View source for Gabrielle (Xena: Warrior Princess)

{{short description|Fictional human female}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Gabrielle (''Xena: Warrior Princess'')}}
{{Primary sources|date=February 2012}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Gabrielle
| image = Gabby Xena.jpg
| image_upright = 1.15
| alt = A young blonde woman wearing a green woven tank-top and leather skirt. She holds a wooden fighting staff; a horse can be seen in the background.
| caption = [[Renee O'Connor]] as Gabrielle
| first = [[Sins of the Past (Xena episode)|Sins of the Past]] (1995)
| last = A Friend in Need, part 2 (2001)
| creator = [[Robert Tapert]]
| occupation = [[Warrior]], [[bard]]
| species = Human
| weapon = [[quarterstaff|Staff]], [[sai (weapon)|sai]]
| children = [[Hope (Xena)|Hope]] (daughter by [[List of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess characters|Dahak]])
| portrayer = [[Renee O'Connor]]
| affiliation = [[Xena]], [[Lila (Xena)|Lila]], [[Joxer]], [[Eli (Xena)|Eli]], [[Perdicas]], the [[Amazons]]
}}

'''Gabrielle''' is a fictional character played by [[Renee O'Connor]] in the American fantasy TV series ''[[Xena: Warrior Princess]]'' (1995–2001). She is referred to by fans as the Battling Bard of Potidaea. Her trademark weapons are the [[Amazons|Amazon]] [[Quarterstaff|fighting staff]] and later, the [[sai (weapon)|sais]]. She was also an Amazon [[Princess]] and later an Amazon [[Queen regnant|Queen]]. The character's development and progression is a story that spans the entire show's run, with her first appearance in "Sins of the Past" seeing her as a naive farm girl, and the final episode, "A Friend In Need (Part 2)", seeing her as a fully formed but rational warrior, set to follow in Xena's footsteps.

The dwarf planet [[Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris]] and its moon [[Dysnomia (moon)|Dysnomia]] had the interim names "Xena" and "Gabrielle" until they were officially named.<ref>{{Cite web
 |title        = Xena and Gabrielle
 |date         = January 2006
 |work         = Status
 |url          = http://www.aas.org/cswa/status/Status_Jan06.pdf
 |access-date   = 2007-05-03
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120314161828/http://www.aas.org/cswa/status/Status_Jan06.pdf
 |archive-date = 2012-03-14
 |url-status     = dead
}}</ref> She was listed in [[AfterEllen.com]]'s Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters.<ref>{{cite web|title=AfterEllen.com's Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters |url=http://www.afterellen.com/content/2012/02/afterellencoms-top-50-favorite-female-tv-characters?page=0%2C6 |publisher=AfterEllen.com |access-date=June 24, 2012 |date=February 27, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714044627/http://www.afterellen.com/content/2012/02/afterellencoms-top-50-favorite-female-tv-characters?page=0%2C6 |archive-date=July 14, 2012 }}</ref>

== Creation and production==
O'Connor was chosen to play the role after she impressed producers with her performance in the ''[[Hercules: The Legendary Journeys|Hercules]]'' [[television movie]] ''[[Hercules and the Lost Kingdom|The Lost Kingdom]]''.

In the two musical episodes,<ref name="The Bitter Suite">{{cite episode|title=[[The Bitter Suite]]|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1998-02-02}}</ref><ref name="Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire">{{cite episode|title=Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=2000-01-17}}</ref> Gabrielle's singing voice was mainly provided by Susan Wood.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} (This may be because in another brief musical portion of the fourth season episode "If the Shoe Fits..", Renee O'Connor's voice sounded like that of an opera singer.){{original research inline|date=September 2018}} In the episode "[[Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire]]", O'Connor sang the chorus in "War" and the rap lead in "Gettin' Ready".

