Part 1: Types of Traditional Witches



Witches are the kind of more traditional, home and family, craft people,
so they're the ones who are making things; crocheting shawls and things like that.
But then they also have that slightly confident, dangerous, edge. 

 ~Deborah Harkness~

The Traditions of Witchcraft

African Tradition(s): Different African tribes refer to witchcraft differently. In African traditions there are generally three classifications of practitioners who use magick...

(1) The “Thakathi”: A Tagati is a malevolent practitioner who operates in secret to harm others or who uses poisons and familiar spirits to carry out harmful deeds. The term has come to be used to refer only to negative, harmful uses of medicines derived from plants, animals and minerals.

(2) The “Sangoma”: (usually female) who is a diviner, akin to a fortune-teller, often predicting or advising on a person's future, or identifying the guilty party in a crime.

(3) The “Inyanga”: (exclusively male) Incorrectly thought of as the witch doctor, the Inyanga is the doctor of the tribe , more correctly, a naturopath. Each Inyanga trains his son and the information is thus passed on from generation to generation.

• Santeria: Santería is a popular religious movement originating in Cuba that combines African and Roman Catholic themes. Santería, “The Way of the Saints",   developed among African slaves in Cuba, and has spread throughout the Caribbean and the United States. The followers of this religion join in mysterious rituals, which are often mistakenly believed to be forms of witchcraft. Most magick in Santería comes under the “white magick” classification: spells for good luck, money and cures. Santeros who deal exclusively in "black magick"spells and curses, (brujería), come primarily from Congo tribal ancestry and are called "mayomberos", or “black witches.”
• Vodoun (or the anglicized Voodoo): Often incorrectly associated with witchcraft Voodoun is an originally African faith now practiced in the Caribbean and the southern US which combines elements of Roman Catholic ritual with traditional African magickal and religious rites, and it is characterized by sorcery and spirit possession. The main difference between voodoun and witchcraft is the spiritual aspect. Witchcraft is a "spiritual practice", but Voodoun is a true religion.
  

American Tradition(s): As in most areas of the world where the native peoples were colonized by European Christians  the concept of witchcraft, as we think we understand it today, had not existed prior to the arrival of their arrival. Even when the label of “witch” was used; it was more often applied to the European religious dissenters and not the native people themselves. The ancient peoples believed that the Gods they venerated inhabited the land itself. When these early Pagans wished to honor their Gods, they created a connection between their homeland, where their Gods resided, and the land where they stood. In this way, the new land became an extension of the homeland and when a Witch is within the homeland, they evoke or invoke the land itself as the connection to spirit world. It was therefore quite natural for European settlers of traditional pagan beliefs, who immigrated to America, to adopt the local myths and customs into their own beliefs and rituals.  (see also our "American Witchcraft" webpage)

• Appalachian 'Granny' Tradition: The tradition of Appalachain Folk Magick dates back to the first settlers of the Appalachian Mountains who came to the United States from Scotland and Ireland in the 1700's and who brought with them their "Old World" magickal traditions. Those traditions were then blended with the local tradition of the Cherokee Tribes into a combination of local herbal folk remedies and charms, faith healing, storytelling and magick. The 'Granny' Witches will often call themselves 'Doctor Witches' or 'Water Witches' depending upon whether they are more gifted in healing and midwifery, or if they are more in tune with dowsing for water, lay lines and energy vortexes. This tradition is termed 'Granny' from the prominent role played by older women in the mountain communities.
  
