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Henry: So, who would Lucy say she is? Doctor Dolittle? Doctor Strange?
Jacinda: More like, uh... Dr-takes-her-sweet-time.

Henry and Jacinda src

The Hedge Witch,[1] currently known as Doctor Andrea Sage, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the tenth episode of the seventh season, and is portrayed by co-star Nisreen Slim.

History

After Fourth Curse

As a member of the Coven of the Eight, the Hedge Witch is considered to be one of "the worst of the worst" witches of her time. Under the leadership of Gothel, the Hedge Witch and the other members of the coven appear at Tiana's palace, during Lucy's birthday party. Then, they combine their magic to free Drizella, who had been turned into a statue via blood magic eight years before, before disappearing with her. Later, after Henry has been captured by the coven, the Hedge Witch and the rest of the group appear at their lair, where they wait for Regina and her group to come to her son's rescue. When Drizella reveals that the witches poisoned Henry's heart, Regina is forced to help the coven to cast the curse, by adding her blood to the seven other ingredients, including the Hedge Witch's. Then, everyone present at the coven's lair is taken to Hyperion Heights, where they start assuming new cursed identities. ("The Eighth Witch," "A Taste of the Heights")

During Fifth Curse

After being transported to Hyperion Heights via the Dark Curse, the Hedge Witch starts assuming the cursed identity of Andrea Sage, who works at the hospital of Hyperion Heights as a doctor. After gaining her new persona, she has her coven wrist tattoo removed. She is in charge of Lucy's case after the girl falls unconscious. One morning, the doctor buys her usual teacake from Hilda Braeburn as she tells the baker that her test results came back clean. ("The Eighth Witch," "A Taste of the Heights")

In an attempt to revive Lucy, Doctor Sage has Jacinda and Nick, Lucy's parents, take a blood test to ensure there is a genetic match in the event Lucy has an emergency and needs a donor. Henry, a friend of Jacinda's, also asks to take the test, despite knowing that there is a very slim chance he'll be a match. After taking the test, Jacinda encounters Doctor Sage at the vending machine as the doctor is getting a key lime drink and asks her if the results are in. Doctor Sage assures her that she will tell them as soon as they are, but Jacinda is unsatisfied at how the doctor seems to be taking her time with the tests. As she walks away, Henry and Jacinda briefly speculate on who Lucy might say Doctor Sage was in the New Enchanted Forest. Before the blood test results return, Lucy miraculously wakes up and Jacinda and Sabine call for the doctor. Later, Doctor Sage sits in her office and reviews the results of the test, discovering that Henry is actually Lucy’s biological father, not Nick. As she stares at the papers, she takes a sip of her drink, only to realize that it is poisoned. She collapses, dead, as a mysterious gloved figure in black enters the room. The figure uses scissors to snip a piece of her hair off and then takes the bloodwork papers, leaving the doctor behind. ("Secret Garden")

Later, Gothel awakens the remaining Coven members in Hyperion Heights. Due to Andrea's death, Gothel recruits a replacement witch to fill her spot. ("Flower Child")

Magical Abilities

  • Teleportation - Ability to magically teleport oneself and/or others from one location to another.

Trivia

Etymology

  • Just like fellow coven members Eloise Gardener, Ivy Belfrey, Hilda Braeburn and Tilly, Doctor Sage's name comes from plants. In addition, sage is said to have magical properties. According to magic lore, it can be used for immortality, longevity, wisdom, protection and granting wishes. One sage species, white sage, is often used in smudging and other ceremonies to purify the body. Smudge sticks made of white sage are often found in New Age shops and kits marketed to modern magical practitioners.[2]

Character Notes

  • According to Jane Espenson, Doctor Sage's original self was "a minor witch, presumably a supporting character in someone's story". She also added that she was "not meant to reference a specific witch from folklore."[3]
    • She later stated that Sage's original self was a hedge witch.[1] Ironically, a hedge witch is a witch who practices alone rather than in a coven.[4] They are also a solitary practitioner of the herbal arts, medicinal and spiritual.[5]
      • The only reference to a hedge witch throughout the entire series was on a loose page of the Underworld storybook which appears in "Firebird" and tells the story of a wood troll who has a phobia of insects. A member of the Council of Elders of the North Riding, a hedge witch known as Old Maggie, concocted a potion that cured Darius' fear.[6]

Popular Culture

Appearances

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 TwitterLogo Melissa Hastings (@MelissaIsUberA) on X, formerly Twitter: Given her cursed profession, would you say it’s safe to presume that Sage was some sort of healing witch or witch doctor, etc? (April 9, 2018). (backup link; the user's account and the original post have been deleted) (archive screenshot)
    TwitterLogo Jane Espenson (@JaneEspenson) on X, formerly Twitter: hedge witch is the term that came to my mind (April 9, 2018). (archive screenshot)
  2. Sage. Witchipedia. Retrieved on November 2, 2018. “White sage Salvia apiana is sacred in many Shamanic and Native American belief systems and is used in smudging, and other, ceremonies to purify the body. Smudge sticks made of white sage are often found in New Age shops and kits are heavily marketed to modern magical practitioners. (...) Sage is used in magical workings for immortality, longevity, wisdom, protection and the granting of wishes.”
  3. TwitterLogo Jane Espenson (@JaneEspenson) on X, formerly Twitter: She was a minor witch, presumably a supporting character in someone's story. Not meant to reference a specific witch from folklore. (April 9, 2018). (backup link) (archive screenshot)
  4. hedgewitch. TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved on November 2, 2018.
  5. Welcome To Hedge Witch Forest. Hedgewitch Forest. Retrieved on November 2, 2018. “A Hedge Witch is a solitary practitioner of the herbal arts – both, medicinal and spiritual.”
  6. File:520ThatsRight.png
    File:520ThatsRight2.png
    File:520Vermin.png
  7. File:712LucysDoctor.png
  8. File:719UsingMagic.png
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