Bruane says:
“Before the coming of the Christians, we were not called “witches”. Whatever ancient meaning the word “witch” may have had, it has been befouled by the meaning the Christians attach to it: a harmful worker of fell magic who serves the powers of darkness.
Originally, we were simply called the People, or the Wise. More ancient names for us have been lost to memory. We use the term “witch” now sometimes out of defiance, and sometimes out of a tounge-in-cheek sense of familiarity. For us, the meaning of the word “witch” will always be different than it’s meaning for the followers of the church. For us, it will always refer to one who follows the Old Faith.
Though in these days, we still tend to call ourselves “Crafters”, “Pellars”, or “The People”, or maybe the “Green Coats” or the “Green Gowns”, depending on if one is a man or woman.”