''Gabrielle'' is the [[French language|French]] feminine form of the [[given name]] [[Gabriel]], the [[Archangel]], from the [[Hebrew]] meaning "messenger of God". The Greek transliteration of "Gabrielle" would be Γαβριέλα, (Gavriela).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whoosh.org/issue79/reams3.html|title=A Woman of Deception: Gabrielle???!|publisher=Whoosh.org|access-date=2007-05-16}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2012}} 
In Xena Italian dub, the character was renamed "Olimpia."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.antoniogenna.net/doppiaggio/telefilm/xenaprincipessaguerriero.htm|title=Xena - Principessa guerriera|date=2002–19|website=AntonioGenna.net|access-date=February 22, 2019}}</ref>

==Character history==

===From farm girl to warrior===

When Gabrielle first meets [[Xena]], she is a farm girl living in the village of [[Potidaea]]. She and her sister, [[Lila (Xena)|Lila]], along with several other village girls, have been kidnapped by the men of the warlord, [[Draco (Xena)|Draco]], to be sold as [[slavery|slaves]]. Xena intervenes and rescues them. Awed by her fighting skills, Gabrielle decides that she wants to become a warrior too. She also wants to avoid the marriage that her parents, Herodotus and Hecuba, have arranged for her with her childhood friend [[List of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess characters#Mortals|Perdicas]]. Gabrielle insists on following an initially reluctant Xena on the road.<ref name="Sins">{{cite episode|title=Sins of the Past|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1995-09-04}}</ref> The two women soon develop a strong bond of love and friendship.<ref name="young">{{cite web |url=http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2005/09/15/xena/index.html?pn=2 |title=What we owe Xena |access-date=2 January 2007 |last=Young |first=Cathy |date=15 September 2005 |work=Salon.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060628043834/http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2005/09/15/xena/index.html?pn=2 |archive-date=28 June 2006 }}</ref>

===The Battling Bard of Potidaea===

Gabrielle starts the series as a young adult who more or less stands behind Xena, and relies on Xena to protect her.<ref name="Sins"/> Later on in the series, she acquires a [[quarterstaff]] from the Greek [[Amazons]]<ref name="hooves">{{cite episode|title=Hooves and Harlots|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1995-11-20}}</ref> and starts to use it as both a defensive and offensive weapon, displaying some skill in using the staff.<ref name="beware Greeks">{{cite episode|title=Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1996-01-15}}</ref> As the series goes on, Gabrielle's skills with the staff continue to develop. In one episode, Gabrielle takes on numerous soldiers and single-handedly attempts to rescue Xena's presumed dead body.<ref name="greater good">{{cite episode|title=The Greater Good|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1996-05-06}}</ref> Two episodes later she is seen blocking an arrow in flight with her staff.<ref name="death mask">{{cite episode|title=Death Mask|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1996-06-03}}</ref> Later on, Gabrielle also adds kicks and minor [[acrobatics]] to her fighting abilities. Under the tutelage of [[Xena]], she becomes worthy of many foes.

While in [[India]], Gabrielle is thrown through time by the Darsham, Naiyima to save Xena's soul. It is said that [[reincarnation|their souls are together throughout time]].<ref name="between lines">{{cite episode|title=Between the Lines|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1999-02-15}}</ref> In this next life Xena is the Mother of Peace, Arminestra and Gabrielle is Shakti, a Warrior Prince of [[India]].<ref name="between lines"/> At the end of season 4, Gabrielle shows a leap in her warrior abilities. After months of following her path of the Way of Love,<ref name="the way">{{cite episode|title=The Way|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1999-02-22}}</ref> Gabrielle picks up the sword of a paralyzed Xena and fights off a large group of Roman soldiers, killing several of them.<ref name="Ides of March">{{cite episode|title=The Ides of March|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1999-05-10}}</ref> After her first kill in Season 3, she is forcibly impregnated by an evil god called Dahak, giving birth to a daughter who she names Hope. It turns out that her child is evil and murderous. Xena and Gabrielle have a falling out when Hope (at the time having aged rapidly to nine years old over the course of three months) kills Xena's son Solan, and almost kill each other but are finally reconciled. Hope later returns as an adult twin of Gabrielle. Xena and Gabrielle sometimes antagonize each other and when Xena travels to China alone without Gabrielle to avenge her spiritual mentor, Lao Ma, she goes to China to stop Xena from carrying out her plan.

