The Dark Tower’s Rhea of the Cöos – Biography, History, & Character Information

Rhea of the Cöos is a deeply sinister and enigmatic figure in The Dark Tower series, specifically during the extended flashback segments in Wizard and Glass, where her malevolence and pivotal role in the events of Hambry explain much about Roland’s tragic life. Gifted—or cursed—with magical abilities after a shard of the Laughing Mirror pierced her eye, she became a conduit for dark forces, including the Crimson King, becoming Roland’s first encounter with the chaos and darkness that later permeate Mid-World by the time of the ka-tet.

Appearances

• The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass – Rhea of the Cöos is a malicious witch who plays a pivotal role in Hambry by manipulating Susan Delgado, obsessing over Maerlyn’s Grapefruit, and becoming a key adversary to Roland Deschain. She is one of the earliest servants of the Crimson King that Roland meets.
• The Dark Tower Graphic Novel – Rhea is visually depicted as the cruel witch from Hambry, mirroring her role in the novel, with her obsession with Maerlyn’s Grapefruit and her schemes against Susan and Roland.

Backstory

Rhea of the Cöos, born in the Barony of Delain long before the events of The Dark Tower series, was a cunning and spiteful individual who dedicated her life to becoming powerful. An incident in her youth, where a shard of the Laughing Mirror pierced her eye, awakened her ability to see and wield magic, revealing the spectral world hidden around her. Unpopular and feared due to her cruel personality, Rhea wandered from village to village under the guise of a wise woman, spreading misery with her curses. Her malevolence eventually led to near execution, but she struck a deal with the Crimson King, who spared her and commanded her to settle in Hambry, where she awaited further instructions while her infamy and magical prowess grew.

Physical Description

Rhea of the Cöos is described as a grotesque and repulsive figure, with her appearance reflecting the corruption of her soul. Her face is gaunt and lined, her skin pallid and marked by years of decay, and her infected eye, pierced by a shard of the Laughing Mirror, radiates a sinister glow that hints at her dark powers. Her unkempt hair and hunched posture add to her eerie presence, while her skeletal frame betrays the toll of her obsession with Maerlyn’s Grapefruit, which drained her life energy.

Personality & Traits

Rhea of the Cöos is a spiteful, cruel, and power-hungry individual whose personality is defined by malice and manipulation. She harbors a deep-seated hatred for others, thriving on the misery she inflicts, whether through her curses, deceptions, or alliances with dark forces like the Crimson King.

Her cunning and resourcefulness make her a formidable adversary, but her obsession with power—particularly her fixation on Maerlyn’s Grapefruit—often blinds her to reason and accelerates her descent into madness. Bitter and vengeful, Rhea’s lack of empathy and unrelenting desire for dominance drive her to commit heinous acts, making her one of the most malevolent characters in The Dark Tower series.

Strengths, Weaknesses, and Abilities

Rhea of the Cöos possesses significant magical abilities, granted in part by the shard of the Laughing Mirror that pierced her eye, allowing her to perceive and interact with the supernatural world. Her strengths lie in her cunning intellect, mastery of curses, and her ability to manipulate others to achieve her goals, as well as her knowledge of Maerlyn’s Grapefruit, which enhances her powers and insights.

However, her obsessive nature is a glaring weakness, as her fixation on the Grapefruit drains her vitality and clouds her judgment. Additionally, her spiteful and vengeful tendencies often lead her to overreach, alienating allies and underestimating her enemies. These flaws, combined with her deteriorating physical and mental state, ultimately weaken her mental fortitude, but they do not prevent her from manifesting her darkest plans.

Key Relationships

Despite her relative isolation from the world, Rhea of the Cöos has a series of twisted and adversarial relationships that reflect her malevolent nature. Her dealings with Susan Delgado and Roland are marked by cruelty and manipulation, as Rhea exploits her role as a “wise woman” to humiliate and harm Susan, setting her on a tragic path.

She forms an uneasy alliance with the Big Coffin Hunters, particularly Eldred Jonas, but their relationship is fraught with distrust and mutual disdain, culminating in betrayal over Maerlyn’s Grapefruit. Rhea’s servitude to the Crimson King defines her ultimate loyalty, as she carries out his will in exchange for extended life and power.

Finally, her enmity with Roland Deschain is a central aspect of her story, as their confrontations highlight her vengefulness and her role in the larger conflict that shapes The Dark Tower series.

Role in the Dark Tower Series

Rhea of the Cöos plays a pivotal role in The Dark Tower series as a key antagonist in Wizard and Glass, serving as a catalyst for much of the tragedy in Roland’s early life. Entrusted with Maerlyn’s Grapefruit, her obsessive fixation on the magical sphere intensifies her cruelty and paranoia. She manipulates events in Hambry, including the humiliation and ultimate death of Susan Delgado, which deeply impacts Roland and his ka-tet.

Rhea’s actions not only set the stage for Roland’s heartbreak and resolve, but also reveal the sinister influence of the Crimson King in Mid-World. Her role, though confined to the past of Roland, echoes throughout Roland’s journey, as her scheming, vengeance, and use of dark magic become emblematic of the broader forces of chaos and destruction that oppose Roland’s quest for the Dark Tower. She also serves as an explanation for the kinds of threats that Roland encountered prior to the fall of Gilead.