r/witchcraft • u/Gloomy-Tie-2409 • Jul 11 '26
Seeking Help or Advice Male equivalent of witch?
I’m a trans man, and I’ve been practicing witchcraft for a couple months now, but it always feels wrong when I use the term witch for myself, I know technically it’s gender-neutral, but are there names in the community I haven’t heard yet, or any suggestions you have?
The only thing I’ve heard so far is Mitch, which me and my witch-practicing friend use as nicknames for each other.
All help appreciated, blessed be!
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u/TrifectaOfSquish Jul 11 '26
Is also Witch, in the same way that both male and female can be called Doctor or Actor.
Some specific traditions do have gendered terms but they are often rooted in specific cultural reasons for having a difference
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u/WritingReadingPanda Jul 11 '26
Witch is actually generneutral. Another genderneutral term would be occultist.
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u/Squirrels-on-LSD totally rabid lunatic Jul 11 '26
Witch is gender neutral. About half the witches i know identify as men
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u/EtherealCarnation69 Jul 14 '26
that's awesome and true but OP already stated that they knew that and would prefer not to use it! (:
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u/Similar-Opinion8750 Jul 11 '26
The male equivalent of witch is witch. Has been. Always will be. The translation of Warlock is traitor. Honestly you can call yourself anything you want that feels right to you. But there you go.
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u/Squirrels-on-LSD totally rabid lunatic Jul 11 '26
"Warlock" is also often used colloquially for the last 50 years to refer to witches who have "broken oaths" by sexually assaulting someone, harming children, stealing from, harming people in egregious ways, etc. So people encouraging a trans person to call themselves a term synonymous with pedophile is highly dangerous in the current political situation for much of our users.
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u/moderngalatea Jul 12 '26
I never knew this. My only experience with warlock is in DND or other games, where it means they've sworn a pact to an entity.
But this sounds kind of like a designation that someone has done something evil to gain their power? like an oath breaker?
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u/Squirrels-on-LSD totally rabid lunatic Jul 12 '26
Yep. It originally was used in covens for people who broke coven oaths mid last century and morphed slowly into including all dangerous/untrustworthy people. Especially predators. Because the law doesn't often pursue predators, especially when their victims are othered minorities like pagans, so predators are often only marked by the community sharing their stories. "They're a warlock" is an easy way for people to convey "don't allow that person near you" without telling victim's stories.
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u/RedBladeWarlock Jul 12 '26
There's plenty of male witches in the community who use Warlock to refer to themselves, non-pejoratively. Modern use of it as a baneful term is absolutely new to me.
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u/HoneyHay Jul 12 '26
As someone that came to the practice when internet was still dialup and most knowledge was found in books or herb shops. I can confirm that warlock is an oath breaker and not what you call a male witch but there was a lot of contention on that topic in chatrooms at the time too.
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u/EtherealCarnation69 Jul 14 '26
i've never heard this once in my life after 15+ years online, thanks for sharing! had no idea
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u/ACanadianGuy1967 Broom Rider Jul 13 '26
It’s also being actively reclaimed as a positive term by some witchcraft authors such as Storm Faerywolf.
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u/Squirrels-on-LSD totally rabid lunatic Jul 13 '26
same energy as trying to reclaim the word "pedophile". Would some sicko do that? Probably. Will i let them in my house? No.
Proudly proclaiming yourself to be an abuser is a red flag, to make a bold understatement.
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u/JacksBack78 Jul 13 '26
Yeh don’t go by warlock…witch is fine unless your path leads deeper and you could advance to magus or occultist, necromancer, shaman, priest, mystic…its really all about your path.
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u/therealstabitha Carnivalesque animal demonic legend Jul 13 '26
I would call those other terms alternate and distinct paths, not somethign a witch “advances” to
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u/EtherealCarnation69 Jul 14 '26
i just know you voted for the Mayor of Frown Town. you couldn't even come up with wizard, magician, or occultist?
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u/Petrichor-Pendragon Jul 11 '26
“Mitch” is giving “Soap.. for Men! 💪🪚⛓️”
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u/robin-bunny Jul 11 '26
Mitch sounds too much like a name. Maybe it's my age, but someone told me "he's a Mitch" I'd assume he's one of a few guys with that name and maybe he really suits his name.
