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Other Mother
OtherMother
Naming
Others "Other Mother"
"Beldam"
Personal information
Species Unknown [1]
Gender Unknown[2]
Place of origin Unknown[3]
Age About 150 years
Current status Alive (presumed)
Biology
Body type Humanoid (1st and 2nd forms)
Arachno-centaurian (3rd form)
Sentience Sentient
Sapience Sapient
Behind the scenes
Universe Coraline
Created by Neil Gaiman
Designed by Dave McKean
Performed by Teri Hatcher (voice)
She looked a little like Coraline's mother. Only... only she was white as paper. Only she was taller and thinner. Only her fingers were too long and they never stopped moving, and her dark red fingernails were curved and sharp.
— Narrator, Coraline

The "other mother" is the main antagonist of the Coraline novel, as well as its film adaptation.

Overview[]

She generally introduces herself to her victims as their other mother to lure them into fake satisfaction, and always seems more fun than their real ones. After Coraline had told her real mother it was the perfect time to go gardening in the rain (which she only said to have something to say), the other mother made her first mistake by suggesting to play in the rain. Coraline noticed her tapping her fingers on the table, which she had found rather awfully suspicious. However, she overlooked it when the other mother showed her to her room, a better version of her room, and also curing the Poison Oak Rash.

When Coraline visited the neighbors, the beldam made more entertaining versions of them, hinting that the creature had paid attention to Coraline's liking. After Coraline's third visit to the other world, the Other Mother finally said that Coraline could stay in there forever if she sew buttons on her eyes. When the "other father" tried to say to Coraline that it wouldn't hurt, the mother was seen kicking him under the table with a face of displeasure. When Coraline refused and lied about being tired, the mother showed patience and told Coraline, "soon, you'll see our way," which was the beginning of her changing.

After talking to the other father, whom seemed to become rather different and gloomy, Coraline saw the mother in the living room, expecting her. The beldam tried to force Coraline to accept her love in which Coraline refused again, and finally, the other mother's appearance began to change and became more of her real one.

Appearance[]

Beldam

The beldam's final appearance in the film.

The beldam's appearance had never really been very specific. In the book and film, it is said and shown that she looked like Coraline's mother, which presumably is what she does to lure children. She must have taken the form of the children's mothers in order to gain their trust, fooling them into believing her lies.

When first met by Coraline, she had the same appearance of Coraline's mother, Mel Jones. Except her physical attributes were better than the original, such as, being prettier and healthier, and she had black buttons for eyes. She had more accented curves, mainly due to the lively clothing she wears unlike the real Mel Jones, whom appeared to be rather dull.

After Coraline refused her love and said that she was not her mother, the other mother, who was sitting in the art room, stood up, and up and up, and seemed taller than Coraline had remembered and also much more like her real form. The other mother stood up until she was a longer and terrifying version of herself, with her rib cage showing. Her hair had also become quite unnerving, and the back had turned pointed. Furthermore, her fingers became much longer and her nails had become sharper and pointier.

By the time Coraline had found all the ghost children's eyes, the beldam was finally in her real form. The appearance was much like her second form, but only scarier and unbecoming. Her paper white face was marred with cracks and her cheekbones were sharper. Her body was also unnerving, possessing excessively thin waist and bone-like chest. Her hands had also become made of needles, which was the hand that was first seen in the movie; and she stood taller and hunched back with a feature that resembled that of a spider.

Footnotes[]

  1. She is referred to as a beldam by the ghost children, the term being an archaic word meaning "hag" or "witch", but it's unknown if she's a sorcerer or some sort of monster.
  2. Presumed to be and referred as female but might as well be genderless.
  3. It's hinted, however, that she either found or (much less likely) created the other world she uses to attract the children, not originating from it.
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