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The Evil Witch In Greek Mythology

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The evil witches on these series and even on Harry Potter like Bellatrix Lestrange, the Wicked Queen of Snow White etc. adheres to certain norms of beauty, including the use of make-up and high heels, on the other hand she deviates from the most important rule for women: she refuses to be contained within the roles assigned to her within patriarchy. She refuses the role of the mother and refuses the male power over herself. Magic becomes a transgressive power, a protective magic which will disrupt patriarchal norms and free the women from societal expectations, which works on both the good and bad witch. Diane Purkiss explains witchcraft today, “its insistence on an identity grounded in the maternal body” (34). Contemporary popular witchcraft series and movies often essentialize witches as mothers. Just as the films and television shows which present positive witch figures nevertheless reinforce patriarchal ideology, the post feministic discourse accepts the bond of …show more content…

The witches do not actively seek their power for personal gain and if they do they must pay for their transgression. The good witch uses her power to protect others and for good. However the evil witches and demons do not have any qualms against using their powers for their personal needs or for power, as witnessed in Charmed and Buffy. However, in the case of Harry Potter, there is a shift as we find magic used for both good and bad every day. The contemporary relevance of these witches as enduring feminist icons occurs because even though their series and movies are over, the legacy that these characters have left is far from over. The series Charmed, Buffy and Sabrina have resurfaced in different media like comics, novels and cartoons. They integrate the series and pick up where the series left off. In the case of Hermione, ‘Pottermore’ is filled with fanfiction and even J.K Rowling’s own suggestions about her

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