| “ | You are the source of my sorrow, Ichabod Crane. You are the reason I was not there to raise my son. I never should have saved your life when the Horseman cut you down. I never should have put you to sleep. I should've let you die! And this time, I will. | „ |
| ~ Katrina to Ichabod, "Awakening". |
Katrina Crane (nee Van Tassel) is one of the main characters appearing on the FOX dark fantasy series Sleepy Hollow and later became the final antagonist of it's second season. Katrina is a witch, the wife of Ichabod Crane and the mother of Henry Parrish. She began the series as a heroine, but turned to villainy by the end of the show's second season.
She is played by Katia Winter, who also played Katrina's grandmother, Helena Van Tassel, in the series.
History[]
Early life[]
During the early parts of the Revolutionary War, Katrina was the arranged fiancee of Ichabod's best friend, Abraham Van Brunt. Abraham always bought her splendid gifts, such as expensive jewelry; Ichabod, however, knew Katrina better and knew what simplicity she liked. It was for this reason that she broke off her engagement to Abraham to be with Ichabod, whom she later married.
During the Revolutionary War, while her husband was a captain serving under General George Washington, Katrina was a civilian nurse who worked in triage. After Ichabod faced the Headless Horseman in battle and was about to seemingly die, Katrina, at his side in triage, attempted to alert him of a secret, though it was too late.
Katrina was actually a witch and leader of the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart, a coven whose duty is to prevent the Apocalypse. She and her fellow witches placed Ichabod in a cave to keep him safe from the Headless Horseman who was actually Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The Sisterhood chained the Horseman's body in a coffin and sent it the bottom of the ocean to keep him separate from Ichabod, who now shared a blood connection with him due to their blood mixing on the battlefie;d. Sometime later, Katrina was trapped in Purgatory by Moloch as per his agreement with Death. Death was actually Abraham, and he wanted to win Katrina back as a prize.
It's revealed in "Sanctuary" that Katrina gave birth to a son while staying in Fredericks Manor due to the protective hex placed on the household, a child which Ichabod was previously unaware of until Abbie Mills told him about the vision she had seen of Katrina giving birth. However, the child's birth broke the protective hex and a Tree Monster attacked the manor on Moloch's orders. Katrina managed to escape with her baby and friends (except Lachlan Fredericks, who was killed by the Tree Monster).
In "The Golem," Ichabod makes contact with Katrina, who reveals to her husband that their son's name is "Jeremy," after Ichabod's own grandfather. She then reveals it was not Moloch who imprisoned her in Purgatory but actually her own coven. When Katrina hid Ichabod in the cave after he beheaded the Horseman, the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart demanded answers, but she fled. She did not realize until after she sealed Ichabod that she was pregnant and sought haven at Fredericks Manor to deliver her child. Not wanting her son to share her life as a fugitive, Katrina, with a heavy heart, left Jeremy with Grace Dixon and her husband, giving him a doll to protect him. Sometime after she gave up Jeremy, her former sister-witches, a group known as The Four Who Speak As One, caught up with Katrina and imprisoned her in Purgatory.
Season 1[]
When Ichabod awoke in 21st-century Sleepy Hollow along with the Headless Horseman, Katrina came to him in the form of a bird who opened a door to her otherworldly prison for him. Katrina informed him of the secrets she kept and told him of his duty as the First Witness, who must prevent the Horseman from getting his head, reaching full power, summoning his three comrades, and bringing about the end of the world. Before he departs at the arrival of the demon keeping her trapped, Katrina begs Ichabod to release her.
Katrina is freed from Purgatory when Abbie agrees to sacrifice herself and take Katrina's place. They meet up with Henry Parrish, whom Katrina knows as the Sin Eater and go to the place where the Horseman of War is supposed to rise. It is revealed that Henry is really the Cranes' long-lost son Jeremy, and that he is in fact the Horseman of War. Katrina and Ichabod are captured, and Katrina is taken by the Headless Horseman.
Season 2[]
Once imprisoned by Abraham, Katrina is told that she will become a servant of Moloch and forever bound to Abraham through a binding ritual. She is also told that it's useless to attempt to escape, as the mansion has a powerful hex around it, suppressing her already weakened powers to the point where they're essentially useless. Katrina convinces Abraham that she will not attempt to flee and to let her come to love him on her own. Desiring her affections of her own free will, Abraham acquiesces.
