Death Witches

According to legend, Death Witches are people who have been granted a magical connection to death by the Calistian god, Seth. They have a natural connection to the balance between life and death and can identify when a person intends to tale another's life. They are destined to maintain the balance between life and death by saving people who are yet supposed to die, and by killing those who are meant to. They also kill those who threaten the balance with crimes (usually murder) against others. Because their job is so dangerous, they have been granted immortality by Seth. Though stories of Death Witches are as old as The Death Witch (and Other Stories), which originally introduced them, they have more recently been popularized by Sarah Xyn's popular Zoey Coral Series, about a teenage death witch who must use her abilities to save the world from a rising evil.

Working for Death

My gift is my curse

— Hermes Swift

Death witches are said to be connected to the magic of death, as other wizards are connected to other types of magic. This connection allows them to connect to the balance of life and death and to know instinctively when it has been upset. Death witches can sense when someone as about to die, as well as when someone intends to kill someone. If these things threaten to damage the balance of life and death, they take action to maintain it, often by killing the person who threatens it. They are also said to have received "Death's Kiss," meaning they are immortal for several decades (though death witches do eventually die, they remain immortal well into their lives, and in many stories of death witches, they die of old age.)

Controversy

Though most people believe death witches are mythological, the popularity of the Zoey Coral series has lead to outrage among many parents, who demand the books be banned in schools and libraries because they encourage children to become murderers. Because death witches work for Seth, they operate outside of the law, frequently breaking it to kill others, claiming they are saving lives in the process. Furthermore, Xyn's work suggests that the immortality which a death witch receives from Seth is a means of protection from the law, as governments will not be able to execute them for their crimes. Others have argued that this an overreaction, as children should be able to identify that the Zoey Coral books are a work of fiction.
Perhaps there is some reason behind these objections to the books, as there is a famous case of a murderer who claimed he was a death witch doing Seth's work. As a response, the judge in the case sentenced the killer to be executed, remarking that, "we shall know soon enough if your statement is true." The fame of this incident seems to have prevented others from doing the same. Nevertheless, those who believe that death witches do exist usually state that they have organized ways of getting each other out of such predicaments.

Death witches have hard lives

Likely due to their connection with death, death witches are culturally considered to experience a great deal of tragedy in their lives. The common phrase, "death witches have hard lives," has come to be a sarcastic comment implying the addressee is whining about minor inconveniences.

Type

Illicit, Other

Leader

Seth

Notable Members

• Hermes Swift

In Calistian folklore, Seth is often symbolized by two entwined blue flowers, one living, one dead. As a result, blue flowers have become a common symbol of death witches.

by Erda Estremera