History Main / WitchClassic

* The witches in the Neitherworld in ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'' are very classic in their look. During the HalloweenEpisode in which Beetlejuice and Lydia have to rescue Percy (Lydia's cat) from a witch going undercover into a witches' coven Lydia goes for the more VaneSorceres attire whilst Beetlejuice chooses the classic look.
* Witches also exist in ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' universe, apparently as a supernatural specie of beings, unlike other creatures their alignment may vary as the witch appearing in episode "If I Were a Witch Man" was evil and the one in episode Kitty-Cornered was friendly. But have the classic witch look though.

Alternatively, they may appear naked. This is not an artistic convention to allow depiction of nudity but atrope is found in traditional cultures all over the world: practioners of wicked magic work their rites unclothed -- probably reflecting the antisocial nature of the magic.

* '''Association with Nature and the Earth''': Witches are often portrayed as very knowledgeable in the workings of nature, especially plants and weather. Whereas a WizardClassic will have his [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} head in the clouds]], always watching the stars, a witch will be CloserToEarth watching the seasons turn and advising people when to plant their crops. It's common for witches to [[SolitarySorceress live alone]] [[LostWoods in the woods]], and to be a NatureLover and OutdoorsyGal. A witch probably has a GreenThumb too, so she can grow herbs for her magic potions, or just to scent her home-made soaps. Being more in tuned with nature, they usually [[DoesNotLikeShoes go barefoot]].

While the term ''witch'' itself is often applied as a catch-all word for female magic users in fiction, the witch, as it has evolved out of Western traditions and folklore, has a number of distinct trappings and tropes.

* '''[[RobeAndWizardHat Traditional Witchy Attire]]''': Black medieval or colonial period dresses and a [[NiceHat pointy hat]], also black, are the most traditional, but not every witch buys into the uniform. Often they dress normally, especially if the want to blend in, and the traditional clothing only comes out for spell casting or ceremonies. The HotWitch especially tends to dress more wildly while the WickedWitch is almost always traditionally attired. {{Goth}} clothing is also associated with classic witches, as is the NewAgeRetroHippie's typical style of flowy garments.

In early western tradition, the witch was predominantly an evil figure. Often they were associated with pagan religion and traditions or outright devil worship (which to the predominantly Christian Europe, generally amounted to the same thing), but this particular portrayal of the evil witch, known nowadays as a WickedWitch, was most likely invented by witch hunters and targeted against the weakest sections of the populace, such as old women, who were unable to field an effective legal defense.

* '''Witchcraft''': Witches practice witchcraft specifically as their [[UnEqualRites type of magic]], which, because of the above aspect, is usually strongly tied to nature and may resemble European pagan-like traditions. Commonly their magic employs the use of herbs and [[EyeOfNewt strange ingredients like "Eye Of Newt"]] bubbling away in cauldrons, as well as night ceremonies under the moon. Usually a witch has a SpellBook, perhaps passed down through the family. In Modern media, Witchcraft is strongly associated with [[HollywoodStyle Hollywood versions]] of RealLife religions of ''UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}}'' and other forms of ''UsefulNotes/NeoPaganism''[[note]], though most practitioners of these religions would not consider themselves "witches" and to call them as such could be taken as insulting, though media tends not to differentiate.[[/note]] although in the past they were associated with many forms of local folk traditions. Witches usually belong to 'covens'—a group of witches who practice together and share knowledge and resources and often get together to cast more powerful spells. Witches do not usually use a MagicWand or MagicStaff, those items are more commonly associated with [[WizardClassic Wizards and Sorcerers]].

* '''Association with Nature and the Earth''': Witches are often portrayed as very knowledgeable in the workings of nature, especially plants and weather. Whereas a WizardClassic will have his [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} head in the clouds]], always watching the stars, a witch will be CloserToEarth watching the seasons turn and advising people when to plant their crops. It's common for witches to [[SolitarySorceress live alone]] [[LostWoods in the woods]], and to be a NatureLover and OutdoorsyGal. A witch probably has a GreenThumb too, so she can grow herbs for her magic potions, or just to scent her home-made soaps.

