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Along with the titular character and his siblings, '' The Sandman'' includes a large array of characters: inhabitants of the Dreaming, various deities, angels and demons,
faerie Fairyland (Early Modern English: ''Faerie''; (Scottish mythology; cf. (Norse mythology)) in English and Scottish folklore is the fabulous land or abode of fairies or ''fays''. Old French (Early Modern English ) referred to an illusion or enchan ...
s, immortals and witches. Some characters appear in ''The Sandman'' (1989–1994), some in spinoffs like ''
The Dreaming The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by hi ...
'' (1996–2001) and ''
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
'' (1999–2007), and others in earlier stories that ''The Sandman'' was based on. Their stories occur in the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...
, generally tangentially to the mainstream DC stories.


The Endless

The Endless are a family of seven
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
personifications of universal concepts, around whom much of the series revolves. They are the children of Mother
Night Night, or nighttime, is the period of darkness when the Sun is below the horizon. Sunlight illuminates one side of the Earth, leaving the other in darkness. The opposite of nighttime is daytime. Earth's rotation causes the appearance of ...
and Father
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
. All debuted in the ''Sandman'' series, except Destiny, who was created by
Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...
and
Berni Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017) was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his other ho ...
in '' Weird Mystery Tales'' #1 (1972). From eldest to youngest, they are:


Destiny


Death


Dream


Destruction


Desire


Despair


Delirium


Dreams and nightmares

These inhabitants of the Dreaming are often
god In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
s,
myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
s, and even ordinary human beings who later became either dreams or nightmares.


Cain and Abel

Cain and Abel are based on the Biblical
Cain and Abel In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. The brothers made sacrifices, each from his own fields, to God. God had regard for Ab ...
, adapted by editor
Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian Americans, Italian-American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' and ...
with
Bob Haney Robert Gilbert Haney, Jr. (March 15, 1926 – November 25, 2004) was an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Lance Bruner, Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and ...
(writer) and
Jack Sparling John Edmond Sparling (June 21, 1916 – February 15, 1997), was a Canadian comics artist. Biography Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sparling moved to the United States as a child. He received his early arts training at the Arts and Crafts Club in New ...
(artist) (Cain), and Mark Hannerfeld (writer) and Bill Draut (artist) (Abel). They were depicted together in Abel's first appearance, and parted to their respective Houses at the end of the story. Although Cain would abuse Abel, he was not shown killing him until ''Swamp Thing'' vol. 2 #33. In ''
Elvira Elvira is a female given name. It is believed to have first been recorded in medieval Spain, while other sources claim that it is likely of Germanic ( Gothic) origin. In the Balkans, Elvira is popular among Bosniaks, Croats, and Slovenes in the ...
's House of Mystery'' #11, Cain expresses shock at having killed his brother in recent times. In the same issue, a contest-winning letter establishes that Cain and the House exist both in the dream world and the real world, and that only in the dream world does Cain continue to harm Abel. In ''The Sandman'', Cain is shown to kill Abel quite often. In issue #2, Lucien calls this unusual and recent. Originally, they were the respective "hosts" of the EC-style horror
comic a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicat ...
anthologies ''
House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror comics, horror, fantasy comics, fantasy, and mystery fiction, mystery comics anthology, comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets (DC Comi ...
'' and '' House of Secrets'' which ran from the 1950s through 1983—Cain debuting in ''House of Mystery'' #175 (1968) and Abel in ''DC Special'' #4 and ''House of Secrets'' #81 (both 1969). During the 1970s, they also co-hosted the horror/humor anthology '' Plop!''. They were also both recurring characters in DC's ''Elvira's House of Mystery'' (1986–1988). In 1985, the characters were revived by writer
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
, who introduced them into his ''
Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...
'' series in issue #33, retelling the Swamp Thing's original origin story from a 1971 issue of ''House of Secrets''. Gary Cohn and Dan Mishkin included them in the pages of '' Blue Devil'' in 1986.
Jamie Delano Jamie Delano ( ; born 1954) is an English comic book writer. He was part of the first post-Alan Moore "British Invasion" of writers which started to feature in American comics in the 1980s. He is best known as the first writer of the comic book ...
also occasionally used them in a
cameo role A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking one ...
in his title ''
Hellblazer ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary Horror fiction, horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo Comics, Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introd ...
''. In Gaiman's ''Sandman'' universe, the biblical
Cain Cain is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. How ...
and
Abel Abel ( ''Hébel'', in pausa ''Hā́ḇel''; ''Hábel''; , ''Hābēl'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God in Judaism, God, he ...
live in the Dreaming at Dream's invitation. This is based on the verse in the Bible which says that Cain was sent to live in the
Land of Nod The Land of Nod (Hebrew language, Hebrew:  – ''ʾereṣ-Nōḏ'') is a place mentioned in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible, located "on the east of Garden of Eden, Eden" (''qiḏmaṯ-ʿḖḏen''), where Cain was exiled by God af ...
. They live as neighbors in two houses near a graveyard: Cain in the broad
House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror comics, horror, fantasy comics, fantasy, and mystery fiction, mystery comics anthology, comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets (DC Comi ...
and Abel in the tall House of Secrets. According to their appearance in ''Swamp Thing'', the difference is that 'a mystery may be shared, but a secret must be forgotten if one tries to tell it'. Gaiman's Cain is an aggressive, overbearing character. He is a thin, long-limbed man with an angular, drawn face, glasses, a tufty beard, and hair drawn into two points above his ears. He has been described by other characters as sounding "just like
Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor. He was known for his work in the horror film genre, mostly portraying villains. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price ...
". Gaiman's Abel is a nervous but kind-hearted man. He also has a stammer. He is somewhat similar in appearance to Cain, with a tufty beard and hair that comes to points above his ears, though his hair is black rather than brown. He is shorter and fatter than Cain, with a more open face. It is eventually learned that the only time he does not stutter is when he is telling a story or when he is dead. Cain kills Abel frequently and in many brutal ways, whereupon Abel later returns to life. He often expresses hope for a more harmonious relationship with his brother. Cain and Abel own a large green draconic
gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...
named Gregory, who also made his debut in ''House of Mystery'' #175. In the first appearance of the characters in ''Sandman'', issue #2, Cain gives Abel an egg that soon hatches into another gargoyle, a small golden one. Abel names the gargoyle "Irving". but Cain insists that the names of gargoyles must always begin with a "G.", and Abel (after another death and resurrection) renames the gargoyle "
Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is an English music producer, DJ, and actor. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musi ...
", after an invisible/imaginary friend to whom Abel told his early ''House of Secrets'' stories. A letter in issue #91 was attributed to Goldie, who claimed that it was herself depicted on the cover of issue #88. They shelter Dream until his strength is restored following his 72-year-long imprisonment. In the fourth
story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of a plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing narrative, storyline in episode, episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strip ...
, ''
Season of Mists ''Season of Mists'' is a 1990–1991 American eight-part comic and the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics' '' The Sandman'' series. It collects issues #21–28. It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringe ...
'', Cain is sent to
Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
to give a message to
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
because Cain is protected by a curse that would deter Lucifer from harming him. Cain and Abel also aid The Corinthian with the child Daniel during '' The Kindly Ones'', the penultimate story arc of the series. Abel is one of the victims of the
Furies The Erinyes ( ; , ), also known as the Eumenides (, the "Gracious ones"), are chthonic goddesses of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes them as "the Erinyes, that under earth take v ...
in this series and is brought back to life by the new
Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...
at Cain's request. In the podcast, Cain and Abel are voiced by Michael Roberts and
Kerry Shale Kerry Shale (born 4 June 1952) is a Canadian actor based in London, England. His BBC Radio 4 comedy-drama ''The Kubrick Test'' was broadcast in 2020. He is the co-host of ''Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan'', a podcast about Bob Dylan ...
. In the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
series '' The Sandman'', Cain and Abel are portrayed by
Sanjeev Bhaskar Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Radio 4 and BBC Two sketch comedy series ''Goodness Gracious Me (TV series), Goodness Gracious Me'' and as t ...
and Asim Chaudhry respectively.


