Weavers are a sub-sect of witches in the All souls trilogy. They are exceedingly rare and often boast the strongest abilities and powers in the entire series. Being a Weaver is not exclusive to pure-born Witches with Brightborn (vampire-witch hybrids) also having the capability of being Weavers.
Characteristics[]
Goody Alsop, a powerful Weaver, surrounded by Weaver's Chords.
Weavers are witches that have the innate ability to create new spells, something regular witches do not have the capability of doing. While ordinary Witches rely on family or coven grimoires and/or personal Books of Shadows once belong to practitioners of the Higher Magics, Weavers are unable to use spells, potions or magic that already exist in said books. Therefore, Weavers must use their ability to create new and unique spells in order to use more complex magics. Weavers are able to use inherited gifts such as flight and basic elemental magic as well as basic spells such as telekinesis without training due to these powers not requiring the creation of a new spell as the abilities rest within someone's very skin.
While some witches have an affinity for a single type elemental magic and almost always earth magic, Weavers are seen to have the unique ability to have multiple affinities for elemental magic such as with Diana Bishop, who has a very powerful affinity for water while still having a strong affinity for fire and a slight less strong affinity for air while possessing earth magic as well. This combination of affinities allows Weavers who possess this gift to be able to merge the abilities into extremely powerful spells such as the combination of fire and water being able to produce a rainstorm where clouds precipitate witch fire also called Rain of Fire.
Most weavers have the ability to create the nine knots that are used in weaving. However there's a tenth knot. The tenth knot, although it's a simple circle, it's the most difficult of weaving, and can only be created by a particular type of weaver who stands between worlds, who is a union of opposites. The tenth knot is the knot of creation and destruction, of life and death. Only known such weaver is Diana Bishop, and she used the tenth knot to kill Benjamin Fuchs.
Creation[]
Weavers are incredibly rare creatures with many hunted down by their own Witch kind as their incredible power was frightening to others. Another reason for the rarity of Weavers was their method of creation. The Covenant was and ancient agreement drawn up by the Congregation in medieval times to prevent acknowledgement of creatures by Humans while also preserving the purity of each race by forbidding Witch-Vampire-Daemon relationships. These relationships are the cause of the existence of weavers. Weavers are the result of Witch-Daemon mating, with Weavers being produced when a Witch or Daemon processes the DNA of the other. Sometimes the results are immediate such as Margaret Wilson a baby born to Nathaniel Wilson, a pure borne Daemon, and Sophie Norman, a Daemon borne to a long line of Witches. The dormant Witch DNA within Sophie, that did not provide her with any power, was expressed within her daughter along with the Daemon DNA given to Margaret by her Mother and Farther. This combination of DNA led to Margaret being a Weaver. Other times the development of a weaver can occur far in the future such as with Diana Bishop and Stephen Proctor both of which have no immediate Daemon relative. Both must have carried the dormant Daemon gene that was expressed suddenly by them both when they were conceived.
Familiars[]
Familiars are ancient creatures of a long forgotten world of wonder and mystery. They are spirit animals in the form of small mythical creatures. Most weavers are chosen by a familiar at some point in their life with each weaver's familiar appearing under different circumstances. The most common method of revealing ones familiar is to weave a spell for the first time. Another method is to attempt a weaver's fore spell ceremony. Some weavers will encounter their familiar later in life through some way or another, usually unintentionally. Each familiar is representative of a particular weavers magical affinity and is a direct representation of their power. Familiars often contain attributes of the weavers they are tied to as well as often shown the abilities of a weaver outside the realm of elemental magics. Familiars will be a precursor of what is expected from the weaver they embody with characteristics of the familiar reflecting the weaver such as the ability to fly or the ability to read minds. A familiar embodies their weavers fullest potential with a familiar needing to be present for a weaver to use their full strength. Most familiars are able to live within their weaver's bodies, only being physically present when called. Some familiars are powerful enough to fight and defend their weavers on their own while others abilities do not pose much of a threat and are better suited for other uses such as reconnaissance.
