Hereditary Witches?

[Forever_Your_Boy]

I have recently come across the term Hereditary Witch, and after having looked it up I'm still a bit confused.

Obviously it means that the "witch" comes from a family of "witches", but in every definition I've found it says that it is always passed on mother-daughter.

Well, I have three great aunts (That's right, right? The sisters of my grandmother) who were as the town describes "witches" and were often seen doing.. tricky things, I guess (my mom is from backwater virgina, so it's possible there's no truth to it) my question is does that make ME a hereditary witch, or not? Furthermore, what is the actual definition of hereditary witch?

[Astara Seague]

yes to be pricise its your "bloodline" mine comes through my Grandmother on my Dads side not all generations choose to carry on the work .. so yes you would be considered a Hereditry witch

[Tanya]

I agree, it is not about gender, its about family tradition. My family does go mother to daughter for at least 5 generations, but why not mother to son or father to son/daughter?

[Xentor]

"Hereditary witch" is based upon beliefs, not upon biology.

[Forever_Your_Boy]

If so then is there something different about "hereditary witches" than normal ones or is it just a point of view?

[Xentor]

Yes, the difference between hereditary and not hereditary is the mother-daughter lineage. This is not a point-of-view difference, but a matter of religious conviction.

[raven grimassi]

Obviously it means that the "witch" comes from a family of "witches", but in every definition I've found it says that it is always passed on mother-daughter.

While most of the older material mentions Witchcraft being passed from "mother-daughter" there are actually references to males carrying "witch blood" as well. One 19th century folklorist to note this was Charles Leland who mentions two men from a Witch family.

Francesco Guazzo, in his 17th century writings, notes that both men and women are Witches, and addresses that Witchcraft is passed through family lines.


my question is does that make ME a hereditary witch, or not? Furthermore, what is the actual definition of hereditary witch?

By the strictest definition, yes, but it should be noted that not everyone born into Witch lineage becomes a practicing Witch. So there is some room for debate as to whether birth alone makes one a Witch. For example, if a woman is born with Witch blood but grows up to be a devout Catholic Nun, is she a Witch?

[jcldragon]

The gene combination that allows people to enter into Magickal workings, is pretty well distributed throughout the entire human species. More significant would be what is psychologically passed onto new generations as family dynamics. People with Wisdom tend to pass that onto their children & grandchildren through association.

The Material World is the EFFECT of things going on in the Higher Planes. The appearance of solidity in matter is generated by the flow of fields of energy. Causality is generated according to whatever our Consciousness decides to relate to, and how Consciousness chooses to relate. The Soul does not assume control of a new body before the moment of birth. Thus, we incarnate into situations & conditions that match our Karma, and what we intend to do during an incarnation. It is upon the Spiritual Plane that all real decisions are made. The appearance of Causality as something occuring on the Material Plane, is merely that : an appearance, which is the basic Illusion of this World of Maya.

[Meadhbh]

You can be. There are those that say it is only a mother/daughter thing but I disagree. Look at it this way if that were so it would imply that only the female gender is able to use the older forms of witchcraft which simply isn't so. I've heard stories of male cousins and such that could do the same thing as the women. I have only a few male cousins because for some weird reason my family is overwhelmingly female. But one of my cousins had a son about a year ago and while it is to soon to tell I think he might be one of those with the talent to use magic well and he is a male, so there goes that theory.

[Lady Valkyrie]

"Hereditary witch" is based upon beliefs, not upon biology.


And beliefs are based upon choices. Just because someone comes from a family of witches doesn't automatically make them a hereditary witch. That person must choose to not just learn but absorb into their heart and practice as a lifestyle being a witch... only then should they consider themselves a witch.

[omar]

I read someplace on here that true witches only come from herditary witches? So how did the FIRST witch become one??

[raven grimassi]

I read someplace on here that true witches only come from herditary witches? So how did the FIRST witch become one??

