- "Three hundred years and not a male in the bunch."
- —Penny Halliwell.[src]
The Warren Line is the lineage of witches to which the Halliwell family belongs. The line started with Melinda Warren, daughter of Charlotte Warren, in the late 17th century. They are the most powerful line of witches in history.
One of the things that have made the Charmed Ones and all witches in the line so strong is their bond as a family. This is particularly noteworthy in the Charmed Ones, three sister witches, whose powers are directly linked to their bond as sisters. Many demons have discovered that the key to weakening them is by breaking their bonds as sisters.[1]
The bond of family is important to all Halliwells, such as Penny Halliwell, the Charmed Ones' grandmother. She had fallen in love with the Necromancer, who offered her the opportunity to be brought back to life so they could live together at the cost of alienating her family and sacrificing generations of magical spirits. Though she appeared tempted, under a truth spell she told him that while she loved him, she loved her family more, then vanquished him.[2]
Phoebe Halliwell found a way to draw power from the witches of the Warren line. In order to vanquish the Source of All Evil, she wrote a spell to invoke the power of the entire line by invoking the names of powerful ancestors. This spell was powerful enough to vanquish the Source twice, though not strong enough to vanquish Barbas once he possessed the powers of Cole Turner.[3][4]
Starting with Patty Halliwell keeping her last name and giving it to her children, the family has had matrilineal tendencies. Piper Halliwell and Phoebe Halliwell also kept their last names on marriage and passed the name onto their children.
History
Melinda Warren
The birth of Melinda Warren.
The Warren Line of Witches began with Charlotte Warren, a witch practitioner and the mortal Lawrence Cutler. Charlotte was lead by the first witch to Eva and her coven of witches in Colonial Virginia because she was pregnant with a very magical baby.[5] Toward the end of her pregnancy, Charlotte was kidnapped by an evil witch named Ruth Cobb who sought to use the baby's powers for darkness instead of good. On October 31, 1670, Charlotte was rescued by the Charmed Ones, who were sent back in time in order to preserve the destiny of good magic, and delivered Melinda Warren in a protective circle with the help of Piper Halliwell.[6]
Melinda Warren grew up to become a powerful witch and created the Book of Shadows. She possessed three magical powers; telekinesis, molecular immobilization and premonition. Melinda married a mortal named William Jackson[7] and had a daughter named Prudence.
After the birth of her daughter, Melinda had an affair with the warlock Matthew Tate. After he mimicked her powers, he exposed Melinda as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials. Melinda in turn cursed him into a locket for his betrayal. Despite having the power to save herself, Melinda let herself be burned to ensure the safety of her daughter. While at the stake, she prophesied that each of her descendants would grow stronger and stronger, culminating in three sisters who would be the most powerful good witches ever to walk the earth, the Charmed Ones.[8]
Continuation of the Line
Prudence Warren was Melinda's only child, and was revealed to have the powers of Telekinesis and Premonition. ("Whispers From The Past"—Charmed book series). She continued writing in the well-hidden Book of Shadows, married a man named Michael Wentworth (who was ironically a ship captain like her grandfather was), and the two had a daughter whom they named Cassandra.
Cassandra Wentworth was the only known daughter of Prudence Warren, and inherited the power of Premonition. She presumably continued to write in The Book of Shadows, and came to marry a man named Victor Thompson. She gave birth to the siblings Alice Warren and Jack Warren. Cassandra was the last known Warren Witch to have full power of Premonition until the birth of Phoebe Halliwell.
Beatrice Warren was a witch of the Warren Line. Beatrice only had one leg.
