Witch & Wizard Hats

The witch is one of many traditional characters often associated with Halloween. If you are considering dressing up as one for this holiday you obviously are looking for a classic witches hat, too.

The black, tall and pointy hat that is most commonly thought of as part of the basic witch look has sketchy origins. Ancient witches didn’t seem to actually wear the conical look that we think of today as customary witches headwear. There are a couple of logical explanations that may help clear up where this witchy fashion accessory actually came from.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, commoners often were known to wear a style of hat that was long and pointy. As time went on and fashion changed, it was usually the peasants and rural people that were slow to adopt more current styles. It was also these poorer people that were most often accused of practicing witchcraft—so a likely association could be made between a person accused of being a witch and the donning of a long and pointed hat.

Another explanation may be that when individuals that were accused of being witches were burned at the stake, it was common to place a steeple hat (a religious symbol) on the accused before they were burned. This symbolic gesture was to invite salvation into the soul of the person being executed.

Myths and Legends aside, in today’s world, the traditional look of a witch or wizard often includes a large pointed hat, and we have plenty of those to choose from. Classic styles, tattered styles, feathered or spiraled styles, we have them all. From whimsical and cute witch hats, to many much more sinister as well as dark styles, whatever hat you need to accessorize your witch costume you are definitely going to find it here.