#mord’sith

[maedhros]

the damane sul’dam arc is just the mord’sith but honestly scarier and so I am here not surprised that this is now my Roman Empire moment

Also the Renna character is soooooooooo……. Much More than Denna also listen. Listen. I love Denna but this is better objectively to me. Anyway for me Renna lives to atone bc really she is just a product of her upbringing. Right. Ha ha. Right guys

[firewvlk]

      cara & kahlan

❝ there’s no one a mord’sith should hate more... than a confessor. i was trained to hate you. but i don’t. and i don’t want to die without you knowing... that i consider you to be... my friend. ❞

                                                                  @lcnelylcves​

[multifandotakugirl]

The thing I like most about Yurinise is something that a lot of people probably won’t get.

Yurinise is basically the equivalent of Kahra

From Legend of the Seeker

Yuri is rightful, strong brave and courageous and introduced in the first episode as somewhat weak and ends the season as this figurative badass queen. Also a brunette

Kahlan is rightful, strong brave and courageous and introduced in the first episode as somewhat weak and ends the season as a literal badass queen. Also a brunette

Nise is blunt, willing to do whatever it takes and would protect Yuri even if it costs her life, she’s proven this by risking her life numerous times just for Yuri and almost dying. She’s first introduced as somewhat evil— morally grey at least, and by the end of the series, she’s this loveable warrior that is so goddamn loyal it hurts - also, throughout the show, she has revealing clothing even if it wasn’t quite in her power. Also she’s a blonde

Cara is blunt, willing to do whatever it takes and would protect Kahlan even if it costs her life, she’s proven this by risking her life numerous times and actually dying, If I remember correctly? She’s first introduced as somewhat evil— morally grey at least, and by the end of the series, she’s this loveable warrior that is so goddamn loyal it hurts - also, throughout the show, she has revealing clothing even if it doesn’t show her skin, leather body suit is definitely... yeah, also she’s a blonde

I fell in love with the Yurinise ship because it’s so much like Kahra

The best part? Both Cara and Nise speak with their actions and are tsunderes cause they’ve both had tough lives and had to learn not to show emotions and be all tough and strong, while Kahlan and Yuri actually talk about their feelings and are willing to show emotion and still be strong and not someone to be messed with despite the fact that they’re emotionally vulnerable — and they tell their blonde tsunderes to show emotions once in a while and they bring out the good in Cara/Nise

[thehomeofplatonicfics]

Rescue me, Confessor

Confessor!reader x the whole Legend of the Seeker gang (Platonic)

(Please note: since Confessors are female, she/her pronouns are used to describe the reader)

As you sat languishing in the dungeon of the Mord’Sith, you wondered if you’d ever see the sun again. Hearing the clink of metal as you turned your head, you reached up to touch the radahan around your neck. A tear rolled down your cheeks in shame. What use was a confessor who couldn’t control her own gift?

A noise that sounded like footsteps caught your attention, and you strained against your chains to see who it was. It didn’t sound like your supposed new mistress. It had taken the Mord’Sith several weeks to get close to breaking your strong will, which had surprised them as you were outwardly very meek and defenceless.

“She’s wearing white. She must have broken someone.” Your head snapped up as you heard an unfamiliar voice talking about your captor. Would you be rescued?

The intruders made themselves known as they stepped into the light, and soon you heard the clang of a sword against the screeching of the agiel. Slowly, you slinked back to the wall, huddling into yourself and gripping the torn and bloody fabric of your confessor’s dress into a little ball in your hands. You waited with baited breath until the fight was clearly over, tears of relief rolling down your face as you realised that the Mord’Sith had lost.

The clink of your chains alerted the intruders to your presence, and you shrunk back as far as you could as four people approached you. A young man put the sword of truth into his halter, and began to come toward you, intending to take your cuffs off. Although you knew he must be the seeker, you were frightened, and you kicked out at him to keep him away.

