| "I am the Obea. That is all I need to know. All I need to be. I am the Obea. |
| — Shibaan thinking to herself in Lone Wolf, page 25 |
It is an Obea's responsibility to take sick or deformed wolf pups (malcadhs) to their death.
Obeas are the she-wolves who are responsible for seeking out malcadhs and taking them to tummfraws. They are all barren and in fact are appointed because of the fact that they can't have pups. Their position is to keep the well-being of the clan, meaning that no defective wolves are born into it. Obeas are rankless, however, and each wolf clan has one.
If the deformed and sick pups that they have abandoned survive, they can come back to the clan and become a gnaw wolf[1].
Description[]
Obeas are barren female wolves that can't have pups, and they don't have maternal instincts[1], any feeling or imagination scoured away through unquestioning obedience[2]. Shibaan and Lael have been described as having dull, lightless eyes, although Airmead, being an Obea, is never said to have that look. That is most likely because she never took any malcadhs to tummfraws.
If a mother fights the Obea from taking her pup, the Obea must kill all of the pups in the litter, including the non-malcadh pups[2]. Obeas must take the malcadh to a place where they believe it has no chance of surviving, but must not kill it, as they are forbidden to take "short-cuts." Once they leave the pup, they escort the female who had given birth to the malcadh and her pups back to her clan[3]. There, the birth mother will be exiled from the clan[1].
Ranking[]
In the packs, Obeas don't have a rank. However, they are looked down upon and gossiped and also feared by pregnant she-wolves and nursing mothers who believe that they can look into their womb and curse a pup. The fathers generally seem to see through the Obeas. Gnaw wolves fear and resent them because they separated them from their mothers and left them to die; they also fear being taken away from the pack again.
History[]
Before the Books[]
An Obea carrying a malcadh to his/her tummfraw
Obeas are an important part of the wolves' laws, as they perform the task of taking and abandoning malcadh pups. However, they aren't mentioned or referenced in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole book The Outcast, which introduces the concept of gnaw wolves in the Ga'Hoole universe. The gnaw wolf Hamish explains that when he was born to his mother, upon seeing his crooked leg, she took him to the highest ridge and abandoned him.
Lone Wolf[]
In Lone Wolf, the Obea of the MacDuncan Clan is a tawny-colored and wily she-wolf named Shibaan. When the she-wolf Morag goes by-lang, Shibaan is able to see through all of her tricks and finds her with three new pups, including one with a splayed paw. She takes the malcadh to an icy river bank. However, the pup is rescued by a grieving she-bear, Thunderheart, and the pup is named Faolan.
Later, Shibaan is seen taking a pup with a half hind paw to its tummfraw. Aftershocks from a previous earthquake kill her, and she imagines herself running to rescue the pup and giving it milk. Duncan MacDuncan sees the two of them climb the star ladder together.
Shadow Wolf[]
After Shibaan passes away, Lael is chosen as the new MacDuncan Obea. Faolan meets her briefly in the camp of the Carreg Gaer, but the exchange is silent and awkward. On his journey back to the Carreg Gaer, Faolan sees her carrying a tawny she-pup to a moose trail.
Watch Wolf[]
The MacHeath Obea was Airmead.
At the Carreg Gaer of the MacHeath clan, Airmead, along with many of the other of the pack wolves, appears when Edme confronts Dunbar on her mutilation. Dunbar orders Airmead to testify to bringing Edme to her tummfraw, but when the Obea is reluctant, Dunbar flings her. Edme springs to her defense, hitting the chieftain with her head in a fit of temper.
Airmead was the MacHeath Obea.
Later in the chapter "The Obea Speaks", Airmead finds Edme and tells her to follow her, so they can dig a snow pit. She tells Edme the truth about her clan, that it has never once produced a malcadh. She then explains to the younger wolf about what happens to wolves who try to leave for the MacNamara clan, how Dunbar MacHeath killed Edme's mother, and her own plans to leave for the MacNamaras.
In the chapter "Escape of the She-Wolves", Katria, a she-wolf from the Carreg Gaer of the MacHeath clan, is leaving for the MacNamaras. She finds Airmead, who says she knew about her leaving. When Katria asks how, Airmead said she was watching her, and that she herself was leaving for the MacNamaras. She says she was afraid to go by herself and tells Katria to cover her tracks, as she has done.
While traveling, Katria and Airmead meet Brangwen and Morag. Airmead joins the MacNamaras and is presumed to put her life as an Obea behind her.
Star Wolf[]
While defending Abban after his fall into the Frozen Sea, Caila turns on Airmead because of her previous status as an Obea. Later, Mhairie and Dearlea ask Faolan why their adopted mother would do this, and wonder if Abban was becoming a malcadh due to his oddness and Airmead would carry him off. Faolan defends the white wolf and states that she is no longer an Obea.
Notable Obeas[]
- Shibaan - MacDuncan Clan
- Lael - MacDuncan Clan
- Airmead (formerly)- MacHeath Clan