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| As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
I've lived a long time, but I can be killed. I know I can. My quest would make no sense if there weren't terrible risks. If there wasn't... pain. 
- — Shining Knight src
The Shining Knight is an immortal warrior from Arthurian times who was a member of the Demon Knights.
History
Thousands of years ago, in the time of Artus, the Bear King, there lived a young squire named Ystin with two spirits - one male, one female. When Camelot fell, young Ystin was impaled on a tree with a spear, and thus might have ended their story. However, the wizard Merlin intervened. Intrigued by Ystin's dual nature, Merlin revived them with a sip from the Holy Grail, granting them a measure of immortality before departing the battlefield. When Ystin came to, they remembered nothing of their encounter with Merlin, and so vowed to find those responsible for the fall of Camelot.
Together with their trusty flying horse Vanguard, Ystin embarked on a long quest, travelling the world and righting wrongs where they found them. Some centuries later, while sleeping beneath the roots of the World Tree, Ystin inadvertently drank water that had passed through the tree, granting them a vision of Merlin, who explained to them that he had chosen them to find the Holy Grail, which Merlin had thrown into the future for safekeeping. Though Merlin warned that the quest for the Grail would be long and painful, Ystin agreed to undertake it.[2]
Sometime much later, Ystin's quest brought them to the village of Little Spring, where they were caught in the middle of a siege by the Questing Queen.[3] Together with Jason Blood, Madame Xanadu, Vandal Savage, Exoristos, Al Jabr and the Horsewoman, Shining Knight attempted to repel the invading army until help arrived from nearby Alba Sarum, but the village fell and many of the villagers died.[4]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Immortality: Blessed by Merlin, Ystin is the last of their line of knights and gifted with the ability to live on to carry out their quest to find the Holy Grail.
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Transportation
Weapons
Notes
- Shining Knight (Ystina) was created by Grant Morrison and Simone Bianchi, first appearing in Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #1. However, in the Prime Earth continuity, Shining Knight (Ystina) first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in Demon Knights #1 by Paul Cornell and Diogenes Neves.
Trivia
- It was initially assumed that Ystin was a girl who adjusted her name and fashion to pretend she was a boy because girls could not become knights.[3] It was later established that Ystin identified themselves as "not just a man or a woman. I'm both".[5]
- Ystin claims to have drunk from the Holy Grail[6] multiple times and that it tastes better than you imagine.[7]
Related
- 46 Appearances of Ystin (Prime Earth)
- 13 Images featuring Ystin (Prime Earth)
- 3 Quotations by or about Ystin (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Ystin (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
  This character is or was a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, or the Seven Soldiers in any of its various incarnations, created during World War II and later, it returned to battle time-traveling, dimension-spanning mysteries and monsters. |