Witch
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Extraterrestrial lookalikes
Awitch was a practitioner ofmagical arts. The term was often primarily applied to femalemagicians, though not all female magicians considered themselves witches. Some cultures used the term "wizard" to refer to a male witch (TV:The Dæmons[+]Loading...["The Dæmons (TV story)"]) while others used "witch" to refer to practitioners of either gender. Less advanced cultures had a fear of witches and would sometimes mistakepsychic powers oradvanced technology as witchcraft.
A benevolent witch was known as a "white witch". (TV:The Dæmons[+]Loading...["The Dæmons (TV story)"]) InOrkney,Scotland, a witch could be referred to as a "spey-wife". (AUDIO:The Revenants[+]Loading...["The Revenants (audio story)"]) A group of witches was called acoven. (TV:Image of the Fendahl[+]Loading...["Image of the Fendahl (TV story)"])
Common attributes[[edit] |[edit source]]
A witch practisedwitchcraft. Infolklore, witches were known for flying onbroomsticks (TV:The Smugglers[+]Loading...["The Smugglers (TV story)"]) and cackling. (TV:The Shakespeare Code[+]Loading...["The Shakespeare Code (TV story)"]) They were also capable of casting spells, (TV:Invasion of the Dinosaurs[+]Loading...["Invasion of the Dinosaurs (TV story)"]) which they recorded in theirgrimoires. (HOMEVID:Ghosts of Winterborne[+]Loading...["Ghosts of Winterborne (home video)"],White Witch of Devil's End[+]Loading...["White Witch of Devil's End (home video)"])
Witches on Earth[[edit] |[edit source]]
Alien entities, theFendahl (TV:Image of the Fendahl[+]Loading...["Image of the Fendahl (TV story)"]) and theDæmons (TV:The Dæmons[+]Loading...["The Dæmons (TV story)"]) undoubtedly affectedhumanity, specifically human notions ofwitchcraft.
When a soldier from1916 was sent to1535 by aWeeping Angel, his appearance was witnessed by a crowd and he was burned as a witch. (COMIC:The Weeping Angels of Mons[+]Loading...["The Weeping Angels of Mons (comic story)"])
In1899,Henry Gordon Jago and ProfessorGeorge Litefoot had an encounter with witches. Jago was able to defeat them with his large vocabulary. (AUDIO:The Carrionite Curse[+]Loading...["The Carrionite Curse (audio story)"])
Persecution on Earth[[edit] |[edit source]]
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During the17th century inEurope, fear ofwitchcraft was the pretext for thetrial and state-approved murder of many innocents. (TV:Image of the Fendahl[+]Loading...["Image of the Fendahl (TV story)"]) This was the same in theUnited States. (PROSE:The Witch Hunters[+]Loading...["The Witch Hunters (novel)"])
In Britain,ParliamentaryWitch-Prickers investigated potential witches. (AUDIO:The Witch from the Well[+]Loading...["The Witch from the Well (audio story)"]) These hunters includedMatthew Hopkins, the self-styled Witchfinder General. (COMIC:Witch Hunt[+]Loading...["Witch Hunt (comic story)"]) Those denounced as witches faced trial. One such ceremony wasA Tryal of Witches at the Assizes, held inLondon in the 17th century. (TV:The Woman Who Lived[+]Loading...["The Woman Who Lived (TV story)"])
Suspected witches were tied up and hadfruit thrown at them. (AUDIO:The Witch from the Well[+]Loading...["The Witch from the Well (audio story)"]) TheBible instructed not to allow witches to live. (AUDIO:Winter for the Adept[+]Loading...["Winter for the Adept (audio story)"]) SeveralWitchcraft Acts were passed by governments prohibiting its practice. Suspects of witchcraft were bound and thrown into apond. If the suspect sunk anddrowned, they were considered innocent. If he or she floated, however, they were found guilty and wereexecuted. One way or another, the suspect would die. (AUDIO:Plague of the Daleks[+]Loading...["Plague of the Daleks (audio story)"]) Theducking stool was a similar method of punishment. (AUDIO:The Devil's Armada[+]Loading...["The Devil's Armada (audio story)"]) Witches could also beburned at the stake (TV:Invasion of the Dinosaurs[+]Loading...["Invasion of the Dinosaurs (TV story)"]) orhanged. (PROSE:The Witch Hunters[+]Loading...["The Witch Hunters (novel)"])Jamie McCrimmon, aScottishHighlander from1746, noted that witches were sprinkled withholy water. (TV:The Moonbase[+]Loading...["The Moonbase (TV story)"]) In Britain, the last Witchcraft Act was not repealed until1951. (TV:The Dæmons[+]Loading...["The Dæmons (TV story)"])
History of witches in Britain[[edit] |[edit source]]
13th century[[edit] |[edit source]]
InMarch1215,Turlough found himself locked up as a witch for supposedly conjuring updemons in the court ofKingJohn of England. (TV:The King's Demons[+]Loading...["The King's Demons (TV story)"])
