- "To my three beautiful girls. May this give you the light to find the shadows. The power of three will set you free. Love, Mom."
- — Piper Halliwell reading her mother's message on the back of the spirit board[src]
The Power of Three Spell, also called the Warlock Spell, invokes the Power of Three to vanquish evil and protect the Charmed Ones.
Referred to in the Book of Shadows as Warlock Spell, it has proven useful for the Charmed Ones in other types of situations; to protect themselves from other demons[1] or regain confidence in themselves.[2]
History[]
Vanquishing Jeremy[]
The Charmed Ones vanquishing Jeremy.
Prue had found their family's spirit board in the basement when she was looking for the circuit tester. Her sister Piper could not believe that they still had this, as it had been such a long time since she had last seen it. She turned the spirit board around and read aloud the message that her mother had carved in the back.
A day later, when she and her sisters became the Charmed Ones, they were confronted by their first enemy, Jeremy Burns, Piper's boyfriend and a warlock. When Jeremy had trapped the sisters in the attic, Prue remembered the inscription on the back of the spirit board, how the Power of three will set them free. Prue and Piper began chanting the spell, and their younger sister Phoebe followed them. They kept chanting the spell and ultimately vanquished Jeremy.[2] The sisters used the spell on Jeremy for a second time when he was brought back by the demon Abraxas and attacked Piper at P3. Because Piper had forgotten the spell, she called her sisters and together (through speakerphone), they vanquished him once more.[3]
Defeating the Dragon Warlock[]
The third time that this spell was used was to vanquish the Dragon Warlock.[4]
Prevailing over the Source's Heir[]
The spell creating a protective shield around the cage.
The sisters had been captured into a magic cage from which magic couldn't escape. The Seer had just been crowned as the Source of All Evil and was about to kill the sisters when suddenly the Source's Heir, whom she had stolen not long ago from Phoebe, became too much for her to handle.
The sisters were forced to make a plan; Phoebe said that they had to tap into all of the baby's power in order to vanquish the Seer and save themselves. All of the sisters agreed to cast the Power of Three Spell, which created a shield around the cage, which protected them from Seer's attack, and deflected it back, forcing her to vanquish herself, the unborn Source, the Council, and all of the demons in the lair.
Strengthening sisterhood[]
- Phoebe: "Okay, this might be the last time we have to say this"
- Piper: "I'll hold you to it."
- — Phoebe and Piper before chanting the Power of Three spell for the last time.[src]
The sisters chanting the Power of Three spell.
Zankou stole the Book of Shadows from the sisters by weakening their emotional state, destroying their confidence in themselves and the Power of Three thus severing their bond to the Book. With their magical bond weakened, the Book's defense against evil was broken, thus making it touchable by Zankou and untouchable by the girls. In order to get it back, the sisters recalled all the good that they did over the years and chanted this spell, re-establishing confidence in their powers and thus reforming their bond with the Book.
Phoebe's altered spell[]
Nearly three years later, Phoebe created a new version of the Power of Three spell in order to vanquish the Source in his resurrected and most powerful form. The spell required the unification of magic of all white magic practitioners in the realm as well as the use of Excalibur.[5]
Returning the Charmed Ones' powers[]
The Darklighter Rennek found the All and tapped into its power using the Grimoire and the Empyreal Sword as conduits. During this time, he altered the order of magic, causing magical creatures to lose their abilities and mortals to gain powers. Prue, mortal at the time, gains the powers of the Charmed Ones. Rennek sends an army to kill them. Prue then casts the Power of Three spell to return the powers to her sisters, almost killing herself in the process.
Battle inside the All[]
During a battle against Rennek's army, the Charmed Ones entered the realm of the All to find Rennek. The Darklighter then trapped them with his overwhelming power. The sisters then realized they could tap into the Power of Three in the form of the Power of One and telepathically cast the Power of Three spell to free themselves.
Appendices[]
Warlock Spell[]
- How to vanquish your first warlock
- The power of three
- will set us free
- The power of three
- will set us free
- The power of three
- will set us free
Phoebe's Powerful Power of Three Spell[]
- The Power of Three we now decree,
- The Power of Three will set you free,
- The Power of Three will destroy thee!
Notes and Trivia[]
- This is one of the many spells to vanquish a warlock.
- This spell was used as the show's tagline on occasion. It would often be reworded to fit a certain theme or episode (The Power of Two and The Power of Three Blondes).
- A spell that requires all three Charmed Ones (to invoke the Power of Three) is commonly referred to as a "Power of Three" spell, but they should not be confused with this one.
- Despite this being the most popular spell of the show, in the Book of Shadows Documentary, Alyssa Milano stated that whenever they would have to say The Power of Three will set us free, the actresses would complain about it.
- It's often been rumored that the main stars had it put in their contracts for the spell to be used once or twice per season.
- This might be the reason why the Power of Three spell has never been cast in the final season.
- The Power of Three spell might be the most powerful spell on the show.
- The spell was used in the following books: The Power of Three, Whispers from the Past, Changeling Places, and Let Gorgons Be Gorgons.
- Despite the entry stating how to kill your first warlock, this spell would be used multiple times in future episodes.
- The spell was used in Charmed - The Illustrated Storybook. It projected Prue's voice to Piper and Phoebe while she was repeating it. When all three chanted together, it sent a glowing light that guided them back to each other. They then cast it again and it sent them back home along with the Book of Shadows while erasing their memories as witches and re-binding their powers.
- The word 'us' was substituted by 'you'.
- In Witch Trial, it is stated that this entry is at the end of the book. However, along the show, we can see it appear in other locations.
References[]
- ↑ As seen in "Womb Raider".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Something Wicca This Way Comes"
- ↑ "Witch Trial"
- ↑ "Be Careful What You Witch For"
- ↑ "Unnatural Resources"