Based on the selected literary sources of eight Roman writers from the 1st century BC to the 2nd century AD, and recent literature dealing with issues of magic in the ancient world, this paper provides a depiction and comparison of mythical and real women who practiced magic. In Rome, they were called “witches” and there are several Latin terms that define them more closely, such as doing evil (lat. maleficae), skill in making poisons (veneficae), sorcery and wisdom (magae, sagae), old age (anus), lust (lupula) and the terms that link them to animals (strigae) and monsters that attack children at night (lamiae). In this paper, these characteristics can be found in the descriptions of their physical appearance and character, magical powers, various rituals, and the motives and outcomes of their practice of magic. The paper also gives a brief overview of the comparison with the Greek depiction of sorceress/witches. An analysis of literary depictions reveals some common features of witches that are usually associated even today when mentioning them.