Beldam

Beldam
Artwork from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)
First appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
Latest appearance	Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024)

“Mmmmmmwee hee hee hee! I have no quarrel with you...but I simply can't allow you to hunt for the Crystal Stars.”

—Beldam, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Beldam is a major antagonist of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and its Nintendo Switch remake. She is the leader of the Three Shadows, which consists of herself and her sisters, Marilyn and Vivian (who is later replaced with Doopliss). She is more than 1,000 years old and is the oldest of the three sisters. She and the Three Shadows work with the X-Nauts to find the Crystal Stars and open The Thousand-Year Door. Beldam and her sisters are reoccurring enemies that appear many times throughout Mario's adventure in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, making numerous attempts to halt his progress. She and her Shadows always appear during even-numbered chapters and are fought a total of two times. In the end, Beldam is revealed to have been the one who arranged for the events of the story, using even the X-Nauts as pawns in her scheme.

Beldam's name comes from the word "beldame", which is used to describe a sorceress or a hideous woman. It also comes from the word "bedlam" (with the "l" and "d" letters switched), meaning chaos or disorder.

History

Background

“Let's go, my lovelies! Marilyn! Vivian! Come! We've got a job to do!”

—Beldam, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Beldam disguised as a merchant while selling the treasure chest to Princess Peach.

A thousand years prior to the events in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Beldam, Marilyn, and Vivian were servants of the Shadow Queen. After she was defeated and sealed by the four heroes, Beldam and her sisters created a plan to revive her so they could serve her once more. They soon begin to spread rumors of an ancient treasure that had been sealed behind the Thousand-Year Door and could only be opened with the seven Crystal Stars, hoping to lure the unsuspecting into gathering them and breaking the seal, reawakening the Shadow Queen.

Beldam and her sisters found out about an organization known as the X-Nauts and became acquainted with their leader, Grodus. They enlisted in his services, and Beldam later informed Grodus of the Magical Map that is contained inside of a Treasure Chest. However, the four heroes had placed a charm on the chest so that it could only be opened by someone who is pure of heart. Considering this, Beldam and Grodus decide to have someone else open it for them.

Therefore, Beldam decided to search for a pure maiden, and found Princess Peach. Beldam failed to capture Princess Peach immediately after she opened the chest due to being in public view of Rogueport's residents and an encounter with "a strange old man" (most likely Toadsworth). As a result, Princess Peach mailed the map to Mario, inviting him to go on a treasure hunt with her. However, by the time Mario arrived at Rogueport, Princess Peach has been kidnapped by the X-Nauts. Grodus interrogates Princess Peach for a small portion of time, asking about the whereabouts of the map. She refuses to tell him, but accidentally does so after one of the X-Naut soldiers tells him that a "dude in a red shirt and blue overalls" has defeated Hooktail and obtained the Diamond Star.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Beldam, Marilyn, and Vivian in the Boggly Woods.

When Mario first encounters the Three Shadows in the Boggly Woods, they do not recognize him at first as their sketch is missing. Beldam eventually finds the sketch and recognizes Mario as soon as he comes back. Later, the Three Shadows engage Mario and company in battle and are defeated. As a result, the Shadows retreat and return to the X-Naut Fortress, leaving Flurrie's necklace behind.

Beldam blaming Vivian for losing the Superbombomb, leaving her to search for it.

Later on, Beldam informs Grodus of the Superbombomb, which will defeat Mario. Grodus reluctantly sends Beldam and her crew on another mission due to his frustration. This time, they are sent to Twilight Town, but Beldam somehow misplaces the Superbombomb. Then, Beldam decides to leave Vivian outside to search for the Superbombomb. After Beldam and Marilyn are finished with their nap, they find out that Vivian is no longer there, and recruit Doopliss to take her place.

Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss stealing the fake Garnet Star from Poshley Sanctum.

Beldam is seen again during the events of Chapter 6, where she attempts to obtain the Garnet Star before Mario. During Mario and company's ride on the Excess Express, Beldam makes it her sole mission to stop them from reaching Poshley Heights at all costs.

Beldam has Doopliss board the train disguised as the famous actor, Zip Toad, so that nobody will suspect anything. By the time Mario, the group, and Pennington arrive at Poshley Sanctum, they uncover Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss stealing the Garnet Star. As soon as they leave, Pennington reveals to Mario and company that "Garnet Star" they stole is a red herring, and tells them that the real one is hidden within the sanctum somewhere.

Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss prepare to face Mario and his partners once more.

During the events of Chapter 7 and 8, Grodus and the Three Shadows devise a plan to successfully open the Thousand-Year Door. He leaves Lord Crump in charge of guarding the base, as well as the Crystal Star that they find in Rogueport prior to the beginning of the game. Beldam has Doopliss disguise himself as the professor to trick Mario and company into opening the door. "Professor Frankly" informs the heroes that Grodus found a way to open the door without the Crystal Stars, and ends up entering the Palace of Shadow with Princess Peach. Beldam and the Three Shadows wait for Mario and company in the "outside" area of the Palace of Shadow, and reveal to them that "Professor Frankly" is actually Doopliss, and engage Mario in combat once again.

Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss witnessing Mario and his partners' battle against the Shadow Queen.

Later on, after Mario and company defeat Bowser and Kammy Koopa, Grodus takes Princess Peach and manages to escape to the Shadow Queen's resting place. Declaring himself the new ruler of the world, Grodus unleashes her, which blanketed the world in eternal darkness by her presence. He then presents Princess Peach to the Shadow Queen as a vessel for her spirit. After she possesses Princess Peach, Grodus commands her to destroy Mario and company, but fails in his attempt. After the second strike to Grodus' head, Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss appear. She then explains to the Shadow Queen that she orchestrated all the events that occurred throughout the game. The Shadow Queen congratulates Beldam and the Three Shadows for their hard work and offers Mario and company a chance to join her. They refuse, and engage the Shadow Queen in combat, eventually defeating her with lots of support from the team. Princess Peach morphs back into her normal state and Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss retreat.

At the end of the game, it's revealed that Beldam renounces her villainous ways now that the Shadow Queen has been defeated. She apologizes to Vivian, promising to never mistreat her again. Vivian accepts Beldam's apology, and now lives peacefully with Beldam and Marilyn in Twilight Town.

Goombella's field tattles on Beldam are viewable when Mario first comes across the Three Shadows in Boggly Woods and again after Mario defeats the Three Shadows and Doopliss in Palace of Shadow.

Super Paper Mario

While Beldam does not physically or visually make an appearance in Super Paper Mario, she and Marilyn are still mentioned in Vivian's Catch Card description.

Super Mario-kun

Beldam and Marilyn's appearances in the Super Mario-kun

Beldam appears during Super Mario-kun's Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door arc, though she plays a smaller role than in the game. She and Marilyn are first seen in volume 34 attempting to steal the Garnet Star in Poshley Sanctum.

General information

Personality

Beldam scolds Vivian.

Goombella states in her Tattle information that Beldam has a "very unpleasant disposition", treating all group members except for Marilyn as scurrilously as possible. She tends to blame her own mistakes on Vivian, such as convincing Vivian into believing they were her doing. Beldam constantly berates and insults her, referring to her as "ugly" and "useless" and forcefully "punishing" her teammates. Presumably because of this disrespect, she also seems to withhold disclosing to Vivian about her true plans about using Grodus. Her disrespect also is not limited to Vivian; after Vivian leaves the group and is replaced by Doopliss, she refers to him as "freak-in-a-sheet" or "freak-sheet", as well as telling him to "shut up" in Chapter 8.

As leader of the Three Shadows, Beldam is the "brains" of the group and she is the one who usually comes up with their plans. Despite Beldam's constant forgetfulness and displays of incompetence, she has successfully tricked Grodus into releasing the Shadow Queen and getting his body destroyed in the process.

Powers and abilities

Beldam utilizing her ice abilities on Mario.

Beldam utilizing her ice abilities on Mario.

Although Beldam is physically weaker than the other members of her team, she makes up for it by using powerful magic abilities. Beldam possesses cryokinetic abilities, which she uses to freeze Mario and his partners, causing them to be immobilized for at least two turns. Beldam has various other abilities as well, such as increasing the size and attack power of her teammates, as well as giving them more attack turns. Beldam also has the ability to do the exact opposite to Mario and his teammates. Her other magical abilities are slowing Mario and his partners down, giving her teammates "fast" status, and the ability to poison her opponents. As with her sisters, Beldam also has the ability to use the Veil technique, where she can sink through the shadows and eavesdrop on other peoples' conversations (as she demonstrates in Chapter 6, where she hears from Mario and his partners that the next Crystal Star was at Poshley Heights). However, she has never been seen utilizing that ability in combat and only uses it during the various cutscenes that take place throughout the game.

Profiles and statistics

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Beldam (1)
	Max HP	9	Attack	1	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Boggly Woods	Role	Boss	Level	26
	Sleep?	70%	Dizzy?	70%	Confuse?	70%
	Tiny?	80%	Stop?	80%	Soft?	95%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	50%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	0%	Moves	Ice Punch (1), Blizzard (2 to Mario and Partner, Piercing.), Grow (An ally gets "Huge" status.), Shrink (Mario or Partner gets "Tiny" status.)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	Necklace
Tattle Log #: 121	Log	The eldest sister and leader of the Shadow Sirens, she uses magic to attack. Her personality stinks.
	Tattle	That's Beldam. She's the oldest sister, the leader of the Shadow Sirens. Max HP is 9, Attack is 1, and Defense is 0. But her blizzard attack has an Attack of 2. She can make her partners big and make us tiny, and attacks with weird magic. The worst thing about her is that sinister snicker. She sounds so totally evil! I mean, she's just the sort of person you want to avoid like the plague, y'know?

