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|location= [[Hell]]
|occupation= [[Witch]]<br>Queen of Hell
|episodes= [[10.03 Soul Survivor]]<br>[[10.07 Girls, Girls, Girls]]<br>[[10.09 The Things We Left Behind]]<br>[[10.10 The Hunter Games]]<br>[[10.14 The Executioner's Song]]<br>[[10.16 Paint It Black]]<br>[[10.17 Inside Man]]<br>[[10.18 Book of the Damned]]<br>[[10.19 The Werther Project]]<br>[[10.21 Dark Dynasty]]<br>[[10.22 The Prisoner]]<br>[[10.23 Brother's Keeper]]<br>[[11.03 The Bad Seed]]<br>[[11.09 O Brother Where Art Thou?]]<br>[[11.10 The Devil in the Details]]<br>[[11.18 Hell's Angel]]<br>[[11.22 We Happy Few]]<br>[[11.23 Alpha and Omega]]<br>[[12.02 Mamma Mia]]<br>[[12.03 The Foundry]]<br>[[12.08 LOTUS]]<br>[[12.11 Regarding Dean]]<br>[[12.13 Family Feud]]<br>[[12.23 All Along the Watchtower]]<br>[[13.12 Various & Sundry Villains]]<br>[[13.19 Funeralia]]<br>[[13.21 Beat the Devil]]<br>[[13.22 Exodus]]<br>[[14.07 Unhuman Nature]]<br>[[14.14 Ouroboros]]<br>[[14.18 Absence]]<br>[[15.02 Raising Hell]]<br>[[15.03 The Rupture]]<br>[[15.08 Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven]]
}}
{{Quotation
|title=
|text= I don't care about anything enough to take my own life. Not youhave many regrets, your brother -- not even but the worldfew I do still haunt me. But I believe in prophecyMaking Napoleon so short was just bitchy. Telling Mick Jagger he had no future when I believe in magicdumped him. And I'm here , well, everything with dear Fergus. Then one day, you die and go to Hell, they make you Queen and youcan're here and everything we need to end this t make it right is in our hands. I know this in my bones -- So, fix it has to be this way. Do it! Kill me, Samuel! I know we've gotten quite fond of each other, haven't we? But will you let the world die, let your brother die, just so I can live?
|author= Rowena
|source= [[15.03 The Rupture08 Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven]]
}}
==History==
Rowena is an extremely powerful natural-born [[witch]], originally from Scotland in the 17th century (or possibly earlier). Before Rowena became a witch she was a peasant and the daughter of a tannerin Canisbay, who had an affair with a man above her social class. Once her son Fergus was born in 1661, the man abandoned the two and went back to his rich wife and her grand house. Her son Fergus Roderick MacLeod, would father [[Gavin MacLeod]] and go on to become known as the demon [[Crowley]].
Rowena would flee her village and abandon an eight year old Fergus after she was charged with practicing witchcraft. Rowena then studied under the great Milanese witch Leticia D’Albioni and joined the [[Grand Coven]]. The Grand Coven were critical of Rowena having a child with a "non-magic", but they were willing to overlook this because of the great talent she possessed.
Rowena was expelled from the Grand Coven because her magic was considered too extreme; one [[spell]] she created was the ''Defigere Et Depurgare'', which was used to vanquish [[demons]]. Rowena's "unpleasantness" with the Grand Coven would ultimately lead to her being hexed by the coven with a binding spell that restrained her magic, as well as being banned from performing magic, taking on students, or forming her own coven.
In 2014, 300 years later, Rowena resurfaced to reclaim her lost power base. After being captured by Crowley, she made several attempts to use him for her own ends. Crowley was aware of Rowena's manipulations, yet captured the head of the Grand Coven, [[Olivette]], for her. Under torture by Rowena, Olivette revealed the Grand Coven was much-diminished in its power because of a concerted campaign against witches by the [[Men of Letters]].
Rowena was initially antagonistic towards the Winchesters as she saw Crowley's relationship with them as diminishing his power. The Winchesters often called on her help with magic, and Rowena assisted when she saw a benefit for herself. Over time, she became an ally in their battles, albeit motivated by the benefit she saw for herself in helping them. Rowena had a particular bond with Sam -- they were both tortured by [[Lucifer]] and , they saw his true face, and share the struggle of living with that experience.
