Lysithea

"Aristocrats are fools—allowing their lives to be dictated by their Crests. Though...I suppose I am much the same in that regard..."

Lysithea is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Lysithea is a student at the Officers Academy who is from the Leicester Alliance and is a member of the Golden Deer. She possesses both a minor Crest of Charon and a major Crest of Gloucester.

Early life
Lysithea is the eldest daughter and heir to House Ordelia. When she was 2 years old, her family suffered retribution from the Adrestian Empire for their role in House Hrym's revolt. She is a magical prodigy whose talents developed at an early age.

In retaliation for House Ordelia answering House Hrym's call for aid, the Empire gained temporary control over the family while the Alliance turned a blind eye to avoid confrontation. The Empire killed key members of House Ordelia and replaced them with Imperial officials. Some of those officials were mages of Those Who Slither in the Dark, who then imprisoned the Ordelia children and began conducting Crest experiments on them. Lysithea's parents were powerless to stop them and could only watch in horror as their children perished one by one. Lysithea alone survived the experiments and gained two Crests: a Minor Crest of Charon and a Major Crest of Gloucester. The mages were pleased at their success, but because the procedure of implanting two Crests had dramatically shortened Lysithea's lifespan, they lost interest and departed.

Due to her truncated life and the suffering her family had endured, Lysithea resolved to bring its affairs to an end. After completing her education and ensuring that her parents could live comfortably and in peace, she planned to eschew having children and dissolve House Ordelia.

Academy phase
Lysithea enrolls in Garreg Mach Monastery Officers Academy in Imperial Year 1180, and joins the Golden Deer. At 15 years old, she is the youngest student admitted.

Crimson Flower
If Edelgard was sided with, if Lysithea has not previously been recruited, she can be seen in Chapter 14 "The Master Tactician" and be killed in the battle, but it is entirely possible to save her by the arrival of the Alymryan navy by defeating Claude. Byleth can still recruit her during the battle if they are the one to defeat her. Though she is badly wounded, Byleth can choose to either put her out of her misery or recruit her.

Azure Moon and Silver Snow
If the Black Eagles or Blue Lions route was chosen and Lysithea has not been drafted into the player's army, she will appear alongside her allies from the Golden Deer during Chapter 17, "Blood of the Eagle and Lion" where she may be killed during the 3-way onslaught between the three houses. Claude will lament on her death if that happens, saying that she "burned too brightly, and faded too fast".

Verdant Wind
During Chapter 17, "Blood of the Eagle and Lion", Lysithea notices strange mages dressed in black among the ranks of the Imperial Army. After the battle, she approaches Claude and Byleth to inform them of her family's suffering at the hands of the Empire and Those Who Slither in the Dark, warning them to be wary of their dreadful knowledge and power moving forward.

Personality
Though considered a prodigy in magic, Lysithea is not conceited about her talent. Though she is irked by people who label her prowess simply from natural talent, she is an exceptionally hard worker and has spent years honing her skills to the point that they currently are. The reason for that is because she want her parents to live with ease and knowing she can take care of herself.

As one of the youngest students enrolled at the Officers Academy, she dislikes being treated like a child. Despite this, she does has some childish traits like disliking bitter food, any form of physical labors and has phasmophobia, the fear of ghosts. She loves to research magic and tactic during her spare time. She has a secret love for sweets, which is revealed in several support conversations and endings.

Due to being experimented on by Those Who Slither in the Dark for the purpose of advancing Crest research, Lysithea resents her peerage, and in all of her endings, renounces it to live as a commoner and find peace after her convoluted life. The experiments have also vastly shortened her lifespan, which fuels her impatience on achieving her goals. In some she simply lives out her short, remaining life in peace. In others, through unknown methods, her Crests are removed, restoring her lifespan in which she lives a long life and even has children despite initial desires not to have any.

