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This article focuses on the first iteration of the Blind Witch from "Hansel and Gretel".
For the second iteration, see Blind Witch (The Eighth Witch).
For the Season One character with the same name, see Blind Witch (The Thing You Love Most).


Do you like gingerbread or children? Kidding. But the... the gingerbread's actually not bad.

—The Blind Witch to Mary Margaret src

The Blind Witch is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the ninth episode of the first season and is portrayed by guest star Emma Caulfield.

The Blind Witch is based on the witch from the fairytale "Hansel and Gretel".

History

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Reason: Regina Rising recap

Before First Curse

The Blind Witch resides in an edible gingerbread house in the woods, which she uses to lure children into. The house itself is protected by magic, barring anyone from entering except for children, and there are many sweets inside to tempt those who enter. At some point, the witch comes to possess a poisoned apple, which she steals from the Queen, Regina, who attempts to regain the apple by sending children to the Blind Witch's house, however, none ever succeed in the mission. ("True North," "Labor of Love")

One day, Regina sends two children, Hansel and Gretel, to fetch the apple from the Blind Witch, with the warning that they should not eat anything in the home. After entering the house, the children find the witch asleep on a chair, with the nearby table showcasing many treats. Hansel, tempted by sight of the goodies, licks some frosting from a cupcake, which awakens the witch. She locks up the two children in a cage as she prepares her oven for cooking Hansel, during which Gretel instructs her brother to get the cage door key from the witch's pocket and give it to her. When the witch comes to open the cage, the boy is too scared to go through with the plan. Gretel then puffs up her cheeks, so that when the witch touches her, she comes to believe Gretel is the better option for her meal. Without the witch noticing, Gretel grabs the key and tosses it to Hansel, who frees himself and goes up some stairs to get a cane. However, Hansel trips down the stairs, alerting the witch to his escape while she is in the middle of binding up Gretel's wrists. The Witch angrily pushes Gretel to the floor and magically throws aside the cane. She begins dragging Hansel towards the oven, but Gretel shoves her onto the cooking rack before she and her brother push her all the way in, locking her in. As the Witch screams to be let out, Hansel and Gretel pilfer a leather satchel containing the apple, before making their way out of the house. The Queen, who is watching the events through her mirror, sends a bolt of fire through the mirror and lights the oven on fire, killing the witch. ("True North")

After her death, the Blind Witch comes to the Underworld, unable to move on because of her unfinished business. She ends up running the Underworld's diner and serves the customers there, however, she faces competition from the nearby diner business, Auntie's, that Auntie Em runs. ("Souls of the Departed," "Ruby Slippers")

After Third Curse

When Mary Margaret arrives to this world in search of Hook, she enters the diner, attracting the Blind Witch's attention. Using her keen sense of smell, the witch recognizes her as Snow White and remarks that it's an honor to meet her. The witch asks if she would like gingerbread or children, but then laughs off the suggestion as a joke. Mary Margaret describes Hook to her, in an effort to find out if he's passed by recently, and while the witch correctly guesses she's looking for Captain Hook, she admits not having actually met him yet. ("Souls of the Departed")

When Regina inquiries after Hercules' whereabouts, the Blind Witch indignantly recalls how Regina killed her by burning her alive. Regina, in turn, huffs that such a reaction is to be expected, especially considering the witch stole her apple. Dropping the subject entirely, the Blind Witch decides to call things fair, telling Regina and her allies that Hercules usually drops by the diner on his lunch break. She prattles on about her futile attempts to fatten him up, but his muscles are always bulging. Mary Margaret stops her from going off topic by asking where exactly Hercules can be found, and the witch eventually tells her that he is at the docks. ("Labor of Love")

At the diner, the Blind Witch serves David a plate of toasted bread, and for Snow, a bowl of oatmeal. Snow is surprised she knows what they like to eat, though the witch points out that she knows the favorites of all the diner regulars. The Witch then leaves the counter to fetch Snow's cup of cocoa, and upon coming back, she overhears Snow talking to David about finding a way to talk to their son Neal, who is still in Storybrooke. She says there is a telephone booth used to "haunt" someone in the land in the living, but in exchange for telling them where it is, she wants something in return. Pulling out a test tube, the witch asks David to breathe into it, stating that the breath of a living soul sells for a lot in the Underworld's black market. After David obliges, she directs them to the booth in town. ("Our Decay")

In search of Dorothy's Auntie Em, who can wake a cursed Dorothy with true love's kiss, Ruby and her allies stop by the diner to ask the Blind Witch about her whereabouts. With one sniff, the witch recognizes Ruby is a wolf, but she coldly denies her service, stating dogs aren't allowed in the diner. Ruby rebukes the woman, saying no one treats her this way in her own diner, though the witch remarks that it's not hers yet. Emma presses the witch for information about Auntie Em, known as Emily Brown, who is still somewhere in the Underworld. The witch casually wonders what she gets out of helping them, to which Regina cautions her to cooperate or she'll find her customers will soon be devoured by Ruby. The witch relents, telling them of her hatred for Auntie Em, who also runs a nearby diner business, and she is the source of competition for customers. ("Ruby Slippers")

Teaming up with Cruella, who wishes to become the new Underworld ruler once Hades leaves, the Blind Witch uses her magic to trap the heroes in the library, keeping them from returning home. After Regina fails to break open the library door with a fireball, the witch relishes over having finally given Regina her comeuppance for killing her. Cruella tells the witch that they'll have a nice eternity in the Underworld after all, and then, the two walk away in satisfaction. A short while later, Regina realizes it's not the Blind Witch's magic that is trapping them in the library, but Hades' magic. ("Firebird")

Following the heroes' escape back to Storybrooke, the Blind Witch continues running the diner. A recent addition to the Underworld, King Arthur, comes in, completely confused about where he is. When he tries to ask a young boy for information, the witch informs Arthur that the boy stopped talking centuries ago. She offers Arthur some coffee, but the latter angrily declines and demands to know what this place is. Hook provides the proper answer, to which a horrified Arthur realizes that he's dead. After Arthur reveals Hades killed him, Hook plans to get a message to Emma about Hades. The witch interjects that this is not possible since Hades never reveals his weakness. Hook prepares an angry retort in response to her, but then, he realizes she is right, and that finding Hades' weakness is now possible since he's not in the Underworld anymore. Later, Hook and Arthur return, after finding Hades' storybook pages, but not the book itself. The witch welcomes them back, and she jokes about having smelled out the "bromance" they have going on. She suggests they get a booth to sit in, but Hook declines, since he and Arthur are here to ask Cruella about the book's location. ("Last Rites")

Magical Abilities

  • Protection Spells - Ability to magically protect a location, an item or a person through various ways.
  • Telekinesis - Ability to control the movement of the environment.

Trivia

Character Notes

  • According to Regina, her spells are usually "half-baked", meaning that she is probably not very powerful with magic, at least not in comparison. ("Firebird")
    • When Regina was a teenager, she noticed that the witch's magic wasn't very strong, not anywhere near as powerful as Cora's, for instance.[1] ("Regina Rising")

Goofs

  • In the close-up of the Blind Witch's eyes, you can see the contact lenses used to hide the actor's pupils.[2]

Other Notes

Appearances

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

See also

References

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