Granny (Enchanted Forest)

> I don't want her to have that burden. It's a terrible burden.
>       —Granny to Snow White referring to her granddaughter's curse

Widow Lucas, better known as **Granny**, is a character on ABC's *Once Upon a Time*. She débuts in the first episode of the first season. She is portrayed by guest star Beverley Elliott, and is the Enchanted Forest counterpart of **Granny**.

Granny is based on Red Riding Hood's grandmother from the fairytale, "Little Red Riding Hood".

## History

### Before First Curse

When she is a child, her father and brothers go out to hunt and kill the wolf that is terrorizing their village to protect her. However, the wolf manages to overpower and kill them. Granny, who is watching from the roof, accidentally falls off and rolls right in front of the wolf. The wolf marks her forearm and she is turned into one herself. The wolf who marked Granny is revealed to be her husband—Red's grandfather. Many years later, she has a daughter, Anita, who has the same curse. When Anita grows up and has a daughter of her own, Red Riding Hood, the two argue over the child's upbringing, as Anita wants to raise her as a wolf and Granny as a human. Eventually, Granny takes Red away from Anita; telling the girl that her mother is dead. *("Child of the Moon")*
Granny's curse of being the wolf fades with age, but still has some of the traits. She makes Red Riding Hood wear a cloak that she bought from a wizard. The cloak, when worn, stops her from turning into a wolf. Granny is always reminding Red Riding Hood to put on her cloak. However, Red Riding Hood discovers the wolf had been by her window at night and concludes the wolf to be her true love, Peter. She ties Peter up at night while staying with him and gives Snow White her cloak to fool Granny. Their ploy fails when Granny comes to Red Riding Hood's bedroom that night and shakes her awake to find it is Snow White under the cloak instead of her granddaughter. Despite Snow White's plea that Peter and Red Riding Hood are in love, Granny is furious and rushes off to the forest wielding a cross bow with a silver topped arrow. As they make their way to Peter and Red Riding Hood, Granny finally tells Snow White about the family history of passing down the shape shifting wolf trait, and expresses regret for not telling Red Riding Hood about her genetic curse sooner. Snow White realizes the wolf is not Peter, but Red Riding Hood. They reach the clearing that Red and Peter are at only to discover a wolf to be tearing at a carcass. Snow White accidentally steps on a twig; alerting the wolf to their presence. Granny shoots the wolf—who is actually Red Riding Hood—with the silver crossbow bolt, and they cover her with the cloak. Red Riding Hood turns back into a human and is disoriented. Granny tells her that she was the wolf and urges her and Snow White to run away, but not before Red Riding Hood sees Peter's corpse. Distraught and confused, she runs as the village's men come in order to hunt down the wolf. Granny is left alone to face the mob. *("Red-Handed")*
One day, Granny is among the crowd in the village when the Evil Queen approaches in search of Snow White. The Queen threatens the people; willing for information on her enemy's whereabouts, but no one speaks up. Geppetto asserts to the Queen that they are good people and don't deserve to suffer, to which she exposes a prisoner of hers that will face execution for being loyal to Snow White. *("Snow Drifts")*
Granny and Red Riding Hood are reunited when they assist Snow White in staging an attack on King George's castle in an attempt to rescue Prince Charming. The rescue attempt is a failure as the Evil Queen already took Prince Charming from King George. The Evil Queen requests Snow White come to a certain place for a parley, which she agrees to. Granny, Red Riding Hood and the seven dwarves are unsure about Snow White going alone to meet the Evil Queen, but she goes anyway. Red gets a bad feeling about it, and eventually they all go to find Snow White and discover her lifeless body. *("An Apple Red as Blood")*
After King George's forces fall, the Evil Queen is captured. Granny is at a war council meeting to discuss her fate, which they decide will be death as punishment. She watches the arrival of the Queen on the gallows, and listens as she delivers her last testament. As the execution is being carried out, a remorseful Snow White puts a stop to it. *("The Cricket Game")*
Many months later, she sits on Prince Charming's war council to strategize before the arrival of the Dark Curse where she knits Emma's baby blanket. With the information Prince Charming and Snow White received from Rumplestiltskin, they know their child is the savior who will save them in twenty-eight years time. The Blue Fairy comes to tell the war council of one way to fight the curse, which is carving a magic wardrobe out of the last enchanted tree in the Enchanted Forest, sending Snow White through to another land unaffected by the curse and giving birth there to wait out twenty-eight years. On the day the Evil Queen casts the curse, Granny and the rest of the Enchanted Forest inhabitants are engulfed by it and taken to another land. *("Pilot")*

*For events occurring after the casting of the first curse, see the counterpart page.*

### Before Second Curse

After Regina takes magical preventive measures to undo Pan's casting of the Dark Curse, all the inhabitants of Storybrooke pay the price by returning to the Enchanted Forest and reverting to their prior personas. In a group, they manifest in the land of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip. A plan quickly assembles for everyone to make their way to the Queen's old palace. During the trek to the palace, Friar Tuck, Little John, and Robin Hood of the Merry Men join their party. Upon arriving at the outskirts of the palace, Regina discovers a protection spell, cast by whoever is currently residing inside, is keeping them from going in. For the time being, Robin Hood suggests everyone can take shelter at Sherwood Forest. *("New York City Serenade")*

As they depart for Sherwood Forest, a flying monkey attacks, sending Granny and various other members of the crowd scurrying back to witness the creature nearly knock into Neal, though Regina quickly dispenses of the being by turning it into a stuffed animal. In a group discussion, Belle shares knowledge about the flying monkey's origins in the land of Oz, so Regina determines the person in the palace is the Wicked Witch. A plan is set up to wait for Regina to bring the shield down and then mobilize the whole group into the palace. Once night falls, Grumpy gives the signal when he spots the dissipating barrier, meaning Regina was able to lower it, so everyone begins assembling towards their destination. *("Witch Hunt")*

Months after Snow White discovers that Wicked Witch is after her baby, Granny attends a war council meeting to discuss the way to protect the child from the witch. Whilst Granny knits a baby blanket for the unborn baby, the council decide to journey to the Dark Castle and seek Rumplestiltskin's help. *("A Curious Thing")*

*For events occurring after the casting of the second curse, see the counterpart page.*

## Trivia

* The surname "Lucas" is of Latin origin derived from the Greek given name "Loukas".
* Is transformed into a werewolf by her husband, who carried the shape shifting gene. The effects of this appear to wear off as she aged, though her heightened sense of smell remains. *("Red-Handed")*
* While telling the story of her childhood encounter with a wolf, Granny gives a time frame of "nearly three score years ago". This indicates that Granny is in her sixties. *("Red-Handed")*
* Uses a crossbow as a personal weapon and a small dagger as a backup. *("An Apple Red as Blood")*
* The character Granny features some aspect of the "youngest kid" from the fable *The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids* as she had six brothers, who were killed by the wolf.

## Appearances

Template:AppearancesB

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

## References

1. ↑ http://surnames.behindthename.com/name/lucas

Granny