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7Character page for ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}''.
8----
9[[foldercontrol]]
10
11!!The Royal Family
12
13[[folder:Merida]]
14[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/merida_transparent.png]]
15->'''Voiced by''': Creator/KellyMacdonald, Peigi Barker (as a toddler), Ruth Connell (video games); Julie Fowlis (off-screen singing voice); Creator/KlodianaKeco (Albanian dub), Creator/HiromiHayakawa (Latin American Spanish dub), Amy Diamond (Swedish dub), Esther Thalia Casey (Icelandic dub), Alina Chinie (Romanian dub), Creator/BereniceBejo (European French dub)
16
17As the daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor of [=DunBroch=], Merida's life is weighted with responsibilities and expectations. When she blatantly defies an ancient tradition, the consequences of her actions prove disastrous for the kingdom--and especially when innocent bystanders end up affected. She races against time to make right the result of her reckless behavior and mend the bond torn by pride.
18
19Merida is also Pixar's first entry into the ''Franchise/DisneyPrincess'' franchise, and the first one overall to lack a love interest.
20----
21* ActionDressRip: During the archery contest, she breaks her dress for easier movement. It's not the skirt, but the back, shoulders, and sleeves by flexing, which is realistic given the action in question.
22* ActionGirl: When confronted with Mor'du, a monster of a bear, she notches an arrow and fires. In the climax, she gets the better of the three chiefs and her father in close combat.
23* AmbiguouslyGay: In the movie's sequel novel ''Bravely'', Merida shows little to no interest in any of the men and admits to being intimidated by them, is heavily implied to be in love with Leezie, becomes noticeably disappointed when she finds out that Leezie is getting married, and gets noticeably excited when she enters a room full of women at one point. This gets thrown off, however, when she [[spoiler:falls in love with the masculine-presenting Feradach. That said, he is a shapeshifting entity and she states that she doesn't love the male form he presents himself in front of her, but the genderless being of air he truly is, once again making her exact sexuality ambiguous]].
24* ArtShift: As with Rapunzel, Merida was given a 2D [[http://www.cartoonbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/merida.jpg redesign]] in order to fit the Disney Princess franchise.
25* BadassAdorable: Aside from using LoopholeAbuse to win the archery tournament for her own hand in marriage, climbing the Firefalls, facing Mor'du multiple times ''even when her arrows were having no effect'', and facing her own father in sword combat to protect her mother... she manages to sew a tapestry while galloping on horseback through a raging thunderstorm. She gets it from both parents.
26* BadassBoast: "I'll be shooting for my own hand!"
27* BadassFamily: Between herself, the archer, [[PositionOfLiteralPower her father]], [[SilkHidingSteel her mother]], and [[TricksterTwins her three brothers]], the [=DunBroch=] family is quite formidable.
28* BadassPacifist: Like her mother, she stops the feuding clans from fighting by (with help from Elinor) giving an eloquent speech about letting their heirs choose what they want.
29* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: She wanted to avoid marriage and is horrified at what happens when she finds a way. The three chiefs declare war on each other and her father because of it, and her mother is turned into a bear.
30* BowAndSwordInAccord: Although she seems to favor the former, she's shown wielding the latter like a pro.
31* BrattyTeenageDaughter: A rare tomboy variant of this. Before CharacterDevelopment she comes off as a selfish, disrespectful, stubborn girl who insults her mother and refuses to admit her mistakes. Reconstructed as she gets better over the course of the movie with Merida learning to be more mature and open-minded, even regarding her relationship with her mother.
32* BraveScot: She has the same valor as the ancient kings, and her father notes that drinking from the Fire Falls is a feat of the very brave.
33* BreakingOldTrends: Merida's the first Franchise/DisneyPrincess to not have a love interest.
34* BreakTheHaughty: Her character development is letting go of her selfishness and growing up. So she irresponsibly made the wish of having her mother change, not expecting to take the first steps to grab her own destiny? Well, her dear mother and her brothers shall be transformed into bears, and Merida will have to fix up this big mess herself ''and'' learn that [[ComingOfAgeStory she must put some effort on being a better person, as well as able to forge her way in life]]!
35* CassandraTruth: Her father doesn't believe in magic. Nor does he believe Merida when she tries to explain that the bear in the castle is actually [[spoiler:his wife until Merida bests him in battle]].
36* CelibateHero: She doesn't want to get married and has no LoveInterest in the movie -- a first for a Disney Princess. Though Young [=MacGuffin=] ''did'' get her attention, and she does look stunned when she thinks a strapping Franchise/{{Conan|TheBarbarian}}-type is Dingwall's son. Elinor's "speech" by proxy as Merida tries to pacify the about to fight clans indicates a compromise where Merida reconsiders this someday when she's ready. While she didn’t have a love interest in the final version of the movie, Merida did have one in pre-production as seen in the art books.
37* CharacterDevelopment: Merida goes from a selfish and stubborn child to a mature, level-headed young lady that now knows when to admit to her mistakes.
38* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Drawing a bowstring is no mere effort. Hitting bullseye after bullseye with a bow isn't either. Merida can do this because she practices whenever she can. She can also tear a dress apart simply by flexing while wearing it, bend wrought-iron fireplace implements, and has enough strength to lock blades with her visibly brawny father when he was about to kill her ursified mother. [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]], since King Fergus certainly didn't get his immense strength by just languishing either.
39* CompressedHair: Merida wears a tight-fitting headdress as part of her royal attire, which must be a bother given the untamed mass of her hair.
40* CoolBigSis: Her brothers only like their dad's story when ''she'' tells it. It's especially notable for being the ''FIRST'' older sister in the entire princess franchise (Ariel's the youngest in her family, and it can be debatable whether or not Cinderella's step-siblings count -- all the other princesses are only children).
41* DaddysGirl: She gets along much better with Fergus than with Elinor because she doesn't want to be a ProperLady, and has much more in common with him (such as the sword-fighting). Merida and her mom become much closer by the end of the movie.
42* DeadpanSnarker: Often -- a notable example is her exchanging quips with her father about the three suitors during the tournament.
43* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Merida's main motivation is based on this trope. This is medieval Scotland, after all. It's played with somewhat in that she's acknowledged what's coming, the issue came from that thought being shoved in her face ''all the time''.
44-->'''Merida:''' ...I'm just not ''ready''...
45* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:She makes an incredibly vague spell request to a witch with an obvious bear obsession who initially refuses because of "too many unsatisfied customers".]]
46* DoubleStandard: Fergus and Merida are both {{Fiery Redhead}}s who are better with weapons than words, but Elinor and society give Fergus a pass because MenAreUncultured, while Elinor and society agree that Merida ''has'' to learn administrative and diplomatic duties that she is equally uninterested in ''just'' because she was born a girl. Merida is aware of this and resents it, hence her desire to "change her fate."
47* EvenTheSubtitlerIsStumped: When she appears in ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'', her talk is subtitled "Speaking Scottish English".
48* ExtremelyProtectiveChild: She protects her [[spoiler:bear-transformed mother from her father who ''thinks'' the bear killed Elinor]].
49* FatalFlaw: Her selfishness proves to be her biggest flaw, as her single-minded interest to fulfill her own dreams causes utter chaos in the kingdoms and cause her mother to [[spoiler:nearly become a bear permanently]].
50* FieryRedhead: She's headstrong, passionate, and with hair colored more like fire than the usual examples halfway down her back.
51* GenreBlind: She appears to be completely ignorant of wish tropes beyond bare knowledge of the concept itself. She insists on getting the magic spell even though the Witch tries to talk her out of and ''explicitly says'' that she stopped doing it because it always goes badly.
52* GirlinessUpgrade:
53** Most dolls of Merida have her looking far more ladylike than she really is. The [[http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0yl7zR3E41r1wmszo1_500.jpg Disney store model]] is closer to the original, but the [[http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzb1trgGZq1r1wmszo1_500.jpg Mattel collection]] barely resembles her. This even extends to the tie-in toy archery sets; while the Disney Store's are a rather accurate replica of her bow, the ones available at other stores are ''purple''.
54** Her appearance in the Disney Princess line has people debating over whether or not Merida is girlier, whether that's bad, whether it's overdone, etc. Detractors include Brenda Chapman, the first person assigned to direct the film.
55** The attempt to re-design Merida with a slimmer waist, more revealing neckline, larger eyes, and a sparkly dress apparently went contrary to the film's message, with the public criticizing the attempted makeover for allegedly disempowering Merida, sparking outrage from mothers and feminist groups who saw the new, re-designed Merida as "an overly sexualized pin-up version of her former self". Female empowerment website ''A Mighty Girl'' argued: "by making her skinnier, sexier and more mature in appearance, you are sending a message to girls that the original... version of Merida is inferior; that for girls and women to have value... they must conform to a narrow definition of beauty." The petition received over 20,000 signatures in seven days, and Disney removed the re-designed version of Merida from their website and decided to keep Merida's original design.
56* GorgeousPeriodDress: Although not as blatant as Elinor, the turquoise dress she's effectively forced into by Elinor is the closest she gets. For most of the film, her dresses of choice tend to be simpler but no less nice.
57* HeroProtagonist: Played with; her personal conflict ''causes'' the usual "the kingdom is threatened by war" plotline that is used in this sort of setting. After realizing how majorly she screwed up, she matures into a truly heroic character and prevents the war she almost caused.
58* HiddenDepths: The sequence where both Merida and her mother "talk to each other" shows that she's ''fully aware'' of the repercussions for her RebelliousPrincess attitude (namely that said action is an open invitation for a clan war), she's just genuinely unprepared emotionally for what she will eventually have to become and is at something of a loss for how she should go about it all.
59* HorseArcher: Merida's contest of choice is archery because she is an ace with a bow and arrow. She can even hit a perfect bullseye while on horseback. She doesn't share the calmness and self-possession that usually comes with the archer role, instead matching the untamed power of the horse.
60* HotBlooded: She's more comfortable riding horseback and shooting at arrow targets then sitting at home and calmly discussing matters of state. It also comes back to haunt her big time, as she decides to make a rash, open stand against her mother and tradition in such a way as to anger the lords and threaten to start a war.
61* IJustWantToBeFree: A {{deconstructed|Character Archetype}} example occurs when Merida's desire to be free from the destiny handed down to her causes her to make rash and potentially disastrous decisions.
62* ImpracticallyFancyOutfit: Although not as blatant as Elinor, the turquoise dress she's effectively forced into would be extremely lovely if not for how uncomfortable it makes Merida. She has to partially rip the back by flexing her muscles just to properly shoot her bow. In the ending, she wears an elegant ''and'' practical dress.
63* InnocentBlueEyes: Her blue eyes are more along the "youthful" and "inexperienced" categories than really "innocent".
64* InTheHood: She hides her head on a few occasions with the hood of her cape.
65* JerkassHasAPoint: Immature and hot-headed as she may be, Merida wasn't wrong on about her mother's controlling nature in her life.
66* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's stubborn, rebellious, sarcastic, and rather self-centered... but underneath it all, she has a kind and heroic heart.
67* TheLadette: Merida is the biggest example among the Disney Princesses, if not the only one. She's loud, crude, unruly, HotBlooded, is more interested in archery, riding horses, or training with her father, and is completely lacking in good manners or elegance. It provides the contrast between her and Elinor, who wants Merida to be a ProperLady.
68* LikeParentLikeChild: Merida has traits from both of her parents:
69** Merida clearly has inherited her mother's stubbornness and pride ([[IResembleThatRemark contrary to Elinor's opinion]]). In the end, it turns out there's [[SilkHidingSteel badassery in her mother too]].
70** From her father, Merida is very much a chip off the old block when it comes to her love of fighting, weapons, and woods exploration, and her overall badassery.
