| “ | Across the mists of space and time,
We pose this covenant sublime. |
„ |
| ~ Phoebe, Luna and Selene |
Phoebe, Luna and Selene, functionally titled The Weird Sisters, are major antagonists in the cartoon show Gargoyles. They are the daughters of Oberon - king of the "Third Race" also known as "Changelings" "Fairies", and "Fey". The Weird Sisters are Oberon's loyalist children and some of his most powerful - they were assigned to guard Avalon during the countless years Oberon and his children spent in the human world posing as either mere humans, cryptids, boogeymen or lesser guardian spirits. The Weird Sisters are the central manipulators of villains Demona and MacBeth, and tied into events with them through the supposed machinations of the Gargoyles' old enemy The Archmage.
All three are voiced by actress Kath Soucie.
Oberon's Children[]
Oberon is the king of the faire-folk, often called "fairies" or "fey". Countless years ago, the fey were cruel and arrogant - their casual cruelty made them many enemies of the intelligent mortal races - most notably humans. Oberon whether out of not wanting to have a war with humanity, or simply because he found it unbecoming, decreed that his children were to leave their magical home of Avalon, and live among mortals. He further decreed that his children were not to interfere directly in the lives or cultures of mortals, they would be allowed to defend themselves or use a weakened version of their powers privately but otherwise must remain shackled to whatever roles they take on in a life-time, the exception being if a mortal asks them for a boon, at which point their powers would be at full power if they decide to adhere to the request - in order to incentivize his children to find contentment in helping humans. He declared they would not return to full power until they were back on Avalon and would not return until he was satisfied they had lived long enough in atonement of their petty behavior.
Oberon applied this decree for himself as well to show he was willing to live by his own word, and, he states, he found it amusing - similar to rich people who "slum it" in low-income neighborhoods. The only ones who would remain were his loyalist children - Phoebe, Luna and Selene the like-minded triplets - who while not on Avalon itself, would remain just off it's coast to keep out intruders and remain in anticipation of Oberon's return.
The Archmage[]
The Archmage is a Scottish sorcerer with access to the spell-book - the Grimorum Arcnorum - which recorded all mortal magics. He is an old enemy of the central protagonist Gargoyle clan. The Archmage had been scheming for years to overthrow his king. When he finally made his move and poisoned the King, the head of the clan - the gargoyle currently known as "Hudson", his second in command - currently the head of the clan "Goliath" and his beloved - currently called "Demona" went to retrieve the Grimorum in hopes of finding an antidote for the king. Demona was in-fact a former apprentice of The Archmage, though she had kept that from the others. In the fight the Archmage fell down a ravine and was presumed dead. However The Archmage was saved - by his future self. The Grimorum was one of three legendry items of power, though the only one of the three made by mortal hands. Another of the three was The-Eye-Of-Odin - a literal eye of Odin - another of Oberon's children - who'd gone off as a recluse in Noreway, but was associated as a god by the locals. The Eye contained Odins full power but when held by a mortal would grant it to them, at the cost of bringing out their repressed sides. The last of the items was The Phoenix Gate - forged on Avalon - it allows the user to travel through time - though no matter how hard they try, they cannot alter history with it, anything that has happened by the time it is activated will come about. The future Archmage has all three items - something the until then Archmage had hoped to one day achieve.
The Future Archmage asks his past-self what he wants, the Archmage says power, and to crush those who had foiled him. The future Archmage tells him he will need many things then, a base of operations no one else can reach, items of great power and allies. The future Archmage explains as he only managed to save himself due to the Phoenix Gate, he cannot alter anything, his life was pre-destined to be saved by himself, obviously, but he cannot disrupt the lives of others, steal things, or kill his enemies for him, he is also intentionally leading his past self to conclusions he has come to, because otherwise he will never come up with the idea himself. The future Archmage takes both of them to see the human allies of the Gargoyles, Princess/Queen Katherine, The Magus (the Archmage's understudy) and two peasants Mary and her son Tom, of his previous castle Wyvern, confronting the Weird Sisters outside Avalon with a boat of gargoyle eggs. Katherine had been kidnapped by the Viking - Harkon, who had raided the castle and destroyed most of the gargoyles while asleep as statues - Katherine was to be ransomed, but when Goliath and Hudson came to avenge their clan and free the queen, the Magus presumed she had been killed in the fight - mad with grief he cast a spell on the remaining gargoyles - save Goliath who was off fighting Harkon, to "sleep until the castle rises above the clouds" - presumably forever. When Goliath returned and with Katherine, the Magus realized he had made a horrible mistake - and in repentance cast the spell on Goliath too so he would not need to go on without them, and before he did, he and Katherine swore to watch over the unhatched gargoyle eggs in the rookery under the castle. The castle servant Mary and her young son Tom witnessed the events as hostages of the castle, and Tom pledged himself as the personal guardian of the eggs, with Mary staying on as well to serve her queen in her endeavor. Due to invasion and rivals, Kathrine, The Magus, Tom and Mary would need to flee Scotland to keep the eggs and themselves safe. The Magus used the Grimorum to access Avalon - abandoned and unable to be reached save by magic - thus a place where they would be safe and would have room to raise the eggs in peace.
