| “ | Katherine: All these years... you were alive, yet you never tried to come see me, or make any sort of contact. There is no excuse for that. How do you expect me to believe that you care? That you love me? Mariya: Whether you believe it or not, Katerina, I loved you very much. So very much. But you were still in danger... he was always searching, watching for you in every shadow. I could not just reveal myself to you. Or the Trinity Coven. It would have been to risky. For me, for Neda, and for the rest of the coven. Klaus would have become aware of not only your location, but also the fact that we were alive. |
” |
— Mariya and Katherine talking about the years apart.
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Mariya Petrova née Harman (later modernized to Maria Harman), known as Maya, is a recurring character on The Originals and a powerful witch, the former wife of Anton Petrov and the mother to Katerina and Nedyalka Petrova. She is the grandmother to Nadia Petrova and Adyelya Mikaelson, the daughters that Katherine had with Markos in 1490 and Klaus in 2013 respectively. She is the former Leader of the Trinity Coven, as well as the Regent of All Witch Covens and Communities, before her eldest daughter inherited the positions from her.
Mariya was once thought to be dead, alongside Nedyalka, but it was revealed in The Originals that she had been resurrected by the Trinity Coven in 1494 via channeling a Red Comet, a rare astronomical event and therefore a Nexus Vorti, and many Dark Objects gathered from other witch cultures. Mariya decided that she would remain with the Trinity Coven following her resurrection in order to train and prepare to take over the coven (as she was supposed to do). However, before she could begin her travels and training with her coven, Mariya briefly left to visit her four-year-old granddaughter, Nadia, to ensure that she would remain hidden and safe. Mariya recast her Cloaking Spells and Protection Spells upon Nadia--as they had broken when she died--and secretly left her a magical amulet made from rare stone in order to keep her safe. Mariya then returned to the Trinity Coven to start her travels.
Over the centuries, Mariya travelled the world with the Trinity Coven and her daughter, helping to keep balance to the supernatural communities and witches all over. Over the years, Mariya would constantly keep tabs upon her daughter, Katerina.
Some time before the 19th Century, Mariya became the Leader of the Trinity Coven and the Regent of all Witch Covens and Communities, two positions which are passed down and inherited together. She also modernized her name to go by "Maria" or "Maya".
Mariya is a member of the Petrova Family through her marriage to Anton Petrov and her daughters, as well as the Harman Family, directly descending from the revered and royal bloodline of Hecate, The Witch-Queen. By birthright is a member of the Trinity Coven, and via her marriage and daughters, she is a member of the Travelers.
History[]
Early Life[]
Romania[]
Mariya Harman (Cyrillic: Мария) was born into the main branch of the noble, wealthy, and powerful Harman Family of witches on January 10, 1456 in an area located in Romania, as the Trinity Coven temporarily settled down to reside in a Harman estate, located in Romania, for the birth of Mariya and the first ten years of her life. She was the daughter of current Leader of the Trinity Coven and Regent of the All Witch Covens & Communities, Malik Harman, and one of the Elders, Alaina Chamberlain. She was an only child--conceived as a result of fertility potions and spells--due to her mother's pregnancy with her being difficult, as well as the birth. As a baby, Mariya was very frail and sickly, and the witches in the Trinity Coven that specialized in medicine and healing magic informed her parents that she would not live long. Determined not to lose Mariya, her parents convened a meeting with the Elders of the Trinity Coven, asking for help in saving the life of their only daughter, the Princess of the Trinity Coven. The Elders of the coven each agreed to do so, and each gifted baby Mariya with a kernel of their magic, which helped to strengthen and heal her.
A young Mariya.
