Bana (DC)
The Bana are a sect that feature in DC Comics.
Contents |
History
Origin
The Bana
Circa 1200 B.C., the Amazons were created by a cabal of female Gods of Olympus to teach humanity the ways of righteousness and equality of the sexes. Brought to life from the souls of women whose lives had been cut short by the ignorance of men, the Amazons created a city-state in Greece called Themyscira. Two Amazons were dubbed sister-queens - Hippolyta and Antiope - and they have given the magic Girdles of Gaea as symbols of the trust the goddesses had placed in them. Tales of the courage and warrior skills of the mighty Amazons soon spread throughout Greece. Many, however, grew distrustful of this strange group of women who were said to have claimed to be superior to men, and began to spread negative rumors about the Amazons. Rather than carry on their mission, The Amazons withdrew into Themyscira and remained there until the day Herakles arrived with his army on a mission to steal Hippolyta's girdle. After being defeated in battle by Hippolyta, Herakles planned a banquet for the Amazons, at which Antiope became charmed by Theseus, the legendary Greek hero that had accompanied Herakles on his mission. (Wonder Woman v2 #1)
Antiope's Amazons fought many bloody battles in Patriarch's World, exacting revenge for their mistreatment at the hands of men. When Antiope and her army came to the kingdom of Thebes to kill the great Theseus, she was met with a heartfelt apology and a proclamation of love from her former captor. Initially distrustful, Antiope eventually learned to reciprocate the love of Theseus and married him - and her Amazons were integrated into the army of Thebes. Many Amazons were uneasy with the union - especially Phthia, former princess of Lemnos and Antiope's protégé. Disaster came soon after the celebrated birth of Antiope's son Hippolytus. Determined to cause discord between the Amazons and man, the malevolent witch-goddess Circe sought out Ariadne, the unstable first wife of Theseus who had been sent away upon his marriage to Antiope. She manipulated Ariadne's mind and magically transported her to Antiope's bed chamber to murder her while she slept. (Wonder Woman v2 #19) Phthia was accused of the crime and jailed by Theseus' men when she accused them of murdering her queen. This angered the other Amazons, who freed Phthia and fought with her to wreak their misguided revenge upon Theseus' men. After securing the Girdle of Gaea that Herakles had stolen, and much bloodshed, the 'Lost Tribe' of Amazons moved on from Greece, becoming a nomadic and barbarous group of marauders, determined never again to trust the likes of man. (Wonder Woman v2 #33)
After fighting with the Trojans against the Greeks in the Trojan War, the Amazons wandered for many years, eventually settling in the deserts of Egypt. There they built a great city of mosques and temples and called it Bana-Mighdall, which means "The Temple of Women" in the hybrid language of the lost tribe. The Amazons appealed to the goddesses of Egypt to grant them sanctuary, and their city became magically protected by a constant swirling sandstorm. Having renounced their immortality upon leaving Themyscira, the Amazons decided that the best way to continue their race was to kidnap men from surrounding cities for use in breeding. Captive men were kept in breeding stables like animals and only called upon when their reproductive services were of need. Male babies were killed, but the female babies would be raised in the increasingly violent and war-loving ways of Bana-Mighdall. Thus, the Amazons propagated themselves. They became expert weaponsmiths and dealt in arms trade with the world outside. The Bana-Mighdall Amazons became much feared, but their superior weapons were desired, and so an uneasy alliance was made between them and warring groups of men. When the industrial revolution changed the landscape of weaponry in the world outside Bana-Mighdall, the Amazons kept up, learning to manufacture firearms of the highest quality. Into the twenty-first century, most of the developing Arab world knew these Amazon marauders only as a legend. A brave or desperate few would seek out the ruthless mercenaries - for the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall always demanded a devastatingly high price for their services.
For thousands of years the Bana-Mighdall Amazons remained based in their isolated kingdom, remaining completely unknown to Hippolyta's Amazons, who had been relocated to the island of Themyscira over three millennia before. Each tribe of Amazons had assumed that the other group had perished. When Wonder Woman traveled to Egypt on the hunt for the The Cheetah, who had stolen her magic Lasso of Truth, she encountered the Bana-Mighdall Amazons, who had taken the lasso from the Cheetah and tried to kill Diana when she attempted to reclaim it. (Wonder Woman v2 #30)
When they did not manage to kill Wonder Woman, they brought her to their queen Anahid who also tried to kill the intruder - or "Ariadna" - with a highly lethal poison dart. They abandoned the dying Wonder Woman in their breeding stables, where she prayed to the Earth goddess Gaea for renewal. When Wonder Woman saved some Bana-Mighdall Amazons from death at the hands of the savage Cheetah, Queen Anahid, who had been mortally wounded, ordered her subjects to trust the outsider as her final command. A contest was held to choose a new queen, and the winner was a mysterious Amazon who was fitted with the armor of Shim'Tar and the powerful Girdle of Gaea, and designated as chief warrior and Queen of Bana-Mighdall. (Wonder Woman v2 #34)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Long ago, they were once Amazons that resided on Themyscira until a falling out came with Queen Hippolyta. As a result, a foremother and many of her followers decided to depart Paradise Island where they sought shelter with a different pantheon under a set number of terms. These Amazons made their journey where there was much sacrifice but ultimately they found their new home of Bana-Mighdall that was hidden behind a mystical sandstorm. The Amazons of Bana-Mighdall, however, faced aggression from the neighbouring nation of Qurac who believed the Bana had usurped their sacred homeworld. (Red Hood and the Outlaws v2 #8)
The criminal Rustam who was an outcast from the Quraci government managed to came upon the territory of the Bana who accepted him into their ranks. He told the ruling Queen Faruka II that Qurac had intended to invade the Bana-Mighdall thus provoking her into preparing for war. The Queen intended to use this as an opportunity to take over the country and forge an Amazon nation. (Wonder Woman v5 #54)
Overview
Members
- Atalanta :
- Phthia :
- Artemis :
- Akila :
- Faruka : a dark skinned female Amazon who served as the leader of Bana-Mighdall who intended to turn it into a state leading to her attempting to incite hostilities against the Quraci nation. (Wonder Woman v5 #54)
Notes
- The Bana were created by George Pérez and Chris Marrinan where they made their first appearance in Wonder Woman v2 #29 (April, 1989).
Appearances
- Wonder Woman v2: (1989)
- Wonder Woman v5:
External Link
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