Witch

A Witch is a person who is usually evil, usually a woman.

The concept of witches likely arose from misperceptions that pre-modern humans held about elderly women. Up until the 18th century it was rare for a woman to live past her 50s, and if she did she usually lost most of her teeth. This resulted in a witch-like appearance, with the chin almost touching the nose and a change in speech patterns.

In the 1600s there was a wave of witch persecution across central and western Europe, and in New England. In Massachusetts the town of Salem became famous for its witch trials, in which women were tortured and murdered on suspicion of being witches.

Certain strains of literature posit that there might be good witches and bad witches. Examples include:

Novel

• The Wizard of Oz

Short Stories

(found in Isaac Asimov's Magical Worlds of Fantasy: Witches and Wizards)

• "My Mother Was a Witch" by William Tenn
• "A Message from Charity" by William M. Lee
• "The Witches of Karres" by James H. Schmitz
• "Malice in Wonderland" by Rufus King

Television

• Bewitched
• Charmed

Movies

• Hocus Pocus
• Harry Potter
• The Witches
• The Wizard of Oz