Sheeda
The Sheeda are a species that feature in DC Comics.
Contents |
History
The Sheeda were native to the eternal summer's end on Sheeda-Side that was an unspeakable land that was basked by a vampire sun. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight v1 #1) They were actually native to Earth but developed in one billion years in the future. In this time period, their homeworld was a ransacked planet that slowly moved towards a blistering undead sun. The surging seas had boiled away that left behind abyssal hollows that were brimming with gloomy fog banks which were fifty miles high. (Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein v1 #4) Around 400,000 B.C., Neanderthal super-scientists that formed by the actions of the New Gods warriors Aurakles managed to craft a time engine in order to travel to the distant future. Once there, they encounter the Sheeda who scavenged the engine and reverse engineered it to travel back in time to harvest from history. Thus, the Sheeda began the first of their Harrowings of history where they emerged in the time of Aurakles and captured him whilst destroying the civilization he had forged. (Seven Soldiers of Victory v1 #1)
It was claimed that many times in Earth's history when a civilization had reached its peak then the Sheeda emerged in order to claim their harvest thus destroying the society. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight v1 #3) These events were known as Harrowings with one being done during the Arthurian era where Avalon was affected when Camelot fell to the Sheeda. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight v1 #1) Their actions led to them being regarded as myth with the Celts referring to them as the Sidhe who were said to be from the Other World. Other human civilizations had them within folk tales where they were regarded as fairies or little people. In time, they eventually became regarded in poems, stories and nursery rhymes where they became remembered as a race memory. (Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein v1 #4) A time displaced Mister Melmoth mated with numerous women at Roanoake many years ago which produced a race of hybrid offspring that inhabited a place called Limbo Town. (Seven Soldiers: Klarion v1 #4)
By the modern age, mankind did not believe the Sheeda were real. (Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein v1 #4) Around this time, Boss Darkside made a deal with the Sheeda whereby he allowed them to ravage a continent on Earth in exchange for the warrior Aurakles. (Seven Soldiers of Victory v1 #1)
After the Dark Multiverse crisis, the Sheeda were restored and looked to find a way back into the world to continue their Harrowing. This attracted the attention of the Manhattan Guardian who was investigating the scene at Challengers Mountain where he got captured leading to his comrades in the Seven Soldiers attempting to find him. (Sideways v1 #8)
Overview
They were not fairies or aliens but rather a future evolved version of mankind. The Sheeda were held as the pinnacle of natural selection with them being the last living species clinging to life of a dying Earth. It was said that their kind was born in order to survive. (Seven Soldiers of Victory v1 #1) It was said that the Sheeda-folk were born to cling fiercely to life in the most hostile of environments. They were able to interbreed with humans and produce hybrid offspring. (Seven Soldiers: Klarion v1 #4)
To survive, the Sheeda resorted to consuming their own history in order to survive. (Seven Soldiers of Victory v1 #1) Hunger drove their species that led to them seeking out hot fields that were areas in time which were rich in infrared emissions. These indicated the presence of a healthy culture that was ripe for a harvest. Entire nations were devoured by their kind with their rich treasures taken by them. Thus, the Sheeda stole their ideas, resources, fashions and technologies where they claim all their great accomplishments. They claimed that they were the result of humanity's evolution and became super-survivor organisms and were the end result of natural selection As such, they saw themselves as the winner in the savage and bloody struggle for planetary dominance. (Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein v1 #4) Sheeda often sought to torture and humiliate their victims that they did so in a customary fashion. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight v1 #4)
Their ranks included Fetchs that were changelings able to mask themselves as other individuals. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight v1 #1) The circus of Maggots were pale hairless bipedal creatures that were reared on dead flesh with their contagion spreading fast. These required hosts in order to mature and become spine riders that were small hand sized humanoids that were able to control other living beings by latching to the point behind the head. They were able to empower their hosts with telepathic abilities in order to further their spread. (Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein v1 #1) Among the creatures in their beastiary included Yeth-Hounds that were known to dig the corpses of defeated enemies from their graves. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight v1 #2) They also controlled the dead and turned them into cannibal zombies. (Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein v1 #4)
Royalty in the Sheeda were said to contain blue blood. (Seven Soldiers: Klarion v1 #4) The native language of the Sheeda was Croakspeak with words such as Croatoan translating to Fatherbox. (Seven Soldiers of Victory v1 #1)
Sheeda science was noted to be capable of studying the effects of magic and potentially breaking spells. The maze within Castle Revolving was made from the bones of their victims. This vessel contained a pool of green liquid that flowed through time itself. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight v1 #1)
Their invasion of earlier periods of Earth's history meant that the inhabitants normally had no defense against the weapons of the Sheeda. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight v1 #1)
Constructs created by them included a Mood 7 Mind Destroyer that were smoky black monstrous humanoids with six green eyes. They were capable of masking their appearance from others and only be visible to their target. Physical strikes could not hurt them and they killed their enemies with words. Thus, they did not attack their enemies through physical strength but rather mentally tormented them with words in order to break the spirit of their foe. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight v1 #2) For their Harrowing, the made use of time dreadnaughts that were used to go back in time and plunder history. (Seven Soldiers of Victory v1 #1)
Members
- Melmoth :
- Gloriana Tenebrae :
Notes
- The Sheeda were created by Grant Morrison where they made their first appearance in Seven Soldiers of Victory v1 #0 (April, 2005).
- In an interview with Grant Morrison, he explained that:
- "[These soldiers] are recruited into an apocalyptic battle with some ancient Enemies of Humanity, a race of beings called the Sheeda, who are familiar to us from folk tale and legend as 'the Unseelie Court', or the people of 'Faerie' among many other names," Morrison said. "Periodically, these Sheeda arrive like locusts in their millions in huge floating 'Castles' they use to 'harvest' civilizations which have reached their peak. The Sheeda ransack these cultures and take away their treasures, their achievements, their learning to enrich their own burned-out culture.
- The name is from the Irish Sidhe, pronounced 'Shee', as in banshee. The Sidhe were the Fairy Folk, the strange ones from the hills who haunt the old legends of so many cultures. I had a wild idea about what these legends might REALLY be describing and realised I'd found the perfect villains for this story. I based my portrayal of the Sheeda civilization itself on a dark, inverted Goth image of Queen Elizabeth 1's England. They're very evil, decadent and corrupt but as I say we don't reveal their TRUE nature and who they really are until later in the series. In FRANKENSTEIN! issue 4 in fact, 'Frankenstein vs. Fairyland'."
Appearances
- Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein v1 #1-4
- Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight v1 #1-4:
- Sideaways v1:
External Links
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