Warlock


A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft.

Etymology and terminology

The most commonly accepted etymology derives ' from the Old English ' meaning "oathbreaker" or "deceiver". In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch. From this use, the word passed into Romantic literature and ultimately 20th-century popular culture. A derivation from the Old Norse varð-lokkur, "caller of spirits", has also been suggested, but the OED considers this implausible due to the extreme rarity of the Norse word and because forms without hard -k, which are consistent with the Old English etymology, are attested earlier than forms with a -k.

History

Although most victims of the witch trials in early modern Scotland were women, some men were executed as warlocks.
In his day, John Napier was often perceived as a warlock or magician for his interest in divination and the occult, though his establishment position likely kept him from being prosecuted.