A Magic Signature is the scent that is emitted by a Faerie or changeling when they use magic. It is like a fingerprint, unique, and cannot be faked. Most fae can only identify signatures in broad strokes, such as "smoke" or "roses." Firstborn and Dóchas Sidhe can get as specific as campfire vs. candle smoke, or a particularly cultivated strain of roses. The Luidaeg can identify which of the twin Firstborn a particular Tuatha de Dannan is descended from based on their magical signature.
Magical signatures give some indication of an individual's ancestors. As a general rule, Oberon's descendants tend to include blood in their signature, Titania's contain flowers, and Maeve's have water elements. Changelings and people with traces of human ancestry seem more likely to have metal elements. Additionally, close family such as siblings or parent-and-child tend to have complementary signatures. In some cases, there is only a single note of fragrance.[1]
Toby has discovered that magic also has an appearance that corresponds to the caster. For example, when she concentrates she can see that the skerry where Simon Torquill stashed Luna and Rayseline is "lighting up with gray-and-orange lines, twisted and knotted together like the most ambitious macrame project anyone has ever undertaken." She identifies this as Simon's smoke-and-oranges signature. Once she sees these threads, she is able to pull them apart to destroy the working.[2]
Characters and Their Signatures[]
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Name | Magic Signature | Race | Claimed By | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|
Acacia | Rich, earthy, midsummer roses[3] | Firstborn of Blodynbryd and Dryad | Titania | |
Aethlin Sollys | wild mountain heather and celandine poppies[4][5] | Daoine Sidhe | Titania | Heather is associated with the Tuatha de Dannan Firstborn, Amorica and Elton. Aethlin, on the other hand, is Daoine Sidhe.
|
Alex Olsen | clover and coffee[6] | Gean-Cannah | Coffee likely reflects human heritage | |
Amandine | blood and wild, woody roses[7][8] | Firstborn of Dóchas Sidhe | Oberon | Blood reflects Amandine being the last daughter of Oberon, and the roses reflects the roses on Janet's garden that Oberon used to pick. |
Amorica | burning heather[9] | Firstborn of Tuatha de Dannan | Oberon | Amorica and her brother Elton both have heather signatures. |
Amphitrite | Clean sea air immediately before a storm, wind and wave and ozone and impending doom; Driftwood, bleached bone-dry on the shore, and like sand bathed in moonlight, like ambergris and mist.[10] | Firstborn of the Merrow | Titania | Notably more complex than regular fae; it is al these scents at once. |
Anthony Brown | Peppermint and basil[11] | Firstborn | Titania | |
Antonio Robinson | Spanish moss and walnut shells[12] | Candela | Maeve | |
April O'Leary | ozone and electrical fires[13] | cyber-Dryad | manmade signature reflects technological powers | |
Arden Windermere | redwood bark and blackberry flowers[14] | Tuatha de Dannan | Oberon | Redwood reflects the Windermere's ties to the redwood forest of Muir Woods, while blackberries seem to be another family trait. Arden's and Nolan's signatures are incredibly similar even though they were born several years apart. |
August Torquill | campfire smoke and small, sweet, cultivated roses[8] | Dóchas Sidhe | Oberon | Smoke is inherited from Simon, while roses are inherited from Amandine. |
Blake | cedar shavings and tomato leaves[15] | Cait Sidhe | ||
Blind Michael | hot candle wax; blood, ash, mold, steel[16][17][18] | Firstborn of Blodynbryd and Silene | Maeve | His realm is reached by the light of a candle. |
Bucer O’Malley | damp linen and pine[19] | Glastig changeling | ||
Cailin | Juniper and red wine[20] | Cait Sidhe (Malvic)
|
Oberon
|
Cailin's mother Colleen also has a juniper scent, marking that as her Cait Sidhe/Malvic heritage. |
Caitir | Raspberry and lemon verbena[5] | Candela | Maeve | |
Cal | pine[21] | Cait Sidhe | ||
Cassandra Brown | grapefruit and turpentine[22] | Nixie / Hob / Barrow Wight / Changeling | Manmade scents like turpentine come from human ancestry. | |
Chelsea Ames | sycamore smoke and calla lilies[23] | Tuatha de Dannan | Oberon | Etienne and Chelsea both have tree smoke in their signatures. |
Colleen | Juniper and thistles[24] | Cait Sidhe | Oberon; Malvic's line | Ties to her daughter's juniper scent |
Connie | Engine grease and coal dust[25] | Gremlin | Gremlins are associated with coal mines | |
Connor O'Dell | kelp[26]/ sweet eucalyptus and hot dry sand[27] | Selkie | Maeve | Signature reflects his Undersea heritage. |
Danny MacReady | Fresh-mixed concrete and ripe huckleberries [25] | Bridge Troll | ||
Dare Lorimer | apples[28] | Piskie / Tylwyth Teg / Changeling | Maeve | Scent pairs well with her brother Manuel's cinnamon.
