Witches are an essential part of Halloween, history and many of the best scary movies. Whether your dressing up as a witch this year or revisiting some toil and trouble with HOCUS POCUS, we’ve got you covered with this list of Top Ten Witches of ALL TIME! From good to bad, these spell-casting ladies are the best of the best.
10. Professor McGonagall from HARRY POTTER
Claim to fame?Transfiguration professor, head of Gryffindor House,and Headmistress of Hogwarts.Say what? “Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned.”Did you know? During her days as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the sorting hat spent five and half minutes deciding whether to place her in the Gryffindor or Ravenclaw House. It finally decided on Gryffindor.
9. Maleficent from SLEEPING BEAUTY
Claim to fame: This evil witch/sorceress is the villain who curses Aurora in SLEEPING BEAUTY.Say What? “You poor simple fools, thinking you could defeat me. Me, the mistress of all evil.”Did you know? She calls her closest allies “pets” and only seems to care for her raven, Diablo.
8. The White Witch (AKA Jadis) from THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
Claim to fame? The last Queen of Charn and evil ruler of Narnia.Say what? “Tonight, the Deep Magic will be appeased, but tomorrow, we will take Narnia forever! In that knowledge, despair… and die!”Did you know? Her name comes from her use of magic to create the Long Winter of one hundred years of snow and ice.
7. Glinda from THE WIZARD OF OZ
Claim to fame? Being a “good” witch, the most powerful sorceress in Oz and protecting others. Say what? “Only bad witches are ugly.”Did you know? In the original book by L. Frank Baum, she is known as the Good Witch of the South, whereas in the WIZARD OF OZ movie from 1939, she is known as the Good Witch of the North.
6. Sabrina from SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH
Claim to fame? Half witch, half mortal Sabrina Spellman who struggles to balance her magical powers and regular teenage life while living with her two aunts. Say what? “Witchcraft? Who said anything about witchcraft?”Did you know? Her talking cat Salem used to be a warlock, but was turned into a cat as a punishment from the Witches’ Council for plotting to take over the world.
5. Cassey Blake from THE SECRET CIRCLE
Claim to fame?When Cassey returns to her family’s hometown, she discovers that she is the missing puzzle piece of The Secret Circle. She then unlocks her special powers and destiny as a witch.Say what? “This town, it’s freaking sideshow!”Did you know? Both her father and mother come from very powerful magical families: The Balcoin family, from which comes her inner Dark Magic, and the Blake family, which makes her part of the Circle.
4. Alex Russo from WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE
Claim to fame? Whether you consider her to be a witch, a wizard or a witchy wizard, there’s no denying that Selena Gomez at Alex Russo is an essential part of this well loved show.Say what? “Ground me, take away my magic, I don’t care!”Did you know?Her favourite high school subject is art. It’s the only thing she can really take seriously.
3. Hermione Granger from HARRY POTTER
Claim to fame?This witch is brilliant, eager and sassy. What would we (and Harry and Ron) do without her intelligentwitch-craftiness?Say what?”I hope you’re pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled.”Did you know?Hermione realized she was special and different from her Muggle parents at age nine. Two years later, she was accepted into Hogwarts.
2. Wicked Witch of the West from THE WIZARD OF OZ
Claim to fame?She’s rotten, scary, and one of the most evil villains of all time. From her entrance to munchkin land to her melting scene, this witch is truly wicked.Say what?”I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!”Did you know?Stories of the Wicked Witch of the West aren’t all bad. The book and musical WICKED tells the backstory of the character and shows her in a positive light.
1. Mary, Sarah and Winifred Sanderson from HOCUS POCUS
Claim to fame?The Sanderson sisters wouldn’t be three times as witchy if one of them was missing. These three use their craft to steal the youthfulness of children and run into some trouble when they areresurrected on Halloween night Say what?”Twist the bones and bend the back,Itch-it-a-cop-it-a-Mel-a-ka-mys-ti-ca!”Did you know?In the movie, the witches are resurrected back to Salem, Massachusetts. The city is best known for the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, which were a series of hearings for women who were accused of being witches.