Sabrina Spellman’s Aunt Hilda from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is often overlooked and dismissed. Others see her as weak or too kind-hearted. Beneath that soft exterior, though, Hilda is a lot more complex — and a lot more interesting — than some fans might believe.
While she's kind, caring, and compassionate, Hilda can also more than hold her own as a witch. That combination makes her unique. Here are some reasons why Hilda should be given far more credit than she often gets.
SHE’S COMPASSIONATE
Hilda exhibits genuine compassion, and not just for her own family. When she learns that the Spellman Sisters’ Mortuary will be responsible for the burial of the young son of grieving parents, she clearly feels terrible for their loss. This is in opposition to her sister, Zelda, who is only thinking about how to use the body for their witchy business.
Also, when she, Zelda, and Sabrina encounter ghosts that were victims of the harrowing, she’s able to relate to their feelings about what happened to them. Her ability to sympathize makes others feel comfortable and willing to confess their true feelings to her.
SHE’S ACCEPTING
Although the members of the Church of Night are forbidden from getting involved with humans, Hilda doesn’t look down on mortals the way her fellow witches do. After she’s excommunicated and no longer under the strictures of the Church, she gets a job at Cerberus Books and spends her days interacting with humans.
It’s something she clearly enjoys. She likes to socialize with others, and with humans she doesn’t have to maintain the aura of devotion to the Dark Lord that she does with witches. She even gets together with the human Dr. Cerberus. Her acceptance of humans makes her open in a way many other witches are not.
SHE’S SUPPORTIVE
Hilda’s ability to understand and support those she cares about is one of her greatest strengths. When Sabrina is hesitant about signing the Book of the Beast, Hilda doesn’t try to talk her out of her feelings. Instead, she commiserates, confessing that she had her own hesitations when she had her Dark Baptism to make it clear she relates to Sabrina’s concerns.
She also supports Ambrose’s forays into romance. She helps Ambrose astral project so he can go on a date with Luke. Later, when Ambrose laments the state of the relationship, Hilda doses Luke’s coffee with a solution to help improve the situation for Ambrose.
SHE PROTECTS HER FAMILY
Hilda puts her family first. After figuring out that Zelda is under a spell after marrying Father Blackwood, Hilda breaks the enchantment to get her sister back. She then works with her to bring Blackwood down.
She also figures out a way to get chicken bones to an imprisoned Ambrose so he can make a skeleton key and free himself. Plus, when Sabrina uses the Cain Pit to bring back Agatha and Agatha gets sick upon her resurrection, Hilda prescribes a regimen of fizzy water for her. Not because it will help, but because she’s trying to protect Sabrina from the consequences of her terrible actions.
SHE’S A TALENTED HEALER
Early in the series, Hilda demonstrates that she’s an accomplished healer who can easily counteract curses and other magical maladies. When the Weird Sisters put a blood curse on Sabrina, Hilda easily diagnoses it and then off-handedly prescribes a cure. She also casually rattles off what Sabrina’s friends should do to protect themselves after touching Susie’s possessed Uncle Jesse.
When Harvey breaks up with Sabrina, she even creates a balm to numb Sabrina’s broken heart. Later, when she learns that Dr. Cerberus has an incubus, she figures out how to tame it so she can be with him. If there’s a way to heal an ailment, Hilda will know what it is.
SHE’S WISE
Hilda shows more than once that she is incredibly wise about the ways of witches. She uses that knowledge to advise Ambrose and Sabrina. Her wisdom is particularly on display when Sabrina discovers she has unimaginable powers, and Hilda cautions her against using it so flippantly.
Despite Sabrina’s belief that there are no longer any checks and balances on her magic, Hilda informs her that she’s racking up a massive cosmic debt. She also reminds Sabrina that while sharing her gifts with the world is a nice idea, bad things happen to witches when they reveal themselves to mortals. While Sabrina seems convinced that she’s on the right path, Hilda’s advice is a result of knowledge and experience Sabrina simply doesn’t possess.
SHE CAN PROTECT HERSELF
Of the two Spellman sisters, Zelda comes across as far tougher than her sibling, able to take on any challenge thrown her way. Yet, while Hilda is more willing to express her vulnerable side, she isn’t any less capable.
When Methuselah (the head of the Witches’ Council) comes to her after dismissing her concerns about Father Blackwood, he clearly thinks he’s found an easy target. Methuselah soon makes it clear that, despite what he says, he doesn’t want to help Hilda stop Blackwood, he just wants to proposition her. Instead of putting up with his behavior, she takes him out. Despite people’s perceptions otherwise, it’s clear that Hilda shouldn’t be trifled with.
SHE’S BRAVE
Others assume Hilda is a pushover, but that assumption completely overlooks the bravery she regularly demonstrates. One of the best examples of this is her ability to repeatedly dig herself out of the Cain Pit after she's resurrected. On Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, she’s the Abel to Zelda’s Cain. When Hilda does something that angers Zelda, Zelda dispatches Hilda and buries her in the Cain Pit. The Pit ensures Hilda’s resurrection, but Hilda is responsible for digging herself out each time. The experience is no doubt traumatic and, yet, Hilda manages to handle the situation and move on from it each time.
In fact, Hilda repeatedly shows her bravery in each choice she makes, never letting fear rule her or prevent her from doing what she believes is right. When she reports Father Blackwood’s questionable activities to the Council and they refuse to help, she tells them off for turning a blind eye for the sole reason that they want to protect themselves.
SHE’S WILLING TO BREAK THE RULES
While the Church of Night strives to dictate all aspects of its congregants' lives, Hilda has a long history of going against the church's rules when it suits her. When Sabrina was a baby, she accompanied Sabrina’s mother to a Christian church to witness Sabrina’s baptism. It’s a big no-no as far as the Church of Night is concerned, but Hilda was more concerned with helping a family member, even if she was human, than obeying Church stricture.
She also participates in the exorcism of Suzy’s Uncle Jesse, despite the fact that witches are forbidden from the practice. She makes it clear that if she’s excommunicated, she’s no longer concerned with following the rules — besides, she’s not about to let her niece and Ms. Wardwell carry out the ritual on their own. And when Ambrose is wrongly imprisoned, she and Sabrina summon the Trivium Unholy in an attempt to get him tried and released more quickly (despite the fact that they're not supposed to consult with the Trivium on their own).
SHE STANDS UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT
Hilda seems like someone who would shy away from a confrontation, but when she sees an injustice, she takes a stand. When two boys bully Susie in Cerberus Books, Hilda immediately steps in. And when they claim Susie started it, she makes it clear she isn’t buying it.
Similarly, when the town is under threat from the Greendale Thirteen, the Spellmans conjure a tornado as a way to force the towns’ mortals to gather at Baxter High where they can be protected. When both Ambrose and Zelda are magicked away and Sabrina leaves, however, Hilda stays behind, and single-handedly does what she can to ensure the survival of Greendale’s citizens.