“It’s alright, it’s okay, we’re trying to help.” Your eyes flicked over to a dark-haired woman, and you instantly relaxed a little as you realised she was one of your own, the mother confessor. The seeker tried to remove your chains again, and you jerked away with a cry. “Richard, let me.” Kahlan said, holding her hands up to show you she was harmless, “You’re safe with us, we won’t hurt you.” She spoke to you so kindly, so gently, and as she slowly took hold of your hands in the chains, you finally allowed yourself to let go of everything that happened to you, and you began to sob onto her shoulder.

“Zedd, can you remove them?” Kahlan asked, as she held you softly in a hug, rubbing your back soothingly as you let it all out. You felt the release of the chains as your hands fell down to your sides, and you cried out in pain at the stiffness you felt having had your hands bound for so long. “We can’t take her anywhere like this,” Richard added, looking at your cuts and bruises with concern. “I can deal with the worst of it, my boy.” You looked up at the wizard, a small hopeful smile on your face that he could maybe give you some relief from the pain. He waved his hand, and you patted the areas of the worst cuts, smiling as you felt the skin had been healed. “Thank you,” you whispered, your voice too hoarse to express your gratitude any louder.

“Wait,” Kahlan turned to the others as she pulled away, “she’s wearing a radahan.” The fourth member of your rescuers, who strangely was a… Mord’Sith, moved towards your former captor, clearly searching her for the key. “Got the key,” the Mord’Sith said, brandishing it in front of the mother confessor. “Thank you, Cara.” Kahlan took the key from her, and reached towards your radahan to unlock it.

“No!” You cried, clasping your hands around the keyhole so she couldn’t get to it. “Please don’t.” Kahlan turned to look at Zedd in confusion. He slowly bent down to your level, “why not, my child?” He reached out to comfort you, but you squirmed away. You couldn’t let anyone but Kahlan touch you. “I… I… can’t control it. I’ll destroy you.” You whimpered, eyes aimed at the floor in shame.

Kahlan’s eyes narrowed as she remained silent for a few seconds, deep in thought before she suddenly gasped and her eyes lit up, as if she had only just recognised you. “Y/N?” She asked, reaching out to stroke your shoulder comfortingly. You nodded, hesitantly offering a small smile. “You know her?” Cara asked, now watching you and the mother confessor more intently. “Yes... I last saw her when she was only nine, when she taken away from Thandore. She was wearing the radahan even then.” She turned away from you, not wanting you to overhear what she told the others next. “Her ability was uncontrollable, even a slight brush of her hand was enough to confess someone.”

“Alright child, we’ll keep this key safe. I think it is time to get you safely away from here,” Zedd said, as the others began to leave. Kahan helped you stand, and allowed you to lean heavily on her as you limped along to get safely into the forest. Once you were far enough away, safely hidden in amongst the trees, Richard and Cara set up a campfire for the evening. Kahlan helped you sit down, as Zedd (while keeping a respectful distance from you) began trying to heal you more properly. Kahlan provided you with water and a light broth to help bring your strength back up, giving you gentle touches of reassurances and smiles. With the mother confessor watching over you, you finally felt safe enough to rest.

As you lay your head down to rest, the group waited patiently until they were certain you were asleep by the soft, steady rising and falling of your chest, before they began to talk about what to do with you. “Having another confessor will be useful,” Cara started, thinking how much quicker combat would be if they had a confessor whose one touch could enslave their enemies. “Y/N is clearly not capable of defending herself, let alone anyone else,” Zedd argued, looking in pity at your weak-looking stature. “She doesn’t need to fight, all she has to do is poke them, Kahlan said so herself!” Cara replied, gesturing towards the confessor exasperatedly.

