The Weird Sisters (Luna, Phoebe, and Seline) are three of the Children of Oberon. They are featured in the Disney animated series, Gargoyles. They are avatars of Vengeance (or Fury), Grace, and Fate.
Background[]
Characteristics[]
The Weird Sisters typically appear as three beautiful women, identical in every way, except for their hair color. Like other Children of Oberon, the sisters can alter their appearances, sometimes appearing as children, models, old hags, or withered gargoyles. Creator Greg Weisman has stated that each of the three has a distinct personality: the black-haired one, Selene, represents Vengeance or Fury; the golden-haired one, Phoebe, represents Grace; the white-haired one, Luna, represents Fate.
Powers and abilities[]
Known powers of the Weird Sisters are:
- Teleporting
- Conjuration
- Growing to immense sizes
- Turning others into animals
- Energy blasts
- Illusion casting
- Spell casting
- Freezing
- Flying
- Shapeshifting (but they apparently cannot change the colors of their hair)
- Lightning bolts
- Invisibility
- Possession
- Immortality
History[]
The Triplets Luna, Phoebe, and Seline, collectively known as the Weird Sisters, were born on Avalon. When Oberon's Children abandoned Avalon, Oberon left the Weird Sisters on a barge just offshore to guard the island. In 995 AD, the Magus, Princess Katharine, Tom, Finella, and Tom's mother Mary, while trying to escape the wrath of Constantine after his coup with assassinating King Kenneth II and usurping his throne, came to Avalon with all 36 of the gargoyle eggs from Goliath's original clan. After hearing the pleas for asylum on Avalon, the triplets' weren't interested in aiding them and were going to use their magic to transform all of them into barn owls, first growing themselves into giants before unleashing the spell on the trespassers. The Magus quickly searched through the Grimorum Arcanorum and used a counter-spell and turned the triplets' magic against them, turning them into owls instead before fighting them off and forcing them to retreat.
Nearby, these events were viewed by the Archmage and his future self, the latter having come into existence through the paradoxical use of the Phoenix Gate. The Uber-Archmage reverted the sisters from owls and back into their humanoid forms, and then he offered them a chance for an alliance with him in order to avenge themselves. Because they failed in their duty to guard the gates of Avalon and knew that Oberon would banish them from there for it, they were happy to comply with his request to team up. He informed them that it would take approximately 1000 years to get their revenge to which they replied, "What is time to an immortal?" He then tells them that he'd see them again in 25 years. Then they all reappeared as Demona was raiding the storehouse in 1020 AD; and again at Castle Moray as Findlaech was training Macbeth. Then he told them to guide the lives of Demona and Macbeth so that they may be able to conquer Avalon. The sisters reminded him of Oberon's law prohibiting them from directly interfering in mortal affairs; and, the Uber-Archmage points out that "surely the law that cannot be broken...can be bent." And, by having an indirect part in their pawns' lives, they would not be breaking the law. He then asks that they watch out for the Grimorum Arcanorum, the Eye of Odin, and the Phoenix Gate and meet back at the barge in 975 years, which perplexed the sisters, who said, "... but you already have the eye and the gate." Then he states that he didn't acquire those items until they gave them to him and then both Archmages and the triplets vanish.
The Weird Sisters are heavily involved with the lives of Demona and Macbeth, appearing before them in different forms. During Macbeth's youth, The Weird Sisters appeared to Demona as three decrepit old gargoyles, influencing her to save him. Years later, they appeared to Demona once again as elderly gargoyles leading her to the Hunter, and putting her in a position to this time be saved by Macbeth. A short while after Luach, Macbeth's son, turned eight, they appeared to Duncan, Canmore, Macbeth, and Luach as three old crones predicting their futures. Eventually, they managed to have Demona and Macbeth form a full-time partnership to defeat the second Hunter. Using a spell, The Weird Sisters bound Macbeth and Demona's lives together, causing Macbeth to become a middle-aged man and Demona to regain her youth. Before departing, Selene, the fate of fury, gives Macbeth an orb and informs him that his cousin Duncan, the now King of Scotland, and the second Hunter ordered his father's death. When Duncan tried to strike Macbeth down, Macbeth threw the orb Selene gave him at Duncan; and when Duncan's sword shattered the orb, he burst into flames, killing himself.
After Duncan's son, Canmore, became the third Hunter, he stabbed Macbeth in front of Demona and stated that he'd "...heard rumors that Macbeth and the gargoyle were linked by sorcery, and when one dies, the other dies." However, his information was incomplete, for The Weird Sisters appeared before his enemies, with only Gruoch now present, revealing that they can only die when one kills the other and thus both are immortal.
