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[[Image:Prince Rupert - 1st English Civil War.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Prince Rupert and his "familiar" dog in a pamphlet titled "The Cruel Practices of Prince Rupert" (1643).]]
[[Image:Prince Rupert - 1st English Civil War.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Prince Rupert and his "familiar" dog in a pamphlet titled "The Cruel Practices of Prince Rupert" (1643).]]
During the [[English Civil War]], the [[Cavalier|Royalist]] general [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine|Prince Rupert]] was in the habit of taking his large [[poodle]] dog named Boye, into battle with him. Throughout the war the dog was greatly feared among the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] forces and credited with supernatural powers, evidently considered a kind of familiar. At the end of the war the dog was shot, allegedly with a [[silver bullet]].
During the [[English Civil War]], the [[Cavalier|Royalist]] general [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine|Prince Rupert]] was in the habit of taking his large [[poodle]] dog named Boye, into battle with him. Throughout the war the dog was greatly feared among the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] forces and credited with supernatural powers, evidently considered a kind of familiar. At the end of the war the dog was shot, allegedly with a [[silver bullet]].

==In popular culture==
{{In popular culture|date=May 2009}}
Familiar spirits, animal-shaped spirits who serves for witchery, have appeared many times in popular culture.

In many modern [[fantasy]] stories, a [[Magician (fantasy)|magician]]'s familiar is a [[magic (paranormal)|magical]] creature.

The ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' trilogy by [[Philip Pullman]] features [[Dæmon (His Dark Materials)|dæmons]], which fulfill several of the roles and traits of the traditional concept of familiar spirits.

In the television series [[Twin Peaks]], [[Killer Bob (Twin Peaks)|Killer Bob]], a malevolent spirit entity, was said to be the familiar of another, more powerful entity named Mike; although Bob sometimes appeared in the form of an owl, he most often took the form of a long haired human man.

In the anime [[Bleach (manga)|Bleach]], villains called the [[List of Bleach characters#Bounts|Bounts]] use a type of familiar called "[[Dolls (Kawahara)|Dolls]]" with personalities entirely separate from, but may be considered the reverse of their masters. For example, the gender of a Doll is the opposite of their master or mistress. Dolls also wield a wide variety of abilities that help them do the dirty work for their master.

In Role Playing Games such as Runescape, Familiars are a part of the 'summoning skill' Where you can summon a familiar and have it follow you around and help you with different tasks.

Modern references to familiars include the television series [[Charmed]]. In the series, a cat named Kit watched over the sister witches until they could ward off evil without warning.