Apple is typically associated with Eira Rosynhwyr, Firstborn of the Daoine Sidhe, though Dare is Piskie and Tylwyth Teg. |
Dean Lorden | wet stone and eucalyptus[29] | Merrow / Daoine Sidhe | Titania | Wet stone reflects his undersea heritage, a relative to his mother's amber signature. |
Dianda Lorden | water lilies and amber[30] | Merrow | Titania | Signature reflects her Undersea heritage |
Dorothy Clark | Spruce and berry[31] | Selkie | Maeve | |
Dugan Harrow | Cinnamon and cardamom[32] | Daoine Sidhe | Titania | |
Elliot | Lye and water [33] | Bannick | Maeve | Lye is used for washing, a skill of the Bannick. |
Elton | dew-soaked heather[9] | Firstborn of Tuatha de Dannan | Oberon | Elton and his sister Amorica both have heather signatures. |
Emrys | heather[1] | Roane Merlin | Only has one magic signature due to being a merlin. | |
Enora | blooming sweet-brier[34] | Reynard | ||
Etienne | cedar smoke and limes[35][36]/ lime juice[23] | Tuatha de Dannan | Oberon | Etienne and Chelsea both have tree smoke in their signatures. |
Evening Winterrose | old, cultivated roses and snow[37] | Firstborn of Daoine Sidhe | Titania | Roses and snow define Eira Rosynhwr's line and lend support to the Snow White legends she inspired; not to be confused with the ice signatures of some Tylwyth Teg. |
Garm | moss and stagnant water[38] | Gwragen | Titania | |
Gilad Windermere | Juniper sap and quince[39] | Tuatha de Dannan | ||
Gillian Marks | As Dóchas Sidhe: fresh-cut grass and blooming primroses[27]
As Selkie: Flowering fennel and primroses[40] |
Dóchas Sidhe Changeling, then Selkie, then Roane | Oberon, then Maeve | Fresh-cut grass is inherited from Toby's human father.[citation needed] Primroses are an aspect of her Dochas Sidhe heritage. |
Ginevra | River lupine and limoncello[41] | Cait Sidhe, Jibvel's line | ||
Gordan | Burning oil[42] | Coblynau Changeling | At more than 1/2 human ancestry, a human-based signature overpowered any other she might have had, especially as Toby's skills were not as refined at the time. Page 322 of A Local Habitation (ebook) describes it specifically as "burning oil". | |
Grianne | California buckwheat and pepperberry[43] | Candela | Maeve | |
Helen | mint tea and sugar cookies [21] | Hob changeling | ||
Isla Chase | Fresh chicory and phlox[44] | Selkie | Maeve | Isla and her brother Rene both have chicory signatures. |
January O'Leary | Evergreen trees and rain[45] | |||
Jasmine Patel | Sunbaked feathers and cool fog[5] | Raven-maid | Maeve | |
Jill/Lenet | crushed chalk and silver birch[46] | Cait Sidhe | ||
Jason Thomas | Maple sap and chili peppers[15] | Cait Sidhe | ||
Jolgeir | heavy paper and pine [47] | Cait Sidhe | presumably comes from the same Firstborn line (Erda) as Raj | |
Julie | lupines and ginger[48] | Cait Sidhe changling | ||
Karen Brown | cottonwood and quince[49] | Nixie / Hob / Barrow Wight / Changeling | ||
Kirsi | sweet sea grass and plankton[50] | Cephali | Maeve | |
Kennis | mold and char[51] | Baobhan Sith | ||
Lily | hibiscus and water lilies [17] | Undine | Maeve | Water lilies reflect her Undersea nature and may have contributed to her name. |
Li Quin Zhou | Shyi Shuai | Maeve | ||
Lowri | Barley grass and mustard flowers[54] | Glastig | ||
Luidaeg | Brackish water, of the point where sea meets shore, where freshwater blends with salt; peat moss and loam, like blooming bog myrtle and sweet bluebell... an entire world.[10]
The taste of marshwater and the feeling of wind rolling across the moors[55] |
Firstborn of Roane and Selkie | Maeve | Notably more complex than ordinary fae; it is all these scents at once.
