Zudanna

**Zudanna** is an Unseelie kudlak who serves as a general of Gwyn ap Nudd's Council of War Generals during *The Court of Five Thrones*. She reports to him in Dharnam to help with the battle against Olphix.

## Appearance

Zudanna is a kudlak (werewolf). When she shifts, she has wolf ears and paws. In human-form, she has wolf ears and wolf paws, 'fierce dark brown eyes', and when she came to Gwyn in Dharnam, 'her hair was in a single plait that had been braided neatly.' She also had thick 'black eyebrows, and a striking face, and when she grinned wolfishly, her canines were longer and sharper than they would be in most fae in human form.'

## Personality

Zudanna appears to have a playfully threatening personality. She is also confident, by dint of having led armies. Her people clearly love her, as evidenced by how they fight for her. Gwyn notes that she 'was too caring'.

## Life

Zudanna is from the fae side of Croatia.

Gwyn helps Zudanna defend her land in a skirmish during *The Court of Five Thrones*. Zudanna is very critical during meetings. Her ground-fighting kudlaks form a primary part of Gwyn's Unseelie army. Zudanna also helps lead the charge against Albion's army when they set the trap for Dogwill Burough. During Ifir's mutiny, she takes Gwyn's side, and even gives Gwyn her sword when Gwyn loses his own weapon during the fight. She is the first to bend the knee and renew her loyalty to Gwyn afterward. She keeps Ifir's mace as a trophy.

Zudanna orders Gwyn to retreat after he fights Albion one-on-one, noting that the Unseelie can't afford to lose another King. She later advises that they rest after discussing the outcome of the battle.

She attends the last Wild Hunt, and seems to have a good conversation with Marika. When Prince Vane attempts to assassinate Gwyn, Zudanna and Mu use their forces to gather the fie ellyllon remaining in the Unseelie Court for questioning.

Zudanna still serves Gwyn as his Second in Command, even after the end of the war with the Seelie Court. She arrives in Dharnam to join in the battle against Olphix, bringing reinforcements, including more of her kudlak, and Marika and her archers. Zudanna, Marika, and Gwyn drink together in private, going through some of Zudanna's stores of 'loza and biska'. She later attends the mourning bonfire with her kudlaks during the festival of Evale.

## Relationships

### Gwyn ap Nudd

Zudanna seems to get along well with Gwyn, and he appears to trust in her opinions on strategy and combat. She helps take control over military matters in his absence, indicating his trust in her. She might have disproved of the money he spends on his new armor. When they meet again in Dharnam, they greet each other as old friends.

### Mu

Zudanna and Mu seem to have an accord, and work well together.

## Quotations

* To Gwyn: ‘Find a way to make it work for us,’ she said. ‘Get us through the next year and I will get you through many more.’

## Trivia

* It's implied that Zudanna is over 1000 years old, but is similar in age to Gwyn, which would make her around 3000 years old.

## Folklore/Mythology

The kudlak is the vampiric counterpart to the krsnik, a vampire hunter who can turn into an animal at night to fight the kudlak. Both fighters turn into animals fight each other: with the kudlak turning into a black one, and the krsnik turning into a white one. 'The legend evolved from a pre-Christian myth present in Slovenia and Croatia (mainly Istria and the islands), where the celestial pagan god Perun is locked in eternal combat with the evil snake of the underworld, Veles. The *krsnik* is taught magic by *Vile* (fairies), and in traditional medicine has the ability to heal people and cattle. However, due to the undocumented nature of oral tradition, it's difficult to determine with certainty how much of *kresnik* folklore originated from Slavic mythology (*Kresnik (deity)*), and how much arose from a separate shamanistic tradition. After Christianization, the *kresnik* instead was claimed to have learned magic at the School of Black Magic in Babylon, but retained benevolent traits as a generous and powerful friend of the poor.

The origin of the name may be from the word *krst*, which means "cross", and which in Serbia is the word for a stone sign denoting village boundaries. It may also be derived from the same root as the Slav word for "resurrection," so that the word itself means something approximating "resurrector."'

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 12 May 2022. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/97400118. Chapter 32: Our Better Natures.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 20 February 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/7438151. Chapter 31: Rupture.
3. ↑ not\_poignant. “Unwound.” *The Fae Tales Verse - canon extras. Archive of Our Own,* 25 July 2016. https://archiveofourown.org/works/7562599/chapters/17251441. Chapter 2: II.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 4 July 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/4088631. Chapter 3: Disintegration.
5. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 5 December 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/6096881. Chapter 20: Mirror.
6. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 27 March 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/8003448. Chapter 37: Explosion.
7. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 10 April 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/8227330. Chapter 39: Want.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 26 June 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/9517437. Chapter 49: Battle.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 3 July 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/9645504. Chapter 50: Wayward.
10. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 24 July 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/10022663. Chapter 53: Arrow.
11. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 31 July 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/10152347. Chapter 54: Fraught.
12. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 21 October 2017. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/28296177. Chapter 5: Animosity.
13. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 26 May 2022. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/98170593. Chapter 33: Soul Crying.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 8 May 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/8723191. Chapter 42: Heartsong.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Krsnik (vampire hunter)". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krsnik\_(vampire\_hunter). Accessed 18 May 2021.