Religion: uplifted animals (maybe) 
Name: the witch's henchmen
Classification:
villains
group
Publisher(s): 
First Appearance: Detective Comics (vol. 1) #336 (Feb. 1965): "Batman's Bewitched Nightmare!"
Creators: Gardner F. Fox, Sheldon Moldoff, Joe Giella
Number of Appearances: 1
Employer: The Outsider (Alfred)
Employer: unnamed witch
Type of Organization/Group: gang
Species: mouse
Gender: male
Note: 4 unnamed henchmen appear throughout story; may be mice
This is a strange situation. The Batman story titled "Batman's Bewitched Nightmare!", published in Detective Comics #336 (Feb. 1965), actually depicts a witch transforming four mice into four henchmen. Despite this story's title, this does not take place within a dream or within an altered reality or anything else. It takes place within mainstream Batman continuity. The transformation takes place on page 2 of the story and the mice-turned-henchmen are throughout the rest of the story.
If one thinks about this story rationally or tries to impress upon it purely materialistic, scientific and rationalistic operating parameters, then there are no mice turning into henchmen - mainly because within the pseudo-rationalistic and non-magical bounds of Batman stories of the time, such things aren't possible. The "transformation" was probably just an illusion. Perhaps the transformation scene was staged by the witch. Yet no explanation is ever actually provided. The witch, empowered by the powerful Batman foe known then only as "the Outsider" (and later revealed to be Batman's mind-altered butler Alfred) really did do many seemingly magical things. The "witch" was eventually described by the Outsider as not "truly" magical, but she could perform seemingly magical feats. So could she have transformed mice into people? Or did she transform people temporarily into mice and then back again? Or did she only create an illusion that she turned mice into people?
After the mice are turned into people, there is nothing mouse-like about them. They look and act like regular henchmen. It is mainly for this reason that we think the best explanation for these henchmen is that they regular human criminals who were part of an elaborate and convincing illusion created by the witch. But, as noted before, the transformation of four mice into for human henchmen is never actually explained. Although the henchmen are featured prominently in the story, their thoughts are never revealed.
Turning animals into people is a feat not entirely impossible elsewhere in the DC Universe, but unlikely in a 1965 Batman story. If one allows for this possibility, there doesn't appear to be anything in this story to rule out the possibility that this is what happened. After all, this is exactly what is depicted on page 2 of the story.
The narrative text on page 2 even describes the event explicitly: "Moving across a sidewalk in Gotham City is a tiny pumpkin coach -- drawn by four white mice . . . Even more startling is the eerie figure outlined against the full moon as it swoops above the roof tops."
Panel 2 on page 2 shows a witch riding a broomstick, silhouetted in front of a full moon.
The narrative caption in panel 3 continues: "The witch leans down and from her hand streak tiny spurts of enchanted energy . . ."
The witch, zapping the mice with mystical energy bolts from her hand, incants, "By moon, by rune, by magic old -- I order you to change your mold!"
Panel 4 on page 2 shows the mice and pumpkin coach transforming into 4 men in a car. The narrative caption reads: "Instantly, the pumpkin coach turns into an -- automobile, and the four white mice turn into -- gangsters . . ."
After this, the mice-turned-men immediately begin assisting the witch in robbing a bank. The four henchmen seem to know the witch, but they are startled and amazed at her displays of magical power. It is as if they have never seen such things before. Are these henchmen simply men who have been newly recruited by the witch? Or are they actually mice transformed into men and imbued with the knowledge necessary to act in that capacity?
The four henchmen are probably just four regular men, but it is interesting to witness this strange magical "transformation" and ponder the possibilities.
Detective Comics (vol. 1) #336 (Feb. 1965): "Batman's Bewitched Nightmare!"
Suggested links for further research about this character and the character's religious affiliation:
- https://www.comics.org/issue/18978/
- http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=61815