- "Mother Rell is nearly three hundred years old, but her spirit is so strong that it will not let her body die."
- ―Augwynne Djo
Mother was a title given to female elders or womanly leaders in various matriarchal cultures such as the Witches of Dathomir or the Tarasin species.
Dathomiri Mother[]
- "Mother Augwynne told me that you petitioned to join the Singing Mountain clan. We would like to welcome you back fully as a sister some day."
- ―Teneniel Djo to Barukka
The "Mother" (sometimes clan mother, "Matron"[2] or "Matriarch"[3]) honorific was also applied to leaders of Dathomiri witches clans, including certain Nightsister covens.[1][4][5] Such leaders included Gethzerion, the founder of the Nightsisters, Mother Talzin, a Nightsister Shaman during the Clone Wars,[5] and Mother Rell, oldest member of the Singing Mountain Clan.[1]
The earliest Clan Mother of Dathomir was the banished Jedi Knight Allya, who literally sired the first witches and taught her daughters the ways of the Force through the lens of magicks. A Dathomiri Clan Mother was the heir of Allya's authority over the clan members, known as Sisters.[1]
For a mere Sister, a convenient way for the echelons of power was to kill the current Mother (similar to the Sith's typical method of succession). If the assassination attempt was successful, the murderer was considered worthy of taking her victim's place. Around 31 BBY, the young Ros Lai stabbed Queen Zalem with a lightsaber, to which other witches reacted by saying: "The Mother is dead. Long live the Mother."[6]
Tarasin Mother[]
- "You become the Mother of the Hiironi because it is what the irstat wants. What you want is not important. What is best for you is not in your hands to decide. You are part of something much greater. We are Tarasin."
- ―Dariana's mother to Dariana as a child
On Cularin, a "Mother" was the eldest woman of a Tarasin irstat. This woman was considered a leader and wise-woman, usually having served for several years as an Irstat-Kes.[8]
Behind the scenes[]
In the context of the Witches of Dathomir, this title first appeared in April 1994 in Dave Wolverton's The Courtship of Princess Leia.
Appearances[]
- ° Star Wars: Republic: Infinity's End (as "matriarch")
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Nightsisters"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Monster"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Witches of the Mist"
- The Wrath of Darth Maul
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Massacre"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Bounty" (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Brothers"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Revenge"
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Lawless" (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "The Disappeared, Part II"
- The Courtship of Princess Leia (and unabridged audiobook) (First appearance in book)
Sources[]
- "A Mother's Memoirs" on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- "50 Great Reasons to Rewatch Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season Three" — Star Wars Insider 125
- Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded
- Mother Talzin in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Nightsisters in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Courtship of Princess Leia
- ↑ Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
- ↑ Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
- ↑ Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Nightsisters"
- ↑ Star Wars: Republic: Infinity's End
- ↑ "A Mother's Memoirs" on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia