History Main / WitchSpecies

* While it isn't entirely clear what the cause of the Spark is in Webcomic/GirlGenius it is well-established that the Spark does run in families. It is also hinted that the style and preferences of the different Sparks tends to run in families, whether this is genetic or due to upbringing is [[strike:unknown]] [[ForScience a matter for horrible and unethical research!]]

* The Raccoonan people in TalesOfTheQuestor have innate access to magic. Their interaction with humans has varied from trying to explain how it's just harnessing a natural force like magnetism, to deliberately playing up a reputation as "witch dogs" with frightening powers.

** The Warlock class has it a bit more concrete: In 3rd edition, they gain fey-like powers, to match their implied origin of [[TheFairFolk fey ancestry]] (or some kind of pact), or can instead select [[DealWithTheDevil fiendish attributes]] for much the same reason. In 4th edition, this is illustrated via selecting a [[TheFairFolk fey]], [[DealWithTheDevil infernal]], or [[CosmicEntity star]] pact.

* In some Neo Pagan Circles as well as some modern forms of Druidry, some people claim to be born with the ability to do witchcraft, which is not the same as Wicca since one is a Religion & the other is a Practice.

* Witches in ''TheHollows'' novels are an entire race capable of using enzymes in their blood activate magical potions and charms. Slightly subverted in that other forms of magic can be used by other races as well. They're also not capable of interbreeding with humans, despite looking just like them, although many female witches marry male humans and then get pregnant extramaritally.

* Subverted with the [[OneGenderRace as]][[BlueSkinnedSpaceBabe ari]] from ''Franchise/MassEffect'', because even though they all have the natural ability to use [[PsychicPowers biotics]], not all are willing to learn to harness and manifest their inherent powers. Furthermore, the use of biotics is not limited to the asari; if a pregnant female from any species gets exposed to [[AppliedPhlebotinum element]] [[MinovskyPhysics zero]], there is a small chance that their child can be born with biotics. However, the asari are the only species where all members have it.
** [[spoiler: ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' reveals that the reason why the Asari are the only species to "naturally" possess biotic abilities is actually due to extensive genetic tampering by the Protheans, who 50,000 years ago, influenced and cultivated the early Asari civilisation, intending them to lead the next Cycle.]]

* In the ''Winds of the Forelands'' series, the local WitchSpecies are called Qirsi (as opposed to baseline humans, Eandi). They look basically human but are extremely pale, have [[WhiteHairedPrettyBoy white]] [[WhiteHairedPrettyGirl hair]] and [[SupernaturalGoldEyes golden eyes]], and are described as short-lived and [[SquishyWizard physically frail]] because magic burns up their life energy. Their magic is activated by an act of will and split into various specific powers such as gleaning (seeing the future in a limited capactity), [[PlayingWithFire fire]], mists and winds (controls the weather), [[HealingHands healing]], [[MindControl mind-bending]], [[MindOverMatter shaping]], and [[FriendToAllLivingThings language of beasts]]. Most Qirsi have only a handful of powers, but rare Weavers have ''all'' of them, plus the ability to collectively wield the magic of large numbers of other Qirsi and communicate in their dreams (they're also somewhat less squishy than the average Qirsi).

* If you want to be a mage in ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', you will first need to be born with a Linker Core organ, the source of a mage's magical power. Having mage parents greatly increases your chances, but there have been known cases of powerful mages being born from non-mages.

** In Blood Rites, the villain turns out to be using a third kind that Harry describes as a sort of cosmic vending machine, that even the most pathetic of practitioners can perform (and possibly even people with no magical talent whatsoever)-you put in your quarters (perform the correct rite) and a spell comes out. The White Council usually solves this problem by making the book from which the spell comes widely available-since it works by contacting a specific magical creature with a predetermined message to accomplish it's goal, if a lot of people try to use the spell the amount of power behind each use will be incrementally less because of the strain being put on the creature.

* ''TheDresdenFiles'' has magical rituals that can be used by anyone, but there's a form of innate magic that's passed down via salic law (inherited from the mother). The divide usually comes down between wizards (capable of throwing about truly powerful magic) and practitioners (have an inner reserve of power, but usually capable of only minor workings). Such a law is at the heart of ''White Night'', as [[spoiler: it turns out members of the White Court are trying to wipe out female practitioners so that inherited magic goes extinct within a few generations]].

* AmeliaAtwaterRhodes' books have a genetic, female-only species of witches. These witches can breed with normal humans, but their powers are genetic, so there are a few very specific witch lines. These can work magic, and each line has a different specialty, but witch society as a whole tends to spend most of its time hunting the vampires that run rampant in these books. One witch line carries a vampiric taint. While a witch can be turned into a vampire, turning one into a blood bond (which effectively makes a human immortal but not a vampire) is usually disastrous.

*** Masan, spies, assassins, shock troops of the Secret City. Their unique powers are fully inherited, but fueled by blood consumption, blood sacrifice and some cannibalistic rites. While vampire myths indeed come from Masan-related incidents, Masans reproduce as regular vertebrates. [[hottip:*:Masans will be hurt by sunlight and paralyzed by a wooden stake through the heart, but will ignore mirrors, silver, garlic and religious symbols. They can neither turn humans (nor any other species) nor produce any half-vampires of mythology. Masan legend states that they came to Earth from a legendary homeworld where the sun didn't hurt and they didn't need blood.]]

