Camp Thirlby’s Love Letter to Witches
Halloween is my absolute favorite time of the year, and not just because I have an excuse to dress up (we love a good themed party). I’ve always found myself attracted towards all things spooky, whether through my obsession with vampire shows or my inability to listen to anything else but The Cranberries’ “Zombie” on repeat for the entire month of October. But witches were always my favorite — their outsider status mixed with their crafty powers continue to resonate with me and other womxn to this day (plus, The Craft will always be my favorite spooky, witchy movie). They’re feminists! Sometimes they’re gay! They resist the heteropatriarchy and subvert social norms like no other! While witch narratives vary, they, whether real or fictional, impact us at Camp Thirlby so much to the point that we wanted to express our love for them. After centuries of ostracization and literally being burned at the stake, they deserve it!
— Natalie Geisel, Lead Camp Counselor
The “witches” that I’ll be thinking of this Halloween are those murdered in both the 1692-1693 American witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, and the European witch trials from the 16th to 18th century. As a longtime Harry Potter, W.I.T.C.H., and all iterations of Sabrina the Teenage Witch fan, I have always had a fascination with witchy, crafty women. After taking a “History of Witchcraft” class, that fascination received the historical context I needed to understand “the witch”; that the medieval Catholic church created stories that vilified rural, pagan (and all non-Christian) women who were in control of their sexuality. These stories led to the systematic murder and social banishment of these women, and continues to affect the way that non-Christians, women, and sexuality are viewed in today’s society. This Halloween, I’ll be thinking of the smart women — with the skills to cultivate crops for their communities and heal the sick with pagan rituals and botany (traditions passed down maternally) — who were murdered by Catholic male community leaders who were afraid of their power.
— Jade Hurley, Camp Counselor
Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
While I would do absolutely anything for all the witches out there, I will always reserve a special place in my heart for Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her storyline of becoming a witch in the show’s second season excited me beyond belief; we were finally going to see the timid Willow come out of her shell with her newfound witchy powers! But season four was when the show really dove into Willow’s witch identity, which was essentially conflated with the exploration of her gayness. Witches are great, but gay witches are even better, so watching Willow fall in love with another witch felt like the best possible storyline a closeted 15-year-old could watch. Willow’s powers had everything to do with her being a lesbian, whether through the show’s euphemisms of lesbian sex through doing “spells” with Tara or even how witches are inherently queer due to how they historically lie on the margins of mainstream society and culture. Was my obsession with this couple evidence that I wanted to practice spells or that I wanted to be in a witchy throuple with them? Even isolated, though, Willow showed me the power of magic (still weeping about her role in the series finale, btw), and that even the outsider can prevail.
— Natalie
The Three Witches, Weird Sisters, Wayward Sisters (Macbeth)
Mirroring the three fates of classical mythology (Clotho The Spinner, Lachesis The Alloter and Atropos The Inflexible, if you needed a quick refresher), The Three Witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth hold all the power, prophesizing what’s fated for the characters of the story. Also known as the Weyward Sisters, Wayward Sisters and the Weird Sisters — not to be confused with Prudence, Dorcas and Agatha, the Weird Sisters of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina — these witches hold for me a more mystic, ancient power. They appear throughout literature, throughout history and cultures, adapting and transfiguring themselves into time. Your favorite Hollywood witch could never.
Often caught foretelling the demise of the characters that surround them, this trio of ill-fate know more than we could ever imagine, conjuring storms and changing the winds to usher those that listen to their words to act upon their inner-most darkest desires.
— Geordon Wollner, Arts and Graphics Counselor
I have always loved witchcraft; as a child I binged through the Harry Potter books with the best of them, would skip around my yard reciting fake incantations on plants, and tried to talk to animals. Essentially, I have always held out hope — or held suspect — that magic, and all of its fantastical lore, was real. When I was a junior in college, my suspicions and hopes were confirmed when I encountered my first practicing witch on Twitter. Since then, my life has been enriched with the magic and inspiration of the wild, daring people, aka the witches, I know and connect with in my own life. These practitioners — men, women, and nonbinary people alike — have shown me a new way to embrace myself and the worlds and ~astral planes~ around me. They live outside of societal norms, push boundaries, and encourage growth and perseverance in the name of healing and resistance. This Halloween, I am so grateful for the witch community I inhabit in real life,who affirm you should never stop believing in magic.