Katrina uses her time in the mansion to try to gather intelligence about Moloch's plans, although she's caught eavesdropping every time. In "The Weeping Lady," Katrina is attacked by the angry spirit of Ichabod's former betrothed, Mary Wells, and taken from the mansion. She manages to escape using her powers and meets up with Ichabod and Abbie. After learning the situation, Katrina works with Abbie to recite a spell that can drive the darkness from Mary's spirit while Ichabod distracts her. It works, but when Ichabod asks what happened to her, Mary points at Katrina before disappearing.
It is revealed that, in her jealousy, Mary confronted Katrina the night before she was to leave for England, accusing her of stealing Ichabod away and making him betray his country. In her fury, she rushed Katrina, who moved out of the way and Mary tripped over a root, falling over the bridge and onto the river bank below, where she hit her head on a rock and bled to death. Abraham appears and Katrina stops him from killing Ichabod before explaining that he wasn't at fault for her leaving the mansion and returns with him.
In "Deliverance," it is revealed that Katrina has been impregnated by Henry with Moloch, who intends to use her as a vessel to be brought to the mortal world. Ichabod and Abbie manage to prevent this by finding a prism that extracts Moloch from her body just in time.
Eventually, Katrina returns to Abraham's mansion, with the intention of finding and killing Moloch. She fails in this mission and Moloch is freed. Abraham commences the binding ritual on her, but is stopped by Ichabod and Abbie before he can complete it. He is taken and chained in the underground prison chamber where he remains while Katrina, Frank Irving, Ichabod, Jenny, and Abbie battle the demons released from Purgatory. After Frank is mortally wounded battling War, Katrina attempts to heal him, but cannot due to her powers being weakened by Purgatory's portal being open and he dies. The rest of the group are captured by Henry, but are released when he betrays and kills Moloch. Afterwards, Katrina moves into Corbin's cabin with Ichabod, and they attempt to repair their relationship.
Meanwhile, Katrina starts practice magic and is excited for when her powers will peak. Later, Solomon Kent starts to influence Katrina and lead her towards her true path. She eventually starts practicing blood magic and got congratulated by Henry for discovering what she should have been doing.
In "Awakening," Katrina makes contact with Henry, who persuades her to aid him in his plan to use a bell to activate the dormant abilities of those with witch heritage living in Sleepy Hollow. She agrees to the plan, thereby turning against Ichabod and Abbie. After Henry is shot and killed by Abbie, an enraged Katrina swears vengeance upon Ichabod and casts a spell that sends her back through time to before Ichabod was slain on the battlefield by Death. Unknown to Katrina, Abbie also travels through the time and is imprisoned in the Colonial Army's jail. Later, Abbie gets the past Ichabod's attention.
In a battlefield medical tent, Katrina goes looking for Ichabod, but learns that he is with Abbie and not, as she expected, lying mortally wounded after being cut down by the Horseman. She soon finds the Horseman and allies with him. She then returns to her house. Ichabod goes home and finds Katrina preparing a concoction he knows is for pregnant women, but she says it's for the neighbor as she uses her magic to lift a knife behind his back. He tells her about a "madwoman" and Katrina asks where to find her. They're interrupted by soldiers summoning him directly to General Washington. Ichabod notices a spell book open on the table before he leaves. Later, after Death slays Benjamin Franklin, a doubtful Ichabod finds a video of him on Abbie's phone and believes her.
When Colonel Sutton enters her cell and menaces her, Abbie is easily able to get him in a choke-hold and knock him out, noting the advances in close-quarter combat. Sutton goes to Katrina for medical help. She scrapes some blood from claw marks on Sutton's arm and is able to see Abbie and Crane are headed to Frederick's Manor. When Sutton asks how she knows, she announces she's a witch and kills him.
