On Fri, 5 Sep 2003, Matthew Hunter wrote: >On Fri, Sep 05, 2003 at 11:20:18AM -0400, Casey Rousseau ><casey at the-bat.net> wrote: >> Two thoughts >> 1) All the details about Brimford's familiar(s) could be >> fabrication on Paarfi's part. Certainly, Loiosh, Rocza, and Ambrus >> show no signs of being shape changers. >We've never seen Ambrus in a situation where he might want to. Bah. I strongly suspect that Paarfi, not knowing a whole lot about witchcraft, misunderstood or misinterpreted the details of the events at the (9th or 10th) Battle of Dzur Mountain, and pulled the animal shape-shifting stuff out of his arse. >> 2) Is there perhaps a distinction between a witch and a warlock. >> Paarfi has M use the latter to describe Brimford throughout LoCB. >> Vlad describes M (and himself) as the former. >Quite possibly. Actually, I think it highlights Paarfi's lack of understanding of witchcraft. Note that he says that it is the translation of "boszorkány" (which does mean "witch" in Hungarian), or rather, the masculine form. >In modern forms of witchcraft (which are not necessarily related >to Brust's), I've usually heard the distinction made about a >warlock being a male witch. What *I've* usually heard is that a male witch is a witch, and "warlock" is used for a male witch by popular culture, which doesn't understand witchcraft. > Others claim the distinction is about morality (ie, a warlock is an >*evil* male witch). The OED definition is interesting, and I thik explains why witches (of both genders) consider "warlock" to be a term of opprobrium: 1. An oath-breaker, traitor. Obs. b. A wicked person; a scoundrel, reprobate; a general term of reproach or abuse. Obs. c. A damned soul in hell. Obs. rare. 2. The Devil; Satan. Obs. Freq. in Cursor Mundi, where warlau occurs as a genitive (:OE. wrloan). b. A devil, demon, spirit of hell. Obs. rare. 3. A savage or monstrous creature (hostile to men). The word is applied to giants, cannibals, mythic beasts, etc. Obs. 4. One in league with the Devil and so possessing occult and evil powers; a sorcerer, wizard (sometimes partly imagined as inhuman or demonic, and so approaching sense 2 or 3); the male equivalent of witch. Sc. and north. dial. Frequently used by Scott, whence it has obtained some general literary currency. On the form warlock, specialized for this sense, see the etymology. b. Sc. In weaker sense, a magician, conjurer. 5. By Dryden taken to mean: A warrior magically immune from wounds inflicted by certain metals. Obs. Dryden's spelling perh. indicates that he imagined the word to be f. WAR n. + LUCK. 6. attrib. and Comb. a. Appositive or adj. Malignant, wicked (obs.); in later use, That is a warlock or wizard. b. Pertaining to a warlock or warlocks, as in warlock claw, fight, knoll, etc.; warlock brief, a charter conveying magical powers; warlock fecket Sc. (see quot. 1810).