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SPOILER WARNING: Plot details follow. Caution is advised!

The Herondale family is an old Shadowhunter family.

History[]

In the early 1800s, Tobias Herondale had a son with his wife, Eva. When Eva was executed, it was widely believed that their son died with her, but the child was saved by Catarina Loss and raised among mundanes. Because of this, a line of Herondales lived on without the Clave's knowledge.[1] At one point, they were interbred with faerie blood,[2][3] specifically that of the First Heir of the Faerie Courts.[4] They were in hiding for centuries before Kit Herondale, the last of the line, was orphaned and forced to live among Nephilim in 2012.[1][5]

Regarding the known line of Herondales descended from Tobias's brother, in 1878, Will Herondale came into contact with the angel Ithuriel, specifically on his shoulder. Will's sons and subsequent male descendants have all since been born with star-shaped marks on their shoulders as well.[6][7][8]

Family tree[]

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Unnamed
man
   
   
Unnamed
woman
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
William H.
(?–?)
   
   
Unnamed
woman
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Tobias H.
(?–?)
   
   
Eva B.
(?–1828)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Edmund H.
(1835–1899)
   
   
Linette O.
(1839–1899)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Ephraim L.
(1828–?)
   
   
Unnamed
mundane
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Ella H.
(1859–1873)
   
   
Will H.
(1861–1937)
   
   
Tessa G.
(1862~)
   
   
Gabriel L.
(1860–1940)
   
   
Cecily H.
(1863–1945)
   
   
Roland L.
(?–?)
   
   
Auraline
(?–?)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
James H.
(1886–1963)
   
   
Cordelia C.
(1885–1962)
   
   
Jesse B.
(1879–1938)
   
   
Lucie H.
(1887–1959)
   
   
Lightwoods
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Owen H.
(1912–1971)
   
   
Lydia K.
(1915–1985)
   
   
Blackthorns
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Unknown
generation/s
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Marcus H.
(1943–1991)
   
   
Imogen W.
(1946–2007)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Amatis G.
(1967–2007)
   
   
Stephen H.
(1966–1991)
   
   
Céline M.
(1971–1991)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Johnny R.
(?–2012)
   
   
Rosemary H.
(?–2012)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Jace H.
(1991-)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Kit H.
(1997-)

Symbol[]

The Herondale family ring.

The symbol of the family is a bird called the heron. Their ring, in particular, has a pattern of herons in flight.

Etymology[]

The name Herondale comes from the words "Heron" and "Dale". "Heron" is a bird and "dale" is another word for valley, esp. a broad one.

Trivia[]

  • A running gag in the series is that many of the Herondales known so far have a notable dislike or fear of birds (ducks for Edmund, Will, James, and Jace, and pigeons for Stephen, with Lucie being the only known exception so far). This was written after Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan had an encounter with ducks in Hyde Park.[9] Canonically, it is believed to stem from Alfred Herondale who trained a large flock of swans to fight.[10]
  • Herondales are among the Shadowhunters who are inherently able to see, hear, and speak even with ghosts who do not want to make their presence known,[11][12] and the ability is reinforced in some Herondales once they get their Voyance rune.[13]
    • The ability dates back to the 1200s when Ethelred the Herondale was haunted by the ghost of his murdered wife. This caused him to later jump off a tower, but the ability has been passed through his male lineage ever since.[14]
  • During a conversation between Julian Blackthorn and Emma Carstairs in 2012, the pair joked that the Herondale’s family motto could be "Chiseled but angsty" or "If you don’t know what your last name is, it’s probably Herondale".[13]

References[]

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