Art by Alex Bear
Our Favorite Witches
It must be the season of the witch. Agatha Harkness, Wiccan, and Jenn are stirring up trouble on the world’s worst road trip. Elphaba and Glinda are defying gravity at wizarding school—no Shiz. While some fans keep fabricating the falsehood that Lydia and Astrid aren’t witches, but repping goth is a kind of magic—deep, dark, summoning magic. It’s time to harvest the belladonna, put the lime in the coconut, and drink from the cauldron of this bewitching list of the best witches (signed, Sherin):
Evillene
from The Wiz
The Wicked Witch of the West has many faces, but her drag was never more impeccable than in The Wiz. That’s where Mutha Evillene’s command to “Work!” buckled the knees of the minions and became the only way to stomp the runway. Elphaba could never (but we love it when she tries defying gravity). (Sherin Nicole)
Sally & Gillian Owens
from Practical Magic
Raised in a small town by their eccentric aunts (read: witches Aunt France and Aunt Jet), two witch sisters, Sally and Gillian, have to break a curse that prevents them from ever finding lasting love. (Day Al-Mohamed)
“There are some things I know for certain: always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can.”
Gillian Holroyd
from Bell, Book and Candle
Gillian Holroyd in Bell, Book and Candle, she’s a bohemian New Yorker who is also a witch. With her Siamese cat Pyewacket, she casts a spell over Jimmy Stewart and steals him away from a college nemesis. (N. Renee Brown)
Nancy Downs
from The Craft
The maligned and under-appreciated “H.E.R.O.INE” from The Craft brought magic to the Basics and made their lives better…but she was unfairly institutionalized for her charity. Somebody call Tiffie, we need Villain PR on this. (Philip Jean-Pierre)
Samantha Stevens
from Bewitched
Samantha Stevens was my favorite witch as a kid. I loved Bewitched! She had the patience of Job with her dumb ass husband and meddling, controlling mom. (Monique Pearl)
Kiki
from Kiki’s Delivery Service
Kiki, a 13-year-old witch, flies into the town of Koriko with her cat, Jiji, and starts a flying delivery service. But when she loses her magic, she must learn to trust herself and discover what inspires her powers in time to save a friend. (Angie Henry)
Wendol Mother
from The 13th Warrior
If aesthetics and deus ex machina-ery were manifested. Full stop. Wendol Mother didn’t do much but she left an impression. (Philip Jean-Pierre + Sherin Nicole)
Ursula
from The Little Mermaid
Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of people like losing your autonomy. Yet Ursula from Disney’s The Little Mermaid can enchant almost anyone with her theatricality and vocal aplomb. For poor unfortunate souls like Princess Ariel is the promise of attaining your heart’s desire worth the cost of losing voice? (Kat Bittner)
Quifrey
from Witch Hat Atelier
I started reading Witch Hat Atelier this year and immediately fell in love with Qifrey! Warm, cozy, and ultra-protective of everyone he loves. (Erin Hawley)
Sabrina
from Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (from the ABC universe) was a childhood hero of mine. She was clever and powerful and had an excellent support system. Even though she often made mistakes, she always learned from them and I wanted to be just like her. Turns out I might actually be more of a Salem the cat but hey, he had magic too! (Sam Devotta)
Rosemary & Athena Thorn
from the Myrtlewood Mysteries series by Iris Beaglehole
When Rosemary Thorn and her daughter Athena move to the magical town of Myrtlewood, they soon discover they’re from a bloodline of powerful witches. With pagan-inspired festivals and eccentric neighbors abound, the Thorns have many more witchy mysteries to unravel—fueled by lots of tea and chocolate. (Alex Bear)
Mother Aniseya / Dragon Queen
from The Acolyte and Bad Monkey
If you’re going to be the baddest witch, do it in every galaxy. These alternate-universe doppelgängers, Mother Aniseya and Dragon Queen were hated for their beauty and their craft; but when we say they’re immortalized—believe it. We’ll see them again. Hopefully in the MCU as the weather goddess (aka a witch called Storm). (Sherin Nicole)
Galadriel
from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Anyone older than the moon likely has a few tricks up their sleeve—especially when it means staying fair and true. With her Ring of Power Nenya, the Lady of Light long ruled over the enchanted woods of Lothlórien, where it is said those who enter seldom return. But in order to become such a powerful force against Sauron and find the light, she had to first touch the darkness… (Alex Bear)
Endora
from Bewitched
The matriarch from Bewitched, Endora is the original “Dat Witch.” (Philip Jean-Pierre)
Wendy the Good Little Witch
from Harvey Comics
Friend of Casper the Friendly Ghost, doer of good deeds. (Drew Bittner)
Bonnie Bennett
from Vampire Diaries
I gotta throw my girl Bonnie Bennett into the mix because even though I’m not a huge fan of the actress who played her, I loved the whole concept of Vampire Diaries‘ Bonnie and the powerful Black witches of Mystic Falls. (Monique Pearl)
The Halliwell Sisters
from Charmed
Piper, Phoebe, Prudence and Paige Hallowell from Charmed had their moments. (Drew Bittner)
Soma’s Coven
the ones we couldn’t forget
Ooh, so many:
1. All three witches in The 13th Warrior
2. Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie from The Witches of Eastwick (grungy, organic magic)
3. Miss Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (kitchen witch from my formative years)
4. Mary Poppins (don’t @me)
5. Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone
6. AND let’s not forget this goddess: Lamia from Stardust, she’s ruthless and unapologetic—loved that journey for her. (Soma Brodhun)