The Orphan

Alternate Titles: Daughter

The Orphan is a young woman, often a child, who is in some sense lost, seeking for a place in the world, a home, a family. The most obvious manifestation is the girl with no mother, abandoned at an orphanage, or placed in the care of a cruel stepmother. She is left barefoot in winter, begging for her bread, looking with longing through the windows of the rich and well-fed, pining for piles of Christmas sweet-meats and dreaming of porcelaine dolls with golden hair.
There are, however, other ways to handle an Orphan. She may have her parents but be, in some way, estranged or rejected by them. Her parents may be evil or overbearing, or they may discourage her from pursuing the dreams and hopes that give meaning to her life. In this case she is often somehow singled out, an odd girl who doesn't quite fit in within her social setting, and who needs to find a community or a purpose that will make sense of her life for her.
At heart, the Orphan is a dreamer. She is given to wild fantasies of a better world, and will, given the slightest opportunity, begin to enthusiastically persue all manner of hopelessly idealistic hobbies. She often appears as a bright-eyed young journalist ready to take on a world of crime and corruption, or as a dreamy poetess traipsing along the peir in total obliviousness to the fact that her shoes are being soaked through. Her head is firmly lodged in the clouds, and she is generally impractical, but there is something charming about this impracticality that harkens others towards old dreams that they thought long dead. This inspiration, especially when helped by the more practical right-hand heroes on her square, may enable her to make her impossible dreams come true.

Archetypal Events: Daydream, Chores, Explore

Common Plots:

A Place to Call Her Own: The Orphan is without a true home. She may be starving and alone in the streets, abandoned in the care of a callous inn-keeper or left in a cruel orphanage. She finds a Mother or Magus who takes her in and gives her a loving home.

Man of Her Dreams: The Orphan lives under the care of a cruel Stepmother or Wiseman. She falls in the love with the man of her dreams (usually a Disciple, though he might be a Magus if the plot is going to be a hapless love story) and he takes her away to safety.

Lost: The Orphan has become separated from her loving parents. She wanders through the world, cold, alone, searching for friends and family until at last she is reunited with her family.

Girl Detective: The Orphan is a journalist or amateur slueth who becomes entangled in some sort of intrigue, often involving a stolen inheritance or an apparently supernatural danger.

Inspiration: The Orphan's bright and optimistic love of life, combined with her willingness to say aloud the things that no one else dares to say, allows her to break through the shell surrounding an older character's heart (often a Disgraceful Magus or aggreived Mother) and give them a renewed hope.

Castle on a Cloud: The Orphan lives in a dream-world that insulates her from the harsher elements of reality, a place where she is free to be herself and is truly loved.
A Warm Hearth: It's cold outside, and the Orphan needs a supply of heat to keep her from freezing to death. This heat also represents the maternal love that she craves.
The Porcelain Doll: A beautiful doll, given to her by a kind benefactor, often gives the Orphan an edge over her oppressors. It arouses the jealousy of any Parasite who sees it and provides her with protection against the Stepmother's cruelty. Orphans in less hostile situations may be content with a more humble doll made of corn-cob or rag.
Rags: The traditional dress of the Orphan is rags or, at best, functional, utilitarian clothing. She dreams of fancy dresses with puffed sleeves.
Family: At the end of her quest, the Orphan hopes to find a loving home where she will truly belong.
Monument: A
Minor Symbols: A

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