Familiar Spirit

Definition: Familiar Spirit

Familiar Spirit

Noun

1. A spirit (usually in animal form) that acts as an assistant to a witch or wizard.

Domain	Definitions
Bible	Familiar spirit Sorcerers or necormancers, who professed to call up the dead to answer questions, were said to have a "familiar spirit" (Deut. 18:11; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chr. 33:6; Lev. 19:31; 20:6; Isa. 8:19; 29:4). Such a person was called by the Hebrews an _'ob_, which properly means a leathern bottle; for sorcerers were regarded as vessels containing the inspiring demon. This Hebrew word was equivalent to the pytho of the Greeks, and was used to denote both the person and the spirit which possessed him (Lev. 20:27; 1 Sam. 28:8; comp. Acts 16:16). The word "familiar" is from the Latin familiaris, meaning a "household servant," and was intended to express the idea that sorcerers had spirits as their servants ready to obey their commands. Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

In Western tradition a familiar spirit, commonly called familiar (from Middle English 'familiar', related to family) is a minor demon who obeys a witch, conjurer, etc., and serves and helps that person. Familiars often perform domestic duties and help in farming, but also aid the person in bewitching people. These spirits are also said to be able of inspiring artists and writers (compare with muses).

The familiar is given to the conjurer by another demon, higher in status, with whom the person has made a pact or, in other cases, having been the demon compelled by the conjurer.

There is no standard depiction of a familiar, but they are commonly considered to be dwarf and ugly.

Synonym: Familiar Spirit

Synonym: familiar (n). (additional references)

Crosswords: Familiar Spirit

Specialty definitions using "familiar spirit": Cephalus and Procris ♦ Familiar Spirits ♦ Lar Familiaris. (references)

Domain	Title
Books	Familiar Spirit (reference) (more book examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Language		Translations for "familiar spirit"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
French		démon familier. (various references)

Japanese Kanji		遣い (bearer, errand, going as envoy, message, messenger, mission, tamer, trainer, usage, use), 使い (bearer, errand, going as envoy, message, messenger, mission, tamer, trainer, usage, use). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		つかい (bearer, errand, going as envoy, message, messenger, mission, tamer, trainer, usage, use). (various references)

Pig Latin		amiliarfay iritspay.(various references)

