Ilithyia (Spartacus: Blood and Sand)

Ilithyia is a central character in Spartacus, a wealthy Roman noblewoman and the daughter of Senator Albinius. She is married to Praetor Gaius Claudius Glaber and maintains a close yet complex relationship with Lucretia. Beneath their outward friendship lies a web of manipulation and hidden agendas. In Spartacus: Vengeance, Ilithyia becomes pregnant, a pivotal event that unknowingly influences the early stages of the rebellion, as her unborn child connects her to two potential fathers—Spartacus and Glaber.

Names	Ilithyia
Gender	Female ♀
Race	Human
Occupation	Roman Noble
Origin	Spartacus: Blood and Sand Episode 1: "Past Transgressions" (January 22, 2010)
Alignment	Evil
Age	20s
Created By	Steven S, DeKnight
Height	175 cm (5ft 9in)
Weight	55kg (121.2lbs)
Personality Type	ESFP, 2w3 (Enneagram)
Portrayed By	Viva Bianca

Appearance

Ilithyia has long, wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, and an average height. As the daughter of a senator, she is always adorned in luxurious dresses and extravagant jewelry, keeping in line with the latest Roman aristocratic fashion.

Personality

Ilithyia shares many of her husband's deceitful traits, though she is manipulative and cunning in her own right. Beneath her refined exterior lies a calculating and flirtatious nature. She harbors an intense hatred for Spartacus, aligning with her husband’s ambitions, yet paradoxically finds herself drawn to the gladiators, particularly Crixus, whom she admires for his strength and prowess in combat. Following Lucretia’s suggestion, she acquires her own gladiator, hoping to stir envy among her high-ranking peers, though she remains desperate for their approval.

Her relationship with Lucretia, while outwardly affectionate, is steeped in competition and veiled insults. She often belittles Lucretia by mocking her jewelry or questioning the status of her household, subtly asserting her own superiority.

Ilithyia has a fascination with the forbidden and dangerous. She delights in watching Varro engage in intercourse with a slave, likening him to an untamed beast. She seduces Numerius at his own birthday celebration, coercing him into demanding a death match that leads to Varro’s execution. Willing to sacrifice others for her own gain, she orders her gladiator, Segovax, to assassinate Spartacus as revenge for slighting her husband, an act that results in Segovax’s capture and crucifixion.

Despite her deep-seated hatred for Spartacus, she develops a lustful attraction toward him. This is evident when she pleasures herself to the memory of their sexual encounter, revealing a conflicted and dangerous obsession.

Biography

Blood and Sand

Ilithyia is introduced alongside her husband, Glaber, as he attempts to persuade the Thracians to join his campaign. She unexpectedly arrives at the military camp, presenting herself as a "gift"—nude beneath a thick fur coat—to please her husband. Promising to use her father's influence to aid his political ambitions, she encourages him to perform well in battle. When Spartacus (then an unnamed Thracian) and his comrade report movement among the Getae, Ilithyia pushes Glaber to abandon his post and his word, inadvertently inciting the Thracians to mutiny and desertion.

Back in Capua, Ilithyia pleads with her father, Senator Albinius, to grant Glaber an opportunity for redemption. Though he reluctantly agrees, he warns her against further attempts to sway his decisions. Meanwhile, Glaber visits Batiatus’ ludus to torment Spartacus with news of his wife's enslavement.

During this time, Lucretia hosts Ilithyia, who initially finds the surroundings distasteful, criticizing the food, drink, and general environment. However, their shared cunning and ambition quickly foster a bond. Ilithyia, intrigued by the power dynamics within the ludus, becomes fascinated by the gladiators training below.

As their friendship deepens, Ilithyia frequently visits the ludus, spending increasing amounts of time with Lucretia. Their relationship takes on an intimate undertone, with affectionate exchanges that go beyond simple friendship. Wanting to offer Lucretia a gift, Ilithyia learns of her struggle with infertility and introduces a priestess said to aid conception. However, during the consultation, the priestess’ inquiries inadvertently reveal Lucretia's secret affair with Crixus, a revelation that alters the course of their relationship.

