Being as though they are such an exemplary Halloween cliché, we couldn’t think of a better way to get everyone in the festive spirit, than to put together a list of the 13 most famous witches in history. However, witches are so much further from the stereotypical image we hold of these green-skinned women who dress in black and fly atop of broomsticks. They, in fact, have a deep tumultuous history that has existed all throughout the world; even long before the coming of science. Because witches didn’t have resources such as our list of 12 popular science myths debunked, they were often blamed for bad things that happened; including things like storms, famines, and disease. Somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 men, women and even children were taken into custody for the suspicion of witchcraft in medieval Europe, alone! Roughly, half of those accused were sentenced to death.
Long after the years of witch hunts, many cultures are still spellbound by witches and have let their presence linger into the present with characters like the most famous witch in pop-culture history: the Wicked Witch of the West. Although her green skin was just a glitch in the advancement of technology with technicolor, the rest of her attire are very common symbols associated with these reviled human beings. The tall, pointy hat was a style that most European upperclassmen wore in the 15th century. A similar style was eventually spread to commoners; which were often the poor people associated with witchcraft. Her broom was also commonly used by pagans during the ancient crop fertility rights. It was believed that witches would use their broom to hide their magical wand in the event of a witch hunt, and they would rub a special potion into the broom to give it the ability to fly and perform magic. The hat in conjunction with the broom developed into a common symbol for witches, which still exist today! Although witches today are far from the stereotypical representation we uphold as well as that of the witches we present as the 13 most famous witches in history.
13. Éliphas Lévi
Born in Paris as Alphonse Louis Constant on the eighth of February in 1810, this he-witch later took the alias and is much better known as Éliphas Lévi. the last one in our list of most famous witches in history. Like most other witches, Éliphas was considered so due to his knowledge and practices in esoteric traditions. As the only son of a shoemaker who was living in poverty and unable to fund private education for his bright son, Constant’s father was determined to give him the education he deserved and therefore, sent him to multiple institutes to become knowledgeable and qualified to pursue a career as a priest. Instead, young Alphonse was intrigued by a lesson where his instructor shared his beliefs on animal magnetism (basically, sexual attraction) being an essential human energy that is controlled by the Devil; and his curiosity led him to surreptitiously study anything and everything pertaining to magic and the occult. In his 20’s, Lévi met a couple who actively practiced witchcraft; which only amplified his passion for magic and the occult. Still seeking a career in the church, Lévi began to write books on his findings and was soon banished from the church for his radical views.
He later moved to London in hopes of teaching occult studies, but his lessons were disappointing due to his poor English and his pupil’s instead, expected him to pull off miracles and perform demonstrations of ceremonial magic; and eventually, he unwillingly agreed to conjure the spirits of an ancient magician known as Apollonius of Tyana. Not only was this his first attempt at ever doing something quite like this, but upon the success of the act, he quickly achieved a rather high and respected status. He spent the rest of his life writing books and giving lessons in the occult until he died on May 31st, 1875. Even today, his books have left a tremendous impact on contemporary magic and witchcraft, and one of his drawings, in particular, has been adopted by the occult and witchcraft cultures as one of the most familiar representations of the Baphomet known today.
12. Laurie Cabot
Famously known as the “Official Witch of Salem”, Laurie Cabot who ranks 12th in our list of most famous witches in history, is a modern-day witch who is largely responsible for popularizing witchcraft in the United States and gave the religion a whole new perspective. As the founder of ‘Cabot Science Tradition of Witchcraft’, Laurie was aware of her psychic gifts and was very fond of witches from a very young age; she spent the majority of her time by herself studying religion at the library, and this, over time, attracted a staff member who opened her eyes to witchcraft and the paranormal. The library staff member later revealed herself as a witch and eventually introduced her to two other witches who aided in teaching Laurie everything she needed to know about witchcraft and craft practices before initiating her into the craft.
