Sabrina Spellman: Coming of Age as Magic

Sabrina Spellman, across multiple iterations (the lighthearted 1996-2003 sitcom and the darker 2018-2020 Netflix series), represents witchcraft as coming-of-age metaphor. Being a witch isn't just about powers—it's about navigating dual identities, choosing who you'll become, and finding your place between worlds. In both versions, Sabrina is half-witch (from her father's side) and half-mortal (from her mother's side). This hybridity defines her: she doesn't fully belong to either world. Witches find her too mortal; mortals find her too strange. She must navigate both worlds while fully belonging to neither. This resonates with many real experiences: mixed heritage, queer identity, neurodivergence, third-culture kids—anyone who doesn't fit neatly into a single category. Sabrina's struggle to belong becomes allegory for all marginalized identities navigating multiple worlds. The 1996 sitcom version was lighthearted: Sabrina attended high school while learning magic from her aunts Hilda and Zelda. Her cat Salem (a witch trapped in feline form as punishment) provided comic relief. Episodes dealt with typical teen issues (crushes, friendships, identity) through magical mishaps. This version normalized witchcraft for a generation. Sabrina was the girl next door who happened to be a witch—relatable, imperfect, navigating adolescence like any teenager. Magic was tool and metaphor for growing up: learning responsibility, facing consequences, finding yourself. The Netflix 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' (2018-2020) was far darker. This Sabrina faced genuine horror: patriarchal witch covens, Satanic churches, apocalyptic prophecies. Her refusal to sign the Book of the Beast (pledging herself to Satan) despite intense pressure became allegory for resisting patriarchal religious control. Netflix Sabrina challenged witch authority constantly. She questioned traditions, rejected her predetermined destiny, and insisted on creating her own path. She refused to choose between mortal and witch worlds, insisting she could be both. She fought patriarchal coven leadership that demanded female witches submit. This Sabrina was explicitly feminist, anti-authoritarian, and queer-inclusive. Her coven became more egalitarian because she demanded it. She dated both men and women. She rejected destiny in favor of choice. She refused to let anyone—mortal or magical—control her. Both versions emphasize that magic comes with responsibility. Sabrina repeatedly faces consequences for using magic selfishly or carelessly. She learns that power without ethics is dangerous, that shortcuts have costs, that intention matters as much as outcome. Both versions also emphasize chosen family. Sabrina's aunts raise her with love and wisdom. Salem (in both versions) provides guidance despite his own past mistakes. Her friends—mortal and magical—support her. Sabrina's power comes not just from magic but from community and love. The coming-of-age metaphor is consistent across versions: Sabrina's sixteenth birthday is her 'dark baptism,' when she must choose witch or mortal. This is quinceañera, bat mitzvah, confirmation—rituals marking the transition to adulthood. Sabrina must decide who she'll be. Significantly, she refuses to choose in the traditional binary way. She insists on being both witch and mortal, on attending both high school and witch school, on maintaining both mortal friends and coven community. Her refusal to be forced into a single identity is her greatest power. For real witches, especially young ones, Sabrina's journey reflects their own: discovering their magical identity, learning skills, finding community, navigating relationships with non-practitioners, balancing magical and mundane responsibilities. Her refusal to accept false binaries matters too. You don't have to choose between being a witch and being 'normal.' You don't have to choose between magical community and non-magical loved ones. You can be both. You can create your own path. Sabrina also shows that being a witch doesn't make you automatically wise or powerful. She makes mistakes constantly. She's impulsive, sometimes selfish, often wrong. But she learns, apologizes, and tries again. This is realistic: magical practice is a lifelong learning process, not instant enlightenment. The various love interests (Harvey in both versions, Nick in Netflix) show that romantic relationships complicate magical identity. Do you tell them you're a witch? Do you keep secrets? Do you change them with magic? These are ethical questions many practitioners face in relationships with non-practitioners. Sabrina's answer: honesty, even when difficult. Hiding your authentic self poisons relationships. Changing someone with magic violates consent. If they can't accept your truth, they're not your person. This is hard-won wisdom. Study Sabrina Spellman, young witch, for what she teaches about navigating multiple worlds, refusing false binaries, and insisting on your right to define yourself. Like her, you may feel caught between worlds: witch and mundane, magical and practical, different and belonging. Learn from her mistakes: magic isn't a shortcut around hard work. Ethics matter. Responsibility is essential. You'll mess up—apologize and learn. Learn from her resistance: you don't have to follow predetermined paths. Question authority, including magical authority. Create your own practice, your own rules, your own definition of witch. Learn from her relationships: chosen family matters as much as blood. Friends who support your authentic self are precious. Love doesn't require conformity. And learn from her central truth: you can be both. Witch and student. Magical and mundane. Powerful and vulnerable. You contain multitudes. Embrace all of yourself. Sabrina Spellman reminds us that being a witch is a journey, not a destination. That coming of age includes coming into your power. That magic is both literal and metaphorical, both practice and identity. So explore both worlds, young witch. Refuse false choices. Define yourself. Be authentically, completely, impossibly you. That's the realest magic.