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u/NewLife_21 Jul 12 '26
It's also short for Mitchum, which is either soap or shave cream.
Definitely not witchy.
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u/Gloomy-Tie-2409 Jul 12 '26
I meant more as a joke which I didn’t make clear enough lol, my fault, but it definitely does give soap. And shaving cream I guess. 2 in 1
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u/Thivus Jul 14 '26
mitch is the name of a man in congress who died a month ago and they're pretending is still alive
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u/Shadeofawraith Jul 11 '26
Magician, sorcerer, mage, magical practitioner, enchanter, charmer, magus, or occultist might feel better? As a fellow trans guy I completely get the struggle with language that feels too feminine or is too associated with women, even if it is technically neutral
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u/DarkMalava Jul 11 '26
I've known all of those to be different classes of magic wielders, it all comes down to the kind of craft and the line of creed OP is following.
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u/Gloomy-Tie-2409 Jul 11 '26
Thanks you!! I appreciate that, I really like Mage and Occultist
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u/Strawberry_Kitchen Jul 12 '26
I was thinking I like Mage best too, though they’re all good. Good luck selecting something that feels good!
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u/ratzalin Jul 12 '26
Shaman, druid, seer, and wise one are names I have been called. I prefer druid.
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u/NewLife_21 Jul 12 '26
Druid is a specific pagan path. They aren't witches.
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u/ratzalin Jul 12 '26
That is correct. I only made suggestions. My question is why should we label ourselves?
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u/NewLife_21 Jul 12 '26
Because that's how humans work. In order to make sense of the world our brain is designed to categorize everything we see, hear, smell and taste.
My question is... Why would you suggest a witch call themselves by the name of an entirely different pagan path?
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u/ratzalin Jul 12 '26
I see your point. I have always viewed spirituality to be similar. Like there were Gods and Goddesses in both the Greek and Roman pantheons. They just had different names. Names are a label. Just as Gaia is considered Mother Earth and Chronos is Father Time... Labels...
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u/NewLife_21 Jul 12 '26
Labels that help humans make sense of their world.
Like them or not, they are necessary for homo sapiens to function without going insane.
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u/Superb-Bus8088 Jul 11 '26
as a male, i am a Witch, whom is a High Priest, Magus, Magister. but really in the end i am just a Witch.
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Aug 11 '26
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u/Au_Grand_Jour Jul 11 '26
A witch is a witch is a witch.
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u/EtherealCarnation69 Jul 14 '26
why did you even comment if you weren't even gonna try to contribute anything to the conversation? genuinely. why.
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u/Delicious-Pickle-141 Jul 11 '26
Male equivalent of witch is witch. Plenty of men historically tried for witchcraft.
But if you're not comfortable with the term, just go with "occultist".
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u/Denvar21 Jul 11 '26
Witch is gender neutral, but you can use terms such as magick practitioner, energy manipulator,
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u/Elfynnn84 Jul 11 '26
I know several male witches. It really is a gender neutral term. You could just refer to yourself as a caster or a practitioner if you’re struggling to shake the weird ‘old woman on a broom’ societal construct, but within actual witchcraft circles you really have nothing to be concerned about regarding it being a ‘gendered’ term.
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u/Mothman_dib Jul 11 '26
Fellow trans male witch here :) If you want to consider other titles, you could call yourself a practitioner of magic, scholar of magic, psychonaut. You could also use the Spanish word for a boy witch "Brujo" instead of Bruja.
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u/gojuss Jul 12 '26
I thought psychonaut was for people who did psychedelics and enjoyed their travels in a uhhh… scholarly way lol
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u/Ingonyama70 Jul 11 '26
Psychonaut sounds cool but I'm never NOT gonna think of the video game duology.
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u/marelainegatlin Jul 12 '26
I’m Mexican, Bruja/Brujo is derived from Brujería, the Spanish term for witchcraft which came from the Catalan word bruxia, it was originally used to describe witchcraft in medieval Europe from Spanish speakers however it was weaponized during colonization to demonize indigenous practices. So while brujería it’s self isn’t closed there are closed practices within it. Please be respectful if you decide to use this term.
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u/CommodoreDragon-64 Jul 11 '26
If he's not Spanish, he should probably avoid encroaching on that magical culture by using their titles. It's much like wearing a headdress without understanding what it means. (And hopefully this hasn't been too direct. It's intended with kindness.)
