Animus Dragons

**Animus dragons** are individuals gifted with the special ability to enchant things, control things such as objects, animals, and dragons. Their powers are usually descendants from their family's ancestors or parents such as the case of Turtle and Darkstalker. Animus dragons may not be aware of their powers, or choose to keep them hidden out of fear of being used for their powers or turning insane by their magic eating away at their soul with each spell they cast. The only confirmed limitation of animus magic is bringing back the dead and more. Animus dragons usually gain their powers genetically.

Animus dragons have been observed in the tribes of IceWing, SeaWing, NightWing, SandWing, and, historically, SkyWing. As of *The Poison Jungle*'s epilogue, no animus dragons can cast spells, but previous enchantments still work.

All known animus enchantments can be found here.

## Effects

It was thought that using any animus magic could cause insanity, though it has been heavily implied in both *Darkstalker* and *Talons of Power* that this only happens if an animus dragon u*soul.*" Both Darkstalker and Anemone attempted to prevent this through enchantments, but this did not seem to have any bearing on their later actions or the deterioration of their souls. Darkstalker had also tried this two thousand years ago with his Talisman. However, no effects were physically showing.

## List of Known Animus Dragons

### Canon

* **Albatross**: A former hero of the SeaWing tribe, the brother of Queen Lagoon and ancestor of Turtle. Albatross made many enchantments over the course of a decade - including building the Summer Palace - before slowly going insane and attempting to kill everyone, including his entire family, before his grandson, Fathom, was able to kill him with a set of enchanted spears in order to save his beloved, a dragoness named Indigo, although sadly not before he managed to slay nine dragons, include seven of his own family, his murders consisting of his sister, Queen Lagoon, her husband, King Humpback, their daughter, his niece, Princess Splash, his own son and daughter, Prince Eel and Princess Manta, his son-in-law, Prince Reef, his grandson, Scallop, a SeaWing musician and Princess Sunset, a SkyWing ambassador of Queen Carmine. This event was known as the Royal SeaWing Massacre.
* **Anemone**: A daughter of Coral and descendent of Albatross and Fathom. Anemone used her magic for a variety of 'practice' spells under Whirlpool's instruction. Spells cast of her own volition included a spear to find Whirlpool (after he attacked Tsunami), a spell on Auklet's harness, and the weather bracelets Qibli used during Darkness of Dragons. She was enchanted to be an animus dragon by her brother Turtle at the Talons of Power ceremony at the age of one, and thus is not a born animus.
* **Arctic**: Darkstalker's father was Prince Arctic, an IceWing prince that fell in love with a NightWing named Foeslayer. He knew he could never be with her unless he ran away from his tribe. He used his animus power to enchant an earring that would keep Foeslayer warm in cold climates and safe from danger as long as she wore it. A few days before his "Gifting Ceremony", Foeslayer and Arctic slipped out of the Ice Kingdom together. He used his power again to help Foeslayer escape with him. The two ran away to the Night Kingdom, and later had two eggs: Darkstalker and Whiteout. Darkstalker claims that his father used his power behind the backs of the other IceWings and was already insane. He also claims he had no choice but to kill him. Artic's escape caused the IceWing Royal Family to lose Animus Magic, which was both a blessing and curse to the future IceWing generations, especially during the war.
* **Darkstalker**: Darkstalker was a half NightWing, half IceWing animus, also born with strong powers of mind-reading and foresight. He put all of his animus power in his talisman (a scroll), created the three dreamvisitors, and eventually became obsessed with power and attempted to become king of the NightWings. He killed his own father, Arctic, by enchanting him to follow his commands and then ordered him to disembowel himself. His beloved, Clearsight, and his best friend, Fathom, tricked him with an animus-touched bracelet that put him to sleep for 2,000 years. He later awoke, buried underground, when the earthquakes caused the bracelet to break. In Moon Rising, he attempted to show the young prophet he had befriended, Moonwatcher that he wasn't evil as everyone else thought. In Talons of Power, he regained his power, proceeding to give many NightWings superpowers. In Darkness of Dragons, he tried to revive Clearsight by enchanting Fierceteeth. He also made Vulture's emotions change, horrifying Qibli during Darkstalker's offer of animus magic. He was later enchanted by Kinkajou using the last remains of his own scroll to transform him into a young NightWing-RainWing hybrid named Peacemaker.