* Familiars were mentioned in [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Macbeth]]'', wherein the witches summoned their familiars.
* The intelligent flying reptile Loiosh, in [[Steven Brust]]'s Vlad Taltos series, is a familiar.
* In the ''Bartimaeus trilogy'' by Jonathan Stroud, [[djinns]] and other demons are summoned and serve as a passive manifestation of a magician's power, which is derived solely from the demon's presence rather than from any true arcane skills.
* Familiars have appeared in several fantasy [[role playing]] systems, most notably as the companions of [[Wizard (character class)|wizard]]s and [[Sorcerer (character class)|sorcerer]]s in recent versions of [[Dungeons & Dragons]].
* In vampire fiction ([[Salem's Lot]], [[Blade (movie)|Blade]], etc.), familiars are humans who were promised immortality by a vampire lord in exchange for services of some kind (generally services vampires are unable to accomplish, such as going out during the day).
* In Gregory Maguire's "Son Of A Witch" Novel, Liir has his own familiar.
* In the [[Disney]] Animated series [[Aladdin (TV series)|Aladdin]], the villain [[Mozenrath]] has an eel familiar named Xerxes.
* In [[WB Television Network|The WB]] television series ''[[Charmed]]'', the star characters possessed a familiar for the first half of the series named Kit the Cat, who was a white [[Siamese (cat)|Siamese]] with blue eyes.
* In the film ''[[Elvira, Mistress of the Dark]]'', Elvira possessed a familiar named Algonquin, or "Gonk" for short, who took the shape of dogs and mice.
*In the [[manga]] series [[Sugar Sugar Rune]] two of the main character's familiars come as a mouse and frog. The first, Chocola, owns the frog named Duke. Vanilla, Chocola's best friend and second main character, owns the mouse named Blanca.
* In the ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' [[metaseries]], the main characters possess familiars, in the form of cats, named [[Luna (Sailor Moon)|Luna]], [[Artemis (Sailor Moon)|Artemis]] and [[Diana (Sailor Moon)|Diana]].
* In the first of the [[Earthsea]] books, the wizard Ged is accompanied by a mute, [[mink]]-like creature called an "otak", which is fiercely loyal and perpetually faithful to him. There are references to several other familiars, including ravens and boars.
* In the [[Harry Potter]] series there are a number of characters possessing beloved pets similar to familiars, though the term is never used. Note that the four pets students are allowed to have in school are an [[owl]], a [[rat]], a [[toad]], or a [[cat]], four common types of familiars. The [[Patronus Charm|patronus]] that characters conjure for protection can also be thought of as a familiar.
* The [[DC Comics]] character [[Klarion the Witch Boy]] has an orange cat familiar named Teekl, as does the character [[Morgana (comics)|Morgana]] whose black cat was named Frimost.
* In the [[Philip Pullman]] book series ''[[His Dark Materials]]'', [[Dæmon (His Dark Materials)|dæmons]] are similar to familiars, though only the witches of the story use them as such.
* In the animated television ''[[ReBoot]]'', the character Hexadecimal had a "verminous" familiar named Scuzzy.
* The [[Marvel Comics]] character [[Satana (Marvel Comics)|Satana]] had a familiar named Exiter who died while trying to save his mistress.
* In the British comedy programme [[The Mighty Boosh]], Bollo, who is the "oldest ape in captivity" is the [[Shaman]] Naboo the Enigma's familiar.
* In the [[Karin (anime)]], Karin's sister Anju controls a horde of [[bat]] familiars that watch over Karin throughout the day. She is also accompanied by many doll familiars, most notably "Boogie" whom she often carries around with her.
* In [[Rob Schrab]]'s "Twigger's Holiday", Twigger has a humanoid familiar named Josh who often barks like a dog. Twigger's girlfriend Michelle also has a humanoid familiar who meows like a cat.
* The plot of the Japanese visual novel [[Fate/stay night]], tells the story of a war between magicians and their "''servants''", heroic spirits which can be rendered as familiars.
* In the Japanese anime [[Zero no Tsukaima]], all of the 2nd year students must summon their own familiar. The heroine's familiar turned out to be a human a "commoner", who she promptly falls in love with.
* In ''[[Sabrina, the Teenage Witch]]'', Sabrina Spellman had a black cat named Salem, though he was in fact a warlock changed into a cat as punishment for attempting [[world domination]].
*In the game [[Warhammer 40,000]], space marine librarians, chaos sorcerers, and inquisitors can choose familiars as equipment.
* A dog and cat prowl a dark alley, pausing to inspect a corpse, in the opening sequence of the 1986 horror/mystery film [[Angel Heart]], foreshadowing the appearance of the sinister Louis Cyphre and his attorney.
* In the book "[[The Bridge (novel)|The Bridge]]" by [[Iain Banks]], the familiar lives atop the barbarian's back and helps him in a few ways, ranging from spells to advice.
* [[Alucard (Hellsing)|Alucard]] from [[Hellsing]] has Cerberus-like shadow dogs for familiars, and has the ability to summon familiars of the victims of his killings.
* The Elf Wizard [[Vaarsuvius]], from the popular webcomic [[The Order of the Stick]], has his/her own familiar, a black raven.