|
Luna Torquill | Roses | Blodynbryd | Titania | |
Maeve | Roses and Southernwood[56] | Three Creators of Faerie | ||
Maida Sollys | fresh-cooled steel and dry hay[57] | Daoine Sidhe, formerly Changeling | Titania | Steel may signify Maida's changeling origins, inherited from her human parent. |
Manuel Lorimer | Cinnamon[28] | Piskie / Tylwyth Teg / Changeling | Maeve | Scent pairs well with his sister's apple. |
Marlis Davies | ice and milfoil (aka fernleaf yarrow)[58] | Tylwyth Teg | Maeve | Ice appears common in the Davies line, while milefoil is a type of yarrow and important to the Tylwyth Teg, who use it to fly. |
May Daye | ashes and cotton candy[59] | Fetch | Ashes are the scent of broken illusions.[60] Cotton candy might reflect May's bubbly personality. | |
Morane | wild hyacinth[34] | Daoine Sidhe | Titania | |
Nessa | Limestone and creeping thistle[5] | Gragedd Anwwn | Maeve | |
Nolan Windermere | redwood sap and fresh blackberries[61] | Tuatha de Dannan | Oberon | Redwood reflects the Windermere's ties to the redwood forest of Muir Woods, while blackberries seem to be another family trait. Arden's and Nolan's signatures are incredibly similar even though they were born several years apart. |
October Daye | young, thin-blooded: fresh cut grass and freshly polished copper[citation needed]
older, thin-blooded: cut grass and copper[62]
more fae: cut grass and new copper[citation needed]
[citation needed] |
Dóchas Sidhe Changeling | Oberon | Copper indicates Toby's relation to Oberon as a Dochas Sidhe, and tends to be more bloody the further her magic is shifted toward fae. She believes the cut grass is her magic's interpretation of her father's human essence. |
Oleander de Merelands | Crushed oleanders & sulfuric acid[63] | Tuatha de Dannan / Peri | Oberon / unknown | |
Patrick Lorden | cranberry blossoms and mayflower[64] | Daoine Sidhe | Titania | |
Peter Lorden | stonecrop blossoms and young kelp[50] | Merrow / Daoine Sidhe | Titania | |
Peter (ALH Computing) | Ashes and burnt sugar[65] | Pixie | Maeve | |
Queen of the Mists | rowan and damp sand[66][67]
|
Siren / Sea Wight / Banshee | ||
Quentin | fresh blooming heather and steel[70][65][23] | Daoine Sidhe | Titania | He inherited heather from his father Aethlin, and steel from his mother Maida. |
Raj | pepper and burning paper[71][72]
Black pepper and burning leaves[5] |
Cait Sidhe (Erda) | Titania[73] | Tybalt notes that his scent has evolved as he's grown up.[73] |
Rayseline Torquill | Mixed blood: mustard flowers and hot wax[74]
|
Daoine Sidhe / Blodynbryd (removed)/ Kitsune (removed) | Titania / Maeve (removed) | Hot wax reflects her grandfather, Blind Michael, mustard flowers were a reflection of her Blodynbryd and Kitsune nature before Toby removed it |
René Lefebvre | dried chicory and cypress [44] | Selkie | Maeve | Rene and his sister Isla both have chicory signatures. |
Rhys | meadowsweet and wine vinegar[58] | Tuatha de Dannan | Oberon | |
September Torquill | narcissus flowers and sultanas[76]
|
Daoine Sidhe | Titania | She shares the daffodil (narcissus) scent with Sylvester Torquill. |
Simon Torquill | Pure: Sweet/waxed whitebeam smoke and mulled cider[78] [8][79]
|
Daoine Sidhe / Changeling (former) | Titania | Whitebeam and dogwood are both are flowering trees.
His daughter August Torquill inherits the smoke scent. |
Siwan Yates | Sweet cinquefoil and yarrow[47][citation needed] | Tylwyth Teg | Maeve | Yarrow reflects Tylwyth Teg heritage |
Spike | Roses and peat moss [81] | Rose Goblin | Titania | Roses reflect his origins from Luna Torquill |
Stacy Brown | fresh cotton [citation needed] | Barrow Wight changeling | ||
Sylvester Torquill | dogwood flower and daffodil[82][38][60][83] | Daoine Sidhe / Changeling (former) | Titania | He shares the daffodil scent with his sister September Torquill.
Dogwood and whitebeam (Simon's scent) are both flowering trees. |
Treasa Riordan | apples and snowdrops[84] | Daoine Sidhe | Titania | Very similar to Eira's signature, perhaps reflecting she is a close descendant or has been magically influenced by her Firstborn. |
Tybalt | pennyroyal and musk[62] [85][46] | Cait Sidhe (Malvic) | Oberon | Pennyroyal signifies calmness, endurance, and patience.[86] It is also a cousin of catnip. |
Unnamed Banshee (Quentin's disguise) | common gorse and vetiver[87] | |||
Unnamed character (High Court) | Bitter almond and carnation[5] | Bitter almonds contain several poisonous compounds, including cyanide. | ||
Unnamed Daoine Sidhe guard (High Court) | Chestnut rose and moss[5] | Daoine Sidhe | Titania | |
Unnamed Doppelganger (Nessa's imposter) | Indefinable decay[5] | Doppelganger | ||
Unnamed Redcap | hawthorn and ashes [88] | Redcap | Attacks Toby and Ross as they leave the Tea Gardens | |
Unnamed Satyr guard | Pitch and burnt hay[5] | Satyr | ||
Unnamed spellcaster | hot oil and ramps[89] | Coblynau, possibly | created the volume amplification spells at the Conclave for Elf-Shot | |
Walther Davies | ice and common yarrow[58] | Tylwyth Teg | Maeve | Yarrow is common among the Tylwyth Teg, who use it to fly. Ice appears common in the Davies line. |
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Fixed Stars.
