Mehndi is a sacred skin paint used in India. It played a major role in the Xena: Warrior Princess series episode "Between the Lines", in which it was revealed to possess tremendous supernatural powers.
Between the Lines[]
After being persuaded by Gabrielle to send her to where Xena was, Naiyima the Darsham decided to teach Gabrielle the sacred skin paint known as the Mehndi, for without it, they would be unable to defeat Alti.
Thanks to the Mehndi, Xena and Gabrielle managed to transport Alti back to their time, and though they were initially defeated by her incredible shamanic powers, Naiyima intervened - through invoking the Mehndi's powers, the Darsham gave Gabrielle the strength to physically restrain Alti using bolts of spiritual lightning, while Xena mustered enough energy to conjure several spiritual chakrams, the final two of which destroyed the evil shaman in a large explosion.
Naiyima then thanked Xena and Gabrielle for destroying Alti when she was at her strongest, and confided in them that though Alti's soul's return was inevitable and eventual, they would always be there to defeat her. Last but not least, she compared them to the lines of the Mehndi - "separated, but forever connected", and then departed in a ball of light after completely healing them of all their wounds.
Powers and Abilities[]
"Mehndi is the path to enlightenment. Feel it. Don't try to understand it..."
"Don't try to think, Gabrielle. She said that the Mehndi was the path home. Trust that. Just let it happen."
"Gabrielle, Naiyima's not Alti's enemy. It's the Mehndi."
"...Mehndi contains truth."
As a sacred paint used by Enlightened Ones (such as Naiyima) to preserve karmic cycles and combat the most dangerous of evil forces, the Mehndi possesses potent powers that seem to be both spiritual and mythological in nature.
Examples of powers it was shown to possess (through Naiyima, Xena, and Gabrielle) were:
- Omniscience/Nigh Omniscience (possibly): Though it was never specifically stated or confirmed, it was still possible that the Mehndi gave one the power to know absolutely anything and everything indefinitely, or at least, almost everything in existence. For instance, Naiyima was aware that if Khindin (Alti's future incarnation) managed to kill Arminestra (Xena's future incarnation), then Xena's karmic cycle would end along with all the good of her future lives. She also confirmed that Gabrielle's karma was intertwined with that of Xena's and, together, they would always be present to defeat Alti whenever she returned.
- Karma Manipulation: The Mehndi had the power to manipulate the flow of karma, the phenomenon of actions begetting the consequences in tandem with the nature of those actions. An additional ability it enabled one to access through this province is:
- Time Travel: The Mehndi had the power to move through time, enabling one to send others to either the future or the past, especially to specific times where one's karmic cycles were in danger of being extinguished forever. For instance, Naiyima sent Xena and Gabrielle to the time where Xena's karmic cycles were endangered by Alti. Later on, Xena and Gabrielle utilised this particular power to transport Alti back to their time (the era where she could be effectively destroyed).
- Repulsion (possibly): Though it was never specifically stated or confirmed, it was still possible that the Mehndi enabled one to telekinetically repel a person away from themselves - when Alti tried to attack Naiyima to steal her powers, Naiyima repelled her away.
- Spiritual Weaponry: The Mehndi had the power to create and wield spiritual weapons capable of restraining and destroying even the most formidable enemies - with Naiyima's help, Gabrielle was able to conjure bolts of spiritual lightning to physically restrain Alti, while Xena was able to conjure several spiritual chakrams, the final two of which destroyed Alti in a large explosion.
- Healing: The Mehndi had the power to restore biotic organisms to their optimal health - before she left, Naiyima completely healed Xena and Gabrielle of all their wounds.
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