Warlock
A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft.
Etymology and terminology
The most commonly accepted etymology derives warlock from the Old English ƿǣrloga, which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver," and was given special application to the Devil around 1000 AD.
In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch (which can be male or female, but has historically been used predominantly for females). The term may have become associated in Scotland with male witches due to the idea that they had made pacts with Auld Hornie (the devil) and thus had betrayed the Christian faith and broke their baptismal vows or oaths. From this use, the word passed into Romantic literature and ultimately 20th-century popular culture.
History
Although most victims of the witch trials in early modern Scotland were women, some men were executed as warlocks. In his day, John Napier was often perceived as a warlock or magician for his interest in divination and the occult, though his established position likely kept him from being prosecuted.
In popular culture
Warlock is the name of a 1989 American supernatural horror film directed by Steve Miner and starring Julian Sands stars as the title character, a son of Satan who travels from the late 1600s to modern times with the mission of destroying the world. On July 8, 1995, 14-year-old Sandy Charles murdered 7-year-old Johnathan Thimpsen. In court, lawyers on Charles' behalf argued that he had become obsessed with the film Warlock and that the murder was based in part on occult concepts from the movie
Adam Warlock is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero who debuted in 1967. The character is immortal and has the ability to manipulate cosmic energy.