Abbie and Ichabod arrive and talk to Grace Dixon, who quickly recognizes Abbie as one of the Witnesses. She knows the spell to use to reverse the traveler's spell and send Abbie back to the moment the spell was cast, but says it'll require the magic that normally shields the house. As Grace is working, Katrina and Death arrive. Ichabod goes outside to face them, noting that if Grace succeeds, it won't matter if he dies. Abbie wishes him luck and hugs him. Grace insists that Abbie stay nearby for the spell to work, then has her read the words to cast the spell. As Abbie recites, outside, Death swings his ax at Ichabod's unprotected neck. Time slows for everyone and before the blade hits Ichabod, Katrina realizes what's happening, but it's too late. The spell works and Abbie and Katrina are back in the old town hall.
Katrina rages and turns her magic on Abbie, choking her and hoisting her into the air. The present Ichabod goes for a nearby knife, but Katrina yanks it away with magic. Ichabod goes after her, knocking the Grand Grimoire out of her hand. Abbie falls to the floor, alive, and Ichabod turns the knife on Katrina. He plunges it into her stomach and she collapses on the floor, seeing a vision of Henry. With a sad smile, Katrina dies in Ichabod's arms before her body turns to ashes and disintegrates.
Sleepy Hollow: Children of the Revolution[]
Coming Soon!
Powers and Abilities[]
Katrina is a witch that derives her magic from nature, drawing her powers from the elements such as wind, water, and lightning. Once the leader of the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart, Katrina was capable of great feats of magic vital to the fight against Moloch's forces. She is also capable of tapping into darker forces for stronger, corrupted magic.
Basic Powers[]
- Channeling: The act of invoking extra forms of energy by focusing on external forces. Her time in Purgatory drained her power and it was most evident when she had experienced difficulty in casting a path-finder spell upon returning to the mortal plane. She draws power from nature and the strength of her magic is influenced by the perigean tide. However, she is also capable of using blood magic and ultimately succumbed to channeling dark forces to achieve her ends.
- Spell Casting: The act of changing and controlling events by magical influence. Prior to her imprisonment, she was responsible for safeguarding Ichabod's life should he die in battle by the hands of the Horseman of Death and was also responsible for burying him. She also weakened Serilda of Abaddon with the help of her coven to allow their allies to finally capture and execute her. Since her return, she compelled a crow to send a message for her, cast a warning hex on the Armory, bound the prison meant for Abraham from all evil forces, ensured that War no longer had an influence on Frank Irving, immolated the Incordata's heart, and took herself and others in and out of James Colby's painting. While she had the Grand Grimoire in her possession, she was able to go back to the past to kill Ichabod, locate Ichabod with little effort, and break through the wards that protected Fredricks Manor.
- Potion Brewing: The act of brewing and concocting supernatural elixirs and potions that contain mystical properties. She brewed a poison from Devil's Breath that was meant to kill the infant Moloch before he grew to maturity.
- Elemental Control: The act of controlling and manipulating the elements of air, earth, fire and water.
- Telekinesis: The act of controlling and manipulating the movements of objects and people. She grew to develop this power as the perigean tide approached, allowing her to levitate a rock and propel it with great force. When she succumbed to darkness, she was able to kill a man by making him bleed from the inside out. She was able to lift a knife and aim it at Ichabod while conversing with him. She then tried to kill Abbie by levitating her whilst depriving her of air and drawn a dagger to her person in a failed attempt to kill Ichabod.
Individual powers[]
- Necromancy: The act of controlling and manipulating of the dead.
- Telepathy: When in Purgatory, Katrina has the power to communicate with the two witnesses, Ichabod and Abbie, telepathically.
- Photogenesis: Katrina has been seen unleashing light from her palms to defend herself from Abraham Van Brunt and followers of Moloch.
- Electrokinesis: Katrina once unleashed a small flurry of sparks to repel against Solomon Kent.
- Chlorokinesis: Katrina displayed the ability to change the color of the flower she was practicing her magics on. She also used her powers in a vision to keep Ichabod from being detected by Moloch, dragging him into an underground tunnel with roots.
- Cryokinesis: She demonstrated this ability once by freezing a flower to the point where it shattered.
- Pyrokinesis: She's been shown shooting both blue and regular fire from her hands. She was able to destroy Abbie's car and kill a soldier with this power.