Not wanting to upset her father who was conformed to science and therefore did not believe in witchcraft, Laurie maintained her passion for science as well as witchcraft and used it as the foundation of her methods of witchcraft, the occult, and the paranormal; hence, the birth of ‘Cabot Science Tradition of Witchcraft’. She has since devoted her entire life to building a good reputation for herself—giving back to her community, as well as striving to make witchcraft recognized as a legitimate religion, and has even gone so far as to host an annual festival known as the ‘Witches Ball’, and founded an institution that she called ‘The Witches League of Public Awareness’ to defend the civil rights of witches and encourage them to stand up for their equality. Her hard work and good deeds in her community earned her the historic award known as the Patriot’s Award. The Governor of Massachusetts honored Laurie with this award in 1977 for the work she did in her community with children who had special needs and has since been proclaimed the ‘Official Witch of Salem’. This was the very first time that a witch was openly acknowledged for their good works by someone of such a high political status and in turn serves as a testament that not only do witches deserve a place in this world, but they are far from the evil we tend to associate them with. And now, let’s see who else we have in our list of most famous witches in history.
11. Anne Boleyn
Here is a perfect example of how society’s distorted views on women who were often strong and independent—women who stood out from the crowd—not only led to accusations that could not have been further from the truth but even death! Anne Boleyn was born in 1501 and would later grow up to marry King Henry VIII of England; which would ultimately lead to her demise. She was a beautiful woman, desired by many, and initially declined King Henry VIII’s invitation to court him because he was already committed to another woman. Anne respected herself too much to be a mistress and stated that if they were to be together it would be by marriage and she would be his one-and-only. The King was quick to abandon his current marriage and devote himself to Anne but after giving birth to a baby girl (Elizabeth I, who would grow up to be one of the most famous Queens of England) and having multiple miscarriages, the King used the fact that she had not borne a son as justification to go back to his old promiscuous ways.
In this day and age, while most women would have turned the other cheek to this sort of behavior, Anne, the number 11 in our list of most famous witches in history, was not like most other women. Her husband’s unfaithfulness infuriated her, and she became very jealous; which quickly caused their marriage to fall apart. Here’s where things started to get real hairy for Anne. Suddenly, her individuality and sex appeal became her biggest vices. Situations that were out of her control such as, her miscarriage and her husband’s impotency, became contorted into horror stories that were used against her as accusations of being a witch. You see, back then the English took serious precautions towards witchcraft and would often jump the gun with accusations towards anyone who would show any signs of what they believed could be depicted as being a witch. Her incredible allure was now thought to be the work of Satan, himself as he would use her to seduce men into marriage, thus combining her victim’s soul with hers; which belonged to the Devil. She would birth disfigured fetus’ and curse her husband with impotency. King Henry VIII felt no remorse as he played the innocent man that had been driven by an evil witch to leave his church and join in matrimony. His deceitful lies only confirmed the country’s beliefs and it is said that no mercy was shown at the time of her beheading in 1536. Her story has been told time and time again and lives on centuries later as a symbol of the sad, but often true tale of the most famous witches in history.
10. Angéle de la Barthe
There is a lot that can be misconstrued over the course of time when it comes to history. In Angéle de la Barthe’s case, her legacy dates back to the mid to late 1200’s where she was said to be the first person ever to be put to death for being a witch. However, more recent beliefs lean towards the discovery that her story is one that has been highly fabricated. The fable of Angéle de la Barthe’s was so widespread that she is also simply known as the Toulouse Witch, and her story is simple, yet bizarre.
She was a prosperous woman of Toulouse who was accused by a Catholic priest of committing in sexual acts with the Devil and bearing his demon seed. The monster was said to have the head of a wolf with a serpent’s tail and fed on the flesh of infants and small children that the witch would either slaughter or dig up from graveyards to offer the beast. After being tortured, Angéle finally confessed to the ludicrous allegations and claimed that her flesh-eating spawn of Satan flew away to avoid his capture and she was then burned alive in 1275. The truth behind Angéle de la Barthe who ranks 10th in our list of most famous witches in history, can most likely be found in the gray areas of her story. It is believed that she was quite simply just another woman who stood out from the crowd a little too much and was falsely accused by a man of power seeking to make a name for himself at the expense of a unique and innocent woman.
