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Witch’s Tongue

Folklore
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The secret language of witches, spoken in whispers, rhymes, or inverted prayers, used to cast spells and summon spirits.

Detailed Definition
Witch’s Tongue in poetry symbolizes the power of silenced speech. It appears in lyrical and occult verse as the language of the oppressed—the tongue that dares to speak when all others are bound, where every rhyme is a rebellion.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Macbeth, the witches’ tongue is sharp with prophecy: “All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!”; in Keats’ “Lamia,” the witch’s tongue weaves lies like silk; in Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” the mariner’s tongue is cursed to speak the truth; in Yeats’ “The Second Coming,” the sphinx’s tongue utters the end of the age; in Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus,” the tongue is the instrument of public performance; in Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess,” the duke’s tongue is the weapon of control.
Additional Notes
Witch’s Tongue is the secret language of witches, spoken in whispers, rhymes, or inverted prayers, used to cast spells and summon spirits. In folklore, it is learned in dreams or through bloodline. In poetry, it symbolizes the power of the unsaid, the magic of subversion, and the preservation of forbidden knowledge. Poets use it to explore silence as resistance, and the potency of language that dares not be spoken aloud.
Also Known As
Snake’s Tongue Flame Tongue
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