The Corinthian

The Corinthian is a nightmare created by Dream, of human appearance but with two small additional mouths in place of his eyes. He enjoys eating the eyeballs of people he kills. The first version of the Corinthian is destroyed by Dream while speaking at a "Cereal Convention" for spending several unsupervised decades on Earth as a serial killer (in Dream's view, a waste of his potential), and it is shown in '' The Sandman: Overture'' (2013) that Dream intended to do this before his imprisonment. Near the end of the series, Dream creates a second Corinthian, altering his personality to be obedient and useful rather than homicidal. In a later story in ''The Dreaming'', the second Corinthian is haunted by the actions of the first. In the
podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
, the Corinthian is voiced by
Riz Ahmed Rizwan Ahmed (; born ) is a British actor and rapper. He has received several awards, including an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award with nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two British Academy Film Awards. In 2017, he was name ...
. The Corinthian is portrayed by Boyd Holbrook in the Netflix series, having a more expanded role before the Doll's House arc. He is shown to manipulate circumstances regarding Ethel Cripps' death and behaves in a much less hostile way to Jed Walker, appearing to not desire to harm him. He is also shown as gay or pansexual in the series, often having sex with his male victims before killing them.


Eve

Eve is a special character who has been seen in the ''Lucifer'' series and is depicted as living in a cave in The Dreaming.


Fiddler's Green

Fiddler's Green Fiddler's Green is an after-life where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing, and dancers who never tire. In 19th-century English maritime folklore, it was a kind of after-life for sailors who had served at least fifty ye ...
is the personification of a place in the Dreaming which all travelers (specifically sailors) dream of someday finding. It sometimes assumes human form and goes wandering under the alias Gilbert, a kindly, portly man who resembles
G. K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English author, philosopher, Christian apologist, journalist and magazine editor, and literary and art critic. Chesterton created the fictional priest-detective Father Brow ...
(the G stood for Gilbert) in appearance and behavior. As "Gilbert", Fiddler's Green accompanied Rose Walker to find her brother Jed and gave her the means by which to summon Dream to rescue her from danger at the Cereal Convention that the Corinthian was speaking at. Afterwards, Fiddler's Green thereafter returned to the Dreaming and resumed his true form before Rose. He was killed by the Three in '' The Kindly Ones'' and refused to be resurrected by the
new Dream New Dream, formerly recognized as The Center for a New American Dream, is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering individuals, communities, and organizations to adopt consumption practices that enhance well-being for both people and the ...
as his death will have no meaning. Here, it is implied that he was "in love, a little" with Rose. Dream allows Fiddler's Green to return to the dead. In the podcast, Fiddler's Green is voiced by
Ray Porter Ray Porter is an American actor and audiobook narrator who is most widely known for portraying the DC Comics villain Darkseid in '' Zack Snyder's Justice League''. He also did some voice acting work for '' The Scarecrow'', ''The Path of Atticu ...
. In the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
series, Fiddler's Green is portrayed by
Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
. This version of Gilbert has a slightly smaller role than in the comics, but still accompanies Rose to the Cereal Convention (under the name of "Dutch Uncle", the name of an unseen serial killer in that issue whose name was seen on a piece of paper). Following Corinthian's defeat, Fiddler's Green returns to his true form upon returning to the Dreaming.


