Merida (Brave)

Princess Merida is the main protagonist of 's 13th full-length animated feature film . 
She was the rebellious Princess of DunBroch whose free-spirited behavior has clashed against that from her strict mother Queen Elinor, which in turn, sets off the main events of the film itself, where it involves Elinor herself transforming into a bear indirectly thanks to her own daughter Merida. 
She is the first female protagonist in a Pixar feature film. She is also the 11th in the official lineup and the first official Disney Princess that is from a Pixar film.
== Portrayals ==
* In the film, she was voiced by , who would later reprise as her again in Ralph Breaks the Internet. As a child, she was voiced by Peigi Barker.
* In most of her other appearances, she was instead voiced by .
* In Once Upon a Time, she was portrayed by Amy Manson.
==Personality==
Merida is a brave, daring, adventurous, tenacious, headstrong, courageous, determined, caring, selfless and sensitive young teenage girl, but also stubborn, sarcastic, snarky, rebellious, cynical, and sometimes selfish, aggressive, impulsive and short-tempered against everything in her family. She is also used to bad habits and is also a bit of a tomboy.
Instead of acting like a classic damsel in distress waiting for her prince charming, she prefers to behave like a brutal warrior with a conscience of sword fighting and bow-throwing arrows (where in that, she is the best in all of DunBroch). and loves being with his horse. She is actually one of the few Disney Princesses who use a weapon in their films. She is completely opposed to treatments and princess life, and even enjoys risking her life (sometimes) as she is seen when she ventures into nearby forests or when she climbs Megara Waterfall.
She is very similar to her father, King Fergus, and also has a great bond with him, both of whom are rebellious and occitious. However, she is also a bit like her mother, Queen Elinor, as she is stubborn and short-tempered in her virtues.
She also has a close bond with her younger siblings, Harris, Hubert and Hamish, (sometimes she even gives them sweets they want). As a child, Merida was very attached to her mother, and she loved the legends she told her. However, as they grew up, they separated because they did not agree at all with each other on the question of marriage.
Merida, however, still remains protective of her mother, the night after the message received from the witch puts her under cover with wooden boards with the falling rain and dreams of the good memories with her that Elinor calmed her if she was afraid of something. It also seems like she doesn't take responsibility, like when she doesn't claim that she is her fault if her mother turns into a bear.
However, she always remains very protective of her family and her friends, as she attacks Mor'du alone. In the end, her bond with her mother goes back to being what it once was, and Merida realizes that there is nothing better than being surrounded by someone she cares about and loves with all her heart.
==Abilities==
*Master Archery: Merida is an extremely skilled archer and bowman who never misses a target and is also capable of using her bow and arrows in combat against much larger opponents such as Mor'du.
*Combat Proficiency: Merida is a capable fighter even when outnumbered against much larger opponents such as Mor'du.
*Master Swordsmanship: Merida possesses skills in the use of a sword, mostly in combat.
*Expert Horse Riding: Merida is an excellent equestrian, further enhanced by her bond with her horse Angus. She is also shown to ride on Elinor as a bear when the two escape from Mor'du.
==Physical Appearance==
Merida is a 16-year-old teenage girl who has curly red hair, blue eyes over a round face with light scars printed on it and pale skin. Her body has a slim physique. She often wears a dark teal cotene dress that gets clogged with underwear on the backs of the sleeves.
During the coronation for her hand, Merida wears a transparent turquoise dress with gold trim along with a square neckline, with a white head cover above her to keep her hair greasy with a gold pull. Then this dress tears it up slightly when she gets into a suitable position with bow and arrow in hand.
==Biography==
===Brave===
Merida lives in the mystical Scottish kingdom of DunBroch with her mother, Queen Elinor, her father, King Fergus, and her mischievous triplet brothers, Hamish, Hubert, and Harris. Elinor spends the beginning trying to convince Merida to be a perfect princess, but they are unfair to Merida, who enjoys riding through the Highlands on her horse, Angus, and practicing archery and fencing; she inherited those skills from her father.
At dinner one night, Merida receives news from Elinor that the king's allied clan lords are presenting their sons as suitors for their hand in marriage. Merida doesn't want to lose her freedom, so she refuses, even when Elinor tells her a story about a selfish prince who ruined his kingdom. All Merida wants is to convince her mother that she wants to be free to make her own decisions and follow her heart.
