"The Love Potion" by Evelyn de Morgan: a witch with a black cat familiar at her feet

In early modern English superstition, a familiar spirit, imp, or familiar (from Middle English familiar, related to family) is an animal-shaped spirit who serves for witchery, a demon, or other magician-related subjects. The Love Potion is a 1903 painting by Evelyn de Morgan depicting a Witch with a Black cat Familiar at her feet Evelyn De Morgan ( 30 August, 1855 – 2 May, 1919) was an English Pre-Raphaelite painter. A black cat is a Felid whose fur is uniformly black It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed Superstition ( Latin superstitio, literally "standing over" derived perhaps from standing in awe used in Latin as a unreasonable or excessive belief An imp is a mythological being similar to a Fairy or Demon, frequently described in Folklore and Superstition. The English word " spirit " comes from the Latin " spiritus " (breath Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers Familiars were imagined to serve their owners as domestic servants, farmhands, spies, and companions, in addition to helping bewitch enemies. These spirits were also said to inspire artists and writers (compare Muse). In Greek mythology, the Muses ( Ancient Greek, hai moũsai: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root * men- "think" are

Familiars are considered an identifying characteristic of early modern English witchcraft, and serve as one feature setting it apart from continental or New World witchcrafts. The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia.

Familiars in European and British mythology

Familiars are most common in western European mythology, with some scholars arguing that familiars were only present in the traditions of Great Britain and France. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. In these areas three categories of familiars were believed to exist:^[1]

• human familiars, found throughout Western Europe
• divinatory animals, found in Great Britain and France
• maleficent animals, found strictly in Greece

Types of familiar spirits

The most common species identified as familiars are:

• cats (particularly black cats; sometimes but much more rarely white)
• owls
• dogs

Less common species include:

• frogs
• toads
• crows
• lynx
• snakes
• hares
• wolves

In later cases, familiars moved to more ethereal forms, often taking the shape of a "black man" (some claim a relation to shadow people) thought to be representative of Satan. Divination (from Latin divinare "to be inspired by a god" related to Divine, Diva and Deus) is the attempt of ascertaining See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic A black cat is a Felid whose fur is uniformly black It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed The Owls are an order of birds of prey. Most are Solitary, and nocturnal, with some exceptions (e The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order This article is about the block cipher algorithm For the ultrafast laser pulse measurement technique see Frequency-resolved optical gating. A toad can refer to a number of Species of Amphibians in the order Anura. The true crows are large Passerine Birds that comprise the Genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. A lynx is any of four medium-sized wild cats. All are members of the Genus Lynx, but there is considerable confusion about the best way to classify A snake is an elongate Reptile of the suborder Serpentes Like all reptiles snakes are covered in scales. Hares and jackrabbits are Leporids belonging to the Genus Lepus. The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora Shadow people (also known as shadow men, shadow folk, or shadow beings) are Supernatural shadow-like creatures of both modern Folklore

Familiars are generally animals. They usually have some magical power or are simply there to advance the story. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and Dangerous familiars are in the forms of weasels, puppies, and toads. ^[2] Familiars were also animals or birds that sucked witch's blood.

On the eastern side of England, in places such as Suffolk, familiars were said to be more common. Suffolk (ˈsʌfək is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. Eastern familiars were cats, ferrets, mice, moles, toads, and dogs. Familiars sucked blood, but were known to eat bread & raw meat and drink milk.

Each familiar grants special abilities to the chosen ones they visit. The first visit often occurs during childhood (between 4 and 6 years old). Each familiar has a special power inherent to it and it is often difficult to know and learn the powers they offer as a gift.

Black cats were popular familiars as they were believed to be shape shifters, as a result of which witches could transform into them by saying a spell and travel about doing evil things unnoticed. According to sources witches took exceedingly good care of their cats for this reason. It was even rumored that they fed them the blood of babies, so as to keep the cat youthful and agile. As the cat was a form of its witch owner, it was believed that by harming a cat you were directly harming its witch. Many also believed that the devil regularly took the form of a black cat. Because of this, on holy days such as Easter, black cats were routinely hunted down and burned.