In 1996, the sisters are present for the City of Stone events, in which Demona uses a spell to cause all of New York's citizens that saw and heard her broadcast to turn to stone at night and they subtly guide Goliath into stopping her. First, they convinced Macbeth not to go through with his plans for revenge by killing Demona. Then they also tried to make Demona let go of the pain of losing her clan and admit her mistakes in order to give them the code for the detonator, whose timer she set too early to go off to break her spell. They succeeded, but Demona soon regressed back into her vengeance-fulled fury once out of their influence. They then take the two away.
Days after the "City of Stone" events Demona and Macbeth have apparently escaped the Weird Sisters custody and joined forces to steal and reactivate Coldstone. Certain that his Iago personality isn't in control of him the Manhattan clan is tricked into saving him; and, then captured by Coldstone, Macbeth and Demona. With all of the gargoyles now being held captive, Demona flies to the Clock Tower and changes into Dominique Destine to tell Elisa that if she doesn't come to Belvedere Castle Park, she'll destroy them all after telling Goliath that no human cared enough to try to save them; and that if she did come, then she and the Manhattan Clan would definitely die. After Elisa showed up at at the park at "High Noon" she and Dominique started fighting. While they're fighting, Coldstone's Desdemona personality is possessed by the triplets. Once they convince Othello into taking back control of Coldstone from Iago they free Desdemona from their possession. Iago is then subdued by Desdemona while Othello takes over Coldstone and attacks Macbeth. When Macbeth sees that the battle's lost, he and Demona flee the scene.
Back at her mansion, Demona assures Macbeth that had he not left the battle she would have won and he reminds her that kidnapping Coldstone was just a ruse to hide their true plan of stealing The Phoenix Gate, The Grimorum Arconorum and The Eye of Odin. Then as they begin to wonder why they stole them or why they were working together to begin with the triplets stop time and arrive just before they fight. With the items he asked them to secure now in their possession, they wait until the appointed time to meet up with the Archmages. The next time they are seen, they have both Macbeth and Demona as well as all the items they stole for the Archmages on the barge off of Avalon's shore. They then present the artifacts to the Archamge's past self, thus fulfilling his ascent to ultimate power. While the Uber-Archmage lies in wait to fight Goliath, the Weird Sisters are lured away fighting the Magus who, at the cost of his life, manages to defeat them with a spell by transforming the iron knights that guarded King Arthur into chains to bind the witches, rendering them powerless to free themselves since their powers don't work on iron. After their defeat, and the battle for Avalon is won, the triplets are told that if they want to be freed of the Magus' enchanted chains, they must release both Macbeth and Demona from their current spell. They do as they are commanded, and upon being freed, instantly vanish.
Not yet willing to admit defeat at the hands of mere mortals, they search the globe for the essences of Lady Titania and Lord Oberon. Figuring that if they themselves could not beat the mortals, then Oberon and Titania would wipe them off of the island; and, that they would not get exiled for the Avalon Clan's living there without either their lords or ladies' permission. But, after Oberon is defeated, he grants all of the Avalon clan asylum and immunity from the powers and abilities of him and his children, and then when the three were no longer in danger of being exiled from Avalon, they set about their duties of rounding up all of the other Children of Oberon for "The Gathering."
The last time the three are seen is as "The Gathering" begins. With the Weird Sisters now still in charge of who can set foot upon Avalon's shores, they begin bringing back all of Oberon's Children either by grace, or in the Banshee's case, by force. The triplets are seen at "The Gathering" after they have hunted down The Banshee and dragged her kicking and screaming back to Avalon. After telling Lord Oberon that they have brought everyone back home for the gathering except the Puck and Lady Titania, Oberon exclaims that, "My queen may come and go as she pleases; but The Puck is another matter. He forgets that he is mine to command!" Then the sisters respond, "We could hunt him down for you, my lord." And he says, "No. No. You three have done enough..." and makes preparations to search for Puck himself, requesting the Weird Sisters remain there with the rest of the Children of Oberon as he departs through his mirror with Boudicca to hunt down Puck in New York City.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The triplets were named after goddesses of the moon in Greco-Roman Mythology. (The role of moon goddess would later be taken by Artemis during the Roman period).
- They are a direct inspiration from the three prophetic witches from Shakespeare's play Macbeth, also named the Weird Sisters.
- Aside from the obvious Shakespeare influences, they also take inspiration from the Fates and Graces in Greek mythology, as well as the Norns of Ancient Norse mythology.
- All three are voiced by Kath Soucie.
External links[]
