Wax & Wane: Stephen Blake

Perhaps it has a little to do with where I am from but I have a healthy respect for witches. Cornwall was never conquered by the English and we retain our strong Celtic identity. They say that is why we still have a distinctive accent since we did not start speaking English until much later. Witches were and are viewed as ‘wise women’ or ‘cunning folk’ here, not the image of evil they have elsewhere. They are not people to fear (unless you do something to them you shouldn’t). We have a museum here dedicated to witchcraft, which had to move from different parts of the country because they were forced out from each place. When they reached Cornwall no one batted an eyelid! We have practicing witches today who visit the various sacred stones in the area on special occasions, such as Samhain, etc.

I do like the legend of Madgy Figgy. She was a notorious wrecker. They used to cause the ships off of the coast of Cornwall to crash so that the locals might collect the cargo to sell later. I suppose we should not romanticise these things but they were desperate times for all. It is said that she would sit upon a seat naturally formed in the granite above the cliffs. From there she would summon storms to wreck the ships. Once there was a woman’s body found with jewels and treasure nearby. When Madgy saw her she commanded that no one touched the treasure and that the woman be respectfully buried. Some time later a foreign man came and asked to see the grave. Pleased with the way the woman had been treated he rewarded the wreckers and let them keep the treasure. Allegedly Madgy said, “One witch knows another, living or dead”.

I think I’d be a good witch. It’s that idea that they live their lives by that appeals to me – “Harm none, do as you will.” My mother always said to me to treat others as you would like to be treated. Those that can live their lives on this basis must be doing something right.

I’ve been on a run with getting in various anthologies in 2015. For 2016 I’m hoping to try for some success with novels. I’ve finished one called ‘Blood Key’ which is about a deaf girl who has the right blend of Celtic blood to allow her to use stone circles as a portal to another world. Once there she finds a world which has grown parallel to ours, although they live in a more medieval feeling world with a sprinkle of steampunk.

I’ve got an idea for a witch story set during World War 2 as well which I intend to get to work on. I think my story ‘That Familiar Feeling’ might inspire part of that.