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| “ | Shame! Shame! Shame! | „ |
| ~ Unella's most famous quote as she humiliates Cersei Lannister during the latter's walk of atonement. |
| “ | Only through confession and true repentance may our immortal souls be saved. | „ |
| ~ Unella demanding a confession from Cersei. |
| “ | Good. I'm glad to see your face. I'm ready to meet the Gods! | „ |
| ~ Unella to Cersei. |
Septa Unella is a minor antagonist in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and a supporting antagonist in its television adaptation, Game of Thrones. She is a high-ranking septa of the Faith of the Seven in service at the Great Sept of Baelor. She might be a member of the Most Devout.
She was portrayed by Hannah Waddingham, who also played the Wicked Witch of the West in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz, the Mother Witch in Hocus Pocus 2, Gail Meyer in The Fall Guy and Jinx in The Garfield Movie.
Personality[]
She is big, imposing, and has a scowling face. In the novels, she seems dutiful and neutral, and although she serves as the confessor, she does not display any sign of sadism while tormenting her prisoners. But she is also stern, humorless, controlling, and authoritative. As a confessor of the Faith, she claims to be helping people confess and repent for their sins. Margaery, who is a friendly and non-violent 16-year-old girl, admits that she wishes she could claw Unella's eyes out.
In the version of the television series, Unella torments her prisoners to confess and "repent" for their sins, much like her novel counterpart, but it is apparent that she uses her position in order to satisfy her own personal sadism.
Biography[]
Game of Thrones[]
After Cersei's conversation with High Sparrow, he has Unella arrest her and throw her in the cell. Unella occasionally visits Cersei, offering her a ladle of water and asking her to confess her sins in return. Cersei, however, refuses before stating that her face will be the last thing she'll see before she dies. Cersei eventually swallows her pride and confesses adultery with her cousin Lancel. The High Sparrow organizes her Walk of Atonement, in which Cersei is stripped naked and publicly shamed. During the walk, Unella was chanting "shame" until Cersei arrived at the Red Keep.
In Season 6, Unella reads the Seven Pointed Star to imprisoned Margaery Tyrell, while urging her to confess. After the queen's demand to see her brother Loras, septa moves to strike her, but High Sparrow enters the cell and stops her. After Margaery was released, she was assigned by the High Septon to keep an eye on her. Upon the destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor, Unella is imprisoned and tortured by Cersei. She waterboards her with wine, then "confesses" events in the series (from her role in Robert Baratheon's death to her relationship with Jamie) only to leave her to be tortured by The Mountain while vengefully chanting "shame".
Her fate is ultimately unknown since Cersei stated to her that she wouldn't die for quite some time, though it is unlikely that she would ever leave King's Landing alive. She may have perished in the dungeons when King's Landing was decimated by Daenerys Targaryen and her dragon, Drogon. It's also possible she was tortured to death. No matter which scenario, it's more than likely she died at some point.
Trivia[]
- In the television series, the roles of Cersei's confessors were entirely merged into Unella as a single character. In the novels, Unella is part of the trio of Cersei's confessors, the other two being Septa Scolera and Septa Moelle. Scolera is portrayed as the leader of the trio, and it's her who rings the bell and begins shouting the word "shame" during Cersei's walk of atonement. Unella and Moelle join her, and all three sing "Shame, shame, shame upon the sinner, shame, shame."
- All three of them are senior ruling septas, possibly members of the Most Devout, if the council allows women. Scolera, who is described by Cersei as an "old hag," is short, thick-waisted, with heavy breasts and olive skin (possibly Dornish). Moelle is old, wrinkled, and white-haired, with suspicious small eyes, a stern expression, a face "as sharp as an axe," and lips pursed in perpetual disapproval. Unella is possibly the youngest of the trio, and she is the biggest and tallest, described as big-boned with callused hands and a scowling, homely face.
- In the novels, Cersei's vengeful fantasies are directed towards Septa Scolera instead of Septa Unella. She has a great hatred for Scolera, fantasizing about having her tongue removed with hot pincers or about pushing her from a staircase. She additionally thinks it would be fun if Unella, while walking behind, ended up getting caught in Scolera's fall and both of them kept falling down together.
- Along with a group of elderly septas older than them, as well as other septas, young novices, and some silent sisters, Unella, Scolera and Moelle chase, overwhelm, and arrest Cersei's together when she attempts to flee from the Great Sept of Baelor. Unella is the one who later records Cersei's confession to the High Septon.
- Unella is Cersei's main confessor, who comes to her cell to demand a confession out of her every single hour of the day, even at night. Unella always wakes Cersei up, shaking her and asking if she's ready to confess, preventing her to have a healthy sleep. Due to this, during her imprisonment Cersei becomes sleepy and struggles to pay attention to Qyburn when he visits her. However, unlike her television counterpart, Unella never forces Cersei to lick water from the floor and never beats her with a spoon.
- Unella also served as Margaery's main confessor.
- None of the three septas are as mean as Unella's television counterpart, who is portrayed as more sadistic and cruel in the show. In the novels, the authoritative septas are portrayed as stereotypical "mean, stern and self-righteous nuns," and Unella is a bit more sympathetic to Cersei, as she helps Cersei on her feet when she falls during her walk of atonement and tells her the walk is almost done when she is having a breakdown, showing her that the Red Keep is near and she is almost done with the punishment.
External Links[]
- Septa Unella on the A Wiki of Ice and Fire.
- Septa Unella on the Game of Thrones Wiki.
