Witches

Witches are one of the four types of species in the world of the All Souls Trilogy. Among them are humans, vampires, and daemons.

Characteristics
In addition, it is said that witches’ bonds to their family and that their local covens are important. They are rooted in their communities and have a deep sense of place. Witches have a wide variety of powers, some are spellcasters, some have elemental powers, but they all have strong personalities and are non-conformists at heart.

Witches vary in their magical abilities and strengths, including time walking, precognition, flight, transmogrification, telekinesis, witchwind, witchfire, witchwater, and manipulation of the elements. A very few witches are weavers, who can create new spells. Some spells created by weavers cannot be written as simple words for other witches to use, but can only be used by the spells' maker. Weavers make a forespell, revealing the shape of their talents, and often the weaver's familiar too. Weavers have been forced into hiding, since other witches have feared their power. The first witch may have been a weaver.

Biologically, what separates Witches and Humans is a 24th Chromosome pair, something they share in common with Vampires. This Chromosome pair along with their Mitochondrial DNA, which is separate from chromosome DNA, can contain genetic markers that correspond to a specific power or ability with specific genes known to cause elemental abilities like Water, Fire and Air as well as unique or inherited abilities like Weaving, Time Walking and being a Seer.

A History of Witches:
Since prehistoric times, witches have coexisted with humanity. They appear to be an humans offshoot species of humans, or rather a higher, more evolved species of humans. What distinguishes Witches and humans their DNA (Witches have a 24th Chromosome pair) and their ability to harness magic. However, because of this power, they have been a continual target for oppression. Witches have been persecuted throughout history, and if they weren't being persicuted they would be shunned and hated by the majority of humans. Witch hunts were frequently fruitless, owing to the fact that witches frequently eluded arrest by warding themselves or instantly dispatching their oppressors with magic. Most alleged witches were most likely humans and daemons who were fell under the scrutiny of their peers for being out of place in their communites.

Known subgroups

 * Weavers: a type of witch with the innate ability to create new spells.

