Grand High Witch
Encyclopedia
The Grand High Witch of All The World or just the Grand High Witch is a title given to the leader of all witches on Planet Earth, according to Roald Dahl
's 1983 book The Witches. The Grand High Witch is also the main antagonist
of the book and the film. Described as being "without mercy," she travels around the world summoning all the witches of whatever country she is in, giving congratulations or punishments according to the witches' success in their ultimate mission: destroying children. She teaches them such schemes as trapping children inside paintings, turning them into slugs so they can be "squished" or (it is rumoured) turning American children into hot dogs so that they will be eaten by their own parents. She is said to own a counterfeit machine that leaves her no problem in traveling wherever she likes, or helping her lesser witches financially if she feels they need some assistance in their quest to eliminate all things juvenile.
from her eyes; a technique of execution that the narrator's grandmother later explains is known in the witches' community as "getting fried".
The Grand High Witch then explains that elimination of children will be easily accomplished if all the witches set up in trade as sweetshop owners and places a potion
in their stock that will turn anyone who consumes it into a mouse
. This, she says, will convince parents and schoolteachers to kill the children, mistaking them for genuine pests. The witches and the story's narrator
, himself a child, then witness a young boy, Bruno Jenkins, who has previously been fed some potion-inserted chocolate, enter the room, whereupon he is changed into a mouse to demonstrate the potion's effect.
The witches, satisfied that they will meet their leader's demands to destroy all children in England, are about to leave when one of the witches then picks up the scent of the story's narrator. They catch him, force-feed him the potion, and attempt, when he becomes a mouse, to crush him; but he escapes and finds Bruno again. The two mice then find their way back to the room occupied by the narrator's grandmother. Later, the narrator steals the potion, infiltrates the hotel's kitchen, and slips the potion in the witches' soup
. All the witches, including the Grand High Witch, are transformed into mice and instantly are chopped to pieces by the cooks. The narrator and his grandmother, realising that, as with queen bees, when the leader dies there is always going to be another individual who will take over the role of leadership, thereafter plan to move into the Grand High Witch's castle and use it as a base to track down all of the world's witches, so as to spike their food as well, turn them into mice and destroy them with cats.
, with the Grand High Witch posing as the chairwoman.
Like all witches within the story's universe, the Grand High Witch has no toes or hair, and has clawed hands. Strangely, she does not remove her wig, gloves, or shoes at any point within the story, perhaps suggesting she has more to hide. She does, however, during her audience with the witches, remove a highly realistic mask
from her face, revealing her features to look like "something rotten" and "worm-eaten". She has a somewhat guttural accent (hence her pronunciation of England as "Inkland") that gives her "difficulty" in pronouncing the letters "R" ("rrr") and "W" ("v"). It is most likely she is Norwegian, as the book claims this to be the original homeland of all witches. Her ability to "fry" other witches is implied to be unique to her and to those who become her successors.
) is arguably more terrifying and fearsome than her counterpart in the novel. In the film, she appears as "Eva Ernst," a tall, attractive woman of breeding with a snide indifference and a scathing wit, whereas in the novel she is very petite with soft demure features. It is implied that she is originally from Germany; she speaks with a marked German accent. Also in the film, her true appearance is considerably more monstrous. She has a bald, blistered scalp, a long pointed nose and elongated claws. She is also a hunchback
. She has a very short temper and strikes terror into the hearts of her minions. During the climax of the film, after the hero (named 'Luke') has been turned into a mouse and poured a bottle of her magic formula into the soup that the witches are having for their celebratory banquet, the witches begin to transform into mice, spreading chaos throughout the dining room. The Grand High Witch turns into a hideously deformed, snarling mouse and is insulted and condemned by Luke and his grandmother as her evil is coming to an end. As in the novel, The Grand High Witch is finally destroyed when the hotel manager slices her in two with a meat cleaver.
