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Save your pity. You understand nothing. It is not revenge I seek any more than a surgeon seeks revenge on the carcinoma he removes. You people are the carcinoma. You cannot hate the Puritans more than I. Were it only a matter of Puritans. They are but one tiny tribe of you criminals, murderers, and hypocrites. You set out from your lands to discover the world... as if the world wasn't known to the people who lived there. Every place you people set foot on this earth is a crime! And then you have the audacity to complain when others would dare to treat you with the same cold, calculating slaughter that you have dealt every other people in this world. Believe it or not, I am truly sorry that you must be lost in the storm... but I know you, Mary. You are too smart not to see that what is coming is no crime, but justice. Cruel perhaps, but justice.
— Tituba to Mary Sibley

Tituba was a very powerful witch who served as a house slave to George and Mary Sibley at the House of the Seven Gables. Abducted and enslaved as an innocent child, Tituba became a witch as a means to avenge the molestation and murder of her family as well as to free herself from the cruel and inhumane oppression that she endured from the Settlers. Later in life, Tituba became even more powerful after she was imbued with the powers of a Seer.

Tituba is portrayed by actress Ashley Madekwe.

Character Description

"Mysterious and mysteriously ageless, Tituba is the indispensable helper to Mary Sibley, Salem’s most powerful woman. Tituba is ostensibly Mary’s servant in the Sibley household, but in private, behaves as if she’s Mary’s superior. There is a great deal of history between Tituba and Mary – they have experienced unthinkable deeds throughout the years. Although closely tied to Mary, the beautiful and exotic Tituba has powers and secrets all her own."[2]

"Mary Sibley’s mysterious servant has eaten Petrus’ eyes and now has the abilities of a seer. From the dead, Petrus shares a horrifying vision of hell on earth and she knows Mary Sibley is the only who can stop the Devil boy." [3]

Early Life

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Tituba meets the Kanaima.

Originally from the Arawak tribe, Tituba was born and raised in a South American village before she was abducted from her homeland and sold into slavery. Tituba explained how the Europeans invaded her village and murdered most of the men who lived there, including her father. Before the Europeans brought Tituba to the New World, the Puritans forced Tituba to watch as they raped her mother and sisters. Tituba claims that she too would have been raped, had she not have been a child. Soon after that, Tituba was sold into slavery where she was abused and neglected by all of her masters, except for the Walcotts. Tituba implies that in spite of the cruelty that her masters inflicted upon her, they still raised her by the Christian Bible, where she was brought up to believe that the Christian God was an all-powerful and benevolent God who loved all of his creations, including her. However, Tituba claims that in spite of her faith in the Christian God, whenever she would cry out for God to save her, he never did. It wasn't until the Kanaima appeared to Tituba in the woods that her life changed for the better. Not only did the Kanaima care for Tituba throughout the rest of her childhood into adulthood, but he empowered her and taught her everything there was to know about witchcraft.

Personality

Tituba is an ambitious, determined and cunning witch whose desire for revenge and thirst for justice stemmed from the horrors endured in her life. Reduced into slavery and forced to watch the rapes and murders of her family perpetrated by colonizers, Tituba found a powerful confident in the Dark Lord, and self-affirmation in witchcraft.

Knowledgeable in the Old Ways, and described as capable of even the most dangerous practices by the elders of the Essex Hive, Tituba is also an expert in detecting the darkest and perverse desires of those around her and to use them to her own advantage. She is also able to predict potential dangers long before they happen, relying both on her clairvoyant abilities and on the experience of human behaviour. For example, when Tituba identified both Mercy and Anne as serious threats to Mary's success.

Tituba is a skilled strategist, pulling strings in the shadows. Her strength, however, is also her weakness, as she has no real allies. Therefore, she found herself repeatedly in the unfortunate situation of having to manipulate for her advantage unfavorable events, even to the detriment of people for whom she felt sincere affection. This is the case of Mary Sibley, who Tituba has deceived and instructed in witchcraft in order to complete the Grand Rite. By lying about the fate of Mary's unborn child and the death of John Alden, Tituba ensured that Mary was left heartbroken and bitter, as adviced by the Samhain, Rose Browning. Unfortunately for her, the deceits backfired, bringing Tituba and Mary to a rift that never healed, particularly after the Countess Von Marburg shed light on an even more sinister lie.

As a servant, Tituba had the advantage of being able to hear conversations without arousing attention, as when she was able to intercept Countess Von Marburg's threats against her ally at that time, Mary.

It is noteworthy that Tituba has been able to come to terms with her own sexuality, thanks to the sexual freedom inherent in witchcraft. Tituba, in fact, admitted that she has never experienced any interest in men and has repeatedly given voice to her deep feelings of love for Mary.

