From Ahsoka to The Acolyte, viewers saw two groups of witches in recent Disney+ programs.
The Ahsoka show brought us the Witches of Dathomir, or the Nightsisters of Dathomir, while The Acolyte brought out the Brendok Witches. Both groups appear to have great powers and bear some similarities.
While there is a basis for comparing the two witches, the Brendok Witches are ultimately nothing like the Witches of Dathomir. Read on to find out why.
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The Two Groups of Witches
The Witches of Dathomir, more commonly called the Nightsisters, are an “ancient order of magick-wielding women” who were possibly banished to the planet of Dathomir by the Jedi.
They are known for practicing dark side Force powers and magicks by summoning magical ichor from the planet. The Clan Mother Talzin was particularly influential in forging the Dathomir witches and partnered with Darth Sidious for a time.
The Witches of Brendok are a new coven in the Star Wars universe who were unveiled in the third episode of The Acolyte.
They are a Force-sensitive group who resided on the planet Brendok until a fire destroyed them. They appear to have a brewing conflict with the Jedi or at least a distrust of them.
As one recent article states, we could see similarities in the “power and practices” of both groups of witches and that the two could be connected.
For one, both the Nightsisters/Witches of Dathomir and the Witches of Brendok are outside the “Jedi/Sith binary,” but both use the Force (or a form of it). Both reside on isolated planets, and the Jedi view both as antagonists.
In reverse, both groups of witches think the Jedi are the bad ones. Mother Aniseya conveys how they have been persecuted because of how they are perceived by outsiders like the Jedi.
As another article indicates, the Brendok witches make it clear that they are “not part of the Republic,” placing them “at odds” with the Jedi.
Based on their use of the Force in a sorcery way and their antagonism with the Jedi, the Brendok and Dathomire Witches could veer toward a common ground. Yet, they have more differences than commonalities.
How Are the Brendok Witches Different?
In Episode 3 of The Acolyte, viewers saw the Brendok Witches display Force powers that they call a “thread.” That may make us think they are like the Jedi, but they are not.
As one article explains, the Brendok witches’ belief in a Thread “goes against the Force as understood by the Jedi” because these witches seem “more proactive, tapping into connections” while the Jedi let themselves be guided by the Force.
This distinction between the Force and Thread provides a distinction with the Jedi and a basis for how the Brendok Witches are different from the Witches of Dathomir.
Based on the episode, these witches are not practicing dark uses of energy in the way that the Witches of Dathomir do. The witches in The Acolyte appear more peaceful in their Thread intentions and do not consort with the Sith.
They seem to bring a collective energy to themselves to protect their group. We may even see this power as the Force itself, using it in a distinct way that is not for evil intentions.
In their use of the Thread, or Force, the Brendok Witches also do not see this power as divided between the light and dark sides.
As Mother Aniseya states in the episode, “This isn’t about good or bad.” This belief also makes these witches nothing like the Dathomir ones because the latter clearly have bad goals in mind by using the dark side.
The Nightsisters should be seen as “a powerful clan of sorcerers,” as this article explains, who mostly stay on their home planet of Dathomir. They have the power to create “powerful spells and blasts of energy” and conjure visions of the past, present, and future.
They also aided the Separatist Army during the Clone Wars. Their evil intentions and hate for the Jedi are more definitive than those of the Brendok Witches.
What Makes the Brendok Witches Nothing Like the Witches of Dathomir?
Then again, the Witches of Brendok do have the power to possess, which may veer them back toward the Nightsisters.
As shown in the episode, after the Jedi interrupt the Ascension Ceremony, Mother Aniseya seizes control of the Padwan’s mind, turning his eyes black.
Does that darker power make them like the Nightsisters? Not really. She releases him quickly, and the act serves only as a threat.
The Brendok Witches look for collective strength but are not nearly as powerful as the Nightsisters.
They prioritize “the power of the many” that the Ascension Ceremony focuses on, and the chant they use relays, but are a mobile group that is only temporarily on the planet of the same name. They are seeking refuge to protect their group, not a planet to harness their powers.
As seen in Ahsoka, the Dathomir witches conjure up dark powers and have sided with Grand Admiral Thrawn in an attempt to revive the Empire. The Brendok Witches do not have this agenda.
Besides Mother Talzin, the Nightsister Asajj Ventress reflects the dark side of these witches. Ventress sided with Count Dooku in the Clone Wars and became an assassin and bounty hunter.
Her Nighsister origins and galactic career are emblematic of a sinister side that does not come across with the Brendok witches.
The Nightsisters are also mostly Dathomirian Zabraks, but the Brendok Witches are from several backgrounds, further casting the two groups as separate. As Star Wars fans have indicated, the Dathomir Witches existed for longer than the Brendok ones and had multiple segments to them.
In addition, Mae and Osha are their children, and they are the only children in the group. They appear to desperately need these children to carry onward.
In contrast, the Nightsisters have the practice of maleling where “male individuals were relegated to the status of slaves” and used for offspring purposes.
The Brendok Witches did not have male inhabitants, but they did not use such a sinister system.
Witches Worlds Apart
While we can recognize some similarities between the Brendok and Dathomir Witches, the two covens are nothing like one another. The evil spells of the Nightsisters and their siding with the Empire cast them as villains writ large.
The Brendok Witches come off as skeptical and distrustful of the Jedi and as a group seeking self-preservation, which they fail to achieve.
Todd Wahlstrom is a creative and analytical freelance writer and life-long Star Wars fan. He has covered such topics as Darth Vader, the Jedi, Boba Fett, and AT-AT Walkers. Todd has published a non-fiction book, holds a Ph.D. in history, and enjoys hiking, running, and reading about science.