Mischa Lecter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mischa Lecter is a fictional character that was first mentioned in the novel Hannibal and appeared in the prequel Hannibal Rising.

Mischa Lecter (Helena Lia Tachovka) with her older brother Hannibal (Aaron Thomas), in a scene during happier times in Hannibal Rising

Mischa was Lecter's younger sister. Hannibal portrays her as four years old at the time of her death, but Hannibal Rising indicates that she was actually six, and the gap between her and her brother's age was bigger then the one presented in the earlier novel.

Mischa was one of the few people not frightened by her unusually intense brother, and one of the few whom he displayed genuine affection for. When Mischa was six, their family was caught in the crossfire between a German plane and a Russian tank. The assault killed their parents and the family servants; Mischa and Hannibal were the only survivors. Soon after, a group of Lithuanian Nazi collaborators retreating from the Soviet army decided to hide in the house, unable to travel further due to road blocks.

The starving deserters caged Hannibal and Mischa, intending to cannibalize them. A few days later, they killed Mischa and boiled her remains. Hannibal stood by helpless as the deserters dragged her from him and suspended midair; he was then dragged down to the basement as they killed her. As the Lithuanian gang made a broth soup from the girl, they also fed it to her half-conscious brother. This trauma destroyed the boy's faith in God and would mold him into the cannibalistic serial killer seen in later novels and their film adaptations.

Hannibal Lecter, cold and starving, along with his sister Mischa

In Hannibal, it is implied that he sees his nemesis, FBI Agent [[Clarice Starling], as a surrogate for Mischa.

Mischa's role and character is expanded in the prequel novel and the recently released movie adaptation, Hannibal Rising, in which she is portrayed by Helena Lia Tachovka.