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Beldam (2)
	Max HP	30	Attack	5	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow	Role	Boss	Level	57
	Sleep?	40%	Dizzy?	40%	Confuse?	40%
	Tiny?	60%	Stop?	50%	Soft?	80%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	30%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	5%	Moves	Ice Punch (5), Blizzard (6 to Mario and Partner, Piercing, can get "Frozen" status.), Grow, Shrink, Slow Time (Mario or Partner gets "Slow" status.), Speedy (An ally gets "Fast" status.), Toxic Magic (Mario or Partner gets "Poison" status.), No Status (Mario or Partner gets "Allergic" status.)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	None
Tattle Log #: 121	Log	Leader of the three Shadow Sirens. She'll throw all sorts of magic at you and has a very unpleasant disposition.
	Tattle	That's Beldam. She's the leader of the Shadow Sirens. Max HP is 30, Attack is 5, and Defense is 0. Her special move is a blizzard blast. If it hits you, you'll totally freeze. She has lots of other tricks up her sleeves, too. I wonder what that plan was that she mentioned? What do you think they're up to?

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Beldam (1)
	Max HP	9	Attack	1	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Boggly Woods	Role	Boss	Level	26
	Sleep?	70%	Dizzy?	70%	Confuse?	70%
	Tiny?	80%	Stop?	80%	Soft?	95%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	50%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	0%	Moves	Ice Punch (1), Blizzard (2 to Mario and Partner, Piercing.), Grow (An ally gets "Huge" status.), Shrink (Mario or Partner gets "Tiny" status.)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	Necklace
Tattle Log #: 126	Log	The eldest sister and leader of the Three Shadows, she uses magic to attack. Her personality stinks.
	Tattle	That's Beldam. She's the oldest sister, the leader of the Three Shadows. Max HP is 9, Attack is 1, and Defense is 0. But her blizzard attack has an Attack of 2. She can make her partners big and make us tiny, and attacks with weird magic. The worst thing about her is that sinister snicker. She sounds so totally evil! I mean, she's just the sort of person you want to avoid like the plague, y'know?

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door enemy
Beldam (2)
	Max HP	30	Attack	5	Defense	0
	Location(s)	Palace of Shadow	Role	Boss	Level	57
	Sleep?	40%	Dizzy?	40%	Confuse?	40%
	Tiny?	60%	Stop?	50%	Soft?	80%
	Burn?	100%	Freeze?	30%	Fright?	0%
	Gale Force?	0%	KO?	5%	Moves	Ice Punch (5), Blizzard (6 to Mario and Partner, Piercing, can get "Frozen" status.), Grow, Shrink, Slow Time (Mario or Partner gets "Slow" status.), Speedy (An ally gets "Fast" status.), Toxic Magic (Mario or Partner gets "Poison" status.), No Status (Mario or Partner gets "Allergic" status.)
	Exp. points	0	Coins	N/A	Items	None
Tattle Log #: 127	Log	Her magic is powerful, and she'll throw all sorts of magic powders at you. After Vivian left the trio, she pressured Doopliss into filling the third spot.
	Tattle	That's Beldam. She's the leader of the Three Shadows, back again. Max HP is 30, Attack is 5, and Defense is 0. Her special move is a blizzard blast. If it hits you, you'll totally freeze. She has lots of other tricks up her sleeves too. I wonder what that plan was that she mentioned? What do you think they're up to?

Field tattles

Boggly Woods

• "This shady woman is certainly selfish and mean! You see how cruel she is to her own sister? What a total meanie! I wonder what went on between them..."

Palace of Shadow

• "That's Beldam of the Three Shadows. Remember? Vivian's sister? I'm totally surprised she followed us all the way out here, though. And what was that plan she was yapping about, huh? This sounds bad..."

Gallery

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  Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

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  Beldam on the Nintendo Magazine for summer 2024, showing a relationship chart featuring many characters from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	マジョリン Majorin	Portmanteau of「魔女」(majo, "witch") and Japanese feminine name ending「~リン」(-rin); also a pun on the feminine given name "Marjorine"
Chinese	魔裘琳 Móqiúlín	Transliteration of the Japanese name
Dutch	Beldam	-
French	Marjolène	A common female name similar to the Japanese version
German	Brunhilda	From the female name "Brunhilde", most commonly known from the Nibelungenlied (English: The Song of the Nibelungs), with feminine suffix -a
Italian	Nerea	Italian female name, but also a pun on nero ("black")
Korean	얼죠린 Eoljyorin	Combination of "얼음" (eoreum, "ice") and her Japanese name
Spanish (NOA)	Brunela	A given name
Spanish (NOE)	Piruja	A typical name for a bruja ("witch")

Trivia

• Beldam shares some similarities with Dimentio from Super Paper Mario; both are magicians initially believed to be a mere minion to the main villain, but secretly plotting behind their master's back. They are both later revealed to be the true mastermind behind their game's main events.
  • However, in Beldam's case, she does not attack Grodus after he is defeated, nor is she fought as the game's final boss (with the Shadow Queen taking these positions instead).