Curate, connect, and discover
Familiars are another complex side of witchcraft that has been grasped at by many since ancient times. Often times, the stereotype of a witch also includes an animal servant of some kind, like a cat, crow, toad, etc. Though these animals are often associated with witches due to a various amount of reasons, including shapeshifting and illusions, it is not the animal directly which the witch took interest in. It was the spirit housed in the animal. This spirit we known now as a Familiar. Familiars in folklore serve two major roles, with an a varying amount of other roles as well. Those two important roles are guiding the witch in their journey and acting as a faithful servant to the witch. It is a companion to their witch-partner. Other roles it serves as is a means of protection to its mate, a watchful set of eyes, an aid in magic, and an assistant in flight/travel. One of the common misconceptions about familiars is what they actually are. Many believe them to be a magical animal. They believe them to be an animal graced with the task of helping a witch. However, the original lore on familiars contradicts this. A familiar is not an animal, rather a spirit. Most often in European folklore, it was a demon in the shape of an animal. That particular piece of lore may be taken in two ways. The first is that the familiars appears to be an animal even while in spirit form. This is what I most often find to be true. The animal that the familiar appears as often reflects the witch it has chosen. Some familiars even change their animal form from time to time, which can become rather confusing. The other way to look at that is that the spirit is possessing a physical animal and using it as a living spirit house. This too is known to happen. Any instances of physical familiars is explained by this. In addition, familiars don’t just come as animals. Plants have been known to serve as familiars and servants to witches as well. This is shown in the creation of the Alraun, which is a ritual that goes all the way back to old Germany. It is a specially treated root in the form of a human. The spirit inside the root will act as a familiar to the witch who treated it. Often times, many witches prefer to use mandrake roots for this purpose, but there are many options for this. Dandelion roots are excellent for this purpose, as are many kinds of tree roots. I was once in possession of an alraun made from an Eastern Hemlock root. Alrauns, however, are not the only way of keeping a plant familiar. Familiars may also be spirits of the dead who have come to serve and aid the witch. Often times in stories of medicine people and shamanic workers, this is the spirit of a dead shaman who has passed their power down to the newly initiated shaman. This too appears in tales of witches, as their ancestors pass down their flame and serve them in death. Spirits of the Mighty Dead may decide to bond to a single living witch and serve and guide them. The other kind of familiar is the faery familiar. This kind is often mentioned by witches in areas where fairy faiths were once practiced. One account tells of the Devil kissing the witch and injecting something into her mouth, and when she spit, a fairy came out. These familiars have also accumulated the reputation of being lovers (very befitting of the fair folk). Instead of being simply fed with blood, they were fed by another method (a fairly obvious reference, if you catch my drift). Though the actual nature of the familiar is dubious, it appears in many forms; sometimes animal, sometimes plant, sometimes human, sometimes faery, and sometimes in folklore, demonic form. Familiars to outside eyes can appear to be quite horrific things. This ties in with it being known as a demon appearing in the likeness of something natural, or actually physically possessing something/someone. The familiar does not only appear in European folklore. In Africa, witches are said to have servants of Jackals, Hyenas, and Hamerkops. In the Americas, witches were said to often have servants of (and shape-shift into) foxes, owls, hawks, lizards, and toads. Of course, in Europe comes the classic witch animals, like the cat, dog, crow, toad, snake, hare, boar, deer, etc. The familiar is both a part of the witch and not. It is a spirit which is separate, but when it bonds with a witch, it has found its mate that it will likely serve beyond death. It becomes a part of the witch. Familiars can, however, be passed from witch to witch upon death or renouncing of power. There are stories of witches passing their familiars down from family member to family member. While familiars are faithful to their masters, they must choose who their original master is. They cannot be picked out by the witch. Familiars are not to be considered the same as servitors. Unlike the servitor, they cannot be created or deconstructed. They are given to the witch at specific points in their journey. I’ve found that they come when first truly beginning your journey. Sometimes that means when latent skills awaken, sometimes it means when one dedicates themselves to the Crooked Way. Sometimes it’s not until after the Spirit Death (which can be a long time). How do they come? Lore gives us three ways. One is during a time of crisis. One is during a normal moment of mundane task. The last is being passed down by another witch or a spirit. Often times, this spirit is whatever deity the witch has a close relationship with. For most traditional witches, this is the Man in Black. Not all familiars are so forthcoming, though. Some want to be found before they come to their witch. The witch has to search them out. To find the familiar is to find a connection to the Other, the spirit world, and the wilderness. You have to go to a place that embodies all three of those things. Then you have to make a call to it. It can be an incantation, a song, a spell, or some other noise. Then you watch and wait. You’ll know it when it appears. Some also advise that you cross the hedge to find yours. I say why not both? Go to a wild place that is undisturbed by machinery or man’s hand. Stand in a river’s ford. Sit by or in a hole in a tree. Lay on a great stone. Then cross the hedge into the spirit world. Call for it there. Assuming that the familiar appears as an animal, it won’t always be the animal you’ll necessarily want. Not everyone can have crows, wolves, toads, cats, etc. If everyone did, we would all be the same. Remember how I said that familiars reflect us as witches? Don’t be upset if yours happens to be a robin or a rat. The animal or plant to come teaches a lot about who you are as a witch. There isn’t a ‘better’ familiar to get. The one you get is the best fit for you, even if you might not think so in the beginning. I know one witch who hated spiders until they got their familiar. Can you imagine how that meeting went? They might appear in person, in a dream, in a vision flash, or some other method. Sometimes they leave physical signs, sometimes not. It can get confusing at times, but if you’re unsure, divination usually helps. The first familiar you acquire is the one that sits at the core of who you are as a witch. It is your fetch-mate. It is the one who will guide you through your trials, teach you witch knowledge, and be a faithful servant after you’ve learned. As you progress on your journey, you may acquire more familiars. They too will teach you important lessons and stick around to attend to you.
Working with the familiar spirit is one of the more intimate moments as a witch. The bond shared between a familiar spirit and its witch mate is often extremely close. So close, in fact, that until a spirit house is found, familiars will often reside inside of their witch. Folk tales tell of witches utilizing their familiars by spitting them up out of their mouths. Images of witches throwing up crows, hares, and owls were common in European folk lore. Familiars can be used to spy, plant spells, fly, aid in magic, and many other witch affairs. Witches in folklore learned how to watch through their familiars eyes to spy on people. They also had them carry hexes, charms, and spells to those they wished. When traveling to spirit worlds or Elphame, witches would ride on the backs of their familiars. Witches riding wolves, birds, hares, and many other creatures have appeared in old drawings and images for a long time. The familiars also acted as guardians to their witches, protecting them in times of peril. All of these uses carry into modern times and what witches use their familiars for now. Familiars are befuddling little beasts, but they cannot be separated from witch lore. Even the mere myth of them plays an intrinsic role in the lore and history of witches.The companionship of familiar spirits and witches holds true in modern times. Nurturing that connection often helps the witch exponentially.