Growth Rates

 * 20%
 * 15%
 * 60%
 * 60%
 * 50%
 * 15%
 * 10%
 * 25%
 * 25%
 * }

Maximum Stats

 * 48
 * 30
 * 86
 * 82
 * 69
 * 40
 * 36
 * 41
 * 44
 * }

Learnt Magic

 * D
 * Miasma Δ
 * Heal
 * D+
 * Swarm Ζ
 * Nosferatu
 * C
 * Luna Λ
 * Seraphim
 * C+
 * B
 * Dark Spikes Τ
 * Warp
 * B+
 * A
 * Hades Ω
 * Abraxas
 * A+
 * }
 * B+
 * A
 * Hades Ω
 * Abraxas
 * A+
 * }
 * Hades Ω
 * Abraxas
 * A+
 * }
 * }
 * }
 * }

Overall
Lysithea is the quintessential Mage glass cannon character, far outclassing her two female competitors Dorothea and Annette in terms of raw damage output thanks to having the highest Magic, Speed, and Dexterity of the three, meaning that she hits hard, is likely to double, and likely to launch Critical hits. To compensate for this, she also possesses some of the worst HP, Defense, and Resistance growths in the game, meaning that she is likely to go down from a single hit if she is unable to finish her opponent, they are able to survive one of her attacks, or she is unable to dodge with her Speed and Dexterity.

Lysithea has mainly Dark Magic based Reason spells (and is the only one outside of the Black Eagles who learns Dark Magic), mostly relying on powerful spells with unique effects, but at the cost of heavier spells, thus slowing her down a little against certain match-ups. Dark Spikes makes her especially potent against the Death Knight as soon as she learns it and is sufficiently leveled. She even has Hades Ω at her disposal, the strongest Reason Spell in game. Her Faith spells consist of the standard Heal and Nosferatu as well as the useful Seraphim for annihilating Demonic Beasts and Abraxas, the strongest Faith spell in the game.

Lysithea has two Crests to her name; a Major Gloucester and Minor Charon. The former is more beneficial to her as she is able to raise her Magic mt when casting spells while the latter boosts her effectiveness when using combat arts. Her Gloucester Crest allows her to use Thyrsus, able to extend her magic range by two and having the compatible crest may halve incoming damage to help shave damage in a pinch if she is hit by a stray enemy. It also allows her to use the Axe of Ukonvasara, but her low Strength serves little in using the axe and its only benefit is the increased health regeneration which ideally, Lysithea wants to avoid sustaining damage at all. Having a minor crest in Charon does not provide much for her as it boosts combat art damage, but none of which are particularly useful for her as she lacks Strength to deal significant damage and learns no unique sword skills, the only physical weapon somewhat worth investing in for her. While she can use Thunderbrand's unique effect of potentially quad attacking enemies, the sword is best left in the hands of Catherine who is better suited.

Given her skill levels, Lysithea will make the most use of the Monk class family (Monk, Mage, Priest, Warlock, Bishop, Gremory), as they complement well with her magical prowess. Her hidden proficiency with Swords gives her an extra option in certain magical weapons, namely the Levin Sword, along with easy access to the Myrmidon class family (Myrmidon, Mercenary, Thief, Swordmaster, Mortal Savant). However, the latter option is risky, as despite Lysithea possessing Speed growths fitting for the class family, her low base Strength and weakness for handling Swords means that it will require a bit of extra work if not using a Levin Sword. Putting some effort into it unlocks Soulblade which lets her deal a magic-based attack which receives a damage boost based on her Res. Unfortunately, her Res growth is quite low, so the additional damage added is minimal.

Overall, Lysithea is considered one of the best characters in the game thanks to her sheer damage potential. When equipped with Thyrsus and the appropriate range-increasing skills, she is able to annihilate all but the toughest of enemies from a safe distance. The only things she will need to worry about are enemies with Counterattack, which can generally survive a hit from her and potentially take her out.

Supports

 * Byleth (S-Support with male Byleth)
 * Edelgard
 * Claude
 * Linhardt
 * Felix
 * Sylvain
 * Annette
 * Lorenz
 * Raphael
 * Ignatz
 * Marianne
 * Hilda
 * Leonie
 * Hanneman
 * Catherine
 * Cyril

Possible Endings
Lysithea - Scholar of Misfortune
 * Lysithea returned home to help her parents restore their family land. Years later, when the end to their hard work was finally in sight, she relinquished House Ordelia's claim to nobility, ceding the territory to a nearby lord. Shortly thereafter, she and her family disappeared into obscurity.

Lysithea and Byleth (Crimson Flower route)
 * Almost immediately after Byleth and Lysithea had celebrated their engagement, the struggle against those who slither in the dark began in earnest. Together they fought tirelessly to bring the war to an end so that Fódlan could have lasting peace. Afterward, they left the Imperial army for Ordelia territory, where they were officially wed. After restoring their war-torn land, the couple vanished from the public eye, along with Count Ordelia and his wife. No records remain of their lives after that, but it is rumored that they retired to a peaceful life in Derdriu, making sweets.

