Here at Seethe Witch Press, we’re busy working behind the scenes to bring you the first issue of our Radical Witchcraft Zine. We are so looking forward to getting to know you, our readers, the radical witches that make our world better.
Abbie here, founder of Seethe Witch Press and Northern Lights Witch. This press honestly started as a dream. Literally.
I woke up one summer morning, and as I rolled over in bed, I remembered the dream I’d had the night before. And I felt the ancestral call. A phrase, repeated over and over, in my head: “You are the witch to print field notes for the apocalypse.” Seethe Witch Press was born, fully-formed, there and then. It has taken time and effort, and we are still a micro-press, but we are here.
But I’m sure that, from the outside looking in, our name is a little mysterious. Why “seethe witch?” What does that mean?
My personal practice is based largely in the folk traditions of my Nordic ancestors. The feminine branch of magic is called seiðr, pronounced alternatively “see-e-thr” or “SAY-der.” Some etymologists believe that the English word, to seethe, came from the same Germanic root. Seiðr is a form of serpent magic, where the high priestess is sung into a trancelike state, and becomes a conduit of messages from the dead and the gods. This form of magic is most often used to connect with the norns, understand fate, and work within their structure to bring about change for the highest good. The seiðr witch brings about events by metaphorically weaving them into existence. They sway and spit and speak things into existence – or destruction.
I like the term “seethe witch” because it also implies a sense of wildness, without using the word “wild.” It contains more specific elements. When I think of the term seethe witch, I think of a channel of sacred rage. The witch is spitting mad at what is happening in the world, but also has the power to create change.
My Norse faith is full of warnings of hubris, a constant threat of Ragnarok. There is creation, followed by destruction, followed by creation. I don’t shy away from baneful magic, because sometimes it’s necessary. You can’t take down the patriarchy with rose quartz. You’re gonna need something a little stronger.
That’s why, when the name came through for me, I knew it was right. It encapsulates so much, but maintains a sense of mystery. Seethe Witch Press is a place where it’s safe to rage, but it is also a place of spinning wonder, of the serpent mysteries – beautiful and terrible.
Welcome. I’m so happy you’re here.