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"The Witch On The Island": Diana finds herself an utterly helpless prisoner on Circe's island fortress. Though she makes several escape attempts, none can overcome the Witch-Goddess's powerful magics. The Amazon Princess remains in chains, with little choice but to watch as her own execution is

Quote1 I am your reflection in a warped mirror. This world is not big enough for both of us. Quote2
Circe

Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #19 is an issue of the series Wonder Woman (Volume 2) with a cover date of August, 1988.

Synopsis for "The Witch On The Island"

Diana finds herself an utterly helpless prisoner on Circe's island fortress. Though she makes several escape attempts, none can overcome the Witch-Goddess's powerful magics. The Amazon Princess remains in chains, with little choice but to watch as her own execution is prepared - and listen to Circe's gloating explanations of why she must die.

Millennia ago, Olympus' Witch-Goddess was Hecate, who had helped Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades overthrow Cronus and hid Earth's presence from Gods warring elsewhere the Universe. As reward, she had been wed to Hades, who eventually tired of her and took a new bride. Betrayed and deserted (on Hera's orders) by all the other Gods of Olympus, Hecate sought revenge - and found the perfect vehicle in Circe, then only a mortal sorceress banished from her own country.[1]

The two exiles made a pact that destroyed Hecate's body and Circe's soul, while binding Hecate's soul to Circe's body. Reborn as a true Goddess, Circe proceeded to spread chaos and misery worldwide, taking special care to poison relations between the sexes. Thus did she become a sworn enemy of the Amazons and their message of peace and equality; thus did she relish the sack of Old Themyscira and Antiope's founding of a new, separatist tribe; thus did she scorn the rekindling love between Antiope and Theseus, and manipulate Theseus' once-lover Ariadne into killing Antiope.[2] But never did she forget the prophecy Hecate uttered in the pact's final moments:

"Upon the death of witch and the birth of witch, Hecate, by name and choice, shall repossess her soul."

Circe goes on to explain that Diana's very existence has crippled her influence, and spurred many of her "subjects" into outright rebellion. From this, the Witch-Goddess reasons that she and Diana are the subjects of Hecate's prophecy - that her own death is imminent, and Hecate's soul plans to possess Diana next. To save herself, Circe has prepared the Nostrum of Regression, a potion which will revert Diana's body to clay and thus deny Hecate's soul any host besides Circe herself.

Meanwhile, Julia finds and rescues Vanessa, and joins the anti-Circe resistance upon learning of Diana's fate. Working frantically, she translates the rest of Circe's scroll and realizes its true power lies in its cord - a moly root. Armed with the moly and the Lasso of Truth, Julia leads the rest of the rebels on an invasion of Circe's island, interrupting the Witch-Goddess mere seconds before the Nostrum can be poured. With her captor distracted, Diana regains the lasso and frees herself.

Unfortunately, the moly only protects Julia from hostile magics, not the bestiamorphs' brute strength. In addition, Diana is reluctant to attack Circe for fear of freeing - and being claimed by - Hecate's soul. Before Circe can press these advantages, however, a mysterious light spirits her, her castle, and her minions away. Diana and Julia are left standing in bewilderment, the surviving rebels hailing them as liberators; none are aware the light had been Hermes, intervening out of gratitude to Diana and disgust with his fellow Gods' failure to keep Circe in check.

One week later, with peace restored to Cephalonia and Stavros steadily recovering, Diana and the Kapatelises prepare to return to the United States. Diana and Julia remain uneasy about Circe's fate, but Vanessa soon finds something much more alarming: a newspaper headlining the death of Myndi Mayer.

Appearing in "The Witch On The Island"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Circe (Flashback and main story) (Origin)
  • Cronus (Flashback only) (Appears only as a corpse)
  • Hecate (First appearance) (Flashback and main story) (Behind the scenes)
  • Ariadne (Flashback only) (Behind the scenes)

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:



Notes



See Also


Links and References

  1. According to some sources, the mythological Circe was Hecate's daughter.
  2. The mythological Antiope did wed Theseus, but died - depending on the source - at either his hands or those of a fellow Amazon.
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