Just at the shores of Avalon the Magus, Katherine, Tom, Mary and the lady Finella - who had helped them escape their royal rivals, had encountered the Weird Sisters and were using the Grimorum to deflect their magic back at them, just as the Archmage and his future-self had arrived. The Future Archmage uses his magic to undo the spell on the sisters that had turned them to barn-owls. Oberon had forbidden mortal magics on Avalon, so The Magus is unsure if he can bring it there, Mary and Finella agree to take it back, and keep it safe so no on can follow The Magus, Katherine or Tom to Avalon, and they part as the sisters flee in fury. The three had failed their task, and detested humans on Avalon despite their best efforts, but with the humans on Avalon, could not remove them, as doing so would be a direct show of force, and by Oberon's decree they could not do so, not with the mortals now in a home they had claimed for themselves. The future Archmage wished to recruit the three, but they state they do not traffic with sorcerers. The Archmage tells them he can get them revenge though, and, the sisters remembering they may use their powers in pursuit of boons for mortals, listen to his proposal. The Archmage takes the sisters and his past-self to Scotland, to see Demona and a prince called Macbeth in their first meeting - Demona being the only other gargoyle to hide at sun-rise and thus not smashed by Harkon - but missing Goliath and Hudson's return, and only seeing afterwards the few survivors frozen even at night - years without her clan leading her to bitterness. Demona had arrived to kill The Hunter, a gargoyle hunter, who was moonlighting as an assassin, his target, Prince MacBeth's father.
The future Archmage told the three they needed Demona and MacBeth as enforcers, and to guide their destiny. He bayed the Weird Sisters acquire the Grimorum, the Phoenix Gate and the Eye-Of-Odin and use Demona and MacBeth to do it, assuring them if they kept an eye on them they would eventually be able to make Demona and MacBeth the sorts of warriors they would need, by granting their wishes once made, and eventually after centuries having them as pawns would allow them to acquire all three relics at once. The future Archmage cautions the sisters it will take centuries for the opportunity, but the sisters scoff saying time is nothing to an immortal. The Archmage cannot directly do anything himself due to the Phoenix Gate's inability to alter Fate, and the sisters could not directly do anything due to Oberon's decree, but they point out the rule that cannot be broken can still be bent and thus they would need to follow Demona and Macbeth and let them fulfill their own destinies, save when they ask for help and the three may grant their wishes. The future Archmage then returns to Avalon with his past self-leaving the Sisters to influence events to meet him there 1,000 years later once following Demona and Macbeth has granted them service of both, and all three magical items.