The lords arrive with their sons, who are not her type, especially the arrogant young Macintosh. Merida chooses archery so she can win her freedom and wins the competition herself, which results in her and Elinor getting into a fight. Elinor warns Merida that feuding among the clans would occur and the kingdom would be torn apart if it isn't set right. Enraged about having to do always do as she is told, Merida loses her temper and reacts by ripping a long gash in the family tapestry between the images of herself and her mother in a fit of anger. Furious with Merida's behavior and actions, Elinor grabs her bow - the one Fergus gave to her when she was a child - and throws it in the fireplace. A heartbroken Merida runs out of the castle on Angus, oblivious that her mother is ashamed that she had ruined her daughter's bow; Elinor fishes the bow out of the fire, realizing that what she had done hurt Merida's feelings.
Will-o-the-wisps lead Merida and Angus into a dark forest where they come across a witch. When she gets there, Merida asks the witch for a spell to change her mother and her fate. The witch reluctantly cooks up a spell and gives her a spell cake.
Merida returns to the castle and gives the cake to Elinor, but instead of changing her mind about the betrothal, it turns the queen into a giant bear. Merida realizes that she has made things worse. Ever since the menacing demon bear Mor'du devoured one of the king's legs in a fight when Merida was a child, Fergus had been hunting bears. Merida knows she must get Elinor out of the castle or Fergus would kill her, and with the aid of her brothers, she does so.
Mother and daughter arrive at the witch's cottage, where the witch leaves a message in her cauldron, saying that the spell will be permanent by the second sunrise unless she "mends the bond torn by pride."
The next day, Merida and her mother bond together as they help each other look for food. The wisps lead them to the ruins of an ancient castle, where Merida discovers that the prince in her mother's story was the same one who received a similar spell from the witch, demanding that she gives him the strength of ten men. The wicked prince had split himself from his brothers, ruined his kingdom, and became the dreaded demon bear Mor'du. As Mor'du attacks, Merida and Elinor escape, and Merida convinces her mother that if they don't break the spell, she'll become a wild bear forever like Mor'du. Merida realizes that "mend the bond torn by pride" would mean fixing the tapestry and the family bonds.
The two of them rush back to the castle, where they discover Fergus and the lords brawling over Merida, who steps into the great hall and stops the fighting. Guided by her mother, Merida makes a moving speech, convincing the clans that she must restore their bond and that the lords' sons should marry whomever they choose, bringing peace to the kingdom. The lords reluctantly agree and as they celebrate, Merida and Elinor climb up into the tapestry room to fix the torn tapestry. Fergus attacks Elinor, thinking she is a wild bear, but Merida blocks his path and Elinor escapes. In a desperate attempt to protect his daughter, Fergus locks her in the tapestry room. The triplets, who have turned into bear cubs after eating the enchanted cake, arrive and set Merida free. They rush after Fergus and the lords who have captured Elinor and tied her down. Merida intervenes and saves her mother just before Mor'du appears and overpowers the clans. Just as the evil bear is about to swallow Merida whole, Elinor breaks free, rescues her, and takes down Mor'du by smashing him against a menhir, which topples over and crushes him to death, releasing the prince's spirit.
Realizing what the witch's riddle meant, Merida places the fixed tapestry over Elinor and sincerely reconciles with her mother, admitting it is her fault and she wants her back and telling her she loves her. The queen is transformed back into a human, along with the triplets, and the family is reunited. Merida and Elinor make a new tapestry of the two of them together and say goodbye to the lords. The two of them ride on horses together, making their bond stronger than before.
===Sofia the First===
Merida appears in Sofia the First twice, first in the episode "The Secret Library", where she guides the titular character in mastering archery, and later in "Forever Royal", in which she, as a spirit, helps Sofia in defeating Vor along with the other spirit-formed Disney Princesses.