* **Diamond**: A former queen of the IceWings. Diamond's gift to the IceWings the gift of healing, five narwhal horn spears that, if touched to a frostbreath injury, would heal it. She was also the only known IceWing animus (other than Arctic) to break the one-gift tradition and use her magic more than once, imprisoning Foeslayer in the Diamond Caves and creating the Diamond Trial. This was undone 2,000 years later by her descendant, Winter.
* **Fathom**: A SeaWing animus, best friend of Darkstalker until he tricked him into an enchanted sleep. He swore to his sister, Pearl, never to use his powers after the Royal SeaWing Massacre. However, he used his powers twice-once to stop Darkstalker, and the other to save his other best friend, Indigo. He was deeply afraid of turning out like his grandfather, Albatross.
* **Frostbite**: An IceWing princess who created the Moon Globe Tree, the Gift of Light. According to Winter, she painstakingly carved the tree with her claws instead of enchanting it to grow that way, and often left the Ice Kingdom to study trees, where she befriended members of all the tribe.
* **Jerboa**: Jerboa, a SandWing from the time of Darkstalker, was the first known SandWing animus. She ran away after she was sentenced to death by Queen Scorpion due to the lack of knowledge on animus dragons. She enchanted her daughter to be immune to any sort of harm. It is implied that she created the Eye of Onyx.
* **Jerboa III**: The daughter of the original Jerboa, she appears in the epilogue of *Darkness of Dragons*, *Talons of Power*, *The Lost Continent*, and is a POV in *The Poison Jungle*'s epilogue. Her mother enchanted her so nothing could ever harm her. This seems to have defeated death, as well, making her the second dragon shown in the series to be immortal. Similar to Turtle, Jerboa was terrified of her magic and refused to touch it, nor tap into it's powers.
* **Opal**: An IceWing animus who created the gift of vision, a ring which shows visions of other dragons and cannot be taken off until the job is complete; is used to guide inexperienced queens.
* **Orca**: An animus SeaWing, she had enchanted one of her sculptures of herself to kill other female dragons in her bloodline so she could rule forever. She was killed challenging her mother, Queen Coral, for the throne. Orca dedicated her enchanted statue in the underwater Royal Hatchery, where it proceeded to smash all the Queen's female eggs. Orca had kept her animus powers a secret, so Queen Coral did not learn of the statue until the end of The Lost Heir, after it was discovered by Orca's younger sister, Tsunami.
* **Penguin**: An animus IceWing who created the Gift of Diplomacy, a dome that possessed a warm climate on the inside for foreign guests, as well as the set of three bracelets that kept the guests warm and safe from the Great Ice Cliff.
* **Stonemover**: A NightWing animus, Queen Thorn's mate and Sunny's father. Stonemover figured out a way to transfer his soul loss to his scales, gradually turning them into stone. He described it as "turning the magic upon itself". However, he was already weak from creating tunnels that lead to the Kingdom of Sand and the Rainforest Kingdom. Stonemover enchanted a fox named Dinner to bring him the food he needed. He may have created the Obsidian Mirror and later did something to it to hinder its functionality.
* **Turtle**: A SeaWing animus who kept his powers a secret like his deceased sister, Orca, he claimed he only enchanted small things, like a river stone he enchanted to heal flesh and muscle wounds in Escaping Peril. However, he concealed the fact that he also enchanted Anemone, his sister, to become an animus in the Talons of Power ceremony so he could conceal his own ability. In Talons of Power, Darkstalker takes away Turtle's animus power, claiming that he was too clever to have animus magic. He has his powers restored when he put on a duplicate of Qibli's earring, enchanted to protect the wearer from Darkstalker's spells.

