High Queen Varia was an Amazon warrior and the queen of Marga's tribe, and the elder sister of a late fellow Amazon Tura. Following the tragic untimely death of her younger sister Tura at the hands of Eve during her dark days as "Livia of Rome" during her late teens, she became a vengeful warrior, and the second-in-command of Queen Marga, and eventually succeeded her superior as a new leader of her tribe. She was also a former protégée and ally of a former great warlord Xena, and the Olympian war god Ares. She also contributed to the reunion of the entire Amazon Nation and its various tribes as its supreme leader, and eventually forgave and pardoned Eve for killing her younger sister during her dark "Livia days".
Biography[]
Early life[]
Varia was born and raised in a typical Amazon village. While growing up, she was very close to her sister. The two would always play and practice fighting together.
During her late teens, the Village was attacked by the Romans, who were being led by Livia. During the raid, Varia attempts to kill Livia and has the perfect chance. She hesitates and is caught by Livia, who then pulls her sword on Varia. Varia's sister sacrifices herself for Varia, and is killed instead. Varia has sought vengeance since this day.
Meeting Xena and Gabrielle[]
When Xena, Gabrielle and Eve are summoned by Ares, they run into a battle between the Amazons and a squadron of soldiers. Whilst the three help the Amazons out, Varia notices Eve's unique fighting style. She immediately takes a shine to her, and asks her to teach her some moves.
Eve teaches Varia a move that certifies her suspicion - she is Livia, the Bitch of Rome. She puts her in a torturing neck brace. Xena breaks it up and tells Marga that she won't return to the village afterwards.
Marga's death and maturity[]
When the Amazons start to fall victim to Prince Morloch, who hunts Amazons for sport, Varia calls for Xena and Gabrielle's help. She informs that Marga went out to hunt down Morloch, but hasn't returned. Xena and Varia find her almost dead, lying on the floor. She tells Xena to train Varia to be Queen. When Marga dies, Xena and Varia take on Prince Morloch. Varia becomes very arrogant towards Xena and is defiant to accept her. A fight ensues and Varia almost gets herself killed. Xena saves her and she realizes that she must trust Xena. Varia is later kidnapped by Morloch, and Xena sets out to rescue her. Xena rescues Varia and kills Morloch. Varia returns to the tribe in time for Marga's funeral and to rule as Queen.
Ares[]
When Xena and Gabrielle are informed by a Roman that Eve has been captured by the Amazons, they rush to the villiage to find her in chains at the hands of an Amazon council. Varia explains why she is there, and Xena is reluctant to believe it - until Eve confirms that it is true. She led an attack on the Amazons, back when she was Livia. The attack caused the death of countless Amazons, including Varia's sister Tura.
Varia returning from Bellerophon's castle in "To Helicon and Back"
Xena notices that Varia is carrying the sword that Eve had during her "Livia days." She follows Varia and a fight ensues between the two. She performs a move that only Ares has been able to survive - and now so can she. This confirms that Varia has been having training from Ares. She tells Xena that he has promised to unite the scattered Amazon Tribes and reunite the Amazon Nation.
Varia then declares the death sentence on Eve, before Gabrielle offers the royal challenge. Whoever wins, gets the choice of what happens to Eve. If Gabrielle wins, Eve walks out of the village, never to return. If Varia wins, then Eve's sentence is carried out. Varia wins and leads Eve to an acid mud pit to be killed.
Xena and Varia fight, whilst Xena tries to convince her that she only wants to kill Eve now, because she couldn't kill Livia all those years ago. Varia then settles at the fact that Eve is a new person and Livia is dead. She lets Eve live and forgives her for killing her sister.
Kidnapping and Betrayal[]
During the Amazon ceremony, that declares Varia as Supreme Queen over the Amazon nation, Varia is kidnapped by the army of Bellerophon. She is then taken to the principality of Helicon. Xena, Gabrielle and the rest of the Amazons set out to get her back. Many Amazons lose their lives during this rescue mission. They battle their way across the beach until they spot a figure walking their way. They discover that it is Varia, and that Bellerophon has let her go.
It turns out that the reason Varia was released from Bellerophon was because she had made a deal. He lets her go if she kills Gabrielle. Her half of the deal was sabotaged by Xena, as she was caught in the act.
She is ordered by Gabrielle to go back to the village and stay there. However, after the defeat of Bellerophon's army, Gabrielle and Varia shake hands after Gabrielle gives hope to the Amazons that they are still a strong Amazon Nation despite the fact that most of their Amazon sisters died in the battle. Her fate, along with that of the Amazon Nation, is unknown.
Personality[]
Varia resembled Amarice in some ways, very much having a "strike first, ask questions later" attitude towards fighting.
Appearance[]
Powers and abilities[]
- Expert Martial Artist: Varia was an expert fighter in many forms of hand-to-hand combat. After being trained by the Olympian war god Ares, Varia's fighting skills and technique increased so much that she was able to engage in a royal duel and nearly killed Gabrielle, and was even able to challenge and fight Xena herself on an even footing, although she was overpowered and defeated by a demigod Bellerophon with an axe. She was also able to, in addition to her Amazonian fighting techniques, perform gravity-defying kicks, jump over distances, and even performed the "Livia move" to toss Xena to the ground, etc.
- Archery: Perhaps due to her training in the traditional Amazonian fighting techniques and skills, Varia was at least on one occassion seen with a bow and arrow, and would had succeeded in killing Gabrielle with a single strike if not for Xena's timely intervention.
- Enhanced Durability: Varia was noticeably able to withstand more physical trauma than a regular human. She was able to survive being struck with an arrow in the ankle, survive a fall from a high distance, and even withstand and survive kicks from her opponents that no one else had survived.
Trivia[]
- Varia proved to be a very popular character, to the extent that many fans would have preferred Varia to be Xena's sidekick from Season Six onwards. They felt that she should have inherited the Chakram, as well. Other fans strongly disagreed.
- Varia's fate is unknown after the events in "To Helicon and Back". It's possible that she was forgiven for her mistake and continued to rule as queen, but she might have been banished from the tribe.
- Varia and Eve’s interactions, prior to the discovery of Eve being Livia, were heavily flirtatious, indicating that Varia may be homosexual, or at least bisexual. This would also imply Eve’s bisexuality.
- The name Varia is of Latin origin and means "various" or "diverse". It can also refer to a town in Italy called Vicovaro, or Varia. Additionally, Varia is the Latin neuter plural of the adjective varius, meaning "of different kinds".
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
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