Margery Daw is a veteran Flame Haze who appears in the anime Shakugan no Shana. She is a tall, mature woman with very long blonde hair that she typically ties in a high ponytail, blue eyes, and rimless spectacles. Known by the titles Chanter of Elegies and Funeral Psalm Reciter, she is feared as one of the world's foremost sorcerous geniuses and one of the most ruthless killers of Crimson Denizens. Her background is tragic: in medieval times she was the daughter of a wealthy landlord, but after countless betrayals her father was killed and she was sold into a brothel. She once had the chance to take revenge on those who wronged her, but a powerful Crimson Denizen known as the Silver destroyed her enemies before she could, robbing her of her last reason to live. This fury attracted the attention of the Crimson Lord Marchosias, with whom she contracted to become a Flame Haze. For centuries, Margery lived solely for vengeance, slaughtering Denizens indiscriminately. Personality-wise, she is hard-drinking, foul-mouthed, and brawling, with a short temper, yet in combat she is coldly rational and highly strategic. In daily life she is lazy and has a bad habit of drinking heavily, but she carries an underlying intensity. Her motivation initially is revenge against the Silver, but over the course of the story she shifts from mere eradication of Denizens to fighting to protect the Balance, though she notes her skills are no less for this change. Her role in the story is as a supporting character and a powerful ally to the protagonist Shana, though early on she is introduced as a rival figure. She takes two human boys, Keisaku Sakai and Eita Tanaka, under her wing after saving their lives, and they look up to her as a mentor. Her key relationships include her contract partner Marchosias, who resides in the book Grimoire and with whom she exchanges bitter insults but shares a deep mutual trust; Keisaku Sakai, who grows from a subordinate to a love interest, ultimately giving her a new reason to live; Shana, whom she initially clashes with but later fights alongside; and Wilhelmina Carmel, an old acquaintance and fellow Flame Haze. In the light novels, Margery eventually confronts the Silver and learns that the Silver had been unknowingly acting on her own wish for revenge from her earlier miserable life. She is nearly killed by the Snake of the Festival, but recovers when Keisaku confesses his love and kisses her, allowing her to let go of her vengeance and embrace a new future. Her notable abilities stem from her mastery of the Power of Unrestraint. She uses the Divine Vessel Grimoire to channel Marchosias's will. Her primary combat style involves chanting improvisational poems of slaughter, which allow her to instantly construct and deploy complex spells. She also has the power to transform into a werewolf, enhancing her physical combat. She is considered one of the greatest natural talents among Flame Haze in the use of existence-based arts, and is capable of flight by riding on Grimoire.