• Hoodoo Tradition: (regional synonyms for Hoodoo witchcraft include conjuration and/or root-work.) Hoodoo is an American Witchcraft tradition created by African-American slaves in the New World.  A  folk magick tradition of the Gullah People of the South Carolina Lowcountry, Hoodoo's roots are in the spiritual practices that evolved from a number of West African traditions blended with the beliefs and practices of other cultural traditions such as American Indian spirituality and European ceremonial magick. This form of spiritual practice revolves around the natural power of the Earth and, like many American forms of folk magick, it is considered an offshoot of  Appalachian 'Granny' Magic. Following  the Great Migration of African-Americans from the rural south in the first half of the 20th century, Hoodoo practice spread throughout the United States. 
• Pow-Wow Tradition: (Pennsylvania Dutch Tradition) Taken from the Algonquin word  “pauwau",  which means literally "vision seeker", its principles encompass shamanic like rituals of healing through visions and the application of traditional medicines, which are often accompanied by prayers, incantations, songs, and dances. The word pauwau (pow-wow) was came to be used for American Indian ceremonies and councils because of the important role played by the pauwau in both. The Pow Wow Tradition places great significance on the vision seeker as the nexus of  group (coven) activites and rituals. Though some claim that the Pow-Wow Tradition is German in origin, but seems to be more of an amalgamation of local American Indian traditions with those traditions of the Dutch immigrants of pagan heritage who settled in the Pennsylvania region of the United States. The Pennsylvania Dutch are an extremely religious people and they are also very superstitious. Among their beliefs, for example, is that a cross painted on the handle bar of a door latch will prevent the devil from entering (hexerei). From such beliefs has grown an assortment of utilitarian "hex signs" which are decorative signs and symbols placed on the sides of barns and houses to cleanse evil; promote fertility, health, and happiness; or even start or stop rain. 
  

Asian Tradition(s): In Japan, the Shinto religion is itself a shamanistic religion and thus the Japanese do not attach negative connotations to witchcraft. The word "witch" is actually used with positive connotation in the Japanese language as a female with high skills or fame. Asian witchcraft generally centers on the relationship between the witch and the animal spirits or familiars and in Japanese witchcraft, witches are commonly separated into two categories: those who employ snakes as familiars and those who employ foxes; the Fox Witch being the most commonly seen witch in Japan. In China, witches employs books, staffs, and other implements, similar to the western traditions of witchcraft and the witches are often accompanied by familiars in the form of rabbits, which are universally associated with the Moon, with fertility and with the Goddess. The witches of China are notable for their  extensive knowledge of the occult properties of plants and herbs, as well as for clairvoyance and the study of astrology.

Australian Aboriginal Tradition: Aboriginal female elders were labeled by Christian missionaries as "witches" or, if men, as "witchdoctors"and these missionaries saw the traditional female practice of "love magick" or yilpinji as "witchcraft". Yilpinji is achieved through a creative integration of myth, song, gesture and art against a background of country. Yilpinji, love magick, is invariably based in the empowering link with the homeland shared by everyone in Aboriginal culture. 

Baltic Tradition: (Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania) Pagan and folk religions are thriving across the Baltic states. The old pagan religions are more or less continued today, but it often has influences from the more shamanistic elements of paganism. For many Baltic people the traditional customs and songs at the seasonal festivals are just part of the fabric of everyday life. In modern Latvia and Lithuania, the word ragana literally means “witch” and( not in the most positive sense of that word!). According to Lithuanian folklore, witches fly off to hilltops to rendezvous with Ragana , (the first witch), on her holy night, the Winter Solstice. Ragana in Lithuanian means the Seeing, (“the one who watches” and “the one who knows). Ragana  can predict the future from the signs and omens that can be observed. Ragana is not a doer, she is "The Watcher".  Baltic Witches are primarily Augury Witches (see: “Types of Traditional Witches”) who are similar to shamans. They are not "fortune tellers", as their gifts are of prophecy and not divination.

British (English)Tradition: (Not to be confused with 'British Traditional Wicca')  The belief in magic and magical practices has been documented in the Britain Isles for millennia and the belief that witches have magickal influence over the natural world has existed as long as the people of Britain themselves. It’s important to recognize that there are many people in Britain today who are practicing a traditional form of witchcraft that is a modern witchcraft, a modern folk magick, that is based on the practices and beliefs of the witches of antiquity that have been passed down through generations.

