MEET THE VVITCH
The first clear aspiration I remember having as a child was wanting to be an artist and a writer.
I spent hours upon hours devising vast paracosms with fantastic beasts and extraordinary heroes. Piles of notebooks were kept on my desk, each devoted to a different topic and a different world. Similarly, a notebook was kept by my bed to record what I could remember of my dreams. I was possessed by the idea that I could become an author by some pre-imagined time and live in a happily ever after of my own making.
It has taken me the majority of my adult life to return to the idea that I could or should write, much less share it with the world. Today, I work as an editor and a copywriter. In my free time, I have committed myself to being creative again, and to write—prolifically—despite the fear of my work lacking substance, skill, or value. My fear of failure has been the one constant in my life. However, it hasn’t kept me safe; it’s hamstrung me.
It may be true that your work will go unnoticed and that no one will care if you share it.
But someone might if you do.
Work is love made visible.
ABOUT THE VVITCH
I was born in Denver, Colorado. I spent the first five years of my life sheltered in the promontory of Lionshead Rock by Cougar Trail. Aspen and arnica dotted the adjacent hillside, where I spent most of my time rock hounding with my family for the smokey quartz found within its roughly hewn crags.
From there we moved to Minnesota, eventually settling in Karlstad, scratching North Dakota to the west and Canada in the north. The flat western prairies I grew up roaming in gave way to the deciduous woodlands where we steaded. There, I rambled the forest until my mother rang the country dinner bell as dusk settled, calling me back home.
My family moved south then near my thirteenth birthday, settling in Lancaster, South Carolina. Despite humid piedmonts housing a mosquito population rivaling small birds in body mass, I spent my time there digging in the middens of abandoned 19th-century homes to find antique treasures.
I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, at nineteen, where I eventually pursued my post-secondary education at University of North Carolina, at Charlotte (UNCC). I cut my teeth on the humanities here, paving the road for my love of photography, performance art, and fine art. It was here that I earned my undergraduate degree in Anthropology and Technical Writing.
Today, I call Atlanta, Georgia, my home. Despite its subtropical and humid climate testing my cold natured inclinations, I’ve found refuge in its vibrancy and diversity. Nurturing my love of the arts among edifices of concrete, this city has become more like home than any place I’ve yet endeavored to put down roots.
THE VVITCH IS BACK
The evolution of vvitches in history and popular media is emblematic of women’s place in society; from a wizened hag whose primary maleficium was to undermine social order, to a powerful symbol of feminine empowerment. And you may be wondering…
“Why is vvitch spelled with two v‘s?”
My bias for this moniker is twofold; firstly as a qualifier for my own long-held personal aesthetics, and secondly for its rich history in linguistics.
I present to you the humble “w.”
English, as we know it today, was born from fuþorc (or futhorc/ᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱ). Most know it as the runic alphabet from heathens (the people of the heaths). In brief, Latin letters ultimately replaced this alphabet and as the alphabet evolved, so too did its symbols. Specifically, the Old English character, “wynn,” (ƿ). Representing the same phonetic value as the modern “w,” wynn was eventually replaced by the letters “uu.”
Moreover, a double form was implemented to distinguish its sound of “v” and the singular “u” in the midst of phonetic exchange of the Germanic languages and Classical Latin. It was written as “uu” and sometimes “vv.” As such, “witch” was originally spelled as “vvitch” or “uuitch.”
In conclusion, the “w” as we know it today did not exist until the 14th century. But you will still find materials regarding witches with either of these variations in spelling well into the 17th century.
The conclusion of this small history lesson brings me to my closing statement; I believe in the powers of reclamation. Witch, no matter how you choose to spell it, is a title I wear proudly.
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I also share my work on Medium, which you can find here.