By season 5, Gabrielle starts to fight with her [[Sai (weapon)|sai]],<ref name="Chakram">{{cite episode|title=Chakram|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1999-10-04}}</ref> incorporating more acrobatic abilities, such as performing a wall run and back flip.<ref name="attraction">{{cite episode|title=Animal Attraction|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1999-10-18}}</ref> In addition to sai and sometimes a new casual staff, she can use a large array of weapons with proficiency. Gabrielle also fights against warriors with notable skill; she defeats the warrior Mavican<ref name="succession">{{cite episode|title=Succession|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1999-10-11}}</ref>  and stands against Ares and [[Hades]] (two gods) in battle for a period of time, before they defeat her. She also fights in a sword duel with Brutus, [[Caesar (Xena: Warrior Princess)|Caesar's]] former right hand and one of the leaders of Rome, eventually killing him.<ref name="antony">{{cite episode|title=Antony and Cleopatra|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=2000-04-24}}</ref> Gabrielle's abilities throughout the series are noticed by the God of War who seeks her out as his new [[protégée]]. It is mentioned later by Gabrielle that Xena trained her throughout the years, although there have only been a few episodes that actually show Xena giving her any sort of martial arts training.   
One of Gabrielle's biggest fights in the series is her fight against fellow Amazon queen, [[Varia (Xena)|Varia]]. They fight in an enclosed arena in a match in which Eve's life is at stake, and they appeared to be at a stand-off before she is beaten by Varia.<ref name="vengeance">{{cite episode|title=Path of Vengeance|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=2001-02-17}}</ref> Gabrielle takes the loss graciously and continues to grow in skill over the remaining season.

==Characterization==
In the opening episode, she displays a remarkable ability to talk her way out of fearsome or difficult situations: she talks a [[Cyclopes|Cyclops]] out of eating her, and makes an ally of him; talks an old man into giving her a lift; talks a violent crowd out of killing Xena; and talks her way into joining Xena as her traveling partner.<ref name="Sins"/>

Besides her persuasive ability, she also reads and writes - rare skills for that time, loves to tell stories, and has some musical ability. As she travels with Xena, she records their adventures on a series of scrolls, with an eye for flair and drama. Occasionally her tendency to exaggerate and glamorize the facts gets her into trouble.<ref name="quill">{{cite episode|title=The Quill Is Mightier...|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess}}</ref> She is also shown telling stories for money in an inn. In other episodes she wins a place in the Athens City Academy for Performing Bards,<ref name="athens">{{cite episode|title=Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess}}</ref> is a famous playwright, is a theatrical director,<ref name="play">{{cite episode|title=The Play's The Thing|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess}}</ref> plays the [[Pan flute|pan pipes]] with considerable skill,<ref name="prodigal">{{cite episode|title=The Prodigal|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess}}</ref> and is the only person able to recite a magical scroll with the correct accents.<ref name="titans">{{cite episode|title=The Titans|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess}}</ref>

Despite Gabrielle's ascendancy as a warrior (in the episode "The Ides of March" she slew nine Roman legionaries), her role as a bard remains important. About a year into her travels with Xena, her scrolls about Xena's exploits begin to gain popularity, apparently helping, according to Ares, turn Xena into a legend. After their 25-year sleep, Gabrielle finds out that her stories had been read as far away as North Africa where they were popular among nomad tribes.<ref name="legacy">{{cite episode|title=Legacy|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=2000-10-30}}</ref>

According to an episode set in modern times, Gabrielle's scrolls were preserved for thousands of years and discovered during [[World War II]] by modern archeologists who were descendants of Xena, Gabrielle, and [[Joxer]]. The scrolls found their way to Hollywood, where they formed the basis of the television series. This leads into an entire small story-arc in which the modern-day reincarnations of Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer meet and interact. Xena and Gabrielle's reincarnations pair up to make their own names for themselves, instead of living in their father's shadows. Joxer's reincarnation is a hardcore fan of the show.<ref name="scrolls">{{cite episode|title=The Xena Scrolls|series=Xena: Warrior Princess|series-link=Xena: Warrior Princess|airdate=1997-01-13}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{xenaverse}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabrielle}}
[[Category:Xena: Warrior Princess characters]]
[[Category:Female characters in television]]
[[Category:Fictional Amazons]]
[[Category:Fictional ancient people]]
[[Category:Fictional acrobats]]
[[Category:Fictional bards]]
[[Category:Fictional composers]]
[[Category:Fictional Greek people]]
[[Category:Fictional female poets]]
[[Category:Fictional historians]]
[[Category:Fictional filicides]]
[[Category:Fictional poets]]
[[Category:Fictional pacifists]]
[[Category:Fictional musicians]]
[[Category:Fictional princesses]]
[[Category:Fictional queens]]
[[Category:Fictional saijutsuka and jittejutsuka]]
[[Category:Fictional stick-fighters]]
[[Category:Fictional writers]]
[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1995]]
[[Category:Television sidekicks]]