Wicca

From Solitary Witches Wiki

An alternative, and often preferred, name for the religion of neo-Pagan Witchcraft. Many Witches prefer to call themselves Wiccans rather than Witches, because the words no not carry the negative stereotypes attached to Witch and Witchcraft. The terms Wicca and Wiccan distinguish practitioners of neo-Pagan Witchcraft from practitioners of folk magic and other forms of Witchcraft. They signify an organised religion with a set of beliefs, tenets, laws, ethics, holy days and rituals.

Some Wiccans believe that Wicca is derived from the Old English term wita, which means "councilor," or wis, which means "wise." In fact, Wicca is Old English for "witch," as the Old English term wicce. Wiccian means "to work sorcery" and "to bewitch." Still another Old English term, wican, means "to bend." In the sense that Witches use magic to influence events, Wicca and Wiccan are therefore appropriate terms.^[1]

References

1. ↑ Guiley, R. (1989) The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft, Facts on File, New York, New York