Queen Elinor is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts, with her only appearance, in the ninth episode of the fifth season and is portrayed by guest star Caroline Morahan.
Queen Elinor is based on the character of the same name from the Disney/Pixar film Brave.
History
After her husband King Fergus' death while fighting an invasion from the southerners of Camelot, Queen Elinor is exiled by the clans. Her and Fergus' oldest child, Merida, is meant to become Queen, however, the clans do not agree with following her rule because she is a woman, and they kidnap her three brothers, holding them ransom to try and force her to relinquish the throne. However, Merida eventually proves her strength and courage to the clansmen, who accept her as their new Queen. ("The Bear King," "The Bear and the Bow")
Before Merida's coronation ceremony, she visits her father's grave, where Elinor finds her as they reminisce about missing Fergus. At the crowning ceremony, after Lord Macintosh offers up the diadem on behalf of all the clans who swore fealty to Merida, Elinor takes it and begins placing it atop her daughter's head, only to be interrupted by the arrival of a witch. The witch claims King Fergus struck a deal with her to obtain a magic helm, which Elinor realizes is true after seeing the bottom of the transaction scroll that bears her husband's signature mark. As Fergus died before he could pay her, the witch asks Merida to give her the interest she is owed or return the helm, and if not done by sundown tomorrow, she'll curse the citizens of the kingdom into being bears for the rest of their lives. Elinor searches through a cabinet for the helm, but Merida explains she packed the helm in her father's belongings before he went to fight the southerners, meaning he was wearing it when he died. As they talk about what to do about the witch, Merida reveals she remembers seeing that the knight who killed Fergus during battle had taken the helm from him. Elinor, knowing her daughter means to reclaim the helm from the knight, forbids her from even trying, out of fear of losing her too like she lost Fergus. Merida, however, insists she must because the entire kingdom is at stake. After getting the helm, the coronation resumes, with Elinor crowning Merida and declaring her as leader of the clans and protector of the highlands. When the witch comes to claim her payment, Merida announces she is destroying the helm rather than handing it over since no one should use magic to force people to fight for them in battle. Surprisingly, the witch praises her for her decision, as she has fulfilled what Fergus came to her for: magic to ensure the future of his kingdom, and it was from Merida's journey that she learned to be a true leader. Elinor huffs at the witch that her magic isn't very direct, while the witch chuckles that she prides herself on satisfied customers. ("The Bear King")Family
King Fergus † | Queen Elinor | ||||||||||||||||||
Merida | Triplet sons | ||||||||||||||||||
Notes:
- Solid lines denote blood parent-child relationship
- Dashed lines denote relationships that result in offspring
- † denotes the deceased
Appearances
Once Upon a Time: Season Five | |||||||||||
"The Dark Swan": | "The Price": | "Siege Perilous": | "The Broken Kingdom": | "Dreamcatcher": | "The Bear and the Bow": | "Nimue": | "Birth": | "The Bear King": | "Broken Heart": | "Swan Song": | |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | |
"Souls of the Departed": | "Labor of Love": | "Devil's Due": | "The Brothers Jones": | "Our Decay": | "Her Handsome Hero": | "Ruby Slippers": | "Sisters": | "Firebird": | "Last Rites": | "Only You": | "An Untold Story": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 King Fergus: You gave me daughter magic, turned me wife and boys into bears.
- "The Bear King," Once Upon a Time, ABC.