• Traditional English Witches generally practice a solitary form of witchcraft and each traditional witch draws on an eclectic mix of beliefs and rituals from the myths and religions of the various pre-Roman and pre-Christian tribes and cultures of the British Isles. Traditional English Witches draw from the "energy" of "The Homeland” and the legends of its local people as passed down through the generations in "The Olde Tales".  As such, there are often differences between the practices of English witches and those witches from the Cornish, Welsh or Scottish regions, but there are also many similarities such as the common belief in the "magick" of the British forests and woodlands.  Although reviled and persecuted throughout English history, there is an underlying faith among the British people that the Witches of Olde England will always come forward to protect their homeland in times of trouble.

Bruja (Latin American) Tradition: (Brujería is the Spanish-language word for "witchcraft". Both sexes can practice; men being called brujo, women being called bruja.) The word bruja or brujo is used to apply to someone practicing low magic, or even sorcery, within a Hispanic and/or American Indian cultural context. A contemporary practitioner of Witchcraft or other Neopagan religion might not be considered a ​bruja, but the classic old wise woman on the edge of town who offers hexes and charms may be one. The practice of Brujeria, which is a form of folk magic, usually involves charms, love spells, curses, hexes, and divination. Many practices are rooted in a syncretic blend of folklore, traditional herbalism, and Catholicism. (Despite Brujería inheriting traits from Catholicism, there has been a long history of the Catholic Church demonizing Brujería, referring to it as "evil, Satanism", or the "workings of the devil". ) In general "bruja" is considered a negative term and a malevolent image often associated with shape shifting demons. 

Celtic (Irish) Tradition: The Irish Tradition is really many traditions under the general heading of "Celtic" and Celtic paths are some of the more popular traditional witchcraft traditions. Most are very eclectic and hold to the ancient Celtic myths, divinities, magickand rituals. They are practitioners of the Elements, the Ancient Ones and of Nature. They are usually physical and spiritual healers who work with plants, stones, flowers, trees, the fauns and the faires. For the Celtic Witch, magic is as natural as breathing.  Many Celtic Witches have a huge passion for rituals complete with things like candles, incense, and ritual robes as costunes and scenery in a sacred play. Each movement and word contained in a ritual has a purpose that builds power for a specific goal.  A whimsical part of the Celtic path is a belief in the Fey. In Celtic mythology, faeries are honored folk who some call upon for assistance. Depending on that spirit’s mood and proclivity aid may or may not be granted. 

Cornish Tradition: Cornish Witchcraft is part of the folk tradition and mythology of the people of Cornwall in South West England. It consists partly of folk traditions developed in Cornwall and partly of traditions developed by the people of Wales, Ireland and Brittany. There is much traditional folklore in Cornwall, often tales of giants and mermaids or the 'pobel vean' (little people). Many early British legends associate King Arthur with Cornwall, putting his birthplace at Tintage. The traditional magick of Cornish Witches commonly includes the work of the making and provision of magickal charms, simple rituals and magickal gestures with muttered incantations, the healing of disease and injury and divination. According to ancient tradition, the people from Cornwall make their annual pilgrimage to some Cornish Witch of repute, for the sake of having what they call "their protection renewed." Spring is always chosen for this object, because it is believed that when the Sun is returning the witch has more power to protect them from bad luck than at any other season. (Today " Cornish Witches " are often mistakenly referred to as cunning folk.)

Cunning-Craft Tradition: The Cunning Folk are (or were) practitioners of folk magick in rural Britain from the Medieval period through the early twentieth century. Most communities had a cunning man or cunning woman who could heal the sick and offer protection from supernatural threats. They were often of a high social status and literate, in some instances being schooled in such advanced occult subjects as astrology and alchemy. Cunning folk were widely used to aid in healing the afflictions of both the people and their livestock, most often being called upon by the poorer members of the community who could not afford the fees charged by apothecaries and physicians. Today, the cunning folk practitioners in Britain have mostly faded away as modern medicines and the free National Health Service have reduced the need for cheap folk remedies and the administration of social and mental health services have helped provide relief from calamity and misfortune.