Pamela Bousquet was a witch who lived during the mid to late 1700's and died in July of 1793 during the French Revolution. She possessed the powers of Telepathy and Invisibility. It is unknown who her parents are, however, she did not have any children, so she cannot be a direct ancestor of the Charmed Ones.
early days
The next several generations are seen only on the family tree, so it is unknown what any of their powers were. Alice Warren was married to Joseph Litchfield. They had two children: Emma Litchfield & Joseph Litchfield Jr. Emma had two children: Michael Williamson Jr. & Alan Williamson. The line follows Michael Williamson and his son Paul Williamson, who in turn has a daughter named Luciana Williamson. Her son, Max Warren continues the line with Cecilia and Randall Warren. Randall has a son named Johnny Warren, who has a son named Bartholomew. Bartholomew marries Christina Bowen and they have four children: Laura Anne Bowen, Jeffrey Bowen, Brianna Bowen, and one other child who's name is smudged out on the family tree.
mid range family tree
James and his wife had three children: Agnes (1870-1904), Philippa (1879-1949) and Gregory Bowen (1876-?). (Again, this contradicts statements throughout the series that the Warren line is purely female and that Wyatt Halliwell was the first male born into it.) However, it is possible that Gregory did not have any powers, and thus did not qualify as a witch. He married a woman named Lola and fathered the good witch P. Bowen (1895-1971). His sisters Philippa and Agnes, also married, taking the last names Baxter and Russell, and producing P. Baxter (1897-1970) and P. Russell (1894-1924), respectively.
Thus, the next generation of Warren witches were cousins P. Bowen, who had the power of cryokinesis, P. Baxter, who had the power of Molecular Deceleration, and P. Russell, who had the power of Pyrokinesis and Divination, and later, Fire Throwing. The three cousins turned the Halliwell Manor into a speakeasy during Prohibition in the 1920s.
P. Bowen worked as a photographer at the speakeasy while Baxter was the primary runner and caretaker, and Russell acted as a fortune teller and witch-for-hire for those who came to the Manor. (Which foreshadowed their future reincarnations. Prue took a job at 415 Magazine to fulfill her passion for photography, Piper owned the popular club P3, which figures prominently from the second season of the Charmed's run, and Phoebe once worked as a hotel lounge psychic to buy Prue a birthday present).
Unfortunately, P. Russell fell in love with a warlock named Anton and was turned evil through his influence. They plotted to kill Bowen and Baxter so that Anton would obtain their powers. To do this, Anton gave Russell a potion that tripled her powers and gave her the ability to throw fire. (It can be here noted that throwing fire is described as an upper-level demon's power. When Phoebe Halliwell, Russell's reincarnation, becomes Queen of the Underworld, she gains the power to throw fire.) Anton then shape-shifted into P. Baxter's former lover, who was a past life of Leo Wyatt.
During their attack on the Manor, Russell's cousins strangled her. Baxter and Bowen feared that Anton would be too much for their descendants to handle should he ever reunite with any future life of Russell. With this in mind, they also cursed Russell's soul so she and all her future lives would die on the same day and age. In modern times, Phoebe switches souls with Russell, and during this time, Russell accidentally vanquishes Anton when Prue deflects Russell's fire toward the warlock. The curse created by Bowen and Baxter was broken by Prue and Piper, when Phoebe and Russell returned to their bodies and Phoebe's sisters placed Russell's amulet around her neck to absorb the magic and stop its effect.
It is shown that P. Bowen was Prue's past-life, P. Baxter was Piper's past-life, and P. Russell was Phoebe's. They became sisters in their current lives, with Russell's pyrokinesis taken from Phoebe as a punishment for her abuse of it as Russell, and Prue and Piper given power advancements for their good deeds in their past lives. P. Baxter's husband, Gordon Johnson (1895-1965), was Dan Gordon's past-life and Penny Halliwell's father, and thus the Charmed Ones's great-grandfather. P. Baxter's unnamed former lover was a past life of Leo Wyatt, Piper's current husband. As another mistake of the writers, Leo Wyatt, who was born in 1924, would have had to die at least three years before the events of this episode. However, Baxter seems unsurprised at his appearance, as she would have been had he died.