In the film, it is strongly hinted that the Grand High Witch knew the hero's grandmother - called 'Helga' in the film - years ago (although in the beginning of the film, Helga claims that in her youth she searched the globe for the Grand High Witch, but never found her). The grandmother is missing a pinky-finger from one of her hands and becomes very tense when this injury is mentioned. No explanation is given, but when the Grand High Witch encounters Helga, she refers to her as "an old adversary". In the final confrontation, as the Grand High Witch vows that "next time" things will be different, Helga replies, "No, not next time. This time, it's your turn!"
The Grand High Witch employs a secretary
in the film, a witch named Miss Irvine. Yet Miss Irvine reveals, after having had enough of the Grand High Witch's appalling mistreatment of her, she "didn't want to be one of them anyway". Perhaps because of this attitude, Miss Irvine does not fear the Grand High Witch as much as the other witches do, if she fears her at all. She is openly sardonic and rebellious to her employer's face. It is subtly hinted that at bottom, she is good, and may try and help the children who become victims of the witches, as she restores Luke and his friend Bruno to their human form at the end of the film.
After restoring Luke to his human form, Miss Irvine gleefully shows him her hands, which have changed from clawed to human as a result of her renouncing evil.
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
's 1983 book The Witches. The Grand High Witch is also the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the book and the film. Described as being "without mercy," she travels around the world summoning all the witches of whatever country she is in, giving congratulations or punishments according to the witches' success in their ultimate mission: destroying children. She teaches them such schemes as trapping children inside paintings, turning them into slugs so they can be "squished" or (it is rumoured) turning American children into hot dogs so that they will be eaten by their own parents. She is said to own a counterfeit machine that leaves her no problem in traveling wherever she likes, or helping her lesser witches financially if she feels they need some assistance in their quest to eliminate all things juvenile.
Role in the story
The Grand High Witch within this story is noted for being particularly intolerant and demanding. At a yearly meeting of her English minions in a hotel, she demands that all of England's children be exterminated by the next annual meeting. When one brave or foolish witch claims this is impossible, the Grand High Witch tauntingly versifies her minion's impertinence and uselessness and burns her to oblivion by directing magical energyMagic (fantasy)
Magic in fiction is the endowing of fictional characters or objects with magical powers.Such magic often serves as a plot device, the source of magical artifacts and their quests...
from her eyes; a technique of execution that the narrator's grandmother later explains is known in the witches' community as "getting fried".
The Grand High Witch then explains that elimination of children will be easily accomplished if all the witches set up in trade as sweetshop owners and places a potion
Potion
A potion is a consumable medicine or poison.In mythology and literature, a potion is usually made by a magician, sorcerer, dragon, fairy or witch and has magical properties. It might be used to heal, bewitch or poison people...
in their stock that will turn anyone who consumes it into a mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
. This, she says, will convince parents and schoolteachers to kill the children, mistaking them for genuine pests. The witches and the story's narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
, himself a child, then witness a young boy, Bruno Jenkins, who has previously been fed some potion-inserted chocolate, enter the room, whereupon he is changed into a mouse to demonstrate the potion's effect.
The witches, satisfied that they will meet their leader's demands to destroy all children in England, are about to leave when one of the witches then picks up the scent of the story's narrator. They catch him, force-feed him the potion, and attempt, when he becomes a mouse, to crush him; but he escapes and finds Bruno again. The two mice then find their way back to the room occupied by the narrator's grandmother. Later, the narrator steals the potion, infiltrates the hotel's kitchen, and slips the potion in the witches' soup
Soup
Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...
. All the witches, including the Grand High Witch, are transformed into mice and instantly are chopped to pieces by the cooks. The narrator and his grandmother, realising that, as with queen bees, when the leader dies there is always going to be another individual who will take over the role of leadership, thereafter plan to move into the Grand High Witch's castle and use it as a base to track down all of the world's witches, so as to spike their food as well, turn them into mice and destroy them with cats.