Physical Appearance

Tituba is a tall beautiful young woman with a light-brown complexion, dark brown eyes and medium length brown hair that is naturally curly. She has a slim physique and usually wears plain dresses in a variety of dark colors such as black, dark blues and burgundy. She normally wears minimal jewelry, usually only a pair of small earrings.

Throughout the Salem Series

SEASON ONE


September, 1685

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Tituba and Mary in the woods

Tituba was concerned about the fate of her mistress, Mary Walcott after John Alden left Salem to join the militia. Courageously, the two women came out at night from their home to head into the dark woods surrounding the harbor town. Though Mary was frightened, Tituba told her not to fear the woods, and the two came to a clearing at the roots of an old tree. At this point, Tituba let Mary lie down on her back and began to undress her, revealing Mary's pregnancy and exposing her concern over what George Sibley would have done to her and the unborn child had he discovered such secret. Tituba then began to spread Mary's face and belly with an ointment, spurring her to renounce her unborn child in a compact with the Devil. While Mary was hallucinating, Tituba carried out her task and when Mary regained consciousness, the baby was gone. Tituba, therefore, embraced a weeping Mary, reassuring her that the whole world would be hers in return.

1692

Salem - Episode 1

Tituba reminding Mary her duties to the Devil

During the long stay of John Alden away from Salem, Tituba performed some divinations to locate him at Mary's request, without apparent success. At the same time, Tituba helped Mary in her transition from Mary Walcott to Mary Sibley, becoming the richest woman in town via her marriage to George Sibley himself. When John Alden eventually returned to Salem after seven years, Mary turned furiously against her friend, asking for explanations. Tituba answered that those spells were not like counting sheep, but rather shadows. She then added that John's return was irrelevant when compared to Mary's achievement after her compact with the Devil. Tituba reminded her sister witch how the Devil saved her from the wolves, raising her to her full power, and the duties she was meant to fulfill. Tituba, then, suggested her to save her anger for the Kenaima, instead of wasting tears over John Alden. The following night, with the approach of the full moon at its peak, Tituba reached Mary in the public square, where she was conversing with Giles Corey and Cotton Mather.

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Tituba with her witch's shaft

Once in the intimacy of Mary's boudoir, Tituba extracted her witch's shaft from its hiding in the stick of a broom and approached the bed to rub Mary's forehead, bridge of the nose and lips with an ointment while chanting an eerie incantation describing the Witches' Sabbath. Then, Tituba began to raise Mary's skirt, caressing her legs with the shaft before bringing Mary to sexual climax, triggering her astral body to travel to the Sabbath. While Mary projected her spectral double in the woods, Tituba oversaw the unconscious body until Mary was forced to return to it due to someone breaking their circle. Concerned with discovering the identity of the mysterious witness, Tituba was with Mary in her boudoir while she instructed Magistrate Hale, another undercover witch of their Hive, to find out who broke their circle, thus revealing their plan to overthrow the Puritans once and for all in front of a paraplegic George Sibley. [4]

Tituba warned Mary of the risk that tears would have on milk used to feed her familiar toad. While Mary was distraught for the girl she once was, and her lost chance of a normal happy family where she could have feed children instead of toads, Tituba warned Mary about her duties, reminding her that the Grand Rite had begun, and the earth craved more blood. Thus, spurring Mary to find out another innocent to kill. As Mary reacted badly, claiming to be well aware of her duties and ordering Tituba to mind her business, Tituba answered back that her duty was to ascertain Mary wouldn't fail them. Angered by the discussion, Mary confided Tituba how she would use a monstrous unborn child to increase the hysterical witch hunt, with Tituba's great satisfaction for her mistress's plan. [5]

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Tituba and Mary witnessing the disposal of Bridget's Bishop's corpse

The cries of the citizens near the gallows prompted Mary and Tituba's attention. The two women looked out to the balcony of Mary's boudoir and saw Isaac Walton taking away Bridget Bishop's corpse while the citizens were insulting the body of the last "witch" executed in Salem. Later, when John Hale decided to use Isaac as the next victim against Mary's will, it caused a rift inside the hive. Concerned that Mary was getting soft, Tituba reached her at her working table and expressed to her mistress her doubts about ruining their great plan for someone like Isaac, or John Alden. Mary replied that the reason for her recent actions was not caused by a soft heart, but to demonstrate to John Hale that she was in charge, not him. To end the conversation, Mary fed her snake with a small white mouse, with Tituba's approval. [6]

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Tituba and Mary facing Hooke's threats

Tituba and Mary were walking the market when they came across Reverend Lewis and his daughter, Mercy. As Mary spurred Mercy Lewis to fall prey to a crisis likely to indicate a next victim of the trials, Tituba witnessed the outcome with joy until Mary lost control over the girl. Having lost control over the girl, Mary and Tituba had an extraordinary encounter in the woods with other witches. John Hale and another woman expressed doubts about Mary's ability to carry out her task, pointing out that Hunter Moon was close and no victim was dead yet. Tituba replied angrily that their success was due solely to Mary, stating that it was thanks to Mary if they ceased to be prey to become hunters, proving her loyalty to her mistress.