The Halliwell Family
Penny Halliwell (1937-1998) was the daughter of P. Baxter and Gordon Johnson, wife of Allen Halliwell (1930-1967), and mother of Patty Halliwell. She was born in a hotel room in Boston. Penny was gifted with telekinesis and had gained such precision with it that, when she believed her granddaughters were being taken by warlocks (who were actually the Charmed Ones from the future), she was able to open the front door while simultaneously sending the trio flying out of the door from the solarium. She was married four times, engaged six, and divorced three times. Penny was also the lover of the Necromancer and was the one who ultimately vanquished him. Penny bound her granddaughters' powers until her death in 1998. Afterwards, she continues to help her granddaughters from beyond, whether as turning pages in The Book of Shadows or physically appearing as a ghost to assist them.
Patty Halliwell (1950-1978) was the mother of Prue, Piper, Phoebe Halliwell and Paige Matthews, ex-wife of Victor Bennett (1949), and former lover of Sam Wilder (1848), her Whitelighter. She was born in 1950. Patty had the power of molecular immobilization. In 1975, Patty made a pact with the warlock Nicholas and blessed his ring, granting him immunity to the Charmed Ones' powers. Soon after, she meets the future selves of three of her daughters and helps them to undo the pact that was made so that they would be able to vanquish Nicholas in their own time. (It appears that she and Penny created the Nicholas Must Die spell after sending them back to the future.) After getting divorced from Victor and getting into a relationship with Sam Wilder, Patty became pregnant with her fourth daughter, Paige, and gave her up to a local church soon after she was born, fearing repecussions of the Elders if they discovered she had a child with her Whitelighter. Soon after, Patty was drowned by a water demon. She occasionally assists her daughters from beyond.
Prue Halliwell (1970-2001; 2009), Piper Halliwell (1973), and Phoebe Halliwell (1975) were raised in the Halliwell manor by their grandmother Penny Halliwell (Grams) who died, leaving the house to the sisters. After the death of their eldest sister, Prue, the sisters were revealed to have another sister, Paige Matthews (1977). She was taken in by Piper and Phoebe to not only be loved but trained as a witch. As time went by, Piper, now the eldest sister, had two sons (Wyatt (2003) and Chris Halliwell (2004) with her husband, who was at the time an Elder, Leo Wyatt (1924-1942;1942). After he fell from grace and became mortal they had another child, Melinda Halliwell (2007). Phoebe, the living middle sister, found love in a Cupid named Coop, whom she soon married. The couple went on to have three daughters (Prudence Johnna (2007), Parker (2009) and P. Halliwell (2013)). Phoebe was also once pregnant with a son, while being married to Cole Turner (1885-2003). Paige, the youngest sister, married a mortal named Henry Mitchell. The two have twin daughters, Tamora and Kat (2007) and an adopted son, Henry Mitchell Jr. (2008).
In the distant future there are numerous children who play in the Halliwell manor in the presence of one of their "Grandmama", Piper Halliwell. The various grandchildren are all the children of the children of the Charmed ones, but all remain to be unnamed except for the eldest grandson Matthew Halliwell; his parents are unknown. The youngest granddaughter, Prudence Halliwell is distinctly seen talking to an elderly Piper and being handed down the Book of Shadows by Piper. As her ample amount of siblings and/or cousins enter the house Prudence telekinetically closes the door.
Pandora, daughter of Paige in the novel The Warren Witches, also gave up birth to a daughter named Posie, who went back in time to enlist the Charmed Ones' help to vanquish a powerful demon.
Appendices
- (Book of Shadows Comic text:)
The Warren Witches
- The powerful line of witches descended from Melinda Warren, a seventeenth century witch that was burned at the stake. The Warren Witches grew stronger with each generation until Patricia Halliwell gave birth to The Charmed Ones, a trio of sisters prophesied to be the most powerful witches the world has ever known. The line continues with their offspring, beginning with Piper's sons, Wyatt and Chris, who have journeyed from the future on occasion to help the current generation.[9]
Traditions and Recurring Themes
The "P" Tradition
"P" names is a long-standing tradition in the Warren line.
