Eve (Xena: Warrior Princess)

Eve, also known as Livia, is a fictional character created by Robert Tapert for the popular TV series Xena: Warrior Princess. She is portrayed by Adrienne Wilkinson as an adult and as a baby by infant actors. She is loosely based on Livia Drusilla who was the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus and on Saint Paul while she was Livia and transformed to Eve.

Eve
Xena: Warrior Princess character
First appearance"God Fearing Child"
Last appearance"Path of Vengeance"
Created byRobert Tapert
Portrayed byAdrienne Wilkinson
In-universe information
AliasLivia
"Champion of Rome"
"Bitch of Rome"
"Messenger of the Elijans"
"Destroyer of the Amazon Nation"
"Child of Light"
"Bringer of the Twilight"
SpeciesHuman
OccupationCommander of the Roman legions (as Livia)
Messenger of peace (as Eve)
AffiliationXena, Gabrielle, Ares, Eli, Octavius, Virgil
FamilyGabrielle(father; deceased)
Xena (mother; deceased)
Solan (brother; deceased)
Cyrene (grandmother; deceased)
Atrius (grandfather; deceased)
Significant otherAres when Livia
ChildrenJonah (son)

Character history

Eve is the daughter of Xena and younger sister of Solan, born of a miraculous conception after Xena and Gabrielle encounter a deity called the God of Light.[1] When Xena chooses to save her former enemy, Callisto, from eternal suffering, the redeemed spirit of Callisto allows her to conceive a child, who is then selected to be her reincarnation.[1]

Before her birth, Xena's unborn daughter is prophesied by the Fates to become the Bringer of Twilight, the human who will bring about the end of the rule of the Olympian gods.[2] Zeus attempts to kill Xena and her child before this happens, but is thwarted by his son Hercules, who kills him with a rib of Cronus.[2] Xena delivers the baby with Gabrielle's help in the shade of a tree, moments after Zeus's demise. Xena names the girl Eve, a name that her deceased son Solan suggested upon seeing him in the underworld.[2] Meanwhile, Athena becomes the leader of the Olympian gods, and they continue their ceaseless persecution of the infant Eve. Driven to desperation, Xena and Gabrielle fake their own deaths, and that of Eve, by staging a fatal crash, then taking a sleeping draught[3] in a manner similar to the ploy in Romeo and Juliet. They intend to awaken shortly afterwards, but the plan goes awry when Ares, believing them to be dead, buries Xena and Gabrielle in an ice cave on Mount Etna as great warriors and leaves Xena's sword and chakram. Eve remains in the custody of Xena's friend Octavius, who proceeds to take her to Rome and sends her to the provinces to be educated.[3]

Twenty-five years later, Xena and Gabrielle awaken to discover that Octavius has become the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar, and Eve is now a brutal warrior known as Livia, the Champion of Rome.[4] She is the protégée and lover of Ares, but is intending to marry Augustus and thus become the empress. Xena sets about trying to stop her daughter from massacring innocent people, and in the process inadvertently exposes Livia's identity to the gods, who resume their persecution of her as the Bringer of Twilight.[4] She feels conflicted when Eve murders Xena's old friend Joxer.

Livia is reformed when Eli's spirit shows her various moments of Xena taking care of her when she was a baby, and learns that her mother truly did care for her.[5] The reformed Livia once again takes on the name of Eve, and intends to become the Messenger of Eli, who taught pacifism and independence from the Olympian gods. While Eve is initiated into the sect of Eli, the God of Eli gives Xena the power to kill gods as long as Eve is alive.[6] This development causes the Olympians to redouble their efforts to kill Xena and her daughter, bringing about their own demise when Xena goes up against them with her newly acquired power. Ares and Aphrodite survive, having remained neutral during the ordeal. However, Ares gives up his powers and immortality to save Eve and Gabrielle.[6]

After the Twilight of the Gods, Eve travelled with Xena and Gabrielle. As such, she appears in the first four episodes of season six. According to an interview with Adrienne Wilkinson,[7] the episode "Coming Home" took place a year after the events in "Motherhood".

After "Who's Gurkhan?" Eve apparently returned to Rome, though no explanation was provided for her absence. In fact, while Xena seemed to know where Eve was, Gabrielle didn't, as seen in "The God You Know" where Gabrielle seems surprised to learn Eve is in Rome.

