Post by vandergraafk on Nov 1, 2007 18:15:45 GMT -5
A debate erupted in the Charmed Cafe over the true nature of the Phoenix assassin witches. In order to frame the debate I will post the Book of Shadows entry and then briefly comment on what I believe this means in terms of what moral ground these witches occupy.
From the Book of Shadows we learn that Phoenix witches are:
From this entry, I find it clear that the Phoenix are not demonic, not in the least. To me, it seems they bear some resemblance to the Furies, though their methodologies and targets differ. The Phoenix are bounty hunters; the Furies were not. The Phoenix were more powerful than the Furies. Yet, each embraces a certain moral ambiguity that leads us to question both the virtue of their targets and the methods used to execute their plans. Neither is clearly good, though perhaps they could become good by restricting the focus of their targets to, say, only targeting evil people. And, it is certainly legitimate to question the bounty itself: who selected the target and were there legitimate reasons for pursuing this target. Let's just say that the Furies and the Phoenix are perhaps less inclined to pose this question.
Which is not to say that they won't ever. Future Bianca pointedly reminds her mother not to lie when she tells little Bianca that she (mother) feels nothing when engaging in the kill. She does, and so will Bianca. Indeed, that is the one "weakness", if you will, of assassin witches. They are not just cold-blooded killers as demons and perhaps warlocks are. They can be "turned", as apparently Chris was able to lessen Bianca's vengeful tendencies by showing her love and affection.
Admittedly, Charmed does not do a very good job in clearly delineating these creatures who occupy a middle ground between good and evil. Tuatha was an "evil" witch. What does THAT mean? Warlocks are supposedly good witches gone bad. What does THAT mean? The Furies are vengeance seeking creatures who will smoke anyone they think deserves it. The Phoenix are witches, imbued with the desire to avenge the burnings at Salem (did this ever happen except in the mind of Stephen King; yes, alleged witches were drowned, but that's another matter, I suppose), will target anyone they accept a bounty from.
As for any powers they might share with demons or warlocks, again it is perhaps important to remember that apart from a very few selected powers, it is virtually impossible to assign powers to either evil or good. True, Phoenix assassins can't orb. Maybe that's a power restricted to good since it allows whitelighters access to the heavens/clouds or whatnot. So, Phoenix assassins and demons developed another mode of travel: shimmering, for example. It allows them rapid movement, but denies them access to the clouds.
Likewise, the ability to throw a fireball has been described by Piper as a demonic ability when Phoebe acquired this ability by dint of her satanic fetus. Yet, what allows a magical being to throw a fireball? Suppose that ability arises from intense feelings of hatred or revenge. Clearly, demons ought to possess such a power since they are beings filled with hatred. But, why shouldn't assassin witches be endowed with the same ability? Doesn't the desire for vengeance sometimes approach the intensity of hatred? Wouldn't that make it highly likely that they could develop such an ability?
From the Book of Shadows we learn that Phoenix witches are:
"... descended from the Witch Trials with vengeance in their hearts, the Phoenix are a very powerful family of assassin witches who are very elite, very powerful and who are born with the distinctive birthmark of the Phoenix symbolizing their rise from Salem's ashes. They have no allegiances other than to their own vengeance and they will seek out and kill any bounty they're hired to hunt down."
From this entry, I find it clear that the Phoenix are not demonic, not in the least. To me, it seems they bear some resemblance to the Furies, though their methodologies and targets differ. The Phoenix are bounty hunters; the Furies were not. The Phoenix were more powerful than the Furies. Yet, each embraces a certain moral ambiguity that leads us to question both the virtue of their targets and the methods used to execute their plans. Neither is clearly good, though perhaps they could become good by restricting the focus of their targets to, say, only targeting evil people. And, it is certainly legitimate to question the bounty itself: who selected the target and were there legitimate reasons for pursuing this target. Let's just say that the Furies and the Phoenix are perhaps less inclined to pose this question.
Which is not to say that they won't ever. Future Bianca pointedly reminds her mother not to lie when she tells little Bianca that she (mother) feels nothing when engaging in the kill. She does, and so will Bianca. Indeed, that is the one "weakness", if you will, of assassin witches. They are not just cold-blooded killers as demons and perhaps warlocks are. They can be "turned", as apparently Chris was able to lessen Bianca's vengeful tendencies by showing her love and affection.
Admittedly, Charmed does not do a very good job in clearly delineating these creatures who occupy a middle ground between good and evil. Tuatha was an "evil" witch. What does THAT mean? Warlocks are supposedly good witches gone bad. What does THAT mean? The Furies are vengeance seeking creatures who will smoke anyone they think deserves it. The Phoenix are witches, imbued with the desire to avenge the burnings at Salem (did this ever happen except in the mind of Stephen King; yes, alleged witches were drowned, but that's another matter, I suppose), will target anyone they accept a bounty from.
As for any powers they might share with demons or warlocks, again it is perhaps important to remember that apart from a very few selected powers, it is virtually impossible to assign powers to either evil or good. True, Phoenix assassins can't orb. Maybe that's a power restricted to good since it allows whitelighters access to the heavens/clouds or whatnot. So, Phoenix assassins and demons developed another mode of travel: shimmering, for example. It allows them rapid movement, but denies them access to the clouds.
Likewise, the ability to throw a fireball has been described by Piper as a demonic ability when Phoebe acquired this ability by dint of her satanic fetus. Yet, what allows a magical being to throw a fireball? Suppose that ability arises from intense feelings of hatred or revenge. Clearly, demons ought to possess such a power since they are beings filled with hatred. But, why shouldn't assassin witches be endowed with the same ability? Doesn't the desire for vengeance sometimes approach the intensity of hatred? Wouldn't that make it highly likely that they could develop such an ability?