| “ | What do you say I come with you and help you get your revenge, and then you come with me and help me get mine? | „ |
| ~ Mother Gothel to Captain Hook |
| “ | "Mother" means different things to different people. I tend to their needs, as I can tend to yours. | „ |
| ~ Gothel explaining to Rumplestiltskin why she calls herself Mother |
Mother Gothel is the main antagonist of Season 7 of ABC's Once Upon a Time. Mother Gothel is an evil witch, who is an ally to Drizella and the mother of Alice. She serves as leader of the Coven of the Eight, a group of witches who are described by Zelena as "the worst of the worst".
She is portrayed by Emma Booth.
History
Season 7
When Rapunzel is caught stealing vegetables from Gothel's garden, Gothel imprisons her at the top of a tower. However, Rapunzel manages to escape by using her extraordinarily long hair, and uses some of Gothel's own magic to trap her in the tower instead. Some time later, when Captain Hook climbs the tower looking for magic to imprison Rumplestiltskin, Gothel disguises herself as Rapunzel to seduce him and become pregnant. Magically speeding up the pregnancy, Gothel gives birth to a baby girl who she abandons in the tower so as to become free herself. Forming a coven of powerful witches, Gothel frees Rapunzel's wayward daughter Drizella from a spell that trapped her as a statue. Drizella joins Gothel's coven, and together they magically poison Henry Mills so that her mother Regina is forced to cast the Dark Curse that sends everyone to Hyperion Heights, Seattle. Victoria Belfrey keeps Gothel prisoner at the top of Belfrey Towers. Victoria wants Gothel's help to revive Anastasia, but when Gothel refuses and threatens her, Victoria gathers herbs to appease her and acquire her help in uprooting Lucy's belief. However, Gothel is secretly in league with Victoria's daughter Ivy, and helps her awaken Regina from the curse. When Rogers discovers that Victoria is involved in the case of the missing "Eloise Gardener", he tracks her down and discovers Gothel captive. Rogers rescues Gothel, and has Victoria arrested for kidnapping her. Victoria manages to evade imprisonment and successfully revives Anastasia, only for Gothel to trap Victoria in an underground prison so that Anastasia can be indoctrinated into Gothel's coven. Gothel then betrays Ivy by having Anastasia steal her magic, before Gothel imprisons Ivy with her mother.
Powers and Abilities
Mother Gothel, like all witches, has the ability of Witchcraft and has been described as "very powerful and dangerous.". She has the ability to glamour her real identity to deceive others, cast a confinement spell that prevents exiting a certain area (such as a tower) and accelerate the growth of plants. Also she is so far the only practitioner of magic to have retained her powers at Hyperion Heights, although very limited.
Gallery
Trivia
- She is based on Dame Gothel from the fairy tale, Rapunzel and on Mother Gothel from the Disney film, Tangled.
- She shares her position as main antagonist with Drizella and Lady Tremaine. Though in the first-half of the season, she functions more as the secondary antagonist. In "The Eighth Witch", after transferring Drizella's magic to a recently-awoken Anastasia, Gothel becomes the main antagonist.