Historiography on the Witch's Familiar

The scholarship on the witch's familiar has changed and improved in depth and respectability since it was covered in the demonological contexts of early modern Europe. The study of the witch's familiar has evolved from an obscure topic in folkloric journals to popular books and journals that incorporate a historical discipline with multi-disciplinary approaches like anthropology, study of early modern Europe, and women’s studies. James Sharpe, in his article on the witch’s familiar in The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: the Western Tradition, states: "Folklorists began their investigations in the 19th Century [and] found that familiars figured prominently in ideas about witchcraft. "^[3] In the 1800s, folklorists sparked the imagination of the scholars who would, in the decades to come, write descriptive volumes on witches and their familiars.

One example of the growth and development of familiar scholarship can be found in the scholarly publication Folklore, which has consistently contributed articles on superstition from England and early modern Europe. In the first decades of the 1900s, the witch's familiar was only superficially mentioned as "niggets", which were "creepy-crawly things that witches kept all over them". ^[4]

Margaret Murray, the mother of familiar scholarship, has taken what was a field comprised, at best, of gossip and hearsay into a legitimate branch of study in early-modern Europe. Margaret Alice Murray ( July 13 1863 &ndash November 13 1963) was a prominent British Anthropologist and Egyptologist Her work delved into the variation of the familiar found in witchcraft practices. Many of the sources she relied on were trial records and demonological texts from early to modern England. These include the 1556 Essex Witchcraft Trials of the Witches of Hatfield Perevil, the 1582 Trial of the Witches of St. Osyth, and the 1645 Essex Trials with Matthew Hopkins acting as a Witch-finder. ^[5] In 1921, Murray published The Witch Cult in Western Europe, a book that was quite remarkable in the depth and analysis of the culture and folklore that surrounded witchcraft and the theories concerning the witch-cult. Its information concerning the witch's familiar comes from the witchcraft trials in Essex in the 1500s and 1600s. ^[6] Margaret A. Murray made megalithic contributions to the corpus of scholarship on the witch's familiar and has continued to be cited in recent scholarship, a testament to the timelessness of her work.

There has not been a contribution to familiar scholarship in eighty years which has equaled Murray's work. Although recent scholarship has been made multi-disciplinary with integrations of feminist-historian and world-historian approaches. One of the major pieces to come from this Atlantic Trend is Deborah Willis' Malevolent Nurture: Witch-Hunting and Maternal Power in Early Modern England. In her chapter [Un]neighborly Nurture, she links the witch's relationship with the familiar as a bizarre and misplaced corruption of motherhood and maternal power. ^[7]

Although the concept of the witch's familiar has remained unchanged in eighty years, recent applications of historical methods have definitely improved and contributed to the depth of familiar scholarship.

Witch trials

The most evidence of familiars comes from the English and Scottish period during the 16th century and the 17th century. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar The court system that tried witches was known as the Essex witchcraft trials. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common The Essex trial of Agnes Sampson of Nether Keith in 1590 displays proof of a divinatory familiar. This evidence shows Sampson being tried for high treason and the court wants to prosecute Sampson for attempting to use witchcraft on King James VI. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James The court documents Sampson for stating familiar spirits came when she called it and resolved her doubtful matter. Another evidence of a familiar appearing in an Essex trial is that of Hellen Clark tried in 1645. This court documented Hellen and she stated that the devil appeared as a familiar in the form of a dog. ^[8]

The English courts reflect a strong relationship between the witch and the familiar.

Prince Rupert's dog

Prince Rupert and his "familiar" dog in a pamphlet titled "The Cruel Practices of Prince Rupert" (1643).

