Witches

A **witch** is a human being born with a piece of the All, which enables them to manifest magical powers. Like mortals, witches can be either good or evil, but only good witches serve as protectors of the innocent.

The origin of witchcraft dates back to the beginning of the Earth itself. Since then, witches have existed for untold centuries, passing down their knowledge and skills through generations in family lineages. Contrary to popular belief, witches do not receive their powers from demons, nor do they worship the Devil. Instead, witches use their powers to hunt and vanquish demons in order to protect the innocent and to make the world a safer place. The term "witch" is not exclusive to females, and is extended to males as well.

## Appendices

Wiccan Rede: And it harm none, do what ye will.Witches, like mortals, can be either good or evil, but only the good witches serve as protectors of the Innocent. Traditionally, Witches are born with a primary active power, such as telekinesis, but their powers grow as they age.

Often, their supernatural abilities are exhibited in early childhood, though it is not unusual for a person to grow into adulthood before her or his capabilities are realized. In addition to their active powers, Witches can also cast spells and create potions to amplify their magic. They live by the rule that they are not to use their magic for personal gain. Witches must decide within the first forty-eight hours of their powers awakening if they will travel the path of good or evil.

## History

### Origin of Witches

When the world was dark, a spiritual energy ran through everything that existed, neither Good nor Evil. The Elders called it The All. Thousands of years ago, a woman came across that Nexus. She alerted her mate of what she had found. At first they were afraid of it, but she pushed past that fear and tapped into this power. The woman was infused with more of the All than any human was supposed to possess. The woman shared that power with her mate and it changed them, making them immortal. It bonded them forever to one another and to The All. They ascended to a place of pure, utter bliss that they shared with the All, known as the Higher Realm.

However, their presence there affected the earth as The All was contained to the Higher Realm. As a result, the world started to die. The only way to save the world was for the woman and her mate to separate their powers and allow the power of The All to flow freely again. The woman and man were forced to abandon the Higher Realm, never to return again. Once back on Earth, the woman gave birth to a pair of twins that were conceived while she was in the Higher Realm. The first child was a female and had powers like her mother, though not as strong, and it was from this child that almost all witches descend from. The second child was a male born with the same abilities, but he used the magic for dark purposes, and that gave rise to warlocks. Their other children possessed no magic of their own, but they and their descendants could tap into The All as practitioners. In very rare circumstances, these non-magical descendants could give birth to a full witch. This is very likely how Melinda Warren was born a witch. Every time a witch or warlock was born, he/she inherits a tiny piece of the All that allowed them to develop an active power.

### Witch Trials

During the late 17th century in Salem, Massachusetts, several men and women were persecuted for practicing witchcraft. During this period in Colonial America, many of the Puritans who had settled in the Northeast believed that witches were servants for the Devil. These events became known the Salem Witch Trials, in which numerous people (witches and mortals) were hanged or otherwise killed.

One of these people was Melinda Warren, the founder of the Warren Line and ancestor of the Charmed Ones. She was burned at the stake after being outed as a witch by the warlock Matthew Tate.

## Classification

Witches come in two types: Magical witches and Practitioners. This method of classification has been used several times in the show when practitioners have been an element of the storyline.

### Practitioners

Humans who practice witchcraft, but lack any true magical powers are known as "practitioners." The practitioners featured on *Charmed* tend to treat witchcraft as a more religious experience than the sisters do and usually follow the Neopagan religion of Wicca. These witches are not immune to the power of Molecular Immobilization. However, it was revealed that some practitioners do have the fundamental Wiccan abilities of casting effective spells, brewing potions, and scrying, but lack an active power.

### Magical Witches

Magical witches are born with the ability to use magic. Their supernatural powers are passed on to them through blood from their ancestors, and are bound to their emotions, thoughts, and souls. A witch's magic is a genetic component that may skip a generation, making them mortals before their magic resurfaces.

Every magical witch possesses the fundamental Wiccan skills to cast spells, brew potions, scry for lost objects or people and acquire information through divining. Besides this, their magic will manifest itself in the form of one or more individual, personal powers commonly known as "active powers." These powers can be used at will and do not require incantations or potions. Magical witches are able to access their magic from an early age, but their powers can manifest from the womb and can be tapped into by their mother.

Good magical witches are assigned Whitelighters by the Elders, and may also have familiars when they first begin combating evil. Magical witches are also further classified as upper-level or lower-level. Upper-level witches naturally possess more strength and skill than lower-level witches, which allow them to perform more spectacular feats of magic, such as casting spells of supreme power and brewing potent potions to help achieve their goals. All good witches, regardless of their level of power, are immune to the effects of Molecular Immobilization. In a family of witches, the firstborn child is supposedly the strongest compared in its set of siblings. According to Gammill, good witches have the selfless instinct to help people in need.

### Warlocks

*Main article: Warlock*
A witch who betrays the Wiccan Rede, sells his or her soul to pure evil and kills another witch to steal his or her powers becomes a warlock. A warlock can be either male or female, just like a witch can be either gender.

They tend to strengthen their powers by killing other magical creatures and obtaining theirs. Upper-level warlocks possess the ability of blinking, which was originally a witch's power before it transcended into a warlock's.

Although a warlock is usually originally a witch, some are also born that way. They can also be converted through a dark wedding ritual with a warlock, which will convert the witch in hours.

The first enemy the Charmed Ones ever encountered was a warlock named Jeremy Burns, who became Piper Halliwell's boyfriend to lure her into a trap.

### Evil Witches

An evil witch, sometimes confused with a warlock, is a witch who renounces the Wiccan Rede, and redirects to using his/her powers for personal gain and evil means. They typically do not kill witches for their powers, but if they desire so, they use other methods to obtain them. They also do not sell their soul to the devil. When witches turn evil, they renounce their right to a Whitelighter.

One memorable evil witch was P. Russell, who was a distant relative of the Charmed Ones as well as Phoebe Halliwell's past life, who turned evil when she fell in love with a warlock named Anton. Another was the Evil Enchantress of the Dark Ages, who was Paige Matthews' past life. Other examples include Tuatha, the Stillman Sisters, the Wicked Witch from the Magic Mirror and Vicus's Collective.

## Sub-species

### Phoenix

*Main article: Phoenix (Assassin Witches)*

## Powers and Abilities

***Basic Powers***

* **Spell Casting:** The ability to cast spells and perform rituals.
* **Potion Making:** The ability to brew potions.
* **Scrying:** The ability to locate another being or object with a crystal and a map, sometimes other tools.
* **Mediumship:** The ability to commune with spirits of the dead.

***Other Powers***

* **Individual Powers:** Powers within each witch is varied depending on their own skill, lineage or level.

## Unbecoming a Witch

There are multiple methods for magical witches to lose their powers and their basic affinity to magic.

### Transformation

*Main article: Transformation*

Such transformations are listed below:

**Succubus**: *Main article: Succubus*

**Banshee**: *Main article: Banshee*

**Vampire**: *Main article: Vampire*

**Thought Projection**: *Main article: Thought Projection*

**God**: *Main article: The Gods*

**Genie**: *Main article: Genie*