Who are Star Wars’ Witches of Dathomir?

polygon.com:

The two-part premiere of Ahsoka, the new Star Wars series streaming on Disney Plus, does something that’s become kind of rare in Star Wars, something that was once integral to the franchise’s appeal: It has a character reference a thing that sounds freaking awesome completely in passing without ever following up on it. Just for texture! This time, it’s “the Witches of Dathomir.” They’re mentioned in relation to an artifact that protagonist Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) acquires at the start of the series while raiding a temple that once belonged to them.

This isn’t the first time a Disney Plus Star Wars series mentioned the Witches — they got an extremely fleeting shoutout in The Book of Boba Fett — but this is the first time they’ve been teased in a way that may or may not be significant in live-action Star Wars. Either way, it’s tantalizing. Star Wars witches! What a concept.

Of course, the difference between modern Star Wars and classic Star Wars is that said witches have been explored pretty extensively in other ancillary Star Wars media, namely The Clone Wars, but also in several novels, comic books, and a bit in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Ahsoka is referring to something already out there in the Star Wars ether, not putting forth a tantalizing suggestion that may or may not be followed up on.

This means that it’s possible to sate your curiosity should you hear about “the Witches of Dathomir” and think they sound metal as hell and worth learning more about. I’m happy to tell you that they are metal as hell, and you can learn more about them.

There is a simple answer to this question, and then a more complicated one. Let’s start simple: Generally speaking, the Witches of Dathomir are the female denizens of the