Solan was a recurring character on Xena: Warrior Princess. He was the son of Xena and Borias, born shortly before his father's death during the Battle of Corinth. Xena gave Solan to Kaleipus of the Centaurs, so that he can be raised away from the violence.
Kaleipus never told Solan who his mother was, but often explained his father's heroic nature towards the Centaurs. Xena came into contact with the Centaurs roughly ten years later, where she found Solan hating her, as he believed that it was Xena who killed his father. It is later revealed that Dagnine killed Borias, and Xena and Solan make up. The next time they meet unfortunately coincides with Hope releasing Callisto and the two wreaking havoc on the Centaur village, which results in Solan's death and a rift between Xena and Gabrielle reaches its climax and the two fall out. From the other side, Solan takes them to the land of Illusia where they make up and Xena says goodbye to him.
However, Solan is informed by Hades that the Elysian Fields gives you false hope that your loved ones will join you everyday and he decides against entering. He is therefore doomed to spend eternity watching the life he left behind. Xena finds him here when she is trying to steal the Helmet of Invisibility. She uses the Helmet to sneak him into the Elysian Fields, whilst promising that she will see him there soon.
Story
Birth and Early Life
Kaleipus is given Solan in "Past Imperfect"
Xena's pregnancy was first revealed while she was in Siberia. Alti was the one who told Xena, which was overheard by a shocked Borias. Xena and Borias travelled to Corinth, where they searched for the Ixion Stone on Centaur land. The Centaurs defended their territory, which erupted into a fierce battle. Xena, who was heavily pregnant by this time, took a group of Centaurs prisoner, that were led by the noble Kaleipus. Borias disagreed with her actions and turned against her, freeing the Centaurs and siding with them. Xena retreated her army and waited for them to return, before she went into labour. Her servant, Satrina, helped Xena give birth, but felt hatred towards Xena for killing her previous mentor, as he was also her lover. Before she helped Xena give birth, she injured Borias, who had snuck into Xena's camp in order to see his child. She then got him killed by telling Xena's right-hand man, Dagnine, to stop Borias from "killing" Xena. A fight broke out between them, which ended in Borias' death (with no witnesses). Meanwhile, Satrina returns to Xena, who gives birth to a baby boy. She makes a hasty escape onto a carriage and flees from the battle, recieving a glimpse of Borias' near-dead body and oblivious of Satrina's role in his death. Later, Xena arranges a meeting with Kaleipus and presents him with her child. She explains that he is also the child of Borias and she wishes for him to raise him away from her violent self. Kaleipus, on the grounds that he is Borias' son, accepts the child, as Xena walks away.
Kaleipus named the boy Solan. Whilst growing up, he told Solan that both his mother and father are dead, but did not disclose his mother's identity; instead he told Solan that Xena killed his father (which was presumably what was believed by Kaleipus, too).
Meeting Xena
Solan first met his mother when she and Gabrielle travelled to help the Centaurs protect the Ixion Stone from Dagnine. While the Centaurs were less than happy to see her, Solan was even less happy. One first sights, Solan attacks Xena, claiming that he hates her. He later sees her by the side of his "mother" and father's grave and is angry at her for being there, and continus to resent her. Solan and Gabrielle begin to start a friendship. Gabrielle tries to explain to Solan (who is convinced that he is a warrior) that he doesn't need to pretend to be something that he's not. While the two talk, they are ambushed by Dagnine's men, who capture Solan and take him to Dagnine's camp. Gabrielle finds Xena and informs her of what had happened, prompting her to break into Dagnine's camp and attempt to rescue him. This results in a fight when she is caught and so they make a run for it,
Xena and Solan talk about Borias, in "Orphan of War"
but end up discovering the Ixion Caverns and falling into them. Once they land at the bottom, Solan breaks his arm and so Xena removes Borias' sword (which Solan carries with him) and uses his scabbard as a splint. Xena uses pressure points to ease the pain, but when she takes the pressure point off, it hurts him and he hugs Xena due to the pain. As they venture on through the caverns, they find the alter where the Ixion Stone should be, but it isn't there. Xena and Solan notice an opening in the top of cavern, but it is too far to jump. Xena finds some pipes that lead to the top, and so she blows down them which attracts the attention of Gabrielle, Kaleipus and the Centaurs. They throw down some ropes and pull the two up. As they reach the top, Solan drops his father's sword into the caverns. As it lands, the Ixion Stone falls out of it's hilt, revealing that Borias found the stone all those years ago at Corinth. Dagnine, who followed Xena and Solan into the caverns, retrieves the stone and uses it to transform himself into Ixion's wicked creation - an evil Centaur. As he and Xena meet on the battlefield, he reveals that it was in fact him that killed Borias, clearing Xena's name. Xena kills him with a large spear and avenges Borias.
Solan and Xena meet again at the Centaur treaty, in "Maternal Instincts"
Later, Solan sits by the riverside, when he is joined by Xena. He throws his father's sword into the river, stating he doesn't want to fight. He then tells Xena that she and his "mother" would have gotten along and Xena walk away, hiding her sadness.
Death and Illusia
"She told me to tell you that she knows your little secret, and she's gonna take it to the grave."