It is implied by Corra, Diana Bishop's familiar, that familiars can belong to multiple different weavers throughout their lives with a weavers magic choosing from many different mythical creatures for the familiars spirit to take the form of that best reflects the weaver in question. The strength and power of a familiar is directly relational to the power and ability of the weaver they belong to, this means that a powerful weaver will have a powerful familiar and vice versa with a weaker weaver-familiar pair. Familiars often have a psychic link to their weaver and can understand each other without the need of speech, never the less familiars do have the ability to speak but often choose to communicate psychically to their weaver or through body language and rudimentary vocalisations. Below are a list of familiars, their weavers and their abilities.
The familiar of Diana Bishop who takes the form of a Firedrake. As a Firedrake, Corra has the ability to fly, breathe fire and control water just like her mistress. Corra is the strongest known familiar reflecting how Diana is the strongest known weaver. Firedrakes represent a triplicity of elements meaning Corra represents Diana's affinity for all three elements.
Bennu
The familiar of Stephen Proctor who takes the form of a Herron bird. Bennu can fly and his blue colouration alludes to an affinity with water.
Joseph
The familiar of Abraham ben Elijah who takes the form of a clay golem. Joseph was created in an unusual way due to Abraham not revealing his familiar early in life. Joseph was the bi-product of a failed fertility spell where Abraham used knotted rope and clay to create a humanoid to be used to help impregnate a woman who came for his services as a weaver. The spell failed and Abraham went to bed only to find Joseph drying by the fire standing up the next morning. Joseph shares many attributes with Abraham most notably Joseph shares Abraham's womanizing tendencies being drawn to beautiful women and even attempting to woe Corra, Diana Bishop's firedrake familiar. Joseph, unlike most familiars, cannot rest within their weaver in spirit form and can only rest when Abraham removes a piece of parchment containing the enchantment giving him life that lies beneath his tongue. Joseph escaped one Friday night due to Abraham forgetting to remove the parchment for the night, leading to Joseph scaring away the christians of Prague and galvanizing himself as a stone golem born to protect the Jews of Prague from harm by Christians.
Goody Alsop's Fetch
The familiar of Goody Alsop who takes the form of an ethereal doppelgänger known as a Fetch. The fetch has been Goody's companion for decades, ever since Goody Alsop wove her first spell. As a familiar tied to a weaver of the wind, the fetch is comprised of a wispy cloud-like substance ranging from a dusky black to a silvery grey colour. The fetch seems invisible to humans and as such is able to spy on humans. The fetch seems incapable of speech or at least preferring not too, with most communication being telepathic usually communicating through Goody. Despite being a wind familiar, The fetch cannot fly leading to the assumption that neither can Goody Alsop as she has never shown to or even mentioned the ability to fly.
Apollo
The familiar of Philip Bishop-Clairmont who takes the form of a Griffin. Not much is known about Apollo as he was revealed at a very young age. Philip wove his first spell at 3 years old showing his incredible prowess with magic and witch craft. Apollo seems to be mentally immature as he cannot speak in full sentences and generally acts like a child. This shows that weavers and their familiars are tied in mental state with it seeming that the younger the weaver the younger the familiar. Apollo can fly meaning so can Philip just like his mother. Griffins represent no particular element with most being associated to nature and animals. The ability to fly and the connection with nature means that Philip is either a Wind witch, An Earth witch or a poly-elemental witch like Diana, his mother.
Unknown London Weavers Harpy
The familiar of Goody Alsop's weaver acquaintance spoken of in The Shadow of Night who takes the form of a Harpy. Nothing is know about this Harpy or their weaver. However, a Harpy is a mythical creature with the ability to fly, being describes as the spirits of sudden gusts of wind with many ancient greeks believing that is a sudden gust of wind appears that a harpy i taking flight. Strangely, Harpies are also born to Thaumas, a god of the wet elements and the sea Nymph Electra. These two facts mean that the unknown london weavers was poly-elemental like Diana Bishop, with an affinity for both air and water.
Known Weavers[]
- Ursula Soothtell
- Goody Alsop
- Stephen Proctor
- Diana Bishop
- Satu Järvinen
- Margaret Wilson
- Philip Bishop-Clairmont
- Isobel Gowdie
- Agnes Sampson
- Abraham ben Elijah
- Unknown Southeil Weaver
- Unknown Irish Weaver
- Unknown London Weaver
- Benjamin’s captive Weaver
- Meridiana