Moving away from the others, Tituba said they needed answers and Mary replied that they would be got soon by scolding Cotton Mather. The following night, Tituba was pleasantly surprised by Mary's intentions with Mercy, namely to leverage on the dark side of her soul, just like Tituba once did with her. Leaving Mary to her task to subdue Mercy once again, Tituba worked to get rid of William Hooke after he had threatened to denounce Mary Sibley as a witch. Since Mary had requested discretion about the murder, Tituba secretly visited John Alden at his house, using the man as a hitman for her dirty work. To win his trust, Tituba told John that William Hooke had threatened to divulge false rumors about an illicit relationship between Mary and John himself. That was enough to convince John to get rid of Hooke.[7]

While helping Mary to wear her cloak, Tituba asserted that she had once thought that Mary's stubbornness was a virtue, but she was no longer certain about it. In addition, she suggested eliminating Mercy if she had become a threat to their cause. Later, both Mary and Tituba were at the pier to deal with some business tasks. There, Mary asked questions to Mr. Richards about William Hooke's trades. While distancing themselves from Mr. Richards, Tituba affirmed that no one would have found Captain Hooke anymore, to which Mary asked Tituba not to tease her curiousness. The two were approached by Magistrate Hale, requesting Tituba for concocting a herbal tea to heal Mrs. Hale's food poisoning. After distancing themselves from Mary, Tituba immediately revealed the Magistrate that both Mary and she had realized he had used an excuse, spurring Hale to reveal his true purpose. As soon as the Magistrate revealed that he wanted to get rid of John Alden once and for all, he had the maid's full attention. Once home to retrieve a few things, Tituba was interrupted by Mary on the front door, wanting to know where she was going so stealthily. Tituba answered she was going to the apothecary to buy some Cascara Sagrada bark as they didn't have any left. Although Mary did not believe the lie, she did not hold Tituba at home. The maid, then, reached John Hale in the woods, finding the man in the company of the Ghoul, and Tituba ordered the latter to fetch her a rabbit after approving Hooke's sliced face. Tituba teased the Magistrate, asking him if he wanted to stay to witness her necromantic ritual and telling him that "Once a man dabbles in the dark arts, it's difficult for him to return to the light." Left alone at dusk, Tituba tied the severed face to branches so that the skin was stretched and killed the rabbit to shed the blood on the sliced face while chanting some eerie words of power, summoning William Hooke's spirit from Hell. In a short time, the sliced face became alive and Tituba questioned the deceased about John Alden's secrets. At night, Tituba was preparing some concoctions in the House of the Seven Gables living room when Mary entered the room, asking Tituba where she had been since she wasn't at the market. Tituba lied, saying she went to the woods to fetch the herbs herself. Angered, Mary ignited the lamp that was on the table with a simple glimpse, accusing Tituba to be a liar and warning her to stop lying. Tituba, then, claimed to be the only ally that Mary had left, while the rest of the hive was plotting behind her. [8]

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Tituba threatening Petrus

After Mary rescued Mercy and brought her home, Tituba watched over her with disgust as Mercy overfeed herself with all the food on the dining table. When Mary came to Tituba's back, asking if she was worried about silverware, Tituba expressed her disgust for Mercy, asking Mary when she was going to kill the girl. In response, Mary ordered Tituba to bathe Mercy and dress her, then burn her old dress. Later, Mary was shaving George's beard in the company of Mercy when Tituba entered the room and told Mercy to go away, but Mary ordered the maid to bring George out of the room, thus leaving Mercy and her alone. Tituba obeyed, annoyed to have been ousted. While Mary and Mercy spent the afternoon together, Tituba visited Petrus in his hut in the woods. The Seer complimented Tituba for her skill to walk unseen and unheard, like her mistress. Tituba, then, claimed that Mary learned every secret from her and when Petrus asked how often the student surpass the master, Tituba shushed the cunning man and killed one of Petrus' cockroaches by crushing it into the palm of her hand. Tituba inquired about the Samhain; Since she was not in town, she was supposed to be in the woods, that Tituba referred to as Petrus' woods. While Tituba was leaving, Petrus warned her that Mary was in the woods, implying some secrets ongoing at Tituba's back. Tituba shushed the cunning man again, reminding him his place. Once back home, Tituba bathed Mercy barely choking back her disappointment at the fact that Mercy had met the 'Dark Man,' thus becoming a witch herself. In spite of Mercy's suffering following the brutal encounter, Tituba reminded her that she was just another tool at Mary's disposal. A jealous Tituba also warned Mercy that the mistress of the house was hers. Mary entered the room, claiming to have arrived in time before Tituba drowned the "poor Mercy." The maid expressed her disappointment, saying that Mary had not been able to kill the girl. Mary answered it was not true and that if mercy was a witch, she could not accuse other witches.[9]

