Agnes in Nettle & Bone: Character Analysis
Overview: The Godmother Who Was Never Meant to Be Powerful
Agnes is Marra's fairy godmother and great-aunt, a woman of modest magic and enormous heart. She enters the story as a seemingly minor figure—a relative who could only bless her nieces with health and who made a lucky guess about Damia's marriage. But by the end of Nettle & Bone, she has become the new godmother of the Northern Kingdom, delivering a curse and a blessing at the christening of the prince. Her arc is one of quiet courage: she joins a quest she has no power to win, uses her limited magic at personal cost, and ultimately steps into a role that terrifies her. Agnes is a study in the difference between magical strength and moral strength, and the novel uses her to explore what it means to do good with imperfect tools.
Plot Role: From Bystander to Catalyst
Agnes's role in the plot is deceptively small at first. She appears in Chapter 11, when Marra and her companions track her down in Trexel. Marra confronts her angrily, blaming her for blessing her sisters with health and predicting Damia's marriage to a prince—a prediction that led to Damia's death and Kania's suffering. Agnes explains that health is the only gift she can give, and the marriage prediction was a guess. She reveals she is Marra's great-aunt, a bastard child of the king with fairy blood, and that the queen insisted she perform blessings. After Marra apologizes, Agnes decides to join the quest to kill Prince Vorling.
From that point, Agnes becomes an active participant. She uses her moth-like magic to find a safe place to stay, cursing a chick to lead them to Miss Margaret's boardinghouse (Chapter 13). She proposes visiting the Northern godmother to seek a loophole in the blessing (Chapter 15), and during that visit she learns the godmother has been cursing the royal babies for centuries, not blessing them (Chapter 15). She explains the curse to the group (Chapter 16), insists they act before the christening (Chapter 17), and finally, at the christening itself, she steps forward as the new godmother, cursing the infant prince to grow up fatherless and blessing him with health (Chapter 21). Her actions directly enable Fenris to kill Vorling and allow Kania to seize power.
Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions
Agnes is driven by a desire to do good, even when her magic is limited. Her practice on barn animals—blessing kittens, ducklings, and mice—shows a persistent, almost obsessive need to make her magic work (Chapter 12). She is honest about her limitations: she tells the dust-wife that health is the only gift anyone would want, and she admits she once cursed a mouse and felt it as a black stain on its future (Chapter 12). This guilt reveals her moral compass: she sees cursing as a violation, even when the target is a mouse.
Her actions also show a cheerful, easily distracted nature. She cooks an enormous breakfast and repacks her gear repeatedly, delaying the group's departure (Chapter 12). Yet this same scatterbrained quality masks a sharp perceptiveness. She reads the blessing on the guard at the Northern godmother's temple, proving her identity (Chapter 15). She notices the godmother's loneliness and empathizes with her (Chapter 15). She teases Marra about Fenris with a knowing smile (Chapter 15), showing she is attuned to the emotional currents around her.
Most importantly, Agnes acts despite fear. She faints after cursing the chick to find shelter (Chapter 13), yet she does not hesitate to use her magic when needed. She insists they must act before the christening, even though she knows she will have to face the royal court (Chapter 17). At the christening, she steels herself, wiping away tears and declaring, “I have to go be the wicked godmother” (Chapter 20). This moment crystallizes her courage: she is terrified, but she does what must be done.
Chronological Arc: From Apology to Authority
Agnes's arc follows a clear trajectory. She begins as a figure of apology—a godmother who could not save Damia, who could only give health, and who made a lucky guess that turned tragic. When Marra confronts her, she is tearful and self-deprecating, admitting her powerlessness (Chapter 11). But her decision to join the quest marks a turning point. She moves from passive regret to active participation.
In the middle chapters, she contributes in small but vital ways: finding shelter, gathering information, and explaining the curse. She also forms bonds with the group, particularly with the dust-wife, who initially questions her but comes to respect her. By Chapter 20, when the Northern godmother dies, Agnes is the one who must step into the role. She does so with a visible transformation: her eyes flicker green as poison, and she shakes herself into resolve (Chapter 20). At the christening, she delivers the curse and blessing with authority, and afterward she escapes with the group. In the final chapter, she decides to travel with the dust-wife, suggesting she has found a new purpose and a new family.
Relationships: Family, Rivalry, and Found Family
Agnes's relationship with Marra is the emotional core of her arc. Marra initially resents her, blaming her for the tragedies that befell her sisters. But Agnes's explanation—that she could only give health, and that the marriage prediction was a guess—forces Marra to see her as a fellow victim of circumstance. Marra apologizes, and their relationship warms. Agnes becomes a teasing, affectionate great-aunt, nudging Marra about Fenris and offering practical advice (Chapter 15).
