Written in Red question

I am betting that Tess is the race of beings that started the Grim Reaper legends. But just like all of the other myths and legends about the Terra Indigene they only have a grain of truth to them and they are a lot more dangerous then the legends imply. Another thing that I found interesting about Tess is that when Meg called Tess to hear the prophecy about the poisoned sugar cubes Tess was wondering if Meg realized something specific about Tess that would make her want to call Tess in that particular situation or if it was just blind luck. So whatever race that Tess is a part of has some kind of ancient connection to the cassandra sangue my wild speculation is that they were some kind of ancient guardians or protectors for the cassandra sangue. Tess is also one of the few members of the courtyard that knew anything specific about the cassandra sangue and told the other members not to ask her how she knew these things about the cassandra sangue.

Perhaps like Morrigan from Celtic Mythology?

The writhing hair reminded me of a Gorgon/Medusa but the hair colour changes and "It was raining inside her skull." effect when Tess gets rid of her human mask aren't part of any Gorgon/Medusa myth I remember reading...

Curiosty got the better of me and looked up the meaning of the name Tess. In Greek it means reap. In English, the name is a derivative, and means harvester. Bishop does enjoy adding layers of meaning to her characters. The concept of linking the triple animal Egyptian deity of Ammit to the character Tess is intriguing since Tess has 3 distinct levels of color change in her hair.

Gorgon with some handwavium to explain that turning to stone was a misunderstanding based on the way her gaze life drains limbs first

Also, Calling her a Medusa is the same as calling vampires Draculas.

Honestly, I feel like she's a cross between Thanatos (greek god of Death) and a personification of the four horseman of the apocalypse . The reason for this is because Henry calls her a Plague Rider, which if you've read revelations you know that the riders were pestilence, war, famine & death, all of which surround Tess when she's in her true form. also, the four horses were described in color as White, pale (often depicted in art as green to symbolize disease & sickness), red and black, which are the colors of Tess's hair. Before you say that her hair never turns white..you're right. But, in the Bible, the rider on the white horse is the false prophet, or the Antichrist, which is probably why that color was left out.

Remember that Darrell instantly wet himself when she let her mask fade. I do not think a lion-hippo-crodocile would have that effect. I am thinking the Grim Reaper behind the human mask. But also http://www.annebishop.com/a.reader.q.... the author says "isn't based on any particular myth or earthly creature. The inability to define her is one of the things I find so chilling about her." BTW I absolutely love how Ms. Bishop's characters are tamed by cookies both the really, really terrifying Tess (serving cookies in The Little Bite) and several Wolves.

I figure that Tess is a combination of both the Gorgon myth and the Python myth. The books state that the effect of Tess' power requires looking at her. One man sensed something and shielded his son from looking at her and the boy was unharmed. The way Bishop described the death of Asia indicated that she was paralyzed by looking at Tess and that Tess posed her in the car the way she wanted her to be found. A person who was totally paralyzed but could posed would look like they had been turned to stone to a primitive person. The hair would have looked snakelike and alive as it curled by itself as it changed color. The Python part is that Tess knew the ritual way to talk to an Oracle (Cassandra sangre) so her kind would likely have had contact with ancient Greece like the Python myth.

Somehow I think that since this is a trilogy, we won't be finding out what she is until the last book...or maybe we we will get a novella about her!

I love the fact that she "makes it rain" inside the bitches head.

I have no idea what Tess is and I can't wait to see everything unfold while we do find out.

I'm sure glad she on our side though... Just don't get her mad.

http://www.santharia.com/religions/qu...

My guess is that she's modeled after this. The 'stillness of death' part seems especially fitting.

http://www.santharia.com/medicine/bod...

This is a better link. It mentions sanguine as well, though not like Meg.

I was interested in this too and I found reference to a dragon with 'earth spirit' parents who originally guarded the Delphic oracle, I thought that might explain Tess' reaction when Meg asked her to record her message. "In Greek mythology, Delphyne (Greek: Δελφύνη) is the name of the female dragon who was appointed by her mother, Gaea, to guard the oracle of Delphi. She is sometimes called Python and may, in the stories, be replaced with or accompanied by a male dragon (either Python or Typhon). She is sometimes equated with Echidna, a monster with the head and torso of woman, but the lower part of a snake, who was the consort of Typhon.
In one tale, Delphyne (here half maiden, half snake, like Echidna) guards the sinews of Zeus, which had been stolen by her mate Typhon"

There's links to a few other mythological beings including
"In Greek mythology, a drakaina (Ancient Greek: δράκαινα) is a female dragon, sometimes with human-like features. Examples included Campe, Ceto, Delphyne, Echidna, Scylla, Lamia (or Sybaris), Poine, and Python (when represented as female).
Python, slain by Apollo, and the earliest representations of Delphyne are shown as simply gigantic serpents, similar to other Greek dragons. However, although the word "drakaina" is literally the feminine form of drakon (Ancient Greek for dragon or serpent), most drakainas had some features of a human woman. Lamia, Campe, Echidna, and many representations of Ceto, Scylla and Delphyne had the head and torso of a woman."
And then Stheno (one of the gorgons) also sounded a bi intriguing because she had red curling snakes for hair, which I hadn't remembered as being part of the gorgon myth so... yeah

"Stheno (Greek: Σθεννώ, English translation: "forceful"), in Greek mythology, was the eldest of the Gorgons, vicious female monsters with brass hands, sharp fangs and "hair" made of living venomous snakes. The daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, she was born in the caverns beneath Mount Olympus. She and her sister Euryale were both immortal, and the third sister, Medusa, was mortal until she was immortalized in her hideousness by Athena.
Of the three Gorgons, she was known to be the most independent and ferocious, having killed more men than both of her sisters combined. In Greek mythology, she was transformed into a Gorgon because of standing with her sister Medusa, who was either raped or seduced by the sea god Poseidon in the Temple of Athena. Athena was furious with Medusa. As a punishment, Medusa was changed into a terrible monster, along with her sisters Stheno and Euryale. Stheno tends to be depicted as a thin gorgon monster with red snakes curling around her head instead of hair."

Hmm.. While there's a chance this could just be straight up imagination on behalf of the author. I'd almost bet there's a myth here due to the fact that this is a major character and looking back Ms. Bishop does have a history of personifying mythology.

But then again I don't remember the seasons ever being depicted as cousins with killer horses. Anyone know where this bit of folklore is from or is it pure imagination?

Hahahah! "with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile".... Is that her Terra Indigene form then?? Awesome!

I wish that Ms. Bishop would give us a hint, as to what Tess is as terre indigene IS driving me nuts.
Can"t be Medusa as she turned people to stone. Kali ia not a name forgotten by the culture of India. so what is she???????

she could be nothing we have ever heard of and completely out of Ms. Bishops imagination,...though i have a feeling she is like a reaper, i know the hair color changing is unheard of but Ms Bishop could have been improvising and adding things....

I feel like Tess is a reaper. Not death so much as just a collector of souls or the dead. I thought of Tess much like I did Susan from Terry Pratchet's Disc world, see the Hogfather. She is a supernatural force trying to lead a normal life, but her abilities are way beyond normal. In written in red though people that see Tess and brush against her have no feeling in their limbs. The hair changing things is an interesting twist too.

I immediately thought of Medusa, too. The two main clues for me were the curling/writhing of her hair and the fact that more than one person mentioned "killing someone just by looking at them." Sounds like a gorgon to me! I love the comments. I loved this book!!