* In ''KikisDeliveryService'', the titular Kiki is a witch-in-training. She doesn't wear the pointed hat but does wear a black dress, rides on a broomstick and has a black cat who she can speak to through magic. Her mother does magic with potions but other witches do things like fortune telling. Witches go on a journey to live along for a year as part of their training, and leaving on a full moon is the best night.

* Many characters in the ''DorrieTheWitch'' books fit this, including Dorrie herself and her mother.

[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]

[[AC:Film]]
* The Wicked Witch of the West from ''TheWizardOfOz'', is a very famous version of a classic witch. She wears black, rides a broom, has the pointy hat and has a sister.

[[AC:Literature]]
* Witches in ''{{Discworld}}''. The pointy hats are very important, since a lot of being a witch is based on everyone else ''seeing'' you as a witch. The black clothes seem to be mostly because witches are practical and black is hard-wearing. Nanny Ogg and more recently Granny Weatherwax have cats. Broomsticks are generally only used by witches, even though they're made by dwarfs and can be flown by anyone, even without magical talent. One difference from the standard version is that although witches are AlwaysFemale, and Discworld magic is hereditary, witchcraft ''isn't'' passed down from mother to daughter here, it being considered that young witches should learn from another witch with a different way of doing things to prevent a family's magical style from coiling in on itself.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* [[LargeHam Witchiepoo]] in Creator/SidAndMartyKrofftProductions' ''HRPufnstuf'' is this turned UpToEleven. She's got all the traditional traits including hat and broom riding as well as the WickedWitch ones like a tendency to mess up a child's day.

* Creator/HannaBarbera produced the opening animation for ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' in which Samantha Stevens wears the conical hat and dark cape, and rides a broom sidesaddle. Since Samantha herself usually averts this, the opening clues in the audience from get-go that she's a practicing witch, masquerading as a suburban housewife.

[[AC:{{Theater}}]]
* The witches in Shakespeare's ''{{Macbeth}}''. They cackle, rhyme, and have a cauldron full of nasty stuff.

[[AC:VideoGames]]

* Except for the lack of a cat, ''{{Touhou}}'''s Marisa Kirisame is an example in both the modern Windows games and the, appearance wise, completely different, PC-9801 era Marisa.
* The witches from ''CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'' and ''CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow''. They are actually a staple of the ''Castlevania'' series.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* The Characters/TomAndJerry cartoon "The Flying Sorceress" has a classic witch with almost every feature: conical hat with wide brim, flying broom, witchcraft, wicked cackle, haunted house ... missing only the feline familiar. Tom Cat arrives at her home to apply for the position of cat companion.
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* [[VideoGame/RedEarth Tessa]] would seem to be a modern update of this trope (if not, she comes close). Her robes are white and a bit more festive and revealing than your traditional witch, not to mention that she uses a magic wand, but she has the trademark pointed hat (which appears to be alive in some depictions), owns four cats (two of which--Al and Ivan--actually aid her in battle), is often shown thumbing through what is presumably her spell book, and is seen riding on a broomstick during ''Pocket Fighter/Super Gem Fighter: Mini-Mix''. The only difference is that [[InsistentTerminology she refers to herself as a sorcerologist]], one who employs magic in her studies to discern the nature of the universe, and as such, Tessa's brand of witchcraft seems to be a mix of classical cauldron brewing and alchemy.

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' has two witches named Matoya, in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''. The latter one is a specific MythologyGag of the first. Both of them have the classic appearance, but the XIV incarnation wears shades of blue. Interestingly, they have ''several'' magic brooms, which are enchanted to be semi-sentient and mostly clean her cave home. The XIV version also has [[FrogsAndToads Porrogos]] as familiars, which are also sentient.

