Viola is a gargantuan milch cow residing on the Fablehaven Preserve. Viola gives enchanted milk that unveils the magical world to mortal eyes. The effects will wear off after a day. Every preserve has such an animal.
Appearance[]
Little has been said about Viola's coat coloring. She is said to have hooves the size of hot tubs and gigantic udders as large as punching bags. Her mooing is said to be extremely loud, shaking both the house and the barn. She is the sole resident of the barn at Fablehaven.
History[]
Viola was born to a milch cow on a magical preserve in the Pyrenees Mountains, north of Spain. She was brought to Fablehaven on a boat in 1711 and was 100 years old at the time. At that time, she was already larger then an elephant. She has been there ever since, gradually gaining size in the barn. At some point, she may even grow larger than the barn.
Significance in Fairydom[]
Viola hails from an ancient breed of magical milch cows that are worshiped by all fairydom. According to Grandma Sorenson, they place daily enchantments on her food and drink to strengthen and nourish her. The also reportedly make secret offerings to honor her ancient breed. In return, her milk functions as an ambrosia central to their survival. Her dung is the finest fertilizer in the world. It can cause plants to grow to gigantic sizes, as well as allowing tropical plants to flourish in Fablehaven where they would otherwise perish. The dung also allows multiple harvests to be yielded from a single field in a single season. According to Tanu, Viola's tears, sweat, blood, milk and dung all have magical properties that can be used in potions.
Appearances in Fablehaven[]
Viola appears only twice in Fablehaven, both times in Book 1. She is mentioned in Book 5.
In Book 1, Kendra and Seth smash their way into the barn the day after Midsummer's Eve, hoping to find Lena and Grandpa Sorenson. They discover Viola and gawk at her size. They notice her bulging udders, and decide that she needs to be milk. They accomplish this by climbing ladders, jumping on her udders and sliding down them like poles. They wash the wasted milk down drains in the floor, thinking that the cow wouldn't like the smell. Seth takes note of her gigantic dung pile. Later on, Kendra returns to the barn with the tears from the Fairy Queen. She has been instructed by the Queen to create an elixir to strengthen the fairs so that she can fight Bahumat and save her family. The elixir requires both blood and milk. Kendra is unsure if the elixir requires her own blood or Viola's blood. She collects a small sample of milk the same way that she and Seth milked Viola before. She uses a weed digger to puncture Viola's udder and collects a small sample in the elixir. Viola bellows and stamps around after this, but settles down quickly.
In Book 5, the demon Graulas destroys the barn, the house, and the Foundational Treaty of Fablehaven. Viola escapes the wreckage of the barn and goes on a rampage through the woods, where she is temporarily captured by the Centaurs of Grunhold. When Fablehaven is restored by the wizard Agad, it is presumed that she is returned to a newly rebuilt barn.