Batiatus acquires a new group of gladiators, including Segovax, Duro, and Agron. When Ilithyia sees them arrive, Lucretia persuades her to purchase one. Unable to decide, Ilithyia ultimately selects Segovax, captivated by his impressive physique—particularly his well-endowed features, which she lustfully compares to those of a horse. Hoping to inspire envy among her high-status peers, she brings three acquaintances—Licinia, Aemilia, and Caecilia—to the ludus to showcase her purchase. However, rather than admiring Segovax, the women become enamored with Spartacus, much to Ilithyia’s disgust.

In an act of disdain, she slices Spartacus' chest, collecting his blood in accordance with a legend claiming that drinking it with wine grants a man an erection lasting days. Tensions escalate when Licinia refers to Spartacus as a god, prompting Ilithyia to furiously denounce him as a "Thracian dog" who dishonored Rome. Spartacus rebukes her, declaring that it was Glaber who brought disgrace by abandoning defenseless women and children to be raped and murdered. Humiliated, Ilithyia declares that if Spartacus were her slave, she would have him crucified. However, her friends mock her outburst, revealing they have heard the rumors about Glaber’s shameful dealings in Thrace. Frustrated and alone with Lucretia, Ilithyia later propositions Segovax, promising his freedom if he kills Spartacus. The attempt fails, as Crixus intervenes to save Spartacus, though he still considers him a rival. Segovax does not expose Ilithyia’s involvement, but as punishment, he is emasculated and crucified.

Not long after, Ilithyia stumbles upon Licinia meeting with Lucretia and realizes the nature of their discussion—Licinia has arranged a secret encounter with Spartacus. Ilithyia confesses to harboring similar desires, and Lucretia slyly encourages her to indulge them. However, when Ilithyia chooses Crixus instead, Lucretia becomes enraged with jealousy. When Batiatus questions her, she deceitfully claims that Ilithyia demanded Crixus in an insulting manner. Though Batiatus advises her to tolerate Ilithyia’s arrogance to secure Glaber’s patronage, Lucretia remains unmoved and orchestrates a switch.

On the night of the encounter, Spartacus is painted and masked in preparation for Licinia, while Ilithyia is similarly disguised. Unbeknownst to them, Lucretia has arranged for them to be paired together. When Licinia unexpectedly enters the room, she is horrified to discover Ilithyia in bed with Spartacus. Spartacus, realizing the deception, furiously grabs Ilithyia by the throat before being restrained by the guards. Licinia taunts Ilithyia over the scandalous nature of her actions, mocking her relentlessly. Overcome with rage, Ilithyia viciously attacks Licinia, smashing her skull repeatedly against the marble floor, killing her in a blind frenzy.

After Ilithyia calms down, she is shaken by the ordeal and terrified of returning to public life, fearing someone will recognize her guilt. Lucretia reassures her and offers temporary refuge at the villa—but in exchange for certain favors. With this arrangement, the power dynamic between them shifts, and Lucretia assumes dominance. Ilithyia, aware of what Lucretia could expose, complies with her requests, including arranging a gathering of Rome’s elite at the ludus for Numerius’ birthday celebration.

The party marks Ilithyia’s first social appearance since Licinia’s death. She maintains a composed façade, mingling with the guests while plotting her revenge on Spartacus. Seizing her opportunity, she seduces Numerius in the ludus baths, joining him naked in the water. Whispering manipulations, she convinces him to select Varro—Spartacus’ closest friend—as his opponent instead of Crixus, and to order his execution. Numerius complies, and Spartacus is left devastated by the loss.

As time passes, Ilithyia’s relationship with Lucretia deteriorates. With each passing favor, Ilithyia begins to resent her growing servitude, likening her situation to that of a slave. However, she takes solace in the knowledge that Glaber will soon return and take her back to Rome. When Glaber arrives, Batiatus seeks his patronage, but Glaber expresses no interest. In response, Batiatus presents a gruesome gift—Licinia’s severed, rotting hand, still adorned with its recognizable rings. The revelation of Licinia’s murder horrifies Glaber, who strikes Ilithyia in anger for her reckless crime. As punishment, he abandons her at the villa under Lucretia’s control, effectively condemning her to servitude until he begrudgingly agrees to support Batiatus.

Ilithyia remains trapped in the ludus when Batiatus hosts a grand event to celebrate Glaber as a patron. During the gathering, she reads a letter—written by Batiatus—announcing Glaber’s supposed patronage. However, chaos erupts as the gladiators revolt. Lucretia orders Ilithyia to have her guards fight back, but instead, Ilithyia smirks and calmly exits with her guards and slaves. Ignoring the desperate pleas of Lucretia and Aemilia, she locks the doors behind her, sealing their fate as the rebellion unfolds inside.