“We must take her to Aydindril to be trained. She shouldn’t have to live in fear of her power.” Kahlan sighed, looking at you sadly. “She would be too unpredictable to help us. Its more important for her to be capable of fulfilling the role confessors must play, and be able to ensure the survival of the confessor race.” Cara shook her head disapprovingly. “Aydindril is the opposite direction to where we’re supposed to be going!” Richard pulled out his compass, not at all surprised that the direction it was pointing in had changed. “Apparently not.” He burst out before Kahlan had a chance to reply back. “It’s pointing towards Aydindril,” Zedd noted, “I suggest we rest up tonight and allow Y/N a chance to recover, and then we’ll set off for Aydindril at a slow pace tomorrow.”

[alishasboe]

get to know me: [6/15] female characters

Cara Mason (Legend of the Seeker) // “Mord’Sith believe emotions must be governed. Sadness, remorse, love... these feelings make you weak. But anger, loyalty, pride... these feelings make you powerful.”

[house-of-rahl]

A Few Highlights from Bridget Regan and Craig Horner’s Instagram Live

Neither Bridget nor Craig have watched the show since it aired, Craig has mostly only seen compilation videos from people he follows online. Bridget said she’s not good at watching herself on screen.

Bridget got her cat, Henry, in New Zealand and would bring him to set when he was kitten

Craig kept a prop sword and the puppet of Richard from Puppeteer

Filming took around 9 months per season, and episodes were usually filmed over 8 days, which made for a pretty grueling filming schedule

Bridget caught up with Bruce Spence in an email and he and his family are doing well. Bruce served as a mentor to Craig and Bridget onscreen and off. Bridget said “he was so close to the character he was playing…powerful and wise…he’s a total legend”

“You wouldn’t want us on your Seeker trivia night team”- Craig

Bridget remembers going to the grocery store with makeup blood on her hands from filming

 Favorite weapon used on Seeker?

Craig really did love the sword of truth, “that thing became a part of me”. He also liked the dacras

Bridget loved her daggers but had a lot fun wielding the sword of truth since she found it easier to use

The hardest scene?

Craig- when Richard cried over Kahlan’s crypt in Reckoning

Bridget- in Perdition when Kahlan cried over her dead child

They both said it was difficult to jump in with the alternate realities since they had so little time to internalize it.

Best blooper?

Bridget- “We were always so pressed for time we didn’t have time to mess around”

Night scenes were shot on a stage and one time a tree fell over

Something caught fire in the cabin in episode one and Bruce Spence tried to blow it out

During filming, while Craig was swinging the sword of truth the blade came detached from the handle and landed quite close to Bruce

Slow motion scenes were high stakes because they were expensive to film. Craig once left a water bottle in the background of a slo-mo scene and had to redo the shot.

Was it weird kissing for the first time on set?

Neither really remember, but said it wasn’t weird since they were so invested in their characters. They also spent a lot of time together before filming (stunt training, etc.) so they knew each other pretty well before they had to kiss on screen. They also had extra time together in New Zealand because filming was pushed back due to a script change.

Did you get a chance to read the books?

Bridget has read some, she felt she had to invest in her character in the show since it was so different from the books. Craig agreed, he started the first book but never finished it.

Favorite spot you filmed?

Bridget- In Queenstown at the Remarkable Mountains to film promotional material

Who was your favorite guest star?

Bridget- Michael Nouri who played Kahlan’s father, but she had a lot of favorites since there was a lot of great talent on the show (Emily Baldoni, Jessica Marais, Katrina Law). “Shout out to Craig Parker, the ultimate villain”

Craig- John Rhys-Davies, Ted Raimi

What’s the funniest scene you filmed?

Craig: “the one where we played those doofus characters” (Mirror)

Bridget: “that was like we were filming a different show”

If you could have played another character on the show, who would it be?

Craig: “I think Darken Rahl would’ve been fun to play”

Bridget: “of course I’m going to say the same thing, I love playing villains, it’s the best”

Was it hard talking with a different accent?

Craig: “I had been working on my American accent for some time, luckily it wasn’t set anywhere particular…so it was more forgiving”

Bridget wishes the show had leaned more into actor’s natural accents to give the show an otherworldly quality

What’s the craziest thing you had to do?