* '''[[TheWeirdSisters Associated with the number 3]]''': For whatever reason, Witches are often seen in threes and involve three in their magic or worship. If a witch has sisters, she's probably part of a trio of siblings. A coven also usually has at least three members, or do magic in groups of three. This is most likely related to the concepts of TheThreeFacesOfEve and TheHecateSisters, two tropes that link the number three with both women and divinity.

* '''[[NumerologicalMotif Associated with the number 3]]''': For whatever reason, Witches are often seen in threes and involve three in their magic or worship. If a witch has sisters, she's probably part of a trio of siblings. A coven also usually has at least three members, or do magic in groups of three. This is most likely related to the concepts of TheThreeFacesOfEve and TheHecateSisters, two tropes that link the number three with both women and divinity.

A witch shown in a modern setting, in genres such as UrbanFantasy, tend to forgo a lot of the traditional associations and tropes tied to the Witch, such as the attire and the broom riding, the character often seeing it as "too traditional". A common modern variation is for the witch to ride a [[PostModernMagik vacuum cleaner]] [[PlayedForLaughs as a joke]]. They usually acknowledge they are descendant from, or taught by witches in the European Tradition.

While the term ''witch'' itself is often applied as a catch-all word for female magic users in fiction, the witch as it has evolved out of Western traditions and folklore, has a number of distinct trappings and tropes.

* Blair the Cat in ''SoulEater'' fits into this, although she's technically a cat with strong magic (and thus the ability to shapeshift into a CatGirl form). Angela (a child witch) is the only other non-antagonistic witch in the series who wears black. The rest of the witches are either a WickedWitch (and wear the standard outfit, but modified with an AnimalMotif and different colours) or avert the trope entirely (particularly Kim, although her non-witch [[LivingWeapon partner]] just happens to have a flying broom form).

* [[LargeHam Witchiepoo]] in SidAndMartyKrofftProductions' ''HRPufnstuf'' is this turned UpToEleven. She's got all the traditional traits including hat and broom riding as well as the WickedWitch ones like a tendancy to mess up a child's day.
* The titular ''SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'', who had a black cat who was a former warlock, but other than that was rather devoid of most witchy tropes. Her aunts on the other hand, play it pretty straight, being sisters with the flowy gypsy-like clothes and the occasional potion brewing.

In modern media, witches tend to be more neutral or outright good figures. Media that has both often has a GoodWitchVersusBadWitch dynamic. Usually good witches are pretty and bad witches are very ugly, though when an evil witch is beautiful, she's usually a VainSorceress. Witches are often shown in contrast to a WizardClassic, sometimes being rivals or outright enemies, or just often having differences in opinion.

* GoodWitchVersusBadWitch: The process in fiction by witch the original WickedWitch became a Good WitchClassic.

* Witches in ''RosarioToVampire'' are a ''species'' of "monsters" despite looking like humans, and conform to the traditional Witch stereotypes, including the pointed hat, cape, broomstick-riding, use wands with pentagrams on them. What breaks the traditional mold, though, is that men are members of this species as well, and they have hats, capes, and the works.

* Witch Hazel from ''Franchise/LooneyTunes''.
** Creator/{{Disney}} also had a Witch Hazel in the WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck short "Trick or Treat". The only thing the two have in common, beside the name, is that they're both voiced by Creator/JuneForay.

While the term ''witch'' itself is often applied as a catch-all word for female magic users in fiction, the {{Witch}} as it has evolved out of Western traditions and folklore, has a number of distinct trappings and tropes.

* '''[[RobeAndWizardHat Traditional Witchy Attire]]''': Black medieval or colonial period dresses and a [[NiceHat pointy hat]], also black, are the most traditional, but not every witch buys into the uniform. Often they dress normally, especially if the want to blend in, and the traditional clothing only comes out for spell casting or ceremonies. The HotWitch especially tends to dress more wildly while the WickedWitch is almost always traditionally attired. {{Goth}} clothing is also associated with classic witches, as is the {{New Age Retro Hippie}}'s typical style of flowy garments.

