"The Magic Rhonds" by Vyrne "The Magic Rhonds" is a fantastical tale written by Vyrne, an acclaimed fantasy author. In this enchanting story, readers are transported to a magical world filled with vibrant characters and captivating adventures. The book follows the journey of a young orphan named Elara, who discovers a hidden portal that leads her to the land of Rhonds. This mystical world is inhabited by various magical creatures and governed by a wise and powerful ruler, King Aelwyn. Elara soon becomes entangled in a quest to restore the balance of magic in Rhonds, which has been disrupted by an evil sorcerer. Throughout the narrative, Vyrne weaves a rich tapestry of fantastical elements and intricate world-building.
Hollywood portrays us to be these dark magick, wart covered, slug eating, youth chasing beings. It couldn’t be more wrong. The majority of witches I know embrace being who they are. We embrace growing old, celebrating our natural beauty in confidence. We preach kindness, gratitude and acceptance. However, there are some that will practice ‘black magick’, though I’m yet to meet one.
These profiles also provide examples and tips on how the runes and plants may be combined within spells and ritual for manifesting, protecting, healing, banishing, and more. It feels a bit mysterious, maybe even ridiculous, to those who don t practice it, but for those who do, it s a tool to change the way they interact with the world.
Throughout the narrative, Vyrne weaves a rich tapestry of fantastical elements and intricate world-building. Readers are introduced to mythical creatures such as unicorns, fairies, and dragons, each with their own unique abilities and characteristics. The author's vivid descriptions bring these creatures and their surroundings to life, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the magical realm of Rhonds.
What Does It Mean to Be a Witch Today?
Frances F. Denny (b. 1984). Shine, (New York, New York), 2017, from Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America series. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of Frances F. Denny and ClampArt, New York, NY
In 1692, a panic swept through Salem, Massachusetts. More than 200 people—mostly women—were accused of witchcraft; 20 were executed, and five more died in prison. What led a quiet New England town to turn against itself, and why, three centuries later, do these trials continue to captivate Americans?
A new exhibition at the New-York Historical Society (N-YHS), “The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming,” transports viewers to that bleak New England winter—and invites us to consider how we might have reacted to such events.
“It’s a call to re-examine our own behavior in moments of crisis,” says Anna Danziger Halperin, associate director of the N-YHS Center for Women’s History and the exhibition’s coordinating curator. “Everyone wants to think they would respond on the side of justice, but it’s really easy to get carried along and turn on one another.”
The exhibition evokes this history largely through rare documents, including the confession—no doubt given under duress—of Tituba, an enslaved Indigenous woman. But it also includes modern reclamations, including photographs by Frances F. Denny, a descendant of one of the Salem judges, that focus on present-day people who identify as witches.
Frances F. Denny (b. 1984). Keavy, (Brooklyn, New York), 2016, from Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America series. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of Frances F. Denny and ClampArt, New York, NY
Denny, it turns out, has not one but two ancestors directly involved in the witch hunts of 17th-century America—Samuel Sewall, the judge, and Mary Bliss Parsons, a woman who was accused and acquitted of witchcraft some years earlier. Denny, who has long focused her lens on the ways that female identity is constructed in America, began thinking about the term “witch” as a “primordial female archetype.”
In her portrait series and book, titled Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America, she captures how the word “witch” has evolved from a potentially deadly label her ancestor rejected to something embraced by many people today.
“Witch” has always been a capacious term. “Never one thing, she was several different beings at once,” historian Lyndal Roper writes in The Witch in the Western Imagination. All at once a seductress and a hag; a cunning shapeshifter and a gullible fool tricked into the service of the devil. The late journalist and Wiccan priestess Margot Adler wrote in Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers and Other Pagans in America that it’s exactly this “imprecision,” this ambiguity, that gives the word “witch” its power.
Frances F. Denny (b. 1984). Karen, (Brooklyn, New York), 2016, from Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America series. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of Frances F. Denny and ClampArt, New York, NY
Major Arcana doesn’t attempt to narrow down what it means to be a witch; the series’ power is in broadening our view of who witches are and what they believe. “As I started photographing, it became evident to me that a witch is not one thing,” Denny says. “You can hardly call it a community of witchcraft, because it’s so diverse.” Denny’s subjects vary not just by race but also by age, geography, gender identity, belief system and more.
Some of her subjects, who chose the outfits they would be pictured in, wore black capes—and yet most of them do not like the stereotypical witches that will flood the streets this Halloween. One, the high priestess of a Wiccan church and a surgical coordinator at an organ procurement agency, is pictured in her scrubs.
The group includes Wiccans and Vodou priestesses, green witches and kitchen witches, sex witches, cat witches, anarchist witches and a great many activist witches. Alongside many of the portraits in Denny’s series, both in the book and in the exhibition, the subjects provide text defining “witch” or “witchcraft” for themselves. (Many of these texts are read by the subjects themselves in an audio track that accompanies the portraits in the NYH-S exhibition.)
“Frankly, I think that if your witchcraft is not political, you are still asleep,” Leonore Tjia, a witch from Montpelier, Vermont, told Denny. “In a culture as racist and patriarchal and transphobic and homophobic and materialistic as ours is, if you don’t see the way witchcraft is radical and revolutionary, you have some waking up to do.”
Frances F. Denny (b. 1984). Leonore, (Montpelier, Vermont), 2016, from Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America series. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of Frances F. Denny and ClampArt, New York, NY
“Generations of women’s rights activists have looked at the history of witch hunts as a way of controlling and oppressing women’s behavior,” says Halperin.
