Wiccans Are Displeased With True Blood

By some measures, True Blood is the most popular show on TV. But one group isn’t too happy with it: Wiccans.

According to Reuters (via AfterEllen), some Wicca practitioners are none too fond of the show’s witch character, Marnie Stonebrook. Says “one witch — and professor of biology at a college in New England — who goes by the magickal name Taarna RavenHawk,”

I’m absolutely disappointed with the portrayal of Marnie. When Marnie gives up her ‘power within,’ which is a witch’s ability to practice the craft without harming others, it allows possession by Antonia who becomes the controlling entity. Marnie lets it happen. It’s unconscionable a witch would act this way.

RavenHawk seems concerned that Marnie isn’t practicing safe witch. A pagan practitioner who goes by Moon has similar worries:

Since the new season of ‘True Blood’ began, I’ve seen an increase in new members who are in their teens and may be easily impressed by Marnie’s display of power. It’s dangerous when viewers think witchcraft, as Marnie does it, is so easy. For this reason she’s a bad example.

It’s not clear what will happen if young people start to think that witchcraft is easy. Will they try to turn their enemies into newts, only to find they have turned them into city-flattening monster lizards instead? Will they cast substandard love spells, causing inappropriate people to fall head over heels for them? Will they witch and drive? All this sounds like an adorable teen comedy — probably because it was.

If Wiccans are worried, though, they might want to enlist the help of Christian Day, the warlock who got mad at Charlie Sheen for misusing the term. At the time, he said, “I am going to magically bind Mr. Sheen, not to harm him, but to simply prevent him from using this word in such a negative manner in the future.” It’s unclear whether he has yet magically bound Sheen, but if he hasn’t managed to do so, it’s not his fault. As Moon says, witchin’ ain’t easy.

Real Witches Cry Foul At Portrayal On “True Blood” [Reuters, via AfterEllen]