As a result of the magic given to her by the Elders, Mariya was now a healthy young baby. She was also now considered to be a "gift" by her parents, especially since Alaina nearly miscarried several times before going on bedrest and Mariya nearly passed away shortly after being born. In addition, being the only child of the Leader of the Trinity Coven, as well as Regent of All Witches, Mariya was also considered to be the "Princess," not only to the Trinity Coven, but also to the entire magical community as well. Finally being healthy and strong enough, Mariya's parents hosted a small gathering of witches and covens from the surrounding region in order to introduce Mariya to the witches. Mariya was given several gifts, such as amulets, jewelry, magical herbs, and even Grimoire's containing very old magic coming from other bloodlines, which have been passed on for generation and generations.
While growing up, Mariya's magic was out-of-control and unstable, due to a generous amount of magic having been transferred into her as a baby by the Elders, which her body was unable to contain as she had not been born with it. It was soon discovered by the magical tutors that due to the kernels of magic Mariya had been given by the Elders as a baby, she'd been unwittingly transferred the powers of an Elder witch, and as such, she was hemorrhaging magic she could not control and causing drastic changes in the weather, such as storms, floods and earthquakes. In order to help her learn to control her magic, Mariya was given a magic-limiter bracelet, and she was constantly surrounded by magic tutors, as well as being watched over by her parents and the Trinity Coven Elders to ensure that she didn't lose control. She was not allowed to interact with the other children in her coven--her parents, the Elders, and other parents were worried about the possibility of her losing control. In addition to this, Mariya was also being taught and prepared for her taking over the future leadership of the coven and role of Regent from her Father, which she did not want to do. Despite hating everything that was taking place, Mariya was slowly learning how to control her magic and her powers and abilities.
Mariya showing her magic to Anton.
Frustrated with being unable to have a normal childhood, Mariya would often sneak out at night, to the nearest towns and villages to play and socialize with the human children. One day, she met a young boy by the name of Anton; the two of them instantly became best friends and would regularly meet up in the market square of the village. Mariya and Anton would talk about their families and troubles, and run through the forest together, exploring and having adventures. Mariya even went as far as to show her magic to Anton by bringing him to a secret barn and making feather fly all around the air and over their heads; Anton was amazed at this, and revealed back to Mariya that he, too, was a witch, but he was from the Travelers and therefore couldn't do magic like she did. This went on for three weeks. On the fourth week, when Mariya arrived to meet with Anton, he did not show up at all; she waited everyday, yet he never showed. The next week, she also waited everyday, hoping that her newly-found best friend would arrive; however, he did not. After this, Mariya realized that Anton was not returning to meet up with her anymore, and sadly decided not to come back at all.
Disappointed in the loss of her friend, but also now curious to know more about the magic he'd come from, Mariya began asking her other coven members about who the Travelers were. The younger members in the Trinity Coven knew nothing of who the Travelers were, while the older members refused to answer Mariya's questions, much to her frustration. Instead, unknown to Mariya, the older members of the coven informed her parents the questions she was asking. Mariya was soon enough confronted by her Father and Mother, Malik and Alaina, who wanted to know why their daughter was asking so many question regarding the Travelers. Reluctantly, Mariya explained to her parents how she'd been sneaking out to the nearby village, and that she'd met a young boy, who had become her best friend; that she had revealed her magic to him, then he had told her who he was (a Traveler) and that he couldn't do magic like her. Once Mariya was finished with her story, her Father and Mother gave her a small, yet stern lecture about not sneaking out because of how dangerous it could be for her. Upset that she'd disappointed her parents, Mariya apologized, promising never again to break the rules set for her. Her father then went on to inform her that the Travelers were an old coven, cursed and restricted from performing Spirit Magic due to their history and part in the creation of the Spell of Immortality; as such, it was forbidden for members of the Trinity Coven--the coven which cursed them--to have relationships with members of the Travelers. Mariya was confused, still not understanding why she could not be friends with Anton--she believed that just because he was a different witch, who had bad ancestors, didn't mean she shouldn't be friends with him. However, she nonetheless agreed to not fraternize with the Travelers again, also knowing that she would probably never see Anton again so it wouldn't matter much.
