The "W" Words: Wicca, Wica, Witchcraft

There is a lot of misinformation on the internet concerning the origins of Wicca. One such example is the concept often propagated that Gerald Gardner invented a religion, and that he called it Wicca.

Firstly, it is now doubtful that Gerald Gardner invented Wicca.  His claims to have been initiated into an already formed coven has been virtually proven by the researcher, Philip Heselton (some of his books are in the suggested reading list on this website), however, it is quite certain that he did change some things, and expanded on the rituals. Secondly, contrary to popular belief, he never referred to his practice as “Wicca”.  He called it “Witchcraft”, “the Witch cult”, or “the Old Religion”.  He did, however, refer to the practitioners of Witchcraft as Witches, or the Wica.  

So, what is the origin of this word?  “Wicca” (pronounced “witcha”) is an Old English (i.e. Anglo-Saxon) word for a male witch.  A female witch was called a “wicce” (pronounced “witche”).  These “wiccan” (the plural form, pronounced “witchan”) practiced something called “wiccacraeft” (pronounced “witchacraft”).

So, what is the root of the word?  At one point, it was believed that the word “Wicca” was related to words such as “wise”, “wit” and “wizard”, and that it meant a “wise one”.  This etymology was later rejected, and people speculated that is was related to such words as wicker, and referred to a person who could bend reality, just as a basket weaver would bend wood or reeds to make wicker baskets.  In fact, the plant witch-hazel (Hamamelis sp.) is so called because its branches bend in various directions.  Eventually, this etymology was also rejected, and the word “wicca” in now believed to refer simply to a magic user or sorcerer.

Gerald Gardner tended to spell the word “Wica” with only one “c”.  It is often assumed that this was just a misspelling, as Gardner was very bad at spelling, not having had any formal education, and having taught himself to read and write.  Interestingly, according to Ronald Hutton (Triumph of the Moon), the word “wica”, as spelled by Gardner is found in Chamber’s Dictionary of Scots-English, were it means “wise”.  So Gardner’s claim that the Wica were the wise ones may have been correct.

So, Wicca (usually pronounced “wikka” now-a-days) is a word with an ancient spelling and a modern pronunciation that originally meant a Witch. The meaning of words, however, often evolves with time, and this word is certainly no exception. It is unclear who started using the word “Wicca” as a synonym for “Witchcraft”, but by the 1970’s its usage in that way had become popular.  The reasons are easy to understand.  If you told someone that you were a Witch, they would either think that you were crazy, or that you were a Devil worshipper.  If, however, you said that you were “Wiccan”, you would probably get a curious look, followed by the question, “what’s that?”  Then, you had an opportunity to explain your belief system free of prejudice.

Of course, as time went on, and Pagan practices spread, the word went through further adaptations.  In the UK, other people came out claiming to practice a form of Witchcraft unrelated to Gerald Gardner’s practices, so the word “Wicca” came to be synonymous with Gardnerian and Alexandrian Witchcraft, whereas other forms became known as “Traditional Witchcraft”.  As Paganism grew, people who did not fit in either category simply were referred to as Pagan, unless they belonged to established systems, such as Druids.

In North America, as Wiccan-derived forms of Paganism and Witchcraft began to spread, the word “Wicca” came to be used to refer to these forms in addition to the older established Traditions.  In time people would come to draw a distinction between “eclectic” or “popular Wicca”, and “British Traditional Wicca”, which included Gardnerians, Alexandrian, and other closely related Traditions. As influence from the US spread to the UK, the word “Wicca” eventually came to have a broader meaning there also. In England, the Gardnerian and Alexandrian Traditions are now often referred to as “initiatory Wicca”, to distinguish it from the more popular forms.  The term “British Traditional Wicca” is never used in the UK because it could easily be confused with “Traditional Witchcraft”, which refers to something else, and since Wicca originated in Britain, calling it “British” would be redundant.

As there are now many forms of Witchcraft recognized, not all of which are related, one could say that all Wiccans are Witches, but not all Witches are Wiccan.