Walpurgisnacht
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She will turn all of fate's misfortune to nothing.
She will flood the earth with magic,
and take all of humankind into her play.
A moving stage construction.
If everything is a play, then there's nothing to be sad about.
It may be a tragedy, but it'll all be part of the script.
The play stops on Walpurgisnacht,
and the earth does not turn even once more.
The story will not change.
Tomorrow, and the day after, is the night of Walpurgis.- From the Production Note
Walpurgisnacht (ワルプルギスの夜 Warupurugisu no Yoru, "Night of Walpurgis" or "Walpurgis' Night") is supposedly the strongest witch current magical girls would have to fight. Her real name is unknown, while "Walpurgisnacht" is a common moniker given to it by magical girls. Her nature had been kept mysterious during most of the series, which led to a lot of speculation from fans during the original broadcast.
She reappears in Madoka Magica Portable and Magia Record.
For a compilation of historical, mythological, and literary information concerning Walpurgisnacht, a term first mentioned by Homura in Episode 6, see Speculah:Walpurgisnacht.
Witch Cards
舞台装置の魔女（通称・ワルプルギスの夜 / 本名不明）その性質は無力。回り続ける愚者の象徴。 歴史の中で語り継がれる謎の魔女。通称・ワルプルギスの夜。 この世の全てを戯曲へ変えてしまうまで無軌道に世界中を回り続ける。 普段逆さ位置にある人形が上部へ来た時、暴風の如き速度で飛行し瞬く間に地表の文明をひっくり返してしまう。
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The stage-constructing witch (alias: Walpurgisnacht / real name: unknown); her nature is helplessness. She symbolizes the fool who continuously spins in circles. The witch's mysteries have been handed down through the course of history; her appellation is "Walpurgisnacht." She will continue to rotate aimlessly throughout the world until she completely changes the whole of this age into a drama. When the doll's usual upside-down position reaches the top part of the witch, she completely roils the civilization on the ground in a flash through her gale-like flight. | ||||||||||
Minions
舞台装置の魔女の手下。その役割は道化役者。強大な魔力に引かれ集まった無数の魂。ワルプルギスの夜自身が元々一人の誰かであったのか、或いは多くの魂が集合することにより生まれた幻であるのか、今となっては分からない。
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The stage-constructing witch's minions. Their duty is to be clowns. Countless souls drawn to her vast magical power. Nobody knows whether Walpurgisnacht was initially a single person, or if it was a phantom born from the gathering of many spirits. | ||||||||||
舞台装置の魔女の手下。アオハナ。ワルプルギスの夜と呼ばれる巨大魔女がもたらす災害時に現れる魔女の手下。宙に浮かぶワルプルギスの夜の首に繋がれた綱を引きながら、まるでサーカスのような一団を形成しパレードを行う。これらの一団は全てワルプルギスの夜の手下であると考えられているが、その実態については不明な点も多い。一部の文献では、四足獣に乗っている者を"アオハナ"、赤と黒の長耳の者は"アカハナ"と記されている。同時期に出現する影の姿をした好戦的な手下達と違い、パレードを邪魔しない限り襲い掛かって来ることはない。彼らの相手をするぐらいなら一刻も早くその場から逃げた方が良いだろう。
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Minions of the witch of stage constructions. Bluenose. Witch minions that appear alongside catastrophes brought about by the giant witch known as "Walpurgisnacht" . They pull the ropes connected to Walpurgisnacht's neck as she floats in the sky, forming a circus troupe and conducting a parade. All the members of the troupe are thought to be Walpurgisnacht's minions, but many facts of the matter are still unclear. Some documents refer to the ones riding four-legged beasts as "Bluenose" , and the red-and-black creatures with long ears as "Rednose" . Unlike the aggressive, shadow-like minions that appear at the same time, these minions will not attack unless you obstruct their parade. Rather than attempting to fight them, it'd be much more advisable to flee as fast as possible. | ||||||||
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History
Original Anime
Walpurgisnacht makes her first appearance in Episode 1 where she appears in Madoka's dream. She isn't given any name in her first appearance. This led to some speculations about the witch's identity before it was finally revealed in Episode 10 as Walpurgisnacht. It is revealed that Walpurgisnacht will always attack on a set date during Homura's time loops. Homura uses the month to not only protect Madoka but also try to prepare to defeat the witch. Homura is the only one aware of the attack because of the first timeline.
Walpurgisnacht kills Mami and Madoka in timeline 1 from episode 10 which causes Homura to contract. In timeline 2 and 4 Madoka is able to defeat Walpurgisnacht but the grief from it causes her Soul Gem to turn black and she transforms into a witch. In timeline 3 both Madoka and Homura defeat Walpurgisnacht but both their Soul Gems still darken.
In Episode 11 Walpurgisnacht arrives in the current timeline and the city is evacuated as they think it's a storm. Homura begins to fight the witch with a large arsenal of weapons but they never seem to do damage. Homura is eventually shot down and runs out of time in her shield. With her leg crushed and all hope left her Soul Gem begins to darken but Madoka arrives and finally declares she's decided on a wish. Madoka wishes to destroy all witches and finally becomes a magical girl. The clouded sky clears and Madoka promises Walpurgisnacht she doesn't have to feel sorrow and pain anymore. The shots from Madoka's bow destroys Walpurgisnacht's humanoid form leaving only the cog left. As Madoka finishes her off, the familiars dance around the cog.
