What is a witch?

[jasonc65]

What is a witch?

1) an evil person with vast powers, which she uses to oppress and rule unjustly
2) a batty old woman; a hag
3) an ugly creature who lives in a cottage in the woods and eats boys
4) a female magician

How you answer that question affects much of how you react when you learn that a female character is a "witch". Just think of Dorothy's reaction when the tornado drops her in Oz, and the Good Witch of the North reveals her identity.

Throughout the Chronicals of Narnia, a witch is 1) an evil person with vast powers. But we see evidence of 4) when Polly comments that Jadis and Uncle Andrew would get along good because they are both "magicians". But all good magicians are men such as Coriakin, Dr. Cornelius, Hermit, etc. Why is this? Swanwhite has some magic about her beauty; is she a magician of sorts? Tolkien does better. In LOTR, an elf with magical powers can be male or female. Likewise, in the Archives of Anthropos, both men and women can have power from the Changer, while anyone who uses "magic" has stolen power. In Harry Potter, the only difference between a Wizard and a Witch is their gender.

I'm a Very Funny Dude. The world is quiet here.

[rosymole]

I think your personal definition of a witch depends on where you encounter them. Last year I met a woman at a party who referred to herself as a witch - meaning she had an inteerst in Wicca practices, Pagan rites and spiritualism - she was really lovely actually and not at all scary!

In books- adult or children witches usually have great power and an air of mystery, and they can be good or bad- the witches in His dark Materials come to mind here.
In history witches were supposedly old hags with mysterious powers but in reality were more like a remnant of the old religious orders who favoured nature, but ere portrayed as evil by the ruling churches.

What about the Witch King of Angmar?!

[crjr9833]

A witch is a magical, and usually evil woman...

[crjr9833]

The Witch King probably means more like King of the Witches.

The Witches in His Dark Materials were interesting. It's a great series.

There are so many worlds where witches are defined differently, i think its hard to say. Its up to you to define what a witch is.

[jasonc65]

Originally Posted by crjr9833

A witch is a magical, and usually evil woman...

But what about Hermione, Glinda, and Samantha from Bewitched? Is Galadriel a magical, and good woman?

[jasonc65]

Think about these funny scenes:

1)
Glinda: And what would you be?

Edmund: I'm Edmund, and I'm not a Dwarf who has cut off his beard or anything, your majesty. I'm a boy. And I have a brother and two sisters. And I don't know where I am or how I got there. Last time I entered that closet, I ended up in Narnia. I sure hope I haven't met the White Witch again?

Glinda: It looks like you're in the wrong story. Just outside my castle you'll see a desert. Everything on this oasis is the land of Oz. And from the Southern border to the Emerald City lies the Country of the Quadlings, which I rule. And I'm afraid I don't know much about this Narnia you've been too. My Great Book of Records only reveals that it was a land protected by Aslan, who is the Creator of all the worlds, and is ruled by children of Adam and Eve, and that there was not one good witch in all its history.

Edmund: Is Oz any different?

Glinda: Well, yes and no. The Historian of Oz never spoke much about religion, but that doesn't mean we don't have our own name for the Creator. A biased reporter with a liberal agenda named Maguire mentions that we have an Unnamed God, which is quite true, but much of what he reports is revisionist history and is on the whole unreliable.

Edmund: And I suppose Oz has good witches?

Glinda: Yes.

Edmund: And how would I know that it's true? Not long after I met the White Witch, I met another woman who I thought looked suspicious. When I asked her how I could know she was not a witch, she said I couldn't know, but only trust. Is it the same, here?

Glinda: I suppose so.

2)
Jadis: What, pray, are you?

Dorothy: I'm a girl from Kansas. Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

Jadis: I'm a Queen, and you will address me properly, you understand?

Dorothy: Yes, your majesty.

Jadis: And do you have any brothers and sisters?

Dorothy: No, and I'm an orphan.

Jadis: Good, then you can't be any threat to me! [waves her wand and turns Dorothy to stone]

[GrayCloak]

Lol, those were amusing.

Originally Posted by jasonc65

What is a witch?

I've always defined a witch as someone who seeks knowledge or power that is not naturally theirs. In classic mythology and occultism, a 'witch' was usually a woman who sold her soul to the devil or gave herself over to possession of a demon in order to obtain 'magical' powers.

In it's essence it was any person (Warlock and sorcerer are the preferred male terms, while witch or sorceress were the feminine) who reaches outside of natural human ability to bend spiritual and earthy forces to their own will.

This definition is not effective to cover everything though, because we have popular characters who are 'witches' (you mentioned Hermione, Glinda, and Galadriel) who obviously get their powers from something outside of themselves.

But the one I gave above is how I evaluate what I specify as a witch; I hope it helps.