— Maura Fallon, Camp Counselor
Madison Montgomery (American Horror Story)
When it comes to Madison, there are so few characters who are so bad but yet still so lovable. She’s passionate about who she is and was never afraid of letting everyone know that she wanted to be the Supreme. Although she may have taken it too far (not resurrecting your BFF is kinda rude), I have always respected women who are unashamed of their ambition. Most see something catty and mean, but her self possession is something women are constantly taught to hide away. Madison laughed in the face of humility and meanness? And rightfully so, because she was a badass. (And, just saying, who wouldn’t want Emma Roberts as their Supreme?)
— Iyana Jones, Camp Counselor
Aunt Hilda (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
Aunt Hilda from the OG Sabrina the Teenage Witch is my favorite witch, probably of all time. She was jealous and petty and silly and loving, and did everything I'd want to do if I were a witch. She'd do anything for love, and that's something I think we can all relate to, or at least want to relate to. Like Aunt H, I can be loud and over the top, but unlike her, I used to be skittish about going after what I want. Whether it be in love, friendships, or in my career plans. But I've been trying to dive into things headfirst, leaving in my wake a cloud of smoke and glitter.
— Luna Homsi, Camp Counselor
Florence Welch (Florence and The Machine)
To all that know of Florence Welch, we understand her to be a witch. The witch. The “Supreme,” if you will. I’ve never wished for a coven to exist more, as the one she is so clearly the head of. Her poetic lyrics read as spells, cast and sent into action as she sings each sweet incantation carefully, yet with such power that your breath quickens, rendering you powerless to her stories. Her hymns of pain and ballads of love fix me to the ground, condemning me to travel nowhere but inward, running circles throughout my brain, her words vibrating through my veins. Although a modern witch of the highest stature, there is no doubt she holds in her a soul that has experienced many lifetimes — we have been fortunate enough to experience her during this one. With a single note, you will be aside her, clad in a floor-length sheer chiffon gown that brushes along her ankles as she dances, hair falling across her shoulders, crooning the final chants, fulfilling the final spell.
— Geordon
The Hex Girls (Scooby Doo)
The impact the Hex Girls had on me is vaguely ridiculous considering they’re merely incidental characters in a couple Scooby Doo movies. That being said, the trio is undeniably iconic and I stand by them. They’re talented musicians in a band of all women, they wear incredible mono-chromatic outfits, they do rituals, AND they were proud eco-goths even in the 90s, meaning they weren’t afraid to get political. Even as a little girl, I knew they embodied something about the type of woman I wanted to be: cool, confidant, and subversive, fighting for a cause.
— Victoria Middleton, Astrology Counselor
Prudence Blackwood (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)
Prudence of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is another witch who is proud of herself, her work ethic and her power. Prudence scares the world away with her biting power and ice cold exterior, but her soft spot is for her sisters and coven. Prudence constantly goes above all (Sabrina included) to do what she feels is right to protect her coven. No one (again, including Sabrina) will stand in the way of her protecting their secret and keeping them safe. It always warms my heart to see strong characters who use their strength for the protection of others, and Prudence never fails to fight when necessary.
— Iyana
Hermione Granger (The Harry Potter series)
Many witches existed in my life before Hermione Granger, but reflecting on it now, she was the witch that truly made me believe in magic. I have always lived with the belief in the mystical and other-worldly manifestations of magic, so when the Harry Potter series entered my life I was even more drawn into the possibilities and wanted more than ever to connect and tap into this world that existed next to our own. Her dedication and confidence empowered me as a child. I would sit, practicing my “swish-and-flick,” hoping my Wingardium Laviosa would send my pencil soaring into the air. I loved her cleverness. I loved her willingness to try even the most complicated of experiments, potions and spells, to hopefully find a solution to whatever challenge was heading her way. Her steadfastness and assuredness still inspires me to this day. She is a bold witch, unafraid to speak her mind — and I was able to grow up alongside her.
— Geordon