16th century[[edit] |[edit source]]
WhenAshildr, animmortalhuman, cured a whole village ofscarlet fever, the villagers believed she was a witch and attempted todrown her. (TV:The Woman Who Lived[+]Loading...["The Woman Who Lived (TV story)"])
InLondon duringJuly1553, when MistressEllen and QueenJane Grey witnessedRani Chandra return to herown time via atime window, Ellen believed itwitchcraft, but Jane believed Rani to have been anangel. (TV:Lost in Time[+]Loading...["Lost in Time (TV story)"])
In1588,Mistress Pincham, themidwife inSissenden Village, was thought to be a witch and punished. (AUDIO:The Devil's Armada[+]Loading...["The Devil's Armada (audio story)"])
In London,1599, threeCarrionites planned to useWilliam Shakespeare's play,Love's Labour's Won, to free their race and establish a "Millennium of blood". The Carrionites were witch-like creatures who usedvoodoo and "spells" to kill their victims. (TV:The Shakespeare Code[+]Loading...["The Shakespeare Code (TV story)"])
17th century[[edit] |[edit source]]
In the17th century,Agnes Leech was accused of being a witch.Matthew Hopkins came to find Agnes and framed her.Clara Oswald convinced a mob that Hopkins was the witch, not Agnes. (COMIC:Witch Hunt[+]Loading...["Witch Hunt (comic story)"])
Becka Savage falsely accused many women inBilehurst Cragg of being witches, including theThirteenth Doctor. (TV:The Witchfinders[+]Loading...["The Witchfinders (TV story)"])
20th century[[edit] |[edit source]]
TheThird Doctor once encountered apeasant who had been sent to1970s London by atime eddy. The peasant claimed that a witch had cast a spell on him and that he was going to tell thepriest so he could have her burned. (TV:Invasion of the Dinosaurs[+]Loading...["Invasion of the Dinosaurs (TV story)"])
Martha Tyler lived inFetchborough,1977. She was locally painted as a white witch, knew the ancient traditions and possessedsecond sight because ofFetch Priory'stime fissure. Locals deferred to her and called her "Mother Tyler" as a symbolic sign of respect. A genuinecoven of malign witches, led by occultistMaximillian Stael, also lived in the area and plotted to resurrect theFendahl. (TV:Image of the Fendahl[+]Loading...["Image of the Fendahl (TV story)"])
Olive Hawthorne was a white witch who lived inDevil's End in the1970s or 1980s. (TV:The Dæmons[+]Loading...["The Dæmons (TV story)"])
InMoreton Harwood in1981,Sarah Jane Smith andK9 encountered witches who worshippedHecate. (TV:A Girl's Best Friend[+]Loading...["A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)"])
Aggie was a white witch who gave Sarah Jane Smith someheather to use as protection against ademonic pig spirit. (PROSE:The Sow in Rut[+]Loading...["The Sow in Rut (short story)"])
21st century[[edit] |[edit source]]
Around the early 21st century, the leader of theRavens kidnappedChristine andDemi Jenkins and attempted to summon a daemon from the past. (COMIC:Ravens[+]Loading...["Ravens (comic story)"])
AboveLondon in2006, theSycorax leader regarded the Doctor as a practitioner ofwitchcraft when he saw himregrow his hand after his cut it off. The Doctor told the Sycorax that he was aTime Lord. (TV:The Christmas Invasion[+]Loading...["The Christmas Invasion (TV story)"])
By2011,George Thompson believed his neighbour, elderlyMrs Rossiter, to be a witch, despitehis father trying to tell him otherwise. (TV:Night Terrors[+]Loading...["Night Terrors (TV story)"],PROSE:My Special Book[+]Loading...["My Special Book (short story)"])
History of witches in the United States[[edit] |[edit source]]
17th century[[edit] |[edit source]]
TheSalem witch trials were thetrials of supposed witches inSalem Village between1692 and1693. InJune 1692,Susan Foreman found herself accused ofwitchcraft inSalem Village.Tituba,Rebecca Nurse,John Proctor andElizabeth Proctor were all falsely accused of witchcraft byReverendSamuel Parris andhanged. (PROSE:The Witch Hunters[+]Loading...["The Witch Hunters (novel)"])
20th century[[edit] |[edit source]]
Mathilda, also known as the Witch of Buena Vista, distributedBlue Moonbeams inSan Francisco in1967. (PROSE:Wonderland[+]Loading...["Wonderland (novel)"])
Elsewhere on Earth[[edit] |[edit source]]
In785, theCouncil of Paderborn outlawed the belief in witches, which began a period of time lasting until the12th century where witch trials didn't occur. (AUDIO:The Book of Kells[+]Loading...["The Book of Kells (audio story)"])
Peril Bellamy, a student at theTremayne Academy,Switzerland, in1963, wastelekinetic. She and her ancestors were often accused of being witches. MissTremayne overheard this fact and threatened her with a butcher's knife. (AUDIO:Winter for the Adept[+]Loading...["Winter for the Adept (audio story)"])