Macbeth and Demona[]
The Weird Sisters appear in forms most pleasing to those who see them, to Demona they are three old gargoyles. They come to visit her and her new clan of other gargoyles without clans due to humans. Demona welcomes three more displaced gargoyles, and the three tell her she will have an opportunity to put an end to him if she goes to stop the assassination of Macbeth's father. They also appear before Macbeth, to him as three old human hags, as he grows to tell him he will be king of Scotland and plant rivalry in the heart of his friend Duncan the blood-heir to the throne by letting him overhear the prediction and thus conclude Macbeth will usurp him. Demona in her effort to stop The Hunter sees Macbeth about to fall along with his fiancé, and with the last bit of compassion in her heart saves him but is infuriated The Hunter gets away. Years later, Macbeth meets Demona while dealing with Duncan and wishes to thank her for saving him they both have problems, and wish help of the others. But Demona is too old and Macbeth has few allies to hold off Duncan; Both wish they could help the other, and the Sisters arrive to facilitate a bargain. Macbeth will give up his youth to Demona, and Demona will protect Macbeth's lands - the Weird Sisters bind the lives of the two - Macbeth prematurely ages, looking old despite being in his late twenties, and Demona becomes young - both bound by the same life, and bound by their oath to each other. The two later find due to the wording the sisters used, they cannot die - sharing one life-force split between them, neither can fall to anyone, save each other, and age is halted for both as neither can age naturally with the split youth. Demona overhears an advisor tell Macbeth that allying with gargoyles is making him appear to conspire with dark-forces and helping support his rivals' position that he must be overthrown, Demona presumes Macbeth will betray her as all previous humans had and turns on him first - though as it turns out, Macbeth had no intention of actually doing so. Macbeth is seemingly killed by his rivals, and Demona falls too, thinking the wording of the sisters means if one dies both die, but the sisters arrive over the bodies of Demona and Macbeth to say, but where one lives, both live - thus they are condemned to live forever, or until they kill each other, as was their pledge to each other eternal bound.
Centuries pass of either hunting the other and a Hunter of Gargoyles arises repeatedly to hunt Demona. The two come to a head when Demona enacts a spell to turn all of Manhattan's citizens to stone. The Wyvern clan having awoken in Manhattan when placed on a sky-scraper - 'above the clouds' by eccentric billionaire, David Xanatos, who had purchased the Grimorum and heard the spell's wording within. While the clan and Xanatos are trying to break the spell, Demona is outrunning the latest Hunter. Demona realizes The Hunter is Macbeth in disguise. Macbeth has had enough, he wants to die after the centuries of hatred, fear and pointless longevity, and with Demona's latest scheme petrifying the city, he sees it as a fitting apex to hunt her to death without worrying about casualties or interference. Through-out the events, Phoebe, Luna and Selene keep popping up, at first as three little girls, then as three enigmatic adult civilians, and when Macbeth and Demona see them as three hags or elderly gargoyles. Demona's spell means she is no longer an outside factor, she is their responsibility and they may take her, and since he is linked to her, they take Macbeth too. Macbeth says he is tired of fighting, and Demona says she is tired of being alone, so the three grant their wish a second time by recruiting them to work together - to steal the Phoenix Gate, Grimorum, and Eye-Of-Odin, all until then kept safe by the Clan after they had encountered them in various adventures. Demona and Macbeth work to steal the three items, but towards the end, start asking each other how they knew where they were followed by questioning why they were working together before coming to their senses and about to kill each other, before the sisters arrive to freeze them in place and take the three items, now firmly in their hands without either changing fate or directly affecting human society themselves, and technically only doing what they were asked by either Macbeth, Demona or the Archmage.
Reclaiming Avalon[]
The Weird Sisters teleport away to meet the Archmage, now with the Grimorum, Phoenix Gate, Eye-Of-Odin and two immortal warriors that were in their thrall. The future Archmage is waiting with his past self, only a minute going by for them since the Archmage telling the sisters of the resources they would need and how long it would take to get them. The future Archmage instructs the Weird Sisters to give his past self the Eye-Of-Odin - doing so empowers the past Archmage and makes him look as physically strong, and mystically endowed as his future-self. He then tells them to give him the Phoenix-Gate, which he wears as an emblem and can now travel through time and space freely. Lastly, the future Archmage tells the Weird Sisters to give his past self the Grimorum Arcanorum - though the Sisters say it cannot enter Avalon, by decree of Oberon. The younger Archmage says the situation is intolerable, he will need the Grimorum Arcanorum but it can't go on Avalon and sarcastically decries he might as well eat it. to which his future self says, he's finally learning - The Archmage eats and, thanks to the power of the Eye-Of-Odin, actually absorbs the book into himself, thus it goes where he goes, but won't technically be on Avalon - and they state to the sisters, they are bending the rules without breaking them. The Weird Sisters enter Avalon with the Archmages, following mortals they have made a pact with, and thus with leeway now to help them with their affairs which happen to be destroying the Magus, Katherine, Tom and, the-by-then, hatched and fully grown gargoyle eggs.