Her relationship with the dust-wife is more complex. The dust-wife is initially suspicious of Agnes, questioning her about her magic and her past (Chapter 12). But they develop a mutual respect, with the dust-wife acknowledging Agnes's power and Agnes imitating the dust-wife's gruffness (Chapter 20). Their decision to travel together at the end suggests a deep bond formed through shared danger.
Agnes also shows empathy for the Northern godmother, a woman who has been bound to the royal family for centuries. She understands the godmother's loneliness and does not judge her for the curse she was forced to maintain (Chapter 16). This empathy is a key trait: Agnes sees the humanity in even the most monstrous figures.
Key Decisions and Consequences
Agnes makes several pivotal decisions. The first is joining the quest. She has no obligation to help, and she knows her magic is limited, but she chooses to act. This decision leads to her using the chick curse, which drains her but secures shelter (Chapter 13). The second is visiting the Northern godmother. This decision uncovers the truth about the curse and gives the group a path forward (Chapter 15). The third is insisting on acting before the christening, which forces the group to move quickly (Chapter 17). The fourth, and most consequential, is stepping forward as the new godmother at the christening. She curses the prince to grow up fatherless and blesses him with health (Chapter 21). This act directly enables Fenris to kill Vorling and allows Kania to become regent. It also makes Agnes the new godmother, a role she never sought but accepts.
The consequences of these decisions are far-reaching. Agnes's actions help free the Northern godmother from her centuries-long bondage, though the godmother dies in the process (Chapter 20). They also reshape the political landscape of the Northern Kingdom. And they transform Agnes herself: she moves from a self-doubting relative to a figure of authority, even if she remains humble about it.
Theme and Symbol Connections
Agnes embodies several of the novel's central themes. Her magic is a clear example of the transactional cost of magic: she faints after cursing the chick, and she feels the weight of her curse on the mouse. Her limited power—only health, and a talent for curses she tries to suppress—shows that magic always comes with a price.
She also connects to the commodification of royal women. As a bastard child of the king, she was used by the queen to perform blessings, a way of acknowledging her without giving her real power. She was sent away to a nurse, not raised at court, and her magic was exploited for the family's benefit. Her story mirrors the way royal women are traded and used for political ends.
The ambiguity of blessings and curses is central to her character. She gives blessings of health, but she also curses the prince to be fatherless. The Northern godmother's curse is both a blessing and a curse, binding the royal family to her. Agnes's final act—cursing and blessing the infant—shows that these categories are not clean.
Her learning process, practicing on barn animals, ties to the power of practical knowledge. She did not have formal training; she figured out her magic through trial and error. This practical, hands-on approach is a recurring theme in the novel.
Finally, Agnes's decision to join the quest and her bond with the dust-wife illustrate the strength of found family. She is a lonely figure, a bastard relative with no real place in the royal family. But among Marra, Fenris, and the dust-wife, she finds belonging. Her choice to travel with the dust-wife at the end is a testament to that bond.
Five Questions and Answers
1. Why does Agnes only give blessings of health?
Agnes explains that health is the only gift she can give that anyone would want. She tried other blessings—on kittens, ducklings, and mice—but they did not take. She also has a talent for curses, which she tries to suppress because she feels guilty about using them (Chapter 12).
2. What is Agnes's relationship to Marra?
Agnes is Marra's great-aunt, a bastard child of the king with fairy blood. She is also Marra's fairy godmother, having blessed Marra and her sisters at their christenings (Chapter 11).
3. How does Agnes feel about cursing?
Agnes feels deep guilt about cursing. She once cursed a mouse to die before its seventeenth birthday, and she describes it as a black stain on the creature's future. She tries to give up cursing entirely to remain decent (Chapters 12 and 14).
4. What does Agnes do at the christening of Kania's son?
Agnes declares herself the new godmother of the Northern Kingdom, announces that the old godmother has died, and gifts the infant prince with a curse to grow up fatherless and a blessing of health (Chapter 21).
5. Why does Agnes decide to travel with the dust-wife at the end?
The outline states that the dust-wife and Agnes decide to travel together after the quest is over. This decision reflects the bond they formed during their shared ordeal, and it suggests Agnes has found a new family outside the royal court (Chapter 22).
For a deeper look at how Agnes's actions shape the ending, see the ending explained page, or explore the questions and answers for more discussion.
Agnes may not be the most powerful character in Nettle & Bone, but she is one of its most human. Her journey from a self-doubting godmother to a decisive, compassionate force is a reminder that courage is not about having power—it is about using what you have, even when it costs you everything.