Vengeance

At the start of Spartacus: Vengeance, Ilithyia appears to have shifted from her cunning, manipulative ways to the role of a neglected wife and expectant mother. However, the bloodshed and destruction she left behind at Batiatus’ Ludus—where she locked the inhabitants inside to die—have not been forgotten. As her husband’s interest in her fades, she finds herself increasingly vulnerable.

When Glaber launches his campaign against Spartacus, he orders Ilithyia to accompany him to Capua, forcing her to reside in the bloodstained ruins of the House of Batiatus. Soon after their arrival, she is shocked to discover Lucretia, who had been presumed dead for over a month. Though Lucretia appears to have lost her sanity and memory of the massacre, Ilithyia remains wary of her. Her unease deepens as Glaber exploits Lucretia to bolster his reputation among the people of Capua.

Determined to regain control over her fate, Ilithyia sets her sights on Varinius, a wealthy and influential Roman praetor. Seeking to sever ties with Glaber, she approaches her father to request the dissolution of her marriage. Though he has never cared for Glaber, he refuses. Undeterred, Ilithyia subtly signals her intentions to Varinius, who eagerly expresses his willingness to marry her.

Buoyed by this development, Ilithyia gleefully moves through the villa in search of her father—only to find him in bed with Lucretia. Enraged by what she sees as a betrayal, she hurls Lucretia to the floor, threatening to crush her skull just as she did to Licinia. It is then that Lucretia reveals she remembers everything. Ilithyia only relents when Lucretia claims she seduced her father to persuade him to grant the divorce. With their alliance rekindled, Ilithyia realizes that Lucretia—touted as a "gift from the Gods"—may be far more useful than she had anticipated.

As plans to dissolve her marriage move forward, Ilithyia decides to rid herself of Glaber’s unborn child as well. However, when the moment comes to drink the potion, she hesitates. Lucretia intervenes, warning that the potion will make her ill and cause prolonged bleeding, raising suspicion if she fails to attend the upcoming games.

Unbeknownst to Ilithyia, Ashur—acting on Lucretia’s suggestion, albeit with his own motives—reveals the existence of the potion to Glaber. Furious at the betrayal, Glaber forces Ilithyia to maintain appearances, joining her at the games for a final public display of unity.

While Glaber seethes, Ilithyia basks in the presence of Varinius in the pulpit, confident in her impending freedom. Her triumph is short-lived, as Spartacus sets the arena ablaze in a daring attempt to rescue his captured comrades. Amid the chaos, Ilithyia’s father is trapped beneath the collapsing structure. He is discovered by Glaber, who seizes the opportunity to eliminate the only man capable of granting Ilithyia’s divorce—brutally crushing his skull with a fallen beam before rejoining the survivors outside.

Glaber delivers the news of Ilithyia’s father’s death in front of Varinius and Lucretia, his voice cold and unyielding as he declares that she will remain his wife and bear his child. Ilithyia looks desperately to Varinius for support, but realizing he can do nothing, he abandons her, leaving her weeping on the floor.

In the days that follow, Ilithyia is disheveled and grief-stricken, adhering to the mourning custom of remaining unbathed. As her late father’s will is read aloud, she sits in silent sorrow, while Glaber, indifferent to her loss, focuses on his own schemes. When he sees her crying, he cruelly questions whether her tears are for her father or for her ruined ambitions. He then commands her to bathe, ignoring tradition, and warns that she must guard their child with her life—or he will kill her himself.

With her plans shattered, her husband’s love gone, and her life in constant peril, Ilithyia turns to Lucretia. Lucretia advises her to play the role of a dutiful wife and wait for the right moment to strike. Meanwhile, Glaber’s attention shifts to the young and alluring Seppia, whom he begins to favor. Seizing the opportunity, Lucretia devises a plan to convince Glaber that the Gods are displeased with Ilithyia’s presence in Capua and demand her departure. Fearful for his unborn child’s safety, Glaber agrees to send her away—though not in Lucretia’s company, as they had both hoped.

