Warlock
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For other meanings of the term, see warlock (disambiguation).
Warlocks are, among historic Christian traditions, said to be the male equivalent of witches (usually in the pejorative sense of Europe's Middle Ages), and were said to ride pitchforks instead of broomsticks. In some pop culture TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Bewitched warlocks are male witches. The TV show Charmed follows wiccan beliefs, wherein a warlock just means "traitor to an oath". Warlocks can be a witch or a wizard but evil and chaotic.
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Etymology
Members of the wiccan religion consider the word an insult. It is said that the word itself comes from a Scottish word meaning "oathbreaker" or "liar". However, one source (http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/witch/warlock.txt) suggests that the word may come from the Old Norse Vard-lokkur, "caller of spirits".
The origin of the word warlock, may be found in the Old English 'wærloga' which means "one that breaks faith" or "the devil". (dictionary etymology (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=warlock)).
A highly speculative etymology interprets 'wærloga' as 'the man of the logs' alluding to the small pieces of wood the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian priests and wise men used to divine by means of the runes. This etymology seems to have been created to support neopagan beliefs about the past, inasmuch as warlock then appears to be a slang word of Christian coinage pejoratively used for those who remained Pagan and practising the art of the runes. However, its dependence upon sarcastic Christians referring to small pieces of wood as 'logs' makes it extremely unlikely, especially since the etymological roots of 'log' are believed to refer to felled trees or equally massive objects.
Warlocks are also an alien race in the comicbook series Nemesis the Warlock.
Warlocks in books
The Warlock Lord was formerly Brona, a druid who delved too deeply and quickly into forbidden knowledge and was corrupted by same in the Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks.
Warlocks in videogames
In the C64 game "Nemesis the Warlock", a warlock is an alien with the ability to alter his body to become different objects, who also finds sustenance by absorbing the energy from any organic materials, leaving a lifeless husk in its wake.
In the Shadowgate series the Warlock Lord, Talimar, betrayed the Circle of Twelve and summoned the Behemoth but was unable to control it.
In World of Warcraft, a warlock is a character who can summon demons and other spirits for help.
Warlocks in movies
The movie Warlock (http://imdb.com/title/tt0098622/), from director Steve Miner, shows a warlock as being the son of Satan.
References
1: Pavlac, Brian A. "10 Common Errors and Myths about the Witch Hunts, Corrected and Commented," Prof. Pavlac's Women's History Resource Site. (October 31, 2001) [1] (http://www.kings.edu/womens_history/witch/werror.html) (October 8, 2003).
Links
What is a Warlock? (http://www.boudicca.de/warlock-e.htm) - Very interesting article about the etymology of the word "warlock".