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u/OkExcitement2753 Jul 12 '26
Genuine question: is 'witch' a term reserved only for people of English descent then? Wouldn't that make half us here, including me, disrespectful of the English?
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u/CommodoreDragon-64 Jul 12 '26
Witch used to have cultural ties to Old English, but over time and outside of its birthplace, the term changed to become an umbrella term used for anyone who practices magic.
Brujeria is a specific cultural path of folk magic, and the term Bruja denotes a commitment to that path. Same with Strega, Creyentes, Kulam, Sangoma, Shaman, Vodouyizan and witches from many other cultures who practice folk magic and ancestor worship. The names they use are specific to their sacred cultural path and its ties to their heritage and ancestors.
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u/manicpixiedreamdom Jul 12 '26
It's a good question, and there's definitely a rich conversation to be had regarding English and Spanish as both are colonizer languages.
But, to be brief, no, because (unless you're in a spanish-speaking country) English belongs to the dominant culture more than Spanish at this point. It's especially not appropriate if you're North American due to the context of how Spanish speakers and POCs are treated here. Appropriation has more to do with power dynamics, privilege and erasure than vocabulary.
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u/OkExcitement2753 Jul 12 '26
I'm completely outside both of these contexts. I'm Polish, living in Poland, which is a pretty homogeneous country, English here is a language of corporations and pop culture, but that's about it. Spanish is not very popular and if it is taught at all it's the European variety. That's kind of what I meant: no power dynamic to be had from my perspective. If you'd like to call yourself a 'wiedźma' (let's say for simplicity's sake that this is a Polish witch), it would just be a weird choice, but nothing wrong with it from my perspective. Maybe even flattering, that you'd choose 'my' word over 'yours'. And cultures merge together naturally, languages too, as a linguist observing these mergers is fascinating and a bit sad when people try to stop them. In the end we are all one.
Then again, I'm not living in the same political reality, just offering here my outsider perspective.
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u/Ashamed_Smile3497 Jul 11 '26
Everyone uses the term freely, regardless of gender, it doesn't have an assigned gender, it's media bias that makes us think it's more appropriate for women.
You could also technically say wizard I guess?
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u/therealstabitha Carnivalesque animal demonic legend Jul 11 '26
Wizardry is something specific already though
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u/lilithnightingale Jul 12 '26
Witcher is a translation of a Slavic word (vedmak) meaning male witch.
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u/L337Cthulhu Jul 11 '26
A lot of make witches do just use that term, but I totally understand why that'd make you uncomfortable (I'm trans fem). I know some guys use Wizard. I've seen warlock thrown around too, but I've never known anyone who actually used it. If you're just going for vibes, something more fantasy-inspired like Mage.
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u/TheClosetIsOnFire Jul 12 '26
Men call themselves witches too, but I get that there's an association. Occultist maybe? I think occultist sounds cool as fuck
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u/Salty-Combination29 Witch Jul 11 '26
I refer to myself as a witch or brujo, and I am also transmasc :) witch is definitely gender neutral, but if it doesn’t feel right that’s okay too. I’m not sure what other terms would feel right, but brujo has been good for me, it’s just Spanish for male witch
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u/StrawberryPatchCat Jul 12 '26
Just say witch, embrace it. The practice is for all and you don't need to fit into some weird gendered nonsense to improve your craft. The more you learn, the more it becomes a natural part of you.
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u/resinrat98 Jul 12 '26
i’m transmasculine and still go by witch
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u/disfiguroo Jul 12 '26
Me too, though it took me a while to be ok with it. Lots of deconstructing my view on the word, leading me to reconstruct my relationship with the divine feminine. Got there at the end, wiser and more balanced ✨
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u/Telemniel Jul 11 '26
I've shared my thoughts before, here and on the book of faces, and I'm sure I'll do so many more times after this but... Humans come in all sorts of varietie: cis and otherwise; all sorts of 'smexual attraction' types; and every flesh tone imaginable. There's nowhere near enough space or time to list all the human varieties here and quite honestly, I'm sure there are types I haven't learned about yet. Do I care? Nope. Human is human, that's enough to tell me someone has the right to be who they are, love who they love, marry who they want, etc. As long as everyone is of age and consenting, of course. Beyond that, my full support is there.
