In Chapter 3 ofThe Book of Boba Fett, Boba (Temuera Morrison) receives a peace offering from The Twins. They give him a rancor, accompanied by a rancor keeper played byDanny Trejo. The rancor keeper helps Boba bond with his new pet and teaches him that although the creatures are not exactly cuddly, they aremore complex than their reputationslet on. He says that there are even tales of the Witches of Dathomir riding these creatures.
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Boba answers the first question that comes to mind: yes, he would like to ride this one. But there’s another question this scene broaches: Who are the Witches of Dathomir? Though most of the on-screenStar Warsstories have focused on the Jedi and the Sith, there are other groups of Force-sensitive beings. The Witches of Dathomir are one of these groups, and they are among the most interesting (and creepy) aspects of the galaxy.
9) The Witches Originally Descended From A Jedi Exile
The Witches of Dathomir first appeared in the 1994 novel,The Courtship of Princess Leiaby Dave Wolverton.Wolverton was a prominent contributor to the Extended Universethrough the 90s and early 2000s; he passed away in January 2022. His original story had the witches originating on the penal colony world of Dathomir.
Jedi Knight Allya was exiled to Dathomir after she fell to the dark side. The Jedi hoped her time in Dathomir’s wilderness would help her reflect on her Master’s teachings and return to the light. Instead, she used the Force to tame rancors which she used in her conquest of the world. She established a matriarchal society and subjugated the male inhabitants of the planet. She had many daughters and trained them in the Force.
Upon becoming a grandparent, she realized how wicked her conquest of Dathomir had been. She spent the rest of her life guiding her daughters back to the Light and wroteThe Book of Law, strongly influenced by the Jedi Code, to govern them. In the updated canon, however, the witches are not biological descendants of Allya, and she may not have founded the coven at all.
8) The Reference In The Book Of Boba Fett Is Part Of Wolverton’s Story Returning To Canon
The Extended Universe was relegated to Legends when theStar WarsCanon was cleaned up. This move was great for bringing cohesion to the broaderStar Warslore, but it has left some parts of that lore in confusion. The Witches of Dathomir are one such part, as their gradual reintroduction leaves it unclear what aspects of their story will fully return to the canon. Trejo’s line as the rancor keeper reestablishes the coven’s attachment to the rancors.
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In the current canon, Allya is merely one myth explaining the origin of the Witches of Dathomir. Though the story of her exile and training of the Dathomirians persists, the Jedi have no record of her and the Dathomirians have other myths about their origins that contradict the Allya tale. Whether she started the group or not, however, she did give themThe Book of Lawwhich made them dislike the Jedi.
7) Their Homeworld is Dathomir
Dathomir is known as the rancor planet because this is the species' native home. It is swampy, bathed in red light from a nearby star, and soaked in dark side Force energy (like the place in Dagobah where Luke had to confront an apparition of Darth Vader). This dark energy is part of what gives the witches their exceptional power.
Although most of the witches were originally Human, in the updated canon nearly all of them are Dathomirians. Dathomirians descend from Humans and Zabraks. There are significant differences between biological males and females. Females tend to be pale and lack horns while the males are bright reds and yellows with cranial horns. Darth Maul and Asajj Ventress are both Dathomirians.
6) Dathomir Has A Dark History
Dathomir’s abundance of dark Force energy probably flows from its dark history. In Legends, it was the site of a Sith academy. Though the updated canon hasn’t confirmed this, it does hold that this was the location of the temple of Kujet. Kujet was one of three significant Zeffo Sages who wielded the Force before the dark side began to destroy their civilization. Kujet was the only one of the sages to pursue power and control over the Force. The dark side consumed him and his temple became a site for sacrificing sentient beings.
5) The Witches Of Dathomir Knew the Force As Magick
Though the witches drew their power from the Force, they did not know it as such. They simply called it “magick.” Rather than tapping into the Force the way a Jedi or a Sith would, they utilized totems, potions, and incantations to control it. They also used a magical ichor that flowed from the planet and emitted a green glow.
The combination of this ichor and their magick enabled a variety of abilities. They could conjure physical objects like armor or weapons out of the ichor or use it to corrupt a kyber crystal formaking lightsaber-like weapons. The witches could heal the body and the mind. They could tame fierce beasts such as the rancors or make their warriors more powerful. The darkest of their abilities was necromancy, the ability to bring the dead back to life to fight for them.
4) The Dark Side Clan Is Called The Nightsisters
Though other clans have been reintroduced to canon in the book,The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark, the Nightsisters are the only ones who have been given much attention. In Legends,The Book of Lawthat Allya gave the witches admonished them to never concede to evil; each clan made its own additions to the book, but the Nightsisters fully embraced the dark side and called their bookThe Book of Shadows.
In canon, they tried to take a utilitarian approach to everything, embracing what would help them survive and casting aside what wouldn’t. They even treated the Nightbrothers as tools to use to this end. They believed this utilitarian approach would protect them from the passions that threw the Sith off balance while enabling them to pursue power the Jedi feared to possess. They worshipped two deities who reflected this balance: The Winged Goddess, representing life and fertility, and The Fanged God, representing death and the hunt.
3) Nightsisters Were Among The Galaxy’s Strongest Force Users
The Nightsisters’ magick made them some of the strongest Force users in the galaxy. Their warriors, strengthened by magick, were dangerous assassins and mercenaries for hire inthe Clone Wars. Their strongest warriors were able to contend with Jedi Masters and Sith Lords. Mace Windu struggled to hold off a powerful Nightsister ghost until the ritual returning her to physical form was disrupted. It took Darth Sidious, Count Dooku, and General Grievous fighting together to defeat that same ghost.
2) Darth Sidious Learned Magick From The Nightsisters
Sidious spent time on Dathomir learning the ways of the Nightsisters. Mother Talzin’s skill in magick impressed him, and he traded knowledge with her. He manipulated Talzin with the opportunity to be his apprentice, but he betrayed her and kidnaped her son, Maul, as an apprentice instead.
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His time with the witches enhanced his abilities and may explain why he seems more like a dark sorcerer than the typical Sith warrior. He can be seen inStar Wars: Rebelsusing a magick approach to enter the World Between Worlds. Nightsister necromancy is likely part of the reason he was able to return from death.
1) Mother Talzin Was A Bitter Enemy To Darth Sidious
When Darth Sidious betrayed Mother Talzin, he made a powerful enemy. Talzin developed plans to take over the galaxy herself, stationing Nightsister assassins in key roles. However, this plan backfired and resulted in Count Dooku wiping out all the Dathomirians except Asajj Ventress, Merrin, and some small splinter clans.
Mother Talzin herself escaped into the spirit world but later sacrificed her physical form to restore Maul’s mind and body after he was defeated by Obi-Wan. Maul would go on to cause much trouble for Sidious and the Jedi. Talzin attempted to return, feeding off of a cult that had come to revere her, but her ritual was unsuccessful.
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