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Template:Infobox comics location Bana-Mighdall is a fictional Amazon nation as well as fictional former cities in the DC Comics universe created by writer George Pérez. The Egyptian city of Bana-Mighdall was introduced in Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #29. The initial Themyscirian Bana-Mighdall encampment was first shown in Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #0, while the more full sized Themyscirian city was first shown in Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #168. The term can either be a reference to the past Amazon cities or to identify a particular type/breed of Amazon.

History of the city

File:BanaMighdall.jpg

Bitari, Falizia, and Anaya, three of the Bana-Mighdallian Amazons. Art by Phil Jimenez.

Millenia ago, the 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 in order 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, much like the real world Amazonians of which they were based. They migrated from Greece to various European and Middle Eastern countries before finally settling in Egypt. As Antiope and her tribe had renounced the Olympian gods once the two Queens parted ways, they eventually began to assimilate various religions and goddesses from the many lands to where 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, as 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.^[1] Though they worked with outside cultures, it was forbidden for any Bana-Mighdallian to possess books or personal possessions from the outside world. Any Amazon found with such things would be sentenced to death.^[2]

Eventually in the 20th century, the Amazon Princess Diana of Themyscira, or 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.^[3] 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. Homeless, the remaining Amazons eventually took up with the witch Circe who was a nemesis of Wonder Woman.^[4] It was agreed that in exchange for their servitude during the events of the War of the Gods Circe would grant them immortality and a new home to call their own.^[5] 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 instead.^[6]

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 in order to fight the demons to ensure their survival. Wonder Woman learned about Circe's spell and had the island returned.^[7]

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.^[8] A section of the Banas who still held animosity toward Hippolyta and her Amazons refused and returned to Man's World, becoming a splintered tribe.^[9] The Banas that 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. Unfortunately, civil war broke out between the two groups of Amazons due to their animosities.^[10] The Amazon Artemis took up the title of Shim'Tar and joined 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.^[11] 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.^[12]

During the Our Worlds At War event, the island of Themyscira was destroyed and both Amazon cities no longer existed. Wanting to put past angers aside, Artemis and Philippus put a stop to tribal separation by having one city re-built on the remains of the islands for both peoples to live in, thus unifying the tribes.^[13]

Rogue tribe

The 2007 mini-series Amazons Attack featured an off-shoot tribe of Bana Amazons who are led by an Amazon named Karna;^[14] whose lieutenant is named Magda.^[15] The new technologically advanced tribe of Amazons carry out violent acts of terrorism across America which have not been approved by war general Hippolyta. The new sect attempted to recruit various female metahumans and villains, such as Grace and Catwoman, to join their tribe. The rogue Bana Amazons used their fighting skills and knowledge of technology to destroy male oppressors. They considered 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 captured the entire Themyscirian and Bana Amazon population with the exceptions of Wonder Woman, Troia, Wonder Girl, Nu'Bia, Mercy and Grace Choi. She then eraseed their memories, replacing them with false personas and scatters them throughout the world posing as ordinary humans.^[16] They eventually get their memories back and return to the island to live as a reunified Amazon nation again, forgiving all previous transgressions.

A small portion of the Bana tribe was captured by the U.S. government during the events of Amazons Attack. Not wanting to further agitate an already large international incident the U.S. shipped the Amazons captured to a remote island named Devil's Island owned by a wealthy sadist named Mr. Smyth. Smyth's island is located in international waters and thus provided him with self-rule. He created a large prison on the island and subjected the Bana Amazons to torture, drug endused states, and brain-washing. The Amazons were eventually freed by Artemis, Wonder Woman and members of the mercinary team Secret Six.^[17]

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.^[1]

Royal death

It is custom for the Bana-Mighdallian queen (upon her death) to have her head severed, preserved and then placed upon a spike. The spike is then placed in a tomb 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 eastern direction with their eyes opened wide to stand vigil over their souls beyond the gates of the after life.^[1]

Notable members

Antiope Sister of Hippoltya and aunt of Diana
Phthia, ward of Antiope, eventual founder of Bana-Mighdall
Queen Anahid, ruler of the modern day Bana-Mighdall, mortally wounded in battle with Barbara Minerva, the Cheetah
Nehebka, second-in-command and aide to Queen Anahid, decapitated by Shim-Tar
Faruka, power-hungry and ambitious student of Kadesha-Banu and creator of Shim-Tar, killed by Batiri
Kadesha-Banu, scientist and scholar of Bana-Mighdall and mentor to Faruka, accidentally killed by Diana when she swallowed a poison dart meant for her
Batiri, one of the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall, helped Diana and Hermes recover the Lasso of Truth, apparently killed in the destruction of Bana-Mighdall
Artemis
Patrice, participated in the Contest to become the new Wonder Woman
Nuscia, participated in the Contest to become the new Wonder Woman
Mala, elderly Bana-Mighdallian, scarred by demon fire during the Amazon outerworld exile
Trigona, weapons-maker, lost her leg to a demon during the demon attacks on Theymscira
Anaya, soldier and lover of the Themysciran Amazon, Ipthime
Falizia
Laris
Sashina
Ratira
Kaleeza Fashed
Akila
Bitari

