Whitelighter

Whitelighter
Publication information
First appearance "Thank You for Not Morphing"
Created by Constance M. Burge
Characteristics
Notable members Leo Wyatt
Sam Wilder
Paige Matthews
Chris Halliwell
Inherent abilities Orbing
Healing
Sensing charges

A Whitelighter is a fictional character featured on the WB television series Charmed. These beings are former human mortals who are given a second chance at life in order to serve under an angelic group known as The Elders as guardian angels for good witches and other future Whitelighters.

Description

Whitelighters are the "guardian angels" of good witches and future Whitelighters.[1][2] Mortal charges are not known or seen to have much interaction with their whitelighters. They watch over their charges and intervene when necessary to help them along their path and keep them safe; they can also be called by their charges. They can constantly hear the lives of their charges in their heads,[3] and if one of them calls their Whitelighter's name, he/she can usually show up at a moment's notice.

Whitelighters are people who were generally good people that have died.[2] They are given the choice to become Whitelighters and given the powers of a Whitelighter instead of moving on to the afterlife. Their bodies are replicas of their former human bodies, but are composed of orbs which are described as white lights (hence the term Whitelighter) that have a healing ability to them. If struck by a power that would usually kill a mortal (for example, an energy ball or particle acceleration), their bodies will explode into orbs then reform relatively unharmed;[4] they can, however, be knocked unconscious.[5] Because their orbs make their bodies immortal, the only sure way to kill a Whitelighter is to poison them with a Darklighter arrow.[2]

Hybrids

The type of Whitelighter hybrid seen on-screen have been the child of a witch and a Whitelighter.[6][7][8] Whitelighter-witch hybrids have been shown to possess both the powers of a Whitelighter, which range from Orbing to Healing, and also witch abilities, such as spellcasting and potion making.[6][8][9]

Within the series, Paige Matthews is the first Whitelighter hybrid seen on-screen.[5] She is also the first hybrid to display a magical power that has been affected by both her witch and Whitelighter halves.[5] As a witch of Warren blood and a Charmed One, Paige was born with the power to "move things with her mind", which is one of the three powers belonging to her ancestor Melinda Warren. However, since she is also a Whitelighter, her Telekinesis became Telekinetic Orbing, which is the ability to call for an object and orb it to the caller.[5]

Throughout the series' television run, there have been eight Whitelighter hybrids shown on-screen.

List of Hybrids
Name First Appearance Notes
Paige Matthews 4x01 - "Charmed Again (Part 1)" Daughter of witch Patty Halliwell and her Whitelighter Sam Wilder.[6]
Wyatt Halliwell 5x15 - "The Day the Magic Died" Son of witch Piper Halliwell and her Whitelighter Leo Wyatt.[7]
Chris Halliwell 5x22 - "Oh My Goddess (Part 1)" Son of witch Piper Halliwell and her Whitelighter Leo Wyatt.[10]
Simon Marks 8x15 - "The Last Temptation of Christy" Unrelated to the Halliwells, their families worked together during the Salem Witch Trials.[11]
Prudence Melinda Halliwell 8x22 - "Forever Charmed" Daughter of witch Piper Halliwell and her Whitelighter Leo Wyatt.[12]
Kat and Tamora Mitchell 8x22 - "Forever Charmed" Twin daughters of Whitelighter hybrid Paige Matthews and her husband Henry Mitchell.[12]
Matthew Halliwell 8x22 - "Forever Charmed" The official shooting script for the episode states that Piper and Leo's eldest grandchild is named Matthew.[12]

Powers and abilities

In Charmed a Whitelighter is a human soul that has been made a "guardian angel" for good witches and other future Whitelighters (also known as a Whitelighter's "charge").[1] A Whitelighter acts in the service of The Elders who bestow these souls with their new angelic powers.[1] Below is a list of notable powers associated with this race of guardian angels that have been used in multiple episodes and seasons.

List of notable Whitelighter powers
Power First Seen Last Seen Description
Orbing 1x10 - "Wicca Envy" 8x22 - "Forever Charmed" A teleporting ability unique to Whitelighters as it allows them to travel between various supernatural worlds, including the magically guarded realm of The Elders often called "Up There" in the show.[1][13]
Healing 1x10 - "Wicca Envy" 8x19 - "The Jung and the Restless" The power to restore an individual to full health or an object to pristine condition.[1][14] In the Charmed series, certain magical powers are attached to emotional triggers, although all powers can be affected by the user's emotions. For healing, the emotional trigger is love.[2] Whitelighters can only use their healing powers on humans and witches, not animals or demons.[15][16]
Hovering 1x14 - "Secrets and Guys" 8x21 - "Gone with the Witches" The supernatural power to rise in the air a few feet, similar to levitation but slower and just in one place, unlike flight.[1] Whitelighters and Elders have the power to hover, and sometimes use it to meditate in a swirl of orbs.[17]
Sensing 1x14 - "Secrets and Guys" 8x22 - "Forever Charmed" This is a supernatural power which grants a Whitelighter a magical awareness of a charge's location and physical well being.[13] This power enables a Whitelighter to hear the "call" of their charges whenever they are in need, allowing them to go the charge when they need them most. A Whitelighter's charge must not always vocally call out to them when they are in need. The sensing power allows the Whitelighter to instantly hear a charge's inner call whenever the charge is in immediate danger, which is, more often than not, life-threatening.[18]
Glamouring 3x07 - "Power Outage" 8x12 - "Payback's a Witch" A number of Whitelighters possess the power to glamour their identity by creating an illusion around their body to appear as another individual.[19]
Photokinesis 3x15 - "Just Harried" 8x13 - "Repo Manor" The ability to create and manipulate light. It is a power that is most commonly possessed by angelic beings, like Whitelighters and the Elders. This power is usually demonstrated by controlling orbs of light, rather than manipulating actual light.[20]

Other uses

"Whitelighter" is also a term used in the Neopagan community, particularly amongst Wiccans, to describe those who see Deity only in the "good", but not in things unpleasant or unappealing. The term used in this sense is generally pejorative.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Charmed: Secrets and Guys". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Charmed: Love Hurts". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  3. ↑ "Charmed: Siren's Song". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  4. ↑ "Charmed: House Call". TV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Charmed: Charmed Again (Part 2)". TV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 "Charmed: Charmed Again (Part 1)". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Charmed: The Day the Magic Died". TV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Charmed: Oh My Goddess (Part 1)". TV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "Charmed: Chris-Crossed". TV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  10. ↑ "Charmed: The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell". TV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  11. ↑ "Charmed: The Last Temptation of Christy". TV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 "Charmed: Forever Charmed". TV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  13. 1 2 "Charmed: Blinded by the Whitelighter". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  14. ↑ "Charmed: Wicca Envy". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  15. ↑ "Charmed: Magic Hour". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  16. ↑ "Charmed: Sleuthing With the Enemy". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  17. ↑ "Charmed: Size Matters". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  18. ↑ "Charmed: Still Charmed & Kicking". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  19. ↑ "Charmed: Power Outage". TV.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  20. ↑ "Charmed: Just Harried". TV.com. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
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