In 19th-century America, Transcendentalism and first-wave feminism swept across the nation, and suffragists saw accused witches as fellow victims of a violent and ignorant patriarchy. In the second wave of feminism in the 1960s and ’70s, witchcraft was seen as a code for the skills, knowledge or independence obtained by women who men viewed as a threat, such as healing, midwifery or financial independence. In recent years, as the #MeToo movement took hold, a new generation of witches are sharing spells to “hex the patriarchy” on “WitchTok” (the occult corner of the social media platform TikTok) and in mainstream publications like TeenVogue.
Indeed, as Bianca Bosker writes in the Atlantic, the popularity of witchcraft has always spiked during periods of turmoil in the United States, from the Civil War to the Trump era, as people disillusioned with the status quo seek something new. The tides of feminism and witchcraft have always been tightly linked.
“Show me your witches, and I’ll show you your feelings about women,” writes Pam Grossman, author and host of the podcast “The Witch Wave,” and one of Denny’s subjects, in her own book Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic and Power.
Of course, one need not identify as a woman to be a witch. Major Arcana includes witches who are transgender, nonbinary and genderqueer. Even men can be witches, though none are featured in the portrait series.
As in any diverse community, disagreements bubble up. For some of the “old guard” witches who came up in the countercultural ’60s and ’70s, the mainstreaming of the occult is an assault on an identity that hinges on its fringe nature. Meanwhile, some modern witches who have had this identity used against them by abusers and family court systems see it as a pathway to safety and acceptance.
What unifies the group, in Denny’s view, is that so many of the witches in Major Arcana are using witchcraft as a healing modality. They turned to the occult to process trauma, to endure chronic illness or to find empowerment. Brooklyn-based witch Alex Patrick Dyck writes in Major Arcana, “we can heal ourselves to better heal others and our communities.”
This is a far cry from the historical definition of a witch—the one Denny’s ancestor rejected—as a malicious person who harms others through magical means.
Indeed, one of the widely accepted definitions of magic within the community, which comes from British occultist Dion Fortune, who lived in the first half of the 20th century, is “the art of changing consciousness at will.” Magic, in that sense, is a lot like meditation, or therapy, or psychedelics. It feels a bit mysterious, maybe even ridiculous, to those who don’t practice it, but for those who do, it’s a tool to change the way they interact with the world.
“At the end of the day, what is witchcraft?” Denny says. “It’s about finding alternative systems for processing the world around you, for connecting to the Earth, and for healing something in yourself or something in somebody else.”
What’s more human than that?
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This article is a selection from the November/December 2022 issue of Smithsonian magazine
As Elara embarks on her quest, she encounters various challenges and trials, testing her courage and determination. With the help of her newfound companions, she must gather the seven ancient artifacts scattered across Rhonds in order to defeat the sorcerer and restore harmony to the land. Along the way, she learns valuable lessons about resilience, friendship, and the power of belief. Vyrne's writing style is imaginative and lyrical, evoking a sense of wonder and awe. The author's attention to detail and intricate plot twists keep readers engaged from beginning to end. "The Magic Rhonds" is a timeless tale that appeals to readers of all ages, offering an escape into a world where magic and adventure await. In conclusion, "The Magic Rhonds" is a spellbinding fantasy novel that transports readers to an enchanting world of magic and adventure. Vyrne's vivid storytelling and imaginative world-building create a captivating narrative that will leave readers longing for more. This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys tales of bravery, friendship, and the enduring power of magic..
Reviews for "The Spectacular Blooms of Vyrne's Rhododendrons: A Visual Treat"
1. Jane - 2/5 stars - I found "The Magic Rhonds" by Vyrne to be quite disappointing. The storyline felt repetitive and lacked originality. The characters were one-dimensional and didn't evolve throughout the book. I also felt that the pacing was quite slow, making it difficult to stay engaged. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to others as there are much better fantasy novels out there.
2. Michael - 1/5 stars - "The Magic Rhonds" by Vyrne was a complete letdown for me. The writing style was amateurish, with numerous grammatical errors and awkward sentences that made it difficult to follow the story. Additionally, the plot was predictable and lacked any exciting twists or surprises. I struggled to connect with the characters as they felt flat and lacked depth. I would not recommend wasting your time on this book.
3. Amanda - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for "The Magic Rhonds" by Vyrne but ultimately found it underwhelming. The world-building was lackluster, leaving me with no clear understanding of the setting or the magical elements. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult to believe in the interactions between the characters. While the premise had potential, the execution fell flat, and I was left feeling unsatisfied with the overall reading experience.
4. Robert - 2/5 stars - "The Magic Rhonds" by Vyrne didn't appeal to me at all. The writing style was bland and lacked creativity, and the descriptions were uninspiring. The plot meandered without a clear direction, and the constant introduction of new characters only added to the confusion. I had hoped for a gripping fantasy adventure, but I was left feeling bored and unengaged. I would not recommend this book to readers seeking a captivating read in the fantasy genre.
5. Emily - 1/5 stars - "The Magic Rhonds" by Vyrne was a complete waste of time. The characters were forgettable, and I felt no emotional connection to any of them. The dialogue was unrealistic and often filled with cliches. The pacing was incredibly slow, and it took too long for anything substantial to happen in the story. I struggled to find any redeeming qualities in this book and would not recommend it to anyone searching for a compelling fantasy read.