9. Alice Kyteler
We are continuing our list of most famous witches in history with Dame Alice Kyteler, who was a wealthy Irish woman who is also infamously known as the Witch of Kilkenny. Up until her case in 1324, no one had yet been condemned of witchcraft in Ireland. But the townspeople grew very weary of the fact that all of the Dame Alice’s husbands had a tendency to die after becoming very ill and leaving behind a fortune for their widow. With the passing of each husband came the growth of her own wealth, but after the death of her fourth husband, Sir John de Poer, Alice began being convicted of witchcraft. Upon the realization that Sir John had changed his will and made Alice [and her son, William] his beneficiary just before his death, his remaining family members were appalled and abruptly cast the blame in Alice’s direction, claiming that she had “bewitched” de Poer into involuntarily signing his riches over to her. Rumors of Alice being the leader of a coven of witches and having sexual intercourse with demons began to spread as knights and nobleman searched for her. But she had fled to England, where she was not found until her return a year later to seek justice for her unlawful denouncement. To her surprise, the Bishop demanded that she be arrested, and she again fled to England where she disappeared from history completely. The memory of Alice Kyteler lives on in myths and legends, and her story has even made it into present times in books and movies.
8. Agnes Sampson
Along with an estimated 70 other witches involved in the North Berwick witch trials that took place from 1590-1592, Agnes Sampson who ranks 8th in our list of most famous witches in history was among one of the more popularized witches that were tortured and burned at the stake. In those times King James VI of Scotland was said to show mercy to those who were accused of witchcraft. However, upon marrying Princess Anne of Denmark—who was horrified of witches and dark magic—became influenced by her fearfulness and after experiencing a perilous storm at sea could only conclude that witches had cast a spell on nature that resulted in a treacherous storm. He essentially began a witch hunt, which led to the capture of an accused witch named Geillis Duncan. Duncan went on to give up the names of various accomplices, one of which being Agnes Sampson. Although many were accused and executed during this time, Agnes’ story stood out as she had prior to her convictions been respected by locals. As a local midwife and healer, people were quick to change their views of her. She was questioned and examined by the king, himself and tortured with a device known as a bridle. These methods of torture used on Agnes were particularly gruesome, which also contributes to the popularity of her case. Like the other witches accused, Agnes eventually gave in and confessed to plotting against the King and being acquainted with the Devil. In 1591 Agnes was strangled before she was burned to death as a witch.
7. Agnes Waterhouse
More familiarly known as Mother Waterhouse, Agnes, the next one our list of most famous witches in history was one of the most famous witches in England due to her unspeakable crimes paired with being the first witch ever to be executed in England by a secular court. Although not much was documented about Agnes prior to her confession of being a witch, the fact that she was known around town as Mother Waterhouse suggests how the locals may have viewed her as a compassionate and helpful woman. It has also been suggested that she was a very wise woman and a healer, which are two attributes many witches seem to share. Her life seemed relatively quiet and normal until after the beheading of Anne Boleyn when King Henry VIII passed a new act against witchcraft in 1542. In 1566 she was accused of using witchcraft and sorcery to cause death to a neighbor, kill livestock and bring illness to the town. Agnes was even accused of killing her husband! Mother Waterhouse openly confessed to her accusations and claimed to have sent her cat (named Satan) to do her dirty work. It has been said that the cat taught her and her her sister witchcraft from a young age and that it could even speak. Agnes was hung for her crimes in 1566.
6. Abigail Hobbs
Perhaps the most famous witch to come out of the Salem Witch Trials, Abigail Hobbs, the number 6 in our list of most famous witches in history was accused of witchcraft at the tender age of 14. She was known to be a bit of a wild child and often people would have considered her to be disrespectful. She was arrogant even as she stood for questioning at the trial; seeming proud to have met with the Devil. Many did not know how to take this girl. Was she just a troubled teen lashing out? Or were her confessions of using voodoo to torture and kill her neighbors actually true? Her blasphemy quickly led to the accusations of her being a witch and she was smart enough to realize that she could delay execution by telling the judges what they wanted to hear. In late 1692 Hobbs was sentenced to be executed, but lucky for her a few month later the trials had fallen through the cracks and she was spared.
