Character Analysis
Where did Selly get her magic? She got it from her mama—a.k.a. Meena. Like Anja from Selly, Selly inherited the power of the Urlasdaughters to chat with the cedars. And like Anja with Tilja, Selly has a sister—Grayne—who was riddled with jealousy toward her sister for not inheriting the family power and for having to leave the family farm.
The story begins when Selly, the mistress of Woodbourne, goes missing on a snowy day (1.1). Ma goes out into the forest to chat with the cedars as she usually does, but doesn't come home with her pony, Tiddykin (1.18). Eventually, Tilja and Anja find her passed out in the snow with a bruise on her face (1.77).
Standoffish Selly
Ma isn't the most emotionally communicative of people—though she feels deeply for her daughters, she has trouble expressing it. When she finds out about Tilja's lack of magic, things get awkward:
Ma knelt between them, hugging one in each arm, trying to comfort them both, but stiffly and awkwardly, because she wasn't good at this sort of thing. (3.54)
Ma prefers doing busy work to expressing her feelings openly. She keeps Tilja busy by doing stuff around the house with her, which is her version of bonding time:
Ma didn't try hugging her again, but made a point of doing household chores with her instead of sending her off on her own […]. (3.58)
Because nothing says I love you like chores. Knowing how emotionally reserved Ma is, it makes sense that she's not particularly outgoing socially. So when she meets Tahl and is okay with him, it's surprising because she normally doesn't like strangers (3.246).
Gotta Love Those Kids
You know the phrase still waters run deep? It basically means that below a quiet surface lies passion—and it describes Ma pretty perfectly, especially when it comes to her daughters. When Tilja finally comes home, she doesn't say much—but she also doesn't hope that doing chores with her will adequately express her love for her daughter and gratitude for having her home. Instead she makes her feelings clear as best she can:
Ma knelt and held her tight, both of them sobbing quietly. Her hug was as awkward as ever. (19.64)
It's the very awkwardness to the hug that makes it extra sweet, don't you think? Ma's gone so far out of her comfort zone to show Tilja how she feels and it warms our little hearts.