During the English Civil War, the Royalist general Prince Rupert was in the habit of taking his large poodle dog named Boye, into battle with him. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War ( 1642 &ndash 1651 Rupert Count Palatine of the Rhine Duke of Bavaria (German Ruprecht Pfalzgraf bei Rhein Herzog von Bayern) commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, (17 Throughout the war the dog was greatly feared among the Parliamentarian forces and credited with supernatural powers, evidently considered a kind of familiar. " Roundheads " was the Nickname given to the Puritan supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War. At the end of the war the dog was shot, allegedly with a silver bullet. The Metaphor of the Silver Bullet applies to any straightforward solution perceived to have extreme effectiveness

Familiars in modern fantasy

In many modern fantasy stories, a magician's familiar is a magical creature. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and

The His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman features dæmons, which fulfill several of the roles and traits of the traditional concept of familiar spirits. His Dark Materials is a Trilogy of Fantasy Novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights (1995 Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is an English writer. A dæmon is a manifestation of a person's Soul in the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials.

In the television series Twin Peaks, Killer Bob, a malevolent spirit entity, was said to be the familiar of another, more powerful entity named Mike; although Bob sometimes appeared in the form of an owl, he most often took the form of a long haired human man. Twin Peaks is a Television Serial drama that follows the investigation of the brutal murder of popular respected Teenager and homecoming queen Killer BOB (or simply Bob) (played by Frank Silva) is a Fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks and the show's

