Out of all of the new Shannara Chronicles characters, Mareth is easily the one with the most complicated backstory. Leaving us wondering, what’s her deal?
Mareth is one of the new additions The Shannara Chronicles has brought to us this season. It might seem as though the half-elf half-human hybrid has been dropped into our laps out of nowhere, but if you look closely, that’s simply not the case.
Mareth’s past
This week we found out that Mareth is the daughter of Allanon and Pyria. If you recall, we actually met Pyria back in season 1 of The Shannara Chronicles. She was introduced as the shunned sister of King Eventine, making her Amberle’s great aunt.
As far as we know, Amberle and Pyria only met in person once, and during that meeting Pyria’s first instinct was that Amberle had sought her out because she was pregnant with no one else to turn to. Looking back, we can assume that Pyria was probably projecting some of her own crises onto Amberle — planting the seed for Mareth’s introduction long before we were aware.
We know for certain that Allanon and Pyria’s relationship was taboo for its time. Pyria being an Elf and Allanon being a Human, it was an unacceptable pairing. That’s not even taking into account the fact that Pyria was a princess and most certainly under a higher level of scrutiny than a typical Elven girl.
Furthermore, Allanon’s status as a Druid meant that not only would he age at a different rate than those around him, he was also committed to magic and destiny in ways other men weren’t.
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Eventually, this rift between her parents expanded into a rift between Mareth and her mother. Pyria wasn’t able to answer all of the questions Mareth had about Allanon, probably because it was too hard for her, so eventually the young girl packed her bags and made her way into the big wide world.
We don’t really know what she was doing on her own for so many years, but hopefully we’ll get more details about this missing time as the season unfolds.
Mareth’s present
Now that we have an understanding about where Mareth came from, we can start analyzing what that means for her currently.
For starters, it’s likely that Allanon never knew he had a child to begin with. He and Pyria didn’t exactly part on good terms. It’s canon that he never even said goodbye to her before descending into his Druid hibernation, essentially leaving Pyria without any explanation or proper closure. This means he probably disappeared before Pyria even got a chance to tell him about Mareth’s existence.
We also now know that Mareth and Amberle are cousins. At first glance that’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but in Wil’s mind it might make a huge difference. Amberle put a lot of faith in family and her responsibility to them was a big part of why she was willing to sacrifice herself to the Elcrys tree.
If Wil remembers this, he might be more inclined to help Mareth track down Allanon in Amberle’s honor.
Mareth’s future
However it comes about, it’s going to be essential that Mareth find Allanon. Not only does she deserve a chance to connect with her father, it’s important that she receive some guidance from the last Druid on Earth.
We learned this week that Mareth’s magic presented itself naturally. Unlike Allanon, her magic is innate and she’s taught herself everything she knows: an unheard of ability as far as we’re aware. This means there’s something special inside of Mareth and she’s going to need help in uncovering her destiny.
There’s also the fact that Mareth is essentially Elven nobility. I’m not sure if this is a path the show will explore this season, but it could be interesting seeing her thrust into a position she never expected to be in. Her ‘mixed’ status may complicate matters, but I can’t imagine King Ander turning away any Elessedil at this point in his life.
What are your thoughts on Mareth?
Now you tell us! What are your thoughts on Mareth? What do you think she was doing after she left her home? Do you have any idea what her destiny may be? How do you think Allanon will react to learning he has a daughter? Tell us in the comments below.
The Shannara Chronicles airs Wednesdays, at 10 p.m. on Spike TV.
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