I cannot help you with the first part of your statement as I do not recall seeing anyone post the position to which you refer. And, personally I certainly do not feel that only hereditary Witches are "true" Witches.

As to the question about how the first Witch came about, I can only pass on what my teachers told me when I asked the same question many years ago. So, here it is:

In early tribal human life, there were certain individuals who were different from the others, more attuned to the spirit realms than to the mortal realm. These are the ancestors of what came to be the Medicine Man or Medicine Woman of the American Indian tribes, and the Witch or shaman of the European tribes.

Over the course of time these individuals were spirit taught and learned the alignments that eventually passed certain powers and abilities to them from the Otherworld. This was a form of initiation, and the charge flowed and circulated within the blood. Once they were passed the power they were then able to teach others and pass the gift to them. These were the first Witches. Or, so the story goes.

[mooneyes]

Yes, gender doesn't matter, you are an hereditary witch if you choose that path.

I found out my great-great grandmother (probably went back further, but I know up to that point) was Strega (Italian Witch). Somewhere between great-grandmother and grandmother they chose to follow the Catholic religion and the Book of Shadows went missing. They still did spells that they memorized, but followed the Catholic religion. I thought this very interesting since I found out about three years after I had chosen the
Wiccan path. Maybe there is a Witch Gene.:hmmmmm:

[lunita]

so are hereditary witches generally more powerful because it has been passed down through generations?

[Pythagoras_FD]

And does it even have to be identified as witchcraft. My mother is a conservative Christian who rejects the practice of witchcraft as the work of the devil leading people astray. However she has considerable psychic and spiritual powers in her own right that she considers exclusively the manifistations of the Holy Spirit. For example, healing by laying of hands, prophesy, spiritual protection and banishment for herself and for others, and speaking in tounges to name a few.

[MajorTal]

so are hereditary witches generally more powerful because it has been passed down through generations?

No more powerful than the next person. Being an hereditary witch, whose parents were both hereditary witches I personally don't feel more powerful than say Mr.Grimassi, or Mr.Buckland. Power IMO comes from experience, and I am *MUCH* younger than both of these men!!:nyah: In my family it isn't a strict mother-daughter link, it's who ever wanted to learn. My mother is the oldest of three girls and neither of her younger sisters wanted to learn. My father is the only boy in his family (fourth child of nine, and third boy) to take up The Craft, but that is b/c of a life experience involving the death of his mother and closed minded locals. His living sisters still practise and not all of my cousins practise. When my Aunt Alison(mothers youngest sister) was killed in a car accident at 20, my Gran did a "Blood Bond" and adopted my cousin into our family b/c she wanted to practise and her mother,my Gran's niece didn't practise, and we were running out of family members, this was a logical choice.She's family but not of my Gran's"true bloodline", but that doesn't matter, she's family.

As I ramble on more:hehehehe: :abored: My parents were each others second marriages,and it was arranged through a matchmaker like their first marriages had been,to pair up hereditary with hereditary.And my own husband now was a match for me, but only his grandmother practises folk magic, while his dad is a RABID Baptist.
That is the short and the tall....

Cheers,

***Tal***

[Lildelaide]

This topic catches my interest quite a bit, since I know that Witchcraft goes back many generations on my mother's side. Of course, that does not mean all individuals in my family have taken to magic (my sister, for instance, is not a witch). To me, being a 'hereditary witch' is just about knowing that I share a link of magic with my predecessors. It was still my choice whether or not to become a witch, but I'm happy to know that I'm continuing a long and proud tradition!

Blessed be!
~Lily

[Liguana]

I was taught that if magical awareness was "In the blood" it is easier to access and connect with, though experience, study and will are what really make a witch person. The danger with ideas like "Hereditary witch" is that it can be used as a reason for people to think they are better and more gifted than the average practitioner who may not be born to it.