- ―Hope telling Xena that Callisto knows about Solan, in "Maternal Instincts"
Upon hearing of a Centaur treaty that has been set up by Kaleipus to reunite the Centaur Nation, Xena and Gabrielle travel there to witness it. They are reunited themselves with Solan, who seems to be happy to see them. Kaleipus also greets them on their arrival, explaining that the treaty will hopefully offer a chance to show that there can be future of peace for the Centaurs. Meanwhile, Gabrielle's daughter Hope, who is also the daughter of the evil god Dahak, releases Callisto from the lava pit that Xena forced her and Velasca into, after she had eaten Ambrosia and became a God. Hope and Callisto begin to wreack havoc on the treaty and destroy it. Hope begins to masquerade as a young girl named Fayla, befriending an unknowing Xena and Gabrielle and telling them of a "monster lady". She tells them that Callisto knows about Solan abd she is going to take it "to the grave". Xena panics and discusses with Kaleipus on places where she can hide him, when they both decide on the Ixion Caverns. Kaleipus and Xena tell Solan this, who is less than compliant, complaining that none of the other children have to hide. Xena asks for a moment alone with him and manages to convince him to hide.
Meanwhile, Gabrielle learns that Fayla is in fact Hope, but insists on hiding it from Xena, as she had told her that she killed Hope months ago as a baby. Hope heads back to the caves where she and Callisto are hiding out, when she is confronted by Kaleipus. Hope panics and uses her telekinesis to kill him. He is found by Xena and Gabrielle, as he tries to use his dying breath to explain who killed him, but fails and instead asks Xena to raise Solan for him. Whilst consoling Solan over Kaleipus' death, he asks her if he can live with her on the road. Unsure at first, she tries to talk him out of it (considering the reason for her leaving him with the Centaurs in the first place was to keep him safe would defeat the object), but he insists and Xena agrees. As he stays in Kaleipus' hut to collect his things, Gabrielle sends Hope to the hut also, not knowing that Solan was also there. When she arrives, she finds Solan and he is killed by her.
Xena grieves the death of Solan, in "Maternal Instincts"
Gabrielle tells Xena that Fayla has informed her more about Callisto, which makes Xena suspicious as to how Gabrielle knows that she can trust her. Gabrielle finally comes clean and tells Xena the true identity of Fayla. Xena is livid and immeadiately thinks of ways to kill her. She becomes even more angry when Gabrielle tells her that she sent Hope to Kaleipus' hut. She rushes to the hut, to find Solan dead on the floor. She is distraught and cradles him. His death is one of the biggest catalysts towards the rift in Xena and Gabrielle's relationship, and the two part ways.
Gabrielle heads to the amazons, while Xena is consoled by Ares. He tells her to take revenge on Gabrielle, and so she breaks into the amazon village and drags her to the edge of a cliff, where Gabrielle struggles and causes the two of them to fall into the water below. They are taken to the strange land of Illusia, which was created by Solan to restore their shattered friendship. They confronted by demons from their past; Callisto, Ares, Julius Caesar, Krafstar, Dahak and Ming T'ien. The two are forced to work together to escape from the land, during which the two of them reconcile and apologise to eachother. Xena and Gabrielle discover that it was Solan that had created Illusia, and Xena is given a chance to say goodbye to her son, before they arrive back in the real world.
Entering the Elysian Fields
Xena finds Solan in Tartarus instead of the Elysian Fields, in "God Fearing Child"
After crossing over to the other side, Solan was told by Hades that every day spent in the Elysian Fields, you are given false hope that your loved ones will join you the next day. Solan did not like the sound of this, and so he refused to enter. He was set up in Tartarus, forced to watch the life that he left behind. In this way, he could replay his times with Xena over and over, which to him was more tangible than hoping to see her soon.
2-3 years later, the Fates predict that the end of the Olympian Gods will occur when Xena gives birth to her child. Upon learning this, Xena decides to steal the Helmet of Hades, which will give the wearer invisiblity and allow her to evade the Gods. She and Gabrielle enter the Underworld and head through Tartarus, where they come across Solan, who is encased in a large cocoon, watching images of his first meeting with Xena (from "Orphan of War"). Xena immediately releases him and plans to take him to the Elysian Fields using the helmet. Whilst on the way, Solan expresses his feelings towards Xena her baby, explaining that he feels that she doesn't need him anymore. Xena reassures Solan that she will never forget him, as she tells him that it was his birth that began to make her realise that she can't be all bad. As the approach the helmet, they are ambushed by Hades and the Proxidicae (Zeus's personal gaurd), who unsuccessfully stop Gabrielle from retrieving the helmet and escaping with Xena and Solan. The three of them find the gate to the Elysian Fields, which is gaurded by the Proxicae. Just before Xena and Gabrielle attempt to distract them, Solan asks Xena to name her baby Eve, which she later does. Solan runs to the gate with the helmet on and enters the fields, as Xena assures him that she will be with him very soon.
Background Information
Behind the Scenes
- The reason that Nicko Vella took over from David Taylor in "God Fearing Child" was due to the fact that Taylor had grown up and was considered to be "too old" for the part. This isn't as arbitrary as it sounds – Solan shouldn't be able to age whilst in the Underworld!
- David Taylor previously appeared as Franco in Hercules and the Amazon Women.
- Nicko Vella previously played an orphan in "A Solstice Carol".
Trivia
- It was Solan that decided on the name Eve for his sister.
- Solan was one of five characters to be born on-screen. The other four are; Xenan, Hope, Eve and Borias the Centaur.
Gallery
Appearances
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