SPOILER WARNING: This article has important plot information. Caution is advised! |
“ | Though lovely, she wasn't as devastatingly beautiful as I had imagined, wasn't some goddess of darkness and spite. It made her all the more petrifying. | ” |
–Feyre about Amarantha, A Court of Thorns and Roses |
Amarantha (pronounced: Am-a-ran-tha[1]) was a High Fae, former general of Hybern who proclaimed herself as the High Queen of Prythian. She was one of the characters in A Court of Thorns and Roses.
History[]
Early life[]
Amarantha was born in Hybern, an island kingdom near Prythian. At the time, it was ruled by a king who hated mortals and was furious at the idea of signing a treaty with them.
Amarantha was the King of Hybern's greatest general, and found a great ally in the then-High Lord of the Spring Court, Tamlin's father, who did not want to set his mortal slaves free. As his ally, Tamlin's father frequented Hybern and occasionally took Tamlin with him, so Amarantha began to woo the young man and wanted him to be her lover, but Tamlin always refused her offers.
She had a sister named Clythia who during the war between faeries and mortals fell in love with one of the main commanders of the human armies, Jurian, who used her to get information about fae. Amarantha loved her sister and could see that Jurian was simply using her for information, however, she was unable to convince Clythia of this fact and couldn't bring herself to kill Jurian when it would hurt her sister. After months of pretending he loved her, Jurian brutally murdered Clythia, crucified her with ash wood, and cut her to pieces for Amarantha to find. Upon learning of this, Amarantha's wrath was said to have been able to bring the skies down, but the King of Hybern ordered her to stand down. Jurian's actions caused Amarantha to develop a deep hatred of mortals.
Amarantha eventually took revenge on the human and had her final confrontation with Jurian and defeated him after a long battle. She then tortured him for weeks, and ignored the King of Hybern's orders to march to his aid until she'd killed Jurian, an act that cost him the War. After Jurian was killed, she kept his finger bone to make a necklace and one of his eyes, and embedded his life force within the stolen body parts. Because of this, Jurian was unable to pass on into the afterlife and was damned to an eternal half life, trapped within the artifacts. His eye, which was kept within Amarantha's glass ring, was noted to move at certain times, as Jurian was still alive and aware of what was happening around him.
After the Treaty was made, Amarantha butchered her own slaves rather than free them.
Emissary[]
One hundred years before ACOTAR, Amarantha returned to Prythian as an emissary from Hybern. She went from court to court, charming the High Lords with talk of more trade between Prythian, more communication, more sharing of assets. She also made amends for her actions during the War. Amarantha was even called the "Never-Fading Flower." Centuries had passed since the War and the High Lords believed her when she said her sister's death had changed her. Her actions re-opened trade between the two countries but unbeknownst to anyone, including the King of Hybern, the ships that brought Hybern goods also brought her own personal forces. She intended to take Prythian for her own and use it as a staging ground to destroy the mortal lands, with or without the king's blessing.
Fifty years after her arrival, she tricked the seven High Lords out of their power, using a spell stolen from the King and drugging their drinks with a special potion. She took control of Prythian within days and proclaimed herself High Queen of Prythian. She then set up her court in Under the Mountain, a sacred place for Prythian.
High Queen[]
As punishment for Rhysand's father having killed her great ally, the then High Lord of the Spring Court, Amarantha took Rhysand, now High Lord of the Night Court, as her sex slave. Rhysand complied but secretly hated her.
Amarantha had attempted to win over Tamlin for the past hundred years but he refused, wary after her past cruelty. Now weakened and wanting to improve things, Tamlin sent his friend and emissary, Lucien Vanserra, to try to treat for peace between them. Amarantha refused and when Lucien told her to return to the shit-hole she'd crawled out of, she was so enraged she gouged out one of Lucien's eyes with her fingernail and scarred his face. Tamlin, Lucien and all other creatures, High and Lesser Faeries alike, grew to fear Amarantha for her actions. Tamlin himself was left sick at his friend's condition.
After that, Amarantha hosted a masquerade at Under the Mountain, supposedly a party to make amends for what she did to Lucien. It was a masquerade so he wouldn't have to reveal the scarring on his face and the entire Spring Court was to attend, even servants, and wear masks. Once everyone was assembled, she claimed they could have peace if Tamlin became her consort. After what she did to Lucien, Tamlin refused to even let her touch him, and said he'd soon take a human to his bed - marry a human - than touch her. Tamlin went on to say that her own sister had even preferred a human's company to hers, choosing Jurian over her, as he now did.
