This article is about the sea witch. For the sea goddess, see here.
Ursula, also known as the Sea Witch, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She is portrayed by Merrin Dungey, while her younger self is portrayed by Tiffany Boone. Ursula's gallery is available here.
Biography
Background
In her youth, Ursula was a mermaid who her father Poseidon used to lure pirates to their deaths. After a deal between Poseidon and Captain Hook goes awry, Hook uses a magic seashell to take away Ursula's enchanting singing voice. Deciding to become feared, she is inspired by the goddess Ursula who she was named after, and transforms her fins into tentacles with Poseidon's trident. Ursula later joins forces with Maleficent and Cruella De Vil, and they kidnap Rumplestiltskin's maid Belle, demanding a ransom where the trio gets a magic gauntlet in Rumplestiltskin's possession, in exchange for Belle. However, Rumplestiltskin gets both Belle and the gauntlet, leaving them with nothing. With the threat of the Dark Curse in Regina's hands looming over the Enchanted Forest, Ursula and the others seek the help of Snow White and Prince David, and want them to activate the Tree of Wisdom. However, the plan fails since Snow's unborn child is revealed to have the potential for great darkness. Snow and David attempt to rid their child of darkness by having the Sorcerer's Apprentice transfer all the potential darkness into Maleficent's child. The Apprentice then opens a portal to banish the offspring of Maleficent to Earth. However, the portal also sucks in Ursula and Cruella, sending them to Earth as well.
Season 4
Some time later, Ursula becomes a fish food dispenser at an aquarium in New York City. There, she is approached by Rumplestiltskin, who strikes an alliance with her by claiming that there is a person known as "The Author" who is responsible for not giving them their happy endings. Ursula joins Rumplestiltskin and they recruit Cruella, then they go to Storybrooke where they manage to pass through the protective shield with ancient scrolls. Later, they succeed in resurrecting Maleficent, who was killed in Storybrooke by Snow and David's daughter Emma Swan. However, when Hook returns Ursula's singing voice and she is reunited with Poseidon, Ursula abandons her plans and returns to the sea with her father, finally finding her happy ending.
Storybrooke Live
Ursula appears in Storybrooke Live, her statuses and blogs are available here.
Family/Relationships
- Kronos (paternal grandfather; deceased)
- Zeus (uncle)
- Hercules (cousin; deceased)
- Hades (uncle; deceased)
- Poseidon (father)
- Poseidon's wife (mother; deceased)
- Other merfolk (family)
Status: Alive
Trivia
- Ursula is based on the sea witch from The Little Mermaid.
- She is the daughter of Poseidon from Greek Mythology.
- After absorbing the powers of the trident, Ursula became even more powerful than Poseidon, who is a god. However, the extent of these powers are never expanded upon.
- Ursula has been created in the Steam Workshop for the game Scribblenauts Unlimited, by a user called "Geoffrey Leonard".
Appearances
- S4, E11: "Heroes and Villains"
- S4, E12: "Darkness On The Edge Of Town"
- S4, E13: "Unforgiven"
- S4, E14: "Enter The Dragon"
- S4, E15: "Poor Unfortunate Soul"
- S4, E16: "Best Laid Plans" (flashback)
- S7, E22: "Leaving Storybrooke" (archive footage)