Familiars

hey! so i was just wondering about info on familiars? i've studided for years as well as practiced for years. and ive never really gotten into familiars, so i was wondering just general info? and if they are 'bad' as in like, they could turn on you? thanks in advance! blessed be.

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According to wikipedia

In European folklore and folk-belief of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, familiar spirits (sometimes referred to simply as "familiars" or "animal guides") were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to the records of the time, they would appear in numerous guises, often as an animal, but also at times as a human or humanoid figure, and were described as "clearly defined, three-dimensional… forms, vivid with colour and animated with movement and sound" by those alleging to have come into contact with them, unlike later descriptions of ghosts with their "smoky, undefined form [s] ". Source: wikipedia

I don't think they can turn on you since they are assisting you with your magic, however, I do know you can't contact them, but you might be able to in the Astral Plane, but also know that familiars may not speak english, since they are usually animals.

I hope this helped and made sense.

My experiences with familiars is a bit different than ShadowBond's. As are my definitions. To me (and this is speaking from personal experience after 20 odd years of practicing rather than a book based learning), they can be helpful spirits who, like some Gods, can be tricksters. They will help you in your magic and in my case, are pre-existing spirits rather than created constructs. Most come in animal form, but they can also be anything they want. Sometimes mine come to me as Transformers. They are not minions to be bossed around. They require a certain amount of respect and mine WILL tell me off if I'm not doing something polite. Some may ask for offerings before working with you. I've never been 'turned on' by one, though they have done the equivalent of dropping me in the sand when I refused to listen. A thump on the noggin, so to speak, if I am a bit slow getting something.

So yeah. Those are my learnings. As for 'bad' familiars...never dealt with one before. If something comes to cause trouble, mine will team up and work magic against whatever is trying to work against me.

This thread has been moved to Spiritual Creatures from General Info.