Amarantha cursed Tamlin for this and turned his heart to stone. She said he now had 49 years (seven times seven years) before he had to join her as her consort, unless he completed her challenge. If he did, she would even end the spell and return his power. Tamlin was to find a human girl who both hated the fae and would be willing to marry him. This girl had to kill one of his own fae in an unprovoked attack, killing the faerie for hatred alone as Jurian had done to her sister. Tamlin was forced to shapeshift his own soldiers into wolves and send them across the Wall to be killed. Amarantha was certain that it was impossible for the same girl who slaughtered a faerie in cold blood to fall in love with one, and so this was, to her, a guaranteed way to force Tamlin to wed Amarantha. The girl would also have to say to his face she loved him and mean it with her entire heart. Knowing humans were preoccupied with beauty, Amarantha went a step further and bound the masks the Spring Court wore. The girl would have to be willing to look beneath his mask and fall in love with his soul, not his handsome face. The faerie were also banned from telling the girl anything about her or the challenge, leading the Spring Court to lie about a "blight" that had attacked their people.
Forty years ago, three of the High Lords attempted to overthrow her: Day, Summer, and Winter. They did not even get to the point of open rebellion before Amarantha learned of it and killed them and most of their families. To prevent them from doing this again, she used the High Lords' stolen powers to bind the faeries of the court to their land. They could not travel to other Fae territories to organize now. Now they had to use whatever humans that were foolish enough to cross the Wall to serve as messengers - the Children of the Blessed. They tried to send the mortals, mostly young women, to other faerie territories to ask for help, but Amarantha caught them before they left Prythian's shores and tortured them to death.
The High Lords and their courts are made to stay with her at Under the Mountain where she can torment them as she pleased. The Spring Court was an exception and allowed to remain on their land until Tamlin's curse timed out. Others, if they groveled and served her, were allowed a bit more freedom to come and go from Under the Mountain as they wished. Rhysand was one of these exceptions, serving as her personal prostitute and using this status to his advantage.
The King of Hybern was aware of Amarantha's actions but did not attempt to stop her. He used her to test the strength of Pyrthian and its High Lords in preparation for his future invasion. As the years of Tamlin's curse passed, Amarantha sent all manner of monstrous faeries against his borders to test his strength.
A Court of Thorns and Roses[]
Amarantha tore the wings of a Summer Court faerie from his shoulders, leaving only stumps, and dumped him into the Spring Court to further torment Tamlin. Tamlin found him and brought him back to his manor, but the bleeding faerie died from his injuries shortly afterwards. Feyre was there and held the faerie's hand, comforting him until he died.
Amarantha later wished to kill the High Lord of the Winter Court for treachery, but Rhysand convinced her to spare the High Lord. That night she forced Rhysand to serve her sexually but not before inadvertently ordering the slaughter of two dozen Winter Court children as punishment and sent a daemati to destroy their minds. Since Rhysand was also a daemati, Kallias, the High Lord Rhysand saved, believed he destroyed their minds. Word of this slaughter later reached Tamlin's manor. Unable to tell Feyre about Amarantha, Tamlin and Lucien told her the blight killed them.
During the Calanmai, Rhysand convinced Amarantha to let him leave Under the Mountain, promising he would bring back traitors. She agreed, unaware that he was merely tracking down Feyre, his mate, having realized she was now in Prythian. Rhysand later returned with three male faeries who had harassed Feyre, having broken into their minds and rewrote their memories so they thought they were planning to rebel and confessed as much to Amarantha. They were eventually tortured to death and Amarantha was pleased with Rhysand's "success."
The day after the ceremony of Summer Solstice, Lucien and Feyre were having lunch when Tamlin sensed the presence of Rhysand. Rhysand was sent by Amarantha to remind Tamlin that the agreed time was running out. Tamlin concealed Feyre with glamour for this Rhysand didn't notice her at first, but when he realized that there were three plates on the table, he asked him where his companion was. When Tamlin told him that they were already gone Rhysand dispersed the glamour and said that he remembered Feyre from Calanmai. Lucien lied saying that she was his girlfriend. Rhysand read Feyre's thoughts to verify, and discovered that she was thinking of Tamlin. This made Rhysand realize the Spring Court faeries' deception, and that Feyre was in love with Tamlin.
He threatened to tell Amarantha about Feyre's presence in Tamlin's life, and Tamlin and Lucien had to bow to prevent him from doing so. Before leaving he asked Feyre what her name was, and she lied, claming the name "Clare Beddor". When Rhysand arrived Under the Mountain, he told Amarantha what he had learned
At the end of the forty-nine year term given by Amarantha to Tamlin to find a human who hated the Fae with all her heart and loved him, thus freeing him from his curse, the entire Spring Court was brought to Under the Mountain. The Beddor family home, with the family inside, was set on fire and Clare was abducted and tortured to death.
