Umbran Elder

"THE SHADOW REMAINS CAST!!"

- The Elder yells When clicking yes to continue The Umbran Elder was the leader of the Umbra Witches 500 years before the events of Bayonetta. She spoke fluent Enochian and was in charge of her clan's formal aspects.

Bayonetta
The Umbran Elder appears in the Title Screen in a cutscene, talking about what was meant to be done with Rosa and Cereza. She was responsible for punishing Rosa after she and her husband, a Lumen Sage named Balder, conceived a child together, thus breaking the rules of their respective clans. The Umbran Elder declared that Rosa would be imprisoned for eternity; the witch's daughter, meanwhile, would be forced to live as an outcast and forbidden to practice the dark arts.

The Umbran Elder later presided over Jeanne's initiation ceremony; she was surprised when the lower-ranking Umbra Witch selected Rosa's ostracized child as the opponent against whom she would prove her skills. Believing the outcast's impure blood would violate the tenets of her clan, the Umbran Elder attempted to prevent Jeanne from facing her. However, Jeanne declared that she and the outcast had fought once before.

Bayonetta: Bloody Fate
The Umbran Elder is depicted alongside her Lumen counterpart on a stained glass window. As Bayonetta's memories return, the Umbran Elder makes an appearance in several of the witch's flashbacks.

It is revealed that the Umbran Elder was killed during the Witch Hunts; her corpse was one of many littering the streets of Vigrid.

Appearance
The Umbran Elder wears a long, black dress and cape with a crescent moon-shaped collar. A headdress covers a majority of the Umbran Elder's head and face; purple gloves cover her hands. Like Bayonetta and Jeanne, the Umbran Elder wears glasses.

Trivia

 * The Umbran Elder was originally one of the intended to serve as the narrator of the opening portion of Bayonetta, the others being Rodin, Luka, Enzo, and Balder; she was replaced by Antonio Redgrave. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A143770C60D95B8
 * Jenny O'Hara and Reiko Suzuki voice the Umbran Elder in the English and Japanese versions of Bayonetta, respectively.

Speculation

 * (Note: The material contained within this section is purely speculative, thus it is not part of the official Bayonetta canon.)

Since Jeanne is described as being the heir to her clan of Umbra Witches, rather than being chosen to be its new leader, it is theorized that she is the Umbran Elder's daughter (or, at least, her relative).

As it is theorized that Jeanne is truly Joan of Arc (the two share birthdays and names; "Joan of Arc" is an English variation of "Jeanne d'Arc", as well), it is possible the Umbran Elder's true name is "Isabelle Romée", as this was the name of Joan of Arc's mother.