History Main / SolitarySorceress

* Flashback-only character Maggy the Frog in ''Series/GameOfThrones'' is a forest witch that practices BloodMagic and lives alone in a small cabin in the woods. Her book counterpart, on the other hand, is an urban fortune-teller.

* Circe of ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' may be a candidate for UrExample for western culture. She lives on an island and [[BalefulPolymorph turns shipwrecked sailors into pigs]], in order to fill her larder. Though often described as a sorceress, she is technically a demigoddess.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen}}'': After accidentally exposing her powers to the world, Elsa flees to the mountains and plans on living her life like this.

* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'': After accidentally exposing her powers to the world, Elsa flees to the mountains and plans on living her life like this.
* Ursula, the Sea Witch in ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'' is a villainous example. She was banished from the Kingdom of Atlantica, but still gives magical help to "poor unfortunate souls"... [[DealWithTheDevil with a hook in it]].
* Mama Odie in ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' is an [[CoolOldLady elderly]], [[HandicappedBadass blind]] voodoo priestess living in the Louisiana bayou who helps Naveen and Tiana break the curse that turned them into frogs.
* ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone''. Madam Mim is a powerful witch with VoluntaryShapeshifter powers who lives in a hut in the wilderness.

* The Sea Witch in ''Literature/TheLittleMermaid'' lives by herself in a dangerous part of the ocean. Unlike in the [[Disney/TheLittleMermaid Disney adaptation]], here, she's a TrueNeutral character who tells the mermaid about every negative consequence her spell has.

* One of the most famous examples of the overlap of WickedWitch and this trope is in ''Literature/HanselAndGretel'', in which the witch lives in the deep woods, in a GingerbreadHouse specifically in order to lure children, which she then fattens and eats.

* Flashback-only character Maggy the Toad in ''Series/GameOfThrones'' is a forest witch that practices BloodMagic and lives alone in a small cabin in the woods. Her book counterpart, on the other hand, is an urban fortune-teller.

* ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' has Vordai, the Witch of the Fens. Shunned by her homeland because of her powers, she lives in the swamplands of southern Drasnia and has become fond of the fenlings, otter-like critters that are native there. When Belgarath and Garion are passing through, she compels them to give the fenlings the power of speech in exchange for passage back out of the fens.

* Literature/BabaYaga is generally depicted as an old witch who lives in the deep woods, and sojourns out to capture and eat children. Modern versions of the character are more ambiguous and in line with a TricksterArchetype.

* ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' magazine #86 ''Snarf Quest'' #11. Etheah of the Woodland is a benevolent sorceress who lives by herself in a small house far away from civilization.

* ''[[Literature/AuntDimity Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch]]'' has the residents of Finch learn of such a person who lived in the area centuries earlier when they go on a TreasureHunt for the pages of a firsthand account of her.

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* Zecora of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' lives by herself in the Everfree Forest. Everypony thinks she's an evil enchantress because of her odd appearance (she's a zebra) and strange way of speaking (which sounds vaguely threatening), not to mention she lives in the Everfree Forest, which has a large share of strange and dangerous plants and animals while also having its own phenomena (since in Equestria, natural events like animals hibernatng and leaves changing color are actively managed by the pony denizens). It turns out she is actually quite friendly. However, she can't cast spells like a unicorn, but as a zebra, she can concoct a wide variety of potions and has an extensive knowledge about plenty of things that the ponies may not know. The solitary becomes Downplayed over time as while she remains living in the Everfree, she is much more welcomed in town while visiting more frequently and even participating in events such as chaperoning fillies and colts for Nightmare Night.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}'', Anise is a kindly old lady who lives in a cabin on the outskirts of Falkreath until you find a letter of her conspiring with her Hagraven sister in her basement, where she becomes hostile.

* Witchie of ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonSunshineIslands'' moves to a forest near the town in ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'', invoking this trope.

* Witchie of ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon: Sunshine Islands'' moves to a forest near the town in ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'', invoking this trope.

* The Witch in ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'' is an elderly woman living alone (apart from her [[CleverCrows sapient crow familiar]]) in a cottage in the woods. Merida finds her cottage following a trail of [[WillOTheWisp Will-o'-the-Wisps]], and asks her help to fix her relationship with her mother.

* The witch Granny Pinchbottom Creator/BruceCoville novel ''Goblins in the Castle'' is a sort of boogeyman figure the main character William was taught to fear, but when he encounters her, she turns out to be well-intentioned, though somewhat duplicitous and scary, and gives him [[ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest a few items he needs]].

* In one of the ''Literature/{{Lythande}}'' stories, Lythande is under the influence of a cursed lute that leads the way to a small house isolated in a swamp, with a single beautiful woman living there. Initially she's taken to be a hedge-witch hiding her power from society[[spoiler:, but it turns out that she's a dragon in human form]].

* The mountain hag Yama-Uba from JapaneseMythology lives in the remote mountains and eats people.

!! Examples:

[[folder: Film - Animated]]

[[folder: Film - Live-Action]]

* TheHero gelfling Jen from ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' consults the reclusive Aughra, the Keeper of Secrets in her mountain cave, to learn clues about his mission and the purpose of the crystal shard. Aughra, however, is such a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} that her clues are cryptic and questionable at best. Jen is certain only that he must get to the stronghold of the sinister Skekses, and that time is running out to press the ResetButton.
* The Sanderson sisters, three {{Wicked Witch}}es in ''Film/HocusPocus'', seem to live just outside of the village of salem, though by the modern day, the house is within the limits of the town and has been made into a museum.

[[folder: Folklore]]

[[folder: Literature]]

* Witches on the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' live this way, Nanny Ogg being an exception- she lives in a huge sprawling house in Lancre town as the matriarch of her massive family. Witches are given a grudging and sometimes hesitant reverence by the community, which they consider it their duty to protect, even without gratitude.

* ''Literature/GoodOmens'': Agnes Nutter apparently lived alone on the outskirts of her village. Her last scion, Anathema Device, also lives alone, in a cottage she rented outside Tadfield, and acts as a source of information and assistance to Adam and Newt.

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

[[folder: Mythology and Religion]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]
* ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' magazine #82 article "Wounds And Weeds". A fighter wounded in battle encounters an old woman living by herself. She saves him from death with her knowledge of herbal healing.

[[folder: Video Games]]
* Erika Redmark is the most powerful mage in ''{{VideoGame/Avernum}}''. Because of her anti-social personality and all-consuming desire for revenge on TheEmpire, she lives by herself in a MageTower far to the west, rather than some [[WizardingSchool more centralized location]].

* Witchie of ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon: Sunshine Islands'' moves to a forest near the town in ''Videogame/StoryOfSeasons'', invoking this trope.

[[folder: Web Animation]]

[[folder: Web Comics]]
* ''WebComic/AliceGrove:'' Alice is a high tech version of this trope. She is superhuman instead of supernatural, but lives by herself in a cottage in the woods, and helps the local townspeople. She even calls herself a witch.

[[folder: Web Original]]

* Zecora of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' lives by herself in the Everfree Forest. Everypony thinks she's an evil enchantress because of her odd appearance (she's a zebra) and strange way of speaking (which sounds vaguely threatening), not to mention she lives in the Everfree Forest, which has a large share of strange and dangerous plants and animals while also having its own phenomena (since in Equestria, natural events like animals hibernatng and leaves changing color are actively managed by the pony denizens). It turns out she is actually quite friendly. However, she can't cast spells like a unicorn, but as a zebra, she can concoct a wide variety of potions and has an extensive knowledge about plenty of things that the ponies may not know.
** The solitary becomes Downplayed over time as while she remains living in the Everfree, she is much more welcomed in town while visiting mroe frequently and even participating in events such as chaperoning fillies and colts for Nightmare Night.

[[/folder]]

[-[[captiom-width-right:350:[[http://www.tednasmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/TN-Aotrou_and_the_Woods_Witch.jpg Image]] by [[http://www.tednasmith.com/ Ted Nasmith]].]]-]

Out in the wilderness, probably in TheLostWoods, lives a woman with magical abilities. She may be a [[UnequalRites sorceress]], witch ([[WickedWitch wicked]] or [[WitchClassic otherwise]]), [[DivineParentage demi]][[OurGodsAreDifferent goddess]], [[OurMonstersAreDifferent supernatural creature]] in [[VoluntaryShapeshifting human form]], or some combination of these. Whatever the case, she at least looks like a woman, lives apart from the rest of society, and has some kind of special ability.

* BabaYaga is generally depicted as an old witch who lives in the deep woods, and sojourns out to capture and eat children. Modern versions of the character are more ambiguous and in line with a TricksterArchetype.

* Witchie of ''Franchise/HarvestMoon: Sunshine Islands'' moves to a forest near the town in ''Videogame/StoryOfSeasons'', invoking this trope.

* ''[[AuntDimity Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch]]'' has the residents of Finch learn of such a person who lived in the area centuries earlier when they go on a TreasureHunt for the pages of a firsthand account of her.

* Zecora of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' lives by herself in the Everfree Forest. Everypony thinks she's an evil enchantress until they get to know her due to her odd appearance (she's a zebra) and strange way of speaking (which sounds vaguely threatening). She's good at potion making, but she's rather benign and quite helpful once you get to know her. She can't actually cast spells, either, since she's an earth pony instead of a unicorn.