Personality[]
Katrina at first appeared to be a good and noble woman with a sense of justice and idealistic views of love, in all its forms. That impression however was quickly undermined by the secrets about her identity, her child, and her role in the war that she chose to keep from her husband. She spoke about love being a gift and having the power to overcome any obstacle. However, she also called love a weapon and she yielded at as such in her interactions with both Abraham and Ichabod. She seemed to care deeply for Ichabod but the extent of her love for him had it limits. She quickly betrayed him and the side of good in order to build a relationship with her son, Jeremy. She also showed compassion for Abraham Van Brunt and even an occasional attraction, perhaps as a response to his newly acquired immortality, a trait she herself possessed but her husband lacked.
She originally fought against the forces of darkness as the leader of the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart in exchange for Washington's promise to halt the persecution of witches and reintegrate them back into society once they had won the war. It's a promise he did not keep and embittered, Katrina uses his betrayal as an excuse to justify her own siding with Henry.
Katrina, before her betrayal, was characterized by flightiness, moodiness and a tendency to let her emotions dictate her actions. She often made snap decisions without thinking of the consequences. She refused to disclose her husband's grave despite the objections from both her coven and the masons knowing that protecting his life would preserve the Horseman of Death's as well. She gave up her son, Jeremy, to Grace and Joseph Dixon without thinking of the consequences of his dormant magical powers being unleashed and uncontrolled as he grew. She released Abraham from captivity when Orion came to kill him, despite knowing he was the Horseman of Death and having no idea what he would do once free. She also continued to insist that both Abraham and Jeremy could be redeemed and should be forgiven, in spite of all the evil acts both have committed and with complete disregard to their victims.
Katrina was also shown to be manipulative and deceitful when it suited her purposes. She withheld her status as a witch and spy from her husband, Ichabod, lied to him about Mary's death, and the fact that he had a son. She admitted to Abbie that she manipulated Abraham, used his love for her in order to gain his trust and obtain knowledge of Moloch's plans and rather than tell Ichabod of her plan to return to Abraham's mansion, she got Abbie to do it for her. She's also used Ichabod's love for her to convince him to see things her way and go along with her plans, something both he and Abbie have criticized her for.
Her turn to the dark side not only revealed a lost, emotionally wounded woman who felt that she lost everything that she once held dear and was desperate to regain a portion of the life she once knew, but also a woman with few convictions, a narrow mindset and a self serving knows best attitude. As such, she was easily swayed by the prospect of regaining a relationship with Jeremy. After Jeremy's death she is being completely free of his influence and yet still she uses dark magic to open a portal into the past in attempt to hunt down and murder Ichabod, has no qualms about murdering two innocent people while in the past, and almost murders Abbie upon her return.
Relationships[]
Ichabod Crane[]
Katrina met Ichabod when she was a Quaker, and a friend of Arthur Bernard. When Ichabod served in the British army, he was ordered to interrogate and kill Arthur. He attempted to be charming, finding her beautiful, but she was bitter and cold to him. She led him to his change of heart to becoming a Patriot under the command of General George Washington. Ichabod was sent with Katrina's friend into the woods to kill him, but set him free. Ichabod's twisted commander revealed himself to be a demon and shot the man, then he wounded Ichabod. Ichabod showed up at Katrina's house, stumbling into her front porch. She helped him in and held his head in her lap as if they were already married.
Katrina was betrothed to Abraham Van Brunt, but he gave her expensive jewelry and thought she desired money and riches. However, Katrina favored simplicity. Ichabod noticed this, for he knew her better than his best friend Abraham. Katrina confessed her love for him, and broke the engagement. Later, when Abraham told Ichabod she broke the engagement, Ichabod confessed it was out of love for him, asking that he and Katrina receive his blessing. Abraham was angered and demanded a duel, but was shot by the Hessians, and became the Horseman of Death.
Ichabod and Katrina were soon married. Through the years they were married, Ichabod had no idea Katrina was a witch. She didn't tell him this to protect him from chances of being burnt at the stake with her if she was discovered.
Ichabod did not know this, but Katrina had been pregnant. After Ichabod died, she fled from her coven to Fredericks Manor to deliver her baby because the house was under a protective hex, which was broken when the baby was born. She had to leave with the child to protect him from harm. It has not been revealed what happened to the baby, but Katrina never told Ichabod. He only found out when Abbie Mills told him when she saw the birth in a vision.