* ''' Animal Companions''': Witches are often seen around animals, especially nocturnal ones, although [[AllWitchesHaveCats cats are the most common by far]], especially black ones. The animal is usually a {{Familiar}} that aids in spells in some way or is sometimes magic in their own right. The animals being able to communicate with their owners through telepathy, or just being able to speak to all humans, is common. When a Witch doesn't have a cat, other animals they might have include owls, crows, toads and mice.
* '''Association with Nature and the Earth''': Witches are often portrayed as very knowledgeable in the workings of nature, especially plants and weather. Whereas a WizardClassic will have his [[CloudCuckoolander head in the clouds]], always watching the stars, a witch will be CloserToEarth watching the seasons turn and advising people when to plant their crops. It's common for witches to [[SolitarySorceress live alone]] [[LostWoods in the woods]], and to be a NatureLover and OutdoorsyGal. A witch probably has a GreenThumb too, so she can grow herbs for her magic potions, or just to scent her home-made soaps.
* '''Witchcraft''': Witches practice '''witchcraft''' specifically as their [[UnEqualRites type of magic]], which, because of the above aspect, is usually strongly tied to nature and may resemble European pagan-like traditions. Commonly their magic employs the use of herbs and [[EyeOfNewt strange ingredients like "Eye Of Newt"]] bubbling away in cauldrons, as well as night ceremonies under the moon. Usually a witch has a SpellBook, perhaps passed down through the family. In Modern media, Witchcraft is strongly associated with [[HollywoodStyle Hollywood versions]] of RealLife religions of ''{{Wicca}}'' and other forms of ''NeoPaganism'' [[note]], though most practitioners of these religions would not consider themselves 'witches' and to call them as such could be taken as insulting, though media tends not to differentiate.[[/note]] although in the past they were associated with many forms of local folk traditions. Witches usually belong to 'covens'—a group of witches who practice together and share knowledge and resources and often get together to cast more powerful spells. Witches do not usually use a MagicWand or MagicStaff, those items are more commonly associated with [[WizardClassic Wizards and Sorcerers]].
* '''Associated with Femininity and Sistership''': Witches are associated with femininity and sistership, despite the fact that traditionally and even in most media, witches are not AlwaysFemale. For male witches to be possible is common, though in-universe they are often considered [[RareMaleExample rarer than female witches]], and in truth most witch characters in media ''are'' female, like the classic image. If male witches do not share the term 'witch', they are sometimes called 'warlocks'. Witches also tend to have sisters, for whatever reason, and they have a strong tradition of passing their magic down from mother to daughter.

In early western tradition, the {{Witch}} was predominantly an evil figure. Often they were associated with pagan religion and traditions or outright devil worship (which to the predominantly Christian Europe, generally amounted to the same thing), but this particular portrayal of the evil witch, known nowadays as a WickedWitch, was most likely invented by witch hunters and targeted against the weakest sections of the populace, such as old women, who were unable to field an effective legal defense.

A {{Witch}} shown in a modern setting, in genres such as UrbanFantasy, tend to forgo a lot of the traditional associations and tropes tied to the Witch, such as the attire and the broom riding, the character often seeing it as "too traditional". A common modern variation is for the witch to ride a [[PostModernMagik vacuum cleaner]] [[PlayedForLaughs as a joke]]. They usually acknowledge they are descendant from, or taught by witches in the European Tradition.

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* Witch Hazel from ''LooneyTunes''.
** Disney also had a Witch Hazel in the DonaldDuck short "Trick or Treat". The only thing the two have in common, beside the name, is that they're both voiced by JuneForay.
* ''HannaBarbera's'' Winnie Witch, who is a lot like the Witch Hazels above.

* The Characters/TomAndJerry cartoon "The Flying Sorceress" has a classic witch with almost every feature: conical hat with wide brim, flying broom, witchcraft, wicked cackle, haunted house ... missing only the feline familiar. Tom Cat arrives at her home to apply for the position of cat companion.

* The students of ''Literature/TheWorstWitch'' fit the mold as witches in training.

* GoodWitchVersusBadWitch: When witches choose sides.