Which thou tak’st from me. (TV: The Name of the Doctor) Their destruction was also mentioned by a version of Kate Stewart during negotiations between UNIT and the Zygons in the Black Archive. Having followed them, the Master intended to ally with the Sycorax so that he could enslave Earth himself, only to be caught up in Roboform tinsel, preventing him from making contact with them. Within the chamber was a giant statue of Sycorax form, called a 'Wish of Bones', which was fashioned out of the skulls of the species that they had murdered and conquered. I have us’d thee,Filth as thou art, with human care; and lodg’d theeIn mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violateThe honour of my child.Caliban Oh ho! Shrug’st thou, malice?If thou neglect’st, or dost unwillinglyWhat I command, I’ll rack thee with old cramps,Fill all thy bones with aches; make thee roar,That beasts shall tremble at thy din.Caliban No, pray thee!—[Aside.] The first of these asteroids was the home world of the Sycorax, the Fire Trap. A psychoanalytical critic, on the other hand, might view her and Caliban as symbolising the Id and the instinctive, bodily urges, at war with Ariel, who represents the Superego, the conscience and the idealistic, high-minded, prudish part of a human that is revolted by sexuality and physicality. Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!

(TV: The Christmas Invasion, PROSE: The Final Darkness) They also had devices which resembled sea mines called Foraxi Yox. The Doctor challenged and defeated their leader in a sword duel, forcing the Sycorax to leave Earth and humanity alone. Sycorax is Caliban’s late mother. (TV: The Christmas Invasion), The Sycorax's motto and battle cry was "Sycorax strong! Leadership was earned by trials of strength and combat. This blue-eyed hag was hither brought with child  Act 1 Scene 2, lines 266-269. Prospero views Sycorax and Caliban as subhuman and being as vicious as dogs.

The Sycorax spent years searching for the ship's black box, the Foraxi Yox, and killed many humans, reanimating and controlling them as zombies, or human abstracts, to find it. ). ( Log Out /  ( Log Out /  A dozen years   Act 1 Sc 2, lines 272-279. (TV: The Pandorica Opens), The Sycorax leader, with his mask. Respectable people, including the Queen, would consult “white” magicians – they were a mixture of astrologer, GP and proto-scientist. Donna Noble and Norah stowed away on the plane, and flew it back to Shadow Cay before it could reach London and spread the virus throughout humanity. They would take trophies of body parts such as bones, skin or hair from conquered races. For I am all the subjects that you have,

For I am all the subjects that you have, Which first was mine own king; and here you sty me In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me The rest o’ th’ island. (AUDIO: Harvest of the Sycorax), The Sycorax could detect energy signatures, letting them identify advanced technology.

By contrast, Prospero’s magic is described as if it is an impressive academic accomplishment (it is an “art”, “secret studies” of a man “all dedicated/ To closeness and the bettering of my mind” whose “library/Was Dukedom enough”). Act, Scene, Line (Click to see in context) Speech text: 1. However, it also alludes to the Jacobean belief that physical appearance reflected moral calibre and a villain would be physically ugly. Sycorax was pregnant with him when she was marooned on the island. Cursed be I that did so!—All the charms Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you! Please note the contrast between the language used to describe Sycorax’s magic and that used to describe Prospero’s: Sycorax is “the foul witch”, “this damned witch” (“damned” here is meant in the literal sense – as a practitioner of witchcraft, Sycorax is condemned to go to hell), Caliban’s “wicked dam”, who practises “mischiefs manifold, and sorceries terrible”, with many words connoting evil, Satanism and/or animalistic qualities. When thou camest first,Thou strok’dst me, and mad’st much of me; wouldst give meWater with berries in’t; and teach me howTo name the bigger light, and how the less,That burn by day and night: and then I lov’d theeAnd show’d thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle,The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place, and fertile.Cursed be I that did so!—All the charmsOf Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!For I am all the subjects that you have,Which first was mine own king; and here you sty meIn this hard rock, whiles you do keep from meThe rest o’ th’ island.Prospero Thou most lying slave,Whom stripes may move, not kindness!

Sycorax had many ancient rituals involving suns and moons. Act 1 Scene 2,  lines 263-266. and would have been sentenced to death if she had not been pregnant at the time, and her life was spared for the sake of her unborn son: For one thing she did (AUDIO: Enemy Lines), In 1599, the Tenth Doctor, in the presence of William Shakespeare, noted how an animal skull reminded him of a Sycorax, inspring the name of the mother of Caliban in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Refusing her grand hests, she did confine thee This, to an extent, reflects how male “white” magicians, such as John Dee and Simon Forman, were viewed at the time – somewhat disreputable, but not guilty of blasphemous, illegal practices like female witches. It's not lost on me that everyone dies, but some people have a kind of immortality about them, and you can't imagine that they will ever be gone. In Derek Jarman’s film, Prospero’s Books, Sycorax is depicted as naked, grotesquely fat (thus playing up the idea that she represents a subsuming female sexuality) and with snakes in her hair, like Medusa (but also playing on African dreadlocks and European fears of the non-European).

Sycorax’s magic, unlike Prospero’s, is depicted as disgusting (“abhorred”) and she is described as if she is a presumptuous diva who is not entitled to the powers she assumes (“grand hests” makes it sound as if she is acting above her station). The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place, and fertile. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. (TV: The Eleventh Hour), The Great Intelligence mentioned, among others, the death of "the leader of the Sycorax" at the hands of the Doctor to dispute Madame Vastra's claim that the Doctor was never "blood-soaked". Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself (COMIC: The Widow's Curse), They also dedicated a huge room of their spaceships as a cathedral-like group worship chamber, regulated by a Sycorax priest. Sycorax had pride, honour, and some respect for the rules of war. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. They would not take her life […] I must obey: his art is of such power,It would control my dam’s god, Setebos,And make a vassal of him. (TV: The Shakespeare Code), Intercepting a message from Harriet Jones, the Third Doctor, accompanied by Jo Grant and Mike Yates, arrived on 25 December 2006, where they witnessed the blood controlled masses and the Sycorax spaceship, ultimately returning home after seeing its destruction. 2.

In response to Ariel’s concern that Prospero will not grant him freedom for his faithful service, Prospero reminds Ariel of how he saved him from the witch Sycorax and then issues this threat.