Hekses

Hekses is a term used in some fantasy and folkloric contexts to denote a group of witches or magical practitioners. The word is derived from the root heks, found in several Germanic languages, meaning witch. In modern stories, hekses often form covens or lineages with distinct traditions, rituals, and herbal knowledge.

Historically, there is no universal or historical group named Hekses; the term appears most often in modern fantasy, games, and speculative fiction as a plural form of heks. In folklore, witches were frequently depicted as solitary or in covens; in later depictions, hexes may be organized communities with leadership, gender dynamics, and secrecy.

Characterizations vary widely: some portrayals emphasize healing and protection, others emphasize enchantments or curses. They are sometimes linked to herbal medicine, lunar cycles, and symbolic animals such as the owl; social status ranges from respected wise-women to persecuted outcasts in tales reflecting historical witch trials.

Cultural note: regional language differences shape the portrayal of hekses. In Dutch, the common word for witch is heks; the plural is heksen. The constructed form hekses appears in some English-language fantasy to maintain phonetic cohesion.

In contemporary media, hekses are sometimes depicted as a formal coven with charter, a magical school, or a lineage of practitioners. Scholarly usage treats the term as a folkloric archetype illustrating attitudes toward knowledge, power, and gender in European-inspired witchcraft traditions.