YA Reading Guide for Aspiring Witches

By Kate Edwards

For those of you with propensities for magic dabbling, I’ve compiled a guide to some of my favourite witch heroines from literature. In this gathering (or ‘coven’, to use the accepted term for a gathering of witches), you’ll find witches with more to them than just supernatural powers. These are all formidable female characters who are complex, shrewd, skilful, brave and generally useful to know if you’re ever in a tight spot.

Traditionally, the witch character exists on the side-lines of the fairy story or folk tale, intervening at critical moments as a female agency of subversion and change. This is still the case in some of the examples below, where witches act as useful and powerful allies to the main protagonists; in terms of Jungian archetypes, the witch in literature or folk tales often represents the ‘mentor’, a character who gives guidance and advice (Good Witch of the North – Wizard of Oz, Galadriel – Lord of the Rings.)

In others, where we find the witch-girl as protagonist, we see her mature and develop into her role as a witch, becoming a key agent in her own story and taking control of her fate. For the witch-protagonist, the process of growing – moving into adulthood – and taking control becomes a vital element to the story.

Obviously, the witch has also been used in literature to represent unwanted elements of tyranny and oppression, often taking the role of prime antagonist, or a ‘threshold guardian’, who prevents the protagonist from progressing on their journey (Jason and the Stygian witches, Macbeth, Snow White,) but whether they are forces for good or forces for evil, witches are never boring.

Below are just a few examples of irresistible characters and compelling stories of sorcery and witchcraft. I’ve tried to represent a spread of popular and lesser-known characters from different eras and cultures. You’ll find a Danish and a Nigerian author, as well as an anonymous poet from the Middle Ages. But if you look, you’ll find many more witch-women out there, at work, infusing the world of fiction with their acts of creative mystery and wonder.

Gemma Doyle

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy is set in the late 19th Century, where dark historical reality and fantasy collide. With her mother murdered, and her father addicted to laudanum, Gemma is sent away from her home in colonial India to the mysterious Spence Academy. Here Gemma discovers an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the Realms, a world threatened by forces of dark magic. Throughout the books, her magical heritage is gradually revealed and she learns of her own innate powers.

Witch Credentials:

Gemma has inherited her mother’s powers of illusion making, who was once a member of the mysterious Order.

She possesses the magical Crescent Eye amulet.

Her abilities mean that she is able to transport herself and her friends to the enchanted land of the Realms.

Appears in:

A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing. Author: Libba Bray.

Serafina Pekkala

Serafina Pekkala appears throughout Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Material’s trilogy as an altruistic agent for good in the fight against the massing dark forces. Because the beautiful and noble witches of the northern clans live for hundreds of years, they bring a long-perspective and wisdom to the turbulent events taking place across the worlds. As she tells Mr Scoresby: ‘When you live for many hundreds of years, you know that every opportunity will come again.’

Serafina tells the young girl, Lyra, that witches often fall in love with human men, whose mortal lifespan is much shorter than theirs: ‘They die so soon that our hearts are continually racked with pain.’ She herself was once in love with the Gyptian elder, Farder Coram, and bore a son by him, who later died.

The witches fly on branches of Cloud-Pine and they equate flying to living; as Seraphina explains: ‘A witch would sooner give up breathing than flying. To fly is to be perfectly ourselves.’

The witches believe that when they die, Yambe-Akka, the goddess of the dead will come for them.

Witch Credentials:

Queen the Lake Enara clan.

She wears a crown of scarlet flowers. 

She is 300 years old. 

Her daemon is a snow goose called Kaise.

In a shocking scene in the Subtle Knife, she performs the mercy killing of a fellow witch who is being tortured to death by Mrs Coulter.

Whilst all witches suffer the cold, they ignore it so that they are able to feel the ‘bright tingle of the stars and the music of the aurora’ on their skin. 

Appears in:

His Dark Materials Trilogy which includes: Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass. Author: Phillip Pullman.

Morgan le Fay

Not strictly speaking a heroine of YA literature, Morgan le Fay (also known as Morgana or Morgaine) is nevertheless an intriguing figure from Arthurian legend who has no doubt been the inspiration for many a witch-character since. Le Fay appears in many different guises and transformations in myth and literature throughout the ages. The character of Morgan le Fay, King Arthur’s half-sister, is thought to have been based on a war goddess of Celtic folklore called ‘Morrígan’, but may also have been developed from the Greek myths of the fates and the furies. Le Fay has been depicted as both a healer and as an evil sorceress, who tried to both kill her brother and save his life. Whether she is acting for good or for ill, Morgan le Fay was always a woman of potent feminine power.

Witch Credentials:

She studied magic under Merlin (original high wizard of all the wizard dudes) and stole his powers.

She has a track record of attempting to kill with an enchanted cloak that sets fire to the wearer, and of stealing the protective charms of her enemies.