Katrina cast a spell on a dying Ichabod when the Horseman slashed open his chest, after he cut off the Horseman's head. Because their bloodlines merged, she was able to cast a spell so when the Horseman of Death awoke, so would Ichabod. She buried Ichabod's body in a cave and sunk the Horseman's body in a tomb at the bottom of a river, and he awoke with the Horseman in the 21st century.
She appears to Ichabod many times throughout the series, most of the time to give him hints or warn him of upcoming events. Katrina gave him the information that the Horseman would be looking for his skull, and he could wake the three other Horsemen with it. She also revealed to him that the Horseman couldn't be around sunlight.
As of "Paradise Lost", Katrina and Ichabod are estranged, due to the broken trust between them because of Katrina keeping secrets from her husband. These issues fester and grow until in "Awakening" Katrina abandons Ichabod and company to aid her son Jeremy in reawakening the magic potential of those with witch blood in Sleepy Hollow, going so far as to attack Ichabod when he interferes and proclaim that she could never be happy with a mortal man and that she feels relieved she is finally able to say this.
After Jeremy's death, her love for Ichabod decays to such a point that she attempts to go backwards in time to kill him as she believes he is the source of all her pain, almost doing so herself and expressing extreme rage when Abraham is unable to deliver the final blow. In a final act of estrangement, as Katrina attempts to kill Abigail, Ichabod is forced to attack Katrina in Abbie's defense, stabbing and killing his own wife.
Abraham van Brunt[]
Katrina had an arranged marriage with Abraham, but because he did not understand her desire for simplicity and because she was in love with Ichabod Crane, she broke the engagement. She and Ichabod required Abraham's blessing, but he was enraged and dueled Ichabod.
Abraham was killed by the Hessians and made the Horseman of Death. His agreement with Moloch was that if he succeeded, Katrina would be his. When she was burnt for witchcraft, she was stuck in the Purgatory, waiting for Abraham to succeed for her to be freed.
Katrina said that she never loved him and she never would, and that her heart belonged to Ichabod alone.
After Moloch's defeat, Katrina begins researching a method to separate Abraham from Death; having seen his humanity starting resurface. She also admitted she felt somewhat guilty about his predicament; her actions in the past playing a part in his choice to serve Moloch. In the season two finale, she was shown willing to aid him in getting revenge against Ichabod after traveling to the past to undo her previous actions.
Jeremy Crane[]
Katrina was the mother of Jeremy, the only child between her and her husband, Ichabod Crane. Jeremy resents his mother and father for abandoning him. Katrina loves Jeremy dearly and refuses to give up hope that he could be redeemed. Katrina's love for her son and her desire to have a relationship with him eventually consumes her entire being and eclipses any love she had for Ichabod or anyone else. She is willing to turn her back on everything she fought for all so that she can be reunited with Jeremy. This choice eventually proves to be her undoing when she lashes out in anger at Abbie Mills, attempting to kill her to take revenge for her son's death.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Unlike other versions' Katrina Crane, the TV series Sleepy Hollows Katrina is the only version who turned to the Dark Side.
- Katrina's actress, Katia Winter, once portrayed a role in Dexter alongside Jaime Murray, the actress who portrayed another Sleepy Hollow villainess, Carmilla Pines.
- Due to her weak role in the second season, Katrina is somehow the least favorite regular character of Season 2 among the fans, possibly driving the writers to kill her off. Even her actress Katia Winter expressed frustration and disappointment over the weak characteristics of Katrina during an interview.
- In Season 2 finale, Katrina's role became very similar to the role of Lady Van Tassel in 1999 film Sleepy Hollow: unite with the Horseman and kill everyone who dare to stop them from achieving their evil goals.
- Some fans rumored that Katrina will be the next Horseman of Apocalypse after Death and War.
- Even in her final moments, Katrina expresses no regret for her actions or affection to Ichabod in favor of staring at the shade of her son. This may be indicating a possible true lack of genuine feelings in her marriage with Ichabod, much to his heartbreak.
- She is the second regular character of the series who becomes a villain right after Henry Parrish.