• The relationship between cunning-craft and witchcraft is controversial. The original cunning folk were often witch hunters; seeking out and persecuting an individual as a witch responsible for some evil or affliction and then performing curses against the supposed offender. The befuddling part of this was that the practices of the cunning-craft were almost identical to the practices of witchcraft, with the exception being that cunning folk professed to be Christians, in the failed attempt to avoid being condemned by the Church as heretics. However, Church authorities believed that as practitioners of magick, the cunning folk were really in league with the Devil and as such were akin to the alleged Satanic witches. Laws were enacted across England, Scotland and Wales that did condemn cunning folk and their magical practices, but there was no widespread persecution of them akin to the witch hunts.  There are some who claim that the ancient cunning-craft has evolved into British Traditional Wicca (BTW) and although there are obvious similarities with some of the modern magical practices carried out by Wiccans, most of the methods and techniques used by the old-time cunning folk bear little resemblance to those used by the neo-pagan Wiccans of today.

Dianic Tradition; Dianic Witchcraft is at its core a deeply feminist path that puts an emphasis on honoring the Goddess Diana in its tradition to the near exclusion of the concept of any divine male counterpart. (Diana was a goddess of chastity and she swore she would not marry.) Dianic Witches celebrate the divine feminine in all they do, and seek to empower women by asserting that, as the physical embodiment of the Goddess, women are the archetypes of the divine feminine. Today, in the 21st century, the practice of traditional Dianic Witchcraft has almost disappeared, having been usurped by the Dianic Wiccan movement with its new popularity coming from the abandonment of the original tenet of the exclusivity of female practitioners and this neo-pagan Wiccan practice now being open to all sexes, especially gay men, who Dianic Wiccans consider more acceptable to the goddess Diana than other men. (See:'Wiccan Movement / Dianic Wicca' under "Neo-Pagan (New Age) Movements")

Draconic Tradition: The Draconic Tradition the utilizates of the powers of the dragon.  and Draconian Witchcraft has always been passed down directly from teacher to student. Dragon guides and guardians work alongside the witches and offer their wisdom, protection, and strength during spell work and rituals. While draconic witches highly respect the dragons, they do not worship them. Draconian Witches share little about what they are doing, (Little Seen Gets More Done), and they hold that silence and magick must work together. Draconic Witchcraft is a rather solitary path and while one can work in a clan, dragon magick delves deep into the individual subconscious where one must face fears and memories long buried. As such, dragon magick calls for self-discipline, strength and the courage to seek knowledge alone.

Egyptian (Kemetic) Tradition: Traditional Egyptian witchcraft is not a common practice today, but many people who follow a magickal path will be drawn to the pantheon of Egypt in their studies. Today, many people who practice "Egyptian witchcraft" are really following a variation of Wicca that includes the involvement of Egyptian deities and this IS NOT the same type of practice that ancient Egyptians would have followed. Circles, altars, spells are all Wiccan-based but using terminology and Egyptian Gods and Goddesses and rituals performed during the time of ancient Egypt were usually performed by priests it wasn't something that people would have done for themselves as part of a spiritual or cultural practice.The actual spiritual path from Egypt is called Kemeticism which is a closer to true Egyptian witchcraft and religion. Many spells and rituals in Egyptian witchcraft center on the afterlife, and ensuring the safety and success of the soul after death. The well-known Egyptian Book of the Dead is filled with such spells. Healing magick was also common, and it was just as important as more scientific medical practices. Spells and rituals in a traditional Egyptian wichcraft framework are held in acordance within sophisticated astronomical time tables and the practices themselves are almost identical to other cultural tradtions with the local tribal gods and goddesses being replaced by classical Egyptian deities.

Familial (Hereditary) Tradition:  There are people in the pagan community who claim “born witch” status because of some ancestral link to an individual who was accused of witchcraft.  There are certainly hereditary traditions of witchcraft, but by “hereditary” it doesn’t mean that the practices are biologically inherited. These are typically small, familial traditions (Fam Trads), in which beliefs and practices are handed down from one generation to the next, and outsiders are rarely included.