In one account, she appears to her brother, King Arthur disguised as his wife and makes love to him so that she can bear his child, thus securing herself a son (Sir Mordred) who grows up to become a knight of the round table, but becomes a traitor. Mordred is eventually killed by Arthur, but fatally wounds his father, bringing an end to the Court of Camelot.

She lived in a mystical island palace on the magical island of Avalon.

Appears in:

The Once and Future King – T.H. White.

Le Morte D’Arthur - Sir Thomas Mallory.

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight – author unknown.

The Mists of Avalon – Marion Zimmer Bradley. (This is a feminist reimagining of the women from Arthurian legend. It seems to be well regarded, but I found it to be poorly written. It is worth a read if you are interested in those stories, just because it is the only book that I have found which focuses on Arthurian women.)

Mary Newbury

Witch Child is a work of historical fiction that spans time and continents to recount the story of Mary Newbury, the grand-daughter of a witch. In 1659, a time of fear and persecution, Mary sees her grandmother hanged by the witch-finders and then suffers harassment and prejudice; being spat at in the streets, called ‘spawn of the devil’ and ‘witch child’. Soon after the hanging, she seeks passage on a ship to the New World of America where she begins a new life in a Puritan community, only to find the same persecution. Mary keeps a secret diary, stitching the pages into a quilt that remains hidden, until it is finally discovered 300 years later.

Witch Credentials:

Mary uses her healing powers to help the Puritan settlers.

From time to time, a hare appears in front of Mary that is described as having the eyes of her Grandmother.

In Salem, Mary befriends a Native American shaman who lives in the forest. He calls her ‘eyes of a wolf’ on account of their grey colour.

Appears in:

Witch Child and Sorceress. Author: Celia Rees.

Dina Tonerre

The Danish Shamer trilogy weaves together a thrilling narrative of fantasy and murder-mystery. Dina is feared and resented for her strange power to look into people’s faces and know their darkest secrets and crimes. Because of this, people are afraid to look her in the eye and she is unable to make friends. Dina has inherited this gift from her mother, but she considers it more of a curse. After her mother is taken captive at the House of Ravens, Dina has to face the enigmatic Drakan who commands an army of dragons and intends to exploit Dina’s Shamer powers for his own purposes.

Witch Credentials:

Dina and her friend Nico launch a rebellion against the cruel reign of the dragon lord, Drakan.

Her father is a Blackmaster, possessor of the Serpent Gift of lie and illusion.

Appears in:

The Shamer’s Daughter, The Shamer’s Signet, The Shamer’s War. Author: Lene Kaarberbol. 

Hermione Granger

Probably one of the best known young witches in fiction today. I’m sure most of you reading this will know the Harry Potter series (unless you have been living in a parallel universe). In brief: Hermione, along with Ron Weasley, helps Harry Potter on his quest to defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort by destroying his horcruxes and preventing his mission to rid the world of muggles and half-bloods. Hermione is ‘the most gifted witch of her generation’ despite having muggle (non-magic using) parents.

Witch credentials:

Hermione proves that a half-blood can excel in sorcery as much as any pureblood.

Hermione’s wand is made of vine wood with a dragon heartstring core.

Like all good witches, Hermione owns a cat named Crookshanks.

She uses a magical time-turner so that she can attend two different classes at the same time.

She bravely faces the terrifying Bellatrix le Strange in the final showdown with the Death Eaters in the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

She made it universally cool to be a school swot.

Appears in:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (published as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in America), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Author: J.K. Rowling

Sunny Nwazue

Akata Witch is the story of twelve-year old Sunny, born with albinism to Nigerian parents in America. She returns to Nigeria to discover that she is a Leopard Person – a born sorceress. According to prophecy, Sunny and her friends are the only ones who can stop Black Hat, a sorcerer whose ritual killings threaten to release an evil that will destroy the world.

As well as being a gripping fantasy narrative, the novel is a coming-of-age story (a bildungsroman – see previous blog post by Emily Simpson for a comprehensive definition) that explores the tensions in American and Nigerian cultures, and the value of friendship.

Witch Credentials:

Sunny forms a coven with her three friends. Together they study invisibility and how to manipulate reality. 

Sunny is a free agent, a magical Leopard person, raised by non-magical people (sound familiar? See also, ‘Hermione Granger.’)

Sunny has to take a vow to keep her magical powers secret from Lambs (all non-magical people, including her family.)

Sunny’s book entitled Fast Facts for Free Agents is her guide to the Leopard world.

Appears in:

Akata Witch. Author: Nnedi Okorafor.

As you can see, the witch, in all her shape-shifting guises, has appeared in myth, folklore and literature for thousands of years. By integrating into different cultures and national myths, she has achieved an enduring influence that stretches far and wide. Her mystique and her ability to reinvent herself has granted her the power of immortality. The witch is very much alive and well in YA fiction and more popular than ever.