ab:rune.txt                                                         16jan90



                The Witches' Rune
                -----------------

        Darksome night and shining moon,
        Hearken to the witches' rune.
        East, then south, west then north,
        Here come I to call the forth.

        Earth and water, air and fire,
        Work ye unto my desire.
        Wand and Pentacle and Sword
        Hearken ye unto my word.

        Cords and Censer, Scourge and Knife,
        Waken all ye into life.
        Powers of the Witches Blade,
        Come ye as the charm is made.

        Queen of Heaven, Queen of Hell,
        Lend your aid unto the spell.
        Horned Hunter of the Night,
        Work my will by magic rite.

        By all the power of land and sea,
        As I do will, so mote it be.
        By all the might of moon and sun,
        Chant the spell and be it done.
----------
-The original was written by Doreen Valiente, and is rather different
 (verses are arranged in an ABAB rhyme scheme:
        Darksome night and shining moon,
        East, then south, west then north,
        Hearken to the witches' rune.
        Here come I to call the forth. 
 instead of in couplets); this is unlikely be found in its original form in
 a "standard" North American Gardnerian or Alexandrian BOS. (It seems to
 have been changed fairly early in its  history.)
-See Janet and Stewart Farrar's "The Witches' Way" (as usual) for 
 historical details.
-See the following (and many more) for published versions:
        Janet and Stewart Farrar "The Witches' Way"
        Janet and Stewart Farrar "Eight Sabbats For Witches"
        Stewart Farrar "What Witches Do"
        "The Grimoire of Lady Sheba"

