Grand Coven
The Grand Coven is the supreme command of all witchcraft. Without their sanction, I’m forbidden to practice!
Contents
History
The Grand Coven was the supreme command of witches, sanctioning witches in their use of magic. According to the Grand Coven there are three types of witches in the world, first the "borrowers" -- witches that get their power from demons, presumably in exchange for their souls. The second type, and rarest are the "naturals" those born with a natural ability for magic. Thirdly are "students" who are trained and mentored by Grand Coven approved witches.
The Grand Coven's power has become severely reduced to the brink of being decimated by the Men of Letters; who used their political influence to whip the church and public into a frenzy over witchcraft, and taking advantage by plundering their archives of spells and potions and storing them in their bunkers.
Members
- Olivette: The High Priestess of the Grand Coven, Olivette is a British witch who was responsible for uncovering Rowena's past and sending her on the run from the Coven. She was captured by Crowley and brought to Rowena who tortured for information on the Coven's plunder of potions and spells. After realizing how the Men of Letters brought the Coven to the brink of decimation, Rowena attempted to kill her, but she changes her mind and transforms her into a hamster. She is currently kept in a cage in the Needham Asylum.
- Rowena MacLeod: A Scottish natural born witch, Rowena was initiated into the Grand Coven, overlooking her past of marrying a non-magic person and giving birth to a son; Fergus, because of her talent. Her magic, which results in boiling people's brains, was declared too extreme, resulting in her formal separation from the Grand Coven who forbade her from using magic and cast a binding spell that limited her magical abilities.
- Katja: A German witch who inspired the Brothers Grimm to write the famous story; Hansel and Gretel. She and Hansel were sent to locate and kill Rowena, and all the while turning people who wouldn't be missed into children, fattening them, and cooking and feasting on them. She was killed by Dean Winchester who locked and burned her alive in her furnace, which was how the witch was killed in the story.
- Nadya: A Grand Coven witch which was highly skilled at deciphering complicated codes and using them to encode her codex which contains her decryption formulas. She was killed by the Men of Letters and her codex was stolen and hidden at St. Louis, Missouri in the Werther Box by Cuthbert Sinclair in 1956 and it remained there until it was recovered by Sam and Dean in 2015.
Episodes
10.07 Girls, Girls, Girls
Rowena mentions how the Grand Coven cast her out and has prevented her from actively practicing magic.
10.10 The Hunter Games
Rowena blames the Coven for having to abandon her son Crowley.
10.12 About A Boy
Sam and Dean discover that the Coven sent Katja to deal with Rowena, leaving them worried as they have never heard of the Grand Coven before.
10.14 The Executioner's Song
Rowena and Crowley plan an attack against the Coven's High Priestess Olivette, but Crowley abandons the attack in favor of helping the Winchesters and Castiel kill Cain.
10.16 Paint It Black
Rowena begs Crowley to make a case to the Grand Coven, which she describes as the supreme command for all witches for her to practice magic freely again. Eventually he captures High Priestess Olivette for her to do as she will. Under torture, Olivette reveals that the Coven has been decimated and is "a pale relic of its past power." The Men of Letters used their political power to whip the church into a frenzy and many of the best members of the Coven were burned at the stake or forced into hiding. The Men of Letters then plundered their most powerful spells and potions and scattered them through warded bunkers across the world and in their weakened state the Coven wasn't able to get them back. Rowena loses her fear of the Coven and turns Olivette into a hamster and decides to search for the missing spells and potions for herself.
10.19 The Werther Project
Rowena reveals that a Grand Coven witch named Nadya was murdered by the Men of Letters who took her codex that could decode the Book of the Damned. Sam begins a search for the codex, eventually finding it in the Werther Box.
11.03 The Bad Seed
With the Book of the Damned and Nadya's Codex in her possession, Rowena begins recruiting Grand Coven members to join her "Mega Coven." The first group, a trio of witches scoffs at her idea, believing she is more delusional than before, but for their rejection of her offer, Rowena performs an incineration spell that burns the trio into ashes from the inside out.
Next she appears with a duo in a restaurant, who are more receptive to her offer to join her Mega Coven. However, a demon assassin sent by Crowley interrupts, killing one of the witches as Rowena flees.
13.12 Various & Sundry Villains
Rowena reveals to Sam and Dean that before she was exiled, the Grand Coven cast a binding spell on her to limit her powers, but she believes that the Black Grimoire has a spell that can reverse their hex and unlock her full potential with the hope that she can use the extra power to protect herself from Lucifer if he tries to kill her, again.
After killing the Plum Sisters, Sam gives her the page that contains the spell. Rowena is later seen in a hotel room casting the spell on herself to lift the Grand Coven's bindings.