In 2018, Rowena began killing people and their [[reapers]] to get [[Death]]'s attention, as she blamed herself for Crowley's death and the path that her abandonment led him down in life. During this, the reaper [[Jessica]] reveals that in the book [[Death]] keeps on her, it is written that she will die by the hands of Sam Winchester's hand. While death [[Billie]] refused to bring Crowley back, the experience ended with Rowena deciding that working for the greater good will be serve as her [[redemption]] for her past actions. She subsequently aided the Winchesters in their efforts to return to [[Apocalypse World]] and on occasions when they needed her expertise on a situation or case.
In 2019, after the release of the [[Hell Ghosts]] upon the world, Rowena chose to sacrifice herself to save the world by using her own body to cast imprison all of the souls and demons and cast them back into Hell. At Rowena's request, and with great reluctance, Sam was indeed the one who fatally stabbed Rowena. Following Rowena's death, Sam inherited Everyone around her magical stash, watched as it's suggested that she intended.===Magic===Rowena was a very powerful witch, maybe imprisoned the most powerful of all time <ref>[[15.06 Golden Time]]</ref>. The Grand Coven used a binding spell to limit damned souls into her magic until she found a spell in body and fell through the [[Black Grimoire]] that could break the binding. <ref>[[13fissure into Hell as it closed.12 Various & Sundry Villains]]</ref>
When the Winchesters and Castiel return to Hell in search of [[Michael]], they discover that Rowena's [[soul]] took up the empty position of Queen of Hell. Retaining her old personality and her humanity, Rowena aids the Winchesters once again in the fight against [[God]] and even urges Dean and Castiel to mend their broken relationship.
[[Spells]] created by Rowena included:
* [[Resurrection Charm]] – A subdermal sachet of powerful magic that is sewn into a person's body. Once the spell senses the life-force of the individual ebbing, the magic kicks in as a purple glow and works its way through the body, repairing the damage and resurrecting the individual. Rowena uses it twice herself, and has to remove one from her shoulder so that Sam can kill her and commence the spell to imprison the demons and hell ghosts. When she was captured by the [[British Men of Letters]] at some point, she also gave one to [[Ketch]] in exchange for her escape, who used it after [[Mary]] shot his head.
* ''Defigere Et Depurgare'' – Known in its English translation as "To bind and purge," this is a spell created by Rowena in the 18th century that causes demons to liquefy and get coughed up out of their meatsuit. It appears that the spell binds the demon to its meatsuit to keep it from escaping as it begins to liquefy the smoke into a sludge-like substance and be purged from the host body. The spell was only practiced by Rowena, and before she used it to kill Raul, it hadn't been seen since the 18th century. Sam attempted to use a strengthened version of the spell to kill Crowley and satisfy his deal with Rowena, but while the spell manages to temporarily incapacitate him, Crowley eventually overcomes the spell's effects and sets the hex bag on fire.
* ''Impetus Bestiarum'' – A spell Rowena referred to as an "attack dog spell," wherein the witch places a hex bag in the hands of someone and recites "impetus bestiarum," turning the object of the spell into an animalistic killer who can be directed to kill a particular individual. The spell will eventually kill the person it is cast on unless the spell is reversed by the witch who inflicted it by reciting "desiste ad levo onus tuum."
* ''Sanetur Acre Vulnus'' – A potent healing spell Rowena devised, which she used to seal [[Portal|the rupture]] that Chuck opened when he instigated the [[Apocalypse|Ghostpocalypse]]. The ingredients include myrrh, lavender, and the skull of an owl. Casting it requires two witches and someone to carry the spell once it's prepared. Sam helps Rowena cast the spell while Dean tosses the hex bag into the rupture, eventually sealing it.
* Resurrection Spell – A spell devised by Rowena and completed by Sam Winchester which causes a spirit to become human. Unfortunately, the spell could only be used once as [[Billie]] closes any loophole that cheats death.
===Deaths===
Rowena is killed twice by [[Lucifer]] -- first in [[11.10 The Devil in the Details]] and later in [[12.23 All Along the Watchtower]] -- but each time resurrected herself by use of a [[resurrection charm]].
