Archetype:Beldam Witch

"Double, double, toil and trouble;

Fire, burn; and cauldron, bubble."

― William Shakespeare (Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I)

"Witches ain't nothing to joke about. I've known children who no longer exist as children on this earth. They were turned, transformed, taken by witches."

― Grandma (The Witches, 2020 film)

The archetype of a character who is a beldam witch. Variation of Witch who has experienced a Divine Power Induced Mutation to appear as with Hag or Demon Physiology.

Also Called[]

Beldam
Demonic Witch
Wicked Witch

Capabilities[]

The character is a beldam witch. Beldams start their lives as humans (or other mortal creatures) but have long given up their former existence to pursue fealty to an unholy god/pantheon or to other malefic powers (such as demons or evil spirits). As a result of Demonic Mysticism, the bedlam witch's appearance was disfigured from exposure to their unholy patron's power. The beldam witch's appearance will become that of a true monster, sometimes a beldam witch exists purely as a malevolent force or "ghost" - other times she is a physical being, always hideous and eager to harm anything she comes across.

Beldam witches appear similar to hags but are exclusively malevolent (while hags can be good or evil depending on the source) - hags are often associated with nature (both the good, bad and neutral parts of it) while beldams are instead an embodiment of mankind's fear of the unknown and black magic, they toil endlessly to bring ruin and often delight in their malice, giggling madly and gathering all manner of evil spirit and vermin to their aid.

Beldams are envisioned in modern times with black pointed hats and green skin, but this is due largely to a depiction in the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz and has no actual folklore meaning.

Applications[]

Variations[]

Associations[]

Limitations[]

Absolutely devoted to evil, unable to be reasoned with and often self-destructive.
Vulnerable to folk charms such as salt, fire, running water and iron.
Vulnerable to holy items and prayers, especially those associated with Christianity (or the ruling faith of the land).