Feyre learned of this and rushed to save her lover and the Spring Court, journeying to Under the Mountain to seek Amarantha. She was brought before the dark queen by the Attor, and publicly proclaimed her love for Tamlin. Amarantha was intrigued, and offered her a chance to prove her worth, her devotion to Tamlin, and win the freedom of the Spring Court. She decreed that Feyre must either complete three grueling tasks or answer her riddle. The answer to the riddle eluded Feyre so she opted for the tasks, and with the help of Lucien and Rhysand, successfully finished all three. Amarantha, clever and cruel, denied Feyre her prize, claiming that she only promised she would free the Spring Court if Feyre successfully completed her trials, but did not specify when. It was only in the case of the riddle that Amarantha promised immediate freedom. Amarantha then proceeded to publicly torture Feyre, and although both Tamlin and Rhysand attempted to save her, Amarantha killed her. However, in Feyre's final moments, she figured out the answer to the riddle and whispered it with her final breath.
This utterance broke Amarantha's binding curse, freeing Tamlin, and the members of the Spring Court were able to remove their masks. Tamlin, having reclaimed his full power, killed Amarantha by stabbing Lucien's sword into her head and ripping out her throat with his teeth, in a mad fit of rage and grief. Once she died, all the seven Courts were also free from her dominating grasp and magic.
Legacy[]
Her actions left many High Lords stricken with trauma. Tamlin became more controlling and abusive as a result of the pain Amarantha inflicted.
Appearance[]
“ | Her red-gold hair was neatly braided and woven through her golden crown, the deep color enriching her snow-white skin, which, in turn, set off her ruby lips. | ” |
–Feyre about Amarantha, A Court of Thorns and Roses |
Feyre noted that Amarantha's appearance didn't radiate darkness and bitterness but someone who had a charming allure. Though lovely she most certainly wasn't devastatingly beautiful. She had neatly braided red-gold hair, which wove elegantly through her golden crown. Her skin was white, which both complemented her ruby lips and her crown. Her elegance was shown to have an atmosphere of being contrived and cold. Being High Fae, she also had slightly pointed ears. Amarantha always wore a ring and necklace made from Jurian's eye and fingerbone.
Personality[]
Amarantha was notably cruel and vindictive, and delighted in torturing others both physically and emotionally. She was ruthless, as seen by her treatment of her mortal slaves, and was willing to defy orders from her king, who was more powerful than her, in order to get her revenge. She was noted as being especially wretched and vicious during the War.
Despite her sadistic nature, Amarantha did feel love for her younger sister, and was protective of her to the point of sparing Jurian so she wouldn't be hurt. It was her sister's death, at the hands of a mortal, that caused Amarantha to develop such hatred for them. Due to Jurian's betrayal, Amarantha also harbored the belief that mortals were fickle and unable to feel true love for faeries, as they would always betray them. She was always cruel, however Clythia's death left her even more so than before.
Her sadism left Feyre with trauma, causing her to spiral into depression and not be able to bear the sight of the color red.
Powers and Abilities[]
Amarantha had very powerful magic, even more so after she stole power from the High Lords of Prythian. She was able to control faeries using this power, and to a lesser extent the High Lords themselves. She was also very knowledgeable about spells and curses, as she was able to cast long-lasting and very specific magic on her enemies, including binding a life force to body parts.
- High Fae Physiology: As High Fae, Amarantha had a variety of physical enhancements, including advanced healing, immortality, and increased speed, strength, and stamina.
- Powers of High Lords (Stolen): Fifty years after her arrival at Prythian, Amarantha revealed her true nature by using a spell stolen from the King to drug their drinks. She tricked all 7 high lords out of their power and proclaimed herself as High Queen of Prythian. She assumingly had control over these powers, bested only by the high lords themselves. When she died, all her stolen power instantaneously returned to the high lords.
Relationships[]
King of Hybern[]
Amarantha was the King of Hybern's best commander so she was leading his army in the War against humans before the Treaty was signed that prevented the Fae from holding them as slaves. She had a certain amount of freedom as such, and ruled Prythian largely without interference to test its strength.
Clythia[]
Her relationship with her sister, Clythia, was very strong, but Clythia abandoned her side when she fell in love with a human who used her and later slaughtered her. Even after this betrayal, Amarantha avenged the death of her sister. They had very similar personalities, being cruel and vindictive, but Clythia's death made Amarantha become even worse.
