Witch was a term with multiple meanings in the Realms, but was most frequently misapplied to any kind of wizard[4][5] and commonly carried a connotation of evil.[5]
Contents
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.[6][7] Those who used this meaning referred to males as "warlocks".[7][note 1] In the Feywild, this entity was typically an archfey or the goddess Sehanine Moonbow.[8]
- 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,[8] 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.[9]
- 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.[10]
In the 14th Century DR, one could sometimes find spellsingers being referred to as witches in the Western Heartlands.[11] Around that same time, people in Kara-Tur were occasionally using the term to refer to individual women who were wu-jen.[12][13][14]
Notable "Witches"[]
Notable individuals in the Realms that were referred to by others as witches or had the title of witch included the following:
- Ayana No-Shui, a powerful female wu-jen that served as the prime counsel of chieftain Shan Khantayan in the 14th century DR.[12]
- 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.[13]
- Green Hag of Lizard Marsh
- Udi, a powerful female Bawani wu-jen who was decreed an outlaw by the Bavanese.[14]
Trivia[]
- Hamadryads were one of many races in the Feywild known to occasionally be granted magic and take on the mantle of a witch.[8]
- In the North, solitary witches were said to often gravitate towards places where moonglows still operated.[15]
- Some witches were known to create scarecrows by binding into them evil spirits or the spirits of demons.[16]
- There was a variety of fungus in the Feywild known as a witchcap.[17]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
Appearances[]
- Novels
- Referenced only
- Shadowdale
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 (09-13-2021). Gendered Terms for Spellcasters (Tweet). theedverse. Twitter. Archived from the original on 09-13-2021. Retrieved on 07-06-2019.
- ↑ Rodney Thompson, Claudio Pozas, Steve Townshend (2011). Player's Option: Heroes of the Feywild. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 87. ISBN 978-0786958368.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rick Swan (1990-08-04). The Complete Wizard's Handbook. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 46–47. ISBN 0-88038-838-2.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 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.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 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.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 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.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 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.
- ↑ 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.
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