Cultural depictions[[edit] |[edit source]]
William Shakespeare wrote about witches, (TV:The Shakespeare Code[+]Loading...["The Shakespeare Code (TV story)"]) featuring them in his play,Macbeth. (PROSE:The True Tragedie of Macbeth[+]Loading...["The True Tragedie of Macbeth (short story)"])
Arthur Miller wrote a play entitledThe Crucible based on the Salemwitch trials. (PROSE:The Witch Hunters[+]Loading...["The Witch Hunters (novel)"])
TheTime LordMarnal wroteThe Witch Lords during his time on Earth. (PROSE:The Gallifrey Chronicles[+]Loading...["The Gallifrey Chronicles (novel)"])
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a book (PROSE:Question Mark Pyjamas[+]Loading...["Question Mark Pyjamas (short story)"]) written byC. S. Lewis. (COMIC:The Professor, the Queen and the Bookshop[+]Loading...["The Professor, the Queen and the Bookshop (comic story)"])
Sabrina the Teenage Witch, featuring the eponymousSabrina, was anAmerican TV series aimed at teenagers which aired in the early2000s. (PROSE:I Was a Monster!!![+]Loading...["I Was a Monster!!! (short story)"])
Harry Potter was a series of books byJ. K. Rowling, (TV:The Shakespeare Code[+]Loading...["The Shakespeare Code (TV story)"]) which includedHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. (TV:The End of the World[+]Loading...["The End of the World (TV story)"])PQ Rowling, a descendant of J. K., later wroteHarry Potter and the Half-Moon Dentist. (PROSE:Doctor Who and the Adaptation of Death[+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Adaptation of Death (short story)"])
ForHalloween,SIGNET memberAoife Fitzgerald's young daughterNorah once dressed up as a witch, complete with a plasticbroomstick and a toywand. (PROSE:Hervoken Halloween[+]Loading...["Hervoken Halloween (short story)"])
Elsewhere in the universe[[edit] |[edit source]]
Though not precisely a witch,the Seeker onRibos appeared to serve a similar cultural function. (TV:The Ribos Operation[+]Loading...["The Ribos Operation (TV story)"])
OnTalderun, a cult of witches led byJal Dor Kal worshippedShara's relic. These witches were all killed when the relic was removed and the temple collapsed. (AUDIO:Nekromanteia[+]Loading...["Nekromanteia (audio story)"])
Evil witches from throughout theuniverse held a gathering on the planetVargo that was led by theGrand Witch. TheSecond Doctor posed as a wizard to scare off most of the witches, then dealt with the remaining Grand Witch. (COMIC:The Witches[+]Loading...["The Witches (comic story)"])
Across space, theTravellers of the26th century, who had originated on Earth, honoured ancient gods and conducted rituals. The Travellers usedputerspace as a way to experience mystic realities without drugs. (PROSE:Love and War[+]Loading...["Love and War (novel)"])
Brimo, a woman from the planetNefrin long before the formation of theEarth, adopted a witch-like persona. (COMIC:Doctor Who and the Time Witch[+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Time Witch (comic story)"])
TheCarpalian Witch was a spider-like witch whom the Doctor and Donna once met. (PROSE:The Doctor Trap[+]Loading...["The Doctor Trap (novel)"])
In the28th century, theCatholic Church brandedTime Lords witches after a malfunctioningTARDIS materialised onHaven and exploded. TheSeventh Doctor was accused ofwitchcraft after his TARDIS materialised in a Haven marketplace. (PROSE:Companion Piece[+]Loading...["Companion Piece (novel)"])
References[[edit] |[edit source]]
TheWitch and Whirlwind was apub onDellah frequented byBernice Summerfield. (PROSE:Dragons' Wrath[+]Loading...["Dragons' Wrath (novel)"])Straggly Witch was the name of aloch inScotland. (AUDIO:Enemy Aliens[+]Loading...["Enemy Aliens (audio story)"])
TheWitch of the Well was a name given to the Caliburn Ghast - aghost hauntingCaliburn House. (TV:Hide[+]Loading...["Hide (TV story)"]) TheEleventh Doctor later called through atime fissure toClara Oswald using this name, who scaredElizabethansoldiers by threatening to turn them all intofrogs. (TV:The Day of the Doctor[+]Loading...["The Day of the Doctor (TV story)"])
DuringWorld War II, the all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment of theSoviet Air Force was nicknamed theNight Witches by theGermans. The Regiment adopted the name, understanding it could inspirefear within their enemies. (AUDIO:The Night Witches[+]Loading...["The Night Witches (audio story)"])
Posing asHeidi Stafford,Bloorm Vungah Bart Slitheen calledSarah Jane Smith a "witch" to appear distraught in response to whenLuke Smith had obviously no memory of the imposters. (TV:The Lost Boy[+]Loading...["The Lost Boy (TV story)"])