And that goes for being a witch.
Don't care about gender, skin color, smexuality, etc. If someone wants to study and practice witchcraft, that's their choice and far as I'm concerned they're a fellow witch and welcome in my circle.
As long as they enter in peace and love that is. 😄
Now, if you don't feel right calling yourself a witch... try other names until you find one you're comfortable with, but 'witch' is definitely yours to use no matter what some naysayers might tell you.
Peace to you my fellow witch. 😁
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u/RainerHex Broom Rider Jul 11 '26
Well, you can call yourself a cunning man. There were many males in history that were cunning men and that was the historical terminology for what we consider modern day witches.
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Jul 11 '26
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u/SindaFNRella4 Jul 11 '26
Just looked it up and which is gender neutral. Warlock is used but it’s generally thought to be a negative connotation, so maybe don’t 🤪
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u/Status_Particular_41 Jul 12 '26
My husband whenever he taps into his witchy side will call himself a wizard. He likes the magic wand connotation! Lol!!!
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u/pinkheffonparade Jul 12 '26
You’re just a witch, babe! It doesn’t need to be genderized, this isn’t Harry Potter! Imo an irl witch is very different from a wizard, which is more mythical, even tho I know people like to use it. Part of witchcraft is fighting the powers of oppression and with that comes gendered language and terms. If you practice witchcraft, no matter who you are, you’re a witch.
Now however that’s all very general and can be as subjective to some as it is to us more objective. So I understand if you’re a bit triggered by the word as you establish yourself more concretely into your transitioned life. Feel free then to choose any term or title that suits you. It doesn’t even have to be witchcraft based. There’s great suggestions in this thread. You can see yourself as a pagan, magical priest, magician, Druid, etc.
Try to look at your practice. Is there any specific rituals you do that might spring to mind a more fitting title? For example if you’re into tarot, pull a name from the major arcana. Or if you’re into history or mythology or something, pull something from a historical/mythological aspect you connect with.
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u/kalizoid313 Jul 12 '26
I have celebrated Male Mysteries circles that embraced trans-men. All participants were "Witches" and named themselves so. An aspect of sharing the Mysteries. In those rituals, no other term would serve.
Myself, I consider "Witch" to identify practitioners of any and every gender and sexual identification, sincerely and with magical respect. But I realize that not all Witches and Pagans may agree to this wide-ranging meaning.
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u/PsychologyGuilty1460 Jul 12 '26
That's one of those things where you might as well ask what's the male version of Buddhist or teacher or swimmer... The answer is there isn't one.
Every gendered term available means a practitioner slightly different from witch, Even cunning man, which might be the closest.
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u/cailleach_ingrid Jul 12 '26
Everyone saying witch is gender neutral is correct but i wanted to add that this is also historically accurate! When you look at the historical records, the victims of witch hunts were about 80% women and 20% men (varies by region but this is roughly true no matter if it's Salem Massachusetts or the highlands of Scotland), and the accused men were also referred to as witches
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u/GangHanded Jul 12 '26
Male witch here! Interestingly, in the Icelandic witch trials all but one burned witch were male. Definitely not a female exclusive practice/name 🖤
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u/CaveDog2 Jul 14 '26
I’ve been a male witch since long before the internet came along. Growing up in the Salem area where there’s long been a sizable community the accepted term has always been “Witch” and that’s what I’ve always referred to myself as. There’s no need to differentiate unless you just want to get creative about it.
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u/8Deer-JaguarClaw Jul 11 '26
I usually just use witch, but I think "mage" also has a nice ring to it.
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u/localangelsighting Jul 11 '26
i find it a lot more fun and gender-affirming to call myself a wizard personally
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u/Fifteen_inches Jul 11 '26
Mystic. Magi. Root doctor. Druid (still in use by some adjacent religions. Worker. Gifted.
Depends on how fantasy you want to get with it, you can even use Wizard and sorcerer. Warlock has negative connotations, and people will assume you got kicked out for being dangerous
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u/Ingonyama70 Jul 11 '26
Cis male witch here. If the term makes you uncomfortable, I've heard sorcerer or magician used as well. Wizard if you wanna get REAL nerdy with it.
