Happy Sunday, friends! Welcome to Sunday Portraits, where we give a face to our beloved book friends!
Today we have: The Last Wish by A. Sapkowski:
ADDA THE WHITE
Princess Adda the White was the daughter of Foltest, king of Temeria. She was born a striga as a result of a curse cast by either Ostrit (a local magnate who loved her mother) or Sancia (Foltest's mother). The magnate was in love with the king's sister, the mother of the princess, whose name was also Adda. When he learned of the incestuous relationship between the king and his sister, Ostrit tried to put a curse on the king and this is blamed for Adda's transformation into a striga. However, Foltest's mother was also furious at the incestuous relationship between her children and may also have cursed their child. So it is possible that either Ostrit or Sancia, or both, were the cause of the curse.
Adda was named for her mother who died during the birth. Her nickname "the White", which came from the color of her hair after the curse was removed by Geralt, served to distinguish her from her mother, Adda of Temeria, and Adda of Cidaris, the wife of king Goidemar. She was also left mentally impaired, so while she remained the logical heir to the Temerian throne, the continuation of the royal line begun by Geddes was possibly at its end.
Adda the White
Adda's hair became white at some point, true. But when Geralt checked her teeth, right before she sunk her nails into his throat, her hair was ashen brown. In the video game her hair is more brown-red. So I went with the in between. She's a tragic character, a daughter of incest, a pawn in politics, and a symbol of both depravity and lost hearts of those who loved her beautiful mother.
Book review: The Last Wish by A. Sapkowski
Painting by: Nosferatu
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