Bana-Mighdall

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Two Amazon Queens, Hippolyta and Antiope, split the Amazon nation three-thousand years ago. Hippolyta's tribe traveled to the isolated island of Themyscira to live immortal lives and to protect the doorway to the Underworld called [[Doom's Do

Bana-Mighdall
Gallery
Official Name	Bana-Mighdall
Location Details
Universe	New Earth
Planet	Earth
Country	Egypt
Locale	Themyscira
Creators	George Pérez
First Appearance	Wonder Woman Vol 2 #29 (April, 1989)

History

Two Amazon Queens, Hippolyta and Antiope, split the Amazon nation three-thousand years ago. Hippolyta's tribe traveled to the isolated island of Themyscira to live immortal lives and to protect the doorway to the Underworld called Doom's Doorway. Antiope's tribe was never given immortality and was forced to mate with common men in order to guarantee their tribe's survival. They migrated from Greece to various European and Middle Eastern countries before finally settling in Egypt. As Antiope and her tribe had renounced the Gods of Olympus once the two Queens parted ways, they eventually began to assimilate various religions and goddesses from the many lands to which they traveled. It was in Egypt that they finally built the city of Bana-Mighdall, which in their language translates to The Temple of Women.

The city was magically protected, when one of their new goddesses created a powerfully consistent sandstorm to surround and protect their city from "ariadnas," any outsiders who could not be trusted. It also was shown to suppress the powers of outside gods.

Eventually, in the 20th century, the Amazon Princess Diana of Themyscira, also known as Wonder Woman, accidentally found the city of Bana-Mighdall while searching for the villain the Cheetah. A battle took place between her and the Bana-Mighdallian's chief warrior or Shim'Tar. Soon an enraged Olympian god Hermes, who was in love with Diana, took vengeance on the desert Amazons for attacking his beloved, and the city of Bana-Mighdall was destroyed. It was decided by the remaining Amazons that since the Themyscirian princess was the initial cause of their city being destroyed, they would take over her Amazon city in lieu of their own.

During the attack on Themyscira, the witch Circe teleported the island into a dimension of demons in order for both tribes to be destroyed. The two tribes stopped their private war to fight the demons. Wonder Woman learned about Circe's spell and had the island returned.

After Themyscira was put back into place the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall were offered the most desolate section of the island to live upon by Queen Hippolyta as thanks for their aid against the demons. A section of the Banas, who still held animosity toward Hippolyta and her Amazons, refused and returned to Man's World. The Banas who agreed to live among the Themyscirian Amazons agreed and created their own city. They christened the city Bana-Mighdall in honor of their former city in Egypt. Civil war broke out between the two groups of Amazons due to their shared animosity. The Amazon Artemis had to take up the title of Shim'Tar and join Wonder Woman in guiding both tribes to peaceful negotiations. Queen Hippolyta and Princess Diana eventually renounced their crowns, thus ending the war and leaving the island without a structured government. It was later decided that General Phillipus of the Themysciran Royal Guard and Artemis would be co-rulers of the island, under the titles of Supreme Grand Chancellors.

During Our Worlds At War, the island of Themyscira was destroyed and thus, both Amazon cities no longer physically existed. Wanting to put past angers aside, Artemis and Philippus unified the tribes by rebuilding one city on the remains of the islands for everyone to live in.

Rogue tribe

During the event known as Amazons Attack, an off-shoot tribe of Bana Amazons revealed itself. The tribe is led by an Amazon named Karna, whose lieutenant is named Magda. The new technologically advanced, dark-skinned tribe of Amazons carry out violent acts of terrorism across America that have not been approved by war general Hippolyta. The new sect attempts to recruit various female metahumans and villains, such as Grace and Catwoman, to join their tribe. The rogue Bana Amazons use their fighting skills and knowledge of technology to destroy male oppressors. They consider the Themyscirian Amazons and their former Bana sisters who have joined with them to be their enemies. At the conclusion of the war, New God and extraterrestrial supervillain Granny Goodness capture the entire Themyscirian and Bana Amazon population, with the exceptions of Wonder Woman, Troia, Wonder Girl, Nu'Bia, Mercy and Grace Choi. She then erases their memories, replacing them with false personas, and scatters them throughout the world where they live as ordinary humans.

Ritual

Tournament of the Crown

If an Amazon wishes to replace the existing seated Queen of Bana-Mighdall, she can call for a Tournament of the Crown. When this happens, the Queen and the challenger must duel in a life or death battle. In one case, a herald named Faruka was used to announce the challenge between regent queen Nehebka and Shim'Tar.

Royal death

It is custom for the Bana-Mighdallian queen (upon her death) to have her head severed, preserved and placed upon a spike. The spike is then placed in a tome of the dead, which contains the perfectly preserved heads of all previous queens throughout the centuries. All of the heads are then pointed to look in the same unknown direction with their eyes opened wide.

Deities

Unlike their distant Themyscirian Amazon cousins, the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall do not worship the Greek gods. Renoucing them millennia ago, the tribe instead worship a combination of Egyptian and middle eastern deities. The main circle of gods worshipped are: Isis (wisdom and magic), Mammitu (judgment bringer), Bast (nature and feminine), and Neith (mother figure and protection). These gods were shown to have integrated themselves with the Olympians once the two Amazon tribes agreed to unify the Amazon nation. Though these are the central gods in their belief system, less significant gods have been shown to be part of their godly pantheon, such as Sekhmet (war goddess), Thoth (their only known male god) and possibly Ishtar (love goddess).

Present state of the city

Per usual, the island continues to be reconstructed after each attack Man's World inflicts upon the Amazons. Despite this, the Themyscirian and Bana-Mighdallian Amazons continue to merge both cultures together into one city for both tribes to live in.

Residents

Antiope, Phthia, Queen Anahid, Nehebka, Faruka, Kadesha-Banu, Batiri, Artemis, Patrice, Nuscia, Mala, Trigona, Anaya, Falizia, Laris, Sashina, Ratira, Kaleeza Fashed, Akila, and Bitari. Lex Luthor's bodyguards Hope and Mercy may be Amazons of Bana-Mighdall; in 52 Mercy threatened to "go Themysciran" on someone.

The leader of the rogue Bana claims that Grace Choi has Bana DNA.

See Also

• Appearances of Bana-Mighdall
• Location Gallery: Bana-Mighdall
  
• Catalogued images related to Bana-Mighdall