The Archmages, Weird Sisters, Demona and Macbeth make short work of the clan and the Archmage says he is giving them one day to make peace with their doom before they come to finish them off. Leaving the waters of Avalon will take the ferry to wherever they "need to be" Tom risks it to see if that means he can find help, he does, and goes to retrieve Goliath, the gargoyle hound "Bronx" and by then Goliath's detective friend Eliza both come with him while the rest of the clan is out on patrol, and Tom takes them back to Avalon to explain what he knows of the situation and get ready for the Archmages, Demona, Macbeth and the Weird Sisters. The Future Archmage observes Goliath's return and then explains he knew Tom would do something like that, an his revenge would finally be complete with Goliath to fall along with Avalon, he however then motions to his past self, and notes he had best be going to set all this up, at which point the younger Archmage goes to use the Phoenix Gate to save himself from falling and set it all up, and teleports to the past to become the Future Archmage he had seen up until then, remember to do everything he had observed being done to set the whole thing up. The Weird Sisters mostly stay off to the side, but maintain control over Demona and Macbeth to act as The Archmage's enthralled enforcers; Both briefly break free, Demona when she sees her old clan eggs, and Macbeth when his honor is implored, but the Sister's quickly reestablish hold over both and continue to direct them to slay the Archmage's enemies.
The Weird Sisters themselves become involved when the Magus - otherwise magically impotent goes to awaken "the sleeping King" - a mortal king bought there to slumber until his kingdom needs him again - as it turns out the King Arthur of legend. The Magus can, in the most magical parts of Avalon tap into it's power and use his previous training to wield it to fuel the incantations he recalls from the Grimorum Arcanorum. The Sisters show up to foil him in a sorcerer's duel. Like all children of Oberon the three are susceptible to iron as a binding, and the Archmage transmutes the iron armor of the Sleeping King's guardians into chains binding them.
Goliath, Eliza, King Arthur, Tom and the rest of the clan manage to defeat Demona and Macbeth, though not kill them, and Goliath snatches the Eye-Of-Odin from the Archmage - without which he can no longer contain the power of the Grimorum Arcanorum and disintegrates from it's power, leaving only the Phoenix-Gate in a pile of ash that once was the Archmage. Bound, The Sisters must rely on Goliath and the humans to free them, Goliath makes them one final bargain, he will free them, if they free Demona and Macbeth from their enthrallment and leave them be from then on. the Weird Sisters comply, and Demona and Macbeth are put in Avalon's ferries, to be taken wherever Avalon will, and awaken as themselves once they get there. The Weird Sisters, without the Archmage no longer have leeway to be on Avalon as it is now the home of mortals, and they must leave. They vanish in a huff - leaving Avalon to Katherine, Tom and the gargoyle clan hatchlings. Goliath, Eliza, Bronx and Goliath and Demona's biological daughter, Angela, go to leave but Tom warns them as they go, Avalon may not take them back to Manhattan but rather where-ever they most need to be - thus begins the season long "world tour" arc, of being taken across the world righting wrongs in each area until Avalon eventually takes them home.
The Gathering[]
Eventually Goliath, Eliza, Bronx and Angelia wind up back on Avalon, as one of the last places 'they need to be' before getting back to Manhattan. It soon becomes apparent they reason, Oberon is returning, along with his ex-wife Titania, and the Weird Sisters leading them back. Oberon has decided enough time has passed and he is back to reclaim Avalon as his Isle to welcome back his children. The Weird Sister tell Oberon of what had lead the intruders to claim Avalon (a very one-sided recounting of events); And Oberon decides to tend to the intruders himself. Titania speaks up for the humans, saying if Oberon can best them with his powers restrained to that of a child, she will remarry him. Oberon accept the challenge and after being de-powered to that of a child, he gives Goliath, Bronx, Angelia and Angelia's brother, Gabrielle, a chance to prepare for him as he gives them a few minutes before he comes for them. Tom and Eliza point out that being bound to the "strength of a child" is relative, as Oberon's children are still super-human and magical. Remembering how the sisters were bound by iron, the trickster Puck was bound by iron when summoned by Demona, and the legends that say cold-iron may bind fairies, Eliza and Tom gather the chains previously used to bind the sisters and melts them down into a weapon. The weapon turns out to be a bell, and the mere ringing of it reduces Oberon to his knees and in agonizing pain, but Tom refuses to kill anyone on their knees. Touched by Tom's mercy, Oberon agrees to allow them to stay on Avalon as neighbors of a sort and makes peace with them. The Weird Sisters are disappointed their foes are being spare by Oberon, but obey his decree as ever. Titania gives back Oberon's full power, and says that she will re-marry him even though she is not bound to, touched at his act of mercy, and the five prepare to re-welcome the rest of Oberon's children, for their reunion which is dubbed The Gathering.
