Witches, whether one believes them evildoers or healers, carry a great deal of mystery and… narrative potential. Explore this page for ideas to shape a witch in your story…
The witch in history has been both celebrated and ostracized. In different times, they’ve been sought out to fix problems in the absence of scientific remedy and have been tortured and executed by “righteous” authorities for dancing and spellcraft in league with the devil.
The introduction of witchcraft to your narrative, for good or evil, better or worse, is bound to generate conflict. For some reason, this particular brand of folk magic polarizes populations, leads to hysteria, develops corruption in communities, and galvanizes convictions of religious dogma and doctrine.
You can keep your witchcraft simple and benign or you can build it into a fomenting force for political and social battles that destroy kings and bring down proud houses. A character can be a member of an enduring coven of great influence or can simply dabble in magiks they don’t fully understand. Regardless, witchery is guaranteed to fill your narrative with symbolism, mystery, magical beings and events, and elements of darkness and light embroiled in physical and/or spiritual battle.
Witch Descriptors
- (some of these terms are not considered interchangeable and are here “loosely” as narrative options) witch, wicca, pagan, warlock (though male witches are usually just called witches), bruja/brujo, braucher, hexmaster, folk wizard, hedge witch, healer, witchdoctor,
- any age from youthful to elderly, even ancient,
- typically female though male witches may be common in some circles,
- witches may be solitary or may organize in covens, tribes, houses, sects, factions, circles, gatherings,
- gaunt, leathery, sinewy, withered, old,
- beautiful, young, vibrant,
- one-eyed,
- hairy, bearded, long haired, bald,
- unkempt,
- wild, savage, primal, sexual, hedonistic, lustful, passionate,
- hideous,
- long fingernails,
- witches may shapeshift and so can appear as animals, people, or even objects,
- birthmark, mole, scar, sign, symbol, tattoo, body art, piercing, implant, transplant, mutilation, graft, burns, brands, numbers, runes,
- open sores, boils, infection, leprosy, deformity,
Persecution of Witches
- “religious treatments,”
- inquisition
- torture performed on witches historically: thumb screws, hanging, wrenching (squeezing head in a pulled rope that’s been wrapped around the head), drowning, lashing, whipping, flogging, racking,
- accusation, confession, giving up those who you know who have conspired with you as a witch,
Signs of Witchcraft
- dancing, magic, spellcraft, signing The Devil’s Book, fornication, sexual acts, lewdness, sinning, conspiracy, undermining the community,
- marks, signs, sigils,
- idols, dolls, poppets,
- rock cairns, grass figures, contraptions built of branches,
- offerings,
Environments
- forest, glade, glen, copse, riverside, waterfall, heath, moors, hollow, vale, hillock, hilltop,
- graveyard, cemetery plot, crypt, barrow,
- battlefield, warzone,
- hut, shack, shanty,
- courtroom, inquisition council,
- gallows, torture chamber, stocks,
- jail, prison, cell, dungeon, oubliette,
Familiars
The familiar can be a witch’s sidekick or may be another form that the witch can take. Familiars can range from common creatures who blend into the world sans suspicion or they can be exotic beings wielding tremendous power.
- feline, cat, cougar,
- dog, wolf, canine,
- weasel, ferret,
- rat, mouse, mole, vole,
- bird, owl, raven, hawk, vulture, sparrow,
- snake, spider,
Notes and Ideas
- Books about witches: Witches Book of Days, Daemonology, Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches; Hexenhammer),