===Ralph Breaks the Internet===
Merida appears in the sequel of Wreck-It Ralph as a netizen of Oh My Disney with her fellow Disney Princesses and honorary members Anna and Elsa, serving as Cast Members on the site similar to their real-life face character counterparts in the Disney Parks and Resorts. During a break between their duties as part of a quiz that users take to see which princess they best match up with, the girls are in their private quarters when they are startled by the appearance of Vanellope von Schweetz in their room after she glitches inside to avoid First Order Stormtroopers attempting to apprehend her for illegal pop-up advertising. Thinking she's a threat sent by one of their respective Disney Villains, or a user's avatar that committed the most grievous of cardinal violations with trespassing in a "Cast Members Only" restricted area without authorization, similar to a Guest in the parks being in the backstage areas without special permission or VIP access, the girls immediately confront Vanellope, with Merida using her bow and arrows to threaten Vanellope until she attempts to calm them down by explaining that she's a princess as well. Unsure if Vanellope is speaking the truth, the girls grill her on various things from their respective movies, until Vanellope answers positively to Rapunzel's question about having a big, strong man coming to her rescue, convincing them that she is a princess and welcome her into their group. When they then take notice of Vanellope's casual wear, Cinderella has her mice friends sew up comfy casual wear for all the girls.
After they then explain to Vanellope about having an "I Want" song and looking as water for inspiration, after C-3PO tells them they are back on duty in a few minutes for another quiz, as the girls thank Vanellope for the time they shared with her, Merida says something in her thick Scottish accent that none of the other girls can understand, which is explained that she's from Pixar, hence why they can't understand her thick Scottish wordplay.
Later, Merida and the other girls have to evacuate Oh My Disney due to a Denial-of-Service attack caused by Ralph's insecurities being manifested as viral clones of him through the Arthur virus. Once Ralph resolves his insecurities, the viral clones vanish, but Ralph is left falling to his death as a result. Seeing him in danger, the girls immediately move to rescue him, using traits from their respective films to save Ralph's life, with Merida using her bow and arrows as part of it. After Ralph is saved, the girls meet him and assure him he's among friends as Elsa tells him that "any friend of Vanellope is a friend of ours".
===Once Upon a Time===
In Season 5 of ABC's Once Upon a Time, Merida's father, Fergus, was slain by a mysterious knight during a war against invaders from Camelot, and she seeks out to avenge her father and to find the identity of the killer. She had a connection with Mulan, who was her friend and tutor during the war. She becomes the new queen of DunBroch and learns that her father's killer was King Arthur. She herself was swept away from the third curse, casted by Hook, who was turned into a dark one against his will. While a dark one, Emma forced her to help her do her bidding by controlling her with her heart. Later, she was seen guarding Dark Emma, after everyone left to find out what Hook's is plotting to do next. Near the end of the season, Merida left Storybrooke to return to her land with the Merrymen.
===Other appearances===
Merida appears as a playable character in the "Disney Infinity" series, starting with "Disney Infinity 2.0"; she and Stitch are both bundled in the "Toy Box Starter" set. Merida makes an appearance in the game's opening, where she is riding Angus through the wilderness, chasing after a "shooting star" that is said to lead to a great treasure. The star is temporarily captured by living bear carvings, which are easily dispatched by Merida's bow. The star flies free, allowing Merida and Angus to chase it into some ruins (which carry the tapestry of Merida and her mother as a bear from the end of the movie); after leaping out a window of the ruins and straight into a modern city, Merida and Angus vanish, replaced by Stitch.
==Quotes==
==Trivia==
* Princess Merida is the first official Disney Princess to originate from a Pixar film.
*She is the first official Disney Princess to not be based on an already existing source, whether It'd be a story or a noted figure, thus making her the first originally created one from that line-up.
*Merida has inherited her father's strength and her mother's spirit.
* Kelly Macdonald wasn't the first choice of voice actress to voice Merida; she was going to be voiced by Reese Witherspoon, but because of scheduling conflicts, it didn't happen, so Macdonald did the voice instead.
* She is inspired by the director Brenda Chapman's daughter and has similarities to Ariel, Rapunzel, Jane Darling, Violet Parr, Sarah Williams, and Sadie Kane.
* Chapman created this character to break the gender barriers.
*Merida's name comes from the Gaelic word for "honorable".
*Merida is the first Disney Princess who does not have a love-interest, the second being Moana.
*She is the fourth Disney Princess to have both of her parents alive after Aurora, Mulan, and Rapunzel.
*She is the third Disney Princess to have siblings after Cinderella (who had stepsisters, to which she's the middle child among them) and Ariel (who's instead the youngest among her own siblings).
==External Links==
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