In the weeks that followed, unknowingly to Mariya, her parents and the Elders began looking into the location of the Travelers, by listening for rumours or any strange occurrences or disasters in nature, a result of the Travelers trying to gather together to practice magic. Eventually, Mariya's Father, Malik, convened a meeting of the Trinity Coven to inform them it was time to move on; there was word of the Travelers moving throughout Europe, and so the Trinity Coven was investigating to see what they were up to. Upset, Mariya did not want to relocate, as she had never done so before; this is because her parents and the Trinity Coven would temporarily settle down whenever a baby was born in order to let the child grow a bit. However, her Father reminded her that as a member of the Trinity Coven--the first coven ever and the ruling coven--it was their duty to make sure that the magical community remained stable and the supernatural world remained ultimately hidden from the human eye. Knowing that she had no choice, Mariya and the rest of the Trinity Coven began to travel through Romania to Bulgaria.
1468-1471[]
Bulgaria[]
Having crossed the borders into Bulgaria, the Trinity Coven finally began their journey throughout the country, searching for any rumours of what the Travelers were up to. Tensions were rising throughout the witch communities--and the covens located within the area--due to the news of the Travelers being in Bulgaria for several years now. Many witches knew of the history surrounding the Travelers, and what took place when they gathered to practice magic as a group (i.e. earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters). As such, many of the witch covens wanted the Travelers expelled from Bulgaria, either back to Greece or to the North American continent. As Mariya travelled with the Trinity Coven throughout Bulgaria, they visited many other supernatural communities, dealing with any supernatural problems that needed taking care of, such as vampires or werewolves, while also visiting numerous witch covens. Throughout the entire journey, Mariya was unhappy, especially as she knew her parents and her coven were seeking out the Travelers, the very group her best friend, Anton, was a part of; she didn't want her friend to be hurt, even if they had not seen each other in a few years.
Mariya finally making friends with witches from other covens.
Eventually, in 1470, the Trinity Coven and Mariya settled down into one of the Harman estates located in Bulgaria (there were many spread throughout the world), where Mariya's parents decided that it was time to convene a gathering for all the witches and witch covens in the area, in order to hear all the grievances and troubles of the witch communities, hears concerns, and come up with a mutual decision to deal with the problems. Within the year, many witch covens travelled from all over the region to the Harman estate to settle in and prepare for the chosen meeting day. In all of this excitement, Mariya was able to meet many witches from different cultures; she was excited by the opportunity to finally socialize and interact with other witches, without the fear of her losing control being present.
1471[]
Mariya dancing with her newly-made friends.
The gathering for the witches took place as the weather was beginning to grow warmer, on the night of a Full Moon. Hundred and hundreds of witches gathered together in the ballroom of the Harman Estate for the meeting. There was to be food, music, and dancing first before they would move to the official meeting hall, which was adjoined to the ballroom. Mariya was excited for the gathering, having dressed up in her fanciest and most elegant dress. As the daughter to the Leader of the Trinity Coven and Regent of All Witch Covens and Communities, Mariya had to dance with many of the sons of other Leaders and Elders, much to her dismay. Once she was done with her obligations, Mariya was allowed to have fun with the witches she'd met from other covens, dancing and listening to music.
Mariya seeing Anton from across the ballroom.
Taking a break from the dancing she was doing, Mariya went to go rest and stand at the side of the room, and as she was moving through the crowds, she saw someone she thought she would never see again: Anton. Mariya was surprised to see her best friend from when she was a young girl, yet she was also delighted--crying in happiness--as she had thought she'd never see him again, especially because he was a member of the Travelers. Within that moment, Mariya also realized the danger that he was in, urging Anton that he had to quickly leave or else he would be caught; her parents and coven were looking for his. However, Anton informed her that he had run away from his coven, no longer wishing to live a nomadic lifestyle--as his coven was soon preparing to leave Bulgaria in order to avoid conflict with the Trinity Coven--and he knew that if he left, it would mean leaving behind Mariya, which he was not willing to do. Pulling Mariya into a secluded area, he asked her to run away with him, and be with him.
