ANDRASTE
Real Name:
Badb (Her Irish name, Andraste is her Briton name)
Occupation:
Goddess of war
Legal Status:
Citizen of Avalon
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Andraste except as a mythological character.
Other Aliases:
Andarta, Andate (alternate spellings), Badhb, Badbh, Macha,
Place of Birth:
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives:
The Dagda
(father), Morrigan
(mother), Gwydion,
Llyr (uncles),
Bodb, Oghma, Mider
(brothers), Oenghus, Diancecht (half-brothers), Brigid, Epona
(sisters),
Group Affiliations: The Celtic Gods
Base of Operations:
First Appearance: (behind the scenes) Thor I #386
History: Andraste is the daughter of the Dagda, Ruler of the extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Tuatha da Danaan, who were worshipped as gods by the ancient Celts, and his wife, Morrigan, the goddess of war and death. Andraste and her sisters, Brigid and Epona, often followed their mother into war against enemies of the Danaans, most notably against the Fomore, eternal enemies of the Danaans. Andraste was a cunning and relentless warrior-goddess and Epona was an expert charioteer and goddess of horses while Brigid relished the stragedy and movements of war guided by their mother, Morrigan, considered by the Celts to be the personification of war.
After the Fomore were finally ousted from Eire (modern Ireland), Andraste was revered as one of the most important gods of the Celts. In 63 AD, she was invoked by Queen Boadicea against the invading Romans. Andraste hated the Olympian gods worshipped by the Romans as well as the Asgardians worshipped by the later invading Saxons and Vikings. Primarily, she hated the Romans for bringing Christianity to the British Isles in what she saw as the violation of the normal pagan beliefs of the Celts who worshipped her. She also hated the Asgardians over the last final violation to Briton as the Saxons invaded and conquered the region, given rise to the successive reigns of the Kings of England.
In recent years, the Egyptian god Seth sent a great beast to
lay siege to Asgard and Thor pursued it to Avalon where it killed a small Danaan
family. Leir accused Thor of killing the family and Thor protested his innocent
even as he had to fight for his life against the Celtic Gods. As the great beast
returned, Leir helped Thor to destroy it, but he still felt a great debt to Thor
for the misunderstanding. As Seth invaded Asgard, Leir convinced Andraste to
help the Asgardians defend Asgard from Seth's armies.
Height: 6' 0"
Weight: 410 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Strength Level: Andraste possesses superhuman strength enabling her to
lift (press) over 50 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Andraste possesses the conventional physical attributes
of the Celtic gods. Like all Danaans, she is extremely long-lived, but not
immortal like the Olympians: she has not aged since
reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. She is immune to all
Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If she were somehow
wounded, her godly life force would enable her to recover with superhuman speed. It
would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of her
bodily molecules to cause her a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for
a god of significant power, such as the Dagda, Llyr or Gwydion or for a number of
Celtic gods of equal power working together to revive her. Andraste also possesses
superhuman strength and her Danaan metabolism provides her with far greater than
human endurance in all physical activities. (Danaan flesh and bone is about three
times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman
strength and weight of the Celtic Gods.)
Andraste does have greater than normal physical attributes
than most of the Celtic gods and is virtually tireless. She is highly athletic,
using athletic and gymnastic skills in personal battle. It is believed she also
taps into and manipulates the laws of probability to bend to her will in armed
and unarmed combat in her favor, but it does not work as well in the presence of
more stronger mystical objects, such as Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor.
Abilities: Andraste is a brilliant swordswoman and warrior trained in the
arts of warfare.
Weapons: Andraste carries a number of swords and daggers.
Pets: Andraste is often in the presence of crows.
Comments: Andraste has not yet made a confirmed appearance in either the
Marvel or DC Universes.
Clarifications: Andraste is not to be
confused with:
Last updated: 10/14/06