Known Witches

 * Rebecca Bishop: Diana Bishop's mother, a powerful witch and talented seer. Rebecca was the most powerful witch of her generation, achieving feats of strength in both Magic and the craft that many believed to be impossible being derived from thought extinct abilities.
 * Stephen Proctor: Diana Bishop's father, Stephen, was a powerful witch and a weaver. He has power over water, having shown extraordinary abilities to Diana and the Garlickhythe gathering in 1591. Despite being one of the few weavers in the series, Stephen was never able to reach his full potential due to his lack of a teacher. This lead to Stephen developing his own unique method of weaving having incredible talent but no skill.
 * Diana Bishop: The most powerful witch in the series. Diana has power over all elements and their abilities with a distinct affinity for both water and fire. She processes power over the earth and its life allowing Diana to have full control over spells and the craft. Like her father, Diana is a weaver of incredible talent and skill. Her power over the elements, her skill over the higher magics and her mastery over life and death itself has allowed Diana to become the most formidable witch in history.
 * Sarah Bishop: Diana Bishop's maternal aunt. Sarah is one of the most powerful witches in Madison county, New York, only bested by Vivian Harrison, her coven leader. Sarah's abilities lie heavily in the earth and its applications to everyday life leading to her formidable mastery of Spells, Charms, Potions, Plants and witches lore. Sarah has spent decades studying spells being the most knowledgable witch on their architecture and substance.
 * Emily Mather: Sarah Bishop's life long partner and best friend. Emily was a strong and gifted witch with a good grasp of spells and basic elemental magic. Emily has a minor affinity over the power of air allowing her to fly short distances and presumably use basic wind magic. Emily, along with her childhood best friend Rebecca Bishop, practiced the higher magics in her teen years though never excelling to the extent Rebecca did.
 * Goody Alsop: The leader of the Garlickhythe gathering and an elder of the Vintry's ward in 1591. Goody was the most powerful witch of her time on the British isles. She was a weaver of great skill with a dominating affinity over the power of air. Due to her old age in the series, Goody's full power was never shown on page with her wisdom and knowledge being her key attribute in the education of Diana Bishop.
 * Susanna Norman: Sophie Norman's ancestor from Elizabethan London and a member of the Garlickhythe Gathering. A witch of great strength with powers forged heavily into the earth and its abilities. Susanna was the first powerful witch Diana met in 1591 and the first person to suspect Diana's identity as one of the few weavers in the world.
 * Annie Undercroft: Susanna Norman's niece, she came to live with Diana and Matthew at the Old Lodge in 1591. Orphaned at a young age, she was taken in by Andrew Hubbard, the vampire king of London, and raised with his flock of creatures. At 14 Annie was a witch of little training and relative skill with no specific powers noted throughout the story.
 * Marjorie Cooper: Gifted in the magic of earth, she became one of Diana's mentors in 1590. She had a special gift in remembering, never having to write anything down.
 * Elizabeth Jackson: A water witch, she was one of Diana's mentors in 1590. She was a gifted seer and had the ability to scry. She felt an imediate attraction to both Diana and Stephen due to the water in their blood.
 * Catherine Streeter: Catherine was the most powerful fire witch on the British isles as of 1591. She was a member of the Garlickhythe gathering and a mentor to Diana Bishop. Catherine was a fire witch born of two fire witches, a rare occurrence that lead to the birth of a child with such burning intensity that no disguising spell could conceal the light in her eyes.
 * Satu Järvinen: The most powerful fire witch of her time before Diana Bishop's rise to power. As member of the congregation, Satu is in direct conflict with Diana and her goals. Satu is a weaver of considerable talent but muted strength due to her denial of her true nature in order to fit into the congregation.
 * Abraham ben Elijah: A jewish Weaver who lived in the city of Prague in Bohemia where he met a fellow weaver, Diana Bishop, in 1591. Abraham has a unique way of weaving, using physical stings and rope rather than weavers chords to create new spells. This unique method causes his spells and creations to have a more organic and natural tone to them, which synchronises well with his power of the earth and its magics.
 * Gillian Chamberlain: An average witch of the Oxford coven. Gillian's mother is the ex-girlfriend of Emily Mather and was close to the Bishop family. Gillian befriended Diana bishop during her placement at Oxford university and tries in vain many times to bring Diana into the coven to celebrate holidays or to come to gatherings. Gillian was manipulated by Peter Knox into believing Diana used magic to further her career and became resentful of Diana's family name leading to her openly threatening Diana's life which lead to her death.
 * Peter Knox: Peter was the most powerful witch in the world and sat at the head of the congregation. His ambitions lead to an obsession with the only witch who could best him, Rebecca Bishop. After sensing the power of Rebecca's daughter Diana and wanting that power for himself Peter had Diana's powers tested early leading to Diana's parents sealing away her power. Thinking that the power he senses lied within Rebecca and Stephen he followed them both to Africa where her murdered them both in a vain attempt to steal the power he so craved. Finding nothing, he blamed the murder on humans and fled.
 * Meridiana: A weaver of considerable strength who lived in the 10th and 11th century. She was a powerful seer who prophesied Diana Bishop's rise to power. She was held in thrall by Gerbert D’Aurillac which lead to her death. She cursed Gerbert as she drew her last breaths. The contents of that curse are a mystery.
 * Margaret Wilson: The daughter of Nathaniel Wilson and Sophie Norman, grand daughter to Agatha Wilson. Margret is a Weaver due to her mixture of Daemon and Witch ancestry.
 * Linda Crosbey: The most powerful witch in London and head of its official coven. Linda is good friends with Andrew Hubbard and Jack Blackfriars having the former paint the London Coven meeting room's walls with the story of Diana Bishop and her journey in 1590.
 * Sybil Bonewits: A Fire witch and a member of the London Coven. She is a powerful witch, by modern standards, and one of the the strongest fire witch in the City of London.
 * Tamsen southeil: A Water witch and member of the London Coven. She is a distant cousin of Ursula Soothtell and a powerful witch, by modern day standards. Her family has kept the knowledge of weavers safe for five centuries awaiting for the arrival of Diana Bishop.
 * Cassandra Kietler: A powerful wind witch and a member of the London Coven. She is very elderly and knows the dangers and stories of Ysabeau de Clermont well and she was cautious while around Ysabeau.
 * Vivian Harrison: The leader of the Madison coven and they strongest Witch in Madison county, NY. She is god mother to Diana's son, Philip Bishop-Clairmont. Vivian is a powerful witch with great power over the earth.