A brilliant inversion for children. Eda the Owl Lady is the witch. Her disciples? Luz (the human who learns wild magic with empathy) and Lilith (her sister, who was the “first disciple” but became the renegade by joining the Emperor’s Coven). The show subverts the trope by having the renegade eventually reconcile, suggesting that the cycle of betrayal can be broken.
In the vast catalog of European folklore, the archetype of the solitary witch—cackling over a cauldron in a lightless hut—is a familiar trope. Far rarer, and infinitely more nuanced, is the legend of The Witch and Her Two Disciples. This narrative cycle, fragments of which appear in Slavic skazki and Germanic märchen, does not depict a simple battle between good and evil. Instead, it presents a psychological crucible: the education of ambition, the cost of power, and the cruel mathematics of magical inheritance.
The concept of a witch and her two disciples appears across various media, from adult RPGs and tabletop gaming to traditional folklore tropes like Hansel and Gretel. Literature and Folklore
While not always explicitly called "disciples," the trope of a witch with two companions or charges is common: Hansel and Gretel
: This classic German fairy tale features a cannibalistic witch who lures two siblings into her gingerbread house. She enslaves and attempts to fatten for slaughter before the pair outwits and kills her. The Witch's Servants : Some European folk tales explore " The Witch and her Servants
," often involving three princes or figures who encounter a magical being with specific, often dangerous, tasks.
Triple Goddess Tropes: Many myths feature a central magical figure with two others, often representing stages of life (maiden, mother, crone) or a coven of three, such as the Weird Sisters in Macbeth. Gaming and Modern Media Disciple of the Witch - Two - Kingdom Death the witch and her two disciples
"The Witch and Her Two Disciples" (also known as "The Witch and Her Two Apprentices") is a significant lore element in Honkai: Star Rail, appearing as a painting that represents the backstory of the character Madam Herta, a member of the Genius Society.
The painting serves as an allegorical representation of Herta's early life and her eventual rise to genius status. While the full text of Herta's character stories provides more detail, Lore Summary
The Subjects: The painting depicts three figures. The "Witch" is widely interpreted as a representation of Herta herself (or her early mentor figure), while the "Two Disciples" represent her peers or followers during her youth.
Theme of Isolation: The story behind the painting highlights Herta’s innate brilliance and how it distanced her from others. While her "disciples" struggled to follow her logic or pace, she ascended to a level of understanding that rendered their companionship secondary to her pursuit of knowledge.
The Rejuvenation: The painting is often linked to the fact that Herta eventually found a way to reverse her own aging process. The "Witch" in the painting may appear older or more traditional, contrasting with the young puppet forms Herta uses in the game's present day. Symbolism:
The Cauldron/Experiments: Represents the early scientific and magical inquiries Herta conducted before joining the Genius Society. A brilliant inversion for children
The Departure: The narrative often concludes with the "Witch" leaving her disciples behind, symbolizing the moment Herta transitioned from a planetary scholar to a cosmic genius recognized by Nous (the Aeon of Erudition). Context in Game
You can find references to this painting and its story in Herta's Character Story II and III (unlocked by increasing her Friendship level). It serves to humanize a character who otherwise appears detached and cynical, showing that she once had "disciples" or connections before her extreme intellectual ascension.
In the heart of the Whispering Woods, where the trees leaned in to catch the secrets of the wind, lived the Dread-Witch Morgaer
. She was not as terrible as the villagers claimed, but she was twice as sharp. had two disciples: , who saw magic as a grand machine to be mastered, and , who saw it as a conversation to be joined. The Trial of the Silent Seed One autumn morning, placed two identical black seeds upon her stone table.
"These are seeds of the Night-Bloom," she croaked, her eyes gleaming like wet flint. "They require no water, no soil, and no sun. Bring them to flower by moonfall, and you shall earn the right to carry my staff." ’s Ambition
immediately retreated to the laboratory. He consulted ancient tomes, calculating the exact resonance of the "Growth Canticle." He built a cage of silver wire to focus magical energy and bombarded the seed with raw power. He commanded it to sprout, his voice booming with authority. The seed shook, it glowed a sickly violet, but it remained a hard, stubborn pebble. ’s Patience Luz (the human who learns wild magic with
took her seed to the roots of an old willow. She didn’t cast a single spell. Instead, she sat in the dirt and told the seed about the color of the sky. She hummed the songs the brook sang to the stones. When the wind blew, she shielded the seed with her palm, not because it was fragile, but so it wouldn't feel lonely in the cold. The Moonfall Reveal
As the moon climbed to its zenith, Morgaer entered the clearing.
stood over his silver cage, sweat dripping from his brow. His seed was cracked and scorched, its life forced out and burnt away by his sheer will. "I mastered the energy," he panted, "but the vessel was too weak."
stood by the willow, her hands cupped. Inside her palms sat a tiny, translucent flower that pulsed with a soft, rhythmic light—like a heartbeat. "Magic is not a hammer,
," Morgaer said, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "You cannot break the world into blooming." She turned to
. "You listened to what the seed needed, rather than telling it what you wanted. You did not use magic; you allowed magic to happen." That night, it was who carried the staff, while
was given a new task: to sit by the brook and learn the names of the stones. moral lesson for the disciples?