71* LikeParentUnlikeChild: Merida and Elinor differ in personality, hobbies, and temperaments. [[DownplayedTrope However]], they do have a stubborn streak.
72* LoopholeAbuse: She decides to hold an archery tournament where the firstborn of the clans Dingwall, Macintosh, and Macguffin compete in an archery tournament, with Merida to decide the winner. She stuns the crowd when she announces that she herself will compete in the tournament and shoot for her own hand; she shoots arrows at all three targets, splitting Dingwall's arrow which had hit the bullseye.
73* LoveRedeems: A non-romantic example. The only way for Merida to [[spoiler:turn her mother back into a human is to "mend the bond" between them]].
74* MasterArcher: Merida is a highly skilled archer, which she demonstrates by winning her own hand at an archery contest by Splitting the Arrow of one of her suitors. She then utilizes her archery throughout the film.
75* MeaningfulName:
76** Her name means "honorable" in Gaelic.
77** In Hebrew, Merida means "to rebel".
78* MessyHair: Her hair is not a reflection of her sanity or her quirkiness, but rather a result of her preferring more physical activities over what are considered to be traditional feminine traits such as taking care of her appearance. The creator of the character said that Merida was designed to give girls a more attainable role model and because of that, she was given messy hair to show that she has no time and/or interest in looking good. In addition to this, considering that extremely curly hair is rather difficult to maintain, especially with medieval elements (Anti-Frizz hair products weren't invented), her hairstyle is both realistic and {{justified|Trope}}.
79* ModestRoyalty: Merida wears a loose dress for most of the film and never any jewels.
80* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: She's completely shaken up after she realizes that her fate-changing spell has GoneHorriblyRight.
81* MyNameIsInigoMontoya: "I am Merida! Firstborn descendant of the Clan [=DunBroch=], and I'll be shooting for my ''own'' hand!"
82* NeverMyFault: This is her main flaw. For the majority of the film, Merida blames her mother being given a ForcedTransformation into a bear on the witch who gave her her fate-changing spell, instead of acknowledging it's her own actions. By the end of the film, however, [[CharacterDevelopment she finally realizes how much she screwed up and reconciles with her mother.]]
83* OfCorsetHurts: At one point, Queen Elinor dresses Princess Merida up in a corset, and Merida complains that she can't breathe. What's really odd about all this is that the movie takes place in Medieval Scotland, and corsets shouldn't exist yet. Maybe it's just a really tight bodice instead?
84* OutdoorsyGal: Horseback riding, cliff climbing, etc. Notable amongst the Disney Princess line in that she has the opportunity for a comfortable, indoors life but chooses against it. The only other example is Pocahontas, who naturally enjoys nature.
85* ParentalTitleCharacterization: She refers to her mother, Elinor, as either "Mum" or "Mother". She regresses to "Mummy" in the climax [[spoiler:when she begins crying in the belief that her mother is a [[{{Animorphism}} bear]] forever]].
86* PassionateSportsGirl: Merida is passionate about swordplay, horseback riding, and archery, which annoys her ProperLady mother, Queen Elinor.
87* PluckyGirl: Her mother transforming into a bear is a shock, but she quickly makes a {{plan}} for keeping her safe and fixing the problem.
88* PoliticallyActivePrincess: King Fergus and the Scottish lords are on the verge of war when Princess Merida brings the four factions back together and declares that one should choose whom he marries according to his heart. Her suitors agree, stating that their ArrangedMarriage was their fathers' idea. Thus, the clan leaders agree that their sons must win Merida's heart before winning her hand.
89* PrincessProtagonist: Princess Merida is the main character of the film, and her actions drive the plot. She's not much of a PrincessClassic though, as she prefers archery and roughhousing to traditional princessy things.
90* QuirkyCurls: She has very curly red hair and doesn't fit with her mother's expectations of how a princess should act.
91* RebelliousPrincess: This is a DeconstructedCharacterArchetype; Merida is up against her loving yet very strict mother (when not getting involved with exciting drinking parties, her father, on the other hand, is perfectly okay with much of it and even gave her ''her first bow'' for her birthday), but after her particular brand of rebellion instigates the beginnings of a clan war and nearly gets her mother killed, both Merida and her mother come to an understanding of each other's opinions and find a balance.
92%%
93%%Please do not add RedheadInGreen without going to discussion first
94%%
95* ScrewDestiny: This is {{Zig Zagged|Trope}}--Merida wants to change her fate, and while it has unexpected consequences, and it seems as if she's punished for it, the [[WillOTheWisp Will-o'-the-Wisps]] are leading her on a path to fight her destiny... meaning it might be ''her'' destiny to change her destiny.
96* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Elinor destroys her bow during their argument, Merida has no choice but to flee the castle to make a deal with the Witch.
97* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou: The first released image was of [[http://www.geekforcefive.com/images/uploads/pixar-brave_610.jpg Merida aiming a bow right at the camera]]. She does the same against a bear in the trailer.
98* SimpleYetOpulent: Her formal dresses are made of fine fabric, and the blue dress is also tailored to her figure, but both are lacking in overtly fancy decorations.
99* SplittingTheArrow: Merida is a damned good shot in archery, hitting three bulls-eyes in a row and splitting the other guy's arrow on the third with so much force it breaks ''through'' the back of the target. She considers herself the winner of the contest for her hand.
100* StrongFamilyResemblance: Facial details look like her mother, except placed on a head shape more like her father's. She also has her father's wild red hair and bright blue eyes.
101* TakeAThirdOption: She doesn't want to marry but she's intelligent enough to know that just canceling the games will mortally offend the other clans ("We'll expect your declarations of war in the morning!"). Thus she decides to enter the games ''herself''. Unfortunately for Merida, this winds up with the same result and she then has to talk the clans into not fighting each other.
102* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: As a RebelliousPrincess, Merida is a FieryRedhead, wears her hair {{messy|Hair}} and {{wild|Hair}}, [[DaddysGirl gets along well with her father]], and has hobbies involving archery, {{horse archer}}y, the sword, and rock climbing. On the other hand, [[TheHighQueen Queen Elinor]] has [[BrainyBrunette brown]] hair and has been pressing weaving, manners, and other elegant pursuits on Merida to little avail. They ''really'' don't see eye-to-eye as the film starts, but when Merida has to be diplomatic with three angry clans of warriors and Elinor has to help her daughter fight off a supernatural threat, they start to understand each other's viewpoints.
103* TomboyPrincess: This is the root of the conflict with her mother; she hates the courtly education Elinor gives her and doesn't want to marry. She just wants to ride horses and practice archery.
104* TookALevelInBadass: As a child, she could barely shoot a target when she was only a few feet away. Now, not only can she shoot an arrow and hit the target from a ''way'' longer distance, but she can also do it while ''riding a horse''.
105* TookALevelInKindness: By the end of the film, Merida has learned to appreciate and respect her mother.
106* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: In general, Merida tends to make decisions [[DidntThinkThisThrough without thinking them over]] and it's one of the reasons for the conflict in the film. Her impatience and unwillingness to listen to Elinor's advice cause her to hire a witch for a fate-changing spell that transforms Elinor into a bear.
107* TrueBlueFemininity: {{Invoked|Trope}}. Elinor, who resents Merida's tomboyish nature and wishes for her to be more ladylike, puts her in a tight turquoise silk dress as part of her royal attire before and during the contest. Merida doesn't take it well, preferring her less restrictive dark blue dress. The end of the movie sees both of them in a dress of a similar shade, indicating that they've accepted each other's differences and similarities.
108* UnkemptBeauty: She has [[WildHair long, untamed hair]] and spends a significant portion of the movie in a ripped-up dress and covered in dirt smudges. She still manages to look cute as a button, though.
109* UnwillinglyGirlyTomboy: She is forced into uptight corsets by her mother when she's about to be married off. She rebels against it at first by pulling out one curl, and later on breaks through her corset in order to win the archery tournament.
110* UsedToBeASweetKid: When Merida was younger, she was a very small, cute child and had a close relationship with both her mother and her father. As she has grown up, Merida is still very energetic and free-spirited, but has a more strained relationship with her mother (though she still holds the same good relationship with her father) and is more rebellious.
111* ViolenceIsNotAnOption: Despite her status as an ActionGirl, most of the threats she encounters throughout the movie can't be solved through her archery or fighting skills:
112** Merida is a skilled archer and fighter, always hitting her target and capable of shooting straight even under stressful circumstances (like when ambushed by a bear). During the climax, she's able to block her father's sword with her own sword, and Fergus was trying to kill a bear with that strike, proving that she did inherit her father's strength. However, this is a Disney film. She's not allowed to skewer any opponent with her arrows a la ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''. Therefore, her main opponent is a magical bear that can NoSell anything a normal human can throw at him, making her talents useless in that specific situation. Instead, she has to run away from the magical bear.
113** Archery is also not shown to be a viable option a la LoopholeAbuse in the contest. Merida ''definitely'' won at the contest, but it did nothing to help her situation. On the contrary, she made it worse. She has to placate the three chiefs and convince to agree to something else in order to succeed.
114** Breaking her mother's curse is not as simple as killing the curse's caster. She has to reconcile with her mother to make that happen.
115* WarriorPrincess: One of Elinor's princess lessons to Merida is "A lady does not put her weapons on the table."
116* WellDoneDaughterGirl: {{Implied|Trope}}. When Merida returns home and tells her family of her adventure of climbing the Fire Falls, she asks her mother first about what she has done that day. She's visibly disappointed that her mother didn't hear of her accomplishments.
117* WildHair: She spends so much time on a horse and lets her hair fly loosely, so it just puffs out even more than it would.
118* WomenPreferStrongMen: This is heavily implied when she's introduced to her suitors. When she meets the Young [=MacGuffin=], the biggest, she doesn't look all that annoyed. Then, notice her "awe" reaction to Young Dingwall, who turned out not to be him. [[spoiler:There's also the fact that [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally]], she was going to choose the ''very'' huge and muscular Young [=MacGuffin=].]]
119* YouthfulFreckles: For emphasis on the "growing youth" aspect. She doesn't want to be a queen.
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Queen Elinor]]
123[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BraveElinor_8043.jpg]]
124[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see her bear form]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dcfab2bb01876b22f444debd251fea92_learn_more_at_clipart_disney_mordu_1064_696.png]][[/labelnote]]
125->'''Voiced by''': Creator/EmmaThompson; Satu Silvo (Finnish dub)
126
127Queen Elinor is fiercely dedicated to the well-being of her family and kingdom. As the measured, diplomatic counterpoint to her more impulsive husband, Elinor carries the weight of the kingdom on her shoulders in order to maintain the fragile peace between the volatile clans. Elinor strives to instill in Merida the knowledge and manner of a royal, but her vision of her daughter’s future is at odds with Merida’s desire to forge her own path.
128----
129* ActionMom: [[spoiler:She becomes one in the climax where she (as a bear) battles Mor'du.]]
130* AgentMulder: To the king's [[AgentScully Scully]]. She at least believes in the truth of the legends that she passes down to Merida.
131* AlmightyMom: She can stop a BallroomBlitz between three feuding clans (and her husband) of {{Violent Glaswegian}}s simply by walking through it in a calm, regal manner. All the brawling Scots will immediately stop and bow as if expecting her to join the fray, moving only to let her pass. She then calmly walks back to her throne while holding her husband (the king), as well as the three leaders of the clans, by the ''{{ear|ache}}'', and none of them even try to resist. [[RebelliousPrincess Merida]], though, has a low opinion of her mother, believing her to be just MyBelovedSmother until [[spoiler:the Queen is transformed into a bear (which is Merida's fault) and ends up defending her daughter against [[BearsAreBadNews Mor'du]], basically making her a literal MamaBear until the curse wears off]].
132* AloofDarkHairedGirl: She is tall, beautiful, has very long dark hair, and possesses a composed and graceful attitude.
