Titania (also known as Tiandra[2]) was the Summer Queen of the Feywild,[1][2] leader of the Summer Fey,[2] and possibly the mightiest of all archfey.[1] She was also known as the Faerie Queen[4][5] and the Queen of Light[3] and led the Seelie Court.[3][4][5][6]
Description
Titania appeared as an eladrin of immense beauty. Her skin was the color of honey and her hair shimmered in all of the colors of autumn leaves. Her eyes glowed with gold like the sun.[2]
Alternatively, her avatar would appear as a small but beautiful gossamer-winged fairie with flawless, pale skin and immaculate cheekbones and gray-blue eyes.[4]
Personality
Titania was hard to classify personality-wise.[5] She seemed flighty and frivolous to some, but in truth she was a brilliant strategist both in court and on a battlefield. She had a dry sense of humor and could be very pragmatic when needed.[2] It was almost impossible to make her angry, but if a truly despicable act roused her ire, the perpetrator would be faced with the most powerful wrath![4]
Titania was amused by mortals and had been known to take some as lovers.[2]
Powers
Titania's very smile could cause crops to ripen, and her frown could trigger wildfires.[1][2] Her gaze could cause mortals to go mad.[2]
Titania's avatar shared a number of innate magical powers in common with the other sylvan gods.[7] Her avatar was immune to paralysis, all illusions and mind-affecting magics, and symbols and power words and could only be harmed by enchanted weapons. She was able to immediately recognize pure water, all animals and plants, and poisons. She had great charming powers, including the ability to place a geas on any creature to never enter sylvan lands. Titania could summon woodland creatures or swarms of critters to her aid. With a simple wave of her hand, she could entangle foes with any nearby vegetation.[4]
Possessions
Titania always carried a diamond-tipped wand, and her avatar fought with a magic dagger. Compared to her innate powers, the dagger was mostly decorative, but the wand was a staff of power that glowed as a gem of brilliance and surrounded her with a magic circle against evil. The wand could also create food and water or a feast fit for heroes. It could also purify food and drink.[4]
Divine Realm
The Seelie Court was also the name of Titania's realm. It had no permanent location but instead wandered from plane to plane, from the Beastlands to Arborea to Ysgard.[5]
The realm was one of the most beautiful places in existence, and time flowed differently there.[5]
Titania's palace was Senaliesse, where she held her Summer Court. Her throne room was overflowing with flowers, water fountains, and fine silks, and faeries flitted all about. Mortal bards and playwrights often performed for her.[2]
Titania's throne was ornately carved from ice in the shape of a dragon. (It was a mirror of the Queen of Air and Darkness's throne, except that that one was made of darkness and shadow.) The throne was in fact a magical construct that could serve as a guardian if needed.[3]
Activities
Titania watched over all fey beings, be they dryads, pixies, satyrs, treants, unicorns, or any of the other nearly countless varieties, desiring that all such creatures could someday live in utter joy.[5]
When the Seelie Court met, Titania's avatar was always present and almost always accompanied by at least one other member of the Inner Circle of the Court. All faeries knew when and where the Court would be meeting.[4]
If harm ever came to faerie lands, Titania would not hesitate to send her avatar to intervene.[4]
Relationships
Titania had a famous love affair with Oberon, the Green Lord,[1][2][5] and it was he who built her palace.[2] Some even called the couple husband and wife, while admitting that both took other lovers freely.[5] At other times, they were also great enemies;[1][2] at still other times, they were both lover and foe at the same time.[2]
Damh, the god of satyrs and korreds, was seen as Titania and Oberon's son. Verenestra, the goddess of dryads, was considered Titania's daughter.[7] The Prince of Frost was also a son of Titania.[8]
The so-called "Inner Circle" of sylvan gods respected Titania as their queen and deferred to her in matters of judgment. Skerrit, god of centaurs, and other "Outer Circle" gods did not follow Titania's rule, but she had great love for them and their worshipers nonetheless.[7]
The Seldarine were on good terms with Queen Titania and were willing to aid her whenever she requested it of them.[5][6]
The Queen of Air and Darkness was rumored to be the dark sister of Titania. Whatever the truth, Titania refused to wage open war against the evil queen and instead grieved for her.[7]
Noble eladrin infused with the power of summer served as her barons.[2]
Titania's niece, Lady Shandria, governed Astrazalian, the City of Starlight in the Feywild.[9]
Worshipers
Titania was worshiped by a plethora of non-evil fey beings. Brownies, bookas, pixies, and sprites considered her their patron deity.[4] Titania, like other sylvan gods, did not grant spells to her followers, nor did she have priests or clerics, for all fey creatures had magical powers of their own.[7]
Titania's followers taught that she was a goddess of goodness and mercy.[4] They saw her as a mother figure.[7] Her holy symbol was a white diamond with a blue star.[4][5]
History
Periodically, Titania hosted a parliament of all the separate fey courts—seelie and unseelie—at Senaliesse, which was sometimes called the Court of Stars.[2]
Titania was a patron to many warlocks in the Realms.[1]
Appendix
See Also
Appearances
Comics
Dungeons & Dragons Annual 2022
Video Games
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
Card Games
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
Inspiration
Titania was queen of the fairies in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Further Reading
Dragon #155, pp. 30–41, presents an alternative Queen of Faeries named Rhiannon, who shares many similarities with Titania but also some differences. All other 2nd-edition sources, however, refer instead to Titania.
External Links
Titania article at the Critical Role Wiki.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 138. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 Richard Baker, John Rogers, Robert J. Schwalb, James Wyatt (December 2008). Manual of the Planes 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 36–37. ISBN 978-0-7869-5002-7.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel and Faith M. Price (2002-12-13). Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Fey Feature. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2017-10-12.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 Carl Sargent (May 1992). Monster Mythology. (TSR, Inc), p. 119. ISBN 1-5607-6362-0.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 137. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 92. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Carl Sargent (May 1992). Monster Mythology. (TSR, Inc), pp. 117–118. ISBN 1-5607-6362-0.
- ↑ Keith Baker (June 2009). “Court of Stars: The Prince of Frost”. In Chris Youngs ed. Dragon #374 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 53–64.
- ↑ Richard Baker, John Rogers, Robert J. Schwalb, James Wyatt (December 2008). Manual of the Planes 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7869-5002-7.
Connections
The Inner Circle: Titania • Oberon • Verenestra • Damh • Sqeulaiche • Eachthighern
The Outer Circle: Skerrit • Fionnghuala • Caoimhin • Emmantiensien • Nathair Sgiathach • Lalibela
Formerly: Sarula Iliene
The Unseelie Court
Queen of Air and Darkness