Gate Keepers

A
wyvern The wyvern ( ), sometimes spelled wivern ( ), is a type of mythical dragon with bipedalism, two legs, two wings, and often a pointed tail. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools an ...
, a
griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...
and a
hippogriff The hippogriff ( Italian: ) or hippogryph is a legendary creature with the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a horse. It was invented at the beginning of the 16th century by Ludovico Ariosto in his '' Orlando Furioso''. Within the poem, ...
are the gate keepers of Dream's castle and are also referred to as the Guardians of the Gate. The wyvern was more land dragon-like and had no dragon wings until later appearances, the griffin also had a lion mane, and the hippogriff was depicted with a
winged horse A winged horse, flying horse, or pterippus is a kind of mythical creature, mostly depicted as a horse with the wings of a bird. Winged horses appear in the mythologies of various cultures including, but not limited to, Greek mythology, Chinese Myt ...
-like appearance. The gate keepers often intercept anyone from entering Dream's Ghost Castle. They derive all their power and authority from Dream so when Dream was captured and lost his power, they could no longer guard or protect the Dreaming. Their first comic book appearance was in "Dream of a Thousand Cats" where the Siamese Cat had to get past them in order to see the Cat of Dreams. In issue #24, the Guardians of the Gate see a lot of envoys showing up at the Ghost Castle in light of Lucifer's abdication. The Griffin sends a message through his statue in the throne room to inform Dream about it and that the Guardians of the Gate can't keep them all back. Dream instructs the Griffin to tell his fellow Guardians of the Gate to let them in. After the Griffin was destroyed by the Three in their Furies aspect, the new Dream did not recreate him. Instead, he asked the Gryphons of Greek myth to send one of their own. The Queen of Gryphons dispatches a Gryphon of Arimapsa to replace the Dreaming's Griffin. When Matthew meets this Gryphon (who is depicted with cattle-like hooves for back legs) and informs him of being the only Griffin of his land to meet the new Dream's requirements, he informs Matthew that his land of Arimapsa is somewhere far from the Dreaming. The Guardians of the Gate state to Matthew that they have been sent by the new Dream to attend Dream's wake, but opted not to leave their post. (''The Sandman'' Vol. 2 #71) In the podcast, the Wyvern, the Griffin, and the Hippogriff are voiced by Harry Myers,
Ray Porter Ray Porter is an American actor and audiobook narrator who is most widely known for portraying the DC Comics villain Darkseid in '' Zack Snyder's Justice League''. He also did some voice acting work for '' The Scarecrow'', ''The Path of Atticu ...
, and Tom Alexander. In the Netflix series, the Wyvern, the Griffin, and the Hippogriff are shown on the castle where the Wyvern resembled his mythological depiction. The animated episode "Dream of a Thousand Cats" features the three characters in the Siamese cat prophet's dream where they are voiced by
Nonso Anozie Nonso Anozie (; born 17 November 1978) is a British actor. On television, he is known for his roles as Xaro Xhoan Daxos in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2012), R.M. Renfield on the Sky series ''Dracula'' (2013), Abraham Kenyatta on the C ...
,
Diane Morgan Diane Morgan (born 5 October 1975) is an English actress, comedian and writer. She is notable for portraying Philomena Cunk on the review programme '' Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe'' (2013–2020), the mockumentary series '' Cunk on Britain'' (2 ...
, and
Tom Wu Tom Wu (born 15 May 1972) is a Hong Kong-born British actor. He is a martial artist whose films include '' Shanghai Knights'' (2003), '' Out for a Kill'' (2003), '' Belly of the Beast'' (2003), ''Revolver'' (2005), ''Batman Begins'' (2005) and t ...
respectively.


Gregory

Gregory is the pet
gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...
of
Cain Cain is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. How ...
. Gregory appears in the Netflix series. He was willingly absorbed by Dream in order to help restore the Dreaming prior to Dream's quest to reclaim his stolen items.


Goldie

Goldie is a fictional character in '' The Sandman''
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
series by
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
. Goldie is a pet baby
gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...
, given to
Abel Abel ( ''Hébel'', in pausa ''Hā́ḇel''; ''Hábel''; , ''Hābēl'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God in Judaism, God, he ...
by his brother
Cain Cain is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. How ...
in '' Preludes and Nocturnes''. Abel originally intends to name him Irving, but Cain insists that gargoyle names must all begin with a "G". Cain then proceeded to murder Abel over this. Abel soon returns as he is murdered by Cain all the time. He then agrees to name the gargoyle Goldie, after "an old friend", though he tells Goldie in private that he will continue to think of him as Irving. Goldie appears for a short scene in '' The Doll's House'' in which he is sitting upon Abel's shoulder as Lucien asks Abel about the inhabitants of the house. He later appears throughout the "Parliament of Rooks" story in '' Fables and Reflections'', and briefly at the beginning of '' Brief Lives''. He also accompanies Abel in '' The Kindly Ones'' and is with him when he gets murdered by the Furies, crying when his master is killed. He is later seen playing with Daniel Hall. Goldie later takes on a pivotal role as the guardian of the tree of life in the ''Sandman'' spin-off series ''
The Dreaming The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by hi ...
''. On his/her quest to the tree, a search party forms. He was retconned into a female gargoyle for the new series. Goldie is named after the imaginary' friend" to whom Abel would tell his early stories in the pages of '' House of Secrets''. In issue 39 of the 2008 reboot of the ''
House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror comics, horror, fantasy comics, fantasy, and mystery fiction, mystery comics anthology, comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets (DC Comi ...
'' comic series, it is revealed that Goldie is "Gigi", a waitress at the House of Mystery and a bit player in the series. Goldie was transformed by Lotus Blossom, another character in the series, at Goldie's request in exchange for a book of magic spells. Goldie was not enthralled with the idea of growing up to be a gargoyle, and instead wanted to be a human girl. The newly reborn Gigi joined Lotus Blossom on her exploits in the series, often serving as an enforcer for her. It is revealed that Abel knows Gigi's true history, but if his brother Cain knew, it was not shown. In the podcast, Goldie's vocal effects were provided by Karen Batke. Goldie appears in the Netflix series.


