century DR.[15]
- Bentha, a sorceress who traveled with the Nashkel Carnival, was referred to as a witch by the overzealous witch hater Zordral.[20]
- The Callidells, a family of hedge-witches in the Moonsea that conducted unholy rites until they were slaughtered by the Skullspike tribe.[21]
- Eye of the Deep, a Chultan woman and piratical druid who was known by some as a "sea witch".[22]
- Delshara Windhair, a powerful female wizard on Orlumbor who was known by some as the "Witch of the Waves."[23]
- Frost Witches, a group of female wizards that worshiped the winter goddess Auril.
- Ghutan Dox Ayani, known by others as the "witch of Tsing", was a female wu jen that lived in T'u Lung in the 14th century DR.[16]
- Green Hag of Lizard Marsh
- Ihtafeer, a raksasha in Amn who masqueraded as an old woman known as "Adratha the Witch".[24]
- Ingrid Liansdottir, a drow in Svartalfheim who was known as the "witch-mistress of Yggwyrd".[25]
- Laeral Silverhand, a powerful sorceress who used to go by the title "Witch-Queen of the North"[26] and, centuries prior to that, by the title "Witch-Queen of Stornanter".[27]
- Lizardfolk Witch, a female lizardfolk skilled in brewing potions and a former shaman of Ibrandul.[28]
- Mrs. Cragmoon, a female wizard and potion vendor in Amn that was referred to as a "witch" by some in the city of Athkatla.[24]
- Tenya, a young Umberlant cleric who sought revenge against a group of fishermen for the death of her mother, was referred to by them as being an “evil witch”.[20]
- Udi, a powerful female Bawani wu-jen who was decreed an outlaw by the Bavanese.[17]
- Umar Witch, the namesake of the Umar Hills who had been terrorizing the region, returning every century and capturing and torturing unlucky souls.[24]
- Witch of Glavvim, a sorceress shrouded in mystery who was the subject of many stories around the Zehoarast Floodplains.[29]
Trivia[]
- Hamadryads were one of many races in the Feywild known to occasionally be granted magic and take on the mantle of a witch.[10]
- In the North, solitary witches were said to often gravitate towards places where moonglows still operated.[30]
- Some witches were known to create scarecrows by binding into them evil spirits or the spirits of demons.[31]
- There was a variety of fungus in the Feywild known as a witchcap.[32]
- There were a number of establishments in the Realms that featured "witch" in their name, including the Crying Witch,[33] the Guardian Witch,[34] the Witch-Duke's Bride,[35] and the Whispering Witch.[36]
- There were also a number of spells in the Realms that featured "witch" in their name, including witch bolt,[37] witchfire,[38] and witchweed.[39]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
Referenced only
Shadowdale
Shadowdale
Video Games
Referenced only
Icewind Dale II
Icewind Dale II
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
External Links[]
- Witch (subclass) article at the Dungeons and Dragons 4e Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition ruleset and setting.
References[]
- ↑ Rodney Thompson, Claudio Pozas, Steve Townshend (2011). Player's Option: Heroes of the Feywild. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 86–90. ISBN 978-0786958368.
- ↑ Rick Swan (1990-08-04). The Complete Wizard's Handbook. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 45–50. ISBN 0-88038-838-2.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Steve Kurtz (April 1, 1995). The Complete Book of Necromancers. (TSR, Inc), pp. 21–22. ISBN 0-7869-0106-3.
- ↑ William W. Connors (November 1995). Wizards and Rogues of the Realms. Edited by Anne Gray McCready. (TSR, Inc), p. 5. ISBN 0-7869-0190-X.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Ed Greenwood (2019-06-06). Gendered Terms for Spellcasters (Tweet). theedverse. Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-09-13. Retrieved on 2021-09-13.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 David W. Baker (August 1994). Dark Harvest. Living City (RPGA), p. 8.
- ↑ Rodney Thompson, Claudio Pozas, Steve Townshend (2011). Player's Option: Heroes of the Feywild. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 87. ISBN 978-0786958368.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Rick Swan (1990-08-04). The Complete Wizard's Handbook. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 46–47. ISBN 0-88038-838-2.
- ↑ Monte Cook (October 2002). Book of Vile Darkness. Edited by David Noonan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 130. ISBN 0-7869-3136-1.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Rodney Thompson, Claudio Pozas, Steve Townshend (2011). Player's Option: Heroes of the Feywild. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 90. ISBN 978-0786958368.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, et al. (August 2013). Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 36. ISBN 978-0786965311.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (November 1991). Anauroch. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 20. ISBN 1-56076-126-1.
- ↑ William W. Connors (November 1995). Wizards and Rogues of the Realms. Edited by Anne Gray McCready. (TSR, Inc), p. 6. ISBN 0-7869-0190-X.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (October 1998). The City of Ravens Bluff. Edited by John D. Rateliff. (TSR, Inc.), p. 106. ISBN 0-7869-1195-6.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 94. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume I). (TSR, Inc), p. 57. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume II). (TSR, Inc), p. 114. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ Ron Lundeen (2015-12-01). Quelling the Horde (DDEX3-10) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Rage of Demons (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 6–7.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (December 1995). Elminster: The Making of a Mage/MMP. (TSR, Inc), chap. 5, p. 85. ISBN 0-7869-0203-5.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 BioWare (December 1998). Designed by James Ohlen. Baldur's Gate. Black Isle Studios.
- ↑ Ron Lundeen (2015-12-01). Quelling the Horde (DDEX3-10) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Rage of Demons (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 8, 20.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 67. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), A Grand Tour of the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 112. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 BioWare (September 2000). Designed by James Ohlen, Kevin Martens. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. Black Isle Studios.
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Book of Chaos”. In Michele Carter ed. Planes of Chaos (TSR, Inc), p. 128. ISBN 1560768746.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 207. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 103. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Ossian Studios (April 2009). Designed by Luke Scull. Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate. Atari.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 2000). Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II. Edited by Duane Maxwell, David Noonan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 51–52. ISBN 0-7869-1626-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (1993). Volo's Guide to the North. (TSR, Inc), p. 232. ISBN 1-5607-6678-6.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 268. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ Cryptic Studios (August 2013). Neverwinter: Fury of the Feywild. Perfect World Entertainment.
- ↑ Eric Haddock (1994). Cormyr. (TSR, Inc), pp. 8–9. ISBN 1-56076-818-5.
- ↑ Anthony Pryor (June 1995). “Campaign Guide”. In Michele Carter, Doug Stewart eds. Spellbound (TSR, Inc.), pp. 81–82. ISBN 978-0786901395.
- ↑ Erin M. Evans (October 2014). Fire in the Blood (hardcover ed.). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 140. ISBN 978-0-7869-6529-8.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 1995). Volo's Guide to Cormyr. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 202. ISBN 0-7869-0151-9.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 209–210, 289. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
- ↑ Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, James Wyatt (June 2008). Player's Handbook 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 132. ISBN 0-7869-4867-1.
- ↑ Scott Bennie (February 1990). Old Empires. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 73. ISBN 978-0880388214.
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