![]() ![]() 1250 translation of "Exodus," witches is used of the Egyptian midwives who save the newborn sons of the Hebrews: "Ðe wicches hidden hem for-ðan, Biforen pharaun nolden he ben." The Anglo-Saxon poem called "Men's Crafts" (also "The Gifts of Men") has wiccræft, which appears to be the same word, and by its context means "skill with horses." In a c. ![]() The glossary translates Latin necromantia ( "demonum invocatio") with galdre, wiccecræft. cleped þe iij kyngis Magos, þat is to seye wicchis. 1100), and wicce stands for "pythoness, divinatricem." In the "Three Kings of Cologne" (c. In Anglo-Saxon glossaries, wicca renders Latin augur (c. Weekley notes possible connection to Gothic weihs "holy" and German weihan "consecrate," and writes, "the priests of a suppressed religion naturally become magicians to its successors or opponents." Whatever the English word's origin, the use of a "poisoner" word for "witch, sorceress" parallels that of the Hebrew word used for "witch, sorceress" in the Levitical condemnation. word meaning "sorceress," and lybcorn was the name of a certain medicinal seed (perhaps wild saffron). The other two words combined with it here are gealdricge, a woman who practices "incantations," and scinlæce "female wizard, woman magician," from a root meaning "phantom, evil spirit."Īnother word that appears in the Anglo-Saxon laws is lyblæca "wizard, sorcerer," but with suggestions of skill in the use of drugs, because the root of the word is lybb "drug, poison, charm" (see leaf (n.)). 890), witchcraft was specifically singled out as a woman's craft, whose practitioners were not to be suffered to live among the West Saxons: Ða fæmnan þe gewuniað onfon gealdorcræftigan & scinlæcan & wiccan, ne læt þu ða libban. That wicce once had a more specific sense than the later general one of "female magician, sorceress" perhaps is suggested by the presence of other words in Old English describing more specific kinds of magical craft. MAGIC WORD ONLINE FREEOED says of uncertain origin Liberman says "None of the proposed etymologies of witch is free from phonetic or semantic difficulties." Klein suggests connection with Old English wigle "divination," and wig, wih "idol." Watkins says the nouns represent a Proto-Germanic *wikkjaz "necromancer" (one who wakes the dead), from PIE *weg-yo-, from PIE root *weg- "to be strong, be lively." of Old English wicca "sorcerer, wizard, man who practices witchcraft or magic," from verb wiccian "to practice witchcraft" (compare Low German wikken, wicken "to use witchcraft," wikker, wicker "soothsayer"). Old English wicce "female magician, sorceress," in later use especially "a woman supposed to have dealings with the devil or evil spirits and to be able by their cooperation to perform supernatural acts," fem. Natural magic in the Middle Ages was that which did not involve the agency of personal spirits it was considered more or less legitimate, not sinful, and involved much that would be explained scientifically as the manipulation of natural forces. It displaced Old English wiccecræft (see witch) also drycræft, from dry "magician," from Irish drui "priest, magician" (see Druid). The transferred sense of "legerdemain, optical illusion, etc." is from 1811. of magikos "magical," from magos "one of the members of the learned and priestly class," from Old Persian magush, which is possibly from PIE root *magh- "to be able, have power." Late 14c., magike, "art of influencing or predicting events and producing marvels using hidden natural forces," also "supernatural art," especially the art of controlling the actions of spiritual or superhuman beings from Old French magique "magic magical," from Late Latin magice "sorcery, magic," from Greek magike (presumably with tekhnē "art"), fem. ![]()
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