Lucien

Lucien is the chief
librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...
in the Dreaming, and is a tall thin, bookish man. He first appeared in '' Weird Mystery Tales'' #18 (May 1975) and was apparently killed in '' Secrets of Haunted House'' #44 (January 1982). Like
Cain and Abel In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. The brothers made sacrifices, each from his own fields, to God. God had regard for Ab ...
, Lucien, created by
Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002 to 2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
, Nestor Redondo, and
Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian Americans, Italian-American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' and ...
, was originally the host of a 1970s "weird tales" comic, specifically the three-issue '' Tales of Ghost Castle'' (May/June–October 1975). In that series, he is portrayed as the guardian of a castle in
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
abandoned by both sides during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, watching over its forgotten library with his companion, a
werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...
named Rover. In his first appearance in '' Preludes and Nocturnes'' (issue #2) this is retroactively revealed to be Dream's castle. Lucien is the effective keeper of the Dreaming in Dream's absence, and becomes one of Dream's most faithful and trusted servants after proving his loyalty by never abandoning his post during that period. His primary function is to protect the Library, wherein are contained all the books that have ever been dreamed of, including the ones that have never been written. The titles of some of these books, many of which are sequels to real works, are visible. He is, despite his frail appearance, apparently quite capable in combat, "
ealing Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...
with" several unpleasant creatures who escape imprisonment during the events of ''The Kindly Ones''. In issue #68, it is revealed that Lucien's existence in the Dreaming began as serving the role of Dream's first
raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
. When writing '' The Sandman Companion'', author Hy Bender interpreted this as meaning that Lucien was also the first man. An allusion to "Mr. Raven", the ghostly librarian in
George MacDonald George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carrol ...
's novel ''
Lilith Lilith (; ), also spelled Lilit, Lilitu, or Lilis, is a feminine figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden ...
'', may be intended. In the podcast, Lucien is voiced by Simon Vance. In January 2021, Vivienne Acheampong was announced to star in '' The Sandman'' TV series from
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
portraying Lucienne, a genderbent version of Lucien.


Matthew

Matthew is the
raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
companion of Dream. Matthew was originally Matthew Cable, a long-time supporting character in the ''
Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...
'' series, but because he died while asleep in the Dreaming, he was offered the chance to become a dream raven and serve Dream if he wished, and he accepted. Matthew is not the first of Morpheus' ravens. Former ravens include
Aristeas Aristeas () was a semi-legendary Greek poet and Iatromantis, miracle-worker, a native of Proconnesus in Asia Minor, active ca. 7th century BC. The Suda claims that, whenever he wished, Astral Projection, his soul could leave his body and return ...
of Marmora, who returned to his life as a man for one year at one point, and Lucien, the first of the ravens. Morpheus seems to keep the ravens around out of some sort of unspoken need for companionship, though he also sends them on occasional missions. Matthew's word balloons and
font style In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regula ...
are scratchy and uneven, probably to represent a hoarse, cawing voice, and perhaps as an indicator of his crude, smart-aleck personality. Underneath his frequently irreverent manner, Matthew is actually very loyal to Dream, and he is one of the characters who takes it the hardest when Dream perishes, initially seeking release from his service, but eventually coming to terms with his loss and choosing to remain as Daniel Hall's raven after speaking to different characters. In the podcast, Matthew is voiced by
Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in ''The Lo ...
. In the Netflix series, Matthew is voiced by
Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His acting roles include Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–2023) as adult ...
.


Mervyn Pumpkinhead

Mervyn "Merv" Pumpkinhead is Dream's cantankerous, cigar-smoking
janitor A cleaner, cleanser or cleaning operative is a type of Industry (economics), industrial or domestic worker who is tasked with cleaning a space. A janitor (Scotland, United States and Canada), also known as a custodian, Facility Operator, porter ...
: an animated
scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin that is often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops. ...
whose head is a
jack-o'-lantern A jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern) is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin, or formerly a root vegetable such as a mangelwurzel, rutabaga or turnip. Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday. Its name comes ...
. He resembles
Jack Pumpkinhead Jack Pumpkinhead is a fictional character from the Land of Oz who appears in several of the classic children's series of Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. Jack first appeared as a main character in the second Oz book by Baum, ''The Marvel ...
of
L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', part of a series. In addition to the 14 ''Oz'' books, Baum penned 41 other novels ...
's Oz books. Mervyn is first seen in '' Preludes and Nocturnes'', driving a bus on which Dream travels. Thereafter, Merv is in charge of the construction, maintenance, and demolition work in the Dreaming, though he sometimes complains that his job is superfluous because Dream can change any of the Dreaming at will. One issue of the ''Dreaming'' spin-off comic focuses on a dreamer who enjoys working under Merv's supervision. Later issues have him assisted by Abudah. Mervyn was one of the few who took arms against the Furies in '' The Kindly Ones'', but was easily killed. He is returned to life by the
new Dream New Dream, formerly recognized as The Center for a New American Dream, is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering individuals, communities, and organizations to adopt consumption practices that enhance well-being for both people and the ...
in '' The Wake'' who rebuilds his body and grows a new pumpkin to serve as his head. In a past incarnation shown in '' The Wake'', Mervyn was seen to have had a
turnip The turnip or white turnip ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties a ...
for a head instead of a pumpkin as pumpkins were not then known in Europe.
Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...
voices Mervyn in the podcast adaptation. In the Netflix series, Mervyn is performed by Nicholas Anscombe and voiced by
Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...
.