In 2019, Rowena sacrificed herself to banish the [[Hell ghosts]] back where they came from, having [[Sam]] fulfill [[Death]]'s prophecy that he will kill her in order to save the world. She subsequently became the Queen of Hell. ===Legacy===Following Rowena's death, Sam inherited [[Rowena's Spellbooks|her magical stash]], which she intended since Sam was described by Dean as "Rowena's protégé." She even said that Sam was as close to a seasoned witch as anyone else in the team. [[Team Free Will]] uses her collection of spells and magical items in the fight against God.
==Episodes==
After Jack and Mary go missing, Sam contacts Rowena in the hopes that she can track them down. Using [[scrying]] magic, Rowena is unable to find Jack due to his energy being too unstable. She reveals to Sam that she knows with certainty that Mary Winchester is no longer on Earth.
While Rowena studies the ''[[Book of the Damned]]'' in [[Rowena's Apartment|her flat]], she is surprised by a sudden visit from Jack. He admits that he accidentally killed Mary and needs Rowena's help to undo it. She tells Jack there is a spell, ''Magice Necromantiorum,'' that they may be able to use. But when Sam and Dean arrive to the flat, Jack realizes that Rowena had been stalling and teleports Rowena and himself to the Bunker to collect the ingredients.
After collecting the ingredients, Rowena tells Jack the final item they will need is the body. Jack takes Rowena to the spot of Mary's death, but when Rowena refuses to perform the spell, Jack teleports her back to her flat. Rowena calls Sam to tell him what Jack plans to do, and that in his desperate state he may bring back something terrible.
Tearfully smiling at Sam, Rowena acknowledges that they have grown quite fond of each other and asks if Sam is willing to let his brother and the world die to save her. Crying, Sam pulls Rowena into a hug while stabbing her in the abdomen with the knife. Rowena tells Sam "that's my boy," before pulling out the knife and casting the spell. Walking towards the rupture, the mortally wounded Rowena draws all the souls and demons that escaped from Hell into herself. Stopping at the edge, Rowena looks back at Sam, Dean, and Castiel one last time and tells them "goodbye, boys" before throwing herself into the rupture. Rowena's devastated friends watch as she falls into Hell, the rupture sealing itself behind her.
===[[15.06 Golden Time]]===
After Rowena's death, a family of witches seeks to find Rowena's magical stash for themselves, but [[Jacinda]] is killed by a powerful [[curse]] Rowena put on her apartment to protect it.
Following the return of [[Eileen Leahy]] as a [[ghost]], Dean suggests creating another Soul Catcher and sends Sam to [[Rowena's Apartment ]] to find her stash, suggesting that Sam can make one as he was Rowena's protégé. With the help of Eileen, Sam finds Rowena's magical stash, including journals of her spellwork throughout her life, and he becomes emotional at the reminder of his dead friend. Among Rowena's journals, Sam finds a [[resurrection]] spell Rowena had been creating to bring [[Mary Winchester]] back, one that Sam realizes can be used to bring back Eileen. Sam is subsequently captured by the remaining two witches, who suggest that Rowena specifically excluded Sam from being harmed by the curse because she wanted him to inherit her magical stash once she was gone. Sam is later able to kill the [[Witch Mother]] with a spell Rowena taught him and use Rowena's resurrection spell to bring back Eileen.[[File:Hell'sThrone2.png|thumb|right|350px|Rowena sits on [[Hell]]'s throne.]]