The first member of the Warren line to be given a "P" name was Prudence Warren. However, it did not became a tradition until the 1890s, where the three cousins P. Bowen, P. Baxter and P. Russell were born. Baxter continued the tradition by naming her daughter Penelope. She then named her daughter Patricia, who in turn named her daughters Prudence, Piper and Phoebe.
Patty even ensured the tradition would continue with her fourth daughter, Paige, whom she had to give up at birth. When leaving the newborn at a local church, she and Sam left her in a blanket embroidered with the letter P and requested that she would be given a "P" name.[10] Out of the Charmed Ones, Phoebe was the only one who continued the tradition, resulting in her daughters being named Prudence Johnna, Parker and a third P name.
Evil Attraction and Affairs
Across history, witches of the Warren line have often been attracted to or seduced by evil beings.
- Known Liaisons
- Melinda Warren with the warlock Matthew Tate[11]
- P. Russell with the warlock Anton[12]
- Penny Halliwell with the former demon The Necromancer[13]
- Prue Halliwell with the Half-Warlock Brendan Rowe[14]
- Piper Halliwell with the warlock Jeremy Burns[15]
- Phoebe Halliwell with the warlock Rex Buckland[16] and the demon Cole Turner[17]
- Paige Matthews with the vampire Rowan[18]
- Chris Halliwell with the Phoenix witch Bianca[19]
- Novels Only
- Prudence Warren with the warlock Hugh Montgomery (Whispers from the Past)
- Pamela Bousquet with the demon Qalmor (Seasons of the Witch Vol. 1)
- Patty Halliwell with Hugh Stenstrom (The Warren Witches)
The Manor
Halliwell Manor
Halliwell Manor is a Victorian style manor located on 1329 Prescott Street, San Francisco. The original structure was built in 1898, and was rebuilt in 1906 after it was destroyed in the great San Francisco earthquake.[20] The manor has been in the Warren Line for four generations, the first generation being Gordon Johnson and his wife P. Baxter. The Halliwell Manor was built on a Spiritual Nexus and has been the seat of power for the Charmed Ones since their awakening in 1998.
The manor contains many possessions and artifacts of ancestors and family members, the oldest presumably being the blessing cup of Melinda Warren. Other objects include P. Bowen's camera, P. Russell's couch and Penny Halliwell's sewing machine. Additionally, many portraits and photographs of family members are kept in the manor. These were displayed in the staircase, though by 2050, they had been replaced with photos of the Charmed Ones, their parents and children.[21][22]
Onomatology
- Note that this list contains names from the series, novels and the family tree.
Warren: A common English language masculine given name, or a surname meaning "enclosure" or French surname "de Warenne" meaning "from La Varrene".
- Charlotte Warren: "Little, Womanly, Free". From French, but with Germanic roots.
- Melinda Warren: The modern name Melinda is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek or from Melissa meaning "honeysuckle" in Greek. It is also associated with the Greek word meli meaning "honey" and with Linda meaning "gentle, soft, tender" in Germanic.
- Prudence Warren-Wentworth: "Good judgment", caution and discretion. Also connects to the word Prude.
- Beatrice Warren: Latin feminine for "holy or saint".
- Jack Warren: Middle English, indirect diminutive of "John".
- Max Warren: The best (Latin maximus).
Wentworth: Wentworth as a surname comes from England where there are places in Cambridgeshire and South Yorkshire called Wentworth, probably from the Old English byname Wintra meaning 'winter' + Old English worð 'enclosure'. In other words Wentworth was where the cattle were kept during the winter.
- Cassandra Wentworth: Of Greek origin, it possibly means "shining upon man", but is more commonly held to be "helper of man", the feminine counterpart to Alexander "defender of man".
Bousquet: A type of Wine.
