Elsa Maria
Elsa Maria (ELSAMARIA) is a witch who battles Sayaka at the end of Episode 7. Her barrier is full of dark shadows with a white background. Her symbolism includes Christian crosses, and the terrain forms a large arm holding either a torch or a monstrance. Elsa Maria appears to be praying before this object when Sayaka engages her. She fights with fanged snake-like minions and tree branches that extend from her body.
影の魔女。その性質は独善。全ての生命のために祈り続ける魔女。祈りの姿勢を崩さぬまま、その影の中へとあらゆる命を平等に引きずり込む。この魔女を倒したくば、黒色の苦痛を知らなくてはならない。
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The witch of shadow with a self-righteous nature. She continually prays for all of creation and drags all life equally into her shadow without breaking her posture. One hoping to defeat her must know the blackest anguish. | ||||||||||
Minions
影の魔女の手下。その役割は妄信。 影の魔女によって平等に救われてしまった命達の集合体。 彼らは同胞を求めている。
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The shadow witch's minions, whose duty is to blindly believe. They are an aggregate of the lives who have found salvation thanks to the shadow witch. They continually seek out companions. | ||||||||||
Speculations
- Elsa Maria may be Kyouko's younger sister, who Kyubey secretly made into a Puella Magi.
- It would appear to be very hard for there to be a magical girl that other magical girls didn't know about in the first place, especially when another one was her sister. This seems too unlikely, especially since Kyouko said, in episode 7, that everyone but her in her family were killed. Although unlikely, the true form of a magical girl is the soul gem, it is possible that Kyouko's father may have killed the body of Momo but the soul gem was left over to become the witch.
- There's no doubt that Elsa Maria has some sort of religious symbolism to her, since she's praying, but there's not even a single reference to the Sakura family religious symbol, whereas Kyouko literally wears it as part of her magical girl outfit. This speculation seems at best very unlikely.
- It would appear to be very hard for there to be a magical girl that other magical girls didn't know about in the first place, especially when another one was her sister. This seems too unlikely, especially since Kyouko said, in episode 7, that everyone but her in her family were killed. Although unlikely, the true form of a magical girl is the soul gem, it is possible that Kyouko's father may have killed the body of Momo but the soul gem was left over to become the witch.
- Some think that Elsa Maria, as a girl, was abused by the church and wished for it to stop/for the abuser to perish. When this then happened she may have been overcome by grief and turned into a witch, which nature is self-righteous. Could fit if we consider that her barrier is based on a church because she became a witch in a church.
- Possibly a reference to the song Ave Maria which Kyousuke Kamijou is known to play.
- It could also be a reference to Jeanne d'Arc, another magical girl (as shown in episode 12.) Jeanne said she was hearing the voices of saints, angels and God, and prayed very often.
- Elsa Maria may be linked to Kakure Kirishitan (or "Hidden Christians") which were a group of practicing Christians that existed in hiding from the mid 1600's and on. Freedom of Religion was finally granted to Japanese citizens in 1871, which may have been the result of a wish. This would explain the heavily religious nature of the witch.
- The counter-argument to this is since there's strong evidence that magical girls do not tend to live long, with mid-20s to 30s being considered a long life for a magical girl, it is unlikely that Elsa Maria's wish was related to events that occurred hundreds of years in the past.
- However, it is possible that she is a long-lived witch.
- On the other hand, Elsa Maria could simply be a modern Japanese Christian, possibly a descendant of the Kakure Kirishitan and/or simply very influenced by their history and martyrdom (like real life writer Shusaku Endo, who was Catholic). She could be from either Nagasaki (the city with the biggest historical connection with Japanese Catholicism, and one of the places where the Kakure Kirishitan came from) or the Madoka world's equivalent to Nagasaki.
- The counter-argument to this is since there's strong evidence that magical girls do not tend to live long, with mid-20s to 30s being considered a long life for a magical girl, it is unlikely that Elsa Maria's wish was related to events that occurred hundreds of years in the past.