Martin Tenbones

Martin Tenbones is a large
dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...
-like dream who is Barbie's companion. In the podcast, Martin Tenbones is voiced by
Ray Porter Ray Porter is an American actor and audiobook narrator who is most widely known for portraying the DC Comics villain Darkseid in '' Zack Snyder's Justice League''. He also did some voice acting work for '' The Scarecrow'', ''The Path of Atticu ...
. In the Netflix series, Martin Tenbones is voiced by
Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British Jamaicans, British-Jamaican comedian, actor and writer. He gained success as a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in ' ...
.


Dora

Dora is a dream that has the form of a young girl in her 20s. She can also assume a monstrous form.


Minor dreams


Brute and Glob

Brute and Glob are two trouble-making nightmares who try to gain power during Dream's absence. They originally appeared in
Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
's 1974 ''
Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The San ...
'' series, as sidekicks to the title character, and continued as such when
Hector Hall Hector Sanders Hall (also known as Hektor Hol) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entert ...
became the Sandman in '' Infinity Inc.'' In the original comics, Brute was similar to
Thing Thing or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...
where he shouted "It's clobberin' time!" and often referred to his Uncle Harry. In '' The Doll's House'', it is revealed that they controlled the Sandmen in secret whereupon Dream exiled them to "the darkness" (a place of imprisonment and, presumably, torture, within the Dreaming). Near the end of '' The Kindly Ones'', the Furies tell Dream that they have released his prisoners from the darkness, but Brute and Glob are neither mentioned nor seen in this volume or in '' The Wake''. They next appear in ''The Dreaming'' #57–60, ''The Sandman Presents: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Dreams ... But Were Afraid to Ask'', and ''
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
'' #15, where they attempt to kidnap Elaine Belloc. They subsequently reappear in '' JSA'' #64, again trying to manipulate a human connected to the Dreaming (
Sandy Hawkins Sanderson "Sandy" Hawkins, formerly known as Sandy the Golden Boy, Sands, Sand and currently known as Sandman, is a character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. He was created by writer Mort Weisinger and artist Paul Norris, he first ap ...
) into their own "Sandman"; but Daniel Hall returns them to the darkness. The two entities claim this area of darkness is filled with pleasing childhood dreams, which they despise. First appearance: ''The Sandman'' vol. 1 #1. In the podcast, Brute and Glob are voiced by
Kerry Shale Kerry Shale (born 4 June 1952) is a Canadian actor based in London, England. His BBC Radio 4 comedy-drama ''The Kubrick Test'' was broadcast in 2020. He is the co-host of ''Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan'', a podcast about Bob Dylan ...
and Harry Myers. In the Netflix series, their role as the manipulator of Jed Walker is replaced by Gault.


Abudah

Abudah is a hulking monstrous dream who often works as Mervyn Pumpkinhead's assistant. Though he was killed by the Three in ''The Kindly Ones'', the new Dream revives him.


The Cuckoo

The Cuckoo is a parasitic dream who has conquered Barbie's dreamworld in ''A Game of You''. She assumes the form of a childhood version of Barbie and uses her self proclaimed "adorableness" to escape from Barbie's dream world, at which point she transforms into a bird. In the podcast, the Cuckoo is voiced by Sarah Pitard.


The Fashion Thing

The Fashion Thing is a minor character whose form changes based on popular fads. She is based on The Mad Mod Witch, created by Dave Wood and
Jack Sparling John Edmond Sparling (June 21, 1916 – February 15, 1997), was a Canadian comics artist. Biography Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sparling moved to the United States as a child. He received his early arts training at the Arts and Crafts Club in New ...
as the host of '' The Unexpected'', another DC horror title. At the time of her first appearance in ''Sandman'', she is a "Mad
Yuppie Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...
Witch". First appearance: ''The Unexpected'' #108. Most of her appearances are relegated to a few panels. She is shown flying on her broom as a Yuppie briefly in issue #2, shown riding her broom in a top hat and tails with bare legs and feet in issue #22, and shown
topless Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is known as barechestedness. Social norms around toplessness ...
serving a meal to Delirium and Dream in issue #42. She also appears in ''The Kindly Ones''.


Judge Gallows

Judge Gallows appears in several issues of ''The Dreaming'' including the Special, "Trial and Error". Introduced in '' The Unexpected'' #113 (June–July 1969), he is one of the few DC "mystery" hosts not used by Gaiman.


The Smiling Man

The Smiling Man is a rogue dream entity that is central to the mystery of the "Sandman Nightmare Country" storyline. It has the appearance of a large obese creature with a serpentine tongue, wide grin and mouths in place of eyes. It silently stalks several characters over the course of the story; passively watching their daily lives and is indirectly responsible for several deaths of those who have seen it (victims being assassinated by a pair of assassins under the employ of Desire).


Daniel Nod

Daniel Nod is the assistant librarian to Lucien.


Balco

Balco is a
chimpanzee The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of Hominidae, great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close rel ...
mechanic in the Dreaming who tends to the cars that anyone dreams about.


Buffo

Buffo is a humanoid
toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...
and magician.


Cartographer of Dreams

The Cartographer of Dreams is a human-like character that maps out the different dreams.