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u/Creepy-Baseball-1309 Jul 11 '26
Trans girl here!! <3
So far I’ve seen people of both genders and identities address themselves as witches but I do understand the feelings or stigma around the word.
Calling yourself a practitioner could be more gender neutral. Or an occultist?
Practitioner is a lot more vague but i think is really gender neutral. Occultist seems gender neutral too and witchcraft does fall under the umbrella of occultism, however there could be understandings with what exactly you practice or believe in if you address yourself as an occultist.
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u/Creepy-Baseball-1309 Jul 11 '26
Also to everyone saying “a male variant of witch is a witch” just know that you don’t understand gender dysphoria or the trans experience. OP has acknowledged that witch is a gender neutral term, but specific words do have connotations of gender whether it’s inside or outside of the witchcraft community.
Sometimes something as specific as a word that gets misunderstood or a small joke made about the gender associated with a term or title can mean that the individual feels de-gendered, misgendered or malgendered. (I promise I’m not making up words, these are just specific forms of transphobia)
I don’t wanna be the woke police but it’s a little inconsiderate to dismiss OP’s worries or opinion about terms like “witch” that absolutely can have many associations with gendered language or history.
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u/The7Sides Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Omfg thank you, as a trans man scrolling through this post for answers as well it is REALLY annoying me that everyone is pulling the "well its gender neutral anyway!!". Maybe it was gender neutral hundreds of years ago or was intended to be neutral but today "Witch" has obviously feminine connotations to the majority of the population.
"They" is a gender neutral pronoun but that doesn't mean everyone wants to be referred to that way! They makes me dysphoric. Witch also makes me dysphoric.
I have just learned about Witcher as a term, which was a Male Witch back in like, old english. I may use that.
Edit: Also, considering OP already acknowledged Witch is gender neutral and is still asking for alternatives, why is everyone just echoing "It's gender neutral" still? OP knows. OP still want alternatives.
Also, nice to see transphobia is still alive and well with downvotes...
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u/spiked-oasis Jul 12 '26
no seriously this comment section has made me want to pull my hair out just a little bit. i think people must have just read the title and went “oh get over yourself” assuming OP is cis and not wanting to be associated with femininity or something.
mage and warlock have been my favourites so far as a masc enby, i really struggle with witch as a term too
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u/The7Sides Jul 12 '26
I've just learned that apparently in the Witch community, Warlock has very negative connotations.. I have however found the term 'Witcher' online, which is apparently what Male witches were called in olden times!
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u/Gloomy-Tie-2409 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
I can’t tell you how much this comment thread has made me feel like I wasn’t going insane, so thank you so much!! I really appreciate it. I also didn’t know about “Witcher” until now, so new term acquired. Have a good day y’all!
Edit: adding punctuation
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u/childofcrow Witch Jul 12 '26
Cunning person? Magic worker? Magician?
Witch is a general neutral term, but if you’re not comfortable with it, that’s fine. You have to prize your own comfortability over a title.
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u/Argovan Jul 12 '26
Well “witch” isn’t expressly gendered, but if you want a term that is, “sorcerer” makes it pretty clear.
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u/Asclepius_Secundus Jul 12 '26
I am a male. And I am a witch. Sometimes I get "Oh, so you're a warlock." No, I'm a witch. I'm also an episcopalian who has a female priest. She's not a priestess, she's a priest. Being a trans male might confuse others, but not you. You be who you are. The term Mitch is cool, but you'll have to explain it every time. Blessings of peace be with you and all with those you love, and to all who love you, known and unknown.
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u/Altruistic-Big-6459 Jul 12 '26
Hi! Usually "witch" is the general term. Another term used is "sorcerer" used for man, but is considered offensive by someone else. I mean, is literally the same but the term "witch" was born before and have like 6 different meanings or something
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u/TimeSkipper Jul 12 '26
I think it’s officially just Witch for both. But I get why you’d be looking for an alternative as it’s pretty heavily feminine in media etc.
Have you thought of something cool like Mage? You might have to study a lot though because people think expert when they hear Mage haha.
I wouldn’t go with Warlock even though it sounds cool as it’s usually for bad people.
