Libba's Powers In Motherland: Fort Salem Explained

Imagine that powerful witches actually exist, and that they live in comparative peace with non-powered civilians ... only, there's one catch. They still have all sorts of magic powers, and the U.S. Army uses them as an elite fighting force. Such is the premise of the Freeform supernatural drama "Motherland: Fort Salem," in which a trio of young witches begin their military service in the titular military compound. 

Though the show's setting is military-driven, the ages-old grudges and feuds between witch families still exist. As such, one of the main characters, Abigail Bellweather (Ashley Nicole Williams), is less than thrilled to find out that a member of a long-standing rival family is also enlisted at Fort Salem. Libba Swythe (Sarah Yarkin of "Single Parents" and "American Horror Story" fame) initially establishes herself as something of an antagonist, thanks to her ambition, cool demeanor, considerable military prowess ... and a penchant for calling Abigail's family "Bedwetters."  

Without spoiling anything, Libba goes through considerable character development during the show's first season, and viewers also get a peek at her power set. Speaking of which, let's take a closer look at Libba's powers in "Motherland: Fort Salem." 

Being a witch in the "Motherland: Fort Salem" universe, as well as a member of a well-known High Atlantic family, Libba Swythe has the ability to use "work." This is a witch's ability to create mystical sounds that cause all sorts of magical effects. 

There are dozens of different ways to use this ability, and different witches tend to specialize in different things. Libba's skills seems to be largely air-themed, seeing as you mostly see her using the Fort Salem basic techniques Windshear — a defensive shield — and Windstrike — a powerful air blast. She's also very adept at levitation techniques, and proficient at other tools at Fort Salem trainees' disposal. To top it all off, she's also extremely athletic and physically capable. 

Due to Libba's comparatively few appearances in the show's Season 1, the true extent of her powers may well be unexplored. Characters of similar talent who receive more ample screen time display powers that range from Abigail's powerful "weather work" to Raelle Collar's (Taylor Hickson) healing and Tally Craven's (Jessica Sutton) scrying. Since some witch factions play their personal workings pretty close to the chest, it's also technically possible that Libba has knowledge of some Swythe-exclusive powers.