If you’ve finished The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, you probably have a lot of questions about the Covey. Most people focus on Lucy Gray Baird because she’s the one who broke Coriolanus Snow’s heart and basically ruined his capacity for human love. But honestly? The person you should really be watching is Maude Ivory.
She’s the youngest member of the group, a kid with a voice that can stop a room and a memory that’s honestly kind of terrifying. While the internet is obsessed with whether Lucy Gray lived or died in that forest, the real lore is hidden in the girl who stayed behind.
Who exactly is Maude Ivory?
Maude Ivory Baird is Lucy Gray’s cousin. In the book, she’s only about eight or nine years old during the 10th Hunger Games. She’s part of the Covey, a group of traveling musicians who aren’t technically "from" District 12 but got stuck there after the war when the borders were closed.
She’s not just a background character. She’s the heart of the band.
Lucy Gray explicitly says that Maude Ivory can hear a song once and never forget it. Not the lyrics, not the melody, not the rhythm. Nothing. This sounds like a cute character trait until you realize it’s the smoking gun for the biggest theory in the franchise.
The Katniss Connection: Why it’s probably not Lucy Gray
We’ve all heard the theories that Katniss is Lucy Gray’s granddaughter. It’s a nice thought. It makes the rebellion feel like a poetic circle of revenge. But it doesn't really work.
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Lucy Gray disappeared. If she survived the woods, she likely ended up in District 13 or living as a hermit. She didn't exactly have time to come back to District 12, start a family, and raise a son in the Seam without Snow—who became President—noticing.
Enter Maude Ivory.
Think about Katniss’s father. Mr. Everdeen was a man who knew the "forbidden" songs. He knew "The Hanging Tree," a song Lucy Gray wrote and only performed a handful of times before it was banned by the Capitol. He knew where the hidden lake was. He knew about the Katniss roots.
If Maude Ivory stayed in District 12, she is the only person who could have passed that specific, dangerous knowledge down to the next generation.
Evidence that stacks up:
- The Memory: Both Maude Ivory and Katniss share that "one-listen" musical memory.
- The Songbook: "The Hanging Tree" was a Covey secret. It wasn't on the radio. Maude would have known it by heart.
- The Lake: The Covey spent their Sundays at the lake. Katniss’s father taught her to swim there—a place most District 12 miners didn't even know existed.
- The Name: Lucy Gray loved the "Katniss" plant. It’s highly likely Maude Ivory remembered that love and suggested the name to her own children or grandchildren.
Vaughan Reilly, who played Maude Ivory in the film, brought a certain grit to the role that makes this even more believable. She wasn't just a "cute kid." She was a survivor who watched her family get torn apart.
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What happened after the 10th Games?
This is where things get a bit dark. We know from the original trilogy that by the time Katniss is a teenager, the Covey are gone. There are no colorful musicians performing at the Hob anymore.
History in District 12 is short. People die young. Between the mines and the Peacekeepers, life is brutal.
In the newest book, Sunrise on the Reaping (which covers Haymitch’s Games), we get more glimpses into the fate of these families. It’s heavily implied that the Covey eventually assimilated into the Seam. They traded their bright colors for the grey coal dust of the district.
If Maude Ivory is indeed Katniss's grandmother, her life was likely one of quiet rebellion. She couldn't sing the old songs in public, so she sang them in the woods. She couldn't wear the "Covey colors," so she passed down the stories of them instead.
Why Maude Ivory matters to the lore
Maude Ivory represents the "remnant." In any story about revolution, you have the big, flashy figures like Katniss or Lucy Gray who start the fire. But you also need the people who keep the embers warm.
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Without Maude, the music dies. If the music dies, the "The Hanging Tree" never becomes a rebel anthem 64 years later.
Snow thought he erased Lucy Gray. He thought he scrubbed her from the record books and killed anyone who cared about her. He missed the little girl in the buttercup-yellow dress who was memorizing every single note of his downfall.
What you should do next
If you want to spot the subtle nods yourself, go back and watch the scenes in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes where the Covey performs. Pay attention to how often Maude Ivory is the one leading the call-and-response.
Then, re-read the first Hunger Games book. Look at how Katniss describes her father’s singing. The connection isn't just a fan theory; it’s baked into the DNA of the world Suzanne Collins built.
Keep an eye out for more details in the upcoming Sunrise on the Reaping film adaptation as well. There are still many blank spaces in the Everdeen family tree, but all signs point to the smallest member of the Covey being the most important link in the chain.