Rheasilvia (Dee Taylor) is the titular villainess of the 1979 Turkish action fantasy Lionman II: The Witchqueen. She is a beautiful sorceress and daughter of the wizard, Simon the Magus. Her father gifts her a magic ring and sends her to destroy the man bearing 'the mark of the beast' prophesied to bring her death.
The ring is the source of Rheasilvia’s power. Her magical abilities include telekinesis, hypnosis, magical sight and transmutation. She is able to project her power through her familiar in the form of a falcon (‘their hearts beat as one, united in life and death’). For most of the movie she dresses in a golden metal bikini and a purple cape.
Working her sorcery
Rheasilvia arrives at a tavern in Thracia, where her beauty draws the unwanted attention of some local thugs. Lionman, who happens to be at the tavern, steps in to defend her honour and a brawl ensues. Later, the innkeeper explains to her Lionman is the king of Thracia who was raised by lions and fights with a pair of metal claws. Rheasilvia realises that Lionman is her prophesied nemesis.
Arrival in Thracia
She meets and weds King Belisarius of Aleria, who is plotting to take over Thracia. The evil newlyweds launch a series of attacks on Lionman and his family, including an assasination that blows up his brother. Eventually, Lionman discovers Rheasilvia is behind the sorcerous attacks and learns the secret of her familiar.
Belisarius kidnaps Lionman’s wife, Tania, and their son as hostages. During a successful rescue mission, Lionman injures Belisarius with an arrow through the neck. A furious Rheasilvia begins to set her revenge in motion. She captures Lionman’s son again, then hypnotizes Tania to kill her husband. The plot fails, but Lionman unknowingly kills Tania.
Rheasilvia takes the child to the ‘Palace of the Dead’ knowing his father will come for him. The Witchqueen gains the upper hand as Lionman is caught in the palace’s traps. She is on the verge of triumph, when Lionman’s friend Foxy grabs her unguarded falcon and races up the palace tower. She lets out a panicked cry, as her weakness has been uncovered.
Rheasilvia runs after Foxy up the tower’s spiral pathway, at times forced to hold her bikini top in place as she struggles to prevent her charms from spilling out. Lionman follows close behind them with a bow and arrow in hand. At the top of the tower, Foxy stumbles and Rheasilvia is reunited with her falcon. Her relief is short-lived as Lionman arrives. She hurriedly sets the bird loose through a window, but Lionman readies his bow to shoot it. She tries desperately to stop him, but is prevented from interfering by Foxy.
Lionman lets his arrow loose, and it strikes the falcon. A ray of blue light shoots down on Rheasilvia, she bursts into flames and dies in agony. In the end, despite her immense power, the Witchqueen was unable to defy the prophecy that Lionman would be her doom. At the end of the movie, her father arrives at the castle and recovers the ring from her ashes.
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