Maude Ivory is a brilliant singer and instrumentalist. Along with the Covey, she gives performances at the Hob every Saturday night and collects money at the end of it. It is during one of her performances that the murders of Mayfair Lipp and Billy Taupe occur.
Maude Ivory Baird Character Profile
- Name: Maude Ivory Baird
- Age: 8/9
- Gender: Female
- Place of origin: District 12
- Physical appearance: Short girl, wears bright dresses, has a wispy frame and a sweet squeaky voice
- Skills: Singing, dancing, playing drums and guitar
- Strengths: Charming, intuitive
- Weaknesses: Unknown
- Loyalties: Unknown
Personality and Physical Description
Having grown up in a musical family, Maude Ivory learned how to sing and play instruments at a young age. She picked up the skills of performing and was highly talented, thereby winning over the affection of the people of District 12. Maude Ivory was able to remember and replicate any song by hearing it just once. Bold and confident, she was also extremely skilled at engaging the attention of the audience.
Lucy Gray’s cousin Maude Ivory was bright, cheerful, and talkative. She had a sweet personality that everyone in the Covey was fond of. She was also highly intuitive as she was able to discern that Billy Taupe might take advantage of Sejanus’ sweet nature. Maude Ivory is described as a short girl who wears bright dresses during her performances. She has a wispy frame and a sweet, squeaky voice.
Maude Ivory Baird’s Early Life
“Did I ever go to District Two?” Maude Ivory asked. “No, baby, that’s out west. The Covey stayed more east,” Barb Azure told her. “Sometimes we went north,” said Tam Amber, and Coriolanus realized it was the first time he’d heard him speak. “To what district?” asked Coriolanus. “No district, really,” said Barb Azure. “Up where the Capitol didn’t care about.”
‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’
Maude Ivory is a young girl, about 8 or 9 years old. She is the cousin of Lucy Gray Baird and Barb Azure Baird and is a part of the singing group, the Covey. As a part of the Covey, Maude Ivory traveled around in her early life, visiting the eastern districts of Panem and entertaining the people with music and songs.
The Covey also spent some time in the north, where the Capitol did not have any influence. Finally, Maude Ivory and the Covey settled in District 12 after the Peacekeepers rounded them up and continued to give performances at a warehouse at the Hob.
After the 10th Hunger Games
“Maude Ivory doesn’t sleep well since they took me away. Seems fine during the day, then wakes up screaming at night,” confided Lucy Gray. “Trying to get some happy in her head.”
‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’
Lucy Gray Baird is chosen as a tribute in the 10th annual Hunger Games. Her mentor in the Games is 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow. She returns to the Covey after winning the Games, and the Covey begins to put on performances together once again. During these performances, Maude Ivory boldly makes the necessary introductions and helps to keep the audience engaged.
At one such performance that Coriolanus Snow attended, Maude Ivory sings a macabre yet funny song about a miner’s daughter who accidentally drowned. It seemed as if she had already sung this song before as many of the audience joined in on the chorus upon her invitation.
At the end of the performance by the Covey, Maude Ivory goes around with a basket collecting money from the audience. She is delighted to receive homemade popcorn balls from Coriolanus and later alerts Lucy Gray to the presence of Coriolanus in the room. Later, Billy Taupe, Lucy Gray’s ex-boyfriend, shows up after the performance and Maude Ivory stands up for Lucy Gray and orders Billy Taupe to leave.
Maude Ivory and Coriolanus Snow
When they visit her house, Maude Ivory becomes acquainted with Coriolanus Snow and Sejanus Plinth. The two of them find her cracking nuts and singing while wearing an old drab dress. Sejanus keeps her company while Coriolanus and Lucy Gray spend time in the meadow. However, Sejanus meets with Billy Taupe once again and he is therefore unable to keep his promise of helping Maude Ivory crack nuts. Later, Maude Ivory teaches Sejanus how to milk the goat, Shamus, while the rest of the Covey try to make butter from the milk to bring more joy to Maude Ivory’s life and help her sleep better at night.
Later that afternoon, Maude Ivory performs along with the Covey at the engagement of the butcher’s daughter. The Covey performs at the Hob the next Saturday once again and Coriolanus pays Maude Ivory with Ma Plinth’s popcorn balls once again. In exchange, Maude Ivory sings ‘The Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird.’
Coriolanus and Sejanus visit the Covey once again at their house. They hike to the lake with Maude Ivory and the Covey, during which Maude Ivory complains that her shoes are too small for her feet. Sejanus, Coriolanus, and the Covey then carry her to the lake while she speculates about the fate of the protagonist in Lucy Gray’s ballad.
Upon reaching the lake, Maude Ivory takes Coriolanus and Sejanus berry-picking. She explains the etymology of the names of the members of the Covey to them and later takes a nap. The rest of the Covey indulge her, with Clerk Carmine giving her a beautiful blue feather to adorn her hair with. After her nap, Maude Ivory goes with Tam Amber to the Hob to exchange the berries for new shoes.
Maude Ivory and the Murders at the Hob
Maude Ivory continues to captivate the audience with her sing-alongs at the Hob. During one such performance, Mayfair Lipp and Billy Taupe are murdered in a scuffle. Maude Ivory is the one to find the bodies and screams hysterically upon seeing them.
The Covey performs once again at the quarters of the Peacekeepers to celebrate Commander Hoff’s birthday. Maude Ivory appears in a buttercup yellow dress and engages the audience in singing a birthday song for him. Later, due to the stirring performance given by Lucy Gray at the birthday party, the new Commander decides to ban the Covey’s music to prevent any rebellious sentiments from arising out of their music.
The Covey is, therefore, out of employment. Maude Ivory presumably makes a living by foraging and selling goat’s milk until she is old enough to begin working at the mines.
Maude Ivory’s Name
“Maude” comes from Christina Rosetti’s poem, “Maude Claire”. Much like the other members of the Covey, Maude Ivory’s middle name is a color. It is also the material used to make piano keys. “Baird” is similar to the word “bard”, which is a fitting name for Maude Ivory as she tells stories through songs. “Baird” also sounds like a “bird,” which Covey is constantly compared to in the novel.
FAQs
What movie is Maude Ivory in?
Actress Vaughan Reilly plays Maude Ivory Baird in the Lionsgate film by director Francis Lawrence, ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ The movie stars Tom Blyth as young Coriolanus Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird. The other cast members include Athena Strates, Luna Kuse, Dimitri Abold, Dakota Shapiro, George Somner, Cooper Dillon, Irene Boehm, Kjell Brutscheidt, Mackenzie Lansing, Ashley Liao, Max Raphael, Hunter Schafer, and Jason Schwartzman.
Are Maude Ivory and Katniss related?
Maude Ivory from the Hunger Games prequel, ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,’ might be related to Katniss Everdeen. Fans speculate that she is Katniss’s grandmother and the mother of Katniss’s father. This rumor is due to Maude Ivory’s connection to the Seam, the Hanging Tree, and Mockingjays, all of which are related to Katniss in the Hunger Games trilogy.
How do we know Maude Ivory is Katniss’ grandmother?
Fans speculate that Maude Ivory is Katniss’ grandmother. This is because of Maude Ivory’s talent of being able to pick up a tune just by hearing it once, similar to Katniss and her father. Further, the similarities between the place where Maude Ivory grew up and the place where Katniss Everdeen grew up reinforces this theory.
