Witch

**Related To** | HumansWarlocksGypsiesPsychicsShamansMediums

**Witches** are human beings born with a piece of the All, which enables them to manifest magical powers and practice Witchcraft.

## Description

* Background
* Witch Culture
* Origins

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.

Depending upon the individual, some witches practice their power by certain belief systems, such as hoodoo, voodoo, wicca, or any number of other magical practices from countries and cultures all around the world.

There are male witches just not as many female witches, which in the past had promoted the witches to take a human husband to continue the species.

Although the majority of witches are portrayed as being malevolent men and women who use their powers for dark and sinister deeds, other witches, have proven that not all witches are satanic, and commonly use white magic to maintain balance within the world

Among the Supernatural species, Witches are the ones that closely resemble Humans in terms of appearance. Witches can be converted into Vampires and Werewolves, due to their similarities as humans.

Witches are a matriarchal community. All children of witches inherit legally from their mother's bloodline, and take their mother's surname rather than their fathers. Even if the father is human. So long as the mother was a witch, their child was also officially counted as a witch as well as a member of the mother's coven.

Historically, all witches are called "Daughters of Neena" or "Sons of Neena", as she was the first witch and all magic comes from her. Although members of the Warren Family in particular are direct descendants of Neena.

As the are part human, witches accept the concept of death, believing that when they die, their spirit ascends and goes to the afterlife, called "the Other Side". However powerful witches are capable of summoning spirits of the dead, specifically during the celebration of Samhain when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead are thinnest.

For high crimes commited against either witches or the Supernatual World, a witch and associates involved can be subject to execution. Though the severity of the crimes in question are sunject to the ruling of the Inner Circle and/or the Supernatural Council. In the case of a capital crime, a witch is said to be given "the Cup of Death". Implying that the guilty witch to drink something toxic and die forcibly by their own hand.

When the world was dark, a spiritual energy ran through everything that existed, neither Good nor Evil. The Angels 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 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.
## Balance of Nature

The Balance of Nature is a spiritual belief system based around the observance of the Earth and reverence of Mother Nature. The goal of many witches is to honor the design of nature and to maintain balance within the natural world. The balance of nature is intimately tied to one's spiritual relationship with the Earth, and the idea that all living things (e.g. animals, humans, plants, etc.) are considered sacred, as they are all different aspects of nature. Contemporary witches would also agree that using modern ceremonies, rituals and shamanic practices is the best way to attune themselves with the natural rhythms of the universe in their efforts to obtain guidance and knowledge from wiser known witches called "The Spirits."

## Classification

The community of witches is always led by Maiden, Mother, and Crone, in addition to the Inner Circle. The current leaders are Prue Halliwell as Maiden, Patty Halliwell as Mother, and Penny Halliwell as Crone.

The Maiden represent the young and teenage witches, and one day will become the Mother, and then the Crone. The Crone is always the oldest of the direct descendant of Neena.

* Practitioners
* Naturals
* Borrowers
* Warlocks
* Evil Witch

Humans who practice witchcraft, but lack any true magical powers are known as "practitioners" or "students" It is more of 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. While these witches are commonly known to have been taught about witchcraft from other witches, it has been implied that some are self-taught.

The term "Natural" is commonly used to define any person who has obtained their power from biological development. They are known to have been born with a natural affinity to the supernatural powers of the universe, and are able to practice Hereditary Magic, which draws on their internal source of power. Their supernatural powers are passed on to them through blood from their ancestors, and are bound to their emotions, thoughts, and souls. Witches who are born from old and powerful bloodlines, will come into their power easier and faster than witches who are made. A witch's magic is a genetic component that may skip a generation, making them humanbefore their magic resurfaces.

Each magical witch would possess the fundamental Wiccan skills to cast spells and brew potions. 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.

