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| “ | Since the beginning of all things, we have served our Eternal Lady. No matter how long her absence from our presence. We knew she would always return to us. | „ |
| ~ Lady Vrin, explaining their history to Agatha. |
The Geisterdamen (singular form "Geisterdame"; often shortened to "Geisters" in plural and "Geister" in singular), are supporting antagonists in the comic Girl Genius. They are an order of priestesses devoted to the worship of Lucrezia Mongfish as a manifestation of The Other.
As their name (which is German for "Ghost Ladies") implies, the Geisterdamen have a very pale, almost ghostly appearance. Their skin is white and their hair is a very light blue. They have their own language, called "Geisterspeak", that only a handful of Europeans know. They appear to have the qualities of those with Slaver Wasps (they respond to Command Voice, they get reactions from Wasp Eater Weasels, etc.), but whether or not they are actually Revenants or are just very similar to them is left unclear. Their typical uniform is a wrapped bodice with shoulder caps and a loincloth; however later in the comic many are seen wearing suits with blue coats and pants.
History[]
Past[]
While the origins of the Geisterdamen are enigmatic, they appear to come from a place known as the "Citadel (or City) of Silver Light". It appears to be very far away since they speak of Europa as the "Shadow World", as some statements from the Foglios say that their HQ is near the Mongfish family summer home/secret base.
They worship Lucrezia Mongfish as their goddess, as Eotain even claims that Lucrezia had created them (Vol. 22 p. 050), though it is very likely she used time-travel since the Geisters appear to be millenia old. Their goddess visited them often, "always in the same lovely aspect" (Vol. 5 p. 75) as Vrin said.
Around the time Castle Heterodyne was attacked, the Geisterdamen were visited by their goddess, who was pregnant with Agatha. Lucrezia gave birth when visiting them and entrusted her priestesses to guard Agatha, whom they called the "Holy Child". However they failed the infant Agatha was taken from their temple. Their goddess then returned under her "cruel aspect" or the "Lady of Sharp Crystal", punishing them, and exiling them to the "Shadow World" (Europa) to look for the Holy Child.
As the army was sent there, a group of Geister priestesses led by one Loremistress Milvistle renounced The Other. No longer serving their goddess, they smashed the "Holy Machine" (Summoning Engine) she was going to use and broke the gate between the Geister home and Europa. With their plans set back, those Geisterdamen who were still loyal to The Other worked with one of Lucrezia's allies named Aaronev Wilhelm Sturmvoraus, the Prince of Sturmhalten. So the Geisters lived in Sturmhalten, kidnapping girls who they thought might be the Holy Child. These girls would be hooked up to the "Holy Machine" in the hopes they were the Child, but more often than not the machine would malfunction and the girls would die. Despite the rebel faction, most Geisterdamen were still loyal to The Other.
During Girl Genius[]
The Geisterdamen are first seen (in Volume 4) passing through the wilderness when they mistake Agatha's voice for that of Lucrezia's, before walking away.
Eventually, Agatha and her friends passed through the town of Sturmhalten. There (in Volumes 5-6) Agatha met the Geisterdamen properly. High Priestess Lady Vrin explained to Agatha that she was their Holy Child and that her mother Lucrezia was their goddess, but she also let it slip that Lucrezia was The Other. Agatha was hooked up to the "Holy Machine" against her will, and her body was taken over by a copy of Lucrezia Mongfish. Returning in the flesh, Lucrezia catches up with her servants on the things she missed and began planning her return proper.
Fastforwarding two years (in Volumes 14 and 17), Zola Malfeazium under the guise of the "Queen of the Dawn" was able to convince the Geisterdamen to serve her. She tasked them with taking over the City of Paris with wasps, under the command of a Geisterdame named Madame Velix. Due to the intervention of Agatha Heterodyne and (later) Master Simon Voltaire, this plan had failed and the Geisters were humiliated in battle.
In the aftermath of the defeat at Paris, many Geisterdamen began to lose their faith. A faction of them had revolted with the help of Othar Tryggvassen (Gentleman Adventurer!), renouncing The Other and turning to the "Holy Child" (Agatha) as their object of devotion. Othar, with a rebel Geisterdame named Eotain (in Volume 22), visited Gil and Tarvek in Paris to explain how this rebellion happened. It is unknown how many are still loyal to Lucrezia or how many rebelled.
Organization[]
The Geisterdamen are led by a High Priest named Lady Vrin. She was the one who had the honor of welcoming Lucrezia Mongfish (in Agatha's body) back to the world. As the leader she was the one who organized the search for the "Holy Child" (Agatha). However (in Volume 6), Lucrezia used her command voice to kill Vrin in an instant - it is unknown who (if anyone) is leading the Geisterdamen after that incident.
The novelization Agatha H and the Clockwork Princess explains that the Geisters we have seen in the comic so far are all members of the "White Elite", comprising of three thousand members.
Powers and Abilities[]
The Geisterdamen have many weapons and vehicles at their disposal. These include:
- Swords: The primary weapons of the Geisters are blue swords that appear to only be used by them. These swords are shown to be very durable.
- Beasts: The Geisterdamen have been seen using alien-looking animals (likely from the same place they came from) as domesticated help. These include:
- Ghost Spiders: Giant pale blue spiders that the Geisterdamen rise on as transportation and as battle-mounts (hence why the Geisters are also called "Spider Riders"). Their venom is sometimes harvested by groups like the Smoke Knights.
- "Geisterbeasts": A four-legged giant creature used for hauling around heavy cargo.
- Nighthunters: Known to fans as "Geisterdragons", until a name was given in the novelization (Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess). A pale bird-like or dragon-like creature used for hunting.
- Slaver Wasps: Being servants of The Other, the Geisterdamen assist her in her plan to spread Slaver Wasps all over Europa. They have been seen transporting giant Hive Engines full of wasps. In fact, among the people of Europa it's rumored that they create the wasps. Whether the Geisterdamen themselves are infected is unclear.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- When Zola downloads a Lucrezia copy to her mind, she says to herself "Oooh. And that's why no one's been able to find the Citadel of Silver Light" (Vol. 10 p. 078). The Citadel of Silver Light is the name of the Geisterdame headquarters. It's likely that access to the Citadel is some kind of secret.
- Eotain and Shurdlu are two of the few Geisterdamen given names. Their names are most likely a reference to "etaoin shrdlu", which is a nonsense phrase that showed up in some printed works due to a mistake in the process of type casting. Etaoin Shrdlu was also the name of a sci-fi short story by Fredric Brown.
External Links[]
- Geisterdamen on the Girl Genius Wiki
 Villains
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