I'm a Brit, but not a teacher.
"Cast" literally means "throw" and you could say "throw a spell", although "cast" is more common.
In British children's "fairytales" a wicked, wizened old witch will regularly "
cast a spell" (i.e. a curse) on a beautiful young lady, who she despises because she is more beautiful than herself.
The spell would make the young lady go asleep for, say, 100 years, or until she were awakened by a handsome prince's kiss and they live happily ever after!
Other versions have a prince who is turned into a frog, until a fair young lady changes him back, with a kiss!
AskOxford: wizened wizened
/
wizz’nd/ •
adjective shrivelled or wrinkled with age.