Harvest-witch

Harvest-witches (or harvest witches) are humans gifted with minor control over nature, a practice they refer to as the old ways. They are not widespread, and live on the fringes of Gilnean society.

Prior to the founding of Arathor, many human tribes had primitive belief systems that incorporated simple nature magic, mainly crude forms of druidism and shamanism. However, the rise of organized religion such as the Holy Light and the arcane magics introduced by the high elves quickly supplanted such traditions. Gilneas, due to its relative isolation, retained a degree of their ancient culture into the contemporary era. The religious leaders of what was in Gilneas referred to as the "old ways" eventually became "harvest-witches", those who used their nature powers to augment Gilneas' agricultural output during and following its period of industrialization.

Due to the presence of harvest-witches in their culture, when Gilneans learned about night elf druids (albeit through second, third, and even fourth-hand sources) they became fascinated by them and their exotic connotations, to the point where many —including the witches themselves —started referring to harvest-witches as "druids", though this was quite far from the truth, as few Gilneans had any idea what a druid actually was. Harvest-witches have a limited control over nature, especially plant life, and the powers of harvest-witches bear a coincidental resemblance to the low-level abilities of actual druids.

At one point after Gilneas cut itself off from the outside world with the Greymane Wall, the kingdom was struck by a famine that drove its inhabitants to the edge of extinction. The harvest-witches, keepers of the old ways, called upon the earth's blessings and restored the harvest, saving the people. King Genn Greymane had heard that "druidism" was practiced among some of Gilneas's agrarian folk, but he was never personally exposed to it until he encountered night elf druids during the Cataclysm.

Harvest-witches who contracted the worgen curse (which is druidic in origin) found that their powers were somewhat amplified. After making first contact with the night elves, cursed harvest witches were offered induction into the Cenarion Circle for study and training. Birch Tomlin refers to himself as a druid as well as being referred to as a harvest-witch, meaning the two terms have likely become synonymous.

• The harvest-witches seem to be thematically based on the real-world Celtic s of ancient Britain (as opposed to the druids in the rest of the Warcraft franchise which have little in common with their real-world namesake). The fate of the old druidic religion of the harvest-witches being replaced by the worship of the Holy Light is similar to Celtic druidism's relationship with Christianity.

• Seraphine of the Winter may be a harvest-witch, considering her concerns for trees and the similarity of her name with Celestine of the Harvest.
• Marl Wormthorn may also have been a harvest-witch, considering he is a worgen druid coming directly from Gilneas with refugees to the Blasted Lands.
• Some of the Kul Tiran humans who were taught druidism by the Drust Thornspeakers likely also had some influence from the harvest-witches, since the first humans on Kul Tiras were Gilnean sailors.

• Repurposed Gilnean Staff