Tituba reached Mary in her boudoir, where she was watching Mercy sleeping on the bed. Tituba again expressed doubts about Mercy's initiation, and when Mary wondered if Tituba had certainties at Mary's initiation time, Tituba replied that she was sure, asserting that she had saved her life and would never stop protecting her. Afterward, the two began to think of a plan to put their hands on the Malum, currently in possession of John Alden.

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Tituba anointing her hands with flying ointment

Mary expressed the intention to probe his mind during sleep, but Tituba tried to dissuade her, as Dream Walking is a very risky practice since intruding into a man's mind brought many risks, both on the subject and above all on the witch performing the ritual. Tituba, then, tried to make sure Mary did not just want to look for John Alden's love for her. Tituba's supplications to look for another way led to nothing, and the handmaid was forced to perform the ritual for detaching Mary's conscience out of her body and straight to John's mind. The young witch smeared her mistress's face with an ointment while chanting and caressing Mary's thighs, unaware that Mercy was secretly spying on their work.

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Tituba holding the Malum

In the following hours, Mary again repeated the magic operation to project into John's dreams, much to Tituba's disappointment and jealousy. When Mary tried again for an attempt to dream walking, she found herself lost in John's nightmares, and Tituba managed to wake her up in time before losing her beloved Mary forever. Once Mary recovered a little from the shock, Tituba scolded her mistress for having sent Mercy alone during her first travel outside the body. Tituba, then, ordered Mercy to get dress because she needed her to steal the Malum from Giles Corey's grave while Mary recovered. When they were at the cemetery, Mercy boasted of having killed Mrs. Trask and Tituba scolded her, as Mary demanded her to scare the woman, not to kill her. By doing so, Mercy had triggered an angry mob claiming the Barkers blood, accused of being witches responsible for Mrs. Trask's death. Yet Tituba sympathized with Mercy's craving to be free from the abuses. [10]

To Be Added (Eps. 1x08-13)


SEASON TWO


To Be Added!


SEASON THREE


Bleeding and in pain, Tituba is wandering in the woods after being brutally attacked by a flock of crows that have blinded her. Disheartened, Tituba stumbles on her own footsteps when the voice of Petrus echoes around her, inviting Tituba to reach his hut where he made Tituba aware of her new abilities of a seer, obtained by swallowing his eyes. Petrus then urges her to see the future that witches have built by giving the Earth to the Devil himself. Tituba sees a fiery wasteland and a red sky as the flames of Hell.

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Tituba foresee Hell on Earth

Tituba has nothing else to do but to dig up her sister witch, Mary, and head to the Essex Stronghold to convince the elders of the Hive to help her in an almost impossible task: raise the dead. The elders are reluctant, judging Mary Sibley nothing but a traitor, but Tituba manages to persuade the ancient witches and together they perform the ritual by laying Mary's corpse in a hollow tree trunk, where she is wrapped in a protective chrysalis made of roots. Following the ritual, Tituba approaches the enchanted chrysalis and is almost strangled by a newly resurrected Mary Sibley.[11]

At all intimidated by the insults and anger of Mary, Tituba advises her former friend that the resurrection through the primordial tree has her confined to Salem, and that will be Mary's task to kill the thing that inhabits her son. Tituba then puts Mary's hands on her empty eyes so that she might see the corpse of John Alden and the rest of the carnage that would be carried out by the Dark Lord. Once she convinced Mary, Tituba must now convince her opponent in love and enemy. Safe in Petrus' hut, Tituba projects an attractive version of herself - with her eyes still intact, clean clothes and jewelry - at Alden's house and made the man aware of the disastrous future that will happen, ordering him to infiltrate within militia to fight the raiders and the war outside Salem. At first, John is reluctant to trust Tituba and even goes so far as to insult and try to strangle her, but Tituba's projection is intangible.