Hellenistic (Ancient Greek) Tradition: A Greek witch is called a pharmakis (herb woman), from which we have the terms pharmacist and pharmacology. Their basic tradition is working with herbs, medicines and poison. In the Homeric tradition of Witchcraft was not an exclusively female thing, so Greek witches are both male and female. Many Greek tradition witches work with Hecate, the ancient Greek goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. (Hecate’s most sacred familiar is the dog.) Many Greek  witches identify with  Medea, who in Greek mythology was an enchantress of divine descent and who had the gift of prophecy. Medea was an outright witch and used ointments and potions to both poison and heal, so it is quite right to associate modern pharmacology and healing with Hellenistic witchcraft. On the dark side, the modern perception of Greek witchcraft is that witchcraft is malevolent with its practitioners intentionally causing harm to others, with the evil eye.

Nordic Tradition (Seiðr): A type of traditional witchcraft practiced in Norse and Germanic tribal societies which flourished during the Northern European  Iron Age.  In Norse mythology it is associated with both the god Oðinn and the goddess Freyja.  "Seiður" is the Icelandic word which is used to describe their magick rituals. The female practitioners were called "vísendakona", or woman of science, and the men were called "seið-menn", or the men of magick ritual.  Seiður was a shamanic ceremony, involving altered states of consciousness and cross-dimensional journeys, wherein sorcerers would gain secret knowledge and accumulate great power which was handed to them by the gods themselves. Most of the symbols and spells appear to be for the use of simple problems in life, from catching a thief, to overthrowing an enemy. Others help heal livestock, whilst others look at cursing the animals of another. There are charms to help preserve food and ale, staves to bless the bearer with strength or courage, or symbols to help with fishing or prevent death by drowning. Many of the Nordic female witches are Augury Witches (see above) and are referred to as a Völva ("wand carrier" or "carrier of a magick staff"), who practice meditation or introspection for the purpose of clairvoyance and divination.

Romanic (Ancient Roman) Tradition: Roman witches were not figures from mythology, but were seen as women one might encounter in the market on any day. The witch served various roles in the Roman imagination; she represented popular fears and fantasies either as a magical helpmate to a male hero in mythology, or as a destructive, emasculating force in Roman literature. Generally, a witch in the Roman era had one of the most evil reputaions in ancient witchcraft. A female witch, according to Roman folklore, was a strix (a night-owl) that could assume human form, and was the enemy of humans, particularly women and children. The line between the wise women who used magic and a strix demon was pretty thin. The former could be induced to bless your babies and the latter would drink their blood. The most famous witch in Roman literary history was an elderly wise woman called Canidia who appears in the poems of Horace and and who may have been based on a real woman. In the poems she is said to practice all kinds of magick, both for good or evil. (Horace writes in one instance that Canidia invoked a strix and asked it for an egg and a feather for a dark magick spell. Canidia herself wasn't a strik, but she could summon them for evil purposes.) In modern day witchcraft, adherents to the ancient Roman tradtion rarely refer to themselves as Romanic Witches, so as not to to be confused with Romani (Gypsy) magickal practitioners. Those who do practice in the Roman way work through animal spirit intermediaries. primarily owl familiars, the owl today enjoying a much more benevolent reputation than the owls of old, the owl now being seen as a bringer of wisdom, revealer of secrets and omens and the bestower of intuition and clairvoyance. The Roman witch's magick will usually reflect the powers of the animal they work through.

Scottish Tradition(s): Historically, Witchcraft in Scotland is more known for its persecution than its practice. King James Stuart VI, claiming divine right, declared himself King of Scotland, King of England, King of Ireland. He authored and had printed the book “Daemonologie”, that described how, why and who was to be tortured into confession for witchcraft.  King James VI quotes the Holy Bible listing Eve as the weaker sex for his reasons of accusing wealthy, but widowed women as more women were tried, tortured and executed than men. The Aberdeen Witch burnings took place from February 1596 to April 1597, as twenty-three women and one man were tried and convicted of witchcraft.  King James paid several visits to Aberdeen, to spur the hysteria into a mob fury that he had created and set to law by his book.  Few who were accused were ever acquitted or found not-guilty by their persecutors. 

