Doing this Witchcraft reading challenge feels like I'm back at school. If I was going to teach a survey class in witchcraft this is exactly how I would do it. There is such variety in how witches are portrayed in the books I have read so far.
If I had a questionnaire for a witch coming to speak to the class, what are some questions I would want to ask?
Where do you live? What is it like to be a witch in that city? Cincinnati versus Boston. Big city versus small town? How did you train? Do you consider what you do a talent or a skill? How did you learn it if it's a skill? School? Family? If it's a talent, how did you find out?
What kinds of friends do you have? What do you call them? Normals? Folks? Humans? Are there other kinds of "special" people in your world? Vampires? Werewolves? Pixies? Do you all get along? Do you work together or do you just live alongside each other? How to you keep your powers from taking over your life?
Do you hide your skills and powers? Why? What or whom are you afraid of? Are there witch hunters in your world?
So many questions that can be answered through the reading. The variety of main characters, craft practitioners, and the contexts they practice in are enough to suggest a second level class. Oh, wait. That's what the authors do in creating their characters and the worlds they live in.
Now that I am (almost) finished paperwork, I will get to do some revealing, answer some of these questions. OH, and I will have a couple of non-fiction books to share so we all can play along. Meanwhile, what do you think? Is a charm a learned skill or something you are born with? What does it mean to be "charming"? Are you? Have you been?
Be happy and well!
m
2 comments:
I'm going to say a charm is something you're born with but that you probably need to practice to improve upon.
That would fit the definition of charms in one of the novels: Pleating for Mercy.
m
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