Driven by necessity and cunning, Tituba's looking for the perfect aid between Petrus's stuffed animals until she finds a black cat, to whom the sorceress removes the eyeballs and use them to brewing a concoction formed by unsavory ingredients, including herbs and cockroaches crushed in a mortar. Before starting to brew the potion, Tituba sewed the cat's hollow eye sockets with red yarn. After setting fire to the contents of the silver cup, Tituba sips the potion and breathes life on the stuffed animal that comes alive at the exact moment when Tituba's hollow eye sockets are filled with supernatural feline eyes. She has regained her sight, and uses the cat to spy on the surrounding area, exactly like Petrus did with his animals. [12] Continuing to use self-made her familiar to spy on The House of the Seven Gables, Tituba discovered Mary's fate in the hands of the Sentinel. [13]

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Tituba in the woods

Bothered by having to do it all alone, Tituba resorts to magical arts to save the day. Always by means of her supernatural eyes, the wise woman discovers that Cotton Mather has been abducted by two mysterious individuals, who have a house in the woods. By quartering a deceased dog, she picks up from the dog's stomach a little hare. After having chopped the hare as well, Tituba extracts from it a kind of black egg, which she uses to halt a spell of the Devil himself. Breaking the egg with his bare hands, in fact, Tituba knocks out the flock of crows chasing Cotton, which in the meantime had managed to escape from his captors. Once Tituba has convinced Cotton to follow her into the hut, the woman reveals the Reverend the imminent birth of a child who is already asleep in its mother's belly. She then invites Cotton to make a decision: stay in Salem and stop the devil, or cross a mysterious door and reach any destination he desires. [14]

Concerned about the fate of her sister witch in the House of the Seven Gables, Tituba appeared in Mary's bedroom, feeding the worm of suspicion about a potential traitor within the Essex Hive. At the request of Mary, then, Tituba informed the Essex Elder about it, showing her a vision of the Dark Lord plotting with an unknown party. Enraged by the discovery, the Essex witches killed the member of the hive indicated by Tituba. Later, Tituba was visited by the Dark Lord in her cabin in the woods, revealing Tituba as the actual traitor. In fact, Tituba is still at the service of the Father of Lies, waiting for her reward for years of loyalty. Unsatisfied by the continuous demands of the Devil, Tituba asked it was made a new pact, signed in blood. Using the claws of her black cat to scratch the palm of the Devil, Tituba licked the blood. At this point, the Devil told her to kill his brother.[15]

Using Grimalkin as a spy on the streets of Salem, Tituba projected herself into Alden's house to inform him about a mission for him, and how little time was left to complete their intent to stop the end of days. Since no Alden was preparing to cooperate, Tituba arranged a meeting between Mary and John in the woods, snatching Mary from the Devil's house through magical means. Tituba and Mary, then, were made aware of the jewelry containing red mercury stolen by John to a French commander. Leaving the two lovers alone, Tituba left. Later, Tituba and John met in secret so that the woman instructed the captain on how to forge an Angel Dagger, a blade infused with enough power to destroy the mortal body of an angel. Despite John's skepticism, Tituba gave him a vial with some herbs to be used during forging. [16]

When the Essex Hive performed the ultimate sacrifice to bestow unto Mary enough magical power to defeat the Devil in his human form and return him to hell, Tituba took advantage of the cover of darkness to retrieve the dismembered limbs of the vessel.[17]

Sought refuge in Petrus' hut, Tituba was busy mending the dismembered body of the vessel using a ritual similar to that used to resurrect familiars through cunning craft, using red thread and unknown herbs arranged on the table. In the middle of the work, she was visited by Mary, and had to hide the body under the covers, risking to be discovered by the former friend when she nearly discovered the Devil's vessel's severed head floating in the water tank.[18]

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Titua sewing the Dark Lord's dismembered body

Attracted by the voice of her master beyond the Hell Gate, Tituba crept between the walls of the House of the Seven Gables, where she was again blinded by Mary when the latter broke Grimalkin's neck, breaking the link between the witch and her familiar. The two had a fight, and Tituba revealed her displeasure at the fact that Mary was a collateral victim to reach a bigger plan. Tituba then revealed her contempt for the Europeans, and their arrogance to colonize and enslave people all over the world like animals, plundering the world as they please. Having made it clear her true colors, Tituba left the room so Sebastian and Anne Hale could complete the last stage to conduct the Great Terror by opening the Gate of Hell.[19]

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Tituba foreseeing her tragic fate

While Tituba was busy enjoying their success grinding some herbs in her shut, Tituba was visited by Anne Hale during her killing spree because she wanted to silence anyone who could undermine her rise to power as the true Queen of the Night. Anne then laid her hands on Tituba's eyes, showing the seer the sad reality of her assumptions; or how the world in the future would be built on blood, sweat, and blood of people like her. Tituba was then shown with no mouth trapped inside of a cage in a slave ship overflowed of prisoners, leaving open about her future as it is not clear whether this was just a vision created by Anne to scare her, or Tituba's personal hell.[20]

Powers and Abilities

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Tituba's Pact with the Devil

As one of the only two known witches (the other being Countess Marburg) to have been taught witchcraft directly by the Devil himself during her childhood, Tituba is one of the most powerful and knowledgeable witches of the Essex Hive, having initiated Mary Sibley into becoming the formidably potent witch that she was. In fact, though it was Mary who successfully completed the legendary Grand Rite, Tituba was the one who set her on that path to begin with, and ensured that she stayed on it and carried on until that ultimate completion.