Gault

Gault is a shapeshifting nightmare exclusive to the Netflix series who fled the Dreaming in the wake of Morpheus's imprisonment and hides away in the mind of Jed Walker. She created a fantasy world for the boy where he is a superhero known as the "Sandman" as an escape from his uncle Barnaby's abuse in the waking world while posing as his mother Miranda Walker. Gault is eventually tracked down. When confronted reveals her desire to be a dream, Gault wishes to inspire rather than frighten. Before being sent into the Darkness by Dream, Gault states that even nightmares can dream. After Unity Kinkaid's sacrifice, Dream restored Gault as a dream where she now sports butterfly-like wings. She is analogous to Brute and Glob in the show's version of the story. Gault is voiced and motion-captured by Ann Ogbomo in her true form and portrayed by
Andi Osho Yewande "Andi" Osho (born 27 January 1973) is a British actor, writer, and blogger who had previously been a stand-up comedian and television presenter. Life and career Osho was born in Plaistow, East London,In an interview for BBC Radio 4 E ...
when posing as Miranda Walker in Jed's dreams.


Gods, demigods, and major personifications

The following characters are either
gods A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
,
demigod A demigod is a part-human and part-divine offspring of a deity and a human, or a human or non-human creature that is accorded divine status after death, or someone who has attained the "divine spark" (divine illumination). An immortality, immor ...
s, or major personifications:


Bast

Bast, in
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
's comic book series '' The Sandman'', is the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...
version of the goddess Bast of
Egyptian mythology Egyptian mythology is the collection of myths from ancient Egypt, which describe the actions of the Egyptian pantheon, Egyptian gods as a means of understanding the world around them. The beliefs that these myths express are an important part ...
. She was once a major goddess, but the loss of her believers over time has significantly reduced her powers. She is often coquettish toward Dream, who sometimes goes to her for advice or companionship; but she has often claimed never to have been his lover. Bast has also appeared in issues of ''
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
'' and ''
Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' ...
'', wherein she is one of the chief goddesses worshiped by the Amazons of
Bana-Mighdall This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial gro ...
. She appears in ''Sandman Presents: Bast: Eternity Game'' (2003), where she attempts to regain her lost power. In the podcast, Bast is voiced by
Bebe Neuwirth Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth ( ; born December 31, 1958) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she has received two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and two Drama Desk Awards. ...
.


The Presence/The Creator

The Presence is the ''Sandman'' universe's equivalent of a
Supreme Being {{broad-concept article A supreme deity, supreme god or supreme being is the conception of the sole deity of monotheistic religions or, in polytheistic or henotheistic religions, the paramount deity or supernatural entity which is above all other ...
and he shares many characteristics with the standard Abrahamic God, such as almost never taking a physical form, being a
Creator deity A creator deity or creator god is a deity responsible for the creation of the Earth, world, and universe in human religion and mythology. In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator. A number of monolatristic traditions separate a ...
, and having unmatched power. Nevertheless, Gaiman has on several occasions stated that he never intended the Creator to be any specific religion's god, just as he makes it clear in the first appearance of the abode of the angels, the Silver City, that it "is not
Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...
. It is not
Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
. It is the Silver City, that is not part of the order of created things", although the Silver City is often identified as "Heaven" in the ''Lucifer'' comic book series. In that series, one of the critical turning points is the Presence's abandonment of his Creation, which leads to a large number of problems, including struggles to claim the power that the Creator has abandoned, to make the destruction of the universe inevitable and to the slow unraveling of the universe due to the disappearance of the Name of the Creator written on every atom in existence. This is an ongoing storyline in ''Lucifer''.


Loki

Loki is a
trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...
god seen in ''
Season of Mists ''Season of Mists'' is a 1990–1991 American eight-part comic and the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics' '' The Sandman'' series. It collects issues #21–28. It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringe ...
''; based on the Norse god
Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
. In his own form, Loki is a tall, thin man with yellow eyes and long red hair that resembles flames; but he is capable of assuming any appearance at will. He is sometimes nicknamed 'Lie-Smith' and 'Sky-walker' by other characters. He is temporarily freed from his punishment by
Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...
to accompany his negotiations for the rulership of Hell; whereafter he deceives Odin and Thor into imprisoning another god in his place, but fails to fool Dream, who frees the other god and sends a simulacrum of Loki to take his punishment, in exchange for Loki's debt to himself. Loki returns in '' The Kindly Ones'', wherein he works with Puck to kidnap Daniel, a child under Dream's protection. The Corinthian and Matthew eventually find Daniel, and Loki attempts to fool them by taking the form of Dream; but the Corinthian strangles Loki and consumes his eyes. Loki, now blind, is taken by Odin and Thor back to his punishment. Loki reappears in ''Lucifer'' wherein Lucifer comes to Loki to take his ship for his own universe and destroys the snake that tortures Loki, who therefore allows him the ship. In the podcast, Loki is voiced by
David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
.


Odin

Odin, as based on the Norse God
Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...
, appears as an old man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a cloak, and carrying a staff. He is usually depicted as a dark, mysterious figure, missing one eye and accompanied by two ravens named
Huginn and Muninn In Norse mythology, Huginn and Muninn ( or ; roughly "mind and will" – ''see '') are a pair of common raven, ravens that serve under the god Odin and fly all over the world, Midgard, and bring information to the god Odin. Huginn and Muninn are ...
("thought" and "memory"), and two wolves named
Geri and Freki In Norse mythology, Geri and Freki are two Eurasian wolf, wolves which are said to accompany the god Odin. They are attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', a collection of epic poetry compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, in th ...
. Odin appeared in ''Season of Mist'' where he, Thor, and Loki partake in the negotiations for the ruler of Hell. In ''The Kindly Ones'', Odin and Thor take Loki back to his punishment for kidnapping Daniel Hall and causing the Three to kill Dream. In the podcast, Odin is voiced by
Bill Nighy William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Known for his work in numerous stage, television and film productions, he has received several awards including a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award, and ...
.


The Three

The Three appear in the form of any group of three women; usually the Mother, the
Maiden Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...
and the Crone, the three aspects of the
Triple Goddess A triple deity is a deity with three apparent forms that function as a singular whole. Such deities may sometimes be referred to as threefold, tripled, triplicate, tripartite, triune, triadic, or as a trinity. The number three has a long history ...
in many mythologies. Sometimes, they appear in the form of the three witches from DC's horror anthology '' The Witching Hour'': Mildred, Mordred, and Cynthia. As these witches, they also appeared in a
prestige format American comic book tropes are common elements and literary devices related to American comic books. Continuity Comics continuity almost-always refers to the existence and use of a shared universe, although any comic can have internal continui ...
limited series of the same title, and two standard limited series, ''Witchcraft'' and ''Witchcraft: Le Terreur''. The Three repeatedly appear throughout ''The Sandman'', fulfilling different functions at different points in the story. Their first appearance is in ''The Sandman'' #2, where they appear as the three witches, Mildred (mother), Mordred (crone), and Cynthia (maiden) from the DC horror anthology '' The Witching Hour''. They later take many different forms over the course of the series, and the "three women" symbol remains an extremely common one, often blurring the lines between when characters are supposed to be merely themselves and when they are supposed to be representations of the Three. The Three represent the female principle, prophecy, and mystery, and they are often a vaguely menacing and enigmatic presence in the series. Incarnations of the Three include the
Erinyes The Erinyes ( ; , ), also known as the Eumenides (, the "Gracious ones"), are chthonic goddesses of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes them as "the Erinyes, that under earth tak ...
(Furies) in their vengeful aspect and the
Moirai In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Moirai ()often known in English as the Fateswere the personifications of fate, destiny. They were three sisters: Clotho (the spinner), Lachesis (mythology), Lachesis (the allotter ...
(Fates) or
Weird Sisters The Three Witches, also known as the Weird Sisters, Weyward Sisters or Wayward Sisters, are characters in William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'' (c. 1603–1607). The witches eventually lead Macbeth to his demise, and they hold a striking res ...
in their divinatory aspect. They also sometimes subtly appear in the form of other characters (such as
Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...
) or groups of characters. Their Furies form were responsible for massacring Dream, Abel, Mervyn Pumpkinhead, Fiddler's Green, and the Griffin Gate Keeper. The Three later appeared in a graphic novel named ''WitchCraft'', in which one of their priestesses in ancient Rome, Ursula, is raped by barbarians. She is then reincarnated three times, followed by the witches, and wronged again by reincarnations of the barbarian leader until the modern age, when she comes back as his elderly mother-in-law and manages to defeat him. The Three then assure the barbarian that he would be reincarnated as each of the priestesses he had raped, in order, with the exception of Ursula. He would never know what was happening until the moment of death, at which point it would start all over again. The Three are satisfied, and in the end decide that Ursula will live another twenty years and become an accomplished and respected witch in her twilight years, and her grandchild will be beautiful. In the podcast, the Mother is voiced by Ellen Thomas, the Crone is voiced by
Cathy Tyson Catherine Tyson (born 12 June 1965) is an English actress. She won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film ''Mona Lisa'' (1986), which also earned her Best Supporting Actress no ...
, and the Maiden is voiced by Sandra Dickinson. In the Netflix series, the Mother is portrayed by
Nina Wadia Nina Wadia (born 18 December 1968) is a British actress. She is known for portraying Zainab Masood in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', Aunty Noor in '' Citizen Khan'', Mrs Hussein in the BBC comedy ''Still Open All Hours'' and for starring i ...
, the Crone is portrayed by Souad Faress, and the Maiden is portrayed by
Dinita Gohil Dinita Gohil is a British actress. She is best known for her performance as Amanda in the satirical film '' Greed'' (2019), and on-stage as Viola in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of '' Twelfth Night'' (2017–2018). Early life Dini ...
.


Calliope

Calliope In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; ) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muses". Mythology Calliope had two famous sons, OrpheusH ...
is one of the
Muses In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
. She has had a history with Dream's Morpheus alias where they fathered
Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...
. In 1927, Calliope became a prisoner of Erasmus Fry after he found her bathing in a stream on Mount Helicon. He raped her for inspiration. By 1986, Fry gave Calliope to struggling author Richard Madoc and he used her inspiration to write his stories. By the time Dream was freed from his imprisonment, he helped to free her by flooding Richard's mind with too many inspirations. When Richard declared Calliope free, Calliope left to ensure that none of her fellow Muses would get trapped like she did. In the podcast, Calliope is voiced by Samantha Béart. In the Netflix series, Calliope is portrayed by
Melissanthi Mahut Melissanthi Mahut (; born September 20, 1988) is a Canadian-born Greek actress. She is known for her role as Kassandra in ''Assassin's Creed Odyssey'', and for playing Mita Xenakis in the Netflix film '' Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fir ...
.


Other gods


Ishtar

The goddess
Ishtar Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...
, disguised as an exotic dancer; a former lover of
Destruction Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kin ...
.


Pharamond

Pharamond is a former god, last of his pantheon, and a friend of Dream. At Dream's suggestion that he change with the times or fade like many other gods, Pharamond now runs a
travel agency A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism-related services to the general public on behalf of accommodation or travel suppliers to offer different kinds of travelling packages for each destina ...
in Dublin, under the alias 'Mr Farrell'. He helps Dream and Delirium find the missing Destruction, and later provides assistance to Lucifer in his own series. In the podcast, Pharamond is voiced by Colin McFarland.