Turkish		koruyucu ruh (familiar). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Language	Date	Source	Leviticus Chapter 20, Verse 27
Greek (transliterated)	250 BC	Septuagint	Kai anhr h gunh oV an genhtai autwn eggastrimuqoV h epaoidoV qanatw qanatousqwsan amfoteroi liqoiV liqobolhsate autouV enocoi eisin
Latin	405	Vulgate	Vir sive mulier in quibus pythonicus vel divinationis fuerit spiritus morte moriantur lapidibus obruent eos sanguis eorum sit super illos
Middle English	1395	Wyclif	A man or womman, in the which is a spirit of wicchecraft, or of dyuynynge, with deth die thei, and with stonus men shulen ouer-falle hem; the blood of hem be vpon hem.
Renaissance English	1526	Tyndale	Yf there be ma or woma that worketh with a sprite or a maker of dysemall dayes, thei shall dye for it. Me shall stone them with stones, ad their bloude shalbe apon them.
Jacobean English	1611	King James	A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
Victorian English	1833	Webster	A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
Basic English	1964	Ogden	Any man or woman who makes use of spirits, or who is a wonder-worker, is to be put to death: they are to be stoned with stones: their blood will be on them.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Language	Leviticus Chapter 20, Verse 27
Bulgarian	Също мъж или жена, която запитва зли духове, или е врач, непременно да се умъртви; с камъни да ги убият; кръвта им да бъде върху тях.
Cebuano	Ang usa ka lalake usab kun usa ka babaye nga espiritista, kun siya nga slamangkiro, sila sa pagkamatuod gayud pagapatyon; pagalabayon sila sa mga bato; ang ilang dugo anaa sa ibabaw nila.
Chinese	無論 �"� 女、是交鬼的、或行巫 �" 的、總要治死他們、人必 �"� 石 � � 把他們 �" 死、罪要歸到他們身上。
Croatian	Èovjek ili žena koji meðu vama postanu zazivaèi duhova ili vraèari neka se kazne smræu; neka se kamenuju i neka njihova krv padne na njih."
Danish	Når der i en Mand eller Kvinde er en Genfærdsånd eller en Sandsigerånd, skal de lide Døden; de skal stenes, der hviler Blodskyld på dem.
Dutch	Als nu een man en vrouw in zich een waarzeggenden geest zal hebben, of een duivelskunstenaar zal zijn, zij zullen zekerlijk gedood worden; men zal hen met stenen stenigen; hun bloed is op hen.
Finnish	Jos jossakin miehessä tai naisessa on vainaja- tai tietäjähenki, niin heidät rangaistakoon kuolemalla; heidät kivitettäköön, he ovat verivelan alaiset."
French	Si un homme ou une femme ont en eux l`esprit d`un mort ou un esprit de divination, ils seront punis de mort; on les lapidera: leur sang retombera sur eux.
German	Wenn ein Mann oder Weib ein Wahrsager oder Zeichendeuter sein wird, die sollen des Todes sterben. Man soll sie steinigen; ihr Blut sei auf ihnen.
Haitian Creole	Depi yon nonm osinon yon fanm gen lespri yon mò sou li, osinon yon lòt lespri k'ap fè l' fè divinò, se pou yo touye yo. Y'a touye yo ak kout wòch. Lè konsa, se yo menm sèl k'ap reskonsab lanmò yo.
Hungarian	És akár férfi, akár asszony, hogyha ígézõ vagy jövendõmondó lesz közöttök, halállal lakoljanak; kõvel kövezzétek azokat agyon; vérök rajtok.
Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari	Setiap orang laki-laki atau wanita yang mengadakan hubungan dengan roh-roh orang mati harus dilempari batu sampai mati. Orang itu mati karena salahnya sendiri."
Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama	Maka barangsiapa di antara kamu, baik orang laki-laki atau perempuan, yang menjadi petenung atau menaruh hikmat iblis, tak akan jangan ia itu mati dibunuh, hendaklah orang melempari dia dengan batu, maka darahnya tertanggunglah atasnya.
Italian	Se uomo o donna, in mezzo a voi, eserciteranno la negromanzia o la divinazione, dovranno essere messi a morte; saranno lapidati e il loro sangue ricadr� su di essi».
Korean	남 자 나 여 자 가 � � � 하 거 나 박 수 가 되 거 �" 반 �"� 시 죽 일 지 니 곧 돌 로 그 를 치 라 그 �"� 가 자 기 에 게 로 돌 아 가 리 라
Maori	Me whakamate rawa ano hoki te tangata, te wahine ranei, he atua maori tona; me te mata maori hoki: me aki raua ki te kohatu: ko runga i a raua o raua toto.
Modern Greek	Και ανηρ η γυνη, ητις εχει πνευμα μαντειας, η ειναι επαοιδος, εξαπαντος θελει θανατωθη· με λιθους θελουσι λιθοβολησει αυτους· το αιμα αυτων θελει εισθαι επ' αυτους.
Norwegian	Når det i en mann eller kvinne er en dødningemaner-ånd eller en sannsiger-ånd, da skal de late livet; de skal stenes, deres blod være over dem!
Portuguese	O homem ou mulher que consultar os mortos ou for feiticeiro, certamente será morto. Serão apedrejados, e o seu sangue será sobre eles.
Rumanian	Dar dacq un om sau o femeie cheamq duhul unui mort, sau se kndeletnicewte cu ghicirea, sq fie pedepsiyi cu moartea; sq -i ucideyi cu pietre: skngele lor sq cadq asupra lor.``
Russian	нХЦЮЙОБ МЙ ЙМЙ ЦЕОЭЙОБ, ЕУМЙ �'Х�"ХФ ПОЙ ЧЩЪЩЧБФШ НЕТФЧЩИ ЙМЙ ЧПМИЧПЧБФШ, �"Б �'Х�"ХФ � ТЕ�"БОЩ УНЕТФЙ: ЛБНОСНЙ �"ПМЦОП � П�'ЙФШ ЙИ, ЛТПЧШ ЙИ ОБ ОЙИ.
Spanish	"El hombre o la mujer en quien haya espíritu de los muertos o que sea adivino morirá irremisiblemente. Los apedrearán; su sangre será sobre ellos."
Swedish	När någon, man eller kvinna, befattar sig med andebesvärjelse eller spådom, skall denne straffas med döden; man skall stena honom, blodskuld låder vid honom.
Thai	ชายหรือหญิงคนใ�"ที่เป็นคนทรงหรือพ่อม�"แม่ม�" จงฆ่าเสีย จงเอาหินขว้างให้ตาย ให้โลหิตของผู้นั้นตกอยู่บนผู้นั้นเอง"
Ukrainian	А чоловік або жінка, коли будуть вони викликати духа мерців або ворожити, будуть конче забиті, камінням закидають їх, кров їхня на них!
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-a-f-i-i-i-i-l-m-p-r-r-s-t"
	-5 letters: familiars, filmstrip, impartial, miliarias, militaria, primatals, primatial.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.