Board Thread:General Grimm Discussion/@comment-25875828-20141216203549/@comment-69.91.87.55-20150304061127

Ok, here's my theory on hexenbiests. We all know that female mammals, humans included, have two X chromosomes. What is less well known or, at least I forgot it if I learned this during my genetics class ages ago, is that only one X chromosome is active in each cell of the adult femaie's body. Early in development, one X chromosome in each cell becomes deactivated and remains deactivated in all of the daughter cells spawned by that cell. This accounts, for instance, for the tortoise-shell coat pattern in female cats but, I digress. I forget the technical term for it but, the process of X-inactivation basically involves one of the X-chromosomes becoming so tightly bound to its histone proteins that the genes on that chromosome can no longer be expressed.

So, my guess is that what makes a hexenbiest is that they have portions of both X chromosomes active in at least some parts of their bodies. Since a large proportion of the genes on the X chromosome code for neural function, this would explain their high intelligence, as manifest in their ability to create all of those potions and spells. It could also account for their telekinetic abiliities. The brain waves of a normal human being are too weak and of too low a frequency to generate appreciable electromagnetic radiaton but the supercharged brain activiity of the hexenbiest does the trick. You can actually see this in Juliette's eyes when she woges. They are churning with flecks of light which I surmise reflects the seething activity in her brain. It's a really cool effect!

Now, normally one X chromosome is turned off for good reason. If both X chromosomes are active, certain enzymes are over-produced and can have deleterious effects. I suspect this accounts for some of the unfortunate side effects of hexenbiest-hood - the rotting flesh and such. I also think this could be the key to why hexenbiests that are made are more powerful than those that are born. Since the normal process of X-inactivation is interrupted in a woman who is a born hexenbiest, there are probably side-effects which limit the full expression of her abilities. Certain mental abilities are enhanced but, other aspects of their neural development are adversely affected. In Juliette's case, however, she has a fully developed normal adult brain so that when the transformation turned on her heightened hexenbiest mental functioning she had a stronger base to start from.

As to how the transformation takes place, when Adalind lost her powers after swallowing Nick's blood, it was probably because there was some agent in his "blood" which catalyzed the normal X-inactivation process and caused Adalind's extra hexenbiest X chromosomal activity to be turned off. Adalind never really stopped being a hexenbiest, her abilities were just suppressed. The hexenbiest spirit leaving her body was just a release of energy of some sort. I think it's significant that Adalind had to be pregnant during the ritual that allowed her to regain her powers. I suspect the process somehow extracted a factor from the pluripotent cells of her developing fetus which neutralized the factor from Nick's blood and allowed her hexenbiest genes to be reactivated. As an aside, I think much of that ritual was suprefluous. It was partly tradition, based on the fact that the process was developed at a time when no one really understood genetics, and partly just plain old hazing, which the gypsy woman no doubt enjoy administering since she clearly had a sadistic streak!

When Adalind underwent the entwining twin spell, her DNA was partially combined with Juliette's DNA, and then when Juliette underwent the spell the hexenbiest functionality was passed to her. And, by the way, since Adalind had gone through the process which neutralized the factor from Nick's blood, the hexenbiest factor(s) which she passed to Juliette were already immunized against the effect of a Grimm's blood. So, not only is Juliette more powerful than a born hexenbiest because of her greater baseline neural integrity, but in addition the factors producing the expression of her hexenbiestiality are fortified against degradation. Hence the result that when Henrietta tested her blood it failed to syncretize, meaning it was immune to all known counteragents.

I do suspect, as Syscrash53 discusses above, that something in Juliette's genetic makeup predisposed her to be susceptible to the hexenbiest transformation and that not all humans who underwent the entwining twin spell would be permanently transformed. Perhaps Juliette had a great, great, great aunt who was a hexenbiest and therefore she had just enough of a genetic affinity to hexenbiests to allow the process to take hold. It could even be that her aunt was murdered by a Grimm during the time of the Salem witch trials and Juiiette's somewhat irrartional fear of being killed by Nick could be the result of a sort of hexenbiest collective unconsciouss. That would be in keeping with the Jungian theme that the show sometimes expresses.

Well, all any of this proves of course is that I have too much time on my hands!! Peace!!