InA Discovery of Witches,weavers are a rare, powerful type of witch. One of their abilities is spellbinding, which meansinhibiting a witch’s magical powers. A key event inwhat happens to Satu inA Discovery of Witchesis that Diana spellbinds her, a punishment for using her abilities for evil. To understand why this is the worst possible punishment for Satu, it is helpful to understand the true meaning behind spellbinding in the lore of the series.
Spellbinding is one of the things theA Discovery of Witchesbooks do better than the show. An important part of the background is Diana being spellbound in her childhood and how that influences her relationships with others and the decisions she makes. One thing thathappens in the bookTime’s Convertis Diana and Matthew’s decision not to spellbind their children. This is given weight with the previous exploration of Diana’s past having been unknowingly bound by the ritual herself. This and many other events in the series areenriched by the meaning of the spell.
What It Means To Be “Spellbound” In A Discovery Of Witches
Spellbinding Is A Dramatic And Worst-Case Measure
In the world of theAll Soulstrilogy by Deborah Harkness, the source material forA Discovery of Witches,witches can be spellbound. For the witch, this means having all of their magical powers inhibited. For many witches, this is considered worse than death. Except for Diana, who needed protection from the Congregation to prevent other creatures from exploiting her powers,spellbinding is used in a worst-case scenario. This means it is only used when a witch has done something terrible.
What it means to be spellbound inA Discovery of Witchessomewhat reflects modern Wiccan practices. In modern Wicca, witches are subject to a binding ritual if they are a danger to themselves or others. However, as in theAll Soulstrilogy, it is consideredan absolute last resortbecause it removes a witch’s autonomy. According to the bookThe World of All Souls,“For a witch, being spellbound means to be robbed of all her magical powers, leaving her at risk as a nonhuman creature but without any special abilities to protect herself.”
How Spellbinding Works In A Discovery Of Witches: Process Explained
A Spellbinding Ritual Includes Weaving And An Incantation
A good example of how spellbinding works is the spellbinding of Satu inseason 3 ofA Discovery of Witchesduring a magic war.In season 3, episode 7, spellbinding is a process of weaving. Diana, a powerful weaver, creates threads that are mirrored on Satu’s body. As Diana weaves the silvery threads around her fingers, more and more of them wrap around Satu and become tighter, almost like a spider wrapping its prey. She alsospeaks an incantation of binding:“I bind thee, Satu Järvinen, delivering you into the hands of the goddess without power or craft.”
A Discovery Of Witches Cast & Character Guide
A Discovery of Witches' gripping supernatural drama is driven by its well-written characters, portrayed by a talented roster of familiar cast members.
There is a key difference between the books and TV series in terms of spellbinding, but this among other decisions makes it one of thebest TV shows based on books. TheAll Soulsbooks describe the ribbons that bind a witch as colorful. However,the ribbons take on a silvery, web-like appearance in the TV showA Discovery of Witches. This is to provide a contrast to Diana’s spell-weaving ribbons. These get more colorful as the show progresses. It provides a striking visual representation of Diana’s increasing powers as she progressively discovers her previously dampened weaving abilities.
Spellbinding Effects In A Discovery Of Witches: Is It Temporary Or Permanent?
The Effects Of Spellbinding Vary According To The Binder’s Intentions
Spellbinding is not straightforward or absolute inA Discovery of Witches.Theextent of the binding is up to the binder. It can be complete or a partial binding. For example, Diana’s parents do not fully bind her – this enables her to access her powers in an emergency and ultimately allows her to awaken her powers with time. This makes it a partial, temporary spellbinding to protect Diana in her childhood. On the other hand, Diana’s spellbinding Satu is permanent, nullifying Satu as a threat. This means the process can only be reversed by the spellbinder, Diana, which is unlikely.
In Diana’s case, the extent of her spellbinding as a child isalmost total but temporary. Her power only manifests occasionally and accidentally. She later laments,“I was half myself for years.”She was presented to the Madison coven at age 13, but her powers were so inhibited that she could not complete the simple symbolic tasks of the coven. This led her to believe there was nothing more to discover, instead opting for studying the occult academically. Diana’s powers begin to awaken when she meets Matthew, makingA Discovery of Witchesone ofthe best supernatural romance shows.
A Discovery of Witches
Cast
Beginning in 2018, A Discovery of Witches is a Fantasy television series that ran for three seasons until 2022. The series stars Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode and revolves around a vampire and a witch that must work together to defeat all manner or magical creatures.