** [[spoiler: ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' reveals that the reason why the Asari are the only species to "naturally" possess biotic abilties is actually due to extensive genetic tampering by the Protheans, who 50,000 years ago, influenced and cultivated the early Asari civilisation, intending them to lead the next Cycle.]]
* Though learning magic is the norm in VideoGame/MightAndMagic, the eight game in the RPG series suggests that Dark Elves[[hottip:*:As they are in that game - the ContinuityReboot dark elves are a different breed]] can naturally learn elemental magic to a level almost, but not quite, as good as necromancers and sorcerors, ''and'' have some additional magical tricks up their sleeves. This may be partly a cultural trait, but it does at least indicate that a talent for magic is present in every single dark elf that goes adventuring, and there are still those magical tricks.
* An ExpansionPack of TheSims3 introduced witches as a life stage. A witch is a sim who can use magic, [[FlyingBroomstick ride on a broom]] and pass his/her abilities on onto his/her childern.

* In the ''ScoobyDoo'' movie ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheWitchsGhost'' the curious distinction between "Wiccans" and "Witches" are made, with one being good and the other evil (and both existing in Puritan New England, for some reason). One character the gang meets tells them she is one-sixteenth Wiccan.[[hottip:*:Wicca is so new that in order for her to be one-sixteenth Wiccan, her great-great-grandmother would have to be around 60 years older than her. And her mother around 12. However, Wicca started out with the belief that it was continuing the ancient traditions of non-evil witches -- when all non-modern witches are in fact historically imaginary, whether they're seen as evil or not -- and if the story assumes that their witchcraft is real, that might imply they are also a truly ancient tradition.]] [[RuleOfCool She dresses up as a vampire and plays in a local rock band]]. [[ChekhovsGun This becomes important in the climax.]]

* In some Neo Pagan Circles has well as some modern forms of Druidry, some people claim to be born with the ability to do witchcraft, which is not the sames has Wicca since one is a Religion & the other is a Practice.
* In Azande Belief witchcraft is an organ said to be found between the liver or belly.

* The StarOcean series contains species that have a natural ability to use symbolism because the have the required symbols written into their DNA, circumventing the usual need to tattoo the symbols on their bodies.

* Subverted with the [[OneGenderRace as]][[BlueSkinnedSpaceBabe ari]] from ''MassEffect'', because even though they all have the natural ability to use [[PsychicPowers biotics]], not all are willing to learn to harness and manifest their inherent powers. Furthermore, the use of biotics is not limited to the asari; if a pregnant female from any species gets exposed to [[AppliedPhlebotinum element]] [[MinovskyPhysics zero]], there is a small chance that their child can be born with biotics. However, the asari are the only species where all members have it.
** [[spoiler: ''MassEffect3'' reveals that the reason why the Asari are the only species to "naturally" possess biotic abilties is actually due to extensive genetic tampering by the Protheans, who 50,000 years ago, influenced and cultivated the early Asari civilisation, intending them to lead the next Cycle.]]

* The witches in PhilipPullman's trilogy, ''HisDarkMaterials,'' are [[http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/srafopedia/index.php/Witches a species in themselves.]] [[OneGenderRace All female]]. They breed with human men; their daughters are witches, their sons mere humans.
** A witch species that also has male witches is briefly mentioned, but they are from another universe and never actually show up.

** The various types of Hags in the game are species that have the attributes of fairy tale and mythological witches. Van Richten, an in-universe monster expert in the {{Ravenloft}} setting, speculates they may be a type of fey, but his out-of-universe editor notes that they've been classified as a kind of ogre in (presumably second-edition) official sources.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' the people of Thamasa are direct decedents of the Magi from eons ago and are the only people left in the world who have the natural ability to cast magic. To avoid persecution of muggles the people of the village make a point to never reveal their abilities to outsiders.

* Witches in ''TheHollows'' novels are an entire race capable of using enzymes in their blood activate magical potions and charms. Slightly subverted in that other forms of magic can be used by other races as well.
** [[spoiler:Later in the series it is revealed that witches descended from the cursed and stunted offspring of demons and this is the source of their abilities.]]

* Witches in ''TheHollows'' novels are entire race capable of using enzymes in their blood activate magical potions and charms. Slightly subverted in that other forms of magic can be used by other races as well.

* In some Neo Pagan Circles has well as some modern forms of Druidry, some people claim to be born with the ability to do witchcraft, which is not the sames has Wicca since one is a Religion & the other is an Practice.

%% The Harry Potter example has been temporarily moved to the discussion page.

* The Sorcerer class in the third edition of ''DungeonsAndDragons'' is an inborn mage, as opposed to the Wizard, who has to nose through his spellbook in order to prepare spells. Many Sorcerers claim to have a dragon or other powerful being [[HalfHumanHybrid as an ancestor]], though the truth of such claims depends on the player and the GameMaster.

** The various types of Hags in the game are species that have the attributes of fairy tale and mythological witches.
*** Like the sorcerer, many types of {{Half Human Hybrid}}s gain some forms of magic from their magical ancestors. Half-Celestial, Half-Fiendish, Aasimars, Tieflings & Half-Dragons are just some of the most common types.

* In the ''ScoobyDoo'' movie ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheWitchsGhost'' the curious distinction between "Wiccans" and "Witches" are made, with one being good and the other evil (and both existing in Puritan New England, for some reason). One character the gang meets tells them she is one-sixteenth Wiccan. [[RuleOfCool She dresses up as a vampire and plays in a local rock band]]. [[ChekhovsGun This becomes important in the climax.]]
** Incidentally, Wicca is so new that in order for her to be one-sixteenth Wiccan, her great-great-grandmother would have to be around 60 years older than her. And her mother around 12. {{Squick}}.

* Storm of X-Men fame comes from a line of African sorceresses. It's used to explain her unusual phenotype (white hair, and DependingOnTheWriter, blue eyes with epicentral folds). Believe it or not, the this might actually be partially TruthInTelevision; see ''modjadji''.