Helen McGantry (née Chambliss) was the first Whitelighter to be created by the Elders, making her the progenitor of all Whitelighters. As a mortal, she died in 1693 during the time of the Salem witch trials.
History[]
Early life[]
Helen Chambliss was married off to a man named Zachariah McGantry at the age of sixteen. Her husband was twenty-four years older than her. At some point, she met and fell in love with a man named Daniel Rayburn, who died in war at the age of thirty. Some years later, Helen became a Whitelighter and remained so for centuries. At some point, she lost her psyche and was confined to the Tulipe Institute along with her Darklighter, whom employees are led to believe is Helen's sister. The Elders paid the bills to keep them institutionalized.
Throughout the Series[]
In "Deconstructing Harry", Harry Greenwood went to the asylum to talk to Helen in hopes of finding out why the Elders had kept a hospital record of her. At first thinking she was a witch, Harry was attacked by Helen at the mention of the Elders. Though, he was able to reassure her and she healed him, revealing that she was really a Whitelighter. Harry soon found out that she was the first Whitelighter ever to be created, and in doing so created an evil version of herself in the process.
In "Needs to Know", Helen's Darklighter escaped and killed everyone that stood in her way. Helen then called Harry for help. He brought her back to the Command Center where he introduced her to Mel and Maggie. They helped her track down her Darklighter and brought her back to the Command Center. Both Helens wanted to become one again. When her Darklighter attacked Macy in a rage, Helen stabbed herself in the chest to free them both. Her Darklighter then merged with Helen and they faded away together.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Active Powers
- Healing: The ability to heal wounds and injuries.
- Inactive Powers
- Immortality: The ability to live an infinite lifespan at a ceased age.
Trivia[]
- With her dying during Salem witch trials, she might have originally been a witch. On the other hand, she might as well just have been accused of being a witch.
- The exact reasoning for Helen and her Darklighter's confinement at the Tulipe Institute was never revealed. It also remains unclear for exactly how long that the two of them have been confined at the institute.
- According to the nurse who let Harry talk to Helen and her Darklighter, the two "sisters" are not allowed to be separated, although why this is the case remains a mystery.
- Since the Elders were paying for Helen and her Darklighter's confinement in the Tulipe Institute, it would seem that the two of them were still connected to the Elders in some way. Thus, it is unclear why Helen and her Darklighter did not perish with the Elders along with the rest of the Whitelighters and Darklighters (besides Harry who was no longer connected to the Elders).
- Helen was shown to be able to still heal, which indicates the presence of active powers. If her and her Darklighter's abilities were never bound or stripped, then it's not clear why either of them couldn't have escaped the institute earlier. However, it could be theorized that the two of them do not have access to all of their powers, as this is the only time that either of them were even shown using magic.
- Helen shares a name with Helen Jenkins, a character from the original series.
Gallery[]
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Appearances[]
| Season Two Appearances (2/19) | |
| 1. "Safe Space" | 2. "Things to Do in Seattle When You're Dead" |
| Absent | Absent |
| 3. "Careful What You Witch For" | 4. "Deconstructing Harry" |
| Absent | Appears |
| 5. "The Truth about Kat and Dogs" | 6. "When Sparks Fly" |
| Mentioned | Absent |
| 7. "Past is Present" | 8. "The Rules of Engagement" |
| Absent | Absent |
| 9. "Guess Who's Coming to SafeSpace Seattle" | 10. "Curse Words" |
| Absent | Absent |
| 11. "Dance Like No One is Witching" | 12. "Needs to Know" |
| Absent | Appears |
| 13. "Breaking the Cycle" | 14. "Sudden Death" |
| Absent | Mentioned |
| 15. "Third Time's the Charm" | 16. "The Enemy of My Frenemy" |
| Absent | Absent |
| 17. "Search Party" | 18. "Don't Look Back in Anger" |
| Absent | Absent |
| 19. "Unsafe Space" | |
| Absent | |