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"To my three beautiful girls. May this give you the light to find the shadows. The power of three will set you free."
Patty's inscription on the Spirit Board[src]

The Power of Three is the collective power of the Charmed Ones, said to be the strongest kind of magic that has ever and will ever exist in this world. The requirement to tap into this power is for each witch to possess one of the three following powers: Telekinesis, Molecular Immobilization, and the power of Premonitions. The Power of Three is the Charmed Ones' strongest weapon against dark forces and the representation of their sisterly bond.

Symbolizing the Power of Three is the triquetra, a symbol that also represents the Charmed Ones themselves (three together as one) and which is marked on their Book of Shadows.

While most of the spells written in the book require the Power of Three to take enough effect, it isn't always necessary for all three sisters to chant a spell together as long as they are all together at the same time. For example, Phoebe cast the spell to awaken their powers as the Charmed Ones alone and was merely in the vicinity of her and sisters; Piper summoned the Power of Three to save Paige from an invading spirit; and Paige summoned it to vanquish a Slime Demon.

Origins[]

It is not explicitly stated how a Power of Three bond is formed, but prophecy, lineage, identity, and mutual trust seem to be key factors. It could be possible that the three must take a blood oath as a promise to always remain together, or something of that nature, as Phoebe mentioned that she and her sisters once took one to always remain friends prior to becoming witches.

It may also be that one needs the aid of a spell to create such a bond. Phoebe read a spell titled "Dominus Trinus" to bestow the power of the Charmed Ones upon the sisters.

DominusTrinus

Hear now the words of the witches,
The secrets we hid in the night,
The oldest of Gods are invoked here,
The great work of Magic is sought.
In this night and in this hour,
We call upon the Ancient Power.
Bring your powers to we sisters three!
We want the power!
Give us the power!

Triangle of Power[]

Rowe Coven

The Rowe Coven

Brendan: "Three brothers destined to become the most powerful force for evil the world has ever known."
Prue: "The evil Charmed Ones."
— The evil counterpart to The Charmed Ones is revealed.[src]

Evil beings have also been seen to exploit the Power of Three. For example, the Rowe Coven was a trio of two warlocks and one half-Warlock (just as the reconstituted Charmed Ones were made up of the witches Piper and Phoebe and the half-witch, half-Whitelighter Paige), making them the evil equivalent to the Charmed Ones. Fortunately for the Charmed Ones, one of the warlocks was half human and rejected his evil heritage by becoming a priest with the Charmed Ones' help. With said brother relinquishing his powers and his two older brothers dead, the formation of an evil Power of Three was averted.

Pros & Cons[]

Strengths[]

The effect of a Power of Three bond being formed is that all the members' powers are pooled together into a collective. One of the benefits of this bond is High Resistance—the ability to withstand high levels of magical force that would kill an ordinary person.

An essential requirement to ensure its strength is the emotional bond shared between the members. As their bond to one another strengthens, their powers become stronger as well.

There are also spells that require the Power of Three to be fully effective, whether they were designed specifically to be used by said power or simply need an extra charge of magic, such as when Penny tried to send her granddaughters back to their time in the future.

Normal group06

Prue, Piper and Phoebe: the original Power of Three.

More powerful (and hence higher level) beings are harder to kill/affect with one's powers than lower-level ones; for example, Piper and the other Charmed Ones have been shown take direct hits from all kinds of attacks such as fireballs and energy balls and have survived them many times over, whereas such attacks would instantly vanquish any other magical creature. The Triad is also highly resilient to Piper's combustion power whereas other Lower-Level demons usually disintegrate within seconds. Therefore, this particular con is easily balanced out by the strength gained by their collective.

Weaknesses[]

The amount of power one gains from this bond is relative to the level of the other beings involved, though, in the case of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe, they were all more-or-less equal in strength when they first received the Power of Three.

Corruption

There is the fact that this collective magically links all of the members to each other in various metaphysical ways. Certain spells cast on one member may affect the others through this connection, such as when Prue was magically turned into an evil warlock through a Dark Binding ceremony, which subsequently caused Piper and Phoebe to turn into warlocks as well.

Season 8 Promo

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige: the reconstituted Power of Three.

Breaking the Bond

Additionally, the Power of Three bond can be broken in several ways:

If all members use their powers on each other in a negative manner or atmosphere, then the bond will be broken and their powers lost. Fortunately, this bond can be reforged by all three of the members reconnecting with one another on an emotional level or something to that effect. For example, when the Charmed Ones intentionally used their powers against each other in a heated argument, the Power of Three was severed since it was deeply rooted in their sisterhood rather than witchcraft. However, later on, they forgave each other for their actions, showing an understanding of the others' point of view and demonstrating their solidarity as sisters in a battle against Belthazor; as a result, their bond was restored.