Bridget: “when I had to get all dolled up as a mord’sith…immediately I had so much sympathy…for everyone who had to wear these costumes”

Which show would you have wanted LotS to crossover with?

Bridget- “it’s hard cause Seeker was such a specific world”

Craig: “it could have crossed over with a Lord of the Rings type world”

Bridget: “or Game of Thrones…or Merlin, I’ve never seen Merlin but I’m sure that would have worked”

Craig: “wouldn’t it have been fun if we were in some castle and Scooby and Shaggy just appeared out of some portal”

What’s your favorite memory with each other?

Bridget- when she did her screen test with Craig she immediately felt a connection working with him, she felt she understood the show more doing scenes with him

Craig- after a couple weeks when they got comfortable with each other and filming became relaxed and fun

[mustgovern]

thinking how cara will always have the first natural response to mistrust magic because that’s the very nature of mord’sith, they repel and redirect magical powers and are taught to hate it for a reason, but personally i think it’s very sexy that despite the taught fear, she grows to respect and appreciate it and her core found family is one of the most powerful wizards ever, a confessor whose magic could instantly heal her, and one golden dude with a magic sword.

[denneeamnell]

👉 Point to something for my muse to see

『 ❤ 』 “WHAT IN THE SPIRITS have you done to my son?” Dennee gasped, taking in the mess that was her sweet, two year old boy. Dennee wasn’t even angry, just exasperated. Dennee had only left Eddy with the Mord’Sith for a couple of hours. She had even made sure to feed and clean him up before she went to her meeting. Denna LOVED Eddy, Dennee knew that without an ounce of doubt. But she’d never seemed completely comfortable around children. Dennee herself had definitely had quite a few good laughs at the ever confident Mord’Sith becoming an awkward fool in front of her small, sweet boy. Still, she hadn't expected this big of a DISASTER.

★ Nonverbal Starters | @madamedenna 

[angieschiffahoi]

Redemption arcs in other shows

Villain/antagonist falls in love with target/main character is a trope we’ve seen many times and, often, their redemption comes through this love (and this love only) and the villain’s way to redeem themselves fully is a final grand gesture of sacrifice. Sometimes it isn’t like that and I wanna give a few examples of redemption arcs that stem from love (or affection) but where love doesn’t necessarily redeem those characters right away. 

Love is just a spark, the good character/love interest is just a moral example to follow and, in the end, it’s the “villains’” actions that speak for themselves and truly make them “good” in our eyes (and in the eyes of the rest of the characters). 

Spoilers for Xena Warrior Princess, Legend of the Seeker, Lost Girl and Stargate SG-1 (in this order). 

- Xena from Xena Warrior Princess. 

The first time we see Xena, in Hercules, she is an evil war lord and an antagonist. By the time the two-parter is over, she sees the error of her ways and strives to do good, so much the network decides to give her her own spin-off where she is the hero. But she doesn’t start as the hero. 

After Hercules supposedly ‘redeems her’, she’s left alone. She doesn’t know yet how to to good and, in the pilot of her own show, she seems ready to give up: she thinks she will achieve redemption by killing herself. But then she sees this small town girl, who’s not a fighter, stand up to another war lord, risking her life for innocent people. This prompts her to take action and rescue these people. 

Xena (reluctantly, at first) and Gabrielle (very excitedly) join forces and start to journey together. Through the six seasons, they influence each other (beside falling in love with each other) and act as a mentors to each other. Despite this, in the series, Xena also has to come terms with what she did in a lot of occasions, whenever she meets, in her journeys, someone she hurt in the past. She constantly has to demonstrate she’s changed and she has to redeem herself every step of the way.

But that’s not enough. After decades, she’s forced to face actions she did in the past and of which she didn’t know the consequences: the souls of 40k people she killed are stuck in a painful limbo and the only way to save them is for her to die. Her journey comes full circle and, in the end, she redeems herself by fixing a mistake she did so many years ago, by killing herself.