133* AnimalMotifs: [[spoiler:Bears. She is married to a notorious bear hunter (who is also [[AnimalMotifs represented]] by bears), ''transforms'' into one, and becomes a MamaBear in the climax.]]
134* {{Animorphism}}: [[spoiler:She gets turned into a bear.]]
135* BadassPacifist: Elinor calmly walked through the BallroomBlitz the clans have started in the throne room. Fierce warriors all bow and step aside, and she drags the four clan leaders (her husband included) back by the ear.
136* BearsAreBadNews: Mor'du learns this lesson the hard way [[spoiler: when Elinor, as transformed into a bear, fights him in combat, and he gets crushed by the monolith, releasing his spirit.]]
137* BearyFriendly: [[spoiler:She still acts regal while in the shape of a bear, but becomes slightly less so as the transformation shapes her mind.]]
138* BearyFunny: [[spoiler:Much comedy is derived from her still acting like her queenly self in bear form.]]
139* BewareTheNiceOnes: Elinor is a perfect queen -- polite, genteel, formal, a diplomat who abhors weapons and violence, always seeking to unite the clans and bring peace and prosperity to Scotland. [[MamaBear If you threaten her daughter... you get crushed flat.]]
140* BigGood: Her grace and wisdom are what holds the kingdom together and [[TheFace is the one answering correspondence]] for the royal family. She's worried that Merida will not be ready to step into her shoes.
141* BrainyBrunette: She is the only one in her family to have brown hair and is the only one capable of running the country.
142* BreakTheHaughty: She has similar pride issues as her daughter and changes in the same manner.
143* CharacterDevelopment: Elinor loses her perfectionist tendencies and becomes more open-minded.
144* CharacterTics: As Fergus notes, she mumbles when something is troubling her.
145* CombatPragmatist: [[spoiler:Beat Mor'du by exploiting a fragile rock, but did respectably in a 'normal' bear fight considering the size difference and the fact she'd only been a bear for two days.]]
146* CoolCrown: The focus on her crown is a plot point; she makes a point of wearing it after [[spoiler:turning into a bear]] and when she doesn't, Merida starts panicking.
147* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: To contrast the rest of her family, both her eyes and hair are brown.
148* DeathGlare: She is able to give a stare cold enough to halt an entire horde of Vikings without saying a word.
149* DefrostingIceQueen: Her CharacterDevelopment is to be warmer with her daughter. She's already plenty warm with her husband.
150* {{Deuteragonist}}: She is just as important to the story as her daughter; they share the bulk of their screen time.
151* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: [[spoiler:At the end of the movie, Elinor wears her hair down without braids, gold ribbon, or her tiara, and a newly-acquired gray streak, symbolizing her character development.]]
152* EyesAreMental: [[spoiler:She keeps her brown eyes in her bear form except that her eyes become [[BlackBeadEyes black and beady]] as she is losing her humanity. She also [[InvokedTrope tries vainly to keep]] her regal posture and insists on wearing her coronet for a while.]]
153* FantasyForbiddingMother: While it's a {{downplayed|Trope}} example, Elinor's constant focus upon propriety and adhering to all the rules and conduct of a princess while refusing to encourage Merida's love of tomboyish things and particularly battle comes across as this. She does allow Merida her bow, but only reluctantly, and refuses to allow it on the table. She's only doing this to try and prepare her daughter for marriage to preserve peace among the clans, but it can't be denied that Elinor's own personality and interests suggest she is also molding her daughter to be just like her and do what she deems worthwhile (see her opinion of the various woods skills Merida has picked up). Ironically, her father actually encourages such pursuits (something which would break gender roles) and seems to enjoy her taking after him, but doesn't try and force her to follow his path.
154* FormerTeenRebel: Creator/EmmaThompson heavily implies that Elinor was a lot like Merida in her teen years.
155* GoodParents: She falls into MyBelovedSmother territory with her daughter, but it's obvious that she and Fergus love their children and take good care of them. The flashbacks to when Merida was little are strong examples of this.
156* GorgeousPeriodDress: Her dark blue dress is a work of art, and her iconic green dress is just as lovely.
157* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: She wore a purple dress when Merida was a toddler, but she is more "playful mom" in that scene than "graceful queen" like the rest of the movie.
158* HappilyMarried: To Fergus and this is the reason she can't understand Merida's resistance to an arranged marriage, at first. Kingdom's peace aside, her's turned out wonderfully.
159* HiddenDepths: Elinor is the strict, controlling, OnlySaneWoman of her family... But she also has a strong belief in magic.
160* TheHighQueen: She has "the weight of the kingdom on her shoulders" and is obviously the more powerful between her and her husband.
161* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Elinor isn't freakishly tiny, but she is thin, average-sized and married to a man so large that a small family could comfortably live inside him.
162* IAmAMonster: [[spoiler:She wrestles with this a few times after her ursine transformation.]]
163* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Sure, she can go overboard in trying to get Merida to become her successor, but she ''deeply'' loves her.
164* LettingHerHairDown: [[spoiler:At the very end of the movie, she stops keeping her hair in long twin braids and instead leaves most of it flowing loose. It also counts as an ExpositoryHairstyleChange since it signifies that she has loosened up and is opening herself up to seeing things for Merida's point of view.]]
165* LikeParentUnlikeChild: Merida and Elinor differ in personality, hobbies, and temperaments. However, [[LikeParentLikeChild they do have a stubborn streak.]]
166* LongHairIsFeminine: Her hair is straighter and longer than her TomboyPrincess daughter's.
167* MamaBear: Pun completely intended. The filmmakers specifically went for a motherly animal for Elinor to turn into. The trope comes into full literal effect in the climax, [[spoiler:when Elinor rips out of her restraints, and kills a supernatural bear far bigger than her own bear form, in order to protect her daughter.]]
168* MarriageBeforeRomance: King Fergus and Queen Elinor most definitely love each other and, at one point, he playfully grabs her butt. While they have [[OppositesAttract completely opposite personalities]] as a ViolentGlaswegian and a ProperLady, they still have a working marriage. When he has her pretend that she's speaking to their rebellious daughter, Merida, she accidentally reveals to Fergus that she has had misgivings about the betrothal at first. His surprised look reveals that he had no idea.
169* TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: [[spoiler:The longer she stays in bear form, the more she gets overwhelmed by the bear's instincts.]]
170* MumLooksLikeASister: Merida is 16 and Elinor doesn't look like she's aged a bit, save for a streak of grey.
171* MyBelovedSmother: Although she tries to be a good mother to Merida, the latter doesn't like the fact that Elinor is "[[HelicopterParents in charge of every single day of her life]]."
172* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
173** Elinor says this (minus the "My God") verbatim upon realizing that destroying Merida's bow accidentally caused Merida to run away.
174** And towards the end of the film, when she has unintentionally injured [[spoiler:Merida]] in her bear state and [[spoiler:runs off]].
175* MyNaymeIs: Her name is spelled as "Elinor", ''not'' as the more common version "Eleanor".
176* TheNotLoveInterest: It's very unusual for a protagonist's parent to have a role as emotionally important as hers. The parent-child relationship is one of the most widely praised parts of the movie even among critics who were disappointed.
177* OnlySaneWoman: During the BallroomBlitz scene she is the only adult to keep her cool.
178* OppositesAttract: Elinor is the graceful, proper queen while her husband Fergus is your typical boisterous FieryRedhead.
179* ParentingTheHusband: She often has to do this with Fergus; she yanks his ear like she would a naughty child. Ironically enough, she's implied to be younger than him.
180* ThePerfectionist: Until her CharacterDevelopment, she had to be the "perfect queen" and groom her daughter into one as well. By the end of ''Brave'', she loosens up a bit.
181* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Her marriage to her husband was arranged, but they seem to genuinely love each other. Though she admits that she was nervous at first which was news to Fergus if his reaction is any indication.
182* PositionOfLiteralPower: A rare example with a queen. Everyone knows the queen is the most powerful piece on the chessboard and this is a very good example of why. [[spoiler:In the climax, she breaks a huge stone in half. How? By ''bashing it with a ten-foot-tall bear''. Said bear is trying to ''kill'' her at the time. ]]
183* ProperLady: She is refined, feminine and stops brawls through quiet dignity and a few careful words rather than with confrontation. A big part of the plot is fueled by her [[WantedAGenderConformingChild attempts to turn her daughter, Merida, into this]].
184--> '''Elinor:''' A lady enjoys elegant pursuits/rises early/does not stuff her gob/does not place her weapons on the table.
185* RedOniBlueOni: Has this dynamic with the rest of her fittingly [[FieryRedhead red headed]] family (that consists of [[FeminineMotherTomboyishDaughter a rambunctious tomboy of a daughter]], [[ThePrankster three mischievous sons]] and [[BoisterousBruiser a loud, fun-spirited husband]]) where her graceful civilized self obviously plays the Blue Oni.
186* RequisiteRoyalRegalia: When she stops regarding her coronet as requisite, [[spoiler:it's a sign she's losing herself to her bear-like mentality.]]
187* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: In the opening meal scene, she is receiving letters of many sorts, thus implying she is the one handling matters of state.
188* RulingCouple: Fergus and Elinor are both involved in the welfare of the kingdom. However, Elinor is more of a politician than a warrior, while Fergus is more of a warrior than a politician.
189* ShoutOut: Her character design is remarkably similar to [[Art/PortraitOfMadameX John Singer Sargent]]'s [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lady_macbeth.jpg painting]] "Ellen Terry as [[Theatre/{{Macbeth}} Lady Macbeth]]".
190* SilkHidingSteel: She is always polite, graceful and well-versed in every courtly art. She stops an all-out brawl by simply walking through the middle of it. Her daughter, Merida, is pretty scornful of her willingness to compromise and sticking to tradition even when it doesn't make sense. However, the two learn from each other. [[spoiler:[[{{Animorphism}} As a bear]]]], Elinor fights [[BearsAreBadNews Mor'du]] twice and kills him for good, all while protecting her daughter. Merida learns how essential this trope is for a princess; being a master archer is all well and good, but she needs to be able to placate her bickering vassals and be subtle to change tradition.
191* SimpleYetOpulent: Her fancy dresses are either undecorated or just decorated enough to be visible but not stand out so much.
192* StrollingThroughTheChaos:
193** Elinor walks very calmly through the massive fight scene going on in the throne room with the intent of putting a stop to it.
194** She also does this when Merida crashes the archery contest, though she's much less calm. Also note that, while everyone else is clearly stunned by Merida's actions, Elinor is the ''only'' person in the scene who tries to stop her.
195* SugarAndIcePersonality: She's strict and no-nonsense, but deeply loves her family.
196* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Due to (presumably) being raised in nobility her entire life, Elinor is completely unprepared to living in the woods. When she tries to collect water it has worms and the berries she picks are poisonous.
197* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: As a RebelliousPrincess, Merida is a FieryRedhead, wears her hair {{messy|Hair}} and {{wild|Hair}}, [[DaddysGirl gets along well with her father]], and has hobbies involving archery, {{horse archer}}y, the sword, and rock climbing. On the other hand, [[TheHighQueen Queen Elinor]] has [[BrainyBrunette brown]] hair and has been pressing weaving, manners, and other elegant pursuits on Merida to little avail. They ''really'' don't see eye-to-eye as the film starts, but when Merida has to be diplomatic with three angry clans of warriors and Elinor has to help her daughter fight off a supernatural threat, they start to understand their viewpoints.
198* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:She goes from a regally intimidating human woman, to a furious and super strong bear.]]
199* TookALevelInKindness: [[spoiler:Elinor comes to accept Merida for who she is and stops trying to change her daughter, while still preparing her for the future.]]
200* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Elinor tends to follow the kingdom's traditions without considering others' views and it's one of the reasons for her fractured relationship with Merida. Their unwillingness to listen to each other causes Merida to run away and get a fate-changing spell from the witch.
