The Ancient Magus’ Bride by Kore Yamazaki is a dark fantasy manga series centered on a relationship with a human girl, Chise Hatori, and a supernatural being named Elias Ainsworth. The girl lives a pitiful life after her father took her younger brother and abandoned Chise and her mother. After losing her mother and being ostracized by her relatives and society, Chise sells herself in an auction. She's sold to the humanoid mage Elias, who takes her in to be his apprentice and bride. Chise gets the opportunity to explore the world of fairies and magic, giving her a second chance at life.
The Ancient Magus' Bride fans have long wondered what type of species Elias, with his skull-like head and horns, is. He isn’t human even though he attempts to act like one, and his appearance isn’t easily identifiable in folklore and mythology. Let’s dive into some of the speculation surrounding this mystery and try to find the answer.
Is Elias Ainsworth a Wendigo?
Many Ancient Magus' Bride fans speculate Elias is a wendigo, sometimes spelled “windigo.” The wendigo, whose appearance varies, is a malevolent mythological creature from Native American folklore, specifically the Algonquian-speaking First Nations in North America. They can be extremely thin with their skeletons pushing out from under their ash-colored skin, or gigantic and continuing to grow as they eat more. Wendigos also have antlers or horns sprouting from their heads, their eyes appear to be glowing and sunken into their skulls, and they have sharp teeth and two legs like a human.
If we compare Elias Ainsworth’s appearance to a wendigo, the two entities appear physically similar. He has horns on his skull, sharp teeth, and sunken-in eyes. However, what separates Elias from a wendigo is that he can physically transform his appearance depending on the situation. When Lindel first encounters him, Elias transforms from a seven-foot-tall adult into the body of a child. When he gets angry, he becomes a gigantic fiend with an abdomen like a bull or lion, with claws for mobility and a mermaid tail with black vines sprouting out. Elias’ resemblance to a wendigo is questionable because he can transform his physical body to various degrees.
Aside from physical appearance, Elias and the wendigo share one key characteristic: preying upon humans. Wendigos are said to have been humans who became monsters due to their greed. Another tale likewise suggests they were once humans but became possessed by an evil spirit and resorted to cannibalism, with a thirst for blood and a constant craving for human flesh. In Episode 11 of The Ancient Magus' Bride, Lindel and Elias get attacked by humans, so Elias transforms into a “monster” to protect Lindel. Soon after, Elias realizes he may have eaten humans in his past. He can also possess a human body, as evidenced when he took over Chise’s body later on. Elias may have eaten humans, but the degree of his human consumption has yet to be explored in the anime and manga.
There’s a strong case for Elias being a wendigo, but the assumption is still problematic due to origin. As stated before, the wendigo originated in North America, specifically in the Great Lakes Region between Canada and the United States. The Ancient Magus’ Bride is set in London, England, so geographically it doesn’t make sense. Instead, we should consider if any other European mythological creatures closely exemplify Elias.
Elias Ainsworth's Other Mythological Representations
In the world of The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Elias is a monster-skinned humanoid mage who resides in the outskirts of London but associates with fairies and fae-like creatures. Thus, it would make more logical sense to have him resemble a creature from European folklore.
In one of Elias’ transformations, he resembles an Ophiotaurus, a part bull/part serpent being originated in Greek mythology. This creature is said to have the power to take down the gods. In Episode 23 of The Ancient Magus' Bride, Elias has the facial features and abdomen of an ox with two front legs for mobility, while the other part of him represents a serpent beast like an Ophiotaurus. However, Elias and the Ophiotaurus are only similar based on appearance -- the mythological creature does not eat humans as Elias does.
Overall, there isn’t solid evidence that Elias is a specific legendary creature from real-world folklore and mythology. He could be an entirely new species or a combination of multiple mythical and demon creatures. The Ancient Magus' Bride manga remains ongoing so maybe in the future, we will get a clear answer.
