but great grandfather was, and a water witch to boot. So too became his young daughter, my maternal grandmother, a dowser. Virginia, at eight, was more adept with a divining rod than her elder papa, so he took her in his truck across the Kansas country side and provided this essential service to the farmers in the area.
Of etymological interest is the latin for divining rod, Virgula divina, meaning "little rod" or, vividly enough, "little penis," the root being virga, rod. I find this funny given the similarity of my grandmother's name which, of course, means "virgin," from Latin virgo. Perhaps those more schooled in Latin (which probably means most of you), can tell me where these two split, and from what older root, though the dictionaries I perused offered no such connection. I couldn't find a trace of an Indo-European root that would explain the polarity of these meanings. It's a true yin and yang situation.
That's all, I just thought you should know.
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3 comments:
Wow. That's cool. My grandfather was a practitioner of Pow Wow, a kind of Pennsylvania Dutch witchcraft, but that's not nearly as cool as being a "Water Witch." Perhaps you've inherited the "gift" and just don't know it?
Unremitting Mike-
I was a total water baby, last kid out of the pool, shivering and blue-lipped. As for feeling the magnetic pull, I dunno. I'm a double water sign, like Gramma Virginia, whatever that's worth.
My daughter is a Pisces born from an Aquarian mother, whatever that means... I send these kinds of posts of yours to her whwnever you put them up. She loves all things Enchanted and loved your Halloween special.
As far as the Latin..I-ay on't-day under-ay tand-say a wurd-way of it-ay.
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