BUT neither the start (with Hercules) nor the end (the sacrifice) are her actual redemption. She redeems herself slowly, with each good action, and it’s not her love for Gabrielle that saves her, but the influence Gabrielle had on her is a huge part of it. 

- Cara Mason & Denna from Legends of the Seeker. 

They are part of a sect of torturers who have been trained (tortured) into the practice.Their job is to fight for their evil sovereign and break the prisoners they need information from. They both start out as villainous antagonists, torturing and fighting against two all-righteous heores. 

By the end of their arcs, they both defect and fall in love with the main characters (Cara, platonically). In this case as well, it’s not their love for the main character that redeems them: it’s the actions influenced by the main character’s strong morals and behaviour. They also both get punished for disobeying and failing; they both are tortured by the actual villain, but, in the end, they do end up fighting for good. 

Denna, unfortunately, is never fully redeemed, though, as she is killed just before she can truly start her journey. 

Like Xena, even after they seem to have redeemed they are always held accountable for their past actions: they’re always seen as traitorous Mord’Siths and at one point Cara is about to be executed for past crimes. 

- Tamsin from Lost Girl. 

She is a supernatural bounty hunter from the ‘evil’ faction of this fantasy world (even if throughout the show we hear that neither Light Fae nor Dark Fae are inherently good or bad, the show kind of folds on itself on this statement, by always adding Dark Fae characters who are bad and vice-versa). 

Tamsin’s job is to deliever Bo (the main “good” character) to the mysterious Wanderer. She deceives them and allies herself with their team, but, in more than one occation, she fails to deliever the price (sound familiar?). In the meantime, she actually falls for Bo, who feels affection for her but doesn’t really love her back. Despite this, she sacrifices herself for Bo two or three times and, by the end of the show, she is actually one of the good characters. Even after being used by Bo and rejected, she doesn’t go back to her old ways, but continues to fight for good. 

Her redemption arc, again, was possible through her love for the main characters (Dyson & Kenzi both played a huge part in this) and being denied that love didn’t change this: the example was good enough to understand the error of her ways. I will not discuss how her arc was closed, because season 5 part B doesn’t exist. 

Like all of the above, Tamsin, even after she’s proven countless times that she’s good, is always confronted by the characters whenever she makes a mistake. The good guys never let her forget she wasn’t one of them from the beginning. 

- Teal’c from Stargate SG-1. 

Teal’c is one of the commanding officer of the evil guy’s army. He was already part of a resistance group who didn’t believe Apophis was their god, but hadn’t defected until that moment because he feared for his family and also didn’t believe Apophis could be defeated. During this time, he actually does a lot of things for Apophis he regrets later and can be therefore considered an antagonist, if not a villain. 

When Apophis’ guards capture SG-1 and a lot of villagers who are about to be unjustly executed, Jack O’Neill’s “help me help this people” makes him turn against his supposed God. Why? Because he believes Jack can help him defeat Apophis. He didn’t really need a long redemption arc, because he always knew he was on the wrong side, but he stayed with Apophis nonetheless. Until someone came along who showed him another way was possible. 

As with Xena, Cara, Denna & Tamsin, in the series, he is put through countless trials where he shows his team, other people who just see him as a Jaffa (a soldier of Apophis) or a shol’va (a traitor) and the audience that he is a good man. He’s even litterally put on trial at one point. 

-----

In these redemptions, the characters are always held accountable for their actions. They’re never “left alone” for their crimes and even if they turn to the good side, they’re always put through trials that demonstrate a real change of heart (sometimes to the excess, if I may say so). 

These are not perfect examples (and I haven’t rewatched some of these in a while, so I may be wrong about some details), but they’re all characters who in a way “fell in love” (or in friendship) with the main ‘good’ protagonist but their redemptions weren’t defined by this love, it was just the start. Their actions, every time they acknowledged their mistakes, the trials they were put through indicate that their crimes can be, somewhat, forgiven in the eyes of most. 

