The Girl Who Drank the Moon

by

Kelly Barnhill

Ethyne Character Analysis

A kind, bright, and clever young woman in the Protectorate. She had a crush on Antain when the two were in school but, when Ethyne’s parents died and orphaned her, Ethyne agreed to join the Sisters of the Star, thereby making her ineligible for romantic relationships. Ethyne has a critical and curious mind, so she’s surprised to see that nobody in the Tower mentions the Witch. She eventually discovers that the Witch is actually Sister Ignatia, the head Sister, and chooses to leave the organization at this point. Ethyne has no issue with the scars Antain sustained from the madwoman’s paper birds, and the two marry soon after Ethyne leaves the Sisters. They have a son, Luken, who is slated to be sacrificed to the Witch weeks after his birth. Ethyne’s hope for a better future is contagious. Her hope and love inspire Antain to go into the forest to kill the Witch, and Gherland is extremely offended by her positivity, happiness, and love of life. While Antain and Sister Ignatia are in the forest, Ethyne creates a rebellion in the Protectorate by locking up the Sisters who won’t help her and protesting with the townsfolk. She graciously takes Luna and Adara into her home following the volcano’s eruption.

Ethyne Quotes in The Girl Who Drank the Moon

The The Girl Who Drank the Moon quotes below are all either spoken by Ethyne or refer to Ethyne. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Family and Love Theme Icon
).
Chapter 18 Quotes

What if we are wrong about the Witch? What if we are wrong about the sacrifice? Antain wondered. The question itself was revolutionary. And astonishing. What would happen if we tried?

Why had the thought never occurred to him before?

Related Characters: Antain (speaker), Ethyne, Luken
Related Symbols: The Witch
Page Number: Chapter 18. In Which a Witch Is Discovered147
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 38 Quotes

A story can tell the truth, she knew, but a story can also lie. Stories can bend and twist and obfuscate. Controlling stories is power indeed. And who would benefit most from such a power? And over time, Ethyne’s eye drifted less and less toward the forest, and more toward the Tower casting its shadow over the Protectorate.

Related Characters: Sister Ignatia/The Sorrow Eater, Ethyne
Related Symbols: The Witch
Page Number: Chapter 38. In Which the Fog Begins to Lift309
Explanation and Analysis:

“Today the doors are opening.”

“Even to the library?” Wyn said hopefully.

“Especially the library. Knowledge is powerful, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden. Today, knowledge is for everyone.” She hooked her arm in Wyn’s, and they hurried through the Tower, unlocking doors.

Related Characters: Ethyne (speaker), Wyn (speaker)
Page Number: Chapter 38. In Which the Fog Begins to Lift312
Explanation and Analysis:

But as the clouds broke and the sky began to clear, they found themselves feeling something else, too. Something they had never felt before.

Here is the baby holding her own sweet baby. My grandchild. Here is her knowing that no one will ever take that child away.

Hope. They felt hope.

Here is the baby in his circle of friends. He is laughing. He loves his life.

Joy. They felt joy.

Related Characters: Antain, Ethyne
Related Symbols: The Witch
Page Number: Chapter 38. In Which the Fog Begins to Lift314
Explanation and Analysis:
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Ethyne Quotes in The Girl Who Drank the Moon

The The Girl Who Drank the Moon quotes below are all either spoken by Ethyne or refer to Ethyne. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Family and Love Theme Icon
).
Chapter 18 Quotes

What if we are wrong about the Witch? What if we are wrong about the sacrifice? Antain wondered. The question itself was revolutionary. And astonishing. What would happen if we tried?

Why had the thought never occurred to him before?

Related Characters: Antain (speaker), Ethyne, Luken
Related Symbols: The Witch
Page Number: Chapter 18. In Which a Witch Is Discovered147
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 38 Quotes

A story can tell the truth, she knew, but a story can also lie. Stories can bend and twist and obfuscate. Controlling stories is power indeed. And who would benefit most from such a power? And over time, Ethyne’s eye drifted less and less toward the forest, and more toward the Tower casting its shadow over the Protectorate.

Related Characters: Sister Ignatia/The Sorrow Eater, Ethyne
Related Symbols: The Witch
Page Number: Chapter 38. In Which the Fog Begins to Lift309
Explanation and Analysis:

“Today the doors are opening.”

“Even to the library?” Wyn said hopefully.

“Especially the library. Knowledge is powerful, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden. Today, knowledge is for everyone.” She hooked her arm in Wyn’s, and they hurried through the Tower, unlocking doors.

Related Characters: Ethyne (speaker), Wyn (speaker)
Page Number: Chapter 38. In Which the Fog Begins to Lift312
Explanation and Analysis:

But as the clouds broke and the sky began to clear, they found themselves feeling something else, too. Something they had never felt before.

Here is the baby holding her own sweet baby. My grandchild. Here is her knowing that no one will ever take that child away.

Hope. They felt hope.

Here is the baby in his circle of friends. He is laughing. He loves his life.

Joy. They felt joy.

Related Characters: Antain, Ethyne
Related Symbols: The Witch
Page Number: Chapter 38. In Which the Fog Begins to Lift314
Explanation and Analysis: