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Witnesses said it had long hair and the shape of a rat, but that its sharp-toothed, bearded face was evilly human while its paws were like tiny human hands. It took messages betwixt old Keziah and the devil, and was nursed on the witch's blood, which it sucked like a vampire. Its voice was a kind of loathsome titter, and it could speak all languages.
~ description of Brown Jenkin, Keziah Manson's familiar in H P Lovecraft's "The Dreams in the Witch House"
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Familiars are most commonly found in English witchcraft, and they're often referred to as a form of inspiration for a magician or character practising the dark arts. These spirits usually take the form of an animal, with a cat being the most common familiar. The black cat is the favoured shape (and shade), although there are stories where the Familiar cat has had a pure white coat. Owls are also popular, which probably accounts for the many superstitions surrounding both black cats and owls. Dogs have also served as Familiars, as have crows, frogs, hares, snakes, toads and wolves. Ferrets, mice, moles and weasels were also popular. Some Familiars can also shape shift into a dark, shadowy humanoid forms, thought to represent Satan.
The Familiar appears to have originated in the Asian belief of Shamanism. Every shaman has his own personal totemic animal, with whom he believed himself to be related by blood. The great spirit of the totem's species, a larger all-white beast with the power of speech, watched over the shaman and protected him from harm. It also taught the shaman secrets of the occult.
A Familiar usually possesses a simple or basic form of magical power. It can also provide its chosen master or mistress with a magical gift or power, which often needs to be learned and practised. It is thought the Familiar will choose its magician, and may first appear when the individual is very young ~ the ages from four to six years are usually when it will make its first contact with its "chosen one", who may have no idea as to the Familiar's identity. As the chosen one grows, he or she will learn the powers offered by the Familiar, although it may take some time to understand and control these "gifts".
It was believed a witch did not voluntarily keep a Familiar, but was compelled to do so by her dark lord, the Devil. The Familiar was the Devil's way of ensuring the continued support of a witch for his evil purposes. The Familiar watched the witch, and encouraged her to perform ever greater acts of mischief. The witch and her Familiar were an unholy team, both working for the Devil, united by the witch's pact with her master.
The black cat was the preferred Familiar because a witch could easily change into one, using that form for her misdeeds. Folklore claims witches took great care of black cats, because they were almost an extension of their witch. Some stories claimed witches would feed their black cats on babies' blood to keep them fit and youthful. Familiars will also consume milk, eggs, raw meat and bread.
It was believed anyone who harmed a black cat would also harm its magical master/mistress, hence the reason so many superstitions developed around the unfortunate creature. The Devil was also believe to take on the shape of a black cat, which is why in medieval times many unfortunate black cats were hunted down and burned on Holy Days like Easter.
The medieval years were hard for elderly woman, and even worse for cats, particularly black ones. Black cats were associated with Satan because of their colour. Cats became the most popular suspect for a witch's familiar because of their predilection for appearing to see the unseen. A black cat was also cursed for its unique and knowing gaze, which can appear as though the animal has a secret intelligence. Cats were natural pets for rural women because they could feed and care for themselves, and control the mouse and rat populations in the house and barn. If an elderly woman suspected of witchcraft was seen by talking to her pet cat, that simple act of affection was virtually her death sentence. She was thought to be conversing with her Familiar, and plotting evil deeds.
The myth of the Familiar grew in the Middle Ages. Inquisitors of the Catholic Church believed the pets of accused witches were possessed by demons. It was claimed a witch could feed her Familiar spirit with her own blood, provided from a specific part of her body called the "witch's mark". It could be positioned anywhere on her body, and was said to be desensitised to any pain. The inquisitors would thrust a long needle into her "mark", ensuring her eyes were covered or averted during the process so she would display a genuine reaction to the pain. 500 years ago poor sanitation meant any peasant woman might suffer from boils, open sores or vermin bites. Combined with her natural birthmarks and moles, this meant a dedicated witch hunter would find it easy to locate a "mark" on an accused woman's body.
Although the legend of the Familiar contains more information about the cat than any other animal, fantasy writers have used this being to interesting effect in a number of stories. The Familiars are also not always "agents of evil", either:
** Image ID #1415058 Unavailable ** In Stephen King's "Salem's Lot" the vampire's Familiar is a human, who has been promised immortality by its master in return for faithful service.
** Image ID #1415058 Unavailable ** J K Rowling's "Harry Potter" series allows the students to choose an owl, a rat or a cat as a Familiar.
** Image ID #1415058 Unavailable ** H P Lovecraft created Brown Jenkin, a fearfully ugly ratlike being with a man's face as the witch Kesiah Mason's familiar in his book "The Dreams of the Witch House.
** Image ID #1415058 Unavailable ** In Ursula K le Grun's "Earthsea" series a wizard named Grun retains the services of an otak, a Familiar that looks like a mink or ferret. The otak is mute, and very protective of Grun. Other Familiars in the series include wild boars and ravens.
** Image ID #1415058 Unavailable ** Iain M Banks created a Familiar in his book "The Bridge". It's a helpful Familiar, dispensing advice from its home on the barbarian's back.
** Image ID #1415058 Unavailable ** In novel series "The Dresden Files" by Jim Butcher, Injun Joe has a raccoon Familiar called Little Brother.
** Image ID #1209167 Unavailable **
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Mordechai Serraf 
You said that if a character casts a spell to get out of a tight situation it will leave the readers feeling betrayed but is it also bad not make your character cast a spell to get out of the situation if s/he could?
Of course not! But don't simply cast the spell just to get out of a tight spot, because your reader will feel cheated. What's the point of having an adventure when a simple spell will get one out of a tight spot? There should be some element of "payback" the spellcaster feels faint for several minutes, or looses one of his or her powers... if you refer to the March newsletter there is a clearer explanation ~ it was an introduction to using spells: "Fantasy Newsletter (March 26, 2008)"
Ladyoz
Great newsletter!
Thank you! 
weeowl flying free!
I loved this newsletter! It has great tips and it brought forth my favorite MacBeth Lines! Great job! Weeowl
Thank you; I loved researching it, and the "hubble, bubble, toil and trouble" brought back so many memories for me!
Lauriemariepea
Hi Sarah -
Thanks for the illuminating newsletter! And you can't go wrong with a little Shakespeare. I haven't given much thought to spellcasting in stories to this point; you've given us insightful tips for when we're ready to write our own. As always, your research and writing talent combined to bring us another stellar newsletter - I'm inspired!
And I'm glad! Thank you for your support!
lulubelle
Thanks for the newsletters about spells. They were great to read and very helpful.
I didn't realise how much goes into a spell until I started this newsletter. They always seemed like an easy solution to a problem in a fantasy story, but they require a lot of forethought and caution before use ~ just like the real thing, I guess!
shaara
What a fascinating column! I loved hearing the witchly spells. It is delightful the spark of imagination that propels us into goosebumps! I'm not sure where I can find the ingredients of some of these spells, but since I'm not a witch I can just have to giggle. (Can you imagine trying to get a dragon's scale or worse - baboon's blood -- with those teeth? Ack!) Thanks for throwing in my story among these excellent witchy tales.
I loved all those ingredients, and the thought of trying to obtain baboon's blood in today's Politically Correct world would certainly prove a challenge for any spellcaster... unless he or she lived in Africa, of course. Some of the witchdoctors there are said to have some "interesting" items in their larders.
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Fantasy: May 21, 2008 Issue [#2357]
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