“I saw finally the futility of all these gestures, that witchcraft is but a matter of focus-that one can apply one's fierce and immeasurable energies to an act of choice.”
A forefather and only male of the Mayfair family, Julien has more knowledge about the evil entity Lasher. Initially, he believed to have control over the evil spirit that had made a deal with one of their ancestors. However, Julien died shortly after inbreeding with the Mayfair women which would allow Lasher to resurrect. As one of the powerful witches, Julien manages to dwell in the physical world as a ghost contributing to the family affairs. The narrative delves into the story of Julien in the past and his influence in the present as a spiritual entity. In the statement, he asserts a few tactics that he learned during his encounter with the spirit and as a witch in general. His abilities and expertise on Lasher aid his descendants to face the entity that hounds their family for centuries.
“Men don’t know what can happen. They’re happy. But women know everything that can happen. They worry all the time.”
The Mayfair witches belong to a matriarchal family that passes down their abilities to the female members. As such the women in the family have been powerful witches for generations which Rowan discovers in The Witching Hour. However, the deeds of the ancestors in the family have left the Mayfair women with the burden of anticipating danger. In the quote, Mona, one of the young powerful witches, tells Gifford the difference between women and men as per her upbringing. For example, Julien failed to anticipate that his actions might allow Lasher to resurrect leaving the witches with the task of containing him.
“The family was not just the family to them; it was the clan; the nation; the religion; the obsession.”
The story of the Mayfair witches revolves around maintaining the family legacy by any means necessary. This means the males inbreed with their women to ensure the power remains in the bloodline forever. Although this is the case one of the matriarchs made a deal with the Taltos which would ensure the birth of their children in the Mayfair lineage. The conflict in this agreement is at the center of the narrative as the witches fight to preserve their identity and legacy. The Mayfair clan turns their conviction in the family into a passion in order to prepare for any inevitability.
