My horror character themed blog posts have become an unintentional blog series due to their popularity and how fun they are to write. As I come up with my lists of character tropes, I’m often struck by the diversity of each of these classic characters. And this is true of my latest topic in this series: witches.
Witches fit right into the classic horror genre. However, they aren’t always horrific. At their core, they are people, usually women who, in one way or another, are outcasts. And when crafting a witch as a fictional character, there are many directions in which to take them. Below are eight great witch tropes.
The historical witch
When it comes to witches, an easy place to start is with history. Unlike other classic horror characters, witches are real, but their practices became mythologized by those who felt threatened by their lack of conformity. And in many cases, the historically famous witches didn’t even practice witchcraft.
Setting the scene in historical times creates a sense of isolation. There’s nowhere to run from persecution, except into the woods. These townspeople rely on the community for survival, and when that community turns their back on them, it creates tension and desperation.
These historical stories can also be about offering redemption to the victims of history. Author Nathaniel Hawthorne recognized the mistakes of the past in his own family history and their involvement in the Salem Witch Trials. So, he set out to right those wrongs in The Crucible.
There’s something admirable about owning up to the mistakes of the past, even if you’re not the one who made them. But in allowing historical witches to tell their story, it helps to expand on the character, learn from our mistakes, and create morality stories that paint witches as the victims or heroes rather than strictly stereotypical villains.
The stereotypical witch
While I do like modern retellings of historical witch stories, I do still feel like the classic witch should live on in some stories. We still recognize the Wicked Witch of the West’s style as the classic witch look: the black dress, the pointy hat, the green face, the long nose, and the broomstick. And this standard fictional version of a witch should continue to live on in the right stories.
To start with an iconic look and build from that provides so many opportunities in which to take an otherwise overdone character. Flying on broomsticks will always be cool. The dress, hat, and striped stockings remain a great look. Smoking cauldrons will always be creepy. And a black cat is still a classic witch’s ideal companion.
A child’s enemy
When you’re young and you get lost, you’re told to look for someone to help you, particularly a woman. Women are considered safe and harmless, full of maternal instinct that will protect and comfort children. Making the villain of a story an evil old female witch is terrifying because it goes against everything we’ve been taught.
From Dorothy Gale to Hansel and Gretel, kids battling a witch is always exciting because they are a formidable foe to young heroes. They are crafty, powerful, and often scary to even look at. This makes it even more satisfying to see the kids win out because they have to use their heads, gather their courage, and usually form a team of allies to defeat these superpowered old ladies, and they often win out.
The teen witch
Witchcraft as a metaphor for puberty is especially intriguing to teen readers. Your body transforming from a child to an adult can be a terrible and powerless experience. Add to that the trials and tribulations of being a witch, and suddenly, a standard high school experience seems manageable.
The experience can take a lighthearted turn, such as with Sabrina The Teenage Witch or a horrifying one, like the girls in The Craft. In both cases, an abundance of power can be as overwhelming as feeling as if you have no power at all.
It’s with experience that we come into our own, witches or not. But throwing in the witch element gives it an extra fun spin on the typical teenage experience.
The good witch
Good witches in stories are the ally that help to dispel the stereotypes and create a super helpful character for the heroes to lean on. They are often more beautiful and grounded than the villainous witch. They are also doorways into the world of spells, tools, and rules of magic as they are often willing to explain their practices to our heroes and, inadvertently, audiences.
The practice of witchcraft is often the most interesting part of the story. Getting to see witches brew potions, say their spells, and use a ton of unorthodox ingredients is fascinating, whether they are authentic to actual witch practices or fictional, such as in the world of Harry Potter.
Good witches also tend to remind us that power is best used intelligently, selflessly, and with great care, making them the moral center of the story. It also teaches us not to judge a book by its cover.
Witch transport
The way in which witches get around makes for a fascinating character trait. Broomsticks are the usual tool for flight and transportation. The fact that they can take an ordinary, everyday object and turn it into a flying machine makes for a stunning visual and a scary idea. It gives them a one-up on their victims, even modern-day ones who have modern-day vehicles but still haven’t mastered the art of just taking off into the air at will.
I’m also intrigued by the Salem Witch Trials accusations involving witches astral projecting their spirit forms into different places, including in court. To be able to pull yourself out of your body and transport yourself to another place in order to torment your enemies or discreetly gather information adds an extra layer of creepiness to a witch’s already impressive power.
Witches can also get around by shapeshifting, often into animals. I once read a legend in a book about supernatural legends where a Pennsylvanian man claimed to have seen a cat climb into his window one night. He threw his boot at the animal, and the cat fell to the ground and ran off limping.
The next day, the man saw his elderly female neighbor limping as she walked, and he assumed that she was the cat that he had thrown his boot at the night before and had hobbled her. I found this not only funny but interesting as to how easy it is to put two unrelated details together to form a cohesive story that fits your personal narrative.
Witches can also turn you into animals, from Binx the cat in Hocus Pocus to the young boys turned into mice in The Witches. To be able to shapeshift is one thing. To have someone shapeshift you against your will with no telling if you will change back or how much they have shortened your lifespan is an awful fate to befall a witch’s victim.
Covens
The lone witch out in the woods is spooky, mysterious, and maybe even misunderstood. It can sound like a peaceful life, especially when yours feels chaotic and the idea of solace is appealing.
But covens are a great dynamic that allow different witches to play off each other for better or worse. Women crave sisterhood, but sisterhood can also mean bickering, backstabbing, and even dueling. At the same time, there’s a common interest, goal, or intention that works like any other family or workplace dynamic.
Covens can add to the stakes if evil or present a united front if they are the heroes. It can also allow for different personalities to shine through. Audiences get to latch onto the personalities with which they most identify or the skillsets or looks that are most appealing to them.
Witches are outcasts, but being an outcast doesn’t mean being alone. And if witches can find a community where they belong, it gives hope to the rest of us who are looking for a coven of our own.
The modern witch
Modern witch stories give off a more relatable feel because they are set in familiar surroundings with the most current technology, social norms, and situations. Modern stories can also work in contemporary themes and add to growing conversations about our current society and worldviews from the perspectives of this unorthodox character.
Audiences are looking for more authenticity in stories in general these days. Modern witches can help educate us non-witches on the more accurate practices of modern witchcraft.
Aesthetic is also important to modern stories. Fans online are always gushing over the Practical Magic house. We all applauded the MCU’s Scarlet Witch’s authentic costume change at the end of WandaVision. Modern witch stories have the opportunity to create new iconic elements for witches set in today’s world.
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Final thoughts on witches
Ultimately, witches are multifaceted and are always evolving for better or worse. Because they are essentially human, they can continue to be well-rounded as both good and evil characters, traditional and contemporary, authentic or cartoonish. It all works as long as it works for their particular story. And the word “witch” will always alert my curiosity to check out what form they will take from story to story.
What are your favorite witch tropes? Leave your answers in the comments below!
Also check out:
10 of the Scariest Types of Horror Stories
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It’s interesting to see how stories of witches started as an oppressive narrative in the witch trial era, but in our modern day, many women are taking the narrative back into one of empowerment. Thanks for the great read!
It is interesting how a concept can evolve over a period of time, especially when it evolves into something more positive and enlightening. Thanks for reading and commenting!