Deborah Mayfair
Encyclopedia
Deborah Mayfair is a fictional character
appearing in several novel
s by Anne Rice
, including The Witching Hour
, being the ancestor of the famous Mayfair Witches of Garden District
, New Orleans, Louisiana
.
Deborah Mayfair was raven-haired and had blue eyes. She was conceived during the May festival, and was called a "merry-begot". This and the fact that she may have been the daughter of the Earl of Donnelaith, Scotland, (although the origin of her father was not widely known) were the reasons she wasn't burnt with her mother, Suzanne Mayfair
, the first Mayfair witch having summoned Lasher.
Petyr van Abel, a member of the Talamasca, was in Donnelaith when Suzanne was executed. He rescued Deborah and took her to Amsterdam with Lasher following. Petyr wanted her to stay with the Talamasca, but Deborah saw them as evil and left, and soon she married the artist Roelant. During that time, Lasher made her wealthy by bringing her gifts from all over the world - one day Deborah saw a beautiful emerald: with the wealth brought to her by Lasher, she purchased what became the Mayfair Emerald. When Roelant died, she married the Comte de Montclève, from France
. Before leaving Amsterdam
, Deborah seduced Petyr. It is later implied that Charlotte was conceived at this time.
While at Montcleve, Deborah, as well as giving birth to Charlotte, had two sons by the Comte, Chrétien and Phillipe. Deborah became the village healer to the people in Montclève. The Comte is later unfaithful to Deborah, and Lasher, believing Deborah would want revenge, caused him to have a fatal accident. When she was unable to save him, the Comte's mother accused Deborah of witchcraft. She is put on trial and found guilty.
Petyr was traveling through Montclève at that time, disguised as a Catholic priest studying witchcraft
. They talk the night before her death. In her final moments, as she was led down to be burnt at the stake, she summoned down Lasher, "Come now, my Lasher, be my avenger, strike down my enemies!" "I see you, Lasher, I know you! I call you!" "Destroy my sons, destroy my accusers! Destroy those who have come to see me die!" Lasher destroyed the village and killed almost everyone, but not before Louvier pushed her from the church window and she fell to her death and then was finally burnt. The storm killed the Comte's mother and Deborah's two sons. Later in the story it was revealed the castle in Donnelaith that was home to Earl and his family was destroyed in a fire and there were no survivors. It was thought by the family that Lasher, in a rage, went back to Donnelaith and caused the fire that killed the Earl and all his family.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
appearing in several novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s by Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
, including The Witching Hour
The Witching Hour (novel)
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice is the first novel in her series "Lives of the Mayfair Witches." The novel begins the tale of a family of witches, and a spirit that has guided their fortunes for generations.-Plot summary:...
, being the ancestor of the famous Mayfair Witches of Garden District
Garden District, New Orleans
The Garden District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Central City/Garden District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: St. Charles Avenue to the north, 1st Street to the east, Magazine Street to the south and Toledano Street to the...
, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
Deborah Mayfair was raven-haired and had blue eyes. She was conceived during the May festival, and was called a "merry-begot". This and the fact that she may have been the daughter of the Earl of Donnelaith, Scotland, (although the origin of her father was not widely known) were the reasons she wasn't burnt with her mother, Suzanne Mayfair
Suzanne Mayfair
Suzanne Mayfair is a fictional character in several novels by Anne Rice, namely The Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos, as an ancestor of the main characters, the Mayfair Witches of Garden District, New Orleans, Louisiana....
, the first Mayfair witch having summoned Lasher.
Petyr van Abel, a member of the Talamasca, was in Donnelaith when Suzanne was executed. He rescued Deborah and took her to Amsterdam with Lasher following. Petyr wanted her to stay with the Talamasca, but Deborah saw them as evil and left, and soon she married the artist Roelant. During that time, Lasher made her wealthy by bringing her gifts from all over the world - one day Deborah saw a beautiful emerald: with the wealth brought to her by Lasher, she purchased what became the Mayfair Emerald. When Roelant died, she married the Comte de Montclève, from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Before leaving Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Deborah seduced Petyr. It is later implied that Charlotte was conceived at this time.
While at Montcleve, Deborah, as well as giving birth to Charlotte, had two sons by the Comte, Chrétien and Phillipe. Deborah became the village healer to the people in Montclève. The Comte is later unfaithful to Deborah, and Lasher, believing Deborah would want revenge, caused him to have a fatal accident. When she was unable to save him, the Comte's mother accused Deborah of witchcraft. She is put on trial and found guilty.
Petyr was traveling through Montclève at that time, disguised as a Catholic priest studying witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
. They talk the night before her death. In her final moments, as she was led down to be burnt at the stake, she summoned down Lasher, "Come now, my Lasher, be my avenger, strike down my enemies!" "I see you, Lasher, I know you! I call you!" "Destroy my sons, destroy my accusers! Destroy those who have come to see me die!" Lasher destroyed the village and killed almost everyone, but not before Louvier pushed her from the church window and she fell to her death and then was finally burnt. The storm killed the Comte's mother and Deborah's two sons. Later in the story it was revealed the castle in Donnelaith that was home to Earl and his family was destroyed in a fire and there were no survivors. It was thought by the family that Lasher, in a rage, went back to Donnelaith and caused the fire that killed the Earl and all his family.