The bond can also be broken in a more permanent way if one member dies. Although the strength of their power increases their chances of not being killed in battle, it is still possible, and such a death could have severe implications on the bond since the collective would be damaged beyond repair. In the case of the Charmed Ones, this was miraculously solved by the revelation that they had a half-sister, Paige Matthews, whose lineage as a Halliwell witch (as well as Whitelighter heritage) allowed the Charmed Ones' Power of Three to be reconstituted. However, this event is incredibly unlikely under normal circumstances.

Loss of Powers

It is also possible to weaken the Power of Three by removing the members' individual powers through spells, such as To Disempower a Witch, To Relinquish Our Powers, or To Call a Witch's Power. Zankou once stole two of the sisters' powers by tossing potions at them, which granted him limited access to their Book of Shadows's magic.

Imbalance

Cole Turner once asked Prue why she didn't reunite with her sisters when she came back to life by possessing a comatose witch. He believed she would be able to make them even more powerful. However, Prue deduced that because the Charmed Ones each inherited one of three specific powers from Melinda Warren, a reunion between all four sisters would have thrown their magic off balance since she and Paige both had the same power while Piper and Phoebe possessed the other two. This theory was proven true when Prue and Paige touched each other, causing a severe reaction in their magic. Phoebe lost control over her levitation and Piper's freezing power somehow started to spread throughout the city. The balance was only restored after Prue gave up her powers to let her sister maintain her place in the Power of Three.

Variations[]

The Power of One[]

The first time that the term Power of One was mentioned was in the episode The Wendigo. The Power of Three was also once referred to as the "Power of One" to describe how all three Halliwell sisters work as one.

The Power of Four[]

Main article: The Power of Four
Powerof4

Phoebe and Paige with their evil counterparts.

The term Power of Four was coined by the Phoebe Halliwell from an alternate universe where the balance of power was shifted towards evil.

The term described the collective powers of Paige, Phoebe, and their evil counterparts from the alternate universe, and was shown to be weaker than the Power of Three when they're not able to finish Gideon off by themselves. However, this may be at least partially due to the fact that there were only two Paiges and two Phoebes and no Pipers to finish off the trios.

The four witches tried to invoke the Power of Four with the following spell:

We call upon the Ancient Lore
To punish with the Power of Four,
Strike down this threat from both there and here,
Make him suffer, then disappear.

Notes and Trivia[]

  • The 'Power of Four' was used in "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World, Part 2".
  • Several times throughout the show the term "Power of Two" had been used when one of the Charmed Ones was separated from the other two. However, this was not intended to literally mean that; for a short time, the Charmed collective was diminished, though it cannot actually be hindered by distance—it merely means that only two were present to actually apply their powers and do what was required.
  • There had been certain hints throughout the show that Billie and Christy Jenkins's sisterly bond resulted in a Power of Two-like effect, and that, combined with their own individual powers, was what made them so strong.
  • On one occasion ("Forever Charmed") the "Power of Three" consisted of Penny, Patty (through fetus Phoebe), and Piper's combined power of three generations to banish the Hollow and get it back in his container box.
  • The only time the Charmed Ones are all affected magically due to their interconnection of the Power of the Three is in "Bride and Gloom" when all three original sisters are turned into warlocks as a result of Prue getting married through a Dark Binding, and Piper and Phoebe transform along with her. However, none of other cases of other Charmed Ones turning into dark beings, such as Piper turning into a Wendigo or a Fury, or Phoebe turning into a Banshee, and Paige becoming a Vampire, or suffering mental influence such Excalibur making Piper hungry for power has shown to affected other sisters.
    • Either there is an inconsistency regarding the magical interconnection of the Power of the Three, or it is because Prue was the true eldest of the sisters, so influencing her magically would affect her sisters.
  • Any three people possessing each of the Charmed Ones' powers through their blood, or a "To Call a Witch's Powers" spell, for example, were able to form their own Power of Three, provided they could stop the original users from channeling it in the first place. The Stillman Sisters, Patra, Pilar, and Phoenix exploited this for their own ends. In Season 2, three monkeys were injected with the sisters' blood and given their powers; and presumably obtained the Power of Three as well, but they never used it.
  • At one point during the show, all four actresses had it written in their contracts that they wouldn't have to say the Power of Three Spell too often.
  • The Power of Three Spell was last used in "The Power of 300".
  • In Season 9, the Council of Elders used their abilities of divine intervention to alter the prophecy of the Twice-Blessed Child, which concerned Piper's oldest son, Wyatt. They made it so that her two other children, Chris and Melinda were twice-blessed as well, and even went so far as to give Melinda unnatural Whitelighter abilities so that in the future, the three eldest children of the Charmed Ones would inherit a more potent form of the Power of Three and be an even greater force of good than the Charmed Ones. Their interference was absolved by the Angels of Destiny. The Angels then revealed that if Piper or Phoebe's kids were to ever inherit the Power of Three it would be under natural circumstances, such as if evil gained the upper hand, and not because of external forces interceding.
  • The term "The Power of Three" has been used as inspiration for many Charmed titles:
  • Many Charmed fans had theorized that if Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige had all known each other while Prue was still alive and connected, it would have led to a Power of Four and made them stronger than ever.
    • However, Prue explained in the Season 9 issue "The Heavens Can Wait" that if she and her three sisters were to unite, they would be weakened drastically, and it could even cause cataclysmic effects. Prue concludes that the Charmed Ones can only exist through The Power of Three since the prophecy foretold that each sister would inherit one of three specific powers from Melinda Warren. Since Prue and Paige both had the same power, the balance was tipped against them when they touched each other.
    • In the reboot series, there have been various groups of Charmed Ones throughout history and their power comes from the merging of the first trio with the combined magic of the original nine magical clans. Furthermore, not all existing sororities were related by blood.
    • Before the cancellation of the series in a hypothetical fifth season, a third reality would have been inserted in which the Charmed Ones are men. This would again represent the number three, as there would be three sets of three Charmed Ones. However, it is unknown what connection there would be between the three men of the trio or what the source of their power would be.

