Bana (DC)

The Bana are a sect that feature in DC Comics.

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)

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)

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:
• Wonder Woman v5:

External Link

• Comicvine Entry

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