Witching Hour Art

Black cats, pumpkins and this week Witches. 

                                    Artist - Terri Ann Foss 

The Dictionary describes a witch as: 
1. A woman who is supposed to have evil or wicked magical powers

2. A person who practices magic or sorcery, a sorceress 

3. An ugly or mean old woman, hag

4. A person who uses a divining rod, dowser

5. A practitioner of witchcraft

It comes from the old English words wicca - sorcerer and wicce - sorceress (that just feels backwards to me) which came from an older German word wikko which translates from necromancer or sorcerer. That comes from an even older European word weik which means to separate or divide and weyk which means to set aside as holy, consecrate, sacrifice. Sprinkle the translation with a word from the Dutch of wichelen, to foretell. Conjure up the ancient German word wikkjaz (you are going to love this one) one who wakes the dead. Last add two shakes of the old Gothic word weihs which means sacred and you have the recipe for what became witch. 

                                                  The Three Witches from Shakespeares Macbeth by Daniel Gardner