The leader of the rogue Bana claims that Grace Choi has Bana DNA.^[18]

Deities

File:NewBanaGods.jpg

Goddesses Neith, Isis and Bast as re-imagined in modern trappings

Unlike their distant Themyscirian Amazon cousins, the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall do not worship the Greek gods. Renouncing them millennia ago, the tribe instead worship a combination of Egyptian and middle eastern deities. The main circle of gods worshiped 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 once more.^[19] 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 Ishtar (love goddess).

Present state of the city

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

Powers & abilities

While the Themyscirian Amazons retained their gods-given levels of strength, speed and stamina, this does not necessarily hold true for the Bana-Mighdallian Amazons. Due to breeding with mortal men for thousands of years these gifts have been watered down by several degrees within the tribe. The extent of this "watering down" remains vague and wildly inconsistent within the DC universe. Lex Luthor's bodyguards Hope and Mercy have displayed superhuman strength and are rumored to be Bana Amazons. Grace Choi of the Outsiders also displays modified superhuman strength and has been revealed to be of Bana-Mighdallian descent. That stated, even the weakest among them still possess peak human level conditioning^{[citation needed]} and are experts in both hand-to-hand combat as well as in the use of a variety of weapons. They are master weapons makers creating tools ranging from simple swords to more complex weapons like machine guns and rocket launchers. Due to their previous arrangement with the witch Circe, they now possess immortality.^[6]

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b ^c Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #34
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #33
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #35
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #56
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #90
^ ^a ^b Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #90
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #89
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #0
^ Amazons Attack mini-series; Catwoman (vol. 3) #69-70
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #168-169
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #169
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #177
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #177
^ Amazons Attack #4
^ Catwoman (vol. 2) #69
^ Amazons Attack #6
^ Secret Six #13 (September 2009)
^ Amazons Attack #5
^ Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #176

External links

DCDP: Amazons of Bana-Mighdall - DC Database Project

[issue34-1] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #34

[2] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #33

[3] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #35

[4] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #56

[#90-5] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #90

[Wonder_Woman_vol._2_#90-6] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #90

[7] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #89

[8] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #0

[9] Amazons Attack mini-series; Catwoman (vol. 3) #69-70

[10] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #168-169

[11] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #169

[12] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #177

[13] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #177

[14] Amazons Attack #4

[15] Catwoman (vol. 2) #69

[16] Amazons Attack #6

[17] Secret Six #13 (September 2009)

[18] Amazons Attack #5

[19] Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #176

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@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 ===Rogue tribe===
 The 2007 mini-series ''[[Amazons Attack]]'' featured an off-shoot tribe of Bana Amazons who are led by an Amazon named Karna;<ref>''[[Amazons Attack]]'' #4</ref> whose lieutenant is named Magda.<ref>''Catwoman'' (vol. 2) #69</ref> The new technologically advanced tribe of Amazons carry out violent acts of terrorism across America which have not been approved by war general Hippolyta. The new sect attempted to recruit various female [[metahuman]]s and villains, such as [[Grace Choi|Grace]] and [[Catwoman]], to join their tribe. The rogue Bana Amazons used their fighting skills and knowledge of technology to destroy male oppressors. They considered the Themyscirian Amazons and their former Bana sisters who have joined with them to be their enemies. At the conclusion of the war, [[New Gods|New God]] and extraterrestrial supervillain [[Granny Goodness]] captured the entire Themyscirian and Bana Amazon population with the exceptions of Wonder Woman, [[Donna Troy|Troia]], Wonder Girl, [[Nu'Bia]], [[Mercy Graves|Mercy]] and [[Grace Choi]]. She then eraseed their memories, replacing them with false personas and scatters them throughout the world posing as ordinary humans.<ref>''Amazons Attack'' #6</ref> They eventually get their memories back and return to the island to live as a reunified Amazon nation again, forgiving all previous transgressions.
+A small portion of the Bana tribe was captured by the U.S. government during the events of Amazons Attack. Not wanting to further agitate an already large international incident the U.S. shipped the Amazons captured to a remote island named Devil's Island owned by a wealthy sadist named Mr. Smyth. Smyth's island is located in international waters and thus provided him with self-rule. He created a large prison on the island and subjected the Bana Amazons to torture, drug endused states, and brain-washing. The Amazons were eventually freed by Artemis, Wonder Woman and members of the mercinary team [[Secret Six (comics)|Secret Six]].<ref>''Secret Six'' #13 (September 2009)</ref>
 ==Ritual==