The person in the Woden-like suit from issue #14 is the Creature from the 1831 special.
- This one is a bit far-fetched, but there is a certain symmetry in having Woden guard a possibly-immortal copy of a previous Woden. Also, the "horns" are pretty similar and have similar shades of blue.
- Jossed. That person is actually Jon Blake/Mimir.
- Double-Jossed. The Creature is what the 1920s Pantheon captured and is now being used by Minverananke to generate the Great Darkness.
Inanna is still alive, and was in league with Ananke from the start.
- Did anyone notice those tellingly purple stars at the end of the flashback in issue #28, which appeared in front of the letter Ananke addressed to somebody vague? Also, the section was titled "Baddies", as in more than one bad guy involved.
- Confirmed that Inanna is alive. Jossed on being Ananke's ally though.
The Great Darkness that Ananke spoke about is Persephone.
- After all, Ananke really wanted to dispose of her, and her powers help the 'baddies' grow.
- Jossed. While the Great Darkness is made of similar energies to Persphone’s, the Creature generates the Great Darkness.
The Great Darkness is internal.
- The Pantheon, at the end of their two year life cycles all degrade mentally and physically. Their powers/miracles either burn them out at an accelerated rate, or Godhood simply cannot be contained by human bodies. Persephone, as the latest of the conversions, is bringing about their doom related to the previous troper theory.
- This actually does explain why they always last two years and why Ananke is so keen on making sure that they are all dead, as well as Lucifer's complete breakdown in 455.
Woden isn't Jon Blake, but David Blake.
Sappho was a goddess.
- This is just a headcanon for fun, but she was a mythic Ambiguously Gay female poet, and the mix of art and sexuality is the kind of stuff this comic is known for.
The gods are ideas rather than Reincarnations, like Miang.
- The gods aren't the same person every time they incarnate, but their 'personalities' do tend to influence their current host bodies (ie, how Lucifer always tends to rebel and how Urdr was "always a difficult one"). Every person has the "potential" to become a member of the Pantheon, but some are more likely than others. Ananke only awakens the people who have the most potential to become Gods - within the "prime of their lives" so to speak. thus old people wouldn't become gods, based upon the 1830 pantheon it seems they are at most maybe in their mid to late twenties or early thirties? This is also why David Blake isn't a god, but his son is. And this also leads to...
Ananke is much more like Miang than the other gods - as Ananke must be present at all times.
- Massive Issue 33 spoilers! Ananke apparently took over Minerva's body. Thus, Ananke isn't bound by flesh, but has to be able to act upon the world in a flesh-and-blood form, so she takes over peoples' bodies if she's killed or dies through some natural cause (ie, a hurricane or an earthquake). Ananke always ends up aging so she looks the same each time - much like how Miang alters all her host bodies by turning their hair indigo. Thus, the Ananke Persephone killed isn't even the original Ananke, but her current incarnation. However, in contrast to Miang, who has little to no control over her next host, Ananke can choose her host body, so she chose Minerva to keep close to the Pantheon. By the time the 2100s pantheon comes about (assuming this didn't cause a delay) Minerva!Ananke will resemble the same old woman we're used to.
- I think this one is kinda Jossed.
The series will end (not including specials and epilogue chapters) in 2016.
Because come on, 2016 had a lot of celebrity deaths.
The last ones standing will be Urdr - possibly Baphomet. Persephone, "Minerva", and "Woden" will also be still standing at the end.
Confirmed with
Urdr/Cassandra and Persephone. Jossed with
Baphomet/Cameron, Minerva and Woden/David.Baal will be killed by "Minerva" who will then try to set Persephone up as the fall girl.
Jossed.
Valentine committed Murder-Suicide with Minerva.Minerva's in every recurrence because she's Ananke - or rather, Ananke is really Minerva.
Confirmed.
There are a lot of people who could become Gods - Ananke just chooses the twelve most worthy candidates.
Ananke's talk with Laura and the fact that the 1830s Inanna had to ask to be ascended imply that there are more than twelve potential candidates (this also includes people who are part of a group - ie the norns or the Sisters of the Parsonage.)
The Sisters of the Parsonage were actually the Moirai.
Just because hey, there are recurring members of the Recurrence... but the Greek versions of the Norns would be fitting, too.
After the events of Lake Geneva, Woden can no longer reincarnate.
In both the 1923 and 2014 Pantheons, Woden
has been a fraud using Mimir's powers to be a god. When 1831!Woden confronted the creature that Lucifer raised, she imbued it with her power. The same creature is implied to be what 1923!Woden was
holding captive in the basement of the lighthouse, along with Mimir. It could be that when 1831!Woden infused herself into the creature, she, like Ananke, removed herself from the cycle of the recurrences, which is why both successive Wodens have been frauds.Khnum/Khnemu was in the 16th century Pantheon.
To inspire all the renaissance era sculptures of course!
Minerva didn't get taken over by Ananke, but was consumed by the Great Darkness - Ananke merely took her place as a duplicate.
Jossed.
Mimir is only in his early teens.
It's one reason why Woden seemed kind of adverse to letting Minerva die.
cause his son is probably only 13-15.Con-fucking-firmed.
The old woman, Ananke's "sister" we saw is either Lucifer or Minerva
After all she explained that
her god always awakens. The two gods we have seen in
every pantheon are Lucifer and Minerva. And in the 1831 Pantheon.... we only heard of
eleven. Obviously that twelfth could be Minerva.
It would also be inclined as to why she's always so anxious to kill off Minerva and Lucifer every time.But she might also be... Persephone
MASSIVE spoilers!
She mentions her god is always there and is the last. Who was the last? Persephone. She's so far the only Persephone we know, and Ananke tried to kill her ASAP. Because Laura's the incarnation of her sister and possibly a descendent. Ananke always feels foolish that it's taken a long time to find her because she's used to hunting down Persephone.
- There's also an unknown goddess in the chamber of heads in 1923. S/he (probably a she) does not match any of the other known gods in 1923. This isn't a goof... it's Persephone. It's mentioned that "her god" (Ananke's sister) will awaken last. Much like in 2014, Ananke probably immediately decided to use Persephone's head.
- I think this has been confirmed.
The next special will be set in the 10th or 11th century and be about the Frankish people.
- It looks like it might be in the 9th century, since That era's Persephone bisected Ananke.
- Kieron has confirmed in his newsletter that the next special will take place during the Black Plague in the 1300s.
That Knife has some importance.
1831 Inanna and 2014 Baal
made the same deal with Ananke, regarding child sacrificeThe current Recurrence will also be the last one.
Ananke is now dead with her Maiden aspect, Minerva, still alive and in a position to perform the ritual involving the heads. Her death before being able to do so would presumably result in a permanent end to the Ananke entity as both Maiden and Crone, thus ending the cycle.- As of 36, we know other Ananke’s have been killed by Persephone, so it seems that the ritual merely requires Ananke to be dead prior to being performed, rather than her death being a part of the ritual.
The third theme is...
After #39...
Laura's no longer Persephone: she's going to be Prometheus, bringing fire (i.e. godhood) to normal people. Ananke's sister isn't Persephone.
She's never referred to that in the comics, she never uses Persephone's powers, just eating pomegranates and has the tattoo and green eyes.
