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2003-10-28
'If you were a witch, would you use your powers for good or awesome?'

3:59 p.m.

I was asked to try and explain the difference between a witch, a warlock, a wizard, a sorcerer/sorceress, and a mage. I always thought a warlock was a male witch, and that, in general, wizard was another term for warlock. J.K. Rowling in her book uses the two rather interchangeably. It seems to me that both warlock and witch can have negative connotations (as we see every year around Halloween, when the green warty-nosed witch masks and black pointed hats come out), but not necessarily, and that sorcerer and sorceress are both variations of witch and wizard/warlock. Here is what Webster's dictionary says...

WITCH
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English wicche, from Old English wicca, masculine, wizard & wicce, feminine, witch; akin to Middle High German wicken to bewitch, Old English wigle divination, and perhaps to Old High German wIh holy -- more at VICTIM
Date: before 12th century
1 : one that is credited with usually malignant supernatural powers; especially : a woman practicing usually black witchcraft often with the aid of a devil or familiar : SORCERESS -- compare WARLOCK
2 : an ugly old woman : HAG
3 : a charming or alluring girl or woman
4 : a practitioner of Wicca

WIZARD
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English wysard, from wis, wys wise
Date: 15th century
1 archaic : a wise man : SAGE
2 : one skilled in magic : SORCERER
3 : a very clever or skillful person

WARLOCK
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English warloghe, from Old English w[AE]rloga one that breaks faith, the Devil, from w[AE]r faith, troth + -loga (from lEogan to lie); akin to Old English w[AE]r true -- more at VERY, LIE
Date: 14th century
1 : a man practicing the black arts : SORCERER -- compare WITCH
2 : CONJURER

SORCERER
Function: noun
Date: 15th century
: a person who practices sorcery : WIZARD

SORCERESS
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
: a woman who is a sorcerer

MAGE
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin magus
Date: 14th century
: MAGUS

Hmmm... well, that clears things up! Not. Anyway, it's interesting. I did a quick web search and found that some people who are Wiccas detest the term warlock, while others view it on the same terms as witch, which can be both bad or good. As for mage, I've read the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey and she refers to all the magic-doers in those books as mages. I guess they're all just different names for essentially the same thing.

And I still wouldn't mind being a witch. That would be the coolest thing ever.

I just got done with the worst presentation ever. It was horrible. We were given three hours today to work on a satellite design project. The assignment was handed out last week, but we were told that we weren't expected to work on it more than the three hours allotted today. Yeah, right. Of COURSE everyone worked on it more. Not that it really did anything. It was ridiculous. I even messed up on a stupid point, which I, of all people in my group, should know better. Grr... As a result, I am very, very cranky.

I also have to decide between the two group projects today. One is a manned mission to Europa and Titan and the other is a Global Intenet Network. I think I'm going to choose the first, but a lot of people want that one, and I'm not sure how it will be working with such a large group.

In other news, I was given a comeback for all of the grief that the US gets. It was basically, "If you were the most powerful country in the world, you'd do it, too." Hmm... I don't necessarily agree, and I don't feel comfortable saying it, since that doesn't make it okay for us to do anything just because we can. However, there is one good point from all of this business about the California gubernatorial election; I now just have to say that I grew up near Sacramento, CA and EVERYONE knows where that is, even glider pilots in Kehl, Germany.

Tonight there is a little celebration and presentation regarding the Chinese becoming the third country to join manned spaceflight. So, I am off to that. They're providing food and drinks. So, that's dinner taken care of.

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