* In [[H.P. Lovecraft's]] [[The Dreams in the Witch House]], an old witch named [[Kesiah Mason]] has a familiar named [[Brown Jenkin]], a hideous ratlike creature with a human face.
* In the Manga/Anime [[Negima!]] the main character [[Negi Springfield]] has a white [[ermine]] named Albert Chamomile commonly called "Chamo" as his familiar.
* In the play ''[[Bell, Book, and Candle]]'', by [[John Van Druten]], as well as in the film adaptation, the main character [[Gillian Holroyd]] has a familiar in the form of a cat named Pyewacket. A cat of the same name appears as a familiar in sixteenth-century literature describing witchcraft.
* Mythological familiars were also portrayed as antagonists in the TV series ''Dark Angel'', starring [[Jessica Alba]].
* In [[Hayao Miyazaki|Miyazaki]]'s animated film ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]'', Kiki is a young witch in training who owns a black cat named Jiji. Jiji is a small, somewhat pessimistic cat whose thoughts Kiki (and therefore the film's viewer) can understand unless Kiki's magic fades. He is used mostly as a [[plot device]] and a figure of comic relief.
* In the anime series ''[[Paranoia Agent]]'', a plush doll of the character [[Maromi]] comes to life and advises its creator [[Tsukiko Sagi]] much as a familiar would.
* In the short story, "Puddle Head", which is no longer in print, the main protagonist, Joshua, has a familiar named "Reed Bones" given to him as a gift from his deceased father.{{Fact|date=January 2008}}
* In the anime ''[[D.N. Angel]]'', [[Wiz (character)]] (or With in the English version) is Dark's familiar, in the form of a dog and rabbit cross-breed.
* In [[Garth Nix]]'s Abhorsen Trilogy, [[Mogget]] is the Abhorsen's Familiar.
* In ''Matty'' (composed by [[Johnny Mulhearn]]), [[Christy Moore]] sings about the eponymous farmer meeting his "dark familiar" before he dies.
* In Jim Butcher's novel series "The Dresden Files", White Council member Injun Joe (also known as "Joseph Listens-to-Wind") possesses a raccoon familiar named Little Brother.
*In the SciFi channel original miniseries [[Tin Man (TV miniseries)|Tin Man]] (a re-imagining of [[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]), the sorceress [[Azkadellia]] has a number of familiars in the form of winged monkeys called "mobats".
* In the television series ''Double Dragon'', the warrior Daj is given a young [[dragon]] to raise as his constant companion.
* In [[Alison Croggon]]'s fantasy series, called ''[[Pellinor]]'', the character Hem rescues a white crow from his xenophobic flock. This crow, named Irc, becomes Hem's [[sidekick]] and is instrumental in fulfilling the quest on which Hem and his sister Maerad have embarked.
* In an Anime series [[Ghost Hunt]], familiars are mentioned on several occasions. Namely, character Koujo Lin has 5 familiars, which protect him. He donates them to Kazuya Shibuya in one of the last episodes, to keep Kazuya from being possessed by evil fox spirit.
* Familiars play a role in the ''[[Hollows (series)|Hollows]]'' book series, written by [[Kim Harrison]].
* In [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy The Vampire Slayer]] Witches [[Willow Rosenburg]] And [[Tara Maclay]] share a black and brown cat near the ending of season 4
* In [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)|Buffy The Vampire Slayer]] Witch [[Willow Rosenburg]] Takes Care of former witch Amy Who has been turned into a rat and then served as Willows familiar from the middle of season 3 to the middle of season 6 then she turns on Willow in season 7 making them arch rivials
* In the anime [[Magician's Academy]] Tanarotte and Eineus are both familiars.
* [[Azure Dreams]], a [[PlayStation]] game, has gameplay that is centered around recovering monster eggs that become the hero's familiar when hatched.
* [[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night]], a [[PlayStation]] game, features several familiars that can be unlocked to aid the player, and have reappeared in the more recent games.
* GODS, a computer game, has an unlockable bird of prey familiar that follows the protagonist and attacks enemies.
* [[Kingdom of Loathing]], a browser-based [[MMORPG]] treats familiars as pets that can be obtained to assist a player in various ways, from healing to attacking to increasing item drop rates.
* [[NetHack]], a [[roguelike]] computer game, uses familiars for aiding the player in battle.
* [[Ragnarok Online]] has a common, bat-like monster named Familiar. They can be summoned by the MVP Boss, Dracula.
* [[Riviera: The Promised Land]], a [[Game Boy Advance]] game, has a main character [[Ein]] who has a familiar named Rose (who looks like an ordinary black house cat).
* [[Runescape]], an [[MMORPG]], contains a member's only skill known as Summoning allows a player to summon a familiar to aid them in training or combat.
* [[Super Robot Wars]] game series character, [[Masaki Andoh]], has two cat familiar spirits, a female black cat named Kuro and a male white cat named Shiro. They also help him in combat, piloting [[Cybuster (mecha)|Cybuster]]'s Hi-Familiar remote weapons.
* [[Summon Night]], a [[Strategy RPG]] game series, contains familiars who can be summoned.
* [[The Sims 2: Apartment Life]], an [[expansion pack]] for the popular games [[The Sims 2]], includes witches, which have familiars, represented as cats.