Other Media[]

Wizards of waverly place power of3

Wizards of Waverly Place:Russo siblings' Power of Three.

H2O mermaids fight Charlotte

H2O: Just Add Water: Emma, Cleo and Rikki fight Charlotte.

H2o Bella Rikki Cleo

H2O: Just Add Water: Bella, Rikki, and Cleo create a Tower of Light.

Other movies and television shows have mimicked this term:

  • In the Disney Channel show "Wizards of Waverly Place", starring Selena Gomez, her character Alex Russo and her two brothers Justin & Max once used a form of the Power of Three to vanquish a powerful Angel of Darkness, a creature that shared some similarities to a Darklighter. This is an obvious nod toward Charmed, with both shows sharing several similarities.
  • A similar term was used in the Disney Channel movie "Return to Halloweentown," where three members of the Cromwell family of witches (Marnie, Dylan, and Gwen) combine their powers to "destroy" a magical amulet created by three of their ancestors (hence why it required three family members to accomplish this). Silas Sinister said "By the power of three" right before casting a spell with his fellow witches to revert Dylan to his human form, who was turned into a dog by his three daughters.
  • In the season 5 episode of The Vampire Diaries, a witch named Qetsiyah utilized the blood of three Petrova doppelgängers for a powerful spell to turn her descendant into the Anchor of the Other Side—a realm that trapped dead supernatural beings. While casting the spell, the women's blood came together and formed the triquetra symbol.
  • While not the same, the Australian television show H2O: Just Add Water centered around three young girls: Cleo Sertori, Emma Gilbert, and Rikki Chadwick who were transformed into mermaids on the night of a full moon when they were in a magical pool of an ancient island together. Each mermaid was granted one power, such as bending water, freezing water, and heating water, and they could retain their human forms as long as they didn't touch water. In addition, the mermaids were vulnerable to the power of the full moon, which has different effects every time. In the season 2 premiere episode, the girls were exposed to the full moon, and their powers enhanced individually (Aerokinesis, Cryokinesis and Pyrokinesis) By combining all three, they realized they could control the weather. In the season 2 finale, they combined their powers to create a powerful storm and defeat an evil mermaid who had all of their powers. In season 3, Emma left the trio to travel the world with her family and was replaced by another mermaid from a different Moon Pool: Bella Hartley, who could jellify and solidify water. Together, they pulled all of their powers to generate a tower of energized water to prevent a comet from hitting the Earth, which would have destroyed the world. Before these four, there was another trio of mermaids in the 1950s named Gracie (Charlotte's grandmother), Louise, and Julia.
    • In the sequel series, Mako Mermaids, after a boy (Zac Blakely) accidentally fell into the moon pool and restored his true merman form and powers, the three Southern mermaids who were guarding the pool at the time (Lyla, Nixie, and Sirena) were cast out of their pod as punishment. To redeem themselves and earn their places back within the pod, they journeyed to land on a mission to strip Zac of his powers. Ultimately, the mermaids learned to work with the merman to stop a common enemy. In season 2, Lyla and Nixie rejoined their pod while Sirena went back with two mermaids (Ondina and Mimmi, the latter revealed to be Zac's long-lost sister) to work out their situation with Zac which led to his girlfriend Evie accidentally becoming a mermaid. In the end, by deactivating the mermaid-destructive chamber and stopping the merman Erik, Zac earned the trust of the pod for the latter to return to the Mako coast. In season 3, Sirena went on vacation with her sister, and her place within the trio was replaced by an Eastern mermaid named Weilan from Shanghai. The Mako pod was threatened by the presence of a powerful water dragon whose mission was to wipe out the merfolk. In the series finale, the trio also encountered one of the H2O mermaids, Rikki, who had become a famous diver.

See also[]

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