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Old Ones (Buffyverse)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Old One is also a term used in numerous fantasy and horror series.
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 Illustration depicting Illyria in its real form. |
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In the Buffyverse, the Old Ones are the extremely powerful, pure-breed demons that once dominated Earth before humankind appeared. Illyria is one of these demons, though her real form was revealed only in an illustration.
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Information regarding the Old Ones is limited. Rupert Giles tells Buffy Summers in "The Harvest":
"This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their...their Hell. But in time, they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for, for man. All that remains of the Old Ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures..."
Anya Jenkins explains to the Scooby Gang in "Graduation Day, Part One" the nature of "pure demons." As Giles had stated, Earth was originally ruled by these huge, powerful, pure-breed demons, and the demon races that exist on Earth today are hybridized with humans and other species. However, given that Anya is less than 2000 years old, she could not have witnessed these events firsthand.
The Old Ones possess many different shapes and powers, but all of them are gigantic. They were worshipped as gods (according to Illyria, she was a "god to a god"), ruled over vast territories, commanded fearsome armies, and constantly made war against each other. They also did not seem to live and die the way mortals do. Illyria claimed she lived seven lives at once, and even after her death, releasing her essence from the sarcophagus was enough to resurrect her into the nearest host. In short, under the Old Ones' rule, the world was a living hell.
At some point, the Old Ones lost their claim over this reality; some were killed while others were driven from this dimension. The corpses of the greater fallen Old Ones were placed in stone sarcophagi, while their powers were drained and embedded in jewels affixed to the surface of their coffins. All of the sarcophagi were placed in a mystical graveyard known as the Deeper Well, a hole in the world which could be accessed in the Cotswolds in England, and its supposedly antipodal point in New Zealand. A keeper or guardian, with a small detachment of demon warriors, was placed in the Deeper Well to prevent anyone from extracting a sarcophagus. They failed, however, to prevent Knox from transporting Illyria's sarcophagus from the Well. It should be noted, though, that this act was said to be preordained.
It was originally stated by Giles that "the books tell" that the last of the Old Ones to leave this reality fed off of a human, mixing their blood, and that formed the first vampire. However, that was later disproven as Illyria remarks that vampires existed during her time (she was killed long before the Old Ones were run off).
In the centuries that followed, the Old Ones continued to be objects of worship among the lesser half-breed demons. One of these cults was the Order of Aurelius, a cult of vampires worshipping the Old Ones and awaiting their return.
Halfrek refers to the The First Evil when she says, "Something's rising. Something older than the Old Ones, and everybody's tail is twitching," therefore, The First Evil is a powerful force that predates even the Old Ones.
The Ascension was the process of a human transforming into a pure demon. Mayor Richard Wilkins III became the embodiment of the demon Olvikan through a series of rituals, offerings, and sacrifices done over the course of a hundred years.
The Scourge, though far different, smaller, and weaker than the Old Ones, consider themselves to be pure-breed demons. Their claim of purity is supported by the fact that they lack human DNA, as they were immune to the effects of the Beacon, a machine that incinerated those with human DNA.
- Illyria's seat of power was located in what would later be California, and she was one of the most revered and feared of all the Old Ones. She was killed by rivals and entombed in the Deeper Well before being released into spectral form, which then took over the body of Winifred "Fred" Burkle.
- In the Angel episode "Shiny Happy People", Jasmine states that she was a being who existed before the time of man and left the world when the age of demons began.
- A group of demons known as the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart, who were weak by demon standards, left this dimension when the Old Ones were expelled. Unlike other demons, the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart, now under the moniker of the "Senior Partners", became major players by establishing the law firm Wolfram & Hart and its many incarnations and branches throughout many dimensions.
- Olvikan, the creature the mayor transforms into in "Graduation Day, Part Two", is described as a "Pure Demon," but whether or not a distinction exists between Old One and Pure Demon is unknown. The Pure Demon Lohesh is also mentioned, by Anya in "Graduation Day, Part One". The so-called Hellmouth Spawn is often thought of as a Pure Demon or Old One, but is never directly referenced as such in the series. Though all three demons appear in canon, none are 'confirmed' as Old Ones.
- Other Old Ones have also appeared in the Buffyverse comics, such as Ky-laag.
- In the comics, certain invocations to the Old Ones can change reality and cause severe mutations in people.
- In Monster Island, an Old One appears to have settled and resigned from influence amongst humanity. The being seems bored and alienated in the world that exists.
- In Night of the Living Rerun, the Book of Eibon appears. This book is a key tome in the mythos of H. P. Lovecraft, who is credited for the creation of the Old Ones in fiction.