Salem (RWBY)

Salem, also known as The Witch, The Girl in the Tower, Her Grace, Master and The Big One, is a character from the RWBY series.
==Charactah Account==
Salem leads a campaign to bring about the Huntsmen Academies' downfall from the shadows, commanding the Grimm, Faunus, and humans to enact her will.
Salem is insidious, patiently moving to undermine and destroy her enemies with cold, deliberate resolve. She is also highly intellectual, with a healthy respect for her enemy, mankind, which she recognizes as possessing both resourcefulness and ingenuity. She also acknowledges humanity's capacity to draw strength from hope, but she uses this knowledge to subvert and destroy them. She is humble enough to recognize that there are limits to her abilities and that she can only do so much for her subordinates. She is very confident and self-assured, secure in her knowledge that she can best whatever Ozpin sends to stop her and her goals. She also appears to be cruel or sadistic, for she seems to relish the prospect of watching Ozpin burn.
In contrast, Salem is also fair and collegial towards her allies, giving credit where credit is due and showing genuine appreciation to those who are loyal. In enforcing this atmosphere of fairness, she also discourages unnecessary malignant and cruelty among her associates. When Tyrian Callows returns after having failed to capture Ruby Rose, she merely tells him that he disappointed her and walks away. She is also seen tolerating her allies unruly behavior to some extent, such as Tyrian's maniacal tendencies and Watts' snide and condescending attitude. In "So That's How It Is", Salem shows her fairness when she only blames Cinder, who was in charge of the mission, for their failure in acquiring the Relic during the Battle of Haven and forbids Hazel Rainart from taking the blame, even threatening him when he continues to attempt to do so. Salem knows how to manipulate people and has different methods for motivations for each of her lieutenants. 
==Appearance==
===Web-Animation===
*RWBY Volume 3
*RWBY Volume 4
*RWBY Volume 5
*RWBY Volume 6
*RWBY Volume 7
*RWBY Volume 8
*RWBY: Fairy Tales
==Trivia==
*Salem alludes to the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz.
**She shares her name with Salem, Massachusetts, a town with a well-known historical event called the Salem Witch Trials.
**She is the enemy of Ozpin, who alludes to the Wizard of Oz.
**She is capable of magic.
**In the Volume 6 post-credits scene, she creates an army of winged Beringels, referencing the Witch's winged monkeys.
*The name "Salem" comes from the Hebrew word שלם (shalém), which means the state of being whole or intact. The name also has associations of witchcraft and the occult, due to the Salem witch trials, where many people were accused of witchcraft and executed.
**It is also a cultivar of rosemary with pale blue flowers, which is also associated with witchcraft.
*In an interview with Afterbuzz TV, writers Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross revealed that Salem's concept was done before the concepts for Team SSSN. At the first RWBY Panel at RTX 2016, they estimated that she was the ninth character designed (after Teams RWBY and JNPR).
*Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross have also confirmed that any visual resemblance between Salem and the original Winter Maiden (from the RWBY: World of Remnant episode "The Four Maidens") was a coincidence and unintentional.
*One of the fairy tales mentioned by Pyrrha Nikos in the episode "Fall" is "The Girl in the Tower". As several fairy tales turned out to be real or be based on real Remnant world events, the title The Girl in the Tower likely references Salem, as she spent her early life locked away in a tower by her father.
**It could also be based on Rapunzel, the German fairy tale made famous by the The Brothers Grimm.
==Gallery==
File:Salem (RWBY) Render 01.png
File:Salem (RWBY) 01.png
File:Salem (RWBY) 02.png
File:Salem (RWBY) 03.png
File:Salem (RWBY) 04.png
File:Salem (RWBY) Fan Art 01.png
File:Salem (RWBY) Fan Art 02.png
File:Salem (RWBY) Fan Art 03.png
File:Salem (RWBY) Fan Art 04.png
==External Links==
*Salem at RWBY Wiki
Category:Characters
Category:Females
Category:RWBY