Oaths and Oath Breaking

This will be yet another semi-linguistic based blog. When I was in perhaps sixth or seventh grade, I went to Salem, MA, with my folks as I had been long fascinated by (arguably) the most famous set of witch trials in United States history. Some may say that they are the only set of witch trials in our history. My response to that is look at what happened during the great Red scare of the 1950's during the era of Senator McCarthy. However, this is particular post is not about what a witch trial is or when they have occurred in United States history.

When in Salem, one of the many sites we visited was a museum run by contemporary members of the Neo-Pagan community. At the time, I knew little to nothing about the full set of beliefs/practices of that particular religious community. Again, this particular post is not a posting about how I have stumbled through various religious practices during the course of my life. During the tour we took of the museum (the one run by the members of the Neo-Pagan community) our tour guide mentioned that 'warlock', which I had always known as the male equivalent of witch, had at its base an old Scottish word that meant 'betrayer' or 'oath-breaker'. In recent research, I have also seen that it may come from a Norse word which at its core means 'caller of the spirit(s)'. No one is quite sure of the etymology.

I have heard that males within the Church of Satan refer to themselves as warlocks, but I have heard enough about the Church of Satan to know that if this is true, it is most likely done for shock value. No matter what the true origin of warlock may be, or how it is used in contemporary contexts, I am quite fond of the supposed origin meaning 'oath breaker.' In a time where the bond of word was a sacred thing, to be known as one who could not keep their oath would be a very powerful insult. It would also state a lot about an individual's character. Being known as a breaker of oaths is (as seen in most cultural contexts) not a good thing.

However, are there oaths that are better if they are broken? I am not meaning to suggest that all promises made should not be kept. What I am trying to say that if you know that by performing a certain action (which you have promised to do) you will bring harm to self or others, perhaps the best thing to do is to abandon that particular plan of action. While knowing that you have broken an oath is not an easy thing for some to live with, perhaps the guilt from that experience will be more manageable than the guilt of performing whatever action you promised to do. I guess what I am trying to say is that sometimes, oaths need to be broken. However, I am far from an authority on morality.