• Hecatine (Scottish) Tradition: A tradition in The Craft that comes from a Scottish origin which preserves the unique rituals of the Scots. Drawing on the same cultural influences of Pictish Witchcraft they differ in that Pictish is a more solitary practice. A fairly secretive tradition, not much is known of their rituals by outsiders. In Wicca the Caledonii Movement mirrors much of the same practices and the two are often confused. 
• Pictish (Scottish) Tradition: Originally an ancient tradition from Scotland, it is a "solitary witch" form of "The Craft". Since the beginning of tribal life in Scotland, there were women and men who worked with nature, the elements, herbs, and seership. Known as ‘soothsayers’, healers, magicians, witches and wizards, they lived and worked peacefully among all tribes. Pictish Witchcraft attunes itself to all aspects of nature; animal, vegetable, and mineral and it is more magickal in nature and practice than it is religious. Pictish witches are solitary and rarely, if ever, do they work in groups or covens.

Slavic (Russian) Tradition:  In traditional Slavic witchcraft, (Rodnovery), the power of magick is considered a realistic part of life without any link to the devil or demonology. It is believed anybody can learn witchcraft with the proper teaching and that teaching often comes in the form of riddles that the initiate must solve. The Slavic witch often possesses the ability to astral travel and can quite easily fall in and out of trance states. Slavic witches observe three canons during their rituals; nudity, silence and not looking back after the working’s conclusion. Russia is considered the birth place of Traditional Shamanism and Slavic Witchcraft draws heavily on this influence.

Stregheria (Italian) Tradition: Stregheria (an archaic Italian word for "witchcraft") is sometimes referred to as "La Vecchia Religione" (the old religion). These witches are called Streghe (plural), with the title Strega (for a female) and Stregone (for a male). They follow a tradition that is based on the appreciation of wisdom and beauty. Stregheria is not a singular tradition, but instead a collection of practices that have descended from the native traditions of the Italian/Sicilian regions. It is said by some to be based on the teachings of a 14th century woman named Aradia, but, this does not mean that witchcraft in Italy began in the 14th century. The tradition taught by Aradia was a revival of the Old Ways of the folk religions of the ancient Etruscans and Romans  during a time of persecution of the peasants of Italy by the Catholic nobility. To many modern Stregherian Witches most Catholic saints are simply ancient pagan gods dressed in Christian garb and the majority of  Stregherians have removed these saints Catholic veneer and restored them to their pagan deity heritage.

Teutonic (Germanic) Tradition:: From ancient times the Teutons have been recognized as a group of people who speak the Germanic group of languages. Culturally, this includes the English, Dutch, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish peoples. A Teutonic Witch finds inspiration in the differing traditional myths and legends and in the Gods and Goddesses of  "The Homeland”” where each individual dialect originated. A German Teutonic Witch might differ from the Nordic Tradition, for example, in that they may not focus on manifesting prophetic power like the witches of Scandinavia.

Welsh Tradition: Welsh witchcraft is the traditional practice of magick and spiritual beliefs that stem from the Wales region of the United Kingdom. There is a lot of overlap in this area with Celtic or Scottish witchcraft, but there really are a number of unique characteristics to Welsh witchcraft specifically. With great reliance placed on the power of the wise man or the wise woman, witchcraft in Wales had long been connected to healing. The term witch has meant many things to the Welsh people over the years, but for most the word really meant the local healer, someone who made poultices and medicines and perhaps had charms or spells for healing cattle and other farm animals. Welsh witches believe themselves to be one of the oldest traditions. It is sometimes said to be confined to certain families and members of the family become "awakened" to their calling and pass through 9 levels of attainment. It is theorhetically hereditary, but you can "be adopted" into the tradition.