- The Guidebook indicates that Elsa Maria's labyrinth design is a Church, with the words "I wish you, although not seen from me, to be happy." （まだ見ないあなたが幸せであるように）. It indicates when the Witch dies, the stained glass collapses and drops into the air. There's a 'baaaaaaahn' sound like from a pipe organ.
- Perhaps the line indicates that while Elsa Maria wished the happiness of others (or someone else's), it could not reflect or attain her own happiness.
- Perhaps Elsa Maria was an organist or had a connection to a church pipe organ.
- Historic Fact: The word organ is derived from the Latin organum, an instrument similar to a portative organ used in ancient Roman circus games. In the 3rd century BC, the Greek engineer Ctesibius of Alexandria is credited with inventing an instrument called the hydraulis (aka a Water Organ), which delivered a wind supply maintained through water pressure to a set of pipes. The hydraulis was played in the arenas of the Roman Empire.
- Interestingly enough, Ctesibius is considered to be the "father of pneumatics", which deals with the study and application of use of pressurized gas to effect mechanical motion: ex. trains.
- Historic Fact: The word organ is derived from the Latin organum, an instrument similar to a portative organ used in ancient Roman circus games. In the 3rd century BC, the Greek engineer Ctesibius of Alexandria is credited with inventing an instrument called the hydraulis (aka a Water Organ), which delivered a wind supply maintained through water pressure to a set of pipes. The hydraulis was played in the arenas of the Roman Empire.
- The tree growing from Elsa Maria's back may be a reference to the Biblical tale of Adam & Eve. The familiars could be a reference to the animals in The Garden of Eden.
- There is possibility that Elsa Maria is praying for America to end World War II, given the Statue of Liberty-like image in her labyrinth. The dead tree look of her attacks may reference the effect of the fallout radiation from the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Japan. Her minions also are representative of the twelve zodiac, which may imply the transition after World War II from Eastern thought to the Western thought that happened after World War II.
- One of the attacks against Sayaka is reminiscent of the Rising Sun Flag of Japan during World War II.
- This theory does not contradict that Elsa Maria may have been highly religious or catholic, given that there was percentage of Catholic worshipers in Japan because of the missionary movements.
- One of the attacks against Sayaka is reminiscent of the Rising Sun Flag of Japan during World War II.
Gallery
Official Art
Elsa Maria in manga
Sketches from production notes.
- Production note elsa maria.jpg
Puella Magi Madoka Magica Official Guidebook "You Are Not Alone"
Production notes.
Elsa Maria's Grief Seed from Puella Magi Madoka Magica Portable
Screenshots
Runes circling the left and right sides of the screen reveal Elsa Maria's name.
The same scene on BD version.
Combined images of Elsa Maria's labyrinth.
Elsa Maria's grief seed.
Another look at her grief seed.
Elsa Maria's labyrinth, outside view on BD version.
Miscellaneous comparisons
Elsa Maria in her barrier.
A monstrance side by side with the witch's object.
- Statue of Liberty.png
The Statue of Liberty's torch side by side with the witch's object.
- Ep7witchandflashback.jpg
Shared symbolism raises the possibility that Elsa Maria might be Kyouko Sakura's sister.
Fanart
This section contains fanart images
Everything in the following fan gallery is created, or the comments accompanying them are created, for entertainment value and should not be confused with actual canon events of the Puella Magi franchise.- Elsa maria fanart human witch praying shadows.jpg
- Elsa maria covering face sebastians fanart.jpg
- Tumblr lr0ev9Em0M1qjzzhoo1 500.jpg
- Elsa maria witch pray for me fanart.jpg
- Elsa maria witch labyrinth fanart.jpg
- Elsa Maria.png
- Entering the barrier.jpg
- 18471637 p18.jpg
- ELSAMARIA black white artwork.jpg
External links
- Elsa Maria card at official website (Japanese)
- Sebastian's card at official website (Japanese)
- Elsa Maria pixiv fanart