Familiars in art, music and literature

• Familiars were mentioned in Shakespeare's Macbeth, wherein the witches called their familiars. William Shakespeare ( baptised Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare 's plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written some time between
• Loiosh, in Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series, is a familiar. Steven Karl Zoltán Brust (born November 23, 1955) is an American Fantasy and Science fiction author of Hungarian
• In the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, djinns and other demons are summoned and serve as a passive manifestation of a magician's power, which is derived solely from the demon's presence rather than from any true arcane skills. GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange was an online service
• Familiars have appeared in several fantasy role playing systems, most notably as the companions of wizards and sorcerers in recent versions of Dungeons & Dragons. In roleplaying, participants adopt and act out the Role of characters, or parts that may have personalities motivations and backgrounds different from The Wizard is a magical Character class in many Role-playing games and Computer role-playing games Wizards wield powerful magic spells but In the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, the sorcerer is one of the base character classes. Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by
• In vampire fiction (Salem's Lot, Blade, etc. 'Salem's Lot is a 1975 horror Novel written by Stephen King, and was the author's second published novel Blade is a 1998 vampire Action film starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the published stories ), familiars are humans who were promised immortality by a vampire lord in exchange for services of some kind.
• In the Disney Animated series Aladdin, the villain Mozenrath has an eel familiar named Xerxes. Aladdin is an Animated television series made by Walt Disney Television which aired from 1994 to 1996 based on the original 1992 feature. Mozenrath is a Fictional character, voiced by the late Jonathan Brandis, in the Disney animated Television series Aladdin
• In The WB television series Charmed, the star characters possessed a familiar for the first half of the series named Kit the Cat, who was a white Siamese with blue eyes. The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Oriental Cat.
• In the film Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Elvira possessed a familiar named Algonquin, or "Gonk" for short, who took the shape of dogs and mice. Elvira Mistress of the Dark is a 1988 Comedy film directed by James Signorelli
• In the manga series Sugar Sugar Rune two familiars come as a mouse and frog. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly or Sugar² Rune is a Manga by Moyoco Anno and an Anime TV series based upon it
• In the Sailor Moon metaseries, the main characters possess familiars, in the form of cats, named Luna, Artemis and Diana. is the title of a Japanese Media franchise created by Naoko Takeuchi. A metaseries includes stories which reference each other and some overall similar chronology cast and/or background but are not similar enough to be considered direct Sequels The Sailor Moon Metaseries includes three different Cat characters who act as advisors to their respective owners The Sailor Moon Metaseries includes three different Cat characters who act as advisors to their respective owners The Sailor Moon Metaseries includes three different Cat characters who act as advisors to their respective owners
• In the first of the Earthsea books, the wizard Ged is accompanied by a mute, mink-like creature called an "otak", which is fiercely loyal and perpetually faithful to him. Earthsea is a Fictional realm created by Ursula K Le Guin for her short story " The Word of Unbinding " published in 1964 but that became more There are two living species of " mink," the American Mink and the European Mink. There are references to several other familiars, including ravens and boars.
• In the Harry Potter series there are a number of characters possessing beloved pets similar to familiars, though the term is never used. Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J Note that the three pets students are allowed to have in school are an owl, a rat, or a cat, three common types of familiars. The Owls are an order of birds of prey. Most are Solitary, and nocturnal, with some exceptions (e Rats are various medium sized long-tailed Rodents of the superfamily Muroidea WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic
• The DC Comics character Klarion the Witch Boy has an orange cat familiar named Teekl, as does the character Morgana whose black cat was named Frimost. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Klarion the Witch Boy is a Fictional character in the DC Comics universe character first seen in the pages of The Demon in 1973 Morgana is the daughter of Morgaine le Fey, and a villain who battled Wonder Woman.
• In the Philip Pullman book series His Dark Materials, dæmons are similar to familiars, though only the witches of the story use them as such. Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is an English writer. His Dark Materials is a Trilogy of Fantasy Novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights (1995 A dæmon is a manifestation of a person's Soul in the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials.