- ↑ A Killing Frost, Chapter 8
- ↑ An Artificial Night, Chapter 13
- ↑ A Killing Frost, Chapter 9
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 When Sorrows Come, Chapter 9
- ↑ A Local Habitation, Chapter 19.
- ↑ Late Eclipses, Chapter 6
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Brightest Fell, Chapter 8
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ashes of Honor, Chapter 8
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Unkindest Tide, Chapter 23
- ↑ Sleep No More Ch. ?
- ↑ Once Broken Faith, Chapter 9
- ↑ A Local Habitation, Chapter 17
- ↑ Chimes at Midnight, Chapter 9
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 No Sooner Met
- ↑ An Artificial Night, Chapter 3
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 An Artificial Night Ch. 5
- ↑ An Artificial Night, Chapter 6
- ↑ One Salt Sea, Chapter 27
- ↑ The Voice of Lions
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Hope is Swift
- ↑ Dreams and Slumbers
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Ashes of Honor, Chapter 5
- ↑ Stage of Fools
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 A Killing Frost, Chapter 1
- ↑ One Salt Sea Ch. 5
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 One Salt Sea Ch. 31
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Rosemary and Rue Ch. 20
- ↑ One Salt Sea Ch. 32
- ↑ One Salt Sea Ch. 15
- ↑ Drown the Lamenting
- ↑ Night and Silence Ch. 21
- ↑ A Local Habitation Ch. 31
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Notes of Sorrow
- ↑ The Brightest Fell, Chapter 5
- ↑ Night and Silence, Chapter 18
- ↑ The Winter Long Ch. 13
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Late Eclipses Ch. 10
- ↑ Night and Silence Ch. 22
- ↑ The Unkindest Tide Ch. 3
- ↑ Sleep No More Ch. 14
- ↑ A Local Habitation Ch. 32
- ↑ Sleep No More Ch. 16
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 The Unkindest Tide Ch. 16
- ↑ Sleep No More Ch. 7
- ↑ 46.0 46.1 Rat-Catcher
- ↑ 47.0 47.1 A Red-Rose Chain
- ↑ Strangers in Court, Chapter 2.
- ↑ Once Broken Faith Ch 1
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 The Unkindest Tide Ch. 11
- ↑ Night and Silence Ch. 10
- ↑ These Antique Fables
- ↑ Sleep No More Ch. ?
- ↑ A Red-Rose Chain Ch. 6
- ↑ Sleep No More Ch. 17
- ↑ A Killing Frost Ch. ?
- ↑ Full of Briars
- ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 A Red-Rose Chain Ch. 7
- ↑ An Artificial Night Ch. 1, 7, 12, 22
- ↑ 60.0 60.1 Ashes of Honor Ch. 7
- ↑ Chimes at Midnight Ch. 27
- ↑ 62.0 62.1 Rosemary and Rue, Chapter 1.
- ↑ Late Eclipses, Chapter 11.
- ↑ Once Broken Faith, Chapter 12
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 A Local Habitation, Ch. 11
- ↑ Late Eclipses Ch. 7
- ↑ ("frozen salt and damp sand" in the Late Eclipses preview included in An Artificial Night ebook)
- ↑ A Red-Rose Chain Ch. 10
- ↑ Night and Silence Ch. 9, 10, 15
- ↑ Rosemary and Rue, Chapter 2.
- ↑ An Artificial Night, Chapter 9.
- ↑ Ashes of Honor, Chapter 16
- ↑ 73.0 73.1 The Innocent Sleep
- ↑ One Salt Sea Ch. 16
- ↑ A Killing Frost Ch. 7
- ↑ Jealous in Honor
- ↑ With Honest Trifles
- ↑ The Brightest Fell, Ch. 6
- ↑ Sleep No More Ch. ?
- ↑ The Brightest Fell Ch. 7
- ↑ Rosemary and Rue Ch. 8
- ↑ A Local Habitation Ch. 2
- ↑ The Winter Long Ch. 1
- ↑ Ashes of Honor, Ch. 14
- ↑ Forbid the Sea.
- ↑ https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/a-witchs-glossary-of-herbs
- ↑ When Sorrows Come Ch. 2
- ↑ Rosemary and Rue Ch. 25
- ↑ Once Broken Faith Ch. 16