Witches/The Supreme Witch

“	An average witch is born with a few natural gifts. But in each generation there is one woman who embodies countless gifts. Some say all of them. She is the Supreme.	”
	— Cordelia Goode to Zoe Benson[src]

The Supreme Witch, known more colloquially as The Supreme, is a worldwide status recognized among the community of witches descended from the Salem Witch Trials. While most witches possess only a handful of inherent supernatural gifts, the Supreme is said to be the living embodiment of magic itself, identified via their mastery over 7 distinct magical abilities known as "The Seven Wonders": Telekinesis, Divination, Transmutation, Pyrokinesis, Concilium, Descensum, and Vitalum Vitalis.

In addition, the Supreme possesses an immunity to all pre-existing ailments and diseases, and their very presence causes the air around them to vibrate with "sheer power"^[1]. Despite these talents, a Supreme rarely possess the ability to perform specific feats of magic inherited by some witches via their own unique family bloodlines, or which these witches have managed to develop on their own, among these the gifts of The Sight, Clairvoyance, Illusion Manipulation, "Black Widow", or Injury Transference, to name a few. Resurgence is oftentimes inaccessible to Supremes, as well.

Unfortunately, the Supremacy does not last solely with one witch, as with time the next generation's Supreme will be born and the former Supreme's powers will begin to pass on to their successor. As a result, while the new Supreme flowers, the life force of the former regnant gradually fades, their immune system facing a rapid decline in the form of multiple organ failures, disease, diabetes, and cancer until their inevitable death.

In order for the Salem coven to establish a witch who has inherited Supremacy, a witch chosen by the Supreme must undergo the Test of the Seven Wonders - a set of tasks conducted by the Witches' Council which revolve around all seven of these aforementioned magical abilities. Whichever witch successfully exhibits them all can then lay claim to the title of Supreme, and only upon the death of the current Supreme will they inherit the full extent of their magical powers. Despite this, the risk associated with undertaking the Test of the Seven Wonders can outright kill a witch if they do not possess the magic and mastery necessary to complete one of the Test's specific tasks.

An exception to all established consequences of Supremacy is Scáthach, a witch predating the Salem coven by several centuries^[2], whose arrival to the New World during the late 1500s has followed with decades of inexplicable disappearances and violent human sacrifices in the name of "the Old Gods". These practices of dark and forbidding magic have granted Scáthach eternal life and unspeakable powers, at the cost of no longer appearing human.

The male equivalent of The Supreme is known as the Alpha Warlock, known more colloquially as The Alpha, though there has so far never been such a warlock and the prophecy concerning his eventual ascension is largely believed to be apocryphal. The warlocks at Hawthorne School for Exceptional Young Men believed Michael Langdon could be The Alpha.^[3]

Role

"Guided by ancient tradition, witches survive only if united under a strong, singular authority".

The role of Supreme comes with the responsibility of protecting the Salem coven at all costs and acting as the leader of its new generation. As such, the mantle of Supremacy is not a task to be taken lightly, and there will always be a reminder of the certainty of death with the coming of a successor.

Supremes are able to act in the place of The Witches' Council and, in the event of a nonexistence council, are able to appoint new members, as was the case when Cordelia decided to replace the deceased Cecily and Quentin with Queenie and Zoe. Supremes are also responsible for attending summit gatherings, signing petitions, and appointing a new chancellor.

As the Supreme reaches their final years, one of their most important tasks is to identify their successor - a task that was neglected by former Supreme Fiona Goode. After realizing one of the witches within the coven was most likely going to surpass her, Fiona sought to find and kill them, in the hopes that she could reclaim her lost power and cure herself of her cancer. However, after the death of Fiona's presumed successor and no sole witch being able to prove themselves a true heir, multiple witches had to be tested in the Trial of the Seven Wonders in 2014, during which one witch died performing descensum.

