Betilla the Fairy

Betilla

Alignment	Good

Appears in	Rayman, Rayman 2 (2D prototype), Rayman Junior, Rayman Origins
Portrayed by	Unknown

Sex	Female
Species	Nymph
Status	Fairy

Relatives	Holly Luya (sister) Edith Up (sister) Annetta Fish (sister) Helena Handbasket (sister) Big Mama (sister)

She is gentle, benevolent and protective, but sometimes a little naughty – she is full of surprises. Betilla will give Rayman extraordinary powers and teach him to control them. Thanks to her, Rayman is better equipped to fight the evil creatures that will arise in his wake.
—Official site, Rayman Junior

The benevolent yet fiercely protective Betilla from the original Rayman is back with a vengeance. She is the eldest Nymph, one of Bubble Dreamer's first and most beloved creatures. She and her sisters will grant Rayman and his entourage the powers they will need to complete their quest.
—Official site, Rayman Origins

Betilla the Fairy is a major character in the Rayman series. In the original game, she is a powerful fairy who uses her magic to grant Rayman special powers that help him to recover the stolen Great Protoon from the clutches of the evil Mr Dark. In the sequel, Rayman Origins, it is revealed that Betilla and her nymph sisters created Rayman in the Primordial Forest to be the protector of the world.

Role in the games

Rayman

Prior to the invasion by Mr Dark, it seems that it was Betilla's job to protect the Great Protoon – the mystical orb which keeps the world in balance – and the Electoons, little creatures which gravitate around it. Her powers were no match for those of the evil Mr Dark, who defeats her at the beginning of the game, stealing the Great Protoon and kidnapping the Electoons. Throughout the game, Betilla meets with Rayman five times, each time granting him a new permanent power, gradually building up his strength and abilities. During Rayman's battle with Space Mama in her Crater, Mr Dark kidnaps Betilla and traps her in a tiny crystal ball. When Rayman defeats Skops the Scorpion in his lair, he hears Betilla crying out to him for help. At the end of the game, Rayman defeats Mr Dark in his Château, and the inhabitants of the valley celebrate. Rayman's rescue of Betilla and his recovery of the Great Protoon are not shown, but an epilogue screen indicates that both occurred. Betilla does not appear in the direct sequels, Rayman 2 (where her role is taken by Ly the Fairy) and Rayman 3 (which features no major fairy characters).

Rayman Junior

Betilla makes a notable appearance in Rayman Junior, where she assists the Magician in giving Rayman an overview on the tasks he must carry out in order to complete a level. She had witnessed the theft of the Magic Book of Knowledge by Mister Dark one day as she was visiting the Magician's cottage. To allow the young player to practice, she has her own area on the world map called Betilla's Garden, which is a series of simplified maps that cover most of Rayman's abilities. Betilla also appears in other educational Rayman games for even younger children.

Betilla is revealed as the creator of Rayman in Rayman Origins

Rayman Origins

Betilla first appeared in the E3 2010 trailer of Rayman Origins. In this game she is identified as the oldest nymph and an old friend of Polokus. She ‘weaves the moonbeams of the second summer solstice’ to create Rayman, whom she hopes will protect the balance of the universe; however, the young Rayman is rebellious, immature and unruly. Like the Livingstones, Betilla is portrayed with limbs; a revision of her limbless appearance in the original game. It is implied that she is also the trailer's narrator, and she seems to be recounting the game's events from a distant point in the future (presumably after the events of the first three Rayman platformers).

In It's a Jungle Out There..., the first level in the Jibberish Jungle, Betilla is the first of the nymphs to be encountered, trapped inside the jaws of a Darktoon. When Rayman, Globox and the Teensies rescue her, she gives them the power to attack.

There's a PlayStation Network trophy/Xbox LIVE Gamerscore achievement, called Betilla's Back!, which consists in a player rescuing her from a Darktoon.

Character description

Betilla gives Rayman one of his powers.

Betilla is one of the earliest creations of Polokus, making her one of the most ancient creatures in the Crossroads of Dreams. In Rayman she shares only a few attributes of a typical fairy, such as her ability to float in mid-air, and her ability to give Rayman his powers with her magic. She does not have wings, and does not appear to have the elven ears characteristic of other fairies such as Ly. She has long red hair, and wears a green and yellow dress, and a hat and shoes covered with blue stars. At the tip of her hat float three pink orbs.

In Rayman Origins, while she retains her long red hair (which has become even longer) and ability to float, she now has small, very translucent wings, wears a bikini top, a short skirt and a tall pointy hat of dark and light green colours, and what appears to be dark green kneesocks that are worn up to her now-existent thighs. She also wears small golden earrings, a necklace and several gold bangles on both forearms.

She appears to be a meditative and peaceful character in both games (despite the chaos Mr Dark has brought upon the valley in Rayman), with great wisdom and the helpfulness to guide Rayman throughout his quest and teach him to use his powers effectively.

Betilla, as she would have appeared in the cancelled 2D version of Rayman 2

Trivia

Early in its development, Rayman 2: The Great Escape was planned as a 2D game very similar to the original. An early promotional video and magazine preview revealed that Betilla would make an appearance in the game, and that she would be imprisoned by the Robo-Pirates. In the final, 3D version of the game, Betilla was replaced by Ly, a different fairy.
Another character with some resemblance is Betina from Rayman: The Animated Series, but only her name and the colours of her clothes and hair support this speculation.
Betilla's name can be seen on a leaderboard in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, alongside a default score of 9000.
The ending of Rayman Junior shows Betilla knitting while housesitting the Magician's cottage and watching as he celebrates Rayman's victory on the television.
Rayman Activity Centre also reveals that Betilla has a house of her own. Players can explore it and find extra activities. It also works as the menu for the game. This image also appears in the French dossier presse booklet which was released to tie in with Rayman 3; in the booklet, the image of the house is used as the background for a page which gives an overview of the original game in general.
In 2007, Ubisoft partnered with UNICEF to create three brief videos to raise awareness of children's rights issues. In one of the videos, Rayman chastises a Rabbid for not sharing a book with a baby Globox. On the front cover of the book is a picture of Betilla the Fairy.
After a bomber clown draws a picture of Betilla in Rayman Activity Centre, the Magician identifies her as his ‘favourite fairy’.