Are witches real?

Story witches are pretend, because brooms do not fly. People can wear pointy hats. They can stir pots and say funny words. That is play, like a costume.

Witches with flying brooms and magic spells are not real. Stories can make them do those things because stories can pretend, like when a block becomes a phone in play. Real people can dress like witches or enjoy old nature traditions. But they cannot turn anyone into a frog or fly through the sky.

Fairy-tale witches are not real. No one can fly on a broom, cast a spell that changes a person into an animal, or break the rules of nature. But real people have been called witches. Long ago, scared people sometimes blamed others for sickness, storms, or bad luck. Today, some people choose the word witch or follow Wicca, a modern nature religion. They may light candles or say wishes, but that is not movie magic. Fun fact: in old stories, witches were not always women; some were men too.