Spell check: The most memorable witches from pop culture

If you picture a witch, the image in your head may be largely influenced by The Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz.” Margaret Hamilton set a lot of the notions of what a witch is, from her black hat and broom to his green skin and prominent nose. And yet, there was a good witch there as well, but we never think of her as all that witchy. How negative of us!

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, comes from Archie comics, but she has gotten a couple of TV shows as well. There is the Netflix one that is spookier and more serious, but to us Melissa Joan Hart’s sitcom is the go-to portrayal of Sabrina of record. Her cat was a goofy-looking puppet half the time!

“Bewitched” is a classic high-concept sitcom from the 1960s. A guy marries a lady, finds out she’s a witch, then asks her not to use her witchy powers. Samantha is the primary witch on the show, but don’t forget about her family members, such as her mother, Endora.

The world of “Harry Potter” is, of course, rife with witches and wizards. First and foremost among witches, though, is Hermione. Harry’s overachieving friend is one of the leading characters in the story, with Emma Watson becoming a movie star for her turn in the film series.

For eight seasons and 178 episodes, the Halliwell sisters were at the center of “Charmed,” a show that has not always existed in reruns on TNT, we promise. The show began with the Halliwell sisters conveniently finding out they are the most powerful witches in the world, but using their power for good. Shannon Doherty left after the first three seasons, but she was replaced by Rose McGowan as Paige Matthews, their secret half-sister.

Ursula is one of Disney’s most iconic villains. She can belt out a tune, to be sure, but don’t forget that she is also a sea witch. The kind who can say, give Ariel legs but also steal her voice. It’s not enough to be an octopus lady. She also had those witchy powers to reckon with!

Rita is the main enemy of the Power Rangers. Time and time again, she tried to take them down with the help of her magical powers. Although, she mostly seemed to just make her goons gigantic, at which point the Power Rangers would invariably join forces and beat the giant baddie in a kaiju battle.

As a vampire slayer, Buffy is primarily dealing with, well, vampires. However, plenty of other supernatural beings show up in the world of the show. Take, for example, Buffy’s friend Willow. Played by Alyson Hannigan, eventually, Willow becomes a witch, which helped to spice up the show.

Call her Morgan le Fay, or Morgana, or Morgaine, or Morgant. As a character from King Arthur legend, le Fay has been tweaked and recontextualized time and time again. She’s been good, she’s been evil, and she is a character in both Marvel and DC comics. Morgan le Fay has also been in many movies, perhaps best remembered as Morgana in “Excalibur,” as played by Helen Mirren.

With a name that is a pun on the plant, Witch Hazel has been popping up in “Looney Tunes” cartoons since the 1950s, when she was created by Chuck Jones. Owing much of her look, and voice to The Wicked Witch of the West, Witch Hazel has an antagonistic role, though like anybody who messes with Bugs Bunny, she never manages to come out on the winning side of things.

Harvey Comics are known for being fairly light and breezy. They gave us Casper, Richie Rich, and also Wendy. Much like Casper is a friendly ghost, the twist is that Wendy is a nice witch, doing good deeds with her supernatural power.

We know this much: Grandmama from “The Addams Family” is a witch. The only question is whose grandmother she is. Different adaptations of “The Addams Family” have been inconsistent on this. Sometimes she is Morticia’s mother, but other times she is the mother of Gomez and Fester.

Comics are full of witches, and not just Morgan la Fey. Take, for example, Wanda Maximoff. Or, perhaps we should call her by the other name by which she is known, Scarlet Witch. Wanda was brought to the big screen, and later the small screen, by Elizabeth Olsen, who took Wanda on a journey from bit player to protagonist to antagonist.

Baba Yaga is a witch from Russian folklore, so she has popped up here and there. For the purposes of this list, though, we’ll go with Baba Yaga from “Hellboy.” First appearing in the comics, Baba Yaga then appeared in the 2019 film, as forgettable as that offering was.

Her name is Jadis, but in the world of Narnia, she is known as the White Witch. That’s what happens when you freeze all of Narnia using your witch powers. In the film adaptation, she serves as the main antagonist and is played by Tilda Swinton in a standout performance.

The 1990 film “The Witches,” based on a Roald Dahl book, gave many kids nightmares, and The Grand High Witch played a big role in that. Anjelica Huston played the queen of the witches, using the alias Eva Ernst in her human form. In the 2020 version, Anne Hathaway stepped into the role, using the alias of Lilith. Either way, she’s the Grand High Witch.

In Macbeth, the titular character stumbles upon a trio sometimes credited as “Weird Sisters.” Other times, they are the Three Witches. Regardless, the iconic bit of witch lingo “Double, double, toil and trouble” started with this trio of witches who foretold Macbeth’s doom.

Witches and sea travel have long gone hand in hand. Sailors had many superstitions and legends related to witches. So, naturally, Popeye has a witch in the mix as well. That would be the Sea Hag, one of Popeye’s antagonists. Sure, she’s not as famous as Bluto, but she packs a mean streak, to be sure.

Soap operas aren’t exactly known for being subtle and down to earth, but few hold a candle to “Passions” in terms of pure bonkers storytelling. The town of Harmony has the usual intrigue found in soap operas, but it also had a town witch in Tabitha Lenox. Tabitha also had a sidekick in Timmy. Timmy was, needless to say, a doll that came to life. “Passions” stood out largely due to its supernatural elements, and Tabitha was at the heart of that.

Don’t worry, Millennials. We didn’t forget the Sandersons. The trio of sisters is at the center of “Hocus Pocus,” as well as its nostalgia-baiting sequel. To a certain generation, these three are the quintessential witches, establishing them in the canon forever.