And what is also true: sometimes, some people, do not forgive them. And that’s their right not to. 

[onlydevilsleft]

{{ howdy everyone! you see this lady up here^^^^ well that’s my Mord’Sith from Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series and the tv adaptation Legend of the Seeker. Her name is Cara, too, and honestly the initial inspiration for my first incarnation of my oc Cara that I feature here. Her blog turns 10 today and I wanted to share that with you! She was the first character I started roleplaying. So, if you feel inclined, go show the Mistress some love... She won’t know what to do with it. Which will make me happy! XD you can find her over here:: @queenoftamarang }}

[longsightmyth]

What's bad about the sword of truth series??? I've never heard of it before and I tried to search through your blog to find posts about it but nothing turned up (tho that might just be Tumblr's fault, this website is 50% broken down)

SO. I read a couple of these Way Back In The Day (those who have followed me for a bit know I read basically any fantasy I could get my hands on in middle school, quality irrelevant). My memories are in some respects hazy, and in others unfortunately completely clear. They’re going under the cut.

Ayn Randian philosophy out the ying yang

Nonsensical fucking worldbuilding

Racism

Richard at one point murders a slew of pacifists because they ‘don’t have the courage of their convictions’. I mean. They’re pacifists, and they don’t raise a hand to him even when he murders them all, so I feel like the pacifists are the ones here with a, courage, and b, convictions, and c, the courage thereof.

Richard at one point kicks the jaw off of a nine-year-old girlchild. I think we all know how I feel about books that portray children of any kind as irredeemable monsters, let alone girlchildren (because tbh I can’t think of a single instance when a boychild was treated this way by the narrative: Sarah Janet kept saying that Hollin was ‘tainted by darkness’ or whatever for acting like a plain old regular child, but nobody kicked his jaw off his face for it) but the fact that this is presented as a reasonable reaction is questionable at best.

Kahlan threatens not only to de-throne her half sister but to throw her to the guards to be raped to death

Nicki is presented as a strong woman because she thinks about other things while being raped (?!)

So much rape you guys

So much

The mord’sith are a group of bdsm magic ladies whose power literally derives from a dude

They were to a one the sweetest girls in their villages until they’re kidnapped and raised by mord’sith to be evil and torture men

There’s a demon chicken, which I wouldn’t sneeze at except that it is literally a demon chicken and I am supposed to take it seriously as a threat to Kahlan, who is ostensibly The Most Badass

The good magic ladies (aka Confessors)(who follow a dude by choice and that’s what makes them good…? Unclear) literally take away any and all free will people have with their magic, and then sleep with the dudes they have brainwashed to produce more Confessors…

…All of whom must be female because male Confessors go bonkers and evil and must be killed in their cradles, so to clarify on ‘girlchildren get treated worse than boychildren’ here we have boychildren even when being murdered being killed quickly and put out of their own and everyone’s misery and girlchildren HAVING THEIR JAWS KICKED OFF…

All of which remains SO BAD since it’s all put on children and Richard is the Literal Worst

But anyway the Confessors sleep with dudes they’ve literally removed free will from because sleeping with nonconfessed dudes removes those dudes’ free will…

Unless you are Richard, in which case apparently you are already so consumed with wanting what Kahlan wants that you are unaffected.

Which is bullshit because his wants and opinions override hers every fucking time

Meanwhile Kahlan rides into battle naked a couple of times or whatever to distract her enemies

MEANWHILE Richard is secretly the half brother of the Evil King because of his grandfather’s machinations…?

So when they kill him the mord’sith don’t lose their powers they just become good because they follow Richard now.

The writing is at best mediocre

So yeah. It’s pretty bad. Maybe one day when I hate myself and the rest of you enough I’ll reread the first couple.

