JOAN OF ARC. BtVS Intertext/Allusion.
Heroine and patron saint of France. Daughter of a farmer, Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc) was born in the French town of Domremy in 1412. From the age of twelve, she heard voices she believed to have been sent by God. They told her to free France from the English, who were occupying northern France. She convinced the Dauphin of her calling. She was given troops to command and she led them to victory. However, she was eventually captured. She was interrogated for fourteen months and tried for witchcraft and heresy by an ecclesiastical court led by a pro-English bishop in Rouen. At nineteen years of age she was burned at the stake.
In “Tabula Rasa” a spell Willow casts causes loss of memory, so Buffy calls herself Joan. Having staked a vampire, she says, “I think I know why Joan’s the boss. I’m like a super-hero.” Just before the spell is broken, she says, “Don’t mess with Joan of . . .”
Like Joan of Arc, Buffy as Slayer is a fighter, and sometimes she is the commander of a group. For instance, she refers to her friends and potential Slayers as “an army” in “Bring on the Night,” and she leads them into battle in “Chosen.” As Joan is led by her voices, Buffy follows her calling to be the Slayer. Buffy also hears the voice of a spiritual guide. In “Intervention,” in the form of the First Slayer, the voice tells her “Death is your gift.” In “The Gift,” like Joan, Buffy is prepared to sacrifice her own life because of the strength of her dedication and love.
Joan’s fate is reflected in “Gingerbread” when the demon-influenced townsfolk led by Joyce’s organization MOO condemn Buffy for being involved with witches and “unnatural forces.” They tie her to a stake to be burned between Willow and Amy.