Jurian[]
Jurian was the human lover of her sister Clythia, who after using her to obtain information, crucified her with ash wood and cut her into pieces. Upon the news of her sisters death, Amarantha met Jurian on the battlefield of the War. Both soldiers of Hybern and Prythian were used as shields between the two foes. Despite having been gifted magical protection against her, Jurian fell prisoner to Amarantha and she dragged him back to her war camp where she tortured him for weeks. She finally killed him but not before taking two things from him: a bone from his finger that she fashioned in to a necklace, and one of his eyes, which she magically bound his soul and consciousness to before turning it into a ring. [2] Due to Jurian's actions, Amarantha hated humans even more.
Tamlin's Father[]
Amarantha was very close friends with Tamlin's father as they both disliked mortals and fought to restrict their freedom. She was so upset by his death that she took special care in punishing Rhysand, whose father was responsible.
Tamlin[]
Amarantha desired Tamlin, so much that she attempted to lure him into her bed on numerous occasions, but Tamlin kept his distance and refused her. This enraged her. On one occasion she gouged out Lucien's eye and left his face covered in scars after he was sent as Tamlin's emmissary to try to treat for peace between them, and then at the masquerade she cursed Tamlin and his entire Court. She was cruel to him, ultimately lusting after him more than truly loving him, at best Amarantha loved the idea of Tamlin.
Rhysand[]
As punishment for the then-High Lord of the Night Court killing the then-High Lord of the Spring Court, Amarantha took his son Rhysand as a sex slave. This left Rhysand with severe trauma. Rhysand would pretend to be loyal to Amarantha, doing things he didn't like in her name to remain in her good graces. Amarantha never saw through this facade he put up, and still gave him some leniency.
Feyre[]
At first, Amarantha treated Feyre as insignificant, a human pet. With the passing of time and the trials, she realized that Feyre really loved Tamlin. Each time Amarantha made the trials more difficult in the hopes that Feyre would die, and when Feyre finished the last trial Amarantha's anger was such that she broke every bone in Feyre's body, telling her she would only stop if she told her she didn't really love Tamlin. She ultimately killed Feyre, however it ultimately ended up only letting her be revived as a High Fae.
Trivia[]
- Maas described her hair in different colors by mistake in ACOTAR (red, brown, and black).
- The name Amarantha comes from the amaranth flower, which is derived from Greek αμαραντος (amarantos) meaning "unfading". Αμαραντος (Amarantos) was also an Ancient Greek given name.[3]
- Amarantha's coat of arms is a sleeping dragon.
References[]
- ↑ Sarah J. Maas': Tumblr: Pronunciation Guide
- ↑ Maas, Sarah J. A Court of Thorns and Roses. New York Bloomsbury, 2015. Standard U.S. Hardback edition. Chapter 35, page 308.
- ↑ Behind The Name: Amarantha
Characters | ||
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Main Characters | Feyre Archeron · Rhysand · Nesta Archeron · Cassian · Azriel · Elain Archeron · Tamlin · Lucien Vanserra · Morrigan · Amren · Amarantha · King of Hybern | |
Supporting Characters | Alis · Andras · Beron · Bogge · Bone Carver · Bron · Cerridwen · Clare Beddor · Cresseida · Drakon · Devlon · Emerie · Eris · Graysen · Gwyneth Berdara · Feyre's Father · Hart · Helion · Ianthe · Isaac Hale · Isaac Hale's Wife · Jurian · Kallias · Keir · Koschei · Mercenary · Miryam · Mortal Queens · Mrs. Laurent · Naga · Nuala · Unnamed Summer Court Faerie · Tarquin · Suriel · Thesan · Tomas Mandray · Varian · Vassa · Weaver | |
Mentioned Characters | Aunt Ripleigh · Dark Mother · Feyre's Mother · Mother · Rhysand's Father · Rhysand's Mother · Rhysand's Sister · Nostrus · Queen of the Black Land · See more... |
Hybern | ||
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Characters | King of Hybern † · Amarantha † (former) · Clythia † · Attor † · Jurian (former) · Brannagh † · Dagdan † · Ravens † · Naga-hounds | |
Locations | King of Hybern's Castle |
Under the Mountain | ||
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Characters | Tamlin (former) · Feyre Archeron (former) · Lucien Vanserra (former) · Amarantha † · Jurian (former) · Rhysand (former) · Beron Vanserra (former) · Lady of the Autumn Court (former) · Eris Vanserra (former) · Lucien's Brothers (former) · Tarquin (former) · Cresseida (former) · Varian (former) · Attor † (former) · Middengard Wyrm † · Helion (former) · Kallias (former) · Thesan (former) · Nuan (former) · Amarantha's Daemati · Brutius † · High Fae of the Third Trial † · Female High Fae of the Third Trial † · Bron (former) · Hart (former) · Unnamed guards |