| Ephiny | |
|---|---|
| Danielle Cormack as Ephiny | |
| First appearance | Hooves and Harlots |
| Last appearance | The Last of the Centaurs |
| Created by | Robert Tapert |
| Portrayed by | Danielle Cormack |
| Information | |
| Species | Human |
| Occupation | Amazon |
| Affiliation | Amazons |
Ephiny is a fictional character from the hit television series Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. She is portrayed by actress Danielle Cormack.
Contents |
Ephiny is a trusted Amazon warrior in the tribe led by Queen Melosa.[1]
When we first see Ephiny she was setting to ambush Xena and Gabrielle, who had walked into amazon territory. It was interrupted by an attack by an unseen third party. When the Queen's sister Terreis was struck down by an arrow she gave her "Right of Caste" (right to become next in line to the Amazon throne) to Gabrielle, who tried to shield Terreis from the attack. Ephiny was the only witness to this just before Terreis' death. Ephiny at first didn't seem to like Gabrielle, but she grew close after seeing Gabrielle's friendly nature. In the episode "Hooves & Harlots" a warlord is shown trying to start a war between the centaurs and the amazons. It is later revealed that he was the one who ordered Terreis killed. During a raid Ephiny managed to capture a centaur named Phantes. He was thought to be the Terreis' killer. After Xena convinced Ephiny otherwise, both she and Ephiny put a stop to Phantes execution, and the oncoming war. The amazons discover the warlord's plot and he is executed by Queen Melosa. Ephiny eventually marries and becomes pregnant with Phantes' child. Phantes, however is killed trying to protect her. She gives birth via cesarian section and names her centaur son "Xenan", in honor of Xena for delivering her child.
When Xena is "killed" Ephiny catches up with Gabrielle. She convinces Gabrielle to give Xena a proper Amazon burial as Xena was spiritually an Amazon. She also tells Gabrielle about Queen Melosa's death at the hands of a rogue Amazon named Velasca. She tries to convince Gabrielle to take up her right of caste to become her tribe's Amazon Queen as the only alternative for the tribe is to allow Velasca to take the throne. If this were to happen Velasca would start a war with the centaurs over territory. This would mean Ephiny and her son would have to leave the amazon village as outcasts. Once Xena is revived with ambrosia, Velasca is defeated. Gabrielle, of course, decides to leave with Xena, and gives Ephiny the right to be Queen. Ephiny accepts, but insists she is only queen until Gabrielle decides to reclaim the crown.
In the episode "Maternal Instincts" Ephiny stopped Callisto from trying to kill several village children by getting them to safety. When Hope's body and Solan's body were being buried, Ephiny sang the funeral song. In the episode "The Bitter Suite" we see Ephiny arguing with Joxer about Gabrielle's safety. She tries to protect Gabrielle from Xena but gets her arm broken by Xena in the process. Ephiny next appears in the Hercules episode "Prodigal Sister" where she helps Hercules reunite a blind brother with his Amazon sister.
Ephiny leads the Amazons into battle in an attempt to stave off a Roman invasion. During the battle she is killed by Brutus, while she is protecting fellow Amazon Amarice.[2]
Her final appearance is as a ghost reaching out to Gabrielle to protect her son Xenan and his young pregnant wife Nicha. It is revealed that she is the daughter of Belach, who is the son of Borias, Xena's former lover. With help from Xena and Gabrielle, Xenan and his wife are saved and freed to live together with their new son Borias, Ephiny's grandson.[3]
|
||||||||||||||||||||