Ekidna angry about why humans are dangerous.
| “ | Give us the human; we don't want the human! | „ |
| ~ Ekidna rioting with the Greek mythical creatures in order to kill Elisa Maza. |
Ekidna is a minor antagonist from the animated series Gargoyles, appearing in the episode "The New Olympians". She was a female New Olympian. In the show's context, New Olympians were the direct descendants of the Olympian race, beings of various humanoid and animal appearance that inspired the Greek myths of gods, but mostly of the monsters. And because humanity persecuted several members of this race back in antiquity The Olympians were forced to escape and establish the isolated city of New Olympus. As a result of the injustice caused, Ekidna and several other New Olympians harbored a strong hatred towards all of humanity. She especially disapproved of Elisa Maza's arrival and apposed her gargoyle friends for standing up for her.
She was voiced by Charity James.
Personality
Ekidna was one of the most xenophobic members of her race, willing to attack on sight and considered every last human being responsible for her people's past suffering. She was likewise a relentless and ardent protester who never refused to accept defeat. Although Ekidna backed away after having been threatened with incarceration, she insisted to Taurus that the dispute was yet to be over. She was not only opposed to humans, but any other creature that would stand up for them, including gargoyles as well as her fellow New Olympians, as was the case with Taurus.
Appearance
Ekidna's appearance is an amalgamation of several female Greek monsters. She was a reptilian humanoid, having green skin and from the waist down a rattlesnake body and coil, similar to that of the Lamia. Her serpentine hair is evocative of Medusa, the eldest of the three gorgons. Her pointed ears and sharp facial features gave her a distinct appearance of a haggard old crown. Over her scalp and stretching all the way down to her hips was a large leathery membrane akin to a king-cobra's crown. Ekidna wore a purple, sleeveless shirt and yellow bracelets with two blue stripes, one light blue and one dark blue.
History
Shortly after the arrival of the Avalon World Tour (Goliath, Elisa Maza, Angela and Bronx) on the shores of New Olympus, Elisa is arrested by the local police force: Taurus, Helios and Kiron. She is brought before the Senate to determin her fate. At the Senate House Goliath speaks on behalf of Elisa, insisting that she was not guilty of any crime. But due to the hatred of the population towards humans Ekidna yelled protests, clamming that all humans are guilty for her peoples' persecution thousands of years past. This sentiment is shared by the majority gathered in the senate, especially police chief Taurus on the grounds that his ancestor, The Minotaur, had been falsely imprisoned and slain by a human hero. Ultimately, after some coaxing on Goliath's and the robot Talos's behalf, the New Olympians' leader, [1]Boreas, declares Elisa innocent, but prohibits her from leaving the island do to the temptation of revealing their existence to the rest of humanity.
After the trial was over, Ekidna and several other New Olympians (including police officers Helios and Kiron) engaged the gargoyles and Elisa on the city streets. Angela lunged at Ekidna for having called Elisa a "Treacherous human!". Taurus arrives just in time to halt the riot, but arrests Elisa for supposedly having started the riot to begin with. Taurus tells Ekidna and the other New Olympians that if she and any other rioters have a problem with his decisions that they should tack it up with Boreas. Later that same night, Ekidna and the other Greek monsters are seen rioting outside Elisa's prison cell. Helios goes so far as throwing a fire ball at her window. However, Taurus returns and angrily demanded of the rioters to start moving away or they will all be locked up in the prison. Ekidan leaves, but not before warning Taurus that the riot was not over just yet. Regardless of her resolve, Elisa was eventually released and allowed to leave the island after having helped prevent the island's destruction at the hands of the mad New Olympian, Proteus.
Trivia
- The character's name "Ekidna" is a derivative of Echidna, the mythical mother of several other famous Greek monsters. The name replaced the "ch" with a "k" in order to distinguish between the New Olympian and her presumed ancestor. The same was done with the character Kiron, loosely based off of the centaur Chiron.
- Gargoyles creator, Greg Weisman, intended to have a New Olympians spinoff animated series wherein the titular race come out of hiding and attempt negotiations of peace with the United Nations. While Taurus along with Talos and new-character Sphinx were to represent the peaceful envoy, Ekidna was going to play the role of a villain by leading an isolationist faction of New Olympians. Among her faction would have been her reluctant daughter Medusa.
 Villains
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Labyrinth Clan Xanatos Enterprises Children of Oberon Scotland The Hunters Other | ||