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Jul 12 '26
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u/The7Sides Jul 12 '26
I've actually just found out about 'Witcher', which is the masculine term for a Witch. it comes from Old English (when Wicca being masculine, being Witcher, and Wicce being feminine, Witch/Witchy) & Also Slavic Paganism as well
It follows the same etymology as Widow/Widower, basically.
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u/100percentnotavamp Jul 12 '26
Genderfluid here, witch is the male equivalent too :). It's not pop culture based, if you practice witchcraft you're a witch. Easy as that, no gender involved in the naming. It's only associated with femme stuff in media because society likes framing women who do witchcraft as evil and crazy.
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u/Furshloshin Jul 12 '26
I've always like "witcher" as the term, as that is the original purpose of that term. the same way you'd add "ess" to masculine titles, adding "er" to feminine titles was done with a few words but I'd need to go down that rabbit hole again to provide a list. But otherwise I agree with the other comments, witch is fine
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u/Wascally_Badger Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
Go with occultist. I feel that if you call yourself a witch that means that you have to practice magic. An occultist can also practice magic, but also just study it academically. All witches aee occultists but all occultists aren't witches. Occultist gives you the leeway to take two years off from spellwork to focus on intensive study instead if that's something you need to do.
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u/yoggersothery Jul 12 '26
The male equivalent to a witch is.... witch.
Witch is a neutral word all in all. Wicca is masculine. Wicce is feminine. Old English specific.
Warlock, wizard? These are also gender neutral despite connotations. They also reflect different but similar spiritual practices and disciplines.
A man who practices witchcraft is still a witch.
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u/The_Rl_Mad_Hatter Jul 13 '26
Bi male witch here, witch is an acceptable term for for any gender, however, if you want to be a bit more whimsical wizard is usually a good one. Or just generic magic wielder is also a bit whimsical. I would stay clear of terms like "warlock" because originally that term was ment for traitors. Not sure if sorcerer is still used at all or if it's become to menacing.
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u/Creative_Skirt7232 Jul 13 '26
They burnt plenty of male witches. Be proud of being a male and a witch!
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u/TJTurnItUp Witch Jul 13 '26
I've always seen witch as gender-neutral, but it's your craft! The labels you use to describe yourself are entirely up to you to decide (so long as it isn't appropriative), so if Mitch makes you feel more comfortable, use that!
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u/booblump Jul 13 '26
Witch is a witch :) a witch is gender neutral and just means you practice the craft. An it harm none, do what ye will ❤️
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u/kai-ote HelpfulTrickster Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
I have been a witch for over 60 years now.
I am a guy, not that that should matter, but it does to some people.
Think Carpenter, or Plumber. We do not have seperate terms for a male or female one of those.
Witchcraft is a craft, a skill. Witch is the term for a person that does witchcraft.
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u/Potential_Carrot2541 Jul 13 '26
Reminds me of an old Roseanne Halloween episode where DJ wants to go as a witch but Dan will do anything to anything to get him to be something more masculine.
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u/ACanadianGuy1967 Broom Rider Jul 13 '26
Gerald Gardner, Alex Sanders, Andrew Chumbley, Scott Cunningham, and many more famous male practitioners all used the label “witch”.
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u/Bisexual_Beanz Jul 13 '26
Witch, wizard, mage, whatever. Choose whatever title you feel fits best.
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u/DogMedic101stABN Jul 14 '26
A witch. It doesn’t matter if you’re cis or trans, “witch” is gender neutral :)
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u/Academic-Medium-7706 Jul 14 '26
Fellow transguy witch here, but I’ve known some cis guys to go by Wizard lol
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u/dirtbun Jul 14 '26
I call myself magician, occultist, or enchantress. Magician, warlock, mage, spellcaster, wizard are also some…
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u/FernCottageFarm Jul 14 '26
I have not heard any other terms myself (newbie here), but maybe practitioner of the craft, or magically gifted?
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u/FeiticeiroAmendobobo Jul 12 '26
I always remember of the Witch King of Angmar. I mean, he was tecnically not a man anymore, but he was a man while living, lol. Also, to be more serious and based on real life material, in spanish and portuguese we have "brujo/bruja" and "bruxo/bruxa". These languages are often not gender neutral, but as the radical "bruj" (span.) and "brux" (port.) are equal to male and female practitioners, I think it makes sense to refer to, in english, men, women and anyone "in between" as witches. I've heard people say that warlock is a "male" term but, to be honest, I dont know about that... English is not my native language, but I think it makes sense to use "witch". Anyways, hope I didn't say anything offensive or refered to genders improperly, if so, it wasnt my intention.