5. Maggie Wall
Many are intrigued by the monument left behind for Maggie Wall, the next one in our list of most famous witches in history. As a 20-foot-high structure with the words “Maggie Wall burnt here 1657 as a witch” and a Christian cross at the top of the monument, it is the only thing like it in Scotland. The funny thing about Maggie Wall is that there is, in fact, no record of her trial or that she even existed, yet she remains one of the most famous witches in history. Many believe that her name and monument is a symbol dedicated to those witches in Scotland that were accused and burned at the stake. However, some also believe that her story is true and that she was just another wise healer at the worst time possible to be an intelligent woman who used herbs and spices as natural remedies. Nonetheless, her monument is said to be visited more than that of Elvis Presley’s and many visitors etch messages into the monument and leave offerings for the poor Maggie Wall.
4. Catherine Monovoisin
A French sorceress who is better known as La Voisin, Catherine’s habits of practicing medicine, procuring abortions, concocting potions and poisons and being a promiscuous wife all contributed to her sentencing for poisoning and witchcraft. At first, many women of Paris seemed to flock to her for her love potions and made her very wealthy. But La Voisin who ranks 4th in our list of most famous witches in history, eventually got caught up in a scandal and people began to think that the potions she was making were poisoning the women who took them. Most of these women were rich and powerful, and La Voisin’s testimony in court could not hold up to the power some of these individuals had, so she was convicted of poisoning and witchcraft and sentenced to burn in 1680 in the very center of Paris for all to see.
3. Merga Bien
Of the 200+ people involved in the Fulda Witch Trials in Germany from 1603-1606, Merga Bien, the number three in our list of most famous witches in history is thought to be the most popular case. She was among one of the very first victims of the trials, and ultimately was accused of the simple fact of being pregnant! She was married to her third husband for 14 years and had never conceived prior to that. So naturally, it was believed that the fetus growing inside of her belonged to the Devil! She was tortured—with child!—and made to confess to killing her ex-husband and having sex with Satan. That was all Prince Bishop needed to hear after he started the massive witch hunt, and Merga was burned at the stake in that first year of the hunt.
2. Ursula Southeil
Better known as Mother Shipton, her legacy has been compared to that of Nostradamus for her uncanny predictions. Today she is known as a bit of a prophetess; as a 16th century Englishwoman, she was feared as a witch. Her looks fit the part too, as she was grotesquely ugly and was teased with names like “Hag Face” and “Devil’s Bastard” growing up. As she grew into adulthood people seemed to have mixed feelings about her. People would often see that her predictions eventually came true, and even years after her death in 1561, people are still seeing her prophecies come to life. Some of her most popular predictions include the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, the Spanish Armada and some even believe she predicted technology such as telephones and the internet. No wonder it’s on our list of most famous witches in history, right? Over the years, there have been many naysayers, but she has also acquired a large following. Her birth site, a cave in Knaresborough known as Mother Shipton’s Cave, has become a popular tourist attraction and many believe that her remaining prophecies will still come true.
1. Marie Laveau
The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau was known to be a very beautiful free woman of color. We conclude our list of most famous witches in history with her, and on a much happier note than that of the witches before her. Although some believed her work was that of evil sorcery and were intimidated by her, many would come to the Queen of Voodoo for healing. She became a very successful nurse, using her potions and voodoo to magically heal the sick. It is also said that she was a very kind woman who would open her doors at any time for those without food or shelter. She eventually became very ill and died at the ripe old age of 98 in 1881. Many still visit her tomb with offerings in hopes that she will grant their wishes. It is said that when someone’s wish is granted, they return to her grave and mark it with three x’s.