• In the animated television ReBoot, the character Hexadecimal had a "verminous" familiar named Scuzzy. ReBoot is a Canadian CGI - animated action-adventure Television series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001
• The Marvel Comics character Satana had a familiar named Exiter who died while trying to save his mistress. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc Satana is a Fictional character, a Comic book half-demon appearing in the Marvel Comics universe.
• In the British comedy programme The Mighty Boosh, Bollo, who is the "oldest ape in captivity" is the Shaman Naboo the Enigma's familiar. The Mighty Boosh, colloquially referred to as The Boosh, is the collective name for the creators of the British television situation comedy written by and starring
• In Riviera: The Promised Land, a Game Boy Advance game, the main character Ein has a familiar named Rose (who looks like an ordinary black house cat). is a Console role-playing game originally produced in 2002 by Sting Entertainment for WonderSwan Color as the first episode of the Dept The Game Boy Advance (often shortened to GBA) is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed manufactured and marketed by Nintendo.
• The PlayStation game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night features several familiars that can be unlocked to aid the player. The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console Castlevania Symphony of the Night is a 2D Action-adventure game developed and published by Konami in 1997
• In another PlayStation game, Azure Dreams, the basis of the gameplay is centered around recovering monster eggs that become the hero's familiar when hatched. Azure Dreams (originally released in Japan as Other Life Azure Dreams) is a PlayStation Video game developed by Konami and released
• In the computer game GODS, a familiar is an unlockable bird of prey that follows the protagonist attacking enemies.
• In the browser-based MMORPG Kingdom of Loathing, familiars are like pets that can be obtained to assist a player in various ways, from healing to attacking to increasing item drop rates. Kingdom of Loathing ( KoL) is a Humorous browser-based, multiplayer Role playing game, designed and operated by Asymmetric
• In the Karin (anime), Karin's sister Anju controls a horde of bat familiars that watch over Karin throughout the day. Chibi Vampire, originally released in Japan as, is a Japanese Manga series written and illustrated by Yuna Kagesaki. She is also accompanied by many doll familiars, most notably "Boogie" whom she often carries around with her.
• In Rob Schrab's "Twigger's Holiday", Twigger has a humanoid familiar named Josh who often barks like a dog. Rob Schrab (pronounced Shrob ( November 12, 1969) is a Comic book creator Actor, writer and film producer Twigger's girlfriend Michelle also has a humanoid familiar who meows like a cat.
• The plot of the Japanese visual novel Fate/stay night, tells the story of a war between magicians and their "servants", heroic spirits which can be rendered as familiars. is a Japanese Eroge Visual novel game created by Type-Moon, which was originally released on January 30 2004 for the PC.
• In the Japanese anime Zero no Tsukaima, all of the 2nd year students must summon their own familiar. The heroine's familiar turned out to be a human a "commoner", who she falls in love with (and so does Saito).
• In Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Sabrina Spellman had a black cat named Salem, though he was in fact a warlock changed into a cat as punishment for attempting world domination. Sabrina the Teenage Witch is the name of a Comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a teenage Fictional World domination (sometimes world conquest, global domination, or Colloquially taking over the world) in which a single political authority
• Familiar is the name used for a common, bat-like monster in Ragnarok Online. Ragnarok Online (라그나로크 온라인 often referred to as RO, is a Massively multiplayer online role-playing game or MMORPG created by They can be summoned by the MVP Boss, Dracula.
• In the game Warhammer 40,000, space marine librarians, chaos sorcerers, and inquisitors can choose familiars as equipment. Warhammer 40000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K or just 40K) is a tabletop miniature wargame in a Science
• A dog and cat prowl a dark alley, pausing to inspect a corpse, in the opening sequence of the 1986 horror/mystery film Angel Heart, foreshadowing the appearance of the sinister Louis Cyphre and his attorney. Angel Heart is a 1987 Film written and directed by Alan Parker, and starring Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro and Lisa
• Masaki Andoh from the Super Robot Wars game series has two cat familiar spirits, a female black cat named Kuro and a male white cat named Shiro. Masaki Andoh (マサキ・アンドー is a fictional character in the Super Robot Wars series is a series of tactical role-playing Video games produced by the Japanese gaming company Banpresto, a division of Bandai, for various Video game consoles They also help him in combat, piloting Cybuster's Hi-Familiar remote weapons. The Cybuster (サイバスター Saibasutaa) is a fictional robot in the Super Robot Wars series
• In the book "The Bridge" by Iain M. Banks the familiar lives atop the barbarian's back and helps him in a few ways, ranging from spells to advice.