[solaciummeae]

{ Legend of the Seeker Drinking Game: }

This came to me while marathoning Legend of the Seeker for the fifth time. I realized it would make a great drinking game. The rules are simple. Hardmode if you dare.

But please please please drink responsibly. This is more of a joke than anything.

I’ll keep it updated as I watch more.

@setitallaflame tagging you for reasons

Drink When:

1. Every time a confessor uses her power.  -- Hardmode: Every time a confessor is mentioned. 2. Every time Richard uses the Sword of Truth.  -- Hardmode: Every time Richard touches the Sword of Truth with reverence. 3. Every time the Mord’Sith use their agile.  -- Hardmode: Every time the Mord’Sith are mentioned. 4. Every time Zed uses wizard’s fire.  -- Hardmode: Every time Zed uses magic. 5. Every time Zed thinks he’s funny.  -- Hardmode: Every time Richard and Kahlan get frustrated with Zed. 6. Every time Legends are mentioned. 7. Every time Prophecy is mentioned. 8. Every time Darken Rahl schemes against Richard.  -- Hardmode: Every time Darken Rahl is shown on screen. 9. Every time a wizard’s rule is made. 10. Every time Richard and Kahlan wish they could have sex. [ thanks @setitallaflame​ ] 11. Every time the darkness of a male confessor is mentioned. [ thanks @theoriginallucille ] 12. Every time D’Hara is mentioned.  -- Hardmode: One drink per D’Haran soldier on the screen.  -- Bonus: Every time the Dragon Core is mentioned. 13. Every time Richard helps someone in his path instead of focusing on his quest aka doing the right thing even at his own expense.

Season 2 Edition: Add these in addition to the season 1 rules.

1. Every time Richard is called Richard Rahl. 2. Every time Darken Rahl sends a baneling back from the dead.  -- Hardmode: One drink per baneling on the screen. 3. Every time the tear in the veil is mentioned. 4. Every time you hear the Keeper’s voice. 5. Every time Shota shows up to eff shit up. 6. Every time Kahlan is called the Mother Confessor. 7. Every time Richard && Kahlan’s forbidden love is spoken of.

[notyourmoniker]

hi can i ask why you're not a fan of denna's character arc? i'm just curious :)

Ok so I took forever to respond to this and I apologize. I’ve been incredibly busy and I wanted to get my thoughts in order. Thank you for asking though! Before you read further, be warned! Not only did I basically write an essay, this is one of the few instances that I’m going to contend that the Sword of Truth books handled a character better than the show.

My issue with Denna’s portrayal on Legend of the Seeker basically boils down to two main issues; agency and intention. The show takes a different approach to these features of her character than the books do, affecting her portrayal in my opinion for the worse. That’s not to say I don’t like TV Denna. I do! I just believe she serves a very different and ultimately weaker function.

So to start, I should add a little context. My initial exposure to the show was very sporadic. I watched reruns on ABC, and still being kind of young, I didn’t really have the resources to watch them in order from start to finish. This led to me reading most of the books before completing the television series in full.

This means I read the book version of Denna’s story prior to seeing it enacted on screen.

Her arc in the books, culminating with her death, was for me, extremely powerful.

Here was a character who’s life had been taken from her as a child. She had been broken and made into something intentionally counter to who she had been before. And because of this process her conception of self was dominated by the wills of others and her value to them as a weapon.

However, as she trains Richard (a much longer period of time than in the show) we see this start to change. Though Denna is meant to break Richard, change him to suit her needs, the reality is that their transformation is mutual. The more broken he became the more tenderness, compassion, etc. he showed her. In exchange, she starts to see herself as a person worthy of those things, a person who is more than what she has been told, a person who can take the kindnesses Richard has extended to her and return them to him.

Thus, Denna in the books undergoes a slow return to her humanity, finding redemption and independence in doing so.

