In the United States, a Halloween witch wears a tall, pointed black hat. She probably has warts, and very bad teeth. Her costume is usually black and long, and she may carry a broom, which she traditionally uses for flying rather than cleaning.

The pointed black hat is a legacy from ages past. Gnomes, another mythical creature, are often depicted wearing pointed hats, though theirs have no brim. Faeries, some of them, were thought to wear conical hats. Finally, at one time the Hennin, or pointed hat, was a high fashion item, worn by women of the European aristocracy in the fifteenth century.

The hat has darkened since then, as it became an essential part of a witch’s costume. However, not all women who called themselves witches, or were called witches, wore it.

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga is a classic witch. A creation of Russian folklore, she personifies fears of age, women, magic, death, and darkness. She lives alone in the forest, and everyone is afraid of her.

Baba Yaga has long ears, and a face shriveled with age. Greasy tangled hair hangs down around her body. Her long sharp nose bends down and down until it nearly meets her long pointed chin. She has long dark ridged nails. Her mouth holds teeth of black iron. In some legends, she wears a close-fitting cap, and in others, her hair flies free.

This witch is sometimes evil, but she has been known to be helpful to young people who are polite and respectful, and who listen to her words carefully. Baba Yaga stories teach respect for age, courage in adversity, and perseverance.

Glinda the Good

In Oz, Glinda the Good Witch is also called the Good Witch of the South. She has long red hair, and wears a pure white dress. She appears young and beautiful, because she has used magic to look much younger than she is. She never wears a pointed black hat; hers is white. It resembles a pillar with a ball on top, joined to a sort of cap. Strange, yet becoming.

Elphaba

The Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, does wear a pointed black hat. She dresses in black too, and has long unruly black hair. This costume sets off her green skin. Elphaba’s story, and that of her beautiful sister Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East, is told in the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Gillian Holroyd

Gillian Holroyd is a beatnik witch. She does not wear a pointed hat, which would cover up her lovely platinum hair. That may be why she gets away with being a witch in New York City. She lives in Greenwich Village, often wears black, and goes barefoot until she falls in love. Then she starts wearing white, and soon loses her powers. Her story is told in the film Bell, Book, and Candle.

Jadis

Jadis, the White Witch, is seven feet tall. Her skin is as white as snow, and her expression is cold and commanding. She wears animal’s fur. She carries a magic wand, which she uses to work evil magic.

Jadis is the villain in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Children are at first enchanted by her, but soon see through her charming appearance to her icy heart.

General Appearance

Mythical witches are always very beautiful or very ugly. They have eternal youth, until the spell is broken, or they have hideous age.

Most witches dress in black, although some wear white to show that they are good witches.

Technically, witches can be male too, but the modern convention is to call such people warlocks or sorcerers.

Witches embody a powerful idea in society. They are outsiders who carry hard-won secret knowledge, which they can choose to use for good or evil. Their appearance is usually unpleasant and unkempt, but sometimes they dress in exotic splendor.