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For the character who impersonated her, see Evil Queen. For the Sea Witch, see Ursula (sea witch). |
Ursula, also known as the Goddess of the Sea, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts, with her only appearance, in the sixth episode of the third season and is voiced by guest star Yvette Nicole Brown.
Ursula is based on the sea witch from the fairytale, "The Little Mermaid"; and on the character of the same name from the Disney film, The Little Mermaid.
History
In the Enchanted Forest, Ursula is a famed mythical figure worshipped by mermaids and humans alike as a goddess of the sea. As legend has it, Ursula grants mermaids the gift of walking on land for twelve hours from high tide until the next high tide once a year. Around that time, a seafaring kingdom throws a ball in her honor. In an act of trickery, the Evil Queen impersonates Ursula in order to lure a mermaid, Ariel, with an offer to remain human permanently, but the cost is someone else must take her place. Ariel follows suit by clasping a magical bracelet on a human friend, Snow White, which causes her legs to turn into a mermaid tail. Eventually, Ariel discovers the truth and distracts the Evil Queen so she and Snow White can escape. However, the Evil Queen gets back at Ariel by stealing her voice, and later returns to her palace. In one of the mirrors, Ursula makes herself known and plunges out her tentacles to entrap the Evil Queen. Deeply offended at the masquerading ploy, she threatens if it happens again, the Evil Queen will find out exactly how real Ursula is. ("Ariel")
Magical Abilities
- Divine Magic - Ability to use huge and nearly infinite magic as a Deity.
- Immortality - Eternal unaging life. Can only be killed by erasing them from existence with the Olympian Crystal.
- Mirror Enchantments - Ability to see through mirrors and travel through them.
- Shapeshifting - Ability to alter the appearance of oneself or others.
Trivia
Character Notes
- According to Ariel, Ursula is a thousand years old. ("Ariel")
- King Poseidon named his daughter after her. ("Poor Unfortunate Soul")
Production Notes
- It was Lana Parrilla's decision to introduce some of Ursula's lines from the Disney movie in her character dialogue,[1] as her favorite Disney character is Ursula from The Little Mermaid.[2]
- Yvette Nicole Brown was given the role of Ursula as a gift from the creators for being a fan of the show.[3]
Disney
- One of the fans at Isaac's book signing is dressed up as Disney's Ursula.[4] ("Operation Mongoose Part 1")
Props Notes
- There is an illustration of Ursula on Ariel's invitation to the Under the Sea Celebration.[5] ("Ariel")
Set Dressing
- During the Under the Sea Celebration, Ursula is pictured on a banner in Prince Eric's castle.[6] ("Ariel")
- One of the pictures pinned to the billboard in Lily's trailer is "'I know what you want' said the sea witch"[7] (1916), an engraving by the Irish stained glass-artist and book illustrator Harry Clarke. It depicts the a scene from Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale "The Little Mermaid," with the titular character and the sea witch. ("Lily")
Appearances
| Once Upon a Time: Season Three | ||||||||||
| "The Heart of the Truest Believer": | "Lost Girl": | "Quite a Common Fairy": | "Nasty Habits": | "Good Form": | "Ariel": | "Dark Hollow": | "Think Lovely Thoughts": | "Save Henry": | "The New Neverland": | "Going Home": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "New York City Serenade": | "Witch Hunt": | "The Tower": | "Quiet Minds": | "It's Not Easy Being Green": | "The Jolly Roger": | "Bleeding Through": | "A Curious Thing": | "Kansas": | "Snow Drifts": | "There's No Place Like Home": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Once Upon a Time: Season Four | ||||||||||
| "A Tale of Two Sisters": |
"White Out": |
"Rocky Road": |
"The Apprentice": |
"Breaking Glass": |
"Family Business": | "The Snow Queen": |
"Smash the Mirror": |
"Fall": | "Shattered Sight": |
"Heroes and Villains": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Darkness on the Edge of Town": |
"Unforgiven": | "Enter the Dragon": | "Poor Unfortunate Soul": |
"Best Laid Plans": | "Heart of Gold": | "Sympathy for the De Vil": |
"Lily": | "Mother": | "Operation Mongoose Part 1": |
"Operation Mongoose Part 2": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Once Upon a Time: Specials | ||||||||||
| "Magic is Coming": |
"The Price of Magic": | "Journey to Neverland": | "Wicked is Coming": | "Storybrooke Has Frozen Over": | ||||||
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | ||||||
| "Secrets of Storybrooke": | "Dark Swan Rises": | "Evil Reigns Once More": | "The Final Battle Begins": | |||||||
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |||||||
| Other Appearances | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