Madogatari
Description
(Same as card) All weight and friction in this witch's vicinity falls into disorder. Her exhalations become churning flames, and will surely reduce every last truth and lie to dust. The sight of her, acting as an extraordinary natural disaster, doth truly resemble the end of days.
Song
The lyrics were first published in the Rakugaki Note (see gallery)
The Witch of Stage Devices' Song
| Original text | Translation |
|---|---|
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＊かなり遠くのスピーカーからながれているように 紳士淑女の皆様 幾時代かは零れ落ち ミルクは今のうちに飲んでおけ！ |
＊Sounds as if it's being played through speakers from far away Ladies and gentlemen, one and all Countless generations spill out and fall away Drink your milk up while you still can. |
Observations
- While Walpurgisnacht does not need to hide in a barrier, like other witches, her arrival in Mitakihara Town is preceded by a carnival-like procession of familiars. This is apparently a reflection of her theatrical theme, and possibly also evidence of her desire to transform the world into a giant "stage."
- Walpurgrisnacht shown being the other half of Kriemheld Gretchen is likely Walpurgris fusing with her, completing the sand timer symbolism between the two
- Walpurgisnacht is named for Walpurgisnacht, a traditional spring festival celebrated on 30 April or 1 May in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. For more information on the festival's history, cultural and literary impacts, and connection to witchcraft, see Speculah:Walpurgis Night
Trivia
- Kyoko confirmed that Walpurgisnacht was the most powerful witch in Episode 9. However in Episode 10, Madoka eclipsed her in power in two of the timelines created by Homura, becoming the god-like Kriemhild Gretchen. Episode 11 showed that Walpurgisnacht can withstand repeated attacks from heavy artillery, and her mere appearance can cause hundreds of deaths.
- The witch's most prominent familiars take the form of former magical girls, as evidenced by their resemblance to the magical girls shown in the final scene of Episode 12.
- The manga version even takes this one step further by explicitly featuring the deceased Sayaka, Kyouko and Mami, all of which are main characters, as Walpurgis's minions. It turns out that this depiction was in the original storyboard of Episode 11. It is unknown why this was changed
- They also bear similiarity to characters from the music video of Maaya Sakamoto's Universe. This is unsurprising as both the MV and witch sequences are designed by animators Gekidan Inu Curry.
- Walpurgis never drops a Grief Seed in any of the timelines. Whether this is because she doesn't have one or because the Grief Seed is always lost in the confusion of battle is unknown.
- However, Walpurgisnacht is known to have a Grief Seed in Madoka Magica Portable.
- The mandala surrounding the witch has a tomoe pattern on it.
- Official description from July 2011 Megami interview with Urobuchi: In the last episode we saw the "Walpurgisnacht", but what kind of witch is it specifically?
It has the destructive power to bring about natural disasters powerful enough to blow away an entire town, but originally it was a single witch. It's a witch that has grown from the combination of countless other witches. Walpurgisnacht combines with other witches in the same way two powerful tornadoes are able to combine and become larger. It's essentially a "conglomeration"-type witch. Because it's so powerful, it rarely shows itself. - The Guidebook describing the Witch's labyrinth design contains the line, "Everything in this world is fake. My life is nothing more than a drama that you penned. Please, prove it. "Faust" is on show." （この世界はすべて嘘でした。私の人生はあなたの書いた戯曲にすぎません。それを証明して下さい。「ファウスト」が上演中）
- According to witch animator and designer InuCurry, Walpurgisnacht's and Kriemhild Gretchen's silhouettes are supposed to make a pair.
- Puella Magi Production Note further reveals that Walpurgisnacht is meant to look like the upper half of a sand timer, while Kriemhild Gretchen looks like the lower half. Interestingly, Homura's shield has also been described as a sand timer
- According to Walpurgisnacht's page in the Guidebook, the top part of the gear can turn into a stage where her familiars hold performances.
- Also according to the Guidebook, the familiars become as heavy as rocks when grabbed, like a Konaki-jiji.
- Walpurgisnacht was voiced by Kaori Mizuhashi.
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story mentions Walpurgisnacht as a colossal super-dreadful witch, whose existence is only known through rumors from other magical girls.
- In the German version, Walpurgisnacht is just called Walpurgis.
- In art from the Puella Magi Production Note by Inu Curry, the text reads: "She will turn all of fate's misfortune to nothing. She will flood the earth with magic, and take all of humankind into her play. A moving stage construction. If everything is a play, then there's nothing to be sad about. It may be a tragedy, but it'll all be part of the script. The play stops on Walpurgisnacht, and the earth does not turn even once more. The story will not change. Tomorrow, and the day after, is the night of Walpurgis."
- The witch Hyades Daybreak from Puella Magi Kazumi Magica is very similar to Walpurgisnacht. Both are immensely powerful Witches that are amalgamations of other witches. Both also use the shadows of the magical girls that reside within them as familiars.
- In Kazumi Magica, Kyubey initially confused Hyades Daybreak for Walpurgisnacht.
Gallery
See also
- Concept for Walpurgisnacht, Episode 10 version
- Glossary#Walpurgis Night: Definition from the official website