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(Number 362)
WICCA, WICCE, WICCAN (let's get it right)
Greetings,
It's about time I wrote about something that has been bugging me for
years and in this posting, hope that I can clear up this "something".
Almost without exception, Pagans are intelligent, thinking people.
Paganism is a way of life that makes these demands. And yet, because
of severe Christian suppression, so many of the Old Ways have been
perverted. We must look in many directions to unearth the roots all
Pagans consider their legacy.
One of the most interesting methods of researching our roots is
Etymology. For, indeed, an understanding of our literary heritage is
vital. It is unfortunate that so often this type of research is
woefully neglected.
How sad that one of the most important words in modern Pagan
parlance, `Wicca', is so often misused. For every time the word is
misused there is a probability that someone who has just been
introduced to Paganism will pick it up and, in turn, use it
incorrectly, simply because they heard it used that way and did not
bother to do their own fact finding. This is sad, for if we cannot
be grammatically correct; we leave the impression that we don't know
what we are talking about. If we are erroneous about something so
elementary, why should a non-Pagan (who just might know the correct
grammatical use of our terms) put any credence in anything we have to
say? And, if they don't know the correct terminology, we should not
expose them to incorrect terminology as their introduction to
Paganism. So this is the "something" that I refer to. Let's break
it all down, so that we can finally understand.
WIC - An Old English word which means - to bend, to manipulate
WICCA - An Old English word which means - a male who bends or
manipulates.
WICCE - An Old English word which means - a female who bends or
manipulates.
WICCAN - An Old English word which means - both males or females who
bend or manipulate, the plural of Wicca or Wicce.
OK, finally – there it is outlined and clear enough for all to see
and understand.
These are Old English terms, terms that the Christian populace used
to label the practitioners of the Old Ways. These were not terms the
Pagans of old gave themselves for sure. They began referring to
themselves as Pagans only after Christianity emerged and gained a
strong hold on urban centers, and in order to distinguish between
their "old country ways" and the ways of the new wave of Christian
beliefs.
PAGAN - Derived from the Latin Paganus (peasants, country folk, rural
people). A Pagan is one who practices "country ways".
Specifically, that meant Pagan refers to old country practices
originating before the Christian era (Pre-Christian).
Wicca, Wicce, Wiccan, as used by the Christians to label the non-
Christians, or Pagans, were not meant, originally, as compliments.
They actually were used sarcastically and in a derogatory manner.
After being labeled thusly for a period of time, most Pagans
realized that, indeed, they did bend and manipulate energy. They
understood the Law of Cause and Effect and certainly did practice
magick, although their religion encompassed far more than performing
magick.
With the coming of Christianity and the resulting Dark Ages, the non-
Pagans had albeit lost the `old knowledge' and could no longer
effectively practice magick. Therefore, the Pagans joyfully adopted
the labels that had been given them. With the Persecutions they
could not use these terms publicly for themselves, without severe
repercussions, but use them they did.
When Old English was in use there was very little problem with
correct grammar concerning Wicca, Wicce and Wiccan. These words were
understood! These Old English words evolved into the modern English
terms Witch and Witches; Witch being applied to either male or female
and Witches, of course, being plural.
When people attempt to use Old English terms without understanding
them, they have a tendency to misuse them, particularly Wicca and
Wiccan. They tend to use Wicca the same
way you would use Witch, applying it to either male or female, when
Wicca only applies to males; or, they will attempt to use the one
masculine word to refer to all Witches, males and females, when they
should be using Wiccan, which does apply to both.
Often, they even forget, or ignore, the existence of the feminine
Wicce totally and, frequently, they attempt to make the already
plural Wiccan even more so, by saying Wiccans, which is rather like
saying Witcheses!
He is a Wicca. She is a Wicce. They are Wiccan! Simple….
In the time that these words were coined and came into accepted use,
it was understood that there was no religious connotation necessarily
intended, but that they referred to and/or were an admission of the
fact that certain people did practice magick. With the public
revival of the Old Pagan religions, it became necessary to re-examine
the labels, which distinguished the Pagan from the Christian.
It was obvious that the Pagans of Old were more than just
practitioners of magick, although they had, themselves, accepted the
terms Wicce, Wicca, Wiccan and, finally, Witch. In an attempt to
explain themselves to the non-Pagan, Witches now began to incorporate
religious meaning into these terms.
The general public had no trouble accepting the fact that a Witch
practiced magick but found it hard to comprehend that the term Witch
had anything to do with a religion. As a result, Witches became more
emphatic.
As they were `Witches', they labeled their way of
life `Witchcraft'. This included not only the magickal (Law of Cause
& Effect), the moral (Law of Retribution), but also their belief in
specific deities.
In other words, their Craft was the art of living as practiced by a
Witch. The Witches' art of living is their religion. And, so, there
evolved a modern term, Witchcraft, meaning `a Witch's religion'.
Because of the Christian suppression over the years, the terms Witch
and Witchcraft invited ridicule and persecutions. Wishing to avoid
the negative connotations they were sure to encounter before they
could explain what they were all about, the modern Witches began to
adopt a term made popular by Gerald Gardner; Wicca, rather than use
the better known (and non-respected) terms.
Adopting this term without bothering to research it led to blatant
inaccuracies, (such as referring to the religion itself as Wicca,
referring to female Witches as Wicca, and so forth).
There have even been Pagan Churches, groups and organizations legally
incorporated using the term Wicca in their Official name. There are
times when this could be correct usage, for example, if a male
established a church, with his own rules and regulations, and called
himself the sole leader, and chose to call it "The Temple of the
Wicca, this could be considered correct, for it would be his temple;
a temple of a male Witch.
If a temple were established for male practitioners only, it would
be a `Wicca Temple'. If, however, both males and females attended
the temple, it would not only be incorrect to call it a `Wicca
Temple', but sexist and prejudiced to do so.
Females who understand the correct usage of these terms, generally
resent having someone ask them is they are `Wicca'. Considering that
the ancient traditions of this religion are Matriarchical and that
the Goddess is supreme, it makes no sense that some refer to the
entire Witchcraft community by a masculine term.
While it is true that not all Neo-Pagans, (those who practice Pagan
ways with a very modern slant and usually without benefit of training
in the Old Traditions), observe the Old Traditions, they should at
least strive to use correct verbiage.
It is understood that the problems inherent in changing an
incorporated name are traumatic and, technically, if you own
something you can call it whatever you choose and be correct for
yourself. However, it is very confusing if you call your banana an
apple when everyone else calls their banana a banana. This has
opened the entire Pagan community to a new ridicule.
Will it be long before the old terms are as undesirable as the modern
terms? If so, it will be our own fault this time! We respectfully
ask that you join us in our struggle to correct the general usage
of these words. Only when we, ourselves, understand our heritage can
we, again, become a viable force in society.
Just a little more info to help you out with pronunciation.
WICCA = WICK-KaH (AH not A)
WICCE = WICK-KhE (EH not E)
WICCAN = WICK-KhAN
Remember that the Anglo-Saxons spoke a very guttural language
basically.
Blessed Be!
Degree System
within Wicca Working Tools of Wicca
Elements of Witchcraft More Witch
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Theban
Script
With Thanks
