Wait, I just realized. Was Gwen a wild witch before joining the Beastkeeping Coven? She says she joined relating to Eda's curse, right? That leaves a pretty big gap where she was 18+ and not in a Coven.
Yup! In the timeline of established events, Lilith was born just a few years into Belos’ rule which means Gwen was a young adult when Belos claimed to be the ruler of the Isles. I’m guessing she didn’t really pay him much mind until he and his armies (?) would start punishing those who refused to join his coven system.
Back at the end of S1, we see this
In this scene, Lilith could hear the screams of witches being subjugated. An empire isn’t built overnight; I imagine Belos conquering the Isles came in waves, assaulting communities one by one. Lilith could’ve been a baby when Belos’ raids came to wherever the Clawthorne family was.
Even then, Clawthornes are smart cookies. Gwen, when she isn’t obsessing over something, seems to be very smart and collected. She probably saw how much danger was posed to her family when Belos’ rule finally fell on her community. Rather than fight a losing battle, she didn’t resist against this new Coven System as it was integrated into the community. That doesn’t mean she agreed with it though and probably felt no need to actually join a coven herself.
By the time Eda is cursed by Lilith, roughly 20 years have passed since Belos established his rule and Gwen still hadn’t joined a Coven.
She probably found herself in a community where if she wanted aid, she would need to join this Coven System. There was red tape all over that she had to maneuver through just to ask coven professionals to take a look at her daughter’s curse. She probably had to join the Beast Keeper coven just to be allowed to ask the head of the coven (or whatever local branch) to help her try to cure Eda’s curse.
At 30-40 some odd years old, I’m certain Gwen was feeling frustrated with this whole coven system nonsense. She grew up as a Wild Witch. All that bureaucracy to sift through just to get help for her daughter when just 20 ish years ago she could just ask her community for help. Whether or not that community would help I don’t know, but anyone who had a proclivity for healing magic I’m sure would be approached.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Eda decided covens “weren’t her thing” based on just watching her parents!
theartofmadeline
discoholicmusic
yousharknotpass
snowghoul
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
dailybridgerton
gracieabrams
