Witch Myths in Fiction

	Index Vampires Shapeshifters Witchcraft
	Comparison of Witch Myths in Popular Fiction last update: 2 June 2000
	This is a list I've compiled of common myths about witches and how they appear in contemporary fiction. It's a slightly different list from the fictional universes from the vampire and shapeshifter pages. If a myth appears here, it means that somewhere, in some legend, movie, piece of fiction, etc. I've seen it (no matter how obscure), even if it doesn't apply to any of my examples. A question mark in place of an entry means that I don't know how or whether the myth applies. An entry with a question mark (?) next to the entry means that I gave it my best guess and an entry with an asterisk () indicates that the answer is too complex to put in that tiny little box and I used my best approximation. The list is grouped into subtopics, but is otherwise in no particular order. If you'd like to be helpful, please do email me with additions or corrections and I'll put them in. (Please mention witches or myths in the subject header so I'll be sure to notice it.) Go ahead, argue with me, I'm nothing like infallible - I could easily be wrong. Also, at this stage of development, I'd love to hear about myths and legends I don't have listed yet, or any mainstream* fictional universes I could use. Important Disclaimer: There are real people in the real world who self-identify as witches. This page is not about them. It's about the way "witches" are portrayed in fiction. Myths in this page should not be taken as a reflection of my opinion or as factual information. My examples are as follows: BtVS - Buffy the Vampire Slayer a television show currently on the WB network Tuesdays at 8pm.. Cha - Charmed a television show currently on the WB network Wednesdays at 9pm. If anyone knows of a better page than this, please let me know. AB - Anita Blake a series of novels by La urel K. Hamilton.

Myth	BtVS	Cha	AB
*General*
Witches are inherently evil	No	No	No
Witches aren't human, but a parallel evolution to humans (e.g. children of Lillith rather than Eve, aliens, etc.)	No	No	No
*Identifying features*
Witches are visually distinguishable from regular people.	No	No	No
*You become a Witch by ...*
... being born to into a family of Witches (where all family members are Witches)	some times	No	No?
... being born to into a family of Witches (where only certain family members are Witches)	No	Yes	No
Inherited witchcraft runs along gender lines (i.e. only females will become Witches)	*No	No	n/a
... stealing powers from a witch	No	*maybe	maybe
... participating in some sort of ritual/initiation	No	*sort of	No
... channeling nature or other spirits	*No	No	No
... making deals with supernatural entities	*No	No	?
... by following instructions/formulas in a spellbook	Yes	sort of	?
... having a magical talisman/object of some sort	No	No	No?
*Killing/Hurting Witches*
Witches are harder to hurt than mundanes.	No	No	No
Witches are claimed by some kind of supernatural creature upon death	No	No	No
Witches are inherently resistant to magic (that is, without casting a spell).	No	Yes	No?
Witches are susceptible to things that do not affect most mundanes.	?	Yes?	Yes
Spells become nullified upon the death of the caster.	no info	Sometimes	Yes?
*Supernatural Abilities*
Spells require extensive preparation and time.	some times	*No	?
Spells can only be cast under certain conditions (night time, full moons, etc.)	No	No	No
Some spells can only be cast under certain conditions (night time, full moons, etc.)	*Yes	Yes	Yes
Shapeshifting	Yes	maybe	*some times
Shapeshifting, but only into shape of familiar	n/a	n/a	n/a
Transformation (transforming others)	Yes	no info	?
Clairvoyance	?	Some	?
Telekinesis	maybe?	Some	?
Time Manipulation	maybe?	Some	?
Flight (requiring broomstick)	No	No	No
Flight (not requiring broomstick)	no info	maybe?	No
*Nomenclature*
A witch is any female with some sort of magical power.	No	No?	No
A witch is someone who has made a pact with Satan (or other appropriate evil entity).	No	No	No?
A witch is someone who follows the beliefs of Wicca.	No	Yes	No?
A male witch is called a warlock.	no info	No	No?
An evil witch is called a warlock.	no info	Yes	No?
*Social Structure*
Witches are loners and are territorial against other Witches	No	No	No?
Witches have an overall social system, with courts, self- policing, etc.	No	No	No
Witches form small local groups (covens) and network but have no large overseeing group.	No	no info	No
*Witches and other Supernatural Beings*
Witches consider themselves protectors and hunt (evil) supernaturals whenever the opportunity arises	No	maybe	maybe
Witches consider other supernaturals as competition but have no general hatred	No	n/a	?
Witches maintain alliances with nature/otherworldly sprits	maybe	maybe	some times
Thanks to: Lady Pandora-Ophelia Meg

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This page is entirely the fault of S A Rudy, and she's not at all sorry. last update: 2-Jun-00