A soldier of Wallachia, summoned by Alucard as a familiar. is a Fictional character in the ''Hellsing'' anime and manga series created by Kohta Hirano and is the main Protagonist of the ''Hellsing''

• Alucard from Hellsing has Cerberus-like shadow dogs for familiars, and has the ability to summon familiars of the victims of his killings. is a Fictional character in the ''Hellsing'' anime and manga series created by Kohta Hirano and is the main Protagonist of the ''Hellsing'' is a Japanese Manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano.
• The Elf Wizard Vaarsuvius, from the popular webcomic The Order of the Stick, has his/her own familiar, a black raven. Vaarsuvius is a major character in the Webcomic The Order of the Stick, written by Rich Burlew. The Order of the Stick is a comedic Webcomic that satirizes tabletop Roleplaying games and medieval Fantasy through the ongoing tale of the titular
• In H.P. Lovecraft's The Dreams in the Witch House, an old witch named Kesiah Mason has a familiar named Brown Jenkin, a hideous ratlike creature with a human face. Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy "The Dreams in the Witch House" is a short story by H The following tables and lists feature elements of the Cthulhu Mythos, that are often shared between works within that fictional setting
• In the Manga/Anime Negima! the main character Negi Springfield has a white ermine named Albert Chamomile commonly called "Chamo" as his familiar. Negima! Magister Negi Magi Negi Springfield (ネギ・スプリングフィールド Negi Supuringufīrudo) is the main character of the Manga / Anime.
• In the play Bell, Book, and Candle, by John Van Druten, as well as in the film adaptation, the main character Gillian Holroyd has a familiar in the form of a cat named Pyewacket. The phrase "Bell book and candle" refers to an archaic method of Excommunication for one who had committed a particularly grievous Sin. A cat of the same name appears as a familiar in sixteenth-century literature describing witchcraft.
• Mythological familiars were also portrayed as antagonists in the TV series Dark Angel, starring Jessica Alba. Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28 1981 is an American television and film Actress.
• In Miyazaki's animated film Kiki's Delivery Service, Kiki is a young witch in training who owns a black cat named Jiji. is the fifth Studio Ghibli anime film, produced written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki in 1989. Jiji is a small, somewhat pessimistic cat whose thoughts Kiki (and therefore the film's viewer) can understand unless Kiki's magic fades. He is used mostly as a plot device and a figure of comic relief. A plot device is an element introduced into a story solely to advance or resolve the plot of the story
• In the anime series Paranoia Agent, a plush doll of the character Maromi comes to life and advises its creator Tsukiko Sagi much as a familiar would. is a Japanese Anime Television miniseries about a social phenomenon in Musashino, Tokyo caused by a juvenile serial assailant named
• In the short story, "Puddle Head", which is no longer in print, the main protagonist, Joshua, has a familiar named "Reed Bones" given to him as a gift from his deceased father.
• In the anime D.N. Angel, With (or Wiz in the English version) is Dark's familiar, in the form of a dog and rabbit cross-breed. DNAngel is a Japanese Manga series written and illustrated by Yukiru Sugisaki. Brief description Wiz is the family pet of the Niwa family and Dark's familiar responding to Dark's call no matter where he is and transforming into a black winged creature that
• In the Strategy RPG game series Summon Night familiars are summoned. is a series of RPGs developed by Flight-Plan, published by Banpresto and with character design by Izuka Takeshi history, spanning many different systems
• In Garth Nix's Abhorsen Trilogy, Mogget is the Abhorsen's Familiar. Garth Nix (born 19 July 1963 in Melbourne) is an Australian author of young adult Fantasy novels most notably the This is a list of characters from The Old Kingdom Trilogy, a set of novels by Australian author Garth Nix.
• In Matty (composed by Johnny Mulhearn), Christy Moore sings about the eponymous farmer meeting his "dark familiar" before he dies. Christopher Andrew 'Christy' Moore (born 7 May 1945 in Newbridge County Kildare, Ireland is a popular Irish Folk singer, songwriter and Guitarist. (alternative lyrics)
• In Jim Butcher's novel series "The Dresden Files", White Council member Injun Joe (also known as "Joseph Listens-to-Wind") possesses a raccoon familiar named Little Brother.
• The MMORPG Runescape features a wide variety of Familiars in the skill called 'Summoning'.
• In the SciFi channel original miniseries Tin Man (a re-imagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), the sorceress Azkadellia has a number of familiars in the form of winged monkeys called "mobats". Azkadellia is a Fictional character played by actresses Kathleen Robertson and Alexia Fast in the Sci Fi channel miniseries Tin
• In the television series Double Dragon, the warrior Daj is given a young dragon to raise as his constant companion. The dragon is a Legendary creature of which some interpretation or depiction appears in almost every culture worldwide
• In Alison Croggon's fantasy series, called Pellinor, the character Hem rescues a white crow from his xenophobic flock. Alison Croggon (born 1962) is a contemporary Australian Poet, Playwright, Fantasy Novelist and Librettist. Pellinor is a Fantasy series by Australian Author Alison Croggon, spanning four Books the last of which will be released This crow, named Irc, becomes Hem's sidekick and is instrumental in fulfilling the quest on which Hem and his sister Maerad have embarked. SideKick was an early Personal Information Manager (PIM Software application by Borland launched in 1983 under Philippe Kahn
• In an Anime series Ghost Hunt, familiars are mentioned on several occasions. is a Manga series based on a Light novel series called the created by Fuyumi Ono. Namely, character Koujo Lin has 5 familiars, which protect him. He donates them to Kazuya Shibuya in one of the last episodes, to keep Kazuya from being possessed by evil fox spirit.

See also

• Daemon (mythology)
• Yekyua - Yakut familiar sprirts. The words daemon, dæmon, are Latinized spellings of the Greek δαίμων ( daimôn) used purposely today to distinguish the daemons Yekyua is a class of Yakut spirits that remain hidden until the snow melts in the Spring Yakuts, self-designation Sakha, are a Turkic -speaking people associated with the Sakha (Yakutia Republic.
• Shikigami Spirits in Japanese folklore who serve onmyoji
• Imp
• Vehicle (Hindu)

References