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**Mary Sibley (née Walcott)** is the main female protagonist of *Salem*. She is the wife of the late George Sibley, the lover of John Alden and mother of their son, and the most powerful witch in Salem, Massachusetts. She became a witch after sacrificing her unborn baby to Satan in exchange for supernatural powers and arcane knowledge.

In the beginning, Mary's actions were motivated by not only her love for John, but also due to her desire for vengeance upon the Puritans, whom she believed to have robbed her of all her loved ones. However, with John's unexpected return, and the subsequent revelations of how she had actually been deceived and ill-used by the Essex witches, Mary came to wholeheartedly regret her irrevocable choices, especially after her son was taken over by the Devil. Ultimately, she and John reconciled, and dedicated all of their strength and skills to fight for the future they sought.

She is portrayed by British actress Janet Montgomery.

## Early Life

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Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Mary is one of the firstborn in the new world. She is the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Walcott. She never knew her mother and it is unknown whether or not her father was still alive by 1685. At some point in her childhood, her parents bought the slave girl Tituba, who Mary quickly developed a close relationship with, often treating her more like a sister than one of ownership Template:Crossref. Before the events of 1685, Mary embarked on a relationship with the young John Alden and the pair quickly fell in love. However, he was later sent to join the militia to fight in the nine years war. The night before he left Salem (after witnessing the branding of Isaac Walton), he made a vow to Mary that he would return for her within a year, splitting a silver coin giving one half to her as a symbol of his promise.

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Several months later, Mary discovered she was pregnant with John's baby. Believing John to be dead, she was manipulated by the witches into sacrificing her unborn child to the Devil, thus becoming a witch herself Template:Crossref. Some time afterward, she married George Sibley after the witches had secretly poisoned his previous wife. Within two years of their marriage, she placed her husband under a spell, wanting revenge on the man that cost her everyone she loved Template:Crossref and leaving her in control of Salem.

## Personality

Poised and dignified from the beginning, Mary is a natural-born leader, which was why she was chosen by the Essex Hive's elders to lead the Salem witches and to complete the Grand Rite.

Before she sold her soul to the Devil, she was a kind and compassionate woman, but after she became a witch, Mary described herself as having become darker —ruthless, cunning, and willing to go to any lengths to enact her revenge on the Puritans by completing the Grand Rite.

In the midst of all this, though, Mary had actually retained some of the best aspects of her humanity: she was always affectionate to Isaac, whom she saved from being hanged. She never lost or wavered in her love for John, whom she initially kept at a distance for his own protection, and later on even saved him numerous times at the very expense of her own life. In fact, it was Mary's love for John that ultimately led her to sever all sentimental ties with Tituba, whom she once claimed to have loved as a sister, for it was Tituba's lies about John that led to Mary becoming a witch in the first place. Last but not least, Mary is a genuinely warm and loving mother to her son, and would go to any lengths to protect him, whether it be from the elders, witches, or Puritans.

Apart from her love for John, one constant feature about Mary would be her realism, which could lead her to resort to extreme measures such as cooperating with deadly enemies from beyond the grave, as seen when she summoned Increase Mather's spirit for answers, despite the fact that the witch-hunter had been one of her most dangerous enemies in life. Even after the Devil had taken her son's body as his vessel, Mary was realistic enough to be able to see him for what he truly was, which enabled her to always and effectively resist all his attempts to endear himself to her, even going as far as to call him *"the atrocity I gave birth to"*. It was also this realism that led her to keep Tituba at an emotional distance after she realised her deceptions, and deduced that she and Tituba had different goals.

During her official war against the Devil himself, Mary also demonstrated other admirable qualities: fierce courage, formidable intelligence, and ruthless resourcefulness, all of which made her a most formidable foe. For instance, when her assassination attempt on the Devil failed, she was not at the least afraid when she was summoned for a “Reckoning”, and took the opportunity to taunt both him and the Sentinel as *"nothing but common thieves, liars, traitors, rapists, murderers, crybabies"*. Later on, though she was severely weakened after being stripped of all her powers, Mary was quick to regain her emotional balance, which enabled her to successfully resist the Sentinel's attempt to lure her into suicide, and turn the tables on him by pointing out that though he no longer served God, he was still a slave to someone else. She even turned down the elders' subsequent offer of protection against the Devil, stating that he had made a fatal mistake by sparing her life, for *"Hell hath no fury like this woman scorned"*. Hence, the Essex Elder observed that even without her powers, Mary was still the strongest of them all.

In fact, she went on to incite the Sentinel's curiosity about her, and seized this opportunity to sow discord between him and the Devil. Mary also demonstrated consummate acting skills as both a resigned submissive (to the Devil) as well as a charming seductress (to Sebastian), which led them both to lower their guard around her. Though she was genuinely grieved when the Essex hive sacrificed themselves to empower her with their combined magic, Mary still maintained her focus on what needed to be done (destroying the Devil's vessel), which again testifies to her being a woman of tremendous emotional control and mental discipline.

However, in hopeless circumstances, she was not above desperately begging for aid from even the unlikeliest allies, as seen by how she pleaded with Anne to be spared from having to consort with the Devil.

Last but not least, Mary was a woman who was willing to accept responsibility for her mistakes: she repeatedly yet sincerely apologised to the innocents whom she had hurt in her quest for vengeance, and actually reached an emotional and spiritual reconciliation with Cotton before his death. Ultimately, due to Anne's unexpected generosity, Mary was able to leave Salem for good with John as a woman in love, one who gave up power, ambition, and vengeance with no regrets so she could start a new life with the man she loved.

## Physical Appearance

Mary is a beautiful young woman in her late twenties, with long dark brown hair, black eyes, a perfectly pale complexion, and a tall, slim yet voluptuous physique. Even the Sentinel, who harboured a passionate distaste for human beings in general, once complimented her beauty. Before she became wealthy, she was shown to wear plain dresses in shades of blue or pink.

After her marriage and becoming a witch, Mary demonstrated a penchant for elaborate gowns uncommon among the plain-clothed Puritans, varying from shades of black, purple, and red, along with rich jewellery. Her hair is worn long, though she has been shown to arrange it in various types of plaits, or curls, or buns. She also often wears the half-coin that John had given her, which had been set on a gold necklace.