Lysithea and Byleth (Azure Moon)


 * Byleth announced his engagement to Lysithea shortly after being named archbishop of the Church of Seiros. Before they were officially wed, she returned home, helped her father to restore Ordelia territory, and offered the land up to be governed by neighboring lords. Once her parents had retired and withdrawn, Lysithea finally became the archbishop's wife. Even without her Crests, she proved more than capable of assisting him in his role, applying her great insight and intelligence toward a renewed church. When the rebuilding effort was complete, the couple and their two children enjoyed long and peaceful lives in the lively household they built together.

Lysithea and Byleth (Verdant Wind/Silver Snow)
 * Byleth announced his engagement to Lysithea shortly after becoming leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan. Before they were officially wed, she returned home, helped her father to restore Ordelia territory, and offered the land up to be governed directly by the new kingdom. Once the affairs of House Ordelia were in order, Lysithea finally married and became queen. Even without her Crests, she proved more than capable in the role, applying her great insight and intelligence toward a better Fódlan. When the rebuilding effort was complete, the couple and their children enjoyed long and peaceful lives.

Lysithea and Edelgard
 * After the war, Edelgard and Lysithea threw themselves into the fight against those who slither in the dark. The struggle was long and arduous, but not without its benefits. With careful analysis of ancient techniques, they discovered ways to recover the years of life that had been stolen from them. Afterwards, the new Adrestian emperor and Lysithea, her trusted officer, devoted the rest of their lives to Fódlan's rule. For her counsel in instituting class reforms and ensuring the independence of the people, Lysithea came to be known as the Wisdom of the Empire. The pair of talented women ushered Fódlan into a new age of innovation and prosperity.

Lysithea and Claude
 * Entrusting the future of Fódlan to his friends, Claude left for Almyra to reclaim his place as heir to the throne. When he became king, he asked Lysithea to be his queen with a heart full of love, and with the hope of fostering friendly diplomatic relations with Fódlan. Due to her shortened lifespan, Lysithea declined. Claude, unable to abandon his love for her, gave up the throne to go on a quest for a means to save her. Years later, he appeared suddenly before her, claiming to have found a cure. With her trust and love to guide him, he whisked her away, across the sea. It is unknown where they went.

Lysithea and Linhardt
 * Though Linhardt researched vigorously for a method by which to remove the Crests from Lysithea and save her life, the war ended before he could reach any conclusions. Lysithea, deciding that she should return home to her parents, thanked Linhardt and took her leave of Garreg Mach. Not to be deterred, Linhardt set his affairs in order, renounced his noble title, and followed Lysithea to Ordelia territory to continue his research. Years later, his efforts bore fruit, and Lysithea's Crests were successfully removed. With a new future ahead of her, Lysithea, too, renounced her noble claim, and the couple married as commoners. It is said they raised a very happy family.

Lysithea and Felix (Azure Moon route)
 * After becoming Duke Fraldarius, Felix married Lysithea, who assisted his efforts to restore both his territory and the Kingdom at large with countless insights. She became known for walking among the people, sharing with them her wisdom. After her death, Felix received a visit from a local artisan, who brought to him a cake and claimed that Lysithea had given him the recipe. Felix adored the flavor, enjoying that style of cake for the rest of his days. The people acquired a taste for it too, and Lysithea's treat became traditional in the north of Faerghus.

Lysithea and Felix (Other routes)
 * After the war, Felix abandoned his noble title and chose to make a living with his sword. He traveled the land, seeking battle as if he had a death wish, but his violent path came to an end when he happened upon Lysithea, who had been living in a small house in the middle of nowhere with her parents. Seeing her—condemned to live a shortened life, but smiling and making the most of every day with her family—convinced Felix that life was precious. He gave up his sword to join her, and the two spent their lives baking sweets. Lysithea's recipe became known far and wide, and the treat became a tradition for the people of that region.

Lysithea and Lorenz
 * As the new head of House Gloucester, Lorenz first worked to restore his own territory, and then expanded his vision to include reforms for all Fódlan. At the height of his storied political career, he announced his marriage to Lysithea. Though the only daughter of the former Count Ordelia had already renounced all claim to nobility, the people happily accepted their union. She rarely appeared in public, due to health concerns, but it is said that a great many policies credited to Lorenz were actually her ideas.

