Witches in fiction are fascinating. On the large and small screen, across the pages of our favorite books, witch characters rule. They have wands, flowy robes, and amazing powers. They also tend to have good hair. Fictional witches are good, evil, and sometimes a little bit of both. Sometimes they sing about being wronged. Other times they turn the land black, and whinge on and on about how pretty they used to be. Fictional witches also tend to have a mean girl streak, pitting brunettes against the blondes. The ginger witches in fiction do their own thing.

Witches in literature have been running amok for centuries, turning the land into ice, fire, and making it rain toads and such. Those particular witch characters are prone to children gobbling, cauldron brewing, and don’t seem to want anyone to be happy. Instead of making potions, or doing good in the community, witches in fiction are obsessed with thwarting a good-looking cousin.

Shakespeare used witches in literature as prophets and harbingers of ill tidings. He also used them because they scared the Beelzebub out of theatre goers. The horrifying witches in film that mirror these kinds of nasty ladies can be found in films such as 1990’s The Witches or Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Other witch characters have embedded themselves into the bureaucratic systems where they are especially terrifying. They sometimes get promoted to high level positions at Hogwarts and out-Voldemort the Dark Lord himself with their tea, kittens, and pink sweater sets. These particular evil beings have appeared as witches in literature and as witches in film.

TV witches tend to be charming and trendy until someone hacks them off and then… black eyes and lightning hands it is (looking at you, here, Willow). Other television witches are just trying to get through high school with the help of their witch aunts and talking cat.

Who's your favorite fictional witch? The perpetually good Glinda or the misunderstood Elphaba? Upvote your favorite fictional witches to see who wins this witch battle royale. Don’t see your favorite witch? Add her and cast your own spell on this list.