===[[15.08 Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven]]===
:''"Samuel, please. You killing me was one of the best things that ever happened. Yes, there are things I miss about being alive, flesh-on-flesh sex, Amazon doesn't deliver here 'yet', but lads, I'm Queen. My subjects revere me, well 'fear me' which is better. I should have died a long time ago."''The Winchesters and [[Castiel]] use a spell from one of [[Rowena's Spellbooks]] to enter [[Hell]] in search of [[Michael]]. As the three fight with [[demons]], they are shocked when Rowena interrupts them. Rowena explains that following her death, she was able to seize control of Hell for herself and has now become the new Queen of Hellas a damned soul rather than an actual demon. Though she knows Michael may not be in Hell anymore, Rowena directs her demons to search for the [[archangel]] and reassures talks to the trio in her throne room. She talks about how the demons fear her and despite the things she misses in being alive, she absolves Sam for killing her, assuring him that he did dying was one of the right thing in killing best things that happened to her. Noticing tension between Dean and Castiel, Rowena, noting her own long list of regrets from life, urges the two to make amends. HoweverLater, a demon brings word that Michael is no longer in Helland the Winchesters take their leave. ===[[15.13 Destiny's Child]]===Sam and Dean journey to Hell in search of [[the Occultum]]. Upon arriving they are met by a demon, and ask to see Rowena, whom the demon reveals is giving orientation to all the newly damned [[souls]], forcing a fact the Winchesters demon does not seem so enthused about, before telling Sam and Castiel Dean he'll take them to her. However it turns out to be a ruse set up by [[Sister Jo]] in exchange for releasing them from Hell. As a result, Sam and Dean kill the demons and leave empty-handedHell. ===[[15.15 Gimme Shelter]]===The [[crossroads demon]] [[Zack]] told Castiel and Jack that Rowena ended the practice of making demonic [[deals and pacts]], believing that souls on Earth will end up where they belong, essentially putting crossroads demons out of a job. She also closed Hell's doors, preventing demons from ascending into the world unless they're summoned. When Sam and Dean discover this, Dean shows pleasure at Rowena putting the demons in their place.
==Trivia==
* After breaking the binding spell that was limiting her powers, Rowena's eyes glow purple. This has previously also been seen with [[Tasha Banes]] and her son [[Max Banes|Max]]. Many fans reported that Rowena's eyes appeared blue on their broadcast of the episode. Head of ''Supernatural '' VFX [[Mark Meloche]] [https://twitter.com/rotomonkee/status/959271456201846785 confirmed] that the effect had been created to be purple.
==See also==
* [[MacLeod (family)]]
* [[Samwitch]]
* [[Spells]]
* [[:Category:Witches|Witches]]
==External links==
'''Rowena in Fandom'''
* [http://www.rowenascoven.com Rowena's Coven, Ruth Connell Fan Site.]
* [http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Rowena%20%28Supernatural%29/works Fanfic about Rowena] on [[Archive Of Our Own]]
'''Meta'''<div style="-moz-column-count:2; -webkit-column-count:2; column-count:2;">*[https://larinah.tumblr.com/post/103997067282/rowena-magnus-and-the-island-of-dr-moreau Magnus, Rowena, and The Island of Doctor Moreau…on identity, isolation, and people who think they should be able to do whatever they want no matter who gets hurt] by larinah (November 2014); [https://web.archive.org/web/20180903160102/http://larinah.tumblr.com/post/103997067282/rowena-magnus-and-the-island-of-dr-moreau archive link]* [https://wwwdrsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/114748863374/rowenas-good-day-10x16 Rowena’s Good Day 10x16] by drsilverfish (March 2015); [https://web.archive.org/web/20190602220121/https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/114748863374/rowenas-good-day-10x16 archive link]*[https://waywardsam.tumblr.com/post/173843642293 Lucifer vs. Rowena: A Study in Character Development] by waywardsam (May 2018); [http://archive.today/yipdN archive link]*[https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/177953354077/royalrowena-im-writing-this-for-rowena All in all, Funeralia is my favorite Rowena episode] by royalrowena (September 2018); [https://web.archive.org/web/20181227084147/https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/177953354077/royalrowena-im-writing-this-for-rowena archive link]*[https://mad-as-a-box-of-frogs.tumblr.com/post/187689636352/bollocks-rowena-in-beat-the-devil-13x21-best Rowena in Beat the Devil] by mad-as-a-box-of-frogs (September 2019); [https://web.archive.org/web/20200327014838/https://mad-as-a-box-of-frogs.tumblr.com/taggedpost/187689636352/bollocks-rowena-cosplay in-beat-the-devil-13x21-best archive link]*The Witch and the Winchesters by mittensmorgul (December 2019); [https://archiveofourown.org/works/21641770 AO3 link]* [https://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/articles/article-archives/the-family/21000-nate-s-character-chat-supernatural-s-rowena Nate's Character Chat: Supernatural's Rowena Cosplay on Tumblr]-Character Study Video by Nate Winchester for The Winchester Family Business (Feb 23, 2018).</div> ==References=={{reflist}}
[[Category:Canon]][[Category:Characters]][[Category:Witches]]
