Warlocks are, among historic
ChristianChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
traditions, said to be the
maleMale refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
equivalent of witches (usually in the pejorative sense of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
's
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
), and were said to ride pitchforks instead of broomsticks which normally witches would ride. In traditional Scottish witchcraft, "warlock" was and is simply the term used for a wizard, or male witch. A synonym is sorcerer.
The commonly accepted etymology derives
warlock from the Old English
{{otheruses}}
Warlocks are, among historic ChristianChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
traditions, said to be the maleMale refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
equivalent of witches (usually in the pejorative sense of EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
's Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
), and were said to ride pitchforks instead of broomsticks which normally witches would ride{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Warlock' Start a new discussion about 'Warlock' Answer questions from other users |
Warlocks are, among historic
ChristianChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
traditions, said to be the
maleMale refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
equivalent of witches (usually in the pejorative sense of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
's
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
), and were said to ride pitchforks instead of broomsticks which normally witches would ride. In traditional Scottish witchcraft, "warlock" was and is simply the term used for a wizard, or male witch. A synonym is sorcerer.
Etymology
The commonly accepted etymology derives
warlock from the Old English
{{otheruses}}
Warlocks are, among historic ChristianChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
traditions, said to be the maleMale refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
equivalent of witches (usually in the pejorative sense of EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
's Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
), and were said to ride pitchforks instead of broomsticks which normally witches would ride{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}. In traditional Scottish witchcraft, "warlock" was and is simply the term used for a wizard, or male witch. A synonym is sorcerer.
Etymology
The commonly accepted etymology derives warlock from the Old English
{{otheruses}}
Warlocks are, among historic ChristianChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
traditions, said to be the maleMale refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
equivalent of witches (usually in the pejorative sense of EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
's Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
), and were said to ride pitchforks instead of broomsticks which normally witches would ride{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}. In traditional Scottish witchcraft, "warlock" was and is simply the term used for a wizard, or male witch. A synonym is sorcerer.
Etymology
The commonly accepted etymology derives warlock from the Old English {{unicode meaning "oathbreaker" or "deceiver".
A derivation from the Old Norse varð-lokkur, "caller of spirits" has also been suggested, however the Oxford English DictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language...
considers this etymology inadmissible.
The Oxford English Dictionary also provides the following meanings of the word: Warlock v1 Obs. (ex. dial.) rare, also warloke: To secure (a horse) as with a fetterlock. Warlock v2: To bar against hostile invasion.
Modern witchcraft
Although some modern practitioners of witchcraft identify themselves as 'warlocks', many avoid this term and/or find it offensive. WiccaWicca is a neopagan, nature-based religion. It was popularised in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant, who at the time called it a "Witch cult" and "Witchcraft", and its adherents "the Wica"....
ns in particular consider it to be a pejorative term, meaning "oath-breaker". Wiccans use the term "warlock" to mean one who has been banished from a coven, either for revealing secrets, or for breaking coven laws.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}
However, in many forms of Traditional Satanism, with its strong association to histrionics and counter-cultural "shock value," the term "warlock" is embraced and employed as the primary title for a male member of the coven.
In popular culture
Warlocks appear in a number of fantasy and science fiction novels, movies and games. They may be portrayed as humans who have attained magical or mystical powers, often evil, such as in the fantasy television series CharmedCharmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
, in which warlocks are the evil counterparts to good witches. Elsewhere, the distinction between 'warlock' and 'witch' may be purely one of gender, such as in the television series BewitchedBewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York , Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead and David White. It is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban housewife...
and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Alternatively, warlocks may be portrayed as a separate species or alien race, such as in the comic book series Nemesis the WarlockNemesis the Warlock is a comic strip created by writer Pat Mills and artist Kevin O'Neill which appeared in the pages of the weekly comic 2000 AD. The title character, a fire-breathing demonic alien, fights against the fanatical Torquemada, Grand Master of the Terran Empire in Earth's distant...
. Occasionally the term is used to refer to technological wizardry rather than magic, such as in Christopher StasheffChristopher Stasheff is an American science fiction author and fantasy author whose novels include The Warlock in Spite of Himself and Her Majesty's Wizard . He has a PhD...
's Warlock of Gramarye series of novels, or in the film Live Free or Die HardLive Free or Die Hard, , is a action film, and the fourth installment in the Die Hard series. The film was directed by Len Wiseman and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, the protagonist of the first three films. Supporting cast members included Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, Mary Elizabeth...
, where 'W4rl0ck' is a computer hackerIn common usage, a hacker is a person who breaks into computers, usually by gaining access to administrative controls. The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the computer underground...
. In the popular online game World of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft, often referred to as WoW, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, a Warlock is a playable class that uses magic offensively, with a focus on summoning demons as minions and draining life from enemies.
In the J.K. Rowling book the Tales of Beedle the Bard in the short story "The Warlock's Hairy Heart" in the footnotes it explains, the term is used to denote wizards experienced in martial magic or who have achieved a level of magical distinction.
Also see The Mortal Instruments book series by Cassandra ClareCassandra Clare is the pseudonym of the bestselling author of the young adult trilogy The Mortal Instruments. Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Tehran. She lived in France, England and Switzerland before she was ten years old. From her high school years on, she lived in Los Angeles...
. Magnus Bane is an example of a warlock in each of the books.
The animated series The New Adventures Of SupermanThe New Adventures of Superman may refer to:*The New Adventures of Superman , a 1960s animation by Filmation*Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, a 1990s live-action series...
features a recurring villain known as The Warlock (voiced by Ray Owens), who uses a jewel on his cane known as a Sorcerer's Ruby that gives him magical superpower.