I think the hereditary witch inherits the family traditions if they choose and the biological predisposition for easier trancing, visions, spiritual connections. All of these things can be learned, however. Also, I believe American witches (And Canadian) are more relaxed about the hereditary thing. I have corresponded with several Gardnerian/Alexandrian witches who seemed to think it was a very important distinction. Sigh. I don't. We are all on our paths and trying to know more and achieve more for ouselves and our world. The direction is the important thing; not the starting point.

[MajorTal]

Also, I believe American witches (And Canadian) are more relaxed about the hereditary thing. I have corresponded with several Gardnerian/Alexandrian witches who seemed to think it was a very important distinction. Sigh. I don't. We are all on our paths and trying to know more and achieve more for ouselves and our world. The direction is the important thing; not the starting point.
I'd agree with you on that since THOSE Traditions have only been around since the 1950's. Before that they weren't named Gardnerian OR Alexandrian! Most true hereditary witches can't give a specific name to their tradition other than their last name or the family name that it is passed through. Then there are those modern hereditary witches who have passed down the aforementioned trads, and like I said, they are MODERN traditions. No less valid than any other, and no more important either.

[Skye]

"Hereditary witch" is based upon beliefs, not upon biology.

I disagree with that statement. heiredity(sp?) is generally passed through genetics, male and female, not beliefs. To chose to follow your family tradition, along with your families genetics, would make you a heiretitary(sp?) witch.

[Zibblsnrt]

I disagree with that statement. heiredity(sp?) is generally passed through genetics, male and female, not beliefs. To chose to follow your family tradition, along with your families genetics, would make you a heiretitary(sp?) witch.

People don't "follow" their genetics, for one thing - their genome is an imposition, something they have no choice in. As well, as has been stated several times in this thread, most people seem to define "hereditary witch" as instruction passed from mother to daughter and so on. Instruction ain't genetic, and heredity isn't strictly a feminine thing.

The definition most people use for the idea of a hereditary witch is cultural, not biological.

[StephanieAine]

I'll agree that heredity *obviously* isn't limited to the feminine - after all, the term 'heredity' is used in many, many different contexts. The one spoken of in this thread is one I don't personally relate to as I do not come from a Craft family (unless you're counting Shriners as Craft - but that's a different Craft to be sure!).

However, in a *sense* the issue of heredity - when applied in context with spirituality, magic, religious tradition, ethnic practices, and other things that differ according to various cultures - femininity **can** be a major issue. In the Irish tradition, the passage from mother to daughter and down the female line is significant. Of course, males also carry lineage and inherit in various situations - but not always. And even if we're just talking about ancestry and building family trees, often the maternal line is the one to focus on because that's the one that is "official" so to speak.

Maybe none of that applies here, but I wanted to mention it.

[Lady Valkyrie]

From the Merriam Webster's dictionary

Main Entry: he·red·i·tary
Pronunciation: h&-'re-d&-"ter-E
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English hereditarie, from Latin hereditarius, from hereditas
1 a : genetically transmitted or transmittable from parent to offspring b : characteristic of or fostered by one's predecessors
2 a : received or passing by inheritance or required to pass by inheritance or by reason of birth b : having title or possession through inheritance or by reason of birth
3 : of a kind established by tradition <hereditary enemies>
4 : of or relating to inheritance or heredity
synonym see INNATE


The term hereditary witch is not meant to be used to describe gifts and abilities passed down from one person to another via the bloodline. One can be adopted into a family and still be a hereditary witch so long as the family you were adopted into has a family history of practicing witchcraft and passing that witchcraft knowledge down through the generations.

Personally I am sick and tired of hearing some witches throw around this term hereditary witch as though they are better than other witches... as though there is something oh so special about them. There's nothing better than the rest of us. They just had someone to teach them whereas the rest of us learned all on our own.

Now as for special gifts such as psychic abilities, a healing touch, etc. I know all too well that such abilities do not know religious boundaries. Pentecostal, Holy Rollin, tongue talking christians can have such gifts as well as a Pan and Giaia loving Pagan can. Such gifts are just that... gifts... not everyone will have them. But they can be seen in people regardless of what religion they are affiliated with.