Eve challenges the emperor, Caligula, in "The God You Know" in regards to his slaughter of the Elijans. She is nearly killed by Caligula, but Xena arrives in time to defeat him and save Eve.

Eve is seen briefly in "You Are There" being interviewed by a news reporter Nigel.

Eve's final appearance in the series was in the episode "Path of Vengeance" in which she returns to the land of Varia's tribe of Amazons in order to atone for her attack on them six years prior. Varia, now leading the multiple Amazon tribes that have gathered from around the known world, captures Eve in order to make her stand trial. Marga had apparently banished Eve after "Coming Home" with the threat of death if she returned. Varia, having lost her little sister at Livia's hand during the attack on her village, is after Eve's life.

It is revealed in this episode, that the Amazons she captured as slaves (as stated in "Coming Home"), she had tossed overboard with their shackles still on when she was unable to sell them to Gurkhan.

Gabrielle challenges Varia for leadership of the Amazons in order to save Eve's life when she is found guilty, but loses. Xena challenges Varia to a fight before she can execute Eve, and in doing so, she shows Varia that she has become like Livia, which leads Varia to stop her actions, and pardon Eve (stating Livia is dead).

At the end of the episode, Eve parts ways with Xena and Gabrielle, heading to China to continue to spread the message of Eli. Xena offers to go with her, but Eve states she needs to do it on her own, and departs.

There is a hint of Eve having children as stated in the episode "The Xena Scrolls", Professor Pappas and Melinda Pappas to be descendants of Xena in the 1940s, as she is Xena's only living offspring.

Livia made two appearances in season six. One was as a vision seen by Eve, caused by the king of Hell, Mephistopheles, in order to torment Eve, hoping to get her to spill her blood in order to release him into the world in the episode " The Haunting of Amphipolis." Livia was also seen in flashbacks in " Path of Vengeance" when she attacked Varia's tribe.

Skills and Abilities

Eve possesses excellent combat prowess; comprehensively trained by Ares from early childhood to fight in his name. (Hand-to-hand combat, all sorts of weapons but mostly swords) She is established as an extremely dangerous individual, and is more than capable of taking a stand against even the most skilled and dangerous of opponents, such as the God of War and her mother.

Chakram Skills: In the episode "Eve", she was able to stop the Chakram when Xena threw it at her by cutting it into two pieces. In the next episode "Motherhood", Eve caught the Chakram.

Acrobatic Skills: Aside from other acrobatic skills almost all well-trained warriors have in the show, Eve (Livia) has her own trademark moves: in the episode "Coming Home" as well as in the episode "Path of Vengeance", Eve (Livia) made a flip that only she knew how to do; this was revealed by Varia: '"I've seen only one warrior do that move..."' and which actually helped her to recognize the woman as being the former Livia—the Champion of Rome.

Commander: Being the former commander of the Roman Legions, Eve (Livia) holds her previously acquired knowledge of political and historical facts.

Heavenly Abilities: After Eve was initialized as the Messenger of the God of Light, she received a number of abilities that are channelled from Heaven. In the episodes "The Haunting of Amphipolis" and "Heart of Darkness", Eve was shown casting evil spirits back to Hell and healing a human who was taken by demons.

Appearances

The baby Eve
  • God Fearing Child (the birth of Eve)
  • Eternal Bonds
  • Amphipolis under Siege
  • Married with Fishsticks
  • Lifeblood
  • Kindred Spirits
  • Antony and Cleopatra
  • Looking Death in the Eye

The adult Eve
  • Livia
  • Eve
  • Motherhood
  • Coming Home
  • The Haunting of Amphipolis
  • Heart of Darkness
  • Who's Gurkhan?
  • The God You Know
  • You Are There
  • Path of Vengeance
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See also

References
  1. "Fallen Angel". Xena: Warrior Princess. 27 September 1999.
  2. "God Fearing Child". Xena: Warrior Princess. 31 January 2000.
  3. "Looking Death in the Eye". Xena: Warrior Princess. 24 April 2000.
  4. "Livia". Xena: Warrior Princess. 1 May 2000.
  5. "Eve". Xena: Warrior Princess. 8 May 2000.
  6. "Motherhood". Xena: Warrior Princess. 15 May 2000.
  7. "The Final Chakram Throw". Bitch of Rome.
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