The Wonderful World of Witches

What Is a Witch?A witch is a woman who people think has magical powers.

People often think that witches…

boil potions in a cauldron

wear pointy black hats

fly on a broomstick

own a black cat

Good and Bad Witches Witches can be found in lots of stories. Some are good witches, such as Glinda in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, and some are bad witches, such as the old woman in ‘Hansel and Gretel’.

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The Wonderful World of Witches

What Is a Witch?A witch is a woman who people think has magical powers.

The name ‘witch’ comes from the Old English word ‘Wicca’, which means ‘wise one’.

Men who have powers of witchcraft are often called warlocks.

People typically think that witches wear pointy black hats and fly on broomsticks. They also think that they boil potions in a cauldron and cast spells.

Good and Bad Witches Witches can be found in lots of stories. Some are good witches, such as Glinda from ‘The Wonderful World of Oz’, and others are bad witches, such as the old woman from ‘Hansel and Gretel’.

The History of Witches Witches who lived a long time ago were women

who people thought practised witchcraft. They thought that witches used magic spells and

called upon spirits for their help.

Lots of people were said to be witches, even though there was no real proof of this.

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People also associate black cats with witches. This is because it was believed that a witch could turn herself into one.

Fun Fact

The Wonderful World of Witches

What Is a Witch?A witch is a woman thought to have magical powers.

The name 'witch' comes from the Old English word ‘Wicca’ which means ‘wise one’.

Men who are thought to have powers of witchcraft are often called warlocks.

People typically think that witches wear pointy black hats, boil potions in a cauldron and fly on a broomstick. However, it was believed that witches actually used a broomstick to sweep a room ready for doing magic, not for flying on.

Good and Bad Witches Witches can be found in lots of stories. Some are good witches, such as Glinda from ‘The Wonderful World of Oz’, and others are bad witches, such as the old woman from ‘Hansel and Gretel’.

Can you think of any witches from fairy tales? Are they seen as good or bad?

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The Wonderful World of Witches

The History of Witches Witches who lived a long time ago were

women who people believed practised witchcraft. This meant that they used

magic spells and called upon spirits for their help.

Lots of people were accused of being witches, even though there was no real proof of this.

They were, in fact, often women who used nature to try to heal sickness.

Do Witches Exist Today?

Some people still identify as witches today, although they don’t look like the witches that we see in books!

A witch’s spells today are often used to help people to get better or to stop bad things from happening.

Modern-day witches might use ‘The Book of Shadows’. This is a book which contains Wiccan traditions and witchcraft.

A group of witches is called a coven.Fun Fact

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