Personal characteristics
The Grand High Witch is described as being "without mercy", "the most evil woman in creation" and "the most evil and appalling woman in the world": one who utterly detests children, disdaining the oblivion of one child per week for each of the eighty-five witches in England as "no use", and indifferent as to whether or not adults are turned into mice and destroyed in the process. She is impatient, volatile, aggressive, and tyrannical, caring nothing as to how her demands are carried out provided they are obeyed and leave no trace of witches being involved. While furious at those who contradict or offer nothing constructive to her plans, she displays a favourable, if terse, attitude towards those witches- particularly "the ancient ones"- who have served her well over the years and eliminated many children, even supplying them with ready-made potion so that they may keep up with their younger counterparts. Her "real" name is never mentioned in the book. She resides in a castle in Norway, where she is known as a wealthy baroness, and operates her business mostly from there. She finances her devious plans with a machine that can make practically any currency in the world. While she forbids lesser witches from contacting their fellows in other countries, she uses her enormous wealth to fund her schemes and journey from place to place to contact them herself. In each country, she books into a hotel, summoning all the native witches and passes them off as a party of ordinary, good-natured women. For this year's meeting, the witches of England style themselves (ironically) as the RSPCCNSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
, with the Grand High Witch posing as the chairwoman.
Like all witches within the story's universe, the Grand High Witch has no toes or hair, and has clawed hands. Strangely, she does not remove her wig, gloves, or shoes at any point within the story, perhaps suggesting she has more to hide. She does, however, during her audience with the witches, remove a highly realistic mask
Mask
A mask is an article normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes...
from her face, revealing her features to look like "something rotten" and "worm-eaten". She has a somewhat guttural accent (hence her pronunciation of England as "Inkland") that gives her "difficulty" in pronouncing the letters "R" ("rrr") and "W" ("v"). It is most likely she is Norwegian, as the book claims this to be the original homeland of all witches. Her ability to "fry" other witches is implied to be unique to her and to those who become her successors.
The Film
In the film version of the novel, the Grand High Witch (played by Anjelica HustonAnjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
) is arguably more terrifying and fearsome than her counterpart in the novel. In the film, she appears as "Eva Ernst," a tall, attractive woman of breeding with a snide indifference and a scathing wit, whereas in the novel she is very petite with soft demure features. It is implied that she is originally from Germany; she speaks with a marked German accent. Also in the film, her true appearance is considerably more monstrous. She has a bald, blistered scalp, a long pointed nose and elongated claws. She is also a hunchback
Hunchback
Hunchback may refer to one of the following.*A derogatory term for a person who has severe kyphosis*The Hunchback of Notre Dame*Hunchback , an arcade and computer game from the 1980s*The Hunchback, a 1914 film featuring Lillian Gish...
. She has a very short temper and strikes terror into the hearts of her minions. During the climax of the film, after the hero (named 'Luke') has been turned into a mouse and poured a bottle of her magic formula into the soup that the witches are having for their celebratory banquet, the witches begin to transform into mice, spreading chaos throughout the dining room. The Grand High Witch turns into a hideously deformed, snarling mouse and is insulted and condemned by Luke and his grandmother as her evil is coming to an end. As in the novel, The Grand High Witch is finally destroyed when the hotel manager slices her in two with a meat cleaver.
In the film, it is strongly hinted that the Grand High Witch knew the hero's grandmother - called 'Helga' in the film - years ago (although in the beginning of the film, Helga claims that in her youth she searched the globe for the Grand High Witch, but never found her). The grandmother is missing a pinky-finger from one of her hands and becomes very tense when this injury is mentioned. No explanation is given, but when the Grand High Witch encounters Helga, she refers to her as "an old adversary". In the final confrontation, as the Grand High Witch vows that "next time" things will be different, Helga replies, "No, not next time. This time, it's your turn!"
The Grand High Witch employs a secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
in the film, a witch named Miss Irvine. Yet Miss Irvine reveals, after having had enough of the Grand High Witch's appalling mistreatment of her, she "didn't want to be one of them anyway". Perhaps because of this attitude, Miss Irvine does not fear the Grand High Witch as much as the other witches do, if she fears her at all. She is openly sardonic and rebellious to her employer's face. It is subtly hinted that at bottom, she is good, and may try and help the children who become victims of the witches, as she restores Luke and his friend Bruno to their human form at the end of the film.
After restoring Luke to his human form, Miss Irvine gleefully shows him her hands, which have changed from clawed to human as a result of her renouncing evil.