- This article is about Joanna Beauchamp, the character from Melissa de la Cruz's novels.
You were maybe looking for the character from the TV series; see Joanna Beauchamp (TV).
| “ | She was too tired. Joanna felt the sudden weight of all the lives she had lived. She felt the water fill her lungs. She did not fight. So this was death. | ” |
— Joanna's final moments alive.
| ||
Joanna Beauchamp, or Skadi of the Vanir, is one of the main characters of Melissa de la Cruz' Beauchamp Family series. The mother of three children, Ingrid, Freya and Freddie, she is the most loving and protective member of the Beauchamp family.
At the beginning of the series, Joanna is enjoying the return of her two daughters in her life, though she still misses her long lost son and her estranged husband. But she manages to find comfort with the young Tyler Alvarez, a boy who jumps right into her life and brings her back to her motherly ways... but, with the darkness growing in town, that happiness might get shorter than expected.
Physical appearance[]
- It was understood that women of a certain age no longer cared about their looks, but it was a lie. Vanity did not die of old age, especially in beautiful women, and oh, she had been beautiful once - so beautiful that she had wed the most fearsome god of all.
- — Joanna reflects on her past beauty.
Joanna Beauchamp is described as an attractive women with gray hair, a wrinckled face and a slender figure, except for the "tire around her belly", as she likes to call it, which no diet has been able to eliminate. But this appearance of hers can shift: due to her divine nature, as Skadi, the Mother Goddess from Norse myths, Joanna's appearance at maturity is always the one of a woman in her early sixties except she actually has to give birth to her children.
- Motherhood had robbed Joanna of her figure, of that she was sure.
- — Whenever she has to birth her children again, her beauty is stolen once more.
Young Skadi. (fan art)
Whenever Ingrid and Freya, or Freddie in the past, were killed or had to give up on their life for a time, Joanna's body would suddenly age back: her gray hair would turn into a bright blond again, her wrinckles would vanish and so would the fat in her cheeks, and her arthritis pain would heal in the blink of an eye. And though Joanna loves to see herself in this appearance of a young beautiful woman, before she can even start to enjoy it, her belly would grow and the symptoms of her pregnancy would show again: nausea, exhaustion, etc.
Back in the days of Asgard, when Joanna was a young Goddess, her beauty was such that she attracted many male Gods - and among her many suitors were Njord and Odin, the King of the Gods. Her beauty could rival the one of her own daughter, Freya, the Goddess of Love.
Biography[]
The Old Days[]
Back in the days of Asgard, Skadi was a young and beautiful immortal woman, born when the universe was created, along with her sister, Helda, and other powerful entities: the Gods.
Her beauty had no match among her peers. Many a God fell for her, and two of them especially: Odin, the King of the Gods, and Njord, the God of the Sea. Despite all that Odin could offer her, Skadi felt more at ease with the other one, who was a Vanir - a god of nature. And when the two of them met for the first time on a beach in Asgard, it was almost love at first sight. They soon had a first child: Erda, the Goddess of the Hearth, who was followed by the beautiful twins: Freya, Goddess of Love and Freyr, God of the Sun.
Destruction of the Bridge[]
Angered by his repudiation by the beautiful Skadi, the King of the Gods, Odin, swore revenge upon her and her family. He crafted a meticulous plan that would eventually help him do so.
One day, while Loki (Odin's son) and Freyr were fooling around the Bofrir bridge - the bridge between Asgard and Midgard, Odin decided on putting his plan into motion. He therefore used his powerful magic to destroy the rainbow bridge and cut the link between the worlds. However, no one knew it was him, and instead, everyone believed it had been the work of the mischievous Loki and his friend Freyr. As a punishment, Loki was sentenced to Limbo for a thousand years while Freyr was sentenced to infinite imprisonment by the Valkyries - since it was his Trident who had supposedly destroyed the bridge, his crime was considered the greater.
This led to the definite separation of the Gods: while the Aesir remained up there in Asgard, the Vanir were stuck on Midgard forever, forced to abide by human rules.
The Restriction[]
While living in Salem Village, the Beauchamps enjoyed a particularly free ability to practice their magic unrestrained, offering their respective services to those who needed them. Johanna, working as a midwife delivered many healthy children and was well respected until the death of Bridget Bishop. The result was the turning of the village against them and the loss of both (Erda) Ingrid, and Freya to gallows hill.
Their deaths unavoidable for two reasons; the laws of the Vanir (those trapped on Midgard were bound to its laws), and that Johanna's restorative power cannot be used on those she loves.
As a result of the Histeria that was caused, The White Council issued a restriction on all the Vanir, that they must now live in secret and could no longer practice witchcraft. This was further enforced through the Oracle's power.
Specific to the Beauchamp family, many of their books were confiscated and destroyed, as were their brooms, and wands,* as well as the magical tunnels that they used to traverse distances to lengthy for flight.
*The wands, made from dragon bone, were carefully hidden and escaped destruction.
Darkness in North Hampton[]
Last sacrifice[]
Personnality[]
Powers and abilities[]
Basic abilities[]
As one the Vanirs from Norse myths, Joanna is able to perfom many magical feats. Casting spells, flying on a broom, levitating, or talking to her familiar (Gillbereth, a raven) are among her numerous abilities. She is also able to use the Glom, a parallel dimension that only supernatural beings can access.
Healing[]
Due to her divine nature, Joanna has the power of immortality and is able to walk the Glom and cross dimensions. But her real specific talents lies in her ability to heal and resurrect someone, and is powerful enough to defy the defy the grasp her sister Helda has on the dead. However, she states at one point that her powers rarely work on the people she truly loves.
Other Powers[]
- Plant Growth
- Telekinesis
- Object Animation
Relationships[]
Relatives[]
- With Ingrid:
- With Freya:
- With Freddie:
- With Helda:
Romances[]
- With Norman:
Others[]
- With Odin:
- With Tyler Alvarez:
In Norse myths[]
Miscellaneous[]
Quotes[]
- To hell with it. We might as well admit it. We're Witches. Just let them try to stop us this time.
- — Joanna, about breaking the Restriction.
- She was too tired. Joanna felt the sudden weight of all the lives she had lived. She felt the water fill her lungs. She did not fight. So this was death. The years did not flash before her eyes as they say they do. She felt the sunlight on her face one last time, the cool water above, and her eyes closed for the last time as she passed from this world to the next.
- — Joanna sacrificing her life to save her daughter Freya.
Appearances[]
| Beauchamp Family series | |||
| Diary of the White Witch Appears |
Witches of East End Appears |
Serpent's Kiss Appears |
Winds of Salem Appears |
Television series[]
In the television series adapted from Melissa de la Cruz's novels, Witches of East End, Joanna Beauchamp is played by British actress Julia Ormond. It was announced that the actress had landed the role on August 30, 2012. The series premiered on October 6, 2013.
Notes[]
| v - e - t | Norse mythology |
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