### Fanon

* **Animus**: An Animus dragon and the son of Starflight and Fatespeaker he only uses his magic if he needs to. He is 4 years old. He has casted a total of 5 spells. He also has an animus sister named Catwind. He goes to Jade Mountain with his friends Dirt, Clay and Peril’s youngest son. Firefly, Glory and Deathbringer’s Daughter. Amber, Qibli And Moons other daughter. As well as Auklet. He has a crush on Firefly. One of his enchantments was a stick to take away Foeslayer’s enchantment. Also enchanted Jerboa lll to bring back Animus magic (under Auklets demand) The magic came back after Jerboa lll was killed by Firefly.
* **Casting Shadows**: A NightWing/SandWing hybrid animus, daughter of Moonwatcher and Qibli who is currently 7 years old and has casted 5 things in her whole life, such as the silver nose ring that protects her soul. She is a mind reader and a seer (but not as powerful as Clearsight). She goes to Jade Mountain Academy with her best friend Quicksand, and Spike, Slosh, Beauty, Prince Kelp (Queen Anemone's son), and Princess Meadow (Turtle and Kinkajou's daughter).
* Icicle: a ice/ NightWings with strange wings, part of the Moon dragonets. Animus touched objects; frozen moon necklace (brings animus ghosts and freedom/ lizard for some reason, back into the world but not back to life), lotus flower necklace (when he went evil he broke the one animus rule; don’t bring dragons back to life)
* Stingray: a sea/ thunderwing hybrid. Lived on the new island called Pandorus with his sister Unagi and deceased brother Razorfish, they were all heirs for the Thunderwing throne. He animus touched a few objects including; the arrow of fleeing (an earring the makes the user 10x faster then they already are), clock of eternal life ( this necklace can let the user not die as long as this watch isn’t broken), “the Archer’s luck” for his sister after Razerfish died ( this earring will let the user have infinite luck as long as it stays on)
* Queen Sunny: she soon learned she was an animus after the prophecy and retiring from Jade Mountain. She was gifted a drink of enteral life, and on 7000as she knew she had to kill the moon dragonets. She stole more animus touched objects then making any; Sunny’s crown which was originally queen oasis’s ( can steal other’s animus touched objects and/ or just its power and holds it until she places that power into a different object all for herself)

## **Trivia**

* Tui has stated that there was no first animus dragon; the powers originated from multiple dragons.
* The actual definition of the word animus is motivation to do something, a hostile or ill-feeling. The term *animus* is also Latin for *mind* or *heart*or *soul*.
* Animus power can be sensed and felt by a "faint tingling in [the] claws," as mentioned by Turtle.
* Princess Sunset confirmed that SkyWings had animus dragons in the past, but they tended to be killed as soon as they were discovered.
* No animus dragons have been confirmed in the RainWing and MudWing tribes - the only suggestion that a MudWing animus could exist was the "defective" MudWing shown in Burn's Weirdling Tower, whose egg was supposedly animus-touched.[7]
* On June 2nd, 2018 in Winchester, MA, Tui confirmed that ancient IceWing animus dragons had their gifting ceremonies when they turned seven years old.
* Animus genes formerly ran in the IceWing royal family. The tribe purposely bred their animi into the royal family in order to gain power.
* It is said that all animus dragons are part-IceWing, which makes sense in several different cases. For example, any NightWing animus would be descended from Whiteout, who was half-IceWing. This is also in the SandWings, as Stonemover was a NightWing and had an egg with Thorn, creating Sunny. However, Jerboa III, the only known living animus SandWing, currently has no confirmation as to her origins.
* SeaWing animus dragons can enchant objects using Aquatic, as confirmed in *Talons of Power*.
* In an interview at the Rochester Children's Book Festival, when Tui was asked for the inspiration for animus magic, she replied: *"So with animus magic, it started with thinking, I needed some kind of magic in this world, but I didn't want it to be like anyone can have any magic at any time, I wanted it to be sort of specific, and have it be pretty rare. And then, especially with Book Two, the more I started thinking about what I could do with it, and how it could fit into the murder mystery, that's how sorta started developing like, the backstory of what it does to you and all of that."*
* It may be possible to tell a dragonet is an animus before they hatched, as SkyWings threw eggs off cliffs once they realized the dragonet inside was an animus. However, Sunset's statement suggested that the already-hatched dragonets were killed as soon as their powers were discovered.