While some may attribute her transformation to Richard and her attraction to him, I would argue Denna’s ‘love’ is more like gratitude - a deep respect for being reminded of the humanity and sense of self she had lost in becoming a Mord’Sith.

Her death, to me, solidifies this interpretation. Though she does indeed die to save Richard, how she died was the ultimate declaration of agency. Asking him to kill her was a rejection of everything life had made her. It was redemptive,  a definitive moment in which she becomes more than she had been, more than she had been told she could be. This was not how a Mord’Sith would want to die, but it was how Denna chose to die.

And in killing her, Richard recognizes her autonomy. The anger that turns the blade white is not because of what she had done to him but what the Mord’Sith and Darken Rahl had done to her.

The relationship they had was unique and based upon mutual tragedy, trauma, healing and eventual understanding.

Her death and what she and Richard underwent together serves an important purpose in the books. Besides the obvious things, such as introducing the Mord’Sith, the concept of sincere forgiveness is established, as well as the power of autonomy and the magic that comes when it is acknowledged and lived out. Denna’s life and death is therefore made meaningful because of how she developed, and how Richard changed with and because of her.

None of this is true in the show.

On Legend of the Seeker Denna’s initial plot line is cut short. Rather than having the time and space to truly develop she remains more or less the same. Rather than slowly understanding herself as a person capable of independent thought, compassion, and humanity she remains predominantly antagonistic. She is never really given the opportunity to see herself outside of and independent of the Mord’Sith.

So, when Richard kills her it is not her choice, and therefore is not a declaration of agency, of understanding, or of growth. It is just the hero killing a villain to save himself and the woman he loves. Without the relationship Richard and Denna develop in the books, her story is less impactful and less meaningful in the greater context of the show.

And then they bring her back.

Almost as soon as she’s gone, she’s alive again and nothing about her experience has really altered her character at all.

I understand why she was brought back. Until Nicci could be established as a villain and with Rahl rarely acting as his own muscle Legend of the Seeker needed a recognizable villain. But in choosing Denna to fulfill this role her entire character is made weaker. Her characterization and plot line is shifted about so she can be used when the story demands it - having her play a Madame, even for a short while, is one of the show’s weaker decisions.

And the writer’s seem to realize how much of a departure their character is from the one she is meant to be based on, because right before she dies permanently we gets this touching and sad scene with Zedd. It looks like Denna might be realizing that she doesn’t have to be what other people have made her. But then she gone, and her story is robbed of the redemption and self assertion she is granted in the books.

Though logistically it would have been foolish for the writers to handle Denna’s arc the same way it had been done in the books, I think it still could have been done much better. They could have even maintained her role as an antagonist. Not every character needs a redemption arc. But seeing a character grow, seeing them assert themselves, redefine their conceptions of self, and challenge other’s perspectives of them is what makes interesting stories.

Kahlan is a confessor but more than. Cara is a Mord’Sith but more than. Nicci is a Sister of the Dark but more than. Denna remains in a place where she never quite reaches a significant ‘more than.’

So while in the books Denna grows to show compassion, humanity, and a clarifying sense of agency, TV Denna was never given that chance.

[alycanswhore]

"alt!"

“Hesitation is a mistake that invites defeat. I would not be

                                                                                     Mord’Sith

                                                                                                           had I not hesitated when I was young.”

{{ Cara Mason from ABC’s Legend of the Seeker with strong influences from the book series Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind - from which she originated. She was taken from her home in Stonecroft at the tender age of 9 and tortured and broken to become a Sister of the Agiel, also known as a Mord’Sith. She is strong willed and independent, often with her own strong opinions on how to accomplish tasks. She’s fiercely loyal and will defend the Lord Rahl and the Mother Confessor until her dying last. She possesses two powers outside of the agiels she carries: 1) a way to deflect magic meant to threaten her or someone she defends back to the attacker, and 2) the Breath of Life, which will recall anyone’s spirit back from the Underworld as long as their body is still warm and their windpipe remains intact. }}