Notable Feats and Incidents

Unlike Mary, who is occasionally reckless in her practices and had no interest in history, Tituba understands the limitations of witchcraft well, and is also learned in the history of ancient witches and other European hives. Hence, she easily figured that Anne Hale was a Cradle witch descended from an ancient and potent bloodline. Since Tituba had taught Mary most of her skills, it can be deduced that all of Mary's powers were Tituba's as well, though she relies on them less often.

According to her hive, Tituba is the most gifted necromancer among their witches, and one remarkable feat she demonstrated in this magic was invoking William Hooke's spirit by using his skinned face and a rabbit as a sacrifice. She also taught Mary the same practices without the hive's knowledge, leading Mary to become a powerful practitioner of this magic in her own right.

Besides this, Tituba is the one who usually sent Mary to the Sabbaths, as well as the one who presided over Mary's body as its guardian and protector whenever there was a need for Mary to astral-project, the magic of which she also helped in casting. She was also skilled in illusion spells, which were fuelled purely by sheer will - she once caused John to believe that Petrus' corpse was talking to him, and later on, she glamoured herself as Mary to manipulate him.

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Tituba's Control over Fire

Last but not least, Tituba had some form of control over the elements - she was able to hold hot coals without inflicting any harm upon herself. She also demonstrated an inhuman durability that was associated with witches - she healed rapidly from the tortures inflicted upon her by Increase Mather.

Together with Mary

When her magic is used in conjunction with Mary's, Tituba is capable of casting remarkably powerful spells, such as the one to locate and link Corwin to the head of a ram, which the two used to kill him. Another instance would be how, with Mary's help, she transformed Mary's familiar into a bird.

Cunning Craft and Foresight

It was once mentioned that Tituba practiced divination to try to locate John for Mary, though nothing came of it.

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Tituba eating Petrus' eyes

However, after her ingestion of Petrus' eyes, she manifested incredibly potent psychic powers, effectively becoming a seer who could divine the past, present, and future of whoever she wishes to see. These psychic powers were also enhanced by the support of a familiar that she herself infused with magical powers, a black cat that allows her to reach long distances and spy on her enemies.

During the short period of time where she left witchcraft behind to pursue an equally powerful soft of cunning craft, Tituba proved to be remarkably capable of performing rituals and spells through this craft, even able to hinder a spell cast by the Devil himself. Another notably potent application of this craft would be her ability to project herself anywhere she wanted to go without falling into a paralysis, and appearing at the peak of her beauty even if she was horribly mutilated - though she was eyeless and littered with wounds and scars, her astral-projection self appeared as a hale, whole, and well-groomed beauty when it presented itself to John. Last but not least, Tituba was a mistress of teleportation, both within close proximity and at a vast distance.

Relationships

Main article: Mary and Tituba
Salem - Episode 1

Tituba and Mary in the woods

Originally the relationship between Tituba and Mary was as close as sisters. Tituba was accepted as a servant in the house of the Walcott and treated by Mary the same way as a sister. This affinity consolidated throughout time. Tituba apparently is a homosexual, or at the very least, is bisexual with a strong preference towards women, and seems to have romantic feelings for Mary. During a scene in which Tituba captures John Alden and holds him hostage as a means to control Mary, she teasingly seduces him, but admits that she never had much of a use for men. Following the return of John Alden and betrayal of Tituba, the relationship between the two witches cracks irreparably.

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Tituba kissed by the Dark Lord

That between Tituba and the Dark Lord, often referred to as Kenaima by her, is a long consolidated covenant and she's believed to be taught the art of Witchcraft by the Devil himself. Their alliance has always been lasting until, tired of serving the Devil without ever getting her desired revenge, Tituba asked for a further covenant with the Dark Lord, in which he committed himself to respect the agreements. Tituba has always been a faithful servant, despite the Devil disfigured her face for triggering her visions as a Seer.

Main article: Mercy and Tituba
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Mercy and Tituba in the cemetery

The relationship between Mercy and Tituba was non-existent up until Mary turned Mercy into a witch (The Red Rose and the Briar).