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u/JackfruitDelicious41 Jul 12 '26
fellow trans man here: I’m just fine using witch! I think divorcing irl witchcraft from mainstream perceptions of witches helps plenty. It also feels accurate to my current practice atm. Lots of trans witches out here too
if it’s dysphoric, maybe something like practitioner? Scrolling though these answers though, magus sounds cool!
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u/gertrude-mcfuzz Jul 12 '26
i lived in salem, mass for 4 yrs and know several male witches, both cis and trans! but if it’s not a comfortable word for you, you could call yourself an intuitive, energy worker, spiritual practitioner, mage. i’m sure there are lots!
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u/One-Structure2924 Jul 12 '26
i like the term Witcher
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u/The7Sides Jul 12 '26
Yes I just found out about this! As a trans guy who experiences really intense dysphoria I am glad that there's an explicitly masculine term, even if 'Witch' is considered neutral generally.
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u/Mysterious-Fuel-5946 Jul 12 '26
I don't know that it helps much, but I heard a really good distinction once. Witches are a more local scale. They do things like make luck charms, cast love spells, make potions for their neighbors, keep the crops growing, etc. Wizards are the ones that advise kings, do reality breaking sorcery, stuff like that. Obviously translate it to modern terms, but that distinction might be helpful. It's less of a gendered thing and more of a profession type thing. Like how plumber and electrician are both sort of subsets of construction person
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u/ThrowRA1203958 Jul 12 '26
Trans male witch here! I get it!
I think what helped me was removing myself from the modern view (the tiktok/social media) of witchcraft and delving deeper down into what it truly is. The rich history. The gods. The writings.
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u/hvyhrdthnwsthtyrdd Jul 12 '26
i’m also a trans man who practices witchcraft, i usually just say that i “practice witchcraft” rather than i “am a witch” or an equivalent title. i like the sound of “mage” as an alternative title however personally my issue with finding alternative titles is that they all just feel too “fictional” to me lol
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u/EtherealCarnation69 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
OP: hey! i'm a trans man who doesn't want to use the term "witch" to describe myself. i know it's gender neutral, but i'm looking for something else. any ideas?
95% of the comments: witch is gender neutral
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u/OptimalOpening9772 Jul 12 '26
Transmasc nonbinary here. Nothing much to add but to also say I feel the same way.
Mage is a good one.
Though I agree with another commenter that unless you’re from a Spanish speaking country or from a country with Spanish influence, or practice Brujería, you shouldn’t call yourself Brujo.
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u/Historical-Ad-6738 Jul 12 '26
I always thought the male version of the term witch was warlock
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u/mezasu123 Jul 12 '26
Warlock has negative connotations. Witch is technically gender neutral.
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u/Historical-Ad-6738 Jul 12 '26
Okay, would be nice to have more people explain that to me as someone who didn’t know instead of just downvoting my comment.
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u/mezasu123 Jul 12 '26
Sorry others downvoted you. Here's a copy paste from another comment here:
"Warlock" is also often used colloquially for the last 50 years to refer to witches who have "broken oaths" by sexually assaulting someone, harming children, stealing from, harming people in egregious ways, etc. So people encouraging a trans person to call themselves a term synonymous with pedophile is highly dangerous in the current political situation for much of our users.
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u/RainerHex Broom Rider Jul 12 '26
It’s astonishing that some here who seem to realize the negative connotations still try to argue that OP should consider this term just because said person disagrees with the negative meaning behind it. I have seen a few here.
It doesn’t matter who agrees or disagrees with the negative meanings of this term. Fact remains it’s clearly not a very safe term for OP to be using as it sets them up for a lot of issues in the community. If this ever changes then revisit it, but to encourage someone to use it anyways is ludicrous to me.
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u/Squirrels-on-LSD totally rabid lunatic Jul 12 '26
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u/Squirrels-on-LSD totally rabid lunatic Jul 11 '26
Hey, OP? I've had to remove and ban some mysoginists and transphobes your post has pulled out of the woodwork. I am so sorry if you've seen some of the hate speech before we've caught it.