On her journey, Ilithyia’s carriage is ambushed by Gannicus, who slaughters her guards and takes her captive. She is brought before Spartacus as a potential means of ending his war with Glaber. Though heavily pregnant and in distress, she boldly claims that the child she carries is his. Spartacus hesitates, uncertain whether she is lying, but he is unable to bring himself to kill her. Mira, however, has no such reservations and moves to strike, only to be stopped by Spartacus.

Seeing an opportunity, Spartacus decides to use Ilithyia as a bargaining chip to secure weapons for the rebels. However, when he offers to trade her, Glaber coldly refuses, making it clear that he has no interest in her fate. Realizing that Ilithyia holds no value to him, Spartacus releases her into the wilderness. Before leaving, he tells her the truth—that Glaber had no intention of saving her. As she kneels in despair, he adds, "He does not love you, as I love my wife."

As Spartacus turns to walk away, Ilithyia calls after him in disbelief, "You let me live?"

Without looking back, he replies, "Do not think it in kindness."

Ilithyia is left alone, broken and crying in the dirt.

Ilithyia somehow manages to stumble back to the ludus, forcing the gates open before collapsing from exhaustion. When she awakens, she finds Glaber looming over her, demanding to know where Spartacus had kept her hidden. His interrogation irritates her, but soon she realizes something far more painful—she is not in their bedchambers. Her place beside Glaber has been usurped by Seppia. In a moment of vulnerability, she asks her husband if any love remains between them. Glaber, his voice cold and devoid of affection, tells her that only a monster stands before her, a monster she helped create.

The only one truly pleased by Ilithyia’s return is Lucretia, who warns her that Seppia has learned the truth about her brother’s murder. In response, Ilithyia confesses that the child she carries is Spartacus’, though she feels a strange sense of attachment to it. The two women soon conspire to rid themselves of Glaber, using Seppia’s thirst for vengeance as their weapon.

As Glaber relaxes in his bath, Seppia approaches and smashes his head with a jar. Before she can finish the deed with a knife, Ilithyia intervenes, taking the blade and swiftly stabbing Seppia in the chest before slitting her throat. Glaber, shocked that the wife he discarded has just saved his life, stares at her in disbelief. Ilithyia meets his gaze and tells him that they are both monsters. In that moment, their passion reignites, and they make love before Seppia’s lifeless body.

Later, Ilithyia and Lucretia travel to meet Glaber, with Ilithyia intending to persuade him to return to Rome so she can give birth there. Along the way, Lucretia confesses that she has been promised to Ashur, and together they begin plotting his demise.

Upon arriving, Ilithyia informs Glaber that it was Ashur who manipulated Seppia, giving her her brother’s bracelet and fueling her desire for vengeance. Enraged, Glaber sends Ashur on what he claims to be a mission to negotiate with Spartacus atop Mount Vesuvius—knowing full well that Ashur will not return. As expected, Ashur meets his end at the hands of Naevia.

With Ashur dead and their plans set in motion, Ilithyia and Lucretia return to the House of Batiatus to prepare for their departure. But just as Ilithyia moves to shove Lucretia off the villa’s edge, her water breaks.

The house is now empty, save for Ilithyia, her two slaves, and Lucretia. As the birth progresses, Lucretia suddenly turns on the slaves, killing them before turning her attention to Ilithyia. Without hesitation, she takes a knife and cuts the baby from Ilithyia’s womb.

Bleeding out, Ilithyia watches in horror as Lucretia cradles the newborn—a boy. Standing at the cliff’s edge, Lucretia gazes lovingly at the child, declaring that she and Batiatus finally have an heir. Then, with a serene smile, she steps backward and plunges off the cliff, taking the baby with her.

Ilithyia, her strength failing, crawls forward in a futile attempt to reach her child. But the effort is in vain. She collapses onto the ground, her life slipping away from the wounds inflicted upon her by Lucretia. With her final breath, she dies, robbed of everything she once sought to control.

Trivia

• Ilithyia was the twelfth main character to be killed.
• She was originally meant to die alongside Lucretia at the end of the first season, but the writers decided to extend their story for another season.
• Her father, Albinius, belonged to the Roman Gens Albinia, a political family tracing its lineage back to Lucius Albinius Paterculus, one of Rome’s earliest Tribunes of the Plebs. The name "Albinia" comes from the Latin Albus, meaning "white."
• Ilithyia’s name is derived from Eileithyia, the Greek goddess of childbirth.
• As Albinius’ daughter, her full Roman name would have been Albinia Ilithyia.