tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post2441869995130220072..comments2024-03-27T11:02:51.168-04:00Comments on Flying the Hedge: Book Review: Hedge Witch by Rae BethWillowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-86112214315998389952020-08-29T10:23:48.110-04:002020-08-29T10:23:48.110-04:00Maybe, but if we look at the history of words, we ...Maybe, but if we look at the history of words, we find that hedge rider/hedgewitch shows up in early Anglo-Saxon as haegtessa which literally translates to hedge rider. There are a number of poems and descriptions of hedge riders throughout history. One of the most famous of these is verse 156 of The Havamal in the Poetic Edda of the 13th century which documents a charm referring to hedge riding.<br /><br />I truly believe the term hedgewitch was used to make Wicca seem more authentic and older than it actually is/was, to validate it if you will. With the resurgence of traditional witchcraft and what not, more and more people are looking to our past to inform our modern day witchcraft. We can by no means recreate the past in modern times, but we can reclaim words and practices.<br /><br />Thanks for your insightful comment! I appreciate the discourse.Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-55621339226358067772020-08-21T16:46:49.078-04:002020-08-21T16:46:49.078-04:00I wonder if some of of the issues you are having w...I wonder if some of of the issues you are having with the usage of hedgewitch in this book has to do with the passage of time. This book was published much,much earlier than the other books you recommend that have the word hedgewitch in their title so it could be the term hedgewitch has evolved since this book was published.<br /><br /> In the book Witches: An Encyclopedia of Paganism and Magic, which was first published in 1996, hedgewitch is described as " [a] term achieving popularity in the UK in the 1990s for a practioner of the craft (see WICCA) who elects to follow an independent, solitary root, does not belong to a COVEN and has not been initiated. One of the foremost proponents of the Craft of the solitary witch in England is the PAGAN author Rae Beth who injects strong feminine principles into this style of Craft, particularly with respect to healing and regeneration." The paragraph goes on to describe that what both Sybil Leek and Scott Cunningham did was similar but they did not use the term hedgewitch. So here we have that in the 1990s in England hedgewitch meant a solitary Wiccan. In 2015 when you wrote this review hedgewitch may not mean a solitary Wiccan but over 20 years ago when the term started to become popular it could.Shelalanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-65632522757467499172015-11-08T13:12:16.348-05:002015-11-08T13:12:16.348-05:00Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed my review!Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed my review!Willowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833903403803495986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4440943230379430538.post-49830400152174559272015-11-07T23:09:38.019-05:002015-11-07T23:09:38.019-05:00I just finished reading this myself yesterday and ...I just finished reading this myself yesterday and completely agree with this review. Couldn't have said it better myselfAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09772361703401217119noreply@blogger.com