Thor

The Norse God
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
first appeared in DC Comics in ''Tales of the Unexpected'' #16 (August 1957), "The Magic Hammer," illustrated by
Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
. In another story attributed to Kirby and George Papp, "The Magic Stick" in ''House of Mystery'' #68 (November 1957), he looked like a traditional Viking with red hair, and his hammer looked identical to the way Kirby would draw it for
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. That story was reprinted in ''DC Special'' #4 (July 1969), which also contains Abel's debut. Kirby also pitted Wesley Dodds against someone claiming to be Thor in ''
Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...
'' #75 (June 1942). Later, a museum worker named Henry Meke handled Thor's hammer and briefly became Thor during thunderstorms in ''Batman'' #127 (October 1959). In ''Season of Mist'', Thor accompanied Odin and Loki to the Dreaming in order to get the Key to Hell from him. At one point, Thor had difficulty with the gate keepers upon his arrival. In ''The Kindly Ones'', Odin and Thor take Loki back to his punishment for kidnapping Daniel Hall and causing the Three to kill Dream. Thor also appears in '' War of the Gods'' and ''
Jack Kirby's Fourth World "Fourth World" is a metaseries of connected comic book titles written and drawn by Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics from 1970 to 1973. Although they were not marketed under this title until the August–September 1971 issues of ''New Gods'' a ...
'' (The Thor seen in ''The Sandman'' does not resemble the one seen in the other DC comics). In the podcast, Thor is voiced by Mitch Benn.


Anubis

Anubis Anubis (; ), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian (), is the god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine hea ...
is the Egyptian God of the Underworld who is among the angels, deities, and demons that meet in the Dreaming to discuss the future of Hell following Lucifer's abdication. In the podcast, Anubis is voiced by Doug Devaney.


Bes

Bes is an Egyptian house deity who is among the angels, deities, and demons that meet in the Dreaming to discuss the future of Hell following Lucifer's abdication.


Susano-o-no-Mikoto

Susano-o-no-Mikoto is the Japanese God of the Sea, Storms, and Fields who is among the angels, deities, and demons that meet in the Dreaming to discuss the future of Hell following Lucifer's abdications. In the podcast, Susano-o-no-Mikoto is voiced by Dai Tabuchi.


Kilderkin

Kilderkin is a member of the Lords of Order who was dispatched by his fellow Lords of Order to attend a meeting in the Dreaming with the other angels, deities, and demons to discuss the future of Hell following Lucifer's abdication.


Shivering Jemmy

Shivering Jemmy is a child-like member of the Lords of Chaos who was dispatched by her fellow Lords of Chaos to attend a meeting in the Dreaming with the other angels, deities, and demons to discuss the future of Hell following Lucifer's abdication. In the podcast, Shivering Jemmy is voiced by Lizzie Waterworth-Santo.


Hades

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...
is the God of the Greek underworld. His history with Orpheus remains intact. In the podcast, Hades is voiced by
Toby Longworth Toby Longworth is a British actor. He has appeared on film, radio, and television and is best known for his role in Not Going Out as Paul. He is originally from Somerset, where he attended King Edward's School, Bath. However, he has worked most ...
.


Persephone

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...
is the Queen of the Greek underworld. Her history with Orpheus remains intact.


Angels, fallen angels, and demons

The following characters are either
angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
s,
fallen angel Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven. Such angels are often described ...
s, or
demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...
s:


Azazel

Azazel is a demon and a former ruler of Hell, reigning for a time alongside
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
and
Beelzebub Ba'al Zabub , Ba'al Zvuv or Beelzebub ( ; ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ''), also spelled Beelzebul or Belzebuth, and occasionally known as the Lord of the Flies, is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted ...
. Based on a statement from Agony and Ecstasy in ''
Hellblazer ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary Horror fiction, horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo Comics, Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introd ...
'' #12, he may have usurped his position from
Belial Belial (; , ''Bəlīyyaʿal'') is a term occurring in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament which later became personified as the devilSee the reference to "Beliar" in ''The Ascension of Isaiah'', at EarlyChristianWritings.com', specifically at 1:8� ...
(described at the time was the third member of the triumvirate). He appears as a ragged opening into darkness, full of disembodied eyes and mouths. He was cast out after Lucifer abandoned Hell and later imprisoned by Dream in a glass jar. He reappears, still in Dream's glass jar, in '' Lucifer Volume 2'' (2015). He is based on the demon
Azazel In the Hebrew Bible, the name Azazel (; ''ʿĂzāʾzēl'') represents a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the Jewish views on sin, sins of the Jews was sent during Yom Kippur. During the late Second Temple period (after the Development ...
. Azazel first appeared in DC Comics battling
Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu (Nimue Inwudu) is a fictional character published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur''. Jeryl Prescott portrays X ...
in the story intended for ''Doorway to Nightmare'' #6 (it was cancelled after #5) that was eventually published in ''
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade The "DC Explosion" and "DC Implosion" were two events in 1978 – the first an official marketing campaign, the second a sardonic reference to it – in which American comics company DC Comics expanded their roster of publications, then abruptly cu ...
'' #2 and '' The Unexpected'' #190. As with Lucifer's appearance in ''The Brave and the Bold'', he looked more like a traditional devil, but was identified as an
incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...
: here, a creature who steals people's dreams and imprints them upon tapestries that give him power, and cannot be destroyed without killing the victims. In the podcast, Azazel is voiced by
Kerry Shale Kerry Shale (born 4 June 1952) is a Canadian actor based in London, England. His BBC Radio 4 comedy-drama ''The Kubrick Test'' was broadcast in 2020. He is the co-host of ''Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan'', a podcast about Bob Dylan ...
. In the Netflix series, Azazel is voiced by
Roger Allam Roger William Allam (born 26 October 1953) is a British actor who has performed on stage, in film, on television and radio. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical ''Les Misérables'', First Officer D ...
.


Beelzebub

Along with Lucifer and Azazel