All and only good magical witches are assigned whitelighters by the Elders, and also have familiar 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.
The term "Borrower" is commonly used to define any person who has obtained their power through demonic forces. These witches are known to have summoned demons and made deals with them in exchange for power. While it is common for these witches to have traded their souls for power, it has been implied that not all Borrowers sell their souls, but rather promise the demon something else of value. These witches are very common and make up for more than half of the witchcraft community. They are also called contract witches(because of how a "Contract witch" is any person who has obtained their magic from the Devil. These witches are known to have summoned the Devil and made a deal with him in exchange for power.

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 very first warlock to walk the Earth was the male of the twins born to the first witch, Neena.
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 Guardian Angel.

## Covens

A coven is a community of witches who commonly gather together for celebrations of ceremonies of worship, practices of witchcraft, and more.

All covens must have at least one or two leaders, known as the High Priest and/or High Priestess. These witches are accountable for a number a different responsibilities, such as creating the laws of their coven that every member must abide. Each coven has its own set of laws and punishments created by the leader(s) of that group. While some covens have only a few laws, others have many.

* The **Warren Family**
	+ Patty Halliwell
	+ Prue Halliwell
	+ Piper Halliwell
	+ Phoebe Halliwell
	+ Paige Matthews

## Powers and Abilities

A magical witch possesses the basic powers but the additional powers are depended upon one's own level of skill, lineage or bloodline. Their powers also seem to grow depending on their character and emotional state, making them more powerful as they age. Lower-Level witches possess little to no active powers, but still show the basic abilities.

Natural witches born into a blood siblinghood inherit their powers based on seniority: the firstborn usually displays the strongest power in comparison to their younger ones. Along with having individual powers they all have some of the same powers.

**Basic Powers**

* **Divination:** The practice of obtaining knowledge of the future, past or the unknown by supernatural means.
* **Emotional Power Link:** to have one's emotions linked to one's powers.
	+ **Emotional Trigger:** to activate and utilize powers based on emotions.
* **Potion Brewing:** The act of brewing and concocting potions and elixirs that have supernatural properties.
* **Semi-Immortality:** to not age, but be vulnerable to diseases and wounds.
* **Spell Casting:** The power to change and control events through the use of incantations and more.

## Weakness

All spells expend a certain amount of energy from the caster, which may or may not drain the body in a physical manner. Some powerful spells, if the witch is not strong enough, may harm or kill them (anything from headaches, nosebleeds, unconsciousness, severe exhaustion or fatal sickness). This result might occur if the witch is doing too much magic in a short amount of time without rest.
Spells contain a large margin of error as well. If spells aren't preformed right, they can create undesirable results or not work at all. Concentration is a must.
Simply put, ALL magic has consequences and many witches do not take this concept lightly.

* **Ashwood:** Can prevent a Witch from using magic when inside a circle composed of this.
* **Disbelief:** The act of denying or disbelieving in one's potential could cause a witch to inadvertently suppress their magical power.
* **Distraction:** Denying a witch from concentrating or giving full attention to their spells, may render them ineffective. Since most spells are spoken verbally and take time to take effect, witches are vulnerable to attack before their completion. Additionally, certain spells require items, tools, and/or special events during casting, therefore they can't be invoked on mere whim.
* **Emotions:** A witch's magic is subject to the influence of their emotional state and may fluctuate according to them when untrained. According to Prue Halliwell, strong emotions such as worry and anger can fuel a witch's power while emotions such as fear may prevent a witch from properly accessing their powers.
* **Herbs:** Ingestion of certain herbs can cause a witch to lose consciousness and prevent them from using magic for an undetermined amount of time. The Lobelia flower prevents concentration and the practice of magic and can be used to weaken a witch as one would weaken a vampire with Rosaceae or a Werewolf with wolfsbane.
* **Magic:** Witches are still susceptible to the powers of witchcraft. This is inclusive of mystical objects such as Dark Objects.
* **Malleus Maleficarum:** a sigil that renders a witch, whether normal or dark, powerless so long as they remain within it.
* **Mortality:** Despite their mystical attributes, witches are still human and share many of the same weaknesses as non-supernatural beings (e.g. age, decapitation, disease, heart-failure, suffocation, snapped neck, etc.).
* **Nature:** It is said that nature will always find a balance when witchcraft is performed and spells will always have loopholes. This means, among other things, that no being can be truly immortal.
* **Overexertion:** The excessive use of magic could lead to disorientation, nose bleeds, unconsciousness, and if taken to the extreme, death.
* **Sways:** magical objects used to transfer a witch's powers to another person, whether another witch or a mortal, willingly or otherwise
* **Witch Cruids:** magically enchanted bottles. When a bit of the witch's blood, a personal item, and some mandrake root are placed within and lit on fire, the witch will die instantly

There are many ways to disrupt/avoid a spell as well.