Lysithea and Ignatz
 * Lysithea returned home to help her parents restore their family land. Years later, when the end to their hard work was finally in sight, she relinquished House Ordelia's claim to nobility, and the family retreated from the public eye. In her new life as a commoner, she had a chance reunion with Ignatz, who had persuaded his family to allow him to travel the world as an artist. Lysithea became enchanted by his determination, and by the landscapes and portraits he painted of all he had seen in his travels. She offered the remainder of her short life in support of his work. It is said that Ignatz's most famous piece, Portrait of a Goddess, used Lysithea's face as a reference.

Lysithea and Raphael
 * Raphael returned to his hometown to serve his liege lord as a knight, and spent his spare time helping out at the inn that his family had opened during his time away. Due to his grandfather's age, he was compelled before long to give up knighthood and manage the inn full-time. Soon after that, the inn began to be frequented by Lysithea and her family, who has renounced all claim to nobility and begun a life as commoners. Lysithea found a kindred spirit in Raphael's sister, Maya, and before long, found herself helping around the place too. Eventually she was put in charge of the kitchen, where it is said she spend the rest of her days happily baking.

Lysithea and Hanneman
 * After the war, Lysithea returned to her parents in Ordelia territory. She was joined by Hanneman, and together the two worked to research a method by which to extend her lifespan. Some years later, their efforts bore fruit, and they devised a procedure to remove her Crests. Afterward, Lysithea renounced her noble claim and continued to assist Hanneman with his research. When he passed, she took up his mantle, and by the great discoveries she made, came to be called the Golden Child of Crestology.

Lysithea and Cyril
 * Lysithea returned home to help her parents restore their family land. Years later, when their work was at an end, she journeyed to Garreg Mach to inform the church of her decision to relinquish House Ordelia's claim to nobility. There she encountered Cyril, who had since graduated from the Officers Academy and joined the Knights of Seiros. During their reunion, Cyril confessed his love to Lysithea and asked her to marry him. She declined, at first, due to her shortened lifespan, but in the face of Cyril's insistence, she chose to spend what days she had remaining together with him. Where they went is unknown, but it is said that, for however long it lasted, they were happy.

Etymology
In Greek mythology, Lysithea was the daughter of Evenus and mother of Helenus by Zeus. Lysithea is also the name of one of Jupiter's moons.

Cordelia is a feminine given name, popularly associated with Latin word "cordis", meaning "heart". It was born by the tragic heroine of Shakespeare's King Lear. In the play, the character is initially unwilling to profess her love to her father, stating "Love, and be silent". Her two sisters who do – Goneril and Regan – are the basis of Hilda's and Claude's surnames.

Trivia

 * Lysithea possesses two Crests: a minor Crest of Charon, and a major Crest of Gloucester.
 * Catherine also possesses a Crest of Charon, while Lorenz also possesses a minor Crest of Gloucester.
 * Despite being from the Leicester Alliance, Lysithea's Crest of Charon shares its name with a location in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. This is the inverse of Ingrid.
 * Lysithea shares traits with Ricken and Hayato from Awakening and Fates. All three are magic users who look like children but dislike being treated as children; yet still display childish traits such as being afraid of ghosts Additionally, they all feature blue as a color in one of their portraits, though Lysithea only features it after the time-skip.
 * Lysithea has a unique time skip design as a Mage and as a Warlock.
 * Lysithea and Linhardt are the only characters in Three Houses who can learn ten spells.
 * Lysithea stands at 148cm (or about 4’10”), growing to 160cm (or about 5’3”) after the time skip.
 * This makes Lysithea the shortest character during the Academy Phase.
 * Lysithea is the only student outside of the Black Eagles that can form a support with Edelgard.
 * In a survey conducted by Nintendo DREAM Magazine, Lysithea placed 5th with 15.9% of the vote overall and ranked 3rd with 17.8% among those who completed the game in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The male-female vote ratio was 1:2.
 * Lysithea, Bernadetta and Mercedes have the most Subjects Weakness out of all playable characters, with a number of four.
 * However, Lysithea loses her weak point in swords if she gains the Budding Talent, thus removing her from this category.