Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Travel Log 4-13: Witches in Fiction (or my Grannyisms)

Magaly over at Pagan Culture is being kind enough to host this little get together, so here is my contribution to Witches in Fiction.
   My Favorite Non Alive Person (or A Tribute to Granny Weatherwax).

     As many of you know, I have a very distinct connection to the Discworld book series by Sir Terry Pratchett. I love them so much that I have been known to talk about them for hours at a time without noticing that the poor person I was talking to has sidled out of the room and found something better to do.
   One of the reasons that I love the series so much is that these books brought me into contact with my personal witchy hero-
Granny Weatherwax ( captured here by Paul Kidby the official Discworld portraitist check out his site at http://www.paulkidby.net)
   Every day for this party I'll be picking a favorite Weatherwax quote and then tell you how it effects me and what kind of witch I am becoming.

So today here's my quote:
     From Witches Abroad
Granny Weatherwax, who had walked nightly without fear in the bandit-haunted forests of the mountains all her life in the certain knowledge that the darkness held nothing more terrible than she was...

This is a quote that goes through my mind fairly regularly actually. Ever since I was a kid I've been very good at hiding what was really going on in my head, and as such got myself into situations that were dangerous, or just plain dumb, and refused to show how nervous/worried they made me. I think it's because I wasn't just a tomboy, I couldn't be the token girl. I had to be better or at least as good as they were at everything so I definitely couldn't be chicken.
    That's a trait that has kinda persisted through the years. I have a really hard time asking for, and accepting help or comfort, even when I really need it. As a witch, and a pagan, that is not a great trait. Ego (false ego) does not a well focused witch make. Little fears and niggling doubts can really mess up a casting, and not being secure in yourself can lead to more harm than good. So when I repeat this quote to myself in my head, I'm really reminding myself that in truth I am a bit of a witchy bad ass (and funnily enough that's the name of the town that Granny is witch to, lol) and that even if the abyss is staring back at me I'm still staring at it first.

1 comment:

  1. This quote makes me giggle sometimes--I giggle when I'm nervous. The thing is that I'm always saying (and is true) that I write fiction because I need to keep my mind occupied with creating, if not I will have to be alone with me in my head, and dear that is a scary place some times. That quote reminds me of that...

    I see you know exactly what I mean.

    This baby is going in tomorrow's digest, along with its sister quote!

    ReplyDelete