At times their relationship was antagonistic due to Tituba's possessiveness of Mary and their relationship finally came to a breaking point when Mercy cast a spell to gain control of Tituba's familiar to silence George Sibley to protect Mary from Increase Mather. She later accused Tituba of witchcraft leading to her arrest and torture. Tituba enacted her revenge on the girl by telling Increase that Mercy was now a witch, forcing Mercy to go into hiding.

Main article: Tituba and John
To Be Added!

Appearances


Memorable Quotes

Tituba (to Mary Sibley): "Do not fear the woods."
The Vow
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Tituba (to Increase Mather): "You cannot know what I have done, or who I served, until you know why."
The House of Pain
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Tituba (to Increase Mather): "I am not a witch. I am not a puritan. I am of the Arawak tribe. Or I once was. But I close my eyes, and I can still see the green of my jungle and the deadly white of the Englishmen's faces. I had never seen skin like that, so white when we see them walking towards us, we think they are ghosts. Slavers. They slaughtered many of our men, chained the rest, and have their way with the women. I am too young to be of use to them, but my mother and sisters are not. And they forced me to watch. Later, in chains, I look back, and they're burning the huts of my village, and I see two red eyes staring back at me, out of the trees. And the red eyes speak to me, "Tituba, you are mine.""
The House of Pain
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Tituba (to Increase Mather): "And who started this war between Puritans and witches? The mighty many of you? Or the scattered few of them?"
The House of Pain
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Increase Mather: "When exactly did you sell your soul to the Devil? "
Tituba: "My body was bought and sold many times, but never my soul, not until I came to Salem. I am a child in a cage, given less to eat than the animals on the ship. I fear I will never see the sun again. And then a man comes. It was he that brought me to Salem, only to be bought and sold again. I am sold from hand to hand, from man to man. But at least I am no longer in a cage. And my final owner is not cruel. The Walcotts give me a bed to sleep in. Their girl child, Mary, treats me almost like a sister. But still at night, I weep for my mother, and I ride a river of tears out of my straw bed, into the dark woods."
Increase Mather: "The dark woods? Who do you meet in the dark woods? "
Tituba: "The Kenaima. He has come to save me. Save all of us. He draws to him all who hurt, all who hide, all who hate, all who thirst for justice, gathers us into the circle and promises us a leader, a savior, one who will crush our enemies with a mighty fist. And he keeps his promise!"
The House of Pain
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Tituba (to Increase Mather): "Don't you see? There are no witches. There are only poor people like me who are hunted and harried. Tortured and slaughtered and for no reason other than they are not you!"
The House of Pain
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Tituba: "I, traitor? I, who have endured the worst that sick man could inflict upon my flesh to protect you? I think not. 'Tis you who have betrayed those who nurtured you. You who have turned your back on everything we have planned these long years!"
Dead Birds
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Tituba (to Mary): "Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but your sacrifice accomplished precisely nothing Saved no one, least of all John Alden.If you want to save the life of your love, it is not enough to kill yourself. You must kill your son."
The Heart Is A Devil
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Tituba (to John Alden): "How frustrating. I must save the world through two stubborn fools that only want to save each other."
The Heart Is A Devil
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Cotton Mather: "I know you. You are a witch."
Tituba: "Whatever I be, if I served him would I have saved you? Come."
Night's Black Agents
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Tituba (to the Devil): "I have resurrected and delivered Mary Sibley to you. I have kept John Alden far from your door. And then, I sent you Cotton Mather when all your other witches failed. I have earned my reward and my vengeance! "
The Dark Lord: "Indeed, you have. And all shall be as we agreed once you arrange this one last matter."
Tituba: "One more? And then another and another and another. I've served you because it was to our mutual benefit. But you make me a pact here now. I will do one last errand for you, and you will deliver on all your promises to me."
The Dark Lord: "And how shall we seal our pact? "
Tituba: "In blood. "
The Commonwealth of Hell
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Trivia

