Unfolding the Wiccan Rede

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The Wiccan Rede is often described as reflecting ancient traditions, or passed down from old. This is repeated in books which just copy from other books, so is widely disseminated, and believed to be true. But once we apply source criticism to the origins, a very different picture emerges.

The putative sources for the Wiccan Rede are the Celts, or Anglo-Saxons, or Witches from the time of the witch trials. One site says "The poem is a Celtic tradition passed from generation to generation, and is a pillar of the Witchcraft faith" There is no evidence for any of this in any documentation, and it is clear that this is the usual practice placing of words in the distant past to lend them the veneer of authority (1).

"Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfil, An' it harm none, do what ye will."

The historian John Coughlin investigated and found that the first mention of the rede comes in this form from Doreen Valiente in a speech in 1964 (2). This formulation is the earliest, and despite the deliberate archaisms, does not appear before then. The use of archaisms to suggest antiquity is long-standing (3)

The longer wording of "The Wiccan Rede", which incorporates this, first appears in Green Egg magazine in 1975, written by "Lady" Gwen Thomson, in America, and was widely disseminated from there. It varies slightly in its form. This is the version given online:

(http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/rede.htm)

Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust.

Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.

For tread the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out.

To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be said in rhyme.

Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen much.

Honor the Old Ones in deed and name,

let love and light be our guides again.

Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the joyful tune.

Widdershins go when the moon doth wane,

and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane.

When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two.

When the moon rides at Her peak then your heart's desire seek.

Heed the North winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail.

When the Wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.

When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you on the mouth.

When the wind whispers from the West, all hearts will find peace and rest.

Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.

Birch in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.

Oak in the forest towers with might, in the fire it brings the God's insight.

Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.

Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland.

Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie to your eye.

Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning adds its strength to the bright fire burning.

White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.

Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.

Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.

Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll be.

Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the dark.

As the old year starts to wane the new begins, it's now Samhain.

When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers through the snows.

When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires will burn.

As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought to magick rite.

Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark them all.

When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log the Horned One rules.

In the spring, when night equals day time for Ostara to come our way.

When the Sun has reached it's height time for Oak and Holly to fight.

Harvesting comes to one and all when the Autumn Equinox does fall.

Heed the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed you'll be.

Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth you'll know.

When you have and hold a need, harken not to others greed.

With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.

Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good.

When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.

Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.

These Eight words the Rede fulfill:

"An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"

Gwen Thompson claimed it had been given to her in this form by Adriana Porter, her paternal grandmother, and this preceded Valiente's version, but she would have known the Valiente version as it was published in "The Waxing Moon". While it is conceivably possible she had kept quiet about this for ten years, this bears all the hall-marks of a priority dispute, and should be treated as suspicious.

Examining it more closely, we note the line:

"and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane"

This link of wolf-bane to wolves is very like:

Even a man who is pure of heart

And says his prayers by night

Can become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms

And the moon is shining bright

In fact the link of wolfsbane to lycanthropy does not occur before this, which was composed by Curt Siodmak in 1941 for the film "The Wolf Man". After this date, we note that literature, and even garden books on herbs and weeds begin to mention wolfbane in association with it in America and England; it becomes widespread. Nowadays, it is presented as an old tradition, or it is said that Siodmak used an old gypsy tradition. In fact before that film, there is no mention of anything like it anywhere.

Arnica, which is also known as Leopard's Bane, Mountain Snuff, Mountain Tobacco, Wolf's Bane, has an old association with wolves, but not werewolves. This idea of shape changing goes back to antiquity, but is not associated in any form with wolfsbane. Wolfsbane is in fact highly poisonous, and arrows tipped in an ungent made from it was very effective against wolves, wolfsbane means wolf-killer. It is forgotten how dangerous and widespread predatory wolves were across Europe.

The fact that Thompson links wolfbane to werewolves suggest she is drawing on American popular culture rather than history.

So what are we to make of the Wiccan Rede?

In its simplest form, the Wiccan Rede is one formulation of many Ethics of Reciprocity (5) (also known as the Golden Rule) found in many religions across the world, and to that extent, it is true that it has antecedents. It is not "ancient", but ethical systems usually borrow from others, and there is nothing wrong with that. It means that Wiccans have their own formulation of an ethic of reciproocity.

The longer version is a gloss on Wiccan practice, and a very fine poem.

It does not add much to the Wiccan rede, but is a joyful celebration of Wiccan seasonality and festivities. The only item of significance is "Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good", a reference to the "three-fold rule" of Wicca, which I will explore in another essay.

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Notes:

1) This practice dates from the Middle Ages. It contrasts strongly with the enlightenment modernity, where this use of authorities is no longer considered to be an adequate form of argument.

2) http://www.waningmoon.com/ethics/rede.shtml details John Coughlin's investigations into the history of the rede, and is probably the best published writing on the matter.

3) The Book of Mormon being the most widespread example, with its blatant imitation of the forms of the King James Bible. Victorian and Edwardian publications saw a good deal of deliberate archaism, much as their architecture also imitated gothic styles.

4) http://www.paghat.com/monkshoodsparks.html

5) For Ethics of Reciprocity, see http://www.religioustolerance.org/reciproc.htm

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