Knowing exactly what she needed to do, Mariya used a magical herb to knock-out a witch from another family, that looked similar to her, then cast a Confusion Spell and Glamour Spell upon the witch to make her think that she was temporarily Mariya; in order to help make it more convincing, Mariya sealed a portion of magic into a necklace, which would disperse after 24-42 hours. Then that very night, after the gathering and party was over, Mariya ran away with Anton, using a Cloaking Spell to hide their location. As she left, she stole several grimoires, magical items and tools, as well as plenty of money, crowns and gems, and jewelry. Her and Anton travelled for several weeks, hoping to put great distance between and her coven, while also selling the jewelry as they went in order to gather money. Mariya would act as travelling herbalist and medicine doctor; this helped them to find free lodgings in villages.
Eventually, Mariya and Anton found a secluded, and moderately well-off village to settle down in. Mariya made sure that there was no supernatural community—i.e. vampires, werewolves, or witches--residing in the village before agreeing to settle down with Anton. She knew that if they were in a supernatural location, or in too close proximity to other witch covens, then she would possibly be discovered by the Trinity Coven. She had heard rumours of the Original Vampires—Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah Mikaelson—causing a disturbance just outside of Bulgaria, closer to where the Trinity Coven was located, and as keepers of the balance of Nature and the supernatural secret, Mariya knew there was a possibility that the Trinity Coven would go to investigate. Even more so, Anton informed Mariya that with the Travelers leaving Bulgaria, word of that word soon reach the Trinity Coven as well, and Mariya--knowing that her parents knew of her history with Anton—that they might check in with them, instead of thinking to assume that Mariya had travelled further into Bulgaria, as opposed to leaving it as soon as she ran away.
Knowing they were safe for the time-being, Anton declared to Mariya that he wished to marry her and have a family with her. Overjoyed, Mariya told Anton that they could be joined together in more than just marriage. Knowing that she held the power of an Elder of the Trinity Coven, Mariya explained to Anton that not only could they join together in marriage, but also in a Unification Ritual, which would allow her magical powers and abilities to be shared in by Anton; he would no longer be bound by the Traveler curse, because his bloodline would be joining into her powerful Harman bloodline, thusly giving him access to the magic in her line, and brining along the unique magic from his bloodline, but not the curse. They could share in their powers as one. Anton, though hesitant, trusted Mariya and agreed to her plans. As such, that first night, Mariya and Anton began the first trial of The Unification Ceremony, which was the fasting, the purification rituals, and the sharing of all secrets between them; the second trial was then the wedding, as there were no other witch Leaders to submit to Mariya and Anton, and the lighting of the ceremonial candle to activate the sharing of powers. Once the there The Unification Ceremony was over, the the Traveler curse which Anton had been beholden to no longer applied to him, as he had joined the Harman Bloodline, the very bloodline which placed the curse upon him in the first place.
Following The Unification Ceremony, Mariya and Anton decided to move on to another region of Bulgaria, just in case their location had been discovered. Mariya and Anton went into hiding in another location in Bulgaria, purchasing a moderate family Estate which they could reside in. In addition the money, jewelry and gems she'd stolen from her family, Mariya also used small doses of her magic in order to confuse people, and earn money from them. It was here they settled down to live their peaceful life in hiding, knowing that if the Trinity Coven found them, then Mariya would be taken away, and if it was the Travelers, then they would wish to use them to figure out a way to break the curse (as it no longer applied to Anton, and therefore would also not impact any future children they had).
1472-1475[]
Before the end of 1472, Mariya learned that she was pregnant with her first child. Filled with happiness, she told Anton, who was also extremely overjoyed by the news of starting a family.