[NightSpirit]

As I see it, Witchcraft is a Craft, an Art, something to be taught and learned. It's not a gene. If people learn a unique tradition passed on through their families, then they belong to a family tradition.

But IMO, the term "hereditary witch" is as inaccurate as the term "natural witch." Both define the Craft in terms of pseudoscience (or pseudogenetics), rather than the Art for which it is. I know that psychic gifts and abilities can be passed down through families, quite independent of learned practices, but that does not a witch make. I think the whole concept of a hereditary witch is as silly as being a hereditary shoemaker or a hereditary blacksmith. Some people may possess gifts that help them in their craft, but that craft must still be learned, not inherited. So, as I see it, "hereditary witch" is a misnomer.

[LadyeFalcon]

I disagree with the idea that the tradition is passed only from Mother to daughter. I learned just as much about Magick from my Dad as I did my Mom. I also have two sons whom both practice the craft as does my Daughter. So though 'hereditary' is still a debatable term both my sons would be considered by many as 'hereditary' witches.

[raven grimassi]

I disagree with the idea that the tradition is passed only from Mother to daughter. I learned just as much about Magick from my Dad as I did my Mom. I also have two sons whom both practice the craft as does my Daughter. So though 'hereditary' is still a debatable term both my sons would be considered by many as 'hereditary' witches.

I agree. I am a male and was taught by my mother and aunts. It is just that the literature on Italian Witchcraft most frequently refers to the Ways being passed from mother to daughter, which has left the impression that this is the only way. But people have free will to do as they will. Also no Old Ways family is going to allow the tradition to die simply because no daughter exists or isn't willing to be taught.

[MonSno_LeeDra]

Also no Old Ways family is going to allow the tradition to die simply because no daughter exists or isn't willing to be taught.


That is how I came to be brought into a Stregian Tradition. An elderly lady had no children that cared and she saw things in me and started to teach me her traditions. Sadly I was just a youth and when my family moved a few years latter I lost contact and often wonder about her though in my heart I know she has passed on.

One item I find very interesting is the lack of notion that traditional or hereditary also had two lines that ran at all times. A line of mother to daughter but also a line of father to son with subset teachings from mother to son and father to daughter.

Magics cover a wide range of skill sets and usage and purpose. From the women in my family I learnt things such as healer skills and divination and things to do with blood rites and such. From the males it was warrior skills, hunter rites and land skills and magics. My female family taught me how to feel the life and touch the growth of things, my male family how to read the land and touch the cycle of the land. Just a few examples. Yes, the growth of things and cycle of things is actually very different.

As much as women may claim otherwise there are magics that are male only. Inversely, the same applies to female magics that we may hear about but are never taught or can fully experience. Sometimes it is not the outcomes that drive or define the difference but the means of utilization and application.

For instance I use blood in one manner as defined under male perspectives, my sisters use blood as defined under female definitions and perspectives. We may aim for the same results but even our definition of result is defined against both male and female conclusions.
Myself I think a major error in assumption is that many seem to equate the notion of witchcraft to the boiling cauldron and the TV world view of witchcraft along with a great deal of assumption of what is a hereditary or traditional witch.

Or as that old lady said, I can not teach you to be a woman any more than I can teach a woman to be a man. I can not teach you to use female magics anymore than I can teach a woman to use male magics. All that can be done is to teach them so they are used together.

Unfortunately, I think many of the male magic’s and rituals are lost and the one's that the females use are becoming more like the movie of the week.

[Sekhmet Soul30]

I don't have a problem with Hereditary witches. I think they have a lot to offer people. One of the things that I've learned about my new path (I know I change too much) is that this is much different than what I usually practice, which was witchcraft. I would call myself a Hereditary Pow-wower but the practice was denied to women. Now that most Penn Dutch don't live in PA they can learn from books that are written by other Pow-Wowers and set up their own practices.

I've always been taught that the impossible is possible and these wonderful people have a lot to offer us.