* Breaking/Destroying/Removing a talisman.
* Harming a mystical body involved
* Breaking a mystical sequence
* Casting a counter-spell
* Interrupting spell casting
* Some magics cannot reach all beings due to some discrepancy. For instance a spell might not affect a person because he/she is dead/has no soul/have special abilities of their own.

## Tools and Objects

* **Amulets:** An object that is used to protect its wearer from harm.
* **Athames:** A ceremonial dagger with a double-edged blade that is commonly used to direct energy.
* **Grimore:** A family journal is documented with magical recipes, rituals, and spells, and can also be used as a Talisman. These journals can be passed along different bloodlines for generations increasing the magical knowledge contained within.
* **Candles:** A block of solid wax with an embedded wick that is commonly lit to to amplify a witch’s spell.
* **Cauldrons:** A large metal pot that is commonly used to hold the ingredients for elixirs and potions.
* **Crystals:** Crystals are natural materials which can be used to magnify an individual witch's magic.
* **Herbs:** Various flora used as ingredients to be incorporated into spells as binding agents.
* **Personal Objects:** A witch can use any object owned by a person to cast spells or curses. While it is preferable to use body parts like nails or hair, jewelry or clothing can also be used. Witches use parts of corpses in their spells and potions. Since steal body parts from town graveyard would be problematic, witches steal from dead bodies thrown into mass graves in the crags
* **Puppets and Dolls:** A puppet is a small figure, made to represent the distant recipient of magical working. Often these would incorporate such things as hair or nail clipping to strengthen the connection with the victim. Puppets may be made of different materials like wax, cloth, porcelain. To create a puppet a doll must first be crafted then baptised in the name of the target with specific rituals and they should be placed in the vicinity of the person who is the target of the spell.
* **Stones:** Various minerals and ores used to boost or bind a witch's spell.
* **Symbols:** Seals drawn or written used as physical representations of spells.
* **Talismans:** An object that is used to magnify a witch's power and or represent them supernaturally.
* **Tarot Cards:** A deck of playing cards with the addition of 22 picture cards depicting esoteric iconography created during the Renaissance in Italy and spread throughout Europe, especially in France, where they were used to predict the future.
* **Traveler's Mask:** The Traveler's Mask is a mysterious artefact in the shape of a mask that allows a witch to teleport to any location she desires, especially the wilderness
* **Valerian Trinket:** Valerian Trinket is a necklace with a pendant filled with valerian root that protects its wearer from the magic of the witches. In witch lore, Valerian is a powerful herb believed to possess the power to protect against black magic and to enhance the power of a particular spell or ritual.

## Notes

* Being direct descendant of Neena (the Halliwell') are considered to be "royalty" within the Night World.
* The first witch, Neena was responcible for the creation of Werewolves during the Stone Age in 9,6000 BCE. The werewolf she created went on and made the Original Pack. Years later she created Vampires in 845, also known as the Original Vampires.
* The practice of witchcraft was once very common among the human population. However, since the brutal witch trials that occurred during the 17th century, the practice of witchcraft has severely declined.
* While some witches are known to have Familiars, the majority of witches do not.
* Whilst anyone can practice magic, witches normally (though exceptions do exist) have greater knowledge and power over harnessing mystical forces. Witches have existed for many centuries, and are found in many races' lore.
* Witches commonly form covens, but this is not a necessity. They are also often social, and meet with other witches.
* Being born of a witch doesn't necessarily give you magic.
* Witches are the only Night Creatures who can not convert humans into their kind.
	+ Ironically, witches are are the most similar to humans.