Guest Post Victoria Schwab Gives Us The Low Down On Witches
magick, witchcraft, witches 0 Comments »
"THE POWER SPECTRUM"
One of the reasons I love writing witches is because of all the supernatural forms, -witches are one of the most flexible. Where vampires and werewolves and angels never stray too far from a set of rules (rarely do vampires love sun, or werewolves balk at the moon, or angels act like non-angsty normal people), witches can take ANY shape. Their versatility, paired with their timeless appeal, makes witches an ever-popular and ever-awesome supernatural group.
But they do have some recognized forms.
For instance, there are, in my opinion, two primary distinctions to be made when identifying witches:
1. Coven-based vs. Solo
2. Rule-bound vs. free-form
From Hocus Pocus to the Craft to Charmed, we see coven-based witches joining hands around herbs, a spell book, a cauldron. Their power comes from their numbers and they tend to be bound by rules/spells/guides/structure. Solo witches on the other hand, while they can derive power from their proximity to others (hey, hey Willow) they don't require a group, and are generally more powerful for their lack of dependency on aid.
As far as power, a witch's magic can be tied to others, or to a conduit such as a wand. It can stem from spell books and incantations, or from will alone. The witches in Near are elemental, and they require little more than desire and focus to summon their magic, whereas witches in other books must recite specific words, or use blood or another form of sacrifice to access power.
Some Witch Types:
On the spectrum of power, Natural Witches, those who operate on will, even without training, who seem to be tapped into the vein of magic in the world, are the freest, and often the strongest.
Elemental witches are nearly as free, but they're bound to the natural world, and often are limited to a single element.
Blood witches exist on the line between rule-bound and free-form, since they have a ritualistic component.
Wand-and-Spell Witches are even more tied to ritual, but their potential is often limitless because their power can grow through practice, discipline, and refinement.
Potion-and-Cauldron Witches are the most structured, because they are both bound by rule (the potion) and form (the cauldron). They tend to be limited/weaker in terms of power.
