# Ayesha — She character guide > Ayesha in She by H. Rider Haggard. **Role:** major **Also known as:** She, She-who-must-be-obeyed, Ayesha **First appearance:** 0014-xii-she ## Snapshot An immortal queen of a lost city who rules through terror and beauty, waiting two thousand years for the reincarnation of her murdered lover. ## Who they are Ayesha governs the buried city of Kôr with absolute authority, her subjects prostrating themselves at a whisper of her name while she receives outsiders in Greek to keep her words from their ears. Her icy composure cracks only when a woman named Ustane claims the man Ayesha believes is her reincarnated spouse, and the Queen's response reveals how jealousy and desire cut through centuries of self-mastery. That collision between immortal will and mortal love drives the novel's central drama, making her both its most magnetic and most dangerous presence. ## Relationships ### [Leo Vincey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/leo_vincey) _romantic_ Ayesha is obsessively in love with Leo, believing him to be the reincarnation of her lost lover Kallikrates. ### [Kallikrates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/kallikrates) _romantic_ Ayesha's undying love for the long-dead Kallikrates drives her entire quest for immortality and reunion. ### [Ustane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/ustane) _rivalry_ Ayesha sees Ustane as a romantic rival for Leo's affections and treats her with jealous hostility. ### [Horace Holly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/horace_holly) _psychological_ Ayesha manipulates and intimidates Horace Holly, using her supernatural power to control him. ### [Job](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/job) _psychological_ Ayesha dominates and frightens Job, who is deeply uneasy and terrified of her power. ### [Billali](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/billali) _professional_ Ayesha is Billali's queen and master, whom he serves with absolute loyalty and fear. ### [Horace Holly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/horace_holly) _psychological_ Ayesha manipulates and intimidates Horace Holly, using her supernatural power to control him. ### [Kallikrates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/kallikrates) _romantic_ Ayesha's undying love for the long-dead Kallikrates drives her entire quest for immortality and reunion. ### [Ustane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/ustane) _rivalry_ Ayesha sees Ustane as a romantic rival for Leo's affections and treats her with jealous hostility. ### [Leo Vincey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/leo_vincey) _romantic_ Ayesha is obsessively in love with Leo, believing him to be the reincarnation of her lost lover Kallikrates. ### [Kallikrates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/kallikrates) _romantic_ Ayesha's undying love for the long-dead Kallikrates drives her entire quest for immortality and reunion. ### [Horace Holly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/horace_holly) _psychological_ Ayesha manipulates and intimidates Horace Holly, using her supernatural power to control him. ## In the story ### [She](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/she) Reveals her identity as the immortal queen, her love for Kallikrates, and her power over the Amahagger. ### [XII: "She"](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xii-she) The mysterious queen who speaks in an ancient tongue; questions Billali and forgives him; fascinates Holly. ### [XIII: Ayesha Unveils](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xiii-ayesha-unveils) Reveals her name, her Arabian origin, her immortality, and her ability to see past events in a water basin. She speaks of waiting for her lost love to be reborn. ### [XIV: A Soul in Hell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xiv-a-soul-in-hell) Ayesha performs a ritual of cursing and mourning over Kallikrates' body, expressing her torment and undying love. ### [XV: Ayesha Gives Judgment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xv-ayesha-gives-judgment) Presides over the trial, delivers a stern judgment, and explains her rule through terror. ### [The Tombs of Kôr](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xvi-the-tombs-of-k-r) Guides Holly through the catacombs, translates the inscription, and delivers a philosophical meditation on mortality. ### [XVII: The Balance Turns](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xvii-the-balance-turns) Arrives, identifies Leo as Kallikrates, heals him, flirts with Holly, and discusses religion and philosophy. ### [XVIII: “Go, Woman!”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xviii-go-woman) Reveals her jealousy and ruthless nature, marking Ustane's hair and threatening her life. She then cares for the sleeping Leo and later deflects his questions about Ustane. ### [XIX: “Give Me a Black Goat!”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xix-give-me-a-black-goat) Arranges the dance, demonstrates her power over memory projection, and catches Ustane with Leo, setting up a confrontation. ### [XX: Triumph](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xx-triumph) Exercises her power to kill Ustane and then seduces Leo into pledging himself to her. ### [XXI: The Dead and Living Meet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xxi-the-dead-and-living-meet) Reveals the preserved body of Kallikrates, confesses to murdering him, and destroys the body with acid. ### [Job Has a Presentiment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xxii-job-has-a-presentiment) Reveals her hatred for Amenartas but acknowledges that she inadvertently brought Leo to her; offers Leo a knife to avenge his ancestor; debates immortality with Holly; plans to take Leo to the Place of Life. ### [The Temple of Truth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xxiii-the-temple-of-truth) Leads the expedition to the Temple of Truth, translating the inscription on the statue of Truth and recalling the spot where Kallikrates' body once lay. ### [XXIV: Walking the Plank](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xxiv-walking-the-plank) Appears depressed and troubled by dreams, but regains spirits; leads the perilous crossing of the plank. ### [XXV: The Spirit of Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xxv-the-spirit-of-life) Reveals the history of Noot and the Fire of Life, confesses to murdering Kallikrates, and seeks Leo's forgiveness and love. ### [XXVI: What We Saw](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xxvi-what-we-saw) Enters the Flame of Life but is instantly aged two thousand years, dying as a withered relic. ### [We Leap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xxvii-we-leap) Dead; her cloak mysteriously falls on Leo as they lie on the rocking-stone. ### [Over the Mountain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/xxviii-over-the-mountain) Believed dead by Holly and Leo; Billali thinks she may have merely disappeared again. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/chapters/endnotes) Discussed in terms of her moral nature, her love for Leo, her chemical knowledge, and her account of Kallikrates' death. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters/ayesha - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/she_se/characters