In cases where a new Supreme must rise before the natural death of the incumbent, a ritual known as "The Sacred Taking" is employed - a stylized suicide of the Supreme blessed by the other members of the coven. It was developed when the ailing Prudence Mather, the Supreme of the 16th century, was not able to make the journey to relocate the coven from Massachusetts to New Orleans during the Salem Witch Trials; with her death, she allowed her potential successor to quickly ascend to Supremacy. Purportedly, the Sacred Taking has only been used three times in the Salem coven's history, and only under the most extreme of circumstances.

Fiona inherited her powers earlier than most Supremes (having been around late teens to early twenties at the time) because she killed her generation's Supreme and self-ascended. Fiona lived for a short while after Cordelia's rise to the Supremacy, but had already become very weak and sickly, dying in her daughter's arms within moments of witnessing her new status. 

Supremes

Prudence Mather

Prudence Mather was a Supreme during circa 1692. During the Salem Witch Trials, witches in Massachusetts planned on fleeing south to New Orleans, but Mather was too sick with consumption to make the journey. In order for a new Supreme to ascend, the Salem coven performed the Sacred Taking, by which Mather selflessly sacrificed herself for the good of all.

Notes

• Interestingly, Prudence Mather shares the same surname of Puritan minister Cotton Mather, notorious for his support to the Salem Witch Trials.

Unnamed Supreme

This unnamed Supreme was the second Supreme to lead the Salem coven during the late 1600s and the successor of Prudence Mather. After Prudence Mather's self-sacrifice to save the coven, this Supreme ascended to the Supremacy. She led the Salem coven south to New Orleans.

Marianne Wharton

Marianne Wharton ^[4] was a Supreme that reigned during the mid 19th century. A prominent East Coast society matron and early suffragette, she is noted for writing several popular children's books. In 1868, she purchased Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, a safe haven where witches could gather to learn how to control their powers.

Mimi DeLongpre

Mimi DeLongpre was the Supreme of the 19th to 20th century and the successor of Marianne Wharton. On the night of the Great Ascension, Mimi DeLongpre was presented an antique brooch. In 1919, the witches of the Academy killed the Axeman, putting an end to his murderous reign of terror in New Orleans. In 1926, under DeLongpre's supervision, a witch was tried and burned at the stake for committing a crime against a fellow witch. In 1940, knowing that the end of her reign had come, DeLongpre called the Witches' Council and proclaimed Anna Leigh Leighton the next in line for Supremacy.

Notes

• Interestingly, Mimi DeLongpre shares the same surname as supposed distant cousins of Constance Langdon and Michael Langdon, as revealed by Constance in the final episode of Murder House:
  • "He was the child of distant cousins on my mother's side. The DeLongpres of Virginia, Eveline and Steve."

Current

The reigning Supreme of the Salem coven is Cordelia Goode, who took over in 2014 from previous Supreme Fiona Goode, who was also her mother. Cordelia is the only known Supreme to have been a child of the previous Supreme, putting into question if whether or not a blood relation to the former Supreme could be a factor in inheriting their power. Fiona stated that Cordelia's place as her daughter gave her a greater influence over magic, and later claimed that when Cordelia was born, she could feel some of her power slipping away from her, which gave her the fear that someday her daughter would eventually surpass her.

In the erased timeline, Mallory was briefly the Supreme after Cordelia stabbed herself in the chest, killing herself in order for Mallory to ascend to Supremacy and acquire strong enough magic to use Tempus Infinituum, a power to reverse the Apocalypse.^[5]

Trivia

• Any witch who inherits the Supremacy will receive an enormous boost of magic power, giving them the ability to perform spells and wonders far more advanced than any other witch. This boost of power is enough justification for people to regard the Supreme as the most powerful witch on Earth, though deities like Papa Legba scoff at these claims.
• It is unknown how the transference of magic works from the old Supreme to the new, or what the selection factors are for a witch to become a potential candidate for the Supremacy.
• The magical capabilities of a witch grows naturally over time, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they can become a candidate for the Supremacy.
• It is unknown if a witch's direct blood-relation to the previous Supreme could be a factor in being the next in line for the Supremacy.

References