The last time the three are seen is gathering the less than willing Children Of Oberon. The second-to-the-last and most belligerent one of which is the Banshee. After a fight between Odin and the Banshee, The Weird Sisters say the last of Oberon's children is The Puck, and offer to go capture him, pointing out he is one of the trickiest to catch but they will gladly go hunt the wily prey. Oberon say the three have done quite enough and he will go get Puck himself - leading to the season finale where Oberon goes to hunt Puck in Manhattan and is so doing finds one final part-fey, Titania's grand-child - Alexander Xanatos.
Machinations[]
The Weird Sisters are implied to be the ones manipulating affairs, not The Archmage - that they were humoring The Archmage solely because doing so allowed them leeway within Oberon's decree. Phoebe, Selene and Luna's default demeanor is mercurial and manipulative. They know, thanks to the Phoenix Gate they will eventually get the items they need by following Demona and Macbeth and simply wait for the opportunities to arise. Up until Demona and Macbeth make their wishes, the three are seen posing as ladies-in-waiting in the court watching the drama unfold around Demona and Macbeth as an amusing scenario of political backstabbing. They do not pose Demona and Macbeth against each-other, but know both are socially toxic to the other, and seem to view their hatred as an inevitability, but as they point out to Demona, it was she that made all her own problems by giving into prejudice and paranoia, and Macbeth was merely reacting to her after she betrayed him, that it was she who isolated herself from her clan even after being reunited with them, and even she who incidentally created The Hunter by terrorizing the land prior to meeting MacBeth.
The Weird Sisters are seen giving each other the same sly looks they did watching Macbeth and Demona's fates unfold as they do seeing The Archmages attacking Avalon - implying The Archmage is merely a means-to-an-end, they know full well what happens to power-mad mortals toying with powers beyond their ken. They are fully aware the Archmage is using them as set-pieces, but don't care if being his "pawns" allows them to use one of Oberon's rules to get around another - after-all, they are only performing a boon for mortals as Oberon had hoped his children would, none of the scheme to get the three legendary items and kill the intruders on Avalon was technically, their idea.
Personalities[]
The three speak and think as one, though with different view points so they can still bounce ideas and perspectives around off each other. There are only slight personality quirks that define them from each other. Selene is usually the one to open dialogue with outsiders, Phoebe speaks with the most contempt for mortal limitations, and Luna is the only one that freely offers good advice even when the three have nothing to gain. The three are, other than minor quirks, so like-minded they never fight, need to be caught up, or distracted by the others - indicating they are a small hive-mind.
Trivia[]
- Selene is the blonde sister, Phoebe is the white-haired sister, and Luna is the black-haired sister.
- "Selene", "Phoebe" and "Luna" are all names of moon goddesses.
- Series creator Greg Wiseman, has confirmed the implications that The Weird Sisters were the true masterminds, not The Archmage.
- Like, Puck, Titania and Oberon (when with the strength of a child) the Weird Sisters speak in rhymes when reciting incantations.
- The Weird Sisters pop up through-out the recapping of Demona and Macbeth's past in the episodes City Of Stone, parts 1, 2, 3 and 4, but as innocuous background characters, casual women on the street, little girls, police, statues (when the city is frozen) in the modern day, and in ancient Scotland as ladies-in-waiting, nurse-maids, flower girls, and maids.
- Like many of the characters in Gargoyles, they are reference to Shakespeare characters - The Weird Sisters from Macbeth, who are three witches that predict Macbeth will inherit the throne, but his friend Duncan will gain it after him, indicating to Macbeth, Duncan plans to betray him and fanning his ambition and paranoia indirectly.
- The Sisters' premiere episodes "City Of Stone" were actually originally intended as a direct-to-video movie - however due to Disney's trepidation on a home-video venture of a niche children's series, and Greg Wiseman's preference for keeping everything in series continuity, the project was switched from a direct-to-video feature to a season two finale arc - and the four-part-episode has actually become one of the most prestigious episodes of the series.
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 Villains
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Labyrinth Clan Xanatos Enterprises Children of Oberon Scotland The Hunters Others | ||