  • Historically, Tituba was the first to be accused of witchcraft in Salem, but was never executed, and it is unknown what had happened to her after the trials.
  • Historically, it is unknown if Tituba was of Native American or African descent. The latest and comprehensive studies on the Salem Witch Trials, like those by Mary Beth Norton, are almost certainly safe to identify Tituba as of Creole descent, likely from Barbados and of mixed heritage.[21]
  • The earliest, uncontaminated examinations refer to her as "Tituba Indian," associating her to a "John Indian" so it's even possible that she was part Native American. Her fairer skin can easily be explained by the fact that in the show, she's explicitly stated as being of the Arawak tribe who have fairer skin when compared to others, similarly to the Lokono tribe. [22]
  • Tituba has referred to the Devil as "Kanaima", a term in the Carib language used to describe an evil spirit. Her Caribbean origins were confirmed in The House of Pain, as a descent from the Arawak tribe.
  • Ironically, in spite of being the Devil's most loyal and pious servant, the Devil blinded Tituba for her treachery against Mary Sibley.
  • Tituba claims that she taught Mary Sibley everything she knows about witchcraft, implying that Tituba has all of the powers displayed by her mistress. Tituba also claims that unlike most witches, the Kanaima himself taught her about witchcraft, implying that Tituba is more powerful than she appears.
  • The description given on official Instagram to accompany the promotional photos of the third season is as follows: "Tituba: the mysterious handmaiden turned traitor."
  • On Twitter, Ashley Madekwe said that it takes over an hour to do the prosthetic scarring on her face. Additionally, prosthetic flaps cover her own eyes so vision is limited. [23]
  • In Ask Salem, Ashley Madekwe said that her favorite props are the animals, especially the rabbit with which she had to shoot the Necromancy scene in the first season. She does not like insects, though. Ashley Madekwe respects and acknowledge Wicca as a religion, but does not believe in witchcraft as an evil thing. She does not believe in the supernatural, but she still put a tourmaline bracelet - considered a remedy against negative energy - in her bra during some ritual scenes because it's "better safe than sorry." When asked what other Salem's character she would play if she could, Ashley Madekwe said she'd like to play Petrus. Interesting enough, in the third season, Tituba inherited Petrus' burden as a Seer.
  • Although Tituba is the only officially confirmed LGBTQ in the show, Mercy has also been implied to possibly be bisexual or at the very least, bi-curious.

References

  1. Similarly to the unknown fate of her historical counterpart, Tituba's status was deliberately left uncertain. She either died and sent to her personal Hell, or was scared by Anne with a vision of her future.
  2. Tituba Official Description - Season 1 - WGN America
  3. Tituba Official Description - Season 3 - WGN America
  4. Brannon Braga & Adam Simon (writer) & Richard Shepard (director). April 20, 2014. "The Vow". Salem. Season 1. Episode 1. WGN.
  5. Brannon Braga & Adam Simon (writer) & David Von Ancken (director). April 27, 2014. "The Stone Child". Salem. Season 1. Episode 2. WGN.
  6. Elizabeth Sarnoff, Tricia Small (writer) & Alex Zakrzewski (director). May 4, 2014, 2014. "In Vain". Salem. Season 1. Episode 3. WGN.
  7. Jon Harmon Feldman (writer) & David Von Ancken (director). May 11, 2014. "Survivors". Salem. Season 1. Episode 4. WGN.
  8. Tricia Small & Elizabeth Sarnoff (writer) & Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (director). May 18, 2014. "Lies". Salem. Season 1. Episode 5. WGN.
  9. Joe Menosky & Adam Simon (writer) & P.J. Pesce (director). May 25, 2014. "The Red Rose and the Briar". Salem. Season 1. Episode 6. WGN.
  10. Adam Simon & Brannon Braga (writer) & David Von Ancken (director). April 20, 2014. "Our Own Private America". Salem. Season 1. Episode 7. WGN.
  11. Brannon Braga & Adam Simon (writer) & Nick Copus (director). November 2, 2016. "After the Fall". Salem. Season 3. Episode 1. WGN.
  12. Adam Simon (writer) & Tim Andrews (director). November 9, 2016. "The Heart Is A Devil". Salem. Season 3. Episode 2. WGN.
  13. Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson (writer) & Wayne Yip (director). November 16, 2016. "The Reckoning". Salem. Season 3. Episode 3. WGN.
  14. {{Ep ref|304}
  15. Adam Simon (writer) & Nick Copus (director). December 7, 2016. "The Commonwealth of Hell". Salem. Season 3. Episode 5. WGN.
  16. Adam Simon & Donna Thorland (writer) & Peter Weller (director). December 14, 2016. "Wednesday's Child". Salem. Season 3. Episode 6. WGN.
  17. Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders (writer) & Jennifer Lynch (director). January 4, 2017. "The Man Who Was Thursday". Salem. Season 3. Episode 7. WGN.
  18. Adam Simon & Donna Thorland (writer) & Nick Copus (director). January 11, 2017. "Friday's Knights". Salem. Season 3. Episode 8. WGN.
  19. Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders (writer) & Jennifer Lynch (director). January 18, 2017. "Saturday Mourning". Salem. Season 3. Episode 9. WGN.
  20. Adam Simon (writer) & Brannon Braga (director). January 25, 2017. "Black Sunday". Salem. Season 3. Episode 10. WGN.
  21. Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692, Vintage, 2002.
  22. Collider Videos, 'Salem' Season 2: Shane West and Ashley Madekwe Talk Favorite Gross-Out Scenes
  23. Ashley Madekwe about her season 3 make-up

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