201* TragicMistake: Elinor unintentionally causes Merida to run away when she destroys her bow.
202* TranquilFury: When Elinor breaks up the fight between the heads of the clans, she remains very, very calm (certainly calmer than everyone else in the room). When she talks to Merida after the archery competition, the fury is... less tranquil.
203* TrueBlueFemininity: At the end of ''Brave'', she wears a dark blue dress, which is a shade darker than her daughter's. It's still quite feminine and lady-like but shows that she's come to an understanding with her tomboy daughter.
204* UglyGuyHotWife: Her and Fergus were a former Trope Image. She has preserved her looks and her figure quite well for a greying mother of four (including triplets!). But he... remains strong and in excellent condition. It's justified as theirs was an arranged marriage, but it seemed to [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage work out okay]] (and, considering how young Merida is expected to marry, it isn't impossible that Elinor is only in her thirties).
205* TheUnintelligible: [[spoiler:As a bear, she can't speak human.]]
206* UptightLovesWild: [[ThePerfectionist Elinor]] is the ultimate ProperLady and often verges into the OnlySaneWoman (of her family and the kingdom). She's HappilyMarried with [[BruiserWithASoftCenter Fergus]], the BigFun king and a BoisterousBruiser warrior.
207* WantedAGenderConformingChild: She has been pressing weaving, manners, and other elegant pursuits on her TomboyPrincess daughter, Merida, to little avail. This causes a great deal of strain in their relationship since Merida hates her mother's controlling nature in her life.
208* WellIntentionedExtremist: Elinor pushes Merida to become her eventual successor and marry one of the suitors, objecting to her tomboyish personality. However, she does so not out of malice but out of love and wanting to keep the peace of the clans from failing.
209* WomenAreWiser: A DeconstructedCharacterArchetype. Although Elinor is obviously a better administrator than her husband, the central conflict of the story is she's too obstinate to see the world from her daughter's point of view. Fergus, on the other hand, may have understood that this was the real problem and was attempting to get Elinor to recognize that when he pretended to be Merida. In other words, she's wiser in some ways than her husband but not in others, as is more likely in real life.
210[[/folder]]
211
212[[folder:King Fergus]]
213[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_fergus_transparent.png]]
214->'''Voiced by''': Creator/BillyConnolly; Creator/JoseLavat (Latin American Spanish dub); Creator/JacquesFrantz (European French dub)
215
216King Fergus is a heroic warrior king with a knobby peg leg – the result of his much-regaled skirmish with the demon bear Mor’du. His vendetta against the beast who took his leg makes Fergus a ferocious and determined bear hunter. Protector of his kingdom and family, Fergus has a heart as big as his barrel chest and boundless love for his wife, Queen Elinor, and their triplet sons. But his pride for his first-born daughter Merida is unmatched, and he has gifted her his great skill and passion for the sword and the bow.
217----
218* ActionDad: When his family is in danger, his response is to call his soldiers and draw his sword.
219* AgentScully: To the queen's [[AgentMulder Mulder]]. He scoffs at the legends that his wife tells Merida about.
220* AdiposeRex: He is an overweight king.
221* AnimalMotifs: Bears. He wears a cape made of bearskin, hunts them for sport, had his leg torn off by one (a demon bear named Mor'du, who is also Fergus' sworn enemy), and his wife [[spoiler:is also [[AnimalMotifs represented]] by bears]].
222* AwesomeButImpractical: His style of kingship. He's great leader in wartime (since he was crowned because he united the clans against invading Vikings), and BigFun at banquets, ceremonies, hunts, and practice fights. But he's too bored or inept when it comes to the boring, everyday tasks of running a kingdom during peacetime, and leaves it all too his wife. All good and well, until his wife falls suddenly "ill" [[spoiler:actually turned into a bear]] and he has to entertain a throneroom full of [[HairTriggerTemper hot-tempered]] chieftans and has no idea how to sooth egos or tempers in her absence, [[spoiler:which leads to them almost declaring war]].
223* BadassCape: His cape appears to be made of bearskin.
224%%* BadassFamily: The patriarch of one.
225* BeardOfBarbarism: Fergus sports a stereotypical beard for barbarians (he isn't one) and he [[BloodKnight loves to fight.]]
226* BewareTheNiceOnes: Fergus is a BigFun good king who also happened to have fought in the war and with a cursed bear.
227* BewareTheSillyOnes: A lovable oaf he can be, if his family is in danger he'll drop all silliness ''quick''.
228* BigEater: "Stuffing her gob" is a trait Merida inherited from him.
229* BigFun: He forestalls a war by entertaining the kings; feasts and songs and a hunt in the castle...
230* BigOlEyebrows: Fergus has thick, red eyebrows which further his "bear king" image.
231* BloodKnight: Fergus isn't a violent man by any means, but he does love a good fight, whether he's in it or not.
232* BoisterousBruiser: A big hotblooded guy who is at home in parties with chiefs and fighting bears.
233* BraveScot: These are abound in this movie, but Fergus has a particular note for having the intestinal fortitude to ''punch Mor'du'' in the climax when no other weapon avails him (And of course being the sovereign of a kingdom of them).
234* BruiserWithASoftCenter: Fergus may be a BloodKnight, but he loves his family dearly (they are a HUGE soft spot for him).
235* BumblingDad: He tries to be the Wise King but stumbles in speeches. On the other hand, he understands his children better than his wife does.
236* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: A lifetime of being a warrior king has made him a very strong man.
237** When the triplets tie his wooden leg to the massive dining table, he doesn't trip when he tries to walk away, but ''yanks the table on its side''.
238** When the triplets stow away aboard one of the departing boats at the end, Fergus takes a rowboat to bring the little miscreants back. Every time he rows, the boat jerks forward because of the force he can exert.
239* CoolHelmet: Instead of a CoolCrown because he's the Bear King.
240* CrazyJealousGuy: {{Downplayed}}. He doesn't go "crazy", but he becomes extremely annoyed when the three Lords [[spoiler:stare at a naked Elinor, who's only clothed by the tapestry.]]
241* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He's a borderline ManChild who also happens to be a skilled fighter who took on ''[[TheDreaded Mor'du]]''.
242* DeadpanSnarker: Shares quips with Merida about the suitors.
243* DoubleStandard: Fergus and Merida are both {{Fiery Redhead}}s who are better with weapons than words, but Elinor and society give Fergus a pass because MenAreUncultured, while Elinor and society agree that Merida ''has'' to learn administrative and diplomatic duties that she is equally uninterested in ''just'' because she was born a girl.
244* DrunkenSong: "Song of Mor'du", detailing his fight with Mor'du, the same bear that took his leg.
245* {{Expy}}:
246** He's essentially a G-rated [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire Robert Baratheon]] as he would have turned out with a different wife.
247** His obsession with hunting down a specific animal responsible for his loss of a leg brings to mind [[Literature/MobyDick Captain Ahab]].
248* FieryRedhead: Another trait Merida inherited from him is the hotbloodedness and red hair.
249* GentleGiant: He a big guy who loves to brawl, but he's an all-around NiceGuy.
250* GoldenMeanFallacy: Fergus can see that BothSidesHaveAPoint with regards to Elinor and Merida's feud: Elinor does indeed push Merida too hard which causes her to act out, but Merida is also too headstrong and rebellious. But rather than try to mediate the two, he sees their conflict as their own internal affair and prefers to stay out of it. He does try to encourage Elinor to speak to Merida without getting angry or judgmental, but unfortunately he doesn't encourage Merida to do the same, with predictable and tragic results.
251* TheGoodKing: His domain has enjoyed good times ever since he led the fight that kicked out the last set of invaders.
252* GoodParents: He puts more effort into understanding his daughter than his wife does and because of this he has a better relationship with her.
253* HandicappedBadass: He has a peg leg as a result of his battle with Mor'du and as seen in his sparring match after the prologue, it hasn't slowed him down at all.
254* HappilyMarried: To Elinor. He was furious when he thought she was attacked by Mor'du.
255* HeroesLoveDogs: Owns at least two Scottish deerhounds.
256* HeroicNeutral: He's a loving father and husband, but largely wants to be left out of most unpleasantness. As king, he often leaves the administrative and diplomatic duties of running his kingdom to his wife while he enjoys endless feasts, hunts, and practice fights. As a husband and father, he tends to stay out of his wife and daughter's feuding, with disastrous results when their unchecked stubbornness and pride comes to a head at the end of the first act. While he's clearly as uncomfortable with the whole engagement ceremony and as unimpressed with the suitors as Merida, he never tries to talk Elinor into postponing things, and remains largely neutral on the ceremonies apart from making fun of the suitors with Merida. Finally, when Elinor falls "ill," Fergus tries to entertain and distract his guests from their growing impatience rather than try to step up as a diplomatic voice, [[spoiler:which nearly starts a war when their tempers boil over and Fergus adds fuel by firing back that their sons aren't worthy of his daughter.]]
257* HugeGuyTinyGirl: With Elinor, who is a third his girth.
258* LargeAndInCharge: He is both taller and broader than the three chiefs; even Lord [=MacGuffin=] is smaller than him.
259* LargeHam:
260** When he does an impression of Merida for Elinor.
261-->'''Fergus''': Pretend I'm Merida. Speak to me. (deep breath; high-pitched voice) I don't want to get married! I want to stay single and let my hair flow in the wind as I ride through the glen, firing arrows into the sunset!
262** He's fond of retelling his encounter with Mor'du at family meals, which the triplets seem to find boring. This is because they've heard it so many times, as suggested by the fact that one of the triplets starts lip-synching along with the telling.
263* MadeOfIron: Fergus is a more realistic version of this trope. His first fight with Mordu lead to the loss of his leg, but he is able to shrug off other blows that would be devastating to a normal human (no matter how big and strong he may be).
264* ManChild: Fergus is a very easy-going father, but Elinor has to treat him just as she would one of the kids sometimes.
265* MarriageBeforeRomance: King Fergus and Queen Elinor most definitely love each other and, at one point, he playfully grabs her butt. While they have [[OppositesAttract completely opposite personalities]] as a ViolentGlaswegian and a ProperLady, they still have a working marriage. When he has her pretend that she's speaking to their rebellious daughter, Merida, she accidentally reveals to Fergus that she has had misgivings about the betrothal at first. His surprised look reveals that he had no idea.
266* MeaningfulName: The name "Fergus" means "man strength" in Gaelic, which is fitting for a man his size and who has CharlesAtlasSuperpower. Equally fitting since the most famous bearer of that name, [[Myth/CelticMythology Fergus Mac Róich]], legendary king of Ulster, is arguably the Gaelic answer to [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hercules]]. The name "Fearghus Mac Róich" literally translates to "Man-Strength, Son of the Great Horse", alluding to his great size, strength, and potency.
267* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Legendary, technically, but according to the (largely debunked) ''Rerum Scoticarum Historia'', an account of Scottish kings by George Buchanan, the first king of Scotland was Fergus I.
268* NiceGuy: All around a great man; husband, father, party goer, etc.
269* OppositesAttract: Fergus is your typical boisterous FieryRedhead while his wife Elinor is the graceful, proper queen. Their dynamic is one reason why the kingdom stays together: he's the man-of-action and natural leader in wartime, she's the natural diplomat who can calm feuding factions in peacetime.
270* PapaWolf: He is a loving husband and father who would fiercely protect his wife and their four children from any danger. However, this almost has some serious consequences when he goes [[spoiler:after a bear because he thinks the bear has killed Elinor]] and is now attacking their daughter, Merida. [[spoiler:The bear actually is Elinor, who has lost control of her bear form and has lapsed into wild behavior, but Fergus is understandably unwilling to listen to Merida's (admittedly crazy-sounding) explanation.]]
271* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: To Elinor, although she admits that at first, she was nervous about her betrothal to him. They're ''very'' happy together now.
272* PositionOfLiteralPower: He is considered the protector of the kingdom above the other clan chiefs.
273* QuirkyCurls Once again, a trait Merida inherited from him is the unruly hair.
274* RedBaron: King Fergus is also known as "The Bear King" for his legendary fight with Mor'du, as well as the aforementioned bear-hunting hobby.
275* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He was explicitly chosen as their king after he led the other clans to victory against invading Vikings and whether it's evil monster bears or invading armies he takes care of it. That said, he's woefully inept and tends to leave it all to his wife when it comes to the boring, everyday tasks of running affairs-of-state.
276* RulingCouple: King Fergus and Queen Elinor are both involved in the welfare of the kingdom.
277* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The other clans declared him king after he led their armies to victory against the invading Norsemen, but being a skilled war leader doesn't make him suited to everyday affairs of state. He leaves his wife Elinor to run the administrative, diplomatic, and ceremonial duties of the monarch. This comes back to bite him when [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Merida embarrasses the clans]] and Elinor falls suddenly "ill" [[spoiler:she's actually turned into a bear]], and he's left to handle a throne room full of clan chiefs with [[HairTriggerTemper Hair Trigger Tempers]] and he is woefully inept to try to sooth tempers.
278* ThriftyScot: Downplayed; after Merida decides to celebrate the young lords being allowed to find love in their own time, Merida decides the King's private drink cellar should be opened up for a victory toast, and King Fergus decides to use the small cups.
279* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Fergus's grief against [[spoiler:seemingly losing Elinor]] causes him to[[spoiler:ignore Merida's warnings and launch a bear hunt against Elinor in her bear form]].
280** He also tends to join in when the other clans form a BallroomBlitz, [[spoiler:which takes a dark turn near the end when they're ready to go to war and Fergus lets his temper get the best of him then too.]]
281* {{Tritagonist}}: After Merida and Elinor, he's the most prominent character.
282* UglyGuyHotWife: Provides the page image with Elinor -- She has preserved her looks and her figure quite well for a greying mother of four (including triplets!). But he... remains strong and in excellent condition. This is justified as theirs was an arranged marriage, but it seemed to [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage work out okay]] (and, considering how young Merida is expected to marry, it isn't impossible that Elinor is only in her thirties).
283* UselessBystanderParent: Downplayed. While Fergus and Elinor are both loving parents, nevertheless he can see what a toll Elinor's exacting standards have on Merida's happiness, and seems just as uncomfortable with the whole engagement ceremony and unimpressed with the suitors as Merida, yet (apart from defending Merida's right to own a weapon), he never really stands up for Merida or use her diplomatic influence to postpone the engagement ceremony. At the same time, he often encourages Merida to act like OneOfTheBoys, but then backs off when Elinor brings the hammer down, making Elinor look like the bad guy and making Merida resent Elinor even more, and strengthening the feud between the two.
284* WhatsUpKingDude: Fergus is much more casual and easygoing as a monarch than Elinor, often going on hunts and practice-fighting with his men. He leaves most of the pomp and ceremony to his wife. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as he was ''chosen'' to be king after leading the other clans to victory in battle and thus, was not born into royalty.
285* TheWonka: The line "Not ''another'' hunt through the castle" implies that it might just be a regular occurrence, but his quirky nature doesn't stop him from being the king. On the contrary, such quirks forestall war by distracting the chiefs.
286[[/folder]]
287
288[[folder:Harris, Hubert and Hamish]]
289[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/triplets_transparent.png]]
290[[caption-width-right:200:[[labelnote:Click here to see their bear form]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bravetriplets.png]][[/labelnote]]
291
292The sons of King Fergus and Queen Elinor and younger brothers of Merida, the identical triplet princes Harris, Hubert, and Hamish are adorable, redheaded, and always ready to stir up a bit of mischief, especially if sweets are at stake.
293----
294* AlliterativeFamily: Harris, Hubert, and Hamish.
295* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: A triplet variant--according to the creators, Merida's the only one who can tell them apart with no problem.
296* {{Animorphism}}: [[spoiler:Like their mother Queen Elinor, they are turned into bears.]]
297* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Subverted. Although Merida calls them "wee devils", they get along just fine and do a lot to help her.
298* BearyFriendly: [[spoiler: When they eat the treats and change into adorable (and mischievous) bear cubs.]]
299* BearyFunny: [[spoiler:As bear cubs, their antics are funnier.]]
300* BigEater: They ''really'' love their sweets.
301* BigSisterWorship: The boys admire their big sister and the Disney Wikia site describes their relationship with Merida as "strong, loving, and trusting".
302* BreakoutCharacter: The triplets stole the popularity ratings, despite their limited screen time and lack of dialogue.
303* ChekhovsGun: They love their desserts. The spell Merida receives from the witch comes in the form of a cake. Not hard to see where this is going.
304* CuteMute: They're adorable little scamps who never speak.
305* FieryRedhead: Like their father and sister, they are energetic wee devils.
306* FlatCharacter: They never evolve beyond pranking and eating; the main reason they were helping Merida was that she promised them her desserts for a year.
307* HumanLadder: They're fond of this trope because they are short and it's useful for pranking.
308* InnocentBlueEyes: There's nothing malicious in their pranks; only harmless mischief.
309* MeaningfulName:
310** Hamish (who often plays pranks on Maudie and other castle staff members) is a Scottish variant of James, which is derived from Iakobos, the Greek form of Jacob, the "supplanter", with the Old Testament Jacob being a notable trickster to his dad and brother.
311** Harris is derived from Harry, a variant of Henry, which means "home ruler", and the triplets are sons of the king who rules the kingdom.
312** Hubert means "bright heart".
313* MenAreTheExpendableGender: Nobody seems to notice that ''they're'' about to be [[spoiler:turned into bears forever]] as Queen Elinor [[spoiler:is about to meet the same fate.]] It's partly justified given the story's focus.
314* MommasBoy: The triplets tend to listen to their mother more than their father.
315* ParentsKnowTheirChildren: Inverted. The triplets recognize Elinor in bear form despite BOTH parties remaining silent.
316* PintSizedKid: How old are they supposed to be, anyway?
317* ThePrankster: The boys love to mess around the castle, Maudie, and even their own father.
318* QuirkyCurls: Like their father and sister, the triple tricksters have unruly red hair.
319* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: [[spoiler:As bear cubs, they are more adorable.]]
320* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: They are crafty tricksters capable of distracting an entire castle to forestall conflict.
321* RuleOfThree: This is why they are triplets.
322* SameSexTriplets: They are triplets and all boys.
323* SiblingTeam: How else can they pull off a HumanLadder or their more complex pranks but working together?
324* SingleMindedTwins: Single-Minded Triplets, in this case. They're essentially one character in three bodies, and are able to pull off their pranks while working in perfect unison.
325* SweetTooth: Most of their scenes involve stealing pastries.
326* ThemeTwinNaming: Their names all begin with the letter H.
327* TricksterTwins: A triplet variant. Among their antics, they steal cakes, cut off part of a sleeping guard's mustache, and tie their father's peg leg to a table so he flips it when he gets up.
328* WiseBeyondTheirYears: They are almost instantly able to recognize the bear as their mother, and even give their sister a look demanding an explanation.
329[[/folder]]
330
331!!The Three Lords and Their Sons
332
333[[folder:The Lords in general]]
334[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BraveLords_7295.jpg]]
335
336The three vassal lords to King Fergus; Lords Dingwall, Macintosh and [=MacGuffin=]; are the unruly, overzealous leaders of their respective [[TheClan clans]]. Though once warring factions, they have been united under the sword of [[TheGoodKing King Fergus]] and held together by the diplomacy and political savvy of [[TheHighQueen Queen Elinor]]. The clans are summoned to Castle [=DunBroch=] to compete in the Highland Games, but the lords are soon outraged when Merida defies a sacred tradition. The clans fall back to their history of fervent feuding, which threatens the fragile peace of the entire kingdom.
337----
338* AppealToTradition: They want to respect tradition and the truce by having one of their respective sons marry Merida. Their narrow-mindedness prevents them from seeing the drawbacks of an arranged marriage. Merida isn't interested in marriage nor is she interested in their sons. Their sons aren't too keen either and it's implied that they're just letting their dads make the choice for them, suggesting that the marriage would've been doomed from the start.
339* BigThinShortTrio: [=MacGuffin=], Macintosh and Dingwall, respectively, to make each chief more distinct.
340* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: As goofy as all three of them act, it's apparent that when it comes to battle, they're all forces to be reckoned with.
341* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The three lords' very first scene shows their boats heading towards [=DunBroch=], and basically competing to each seem more impressive than the others like a trio of argumentative brothers.
342* FireForgedFriends: They fought together in a pre-story invasion but it's not until the movie's end that they can develop from WithFriendsLikeThese status to VitriolicBestBuds.
343* HairTriggerTemper: The lords are all quick to start fighting each other at the slightest insult. Their tendency to fall into outright battle is why Elinor is so horrified when Merida insults them.
344* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: They're all prideful and highly competitive and responded to Merida's TakeAThirdOption with a declaration of war, but they are not without reason.
345* MeaningfulName:
346** Lord [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Dingwall]], but his official profile makes him seem more like TheNapoleon.
347** [=MacGuffin=] and Macintosh are most likely puns on the term MacGuffin (a plot device) and Platform/AppleMacintosh (Pixar's computer of choice).
348* MedievalMorons: None too bright, prone to solving problems with violence, etc.
349* NoFullNameGiven: While we know their last names, we never do learn their first names.
350* OddNameOut: [=MacGuffin=], Macintosh and ... Dingwall? (Yes, that is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingwall_(name) real Scottish name]]).
351* RuleOfThree: Three suitor dads.
352* ViolentGlaswegian: They start brawling amongst themselves at King Fergus's banquet for the right to determine which of their sons will make a proper suitor for Merida.
353* VitriolicBestBuds: They and Fergus enjoy bickering and snarking at each-other and trying to outdo the others and rub it in their faces, but they're FireForgedFriends since their clans were forced to unite against a northern invasion. Borders on WithFriendsLikeThese at times, particularly when they're on the verge of declaring war on each-other over the matter of which lord's son will marry Merida.
354* WithFriendsLikeThese: Though they mostly come across as VitriolicBestBuds, there are times when they've crossed into this territory; such as when their bickering with Fergus over whose son will marry Merida escalates into them ''declaring war on [=DunBroch=]'' before Merida stops the hostilities. It's also worth noting, Lord Dingwall makes a joke that he was actually aiming at Lord Macintosh when he threw a spear that ultimately saved the latter.
355[[/folder]]
356
357[[folder:Lord [=MacGuffin=]]]
358[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c434c12fbefbf3cf17a06ace31be3d6b.jpg]]
359->'''Voiced by''': Creator/KevinMcKidd
360
361Strapping Lord [=MacGuffin=] is full of brawn and dignity. Though a man of few words, his deep voice resounds across the land demanding respect and contributing to his reputation as the most even-handed and reasonable lord in the kingdom. Even so, like his fellow lords, [=MacGuffin=] isn't opposed to a first-rate brawl or full-throated belly laugh.
362----
363
364* BeardOfBarbarism: It's very manly, prominent, and shows off his "don't mock me and I won't hurt you" vibe.
365* BoisterousBruiser: Like the others, MacGuffin doesn't stop to show off his clan or himself.
366* BraidsOfBarbarism: Pigtails, but there is nothing [[GirlishPigtails girlish]] about him.
367* BraveScot: He's full of brawn and dignity, with a loud voice that commands respect; while known for being even-handed and reasonable, he has an occasional brawl now and then.
368* EyesAlwaysShut: 99% of the time he doesn't open his eyes.
