Is Lucy Gray Baird From ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Related to Katniss Everdeen From ‘The Hunger Games’?

Warning: This post contains multiple spoilers about The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes takes place more than six decades before the events of The Hunger Games, but some things just never change — like the fact that District 12's female tributes should not be underestimated. After meeting Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) in the newest franchise film, you might be wondering whether this songbird survivor is related to the other victor from the Seam, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence).

After all, they both have a gift for singing that captivates the masses — with Lucy, she and her Covey, a troupe of musicians, put on regular shows, so she's plenty practiced when it comes time to make a statement with her song at her nationally televised reaping ceremony. Katniss, meanwhile, manages to rile up the rebels in a key district during Mockingjay by singing "The Hanging Tree" in a timely propaganda video. 

They also share a similarly sardonic curtsy, and, of course, each reside in the coal mining district.

So, is Lucy Gray Baird related to Katniss Everdeen?

The short answer is: It's possible but unknown. 

In The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, we learn that Lucy Gray Baird is an orphan who has lost both parents earlier in life. She lives with a group of traveling musicians who were trapped in District 12 by the peacekeepers, which is how she was reaped for the 10th Hunger Games. Her one remaining family member is her cousin, Maude Ivory Baird, who performs alongside her in the Hob. 

Whether Lucy Gray Baird survives the end of the story in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a major question mark, but even if she did, her plans were to go North and escape the eyes of District 12. Again, neither of those things are shown, but what we do know from the ending of the story is that she was never found and certainly did not return to her home there.

Some fans theorize that Katniss could be related to Lucy's cousin Maude Ivory in some way, especially since she has the same delicate blonde hair as Katniss' maternal side. 

Although the film does not answer the question one way or another, there are a couple of winks to the fan theories that a familial connection between Lucy Gray and Katniss is possible.

While Lucy Gray is near the lake, she observes a cluster of picked katniss plants, which she compares to a swamp potato for its edibility, much the way Katniss in the Hunger Games books recalled being told that her namesake could save her from starvation. Lucy Gray also outright expresses a preference for the name Katniss, which means someone in her lineage could certainly be given the moniker based on her love for it. Maude, for one, would certainly be aware of her fondness for the name.

Wouldn't Katniss hear about it if her relative played in and survived a Hunger Games?

This is definitely a point in favor of there being no relation between Lucy Gray and Katniss because it seems that, yes, she might've heard about this before, especially considering how few victors ever emerged from District 12.

According to the book's 30th chapter, though, the disaster of the 10th Hunger Games, which saw multiple tributes and mentors killed, was all but erased from public consciousness by Dr. Volumnia Gaul. The footage was deleted, save for a single copy stored in the vault.

In theory, if Katniss was related to, say, Maude Ivory, she might still hear about Lucy Gray's little-known victory. However, by the time we meet Katniss, her mother is essentially catatonic after the loss of her father in the coal mines. So perhaps it's just one story that deliberately didn't get passed down through the generations, in order to protect the kids from association with a controversial figure? Or perhaps it's just a forgotten bit of history?

For now, despite some fans' hopes that the The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes film might directly address the question of the potential blood relationship between the Hunger Games' 10th and 74th victors, this is one that'll stay a mystery.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is in theaters now.