- Pamela Bousquet: "All sweetness".
Litchfield: Name of many cities in the USA.
- Emma Litchfield
- Joseph Litchfield Jr.
Williamson: Son of William.
Bowen: Son of Owen in Welsh.
- Bartholomew Bowen:
- Laura: Laura means Crowned with Laurel and Anne means Grace
- Jeffrey Bowen: From German, "God's peace".
- Brianna Bowen: Brianna is a feminine English language form of the masculine Irish language name Brian. The meaning of this name is not known for certain but it is possibly related to the Old Celtic element bre meaning "hill", or by extension "high, noble". Brian Boru was an Irish king who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. He was victorious in the Battle of Clontarf, but he himself was slain.
- Grace: A feminine given name (Grâce in French), from the Latin gratia. It is often given in reference to the Christian concept of divine grace and used as a virtue name. The vocabulary word may be elaborated upon as meaning 'effortless beauty'.
- Helena: Light and Torch from Romanian Origin.
- Astrid: It comes from Old Norse Ásfríðr (Divine Beauty), from áss (god) + fríðr (beautiful).
- Agnes: "Pure" and "Holy" from Ancient Greek (literally "without antecedent").
- Brianna Bowen: Brianna is a feminine English language form of the masculine Irish language name Brian. The meaning of this name is not known for certain but it is possibly related to the Old Celtic element bre meaning "hill", or by extension "high, noble".
- Philippa: "Lover of horses"
- Gregory Bowen: "Watchful and Alert"
Russell: "Ruddy" or "red-haired"
Baxter: "Baker"
Johnson: Son of John
- Penelope Halliwell: Weaver (from the wife of Odysseus)
Halliwell: Halliwell derives from any of the several places named with the Old English pre 7th Century elements "halig" meaning "holy", plus "well(a)", a well or spring.
- Patricia Halliwell: It is derived from the Latin word patrician, meaning "noble".
- Prudence Halliwell: "Good judgment", caution and discretion". Also connects to the word Prude.
- Piper Halliwell: Pipe player.
- Phoebe Halliwell: "Beautiful goddess" deriving from Greek 'phoibos' (φοιβος). Phoebe is also the name of the Titan of the Darkness and Mysteries, counterpart to the solar Phoebus.
- Wyatt Matthew Halliwell: "War" and "brave" and Matthew means "gift of god".
- Christopher Halliwell: Christopher means Christ bearer.
- Prudence Melinda Halliwell: The modern name Melinda is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek or from Melissa meaning "honeysuckle" in Greek. It is also associated with the Greek word meli meaning "honey" and with Linda meaning "gentle, soft, tender" in Germanic.
- Prudence Johnna Halliwell: Prudence means "good judgment", caution and discretion. Also connects to the word Prude. Johnna means God is gracious".
- Parker Halliwell: Parker means "Park keeper".
Matthews: From the name Matthew. Matthew means "gift of god".
- Paige Matthews: "Young helper" ( a variant of 'page')
Mitchell: Form of Michael and also "big".
- Tamora Mitchell: "Date palm".
- Kat Mitchell: "Pure" (from Ancient Greek, shared root with catharsis)
- Henry Mitchell Jr.: "Home ruler"
Notes and Trivia
- The Warren line has a family tree, though the tree is known to contain many errors. Similarly, the Warren line has been expanded through the Charmed Novels, which are considered non-canon.
- The Rowe line of warlocks could be considered an evil counterpart to the Warren Line of Witches. Both family lines were prophesied to give birth to powerful forces of good and evil respectively.
- Witches of the Warren Line are invoked in spells such as To Call Upon Our Ancestors and To Call the Halliwell Matriarchs. In both of these spells, the name Halliwell is used instead of Warren.
- Other powerful families of witches include the Marks Line of Witches, the Callaway Family and the Montana Family. The Marks family worked with the Warren line during the Salem Witch Trials.
See Also
References
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