== See also ==
== See also ==

Revision as of 14:44, 10 July 2009

"Familiar" redirects here. For the Linux distribution, see Familiar Linux.
"The Love Potion" by Evelyn de Morgan: a witch with a black cat familiar at her feet

In Christian English superstition, a familiar spirit, imp, or familiar (from Middle English familiar, related to family) is an animal-shaped spirit who serves for witchery, a demon, or other magician-related subjects.

Familiars serve their owners as domestic servants, farmhands, spies, and companions, and may help bewitch enemies. Familiars are also said to inspire artists and writers (see Tutelary spirit, Power Animal and compare Muse).

Familiars are considered an identifying characteristic of early modern English witchcraft, and serve as one feature setting it apart from European witchcraft. For the western hemisphere, see Nagual.

Familiars in European mythology

Familiars are most common in western European mythology, with some scholars arguing that familiars are only present in the traditions of Great Britain and France. In these areas three categories of familiars are believed to exist:[1]

Historiography on the Witch's Familiar

Scholarship on the familiars has changed and improved in depth and respectability since it was covered in the demonological contexts of early modern Europe. The study of the familiars has evolved from an obscure topic in folkloric journals to popular books and journals that incorporate a historical discipline with multi-disciplinary approaches like anthropology, history, and women’s studies. James Sharpe, in his article on the witch’s familiar in The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: the Western Tradition, states: "Folklorists began their investigations in the 19th Century [and] found that familiars figured prominently in ideas about witchcraft."[2] In the 1800s, folklorists fired the imagination of scholars who would, in decades to come, write descriptive volumes on witches and familiars.

One example of the growth and development of familiar scholarship can be found in the scholarly publication Folklore, which has consistently contributed articles on traditional beliefs in England and early modern Europe. In the first decades of the 1900s, the familiar was only superficially mentioned as "niggets", which were "creepy-crawly things that witches kept all over them".[3]

Margaret Murray, the mother of familiar scholarship, has taken what was a field comprised, at best, of gossip and hearsay into a legitimate branch of study in early-modern Europe. Her work delves into variations of the familiar found in witchcraft practices. Many of the sources she employs are trial records and demonological texts from early to modern England. These include the 1556 Essex Witchcraft Trials of the Witches of Hatfield Perevil, the 1582 Trial of the Witches of St. Osyth, and the 1645 Essex Trials with Matthew Hopkins acting as a Witch-finder.[4] In 1921, Murray published The Witch Cult in Western Europe, a book that was quite remarkable in the depth and analysis of the culture and folklore that surrounded witchcraft and theories concerning the witch-cult. Her information concerning the familiar comes from witchcraft trials in Essex in the 1500s and 1600s.[5] Margaret A. Murray made megalithic contributions to the corpus of scholarship on the familiar and has continued to be cited in recent scholarship, a testament to the timelessness of her work. [citation needed]

There has not been a contribution to familiar scholarship in eighty years which has equaled Murray's work. [citation needed] Recent scholarship has become more multi-disciplinary, integrating feminist-historical and world-historical approaches. A major work emerging from this 'Atlantic Trend (?)' is Deborah Willis' Malevolent Nurture: Witch-Hunting and Maternal Power in Early Modern England. In her chapter [Un]neighborly Nurture, she links the witch's relationship with the familiar to a bizarre and misplaced corruption of motherhood and maternal power.[6]

Witch trials

Most data regarding familiars comes from the transcripts of English and Scottish 'witch' trials held during the 16th-17th centuries. The court system that labeled and tried witches was known as the Essex. The Essex trial of Agnes Sampson of Nether Keith in 1590 presents prosecution testimony regarding a divinatory familiar. This case is fundamentally political, trying Sampson for high treason, and accusing Sampson for employing witchcraft against King James VI. The posecution asserts Sampson called familiar spirits and resolved her doubtful matter. Another Essex trial is that of Hellen Clark tried in 1645, in which Hellen was compelled to state that The Devil appeared as a 'familiar' in the form of a dog.[7]

The English court cases reflect a strong relationship between state accusations of witchcraft against those who practiced ancient indigenous traditions, including the familiar animal/spirit.

In some cases familiars replace children in the favor of their mothers. See witchcraft and children.

Prince Rupert's dog

Prince Rupert and his "familiar" dog in a pamphlet titled "The Cruel Practices of Prince Rupert" (1643).

During the English Civil War, the Royalist general Prince Rupert was in the habit of taking his large poodle dog named Boye, into battle with him. Throughout the war the dog was greatly feared among the Parliamentarian forces and credited with supernatural powers, evidently considered a kind of familiar. At the end of the war the dog was shot, allegedly with a silver bullet.

See also

References

  1. ^ M. A. Murray, Divination by Witches’ Familiars. Man. Vol. 18 June 1918. 1-3.
  2. ^ Sharpe, James (2006). Familiars in the Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: the Western Tradition. ABC-CLIO. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Times, The (1916). "Superstition in Essex: A Witch and Her Niggets". Folklore. 27: 3.
  4. ^ Murray, Margaret (1918). "Witches' Familiars in England". Man. 18: 101. doi:10.2307/2787283. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Murray, Margaret A. (1921). The Witch-Cult in Western Europe. Clarendon Press.
  6. ^ Willis, Deborah (1995). Malevolent Nurture: Witch-Hunting and Maternal Power in Modern England. Cornell U.
  7. ^ M. A. Murray, “Witches familiars in England.” Man, Vol. 18 July 1918 1-3.
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