369* FacePalm: Does this after his son's arrow misses the bulls-eye.
370* TheQuietOne: He has only a few lines.
371* RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear: {{Justified|Trope}}. [[AllThereInTheManual He's the only person who understands]] [[IntelligibleUnintelligible his son's thick brogue]], so he has to translate for him.
372* StoutStrength: He's a large man with impressive strength.
373[[/folder]]
374
375[[folder:Lord Macintosh]]
376[[quoteright:136:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7b7916efb9e40b9dd69a13c91ee6ae2c.jpg]]
377->'''Voiced by''': Creator/CraigFerguson
378
379The wiry, indignant and off-kilter leader of his clan, Lord Macintosh is always a heartbeat away from hysterics. His savage smile and fierce appearance, body bedecked in blue war paint and chest pridefully puffed up, proclaim that he's ready for battle at any moment, though his bark may be worse than his bite.
380----
381* BeardOfBarbarism: Both this trope and the WildHair together make him look more savage than the other two.
382* BodyPaint: He's dressed for war.
383* CarryABigStick: His weapon of choice is a spear.
384* TribalFacePaint: As a possible ShoutOut to ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''. He has matching BodyPaint on both arms, too, as does his son. Blue tattoos were a tradition of the Picts, some of the first people living in Scotland, which may imply an intended heritage.
385* WalkingShirtlessScene: How else could he show off his war paint?
386* WildHair: The most tribal-looking of the lords, and he has shaggy, wild hair to go with it.
387[[/folder]]
388
389[[folder:Lord Dingwall]]
390[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lorddingwall.jpg]]
391->'''Voiced by''': Creator/RobbieColtrane
392
393Grumpy and quick-tempered, the scrappy Lord Dingwall doesn't let being height-challenged get in the way of solving his problems with fisticuffs. Never one to shy away from an old-fashioned fracas or high-spirited kerfuffle, he has no qualms taking on even the burliest adversary to assert his own position in the kingdom.
394----
395* FanDisservice: When he lifts his kilt and flashes Fergus and Lords [=MacGuffin=] and Macintosh.
396* BlatantLies: He claims while introducing his son (and having to wave Wee Dingwall's arms about for him) that the boy once multitasked hacking down opponents with steering a ship. It prompts one of his own men to call it a lie.
397* GoingCommando: It's traditional to do this in a kilt and judging by the reactions of the others, it's likely this is the case for Lord Dingwall as well.
398* GrumpyOldMan: Downplayed. He's on the same level of grumpiness as the other chiefs but much older.
399* MessyHair: Presumably for contrast because Messy Hair isn't the case with the other two chiefs.
400* MiniatureSeniorCitizen: He clearly seems to be the oldest of the chiefs, but is also the smallest.
401* TheNapoleon: He's "height-challenged."
402* OldSoldier: He appears to be the oldest of the three chiefs and yet he was still on the front lines of a war perhaps 15 years ago.
403* ViolentGlaswegian: He's quick-tempered, preferring to settle fights with a brawl and fisticuffs.
404[[/folder]]
405
406[[folder:The Lords' Sons in general]]
407----
408* BigThinShortTrio: Like fathers like sons, this is here to make each distinct.
409* GenerationXerox: Ultimately PlayedWith. They all look like young versions of their fathers, and in several scenes are blocked the same way as their elders (while Wee Dingwall kisses Merida's hand on the docks, Macintosh and Macguffin stand behind and kid around together; at the same time, their fathers do the same thing as Lord Dingwall hugs Fergus). But they have distinct personalities from their fathers and reservations about their fathers' AppealToTradition.
410* HopelessSuitor: All are competing for Merida's hand in marriage and are all undesirable in her eyes.
411* NoFullNameGiven: Just like their fathers, their real first names are never revealed.
412* TheQuietOne: All three of Merida's suitors are the quiet type, having only a handful of lines in the entire film. Their agreement with Merida's speech (which is only the second time Young [=McIntosh=] speaks and the first time Wee Dingwall does) would imply that they've been letting their dads do the talking for them because they're not overly enthusiastic about the arranged marriage either.
413* RuleOfThree: Three fathers, three sons.
414* StrongFamilyResemblance: Each of the sons look like younger and beardless versions of their fathers.
415* VagueAge: We're not sure exactly how old any of them are--presumably, they're around the same age as Merida (who's 15 or 16), if slightly older.
416[[/folder]]
417
418[[folder:Young [=MacGuffin=]]]
419[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/youngmacguffin_brave.png]]
420->'''Voiced by''': Creator/KevinMcKidd
421
422Speaking an uncommon Scottish dialect [[UnintelligibleAccent that is incomprehensible to most]], Young [=MacGuffin=] is a shy lad of large proportions. Being the center of attention is not his strong suit, but he will not hesitate to leap into a fight alongside his father and clan when the occasion arises.
423----
424* BadassBoast: His first line has him (awkwardly) state that he could throw a caber at Lord Dingwall.
425* BewareTheQuietOnes: Clearly the shy one of the three suitors, he's capable of breaking a log in half with his hands and swinging a large wooden bench around.
426* BraidsOfBarbarism: Just like his father, he has braided hair.
427* BruiserWithASoftCenter: He's a gigantic bruiser who can break a hunk of wood with his bare hands and uses a bench as a weapon during a BallroomBlitz. He's also a very sensitive guy who only wants to impress his dad. [[spoiler: In the scene where it seems Elinor has lost her mind to the spell that turned her into a bear, [[ManlyTears he's visibly and earnestly weeping.]]]]
428* ChairmanOfTheBrawl: During the BallroomBlitz, he wields a long bench to knock out several opponents at once.
429* EvenTheSubtitlerIsStumped: When he talks, the subtitles read "Speaks in thick accent."
430* GentleGiant: Out of everyone during the brawl, he looked the most uncomfortable.
431* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: He is a nice guy with blonde hair.
432* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: Surprisingly, when his dialect is translated after Merida makes a speech about destiny. Young [=MacGuffin=] was the only one to be considerate of Merida's opinion. The other suitors were concerned about making their own choices, while [=MacGuffin=] acknowledged how the marriage wouldn't work since Merida wasn't interested in any of them.]]
433-->'''[=MacGuffin=]''': It's jist nae fair, makkin' us fecht for the haund of a quine that disnae waint any bit ae it! [[labelnote:*]] It's just not fair, making us fight for the hand of a girl who doesn't want any part of it![[/labelnote]]
434* ImpliedLoveInterest: He was apparently meant to be Merida's LoveInterest (which shows, as his awkwardness got her attention), but that was scrapped.
435* LikeParentLikeSpouse: {{Implied|Trope}}. When Merida was presented with her potential husbands, he's the only one that she actually expressed an interest in, and he is a large and strong man, just like her father.
436* ManlyTears: He earnestly sheds these when [[spoiler:it looks like the spell on Elinor is going to become permanent]].
437* NiceGuy: Despite his great size and greater strength, Young [=MacGuffin=] is a calm, gentle, friendly, and very shy lad.
438* OffhandBackhand: By accident. Near the end of the movie, he gives Young Macintosh a friendly punch which knocks him off the dock they're standing on and into the water.
439* PermaStubble: He is shown to have blond stubble.
440* ShrinkingViolet: Young [=MacGuffin's=] most prominent trait is his shyness. As seen in his introduction to Merida, he looks uncomfortable being the center of attention and looks to his father for a cue to snap a log in half.
441* StoutStrength:
442-->'''Merida''': I bet he wishes he were tossin' cabers!
443* SuperStrength: He snaps an 8-inch thick log in half with his bare hands. JUST his hands, not even using leverage from his arms, with absolutely no effort.
444* TheUnintelligible: He [[UnintelligibleAccent has a brogue so thick]] that ''even the other Scots can't understand him''. He's actually speaking a real dialect, Doric, which is spoken in the voice actor's native region of northeastern Scotland. He utters only a handful of understandable words throughout the entire film, and even those aren't enough to figure him out.
445* UnintelligibleAccent: He has such a thick Scottish brogue [[IntelligibleUnintelligible that nobody but his dad can tell what he's saying]].
446[[/folder]]
447
448[[folder:Young Macintosh]]
449[[quoteright:254:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/youngmacintosh.jpg]]
450->'''Voiced by''': Steven Cree
451
452As the first-born son of a lord, Young Macintosh knows he has it all; athletic physique, undeniable charm and long flowing locks that leave the lasses swooning in his wake. Vanity and legions of devotees can also be a distraction when it comes to bragging rights at the Highland Games.
453----
454* AgentPeacock: He always makes sure he's looking good when fighting.
455* BigNo: His reaction to not hitting a perfect bull's-eye.
456* BodyPaint: Like his father, he's dressed for war.
457* ChickMagnet: Has a band of fangirls squealing and swooning over him.
458* DramaQueen: He has to be a dramatic show-off towards Merida in his early scenes, and when he fails to hit the bulls-eye in the archery contest, he ''[[AccidentalPun throws]] a complete fit''.
459-->'''Merida:''' [[SarcasmMode Ooh, that's attractive]].
460* {{Expy}}: Of Film/{{Conan the Barbarian|1982}}. It's most explicit in the whirling sword-kata he performed in his introduction, which is a front-view version of the exact same sword kata that Schwarzenegger performed on the beach in the 1982 film.
461* ExtremelyProtectiveChild: When Lord Dingwall has his son attack Lord Macintosh, Young Macintosh retaliates by punching Lord Dingwall in the face.
462* TheFightingNarcissist: Scoring any less than a bull's eye leads to a tantrum.
463* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
464** The jerk part comes from his cockiness, the gold part comes out [[spoiler:when he's the first to wholeheartedly agree to Merida's plan to end the betrothal in favor of finding love.]]
465** For all his cockiness, he doesn't seem to mind hanging out with the other two sons, one being TheUnintelligible ShrinkingViolet and the other TheFool.
466** He seems very loyal to his father, too. When Lord Dingwall has his son attack Lord Macintosh, Young Macintosh ''punches'' Lord Dingwall in the face! Later when Merida flips his father during the climax, Young Macintosh runs to his side and helps him back to his feet.
467* PecFlex: He does one when his father introduces him.
468* PrettyBoy: He ''knows'' it and ''flaunts'' it.
469* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: In the archery contest, Young Macintosh goes [[DramaQueen absolutely hysterical]] with rage when his arrow hits right next to the bull's eye.
470* WalkingShirtlessScene: Again, like his father because of the body paint.
471[[/folder]]
472
473[[folder:Wee Dingwall]]
474[[quoteright:137:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/50833ebcdb1718d64ba72391a9bf517f.jpg]]
475->'''Voiced by''': Callum O'Neill, Creator/DonaldReignoux (French dub)
476
477Gangly, guileless and often lost in his own head, Wee Dingwall is the awkward son of Lord Dingwall. Though Wee Dingwall displays an eagerness that outweighs his inherited small size, his father will proudly employ his only son as an attack dog when the moment is right.
478----
479* AccidentalAimingSkills: Thanks to Fergus startling him at just the right time, he is the only suitor whose arrow hits a bulls-eye.
480* ActuallyThatsMyAssistant: When his father's introducing him to the court, he happens to be standing behind a clansman who looks... ''considerably less underwhelming''.
481* AnimalMotif: He's akin to a dog following his master's command. He's usually lost in his own head until his father gave him the command to attack. He sounds like a snarling dog during the brawl and he's also a ferocious fighter who attacks through biting.
482* TheBerserker: "Wee Dingwall? ''Attack!''" He's seen at one point gnawing his shield, which was a trait attributed to berserker warriors.
483* BewareTheSillyOnes: He's usually a clumsy doofus, but when a fight breaks out, he's ''vicious''.
484* CallingTheOldManOut: He briefly does this in agreement with Merida and Young Macintosh about letting them choose their own fates and break tradition, criticizing his father for not taking his own thoughts about Merida into account.
