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bad Witches

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Toadie111	bad Witches	Lead	[-]
Posts: 1 (04/22/08 13:41:23) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None Hello, I'd like to make a kind of a system of bad fairy tale witches in English speaking countries (especially the US) Concerning their outward appearance: I know that they are old, ugly, have warts, big noses, wear a hat and black clothes. Is there anything else to mention? And another question: Do all of them (or most of them) have green skin? I know that the bad witch in "The wizard of Oz" is green! Thanks for your help and sorry for my English Toadie
petajinnathandersen		#1	[-]
Posts: 15 (04/22/08 19:44:43) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I think you're describing a modern conception of the fairy tale witch, the large hatted lady we see around Halloween--while some fairy tale witches appear to have certain physical traits in common, there isn't really a "standard" witch with warts and a big nose. Not all, or even most, witches have green skin, either. There are many fairy tale anthologies you can leaf through for ideas and many tales available on the Surlalune site. The new Complete Coloured Fairy Books anthology might be of use to you, too. http://home.petajinnathandersen.com http://journal.petajinnathandersen.com
MaryCatelli		#2	[-]
Posts: 191 (04/23/08 15:45:11) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	What you really need to look at is illustrations. Because they are seldom described in the text of the tale. Fortunately, SurLaLune fairy tales site has an illustrations section. (Click on the icon with the moon at the top of the page.)
The Oriental Nightfish		#3	[-]
Posts: 4 (06/10/08 11:18:55) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	If I remember rightly (I might not do) the Wicked Witch of the West was only green-skinned in the MGM film, and quite possibly stage productions before that. In the original novel, her defining feature was that she had only one eye (though it was a very powerful, magical eye).
Dantes Heart	Crones vs beautiful witches	#4	[-]
Posts: 8 (06/10/08 12:57:28) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Also, some of the oldest "wicked witches," as well as neutral witches who just get pissed, are beautiful ladies disguised as crones, or just beautiful ladies undisguised (for example the evil queen in Snow White preening for her mirror). In Beauty and the Beast and in various Irish and Welsh tales, curses often befall the unwary prince or traveler who mistakes a fairy queen or a witch for the harmless, ugly old crone she appears to be, and then mistreats or insults her, provoking either her rage or her sense of justice. There is also an opposite tradition in Japanese fairy tales of the wicked (and sometimes hideous) witch or spirit-creature disguised as a beautiful maiden. You may have more luck investigating the tradition of illusion and enchantment, of "she isn't what she seems," than in tracking down specific physical characteristics. Hope this helps! Daniel Editor, Dante's Heart Last Edited By: Dantes Heart 06/10/08 13:10:01. Edited 1 times.
Helen Pilinovsky		#5	[-]
Posts: 1 (06/10/08 17:48:26) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	DH's comment is on the money: for one example of this kind of tale from the British tradition, consider the tale-type of the "Loathly Lady" (the wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle is a good example).

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