Grand High Witch

The **Grand High Witch of All the World**, also simply known as the **Grand High Witch**, was the title of the unnamed supreme leader of all the witches in the world. Known publicly as a kind Norwegian baroness and philanthropist, the Grand High Witch hid her hideous and monstrous face behind a human face mask. Every year, the Grand High Witch would travel to every country in the world and hold a meeting with the witches in that country.

Unlike most other witches, who killed children as a hobby, the Grand High Witch wanted to commit a mass genocide against all children and destroy them all. The Grand High Witch created a potion which could turn children into mice. However, one child that she turned into a mouse stole the potion and put it in her soup, turning her into a mouse and ending her plan.

## Biography

It is said that the Grand High Witch was "hatched" on the frozen tundra of Norway. It is unknown how she acquired her position but at some point, perhaps from creation, she became the Grand High Witch of All the World. Throughout her life, she concealed he true identity by using a human face mask to cover her monstrous face.

Publicly, the Grand High Witch was known as a wealthy baroness who lived in a castle. It is said that she would donate large amounts of money to charities. She got this money from a machine in her castle which printed cash from every currency. The Grand High Witch lived in her castle surrounded by her most loyal deputies. As part of witch tradition, every year the Grand High Witch travelled from country to country to hold meetings with her witches.

The Grand High Witch was the prime target for witchophiles, many of whom spent many years searching for her. However, nobody ever found her.

### 1983

In the summer of 1983, the Grand High Witch arrived in England for her meeting with the English witches. They booked into a hotel named Hotel Magnificent and used the hotel ballroom for their meeting. Unaware that a boy is hiding in the ballroom, the witches, including the Grand High Witch. arrived and removed their disguises. The Grand High Witch reprimanded the witches for their lack of success in wiping out all of the children. When one witch questioned whether or not they could do as she asked, the Grand High Witch destroyed her with magic.

Disgusted with the amount of children in England, the Grand High Witch introduced her new magic potion, Formula 86, which turned whoever consumes it into mice. She told them to each set up a candy store and give every child candy which had been infected with Formula 86. She shared the recipe with the audience of witches and informed them that she had given a bar of chocolate containing the Formula to Bruno Jenkins. She told Bruno to come to the ballroom to get more chocolate. Soon after, Bruno arrived and turned into a mouse in front of the Grand High Witch and her underlings. However, the witches soon found that the boy had been watching the entire event. The Grand High Witch used Formula 86 to transform the boy into a mouse.

Later that day, the Grand High Witch returned to her hotel room, where she promised her frogs that she would feed them to the seagulls once she returned from dinner. Some of the oldest witches came to her hotel room to collect the ingredients they needed to create Formula 86. However, unbeknown to the Grand High Witch, the boy who had been transformed into a mouse had secretly stolen a bottle of the potion and put it in the soup which all of the witches were having for dinner. Like all other witches, the Grand High Witch attended the dinner and ate the soup. Just as Mr Jenkins was about to confront her, she transformed into a mouse and was presumably killed by the hotel staff.

## Adaptations

### 1990 movie

* Main article: Grand High Witch (1990)

In *The Witches* 1990 movie, the **Grand High Witch** is portrayed by Anjelica Huston. Her backstory remains largely the same as in the book, however, it is implied that she was the witch that Helga encountered in her childhood. The Grand High Witch refers to Helga as "an old adversary". Helga also says that she recognises the Grand High Witch when she first sees her in the hotel, but does not realise who she actually is.

Under the alias of **Eva Ernst**, chairwoman of the Royal Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Grand High Witch and her English subordinates arrive in the hotel. Upon her arrival, the Grand High Witch inspects a painting and makes the child in the painting disappear, implying that the child was a victim of the witches.

At the witch meeting, the Grand High Witch announces her plan to turn all the children of England into mice. She demonstrates her formula by inviting a boy called Bruno, who had been previously given a chocolate with the formula, as he slowly turns into a mouse. However, the meeting was being eavesdropped by Luke, a boy who was in the hotel with his grandmother Helga, who warned him about witches. The witches find Luke but he escapes the room. In order to lure him out, the Grand High Witch pushes a baby's pram (with the baby in it) towards the edge of a cliff. Luke saves the baby and returns to the hotel room, where he finds the Grand High Witch.

The witches capture Luke and turn him into a mouse. However, he escapes and formulates a plan with Helga and Bruno to steal the potion from the Grand High Witch's room. Luke avoids being killed by the Grand High Witch's cat and manages to steal the potion. Soon after, the Grand High Witch goes to dinner with the other English witches, but does not allow her secretary Susan Irvine to attend. The witches all order a cress soup, not knowing that Luke has put the potion inside it. When a witch who works as a chef tastes the soup and turns into a mouse, she tries to warn the witches but is killed by the Grand High Witch and Pamela.

Not long after, the Grand High Witch watches in horror as all of her other witches turn to mice due to drinking the soup. The Grand High Witch manages to resist transforming due to her immense power but loses concentration when Bruno (who is now a mouse) jumps on her. Soon after, she turns into a mouse in front of everyone and is killed by the hotel manager, Mr Stringer.

### 2020 movie

* Main article: Grand High Witch (2020)

In the 2020 movie, the **Grand High Witch** is portrayed by Anne Hathaway. She retains much of the same backstory from the previous two adaptations as the mysterious supreme leader of the witches. It is also confirmed that the Grand High Witch met the grandma when the latter was a child; the Grand High Witch transformed Agatha's best friend, Alice, into a chicken.

The Grand High Witch first appears when the witches arrive with all the witches in America, at Demopolis, Alabama, at a fancy hotel (where Charlie and the grandmother are staying). When Charlie is playing with his pet mouse, Daisy, in the ballroom, The Grand High Witch enters with the other witches (they are preparing to have their yearly annual meeting). Charlie and Daisy hide while the meeting starts and they witness The Grand High Witch and the others come into their true forms. In this version, the Grand High Witch does not hide behind a mask and instead has one toe on each foot, three fingers and a large mouth.

The Grand High Witch mocks the Witches due to their inability to eliminate all the children. The Grand High Witch introduces her new Formula 86 to the witches, a potion which turns children into mice. She demonstrates the effects of the potion on a young boy named Bruno. The Witches are delighted at seeing this and applaud The Grand High Witch. However, she silences them as she locates Charlie, who is still hidden. She then finds him and transforms him into a mouse. Charlie, Bruno and Daisy try to escape through a vent. The Grand High Witch attempts to grab them by extending her arms into the vent, but her hands get caught in a fan, cutting them.

With the help of the grandmother, Charlie steals some of the Formula and put it in the soup that the witches are eating for dinner at the hotel. At dinner, The Grand High Witch almost eats her soup but stops after recognising the grandmother. As she begins speaking to the grandmother, the witches all turn into mice. However, because she didn't drink the soup, the Grand High Witch does not transofrm, which leads to a showdown in her hotel room. The Grand High Witch extends her arms to choke the grandmother. However, Bruno shoves a mouse-trap onto The Grand High Witch's foot, slicing her only toe. As The Grand High Witch screams in agony, Charlie catapults into the air and shoves the Formula into her open mouth. The Grand High Witch transforms into an ugly rat and is killed by her cat.

### Graphic novel

In the graphic novel, the **Grand High Witch** is portrayed as having purple skin, large ears and crooked teeth. Like in the book, she also keeps her gloves, wigs and shoes on during the meeting.

## Appearances

* The Witches (novel)
* How to Avoid Witches
* The Witches (1990 movie)
* The Witches (2020 movie)
* The Witches: The Graphic Novel