485* CasanovaWannabe: Judging by his [[IKissYourHand farewell]] to [[spoiler:Merida at the end]], he tries and fails to be charming.
486* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He almost always has his head in the clouds, and rarely focuses on what's physically in front of him.
487* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Wee Dingwall appears dim at best, but when the fights break out he's a fierce and almost psychotic fighter.
488* DumbassHasAPoint: For most of the movie he's undeniably the ditz, but near the end, his one line of dialogue is [[spoiler:[[CallingTheOldManOut points out to his dad]] that whole suitor thing was more his idea, and he just went along with it to please him.]]
489* DumbBlond: The suitor with bleach blond hair is the one that's not all there.
490* TheFool: He is unquestionably the least competent of the suitors, but through sheer dumb luck he is the ''only'' one to hit a bulls-eye.
491* GoofyBuckteeth: Has some big teeth sticking out the front of his mouth, which add on to his goofy appearance.
492* IKissYourHand: [[spoiler:Merida]] is not impressed with his hand kissing.
493* ManBitesMan: Goes from doofus to attack dog on his father's word.
494[[/folder]]
495
496!!Others
497
498[[folder:Angus]]
499[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/angus_brave.png]]
500
501Black as night with ivory muzzle and fetlocks, Angus is Merida's powerful Shire and her most trusted confidant. Angus is Merida's escape from castle life into the deep forest and the Highlands beyond. Merida target shoots from her perch on his broad back and is able to coax him into one adventure after another. Angus can be balky, stubborn and faint-hearted at times, but is ultimately a devoted and faithful friend to Merida.
502----
503* CoolHorse: He's a Shire.
504* EmpathyPet: He is Merida's best friend and "her most trusted [[TheConfidant confidant]]".
505* {{Expy}}: Built like [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Phillippe]] with [[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} Khan]]'s markings. Has personality traits of both, but mostly Phillippe.
506* GentleGiant: He's a massive Shire stallion, but certainly sweet-natured.
507* GlamourFailure: The supernatural quality of the circle of stones is obvious to Angus. He dares not enter, circling around to rejoin Merida when she leaves it.
508* HorsingAround: He has a lot in common with the wild Merida.
509* LoyalAnimalCompanion: He will follow Merida anywhere unless it comes to anything supernatural.
510* NonHumanSidekick: Merida's horse.
511[[/folder]]
512
513[[folder:Maudie]]
514[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BraveMaudie_7855.png]]
515->'''Voiced by''': Sally Kinghorn and Eilidh Fraser
516
517A maid in the castle, she winds up frequently being the victim of the triplets' antics.
518----
519* BadlyBatteredBabysitter: She's the victim of the CarryingACake trope, and suffers a FunbagAirbag with a bear cub.
520* ButtMonkey: She is the butt of pastry jokes and the triplet's pranking.
521* CarryingACake: More like a plate of pastries, which are perpetually being stolen by the triplets.
522* DirtyCoward: Ensuring the audience doesn't feel ''too much'' pity for her (which she would otherwise get with all the film puts her through): some of her JerkassBall actions border on this.
523* HugeGuyTinyGirl: The Tiny Girl to [[spoiler:the Dingwall Hunk's Huge Guy.]]
524* JerkassBall: Just to make sure the audience don't feel too much sympathy for this ButtMonkey when [[spoiler:the transformed triplets]] hound her for the key; when she sees three (baby) bears in the castle and they go after her, she not only fails in her hysteria to sound any alarm or consider Merida's safety (the bears in question were outside the locked door holding Merida), but she completely ignores and runs by two fellow maids without trying to warn them of the perceived threat, and locks herself in a room to try and escape them.
525* JustFollowingOrders: She's just doing what her king told her to when she refuses to let Merida [[spoiler:out of the room she's been locked inside allegedly for her own safety]]. Her holding the JerkassBall, not so much.
526* NeverBareheaded: Always wears a headdress.
527* OppositesAttract: Who would have thought that [[spoiler:Maudie the maid]] and [[spoiler:the {{Hunk}} of Clan Dingwall]] would become an item?
528* OverlyLongScream: Her dialogue could be reduced to several long screams split between scenes.
529* ScreamingWoman: She only gets a couple of speaking lines... but screams aplenty.
530* SexualKarma: [[spoiler:After being the ButtMonkey for the whole movie, she's certainly earned the right to hook up with the Dingwall Hunk at the end.]] It also counts as ThrowTheDogABone.
531* VictoriasSecretCompartment: She stashes the key to where [[spoiler:Merida is being held]] in her bosom. This does not stop the triplets.
532[[/folder]]
533
534[[folder:Mor'du]]
535[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bear_dead_eye.jpg]]
536
537Mor'du is the antagonist of ''Brave'', hence the original title of ''The Bear and the Bow''. A feral and dangerous presence, this black bear fought King Fergus when Merida was a wee lass, and he chomped his leg off and won, something that Fergus has vowed to seek revenge for ever since. He stands 15 feet tall, his face is scarred with one dead, red eye, his black fur is coarse and disheveled, and he is covered in arrows and bruises, trophies of those humans who attempted to kill him. He puts Merida in danger more than once during the course of the movie.
538----
539* AndIMustScream: PlayedWith. It's implied [[spoiler:the Prince's soul]] inside the bear suffers this to some degree, [[spoiler:driven by perpetual TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody to savagely attack anyone he comes across]]. Adding to this trope is that Mor'du is ReallySevenHundredYearsOld, likely due to [[spoiler:the same spell which turned him into a bear]], and his body is riddled with old weapons still sticking in him that haven't done anything to kill him. [[spoiler:When Mor'du is finally killed, his spirit is visibly thankful]].
540* AnimalisticAbomination: A giant bear with black fur, glowing eyes and weapons lodged into its back would definitely send even the bravest warriors running for the hills.
541* AnimalNemesis: For Fergus, and Merida later on. As noted under BearsAreBadNews he has a history with Fergus that involves loss of limbs.
542* AnnoyingArrows: Arrows might as well be spitwads for the harm they do him. He doesn't notice when Merida sticks one in his collar bone.
543* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: He bought a spell that would give him the strength of ten men...and a mahogany cheeseboard.
544* BattleTrophy: Mor'du has several weapons stuck in his back from all those who tried and failed to kill him.
545* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The prince wished for "the strength of ten men" which [[spoiler: turned him into a bear and caused him to ''kill everyone that got in his way'', and his brothers were among the victims.]]
546* BearsAreBadNews: Described by Pixar as "Literature/MobyDick on land."
547* BilingualBonus:
548** "Mor'du" is a combination of the words "Mór" and "dubh" (pronounced the same way), the Scots-Gaelic words for "large" and "black". Makes sense when you realize that that bear literally meant "brown" in Old English.
549** "Mordu" may possibly be derived from the Latin "mordere" (to bite), and also means "bitten" in French, which makes sense when you consider that King Fergus's left leg was bitten off.
550* BreakTheHaughty: What his [[spoiler:KarmicTransformation did to him; a proud prince became a monster that could only beg for release.]]
551* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:He's the Cain to his three younger brothers. As a human, he started a war against his brothers out of an embellished sense of entitlement, because their late father divided the realm among the brothers equally instead of giving it all to his eldest. When he transformed into a bear, his own brothers were the first of many fatalities.]]
552* CombatPragmatist: [[spoiler:As a human, he lured his brothers with a false promise of peace, then killed them in his newly gained bear form.]]
553* DeathEqualsRedemption: [[spoiler:Dying is what allows him to cross over and find peace.]]
554* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler:It's suggested that what little of his humanity retains some control over his bear form is actually trying to kill himself by attacking any warrior he comes across, or by attacking their children so [[MamaBear their]] [[PapaWolf parents]] will rush to their defense. When Mor'du is finally killed, his spirit looks relieved and nods in gratitiude before disappearing]].
555* TheDreaded: He's become the local boogeyman. Everyone is afraid of bears because of him by proxy.
556* EvilIsBigger: "It stands 12 feet tall!"
557* EvilCounterpart:
558** To Merida. [[spoiler:Both clash with members of their respective families because of pride, and their rebellion threatens to divide the realm and ultimately destroy it. They even both actively seek to change their fate as part of their rebellion by bartering a spell from the Witch. But while Merida wants to be free and genuinely cares for her family, and she actively attempts to mend the bond torn by pride; Mor'du wanted power, and he pulled a RedemptionRejection where he chose power over family before committing fratricide]].
559** And to Elinor. Both are [[spoiler:humans turned into bears by the same spell, but Elinor was transformed by her daughter in a GoneHorriblyWrong move whereas Mor'du transformed himself for power]]. Elinor loves her family and fights tooth and nail to defend her daughter, whereas Mor'du murdered his kin during his RedemptionRejection. [[spoiler:Mor'du, reduced to a savage monster after his transformation became permanent, also serves as a JacobMarleyWarning of what Elinor would likely become if she wasn't changed back in time due to TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody]].
560* EvilPrince: He was [[spoiler:the eldest of the four princes in the story told by Elinor early in the film and caused the chain of events that caused the kingdom to fall into war and eventually collapse.]]
561* FaceHeelTurn: In ''The Legend of Mor'du'', [[spoiler:he began this when he started a war against his brothers for their father's kingdom due to his pride and greed. Finally, he pulled a RedemptionRejection when he transformed into a bear]].
562* FatalFlaw: [[spoiler:Pride. Mor'du was driven by his jealousy and a sense of insult at having to share his throne with his brothers. He waged war with brothers and drank a potion so he could have the strength to win the war. Rather than share the potion, he drank it all and turned into a monstrous bear. He then killed his brothers, killed his own army [[CavalryBetrayal when they attacked him in fear]] and then retreated into the ruins of his old castle. After enough time had passed, Mor'du came to regret his actions and hate himself for what he did.]]
563* FisherKing: He lives alone in [[spoiler:a decayed, weather-worn ruin of an old castle which is devoid of living things and littered with the bones of the dead, a visual metaphor for how actions such as his bring collapse and ruin to a nation and how he's ended up alone with many wanton deaths caused]].
564* ForcedTransformation: [[spoiler:Like Queen Elinor and her sons, the Prince turned into a bear long ago.]]
565* GlowingEyesOfDoom: His eyes have a milky white glint (except at night, where [[RedEyesTakeWarning the glint turns red]]).
566* GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler:He wanted the strength of ten men. The Witch gave him this ''by turning him into a bear''.]]
567* HeroKiller: "His hide littered with the weapons of fallen warriors!"
568* ICannotSelfTerminate: It is implied that he's a [[spoiler:DeathSeeker and sought out warriors that could kill him.]]
569* ICanRuleAlone: [[spoiler: Mor'du was meant to be his father's successor, but the king named all 4 brothers as his successors. The king believed that the kingdom would prosper best through unity, but, Mor'du refused to share his vision and opted to wage war so he can become king.]]
570* IHatePastMe: Implied. Noticed the split sculpture representing [[spoiler:him and his brothers in the ruins of his castle]]? [[spoiler:His three brothers' likenesses are still relatively intact, while his likeness is worn by numerous slash marks.]]
571* JacobMarleyWarning:
572** Once his {{Backstory}} is revealed, it's heavily implied that Bear [[spoiler:Elinor]] will become like Mor'du if she isn't changed back to human before the CelestialDeadline: a feral monster of a bear driven against her will by savage bloodlust until death.
573** [[spoiler:The story of the Prince and his brothers is also {{invoked}} as a fairy-tale exemplifying what can happen to a kingdom if a royal (such as Merida at the start of the film) rebels out of pride and alliances fall apart]].
574* KarmicTransformation: [[spoiler:After starting a bloody war against his own kin to satisfy his own ego, the spell he intended to grant him the strength of ten men does just that, by transforming him into a ferocious black bear driven solely by animalistic bloodlust with his humanity subsumed. His RedemptionRejection causes the transformation to become permanent. It's implied that the prince's soul has grown repentant during his years trapped in his bear form and feral mind]].
575* KilledOffForReal: He is [[spoiler:crushed under a stone pillar at the end of the film. We see his spirit leave his bear body and disappear]].
576* LargeAndInCharge: He tried to invoke this trope [[spoiler:back when he was a prince. Compared to his brothers, he was simply enormous. The trope certainly applied to him as leader of his armies.]]
577* MadeOfIron: Arrows just distract him [[spoiler:and it takes being crushed by a huge rock to put him down for good.]]
578* MeaningfulName: The fact the words for "large and black" in Gaelic sound and look so [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast similar to the word for "death" in Latin]] and the Romance languages is...quite the significant coincidence.
579* {{Metamorphosis}}: [[spoiler:Because he killed his brothers instead of mending the bond torn by pride and his transformation's CelestialDeadline passed, his body's transformation became permanent, and only death frees his spirit]].
580* TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: [[spoiler:It's heavily implied he's in a ''[[AndIMustScream perpetual state of this]]'' ever since his transformation into a bear became permanent]].
581* ObviouslyEvil: When we see him next to [[spoiler:his three brothers in Elinor's story, it's fairly obvious he's going to be trouble.]]
582* PlotIrrelevantVillain: The plot of the film concerns Merida reconciling with her mother and undoing the curse she accidentally brought about. Mor'du is only [[PlotParallel tangentially related to any of this]] -- he's just a bigass [[spoiler:warlord turned]] bear who wants to eat everyone because he's a bear.
583* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[spoiler:He's the Prince of a kingdom that collapsed so long ago that the four current kingdoms know of it only in legend.]]
584* RedemptionRejection: In ''The Legend of Mor'du'', the Witch notes he could've [[spoiler:mended the bond with his brothers at the feigned truce meeting, but out of his desire for power, he accepted his new form instead and committed fratricide]].
585* RedEyesTakeWarning: His GlowingEyesOfDoom glint red at night.
586* ScarsAreForever: A lot, from living as a MadeOfIron giant bear who's hated and feared by all humans and attacks them on sight. His face and back bare several scars, he has a broken tooth, and the angle of his jaw indicates it's been broken in the past.
587--->"His face scarred with [[EyeScream one dead eye]]!"
588* SquashedFlat: [[spoiler:This is what happens to him in the climax; Elinor dropped a stone pillar on him.]]
589* StealthHiBye: He does this in the beginning of the film, as well as near the end. Considering his size, it's pretty shocking how he somehow managed to walk right up to young Merida in broad daylight in a fairly open field.
590* SuicideByCop: Since [[spoiler:the Prince's spirit turns into a Wisp, and the Wisps lead Merida around the forest, it is implied that the Wisps were his spirit and that he was trying to be killed so he could be put out of his misery]].
591* SuperPersistentPredator: While Merida does get away from him a few times, he just happens to conveniently find her near the end. In the last battle he seems way too focused on her anytime he wasn't being beaten or pelted in the face by someone else.
592* SuperStrength: [[spoiler:Capable of breaking a menhir,]] Mor'du is even stronger than normal bears, rendering "the strength of ten men" an understatement.
593* TimeAbyss: How old he is isn't revealed, but it IS revealed he was [[spoiler:the prince of a kingdom so old that its name isn't even remembered and is believed to only be a legend.]]
594* TragicVillain: Though he became the way he now is through no-one's fault but his own, [[spoiler:the Prince]] isn't exactly unsympathetic. [[spoiler:It's implied that as Mor'du, he has no control over himself and his bear form's feral mind whatsoever, being driven to butcher and slaughter against his human will with death being his only hope of release, and the ending suggests that the Prince's spirit trapped inside the bear has grown to regret his past follies that have led him to his current fate.]]
595* VileVillainSaccharineShow: Other than him there are no villains in this story; the conflict is a parent-child one.
596* WalkingSpoiler: Anything beyond 'monster bear' is a spoiler.
597* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler:It's revealed halfway through the film that he was once human before the Witch's spell turned him into the bloodthirsty Demon Bear, and his transformation became permanent]].
598* WouldHitAGirl: Mor'du has no problem attacking either Elinor and/or Merida.
599* WouldHurtAChild: He makes his first appearance by nearly attacking a six-year-old Merida.
600[[/folder]]
601
602[[folder:The Witch]]
603[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BraveWitch_2371.jpg]]
604->'''Voiced by''': Creator/JulieWalters
605
606A Witch (also referred to as a Wise Woman, and while you're here she ''personally'' prefers the title "Woodcarver") whom Merida seeks out when she wishes to change her fate. She seems a little batty -- alright, way more than a little -- but there's no denying she's got magical chops. Though she considers carving wood to be her true calling, she'll still whip up a spell for a customer... at the right price.
607----
608* AesopEnforcer: She is this to both Merida and Mor'du. [[spoiler:The transformation is flipped with Merida, transforming her family members instead of her, while Mor'du was played straight. Considering how Mor'du's story wound up [[AesopCollateralDamage (murdering his family, most of his kingdom, and allegedly dozens of others)]], she either thought that granting Merida's request would release Mor'du and end well for her or just didn't care.]]
609* AnimalMotifs: She seems to be very fond of bears, carving them in wood all the time [[spoiler:or turning people into bears.]]
610* CoolOldLady: She's old and batty, yet very nice.
611* CrazyPrepared: "If you're that red-haired lass, vial three."
612* CripplingOverSpecialization:
613** She can do a lot with wood carvings but only bears.
614** When it comes to magic if you want [[spoiler:to transform yourself or somebody into a bear]], she's your huckleberry. If you want to do literally anything else with magic, well...
615* {{Druid}}: An old [[AnimalMotifs bear-themed]] magic user in Celtic Scotland.
616* EccentricArtist: Bear statues, bear toys, bear paintings. She's... Not all there.
617* EccentricMentor: The word "eccentric" was the first thing revealed about her character, and she jumpstarts Merida's character development in a round-about way.
618* TheFairFolk: Her indifferent yet ultimately non-malicious literal-mindedness implies this of her true heritage, not to mention [[spoiler: her age -- she's been around for ''centuries!'']]
619* ForInconveniencePressOne: The witch's cauldron message.
620-->''Welcome to the Crafty Carver, home of bear-themed carvings and novelties! I am completely out of stock at this time. But, if you'd like to inquire about portraits or wedding cake toppers, pour vial 1 into the cauldron. If you'd like the menu in Gaelic, [[{{Pun}} vial 2]]. [[TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat If you're that red-haired lass, vial 3]]. To speak with a live homonculus--''
621* TheGenieKnowsJackNicholson: She is a magic user (a witch rather than a genie, but she does play the role of a LiteralGenie.) She doesn't make any specific pop culture references, but the pre-recorded message in her cauldron intentionally invokes an automated attendant in a modern-day phone call, with Merida having to pour a numbered vial of potion into the cauldron in place of pushing a phone button. Merida is understandably confused, since this is a reference to something way ahead of the movie's setting. Amusingly, one of the few non-bear carvings in her workshop is a [[CompanyCrossReferences Pizza Planet Truck]]. A modified 1978 truck meant for delivering pizzas certainly won’t exist until many centuries later.
622* GreaterScopeVillain: An unintentional, absent-minded example. [[spoiler: Her magic makes her the most powerful person in this story and she has the potential to be dangerous but she's not involved with the movie's core conflict.]]
623* {{Greed}}: She outright refuses to do Merida any spell because she doesn't want to cause any trouble, but does it anyway when offered a valuable pendant by Merida. If you look closely the design on it features three bears intertwined with each other. Given the Witch's fixation on bears, is it any wonder she wasn't going to pass up that little treasure?
624* HermitGuru: Lives in a cottage in the woods, quite far from civilization.
625* ImplausibleDeniability: Her claims that she's a woodcarver, not a witch... as she leaves the broom she's sweeping with to sweep the floor by itself.
626* LargeHam: The Witch insists on using NightmareFace and an ominous deep voice for her message cauldron.
627* LiteralGenie: This is why Elinor gets turned [[spoiler:into a bear. Merida wanted her mother to get off her back, but what she ''said'' was "[[{{Animorphism}} change my mother]]". It approaches JerkassGenie territory with the fallen prince -- he asks for the strength of ten men, and gets turned into [[{{Animorphism}} Mor'du]].]]
628* LiteralMinded: "I want to change my mother." Yes indeed, she can do that.
629* MasterOfTheLevitatingBlades: She has a dozen of them and they can levitate to threaten people.
630* MiniatureSeniorCitizen: She's only a head taller than the just-out-of-infancy toddlers.
631* NoNameGiven: "Witch" is all.
632* NonMaliciousMonster:
633** Ultimately, she's not intentionally malevolent at all, just LiteralMinded, indifferent, and a bit forgetful. Heck, she doesn't even want to [[spoiler:do witchcraft for Merida because of "too many unsatisfied customers" and only caves in when she's offered a very valuable trinket.]]
634** Also, as revealed in "The Legend of Mordu", [[spoiler: she saw "a wounded soul behind his bluster, so she agreed to his wish for the strength of ten men, but with a choice. Either he used it to fulfill his desire, or amend his bond with the brothers. [[ForegoneConclusion He chose the former]].]]
635* OneTrackMindedArtist: Both her carvings and her spells seem to always involve bears.
636* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Hard to believe, but it's implied in the film and confirmed in supplementary material that [[spoiler: she's the one who sold Mor'du the spell that turned him into a bear, and that happened so long ago the kingdom he ruled is only known in legend. She was already an old woman -- or in the shape of an old woman -- then.]]
637* SingleSubstanceManipulation: The only other magic she seems adept at besides bear transformations seems to be making wood move however she wants, making bladed but wood-handled tools brandish at Merida with a wave of her hands. Certainly would help with her woodcarving.
638* SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer: She's made it onto [[http://pixartimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Brave-Japanese-Poster-2.jpg this poster]], but that's it. It doesn't help that she only appears for two short sequences. Disney later edited a parody TV spot that features her prominently.
639* SolitarySorceress: Lives by herself (apart from her [[CleverCrows sapient crow familiar]]) in a cottage in the woods.
640* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Fitting as she's a witch.
641* TheTransmogrifier: The only thing her magic seems to do is transforming humans into [[spoiler:bears]].
642* WickedWitch: An {{averted|trope}} example. She's not evil and sees herself as an entrepreneur. As such, she rarely offers her services as a witch and instead makes a living selling wooden figurines of bears.
643[[/folder]]
644
645[[folder:The Crow]]
646[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brave_the_crow.jpg]]
647->'''Voiced by''': Creator/StevePurcell
648
649The talking crow who hangs around in the Witch's cottage.
650----
651* AmbiguouslyGay: His assessment of the ancient prince? "Easy on the eyes. Tight pants."
652* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: Naturally, as a witch's familiar, he's smarter than the average crow.
653* AnachronismStew: Like the Witch, he has a futuristic viewpoint of things. To say nothing of his American accent.
654* ButtMonkey: The Witch tosses and knocks him around with impunity.
655* CreepyCrows: He's fairly eerie when he's not talking.
656* DeadpanSnarker: Occasionally, especially when heckling the Witch's story in her short film.
657* {{Familiar}}: The uplifted animal companion and assistant to a magic user? Check.
658* NoNameGiven: He's just "the Crow".
659* PollyWantsAMicrophone: A crow rather than a parrot, but his personality fits given his heckling.
660* TalkingAnimal: The only animal in the film that communicates verbally, presumably through magical means.
661* UnexplainedAccent: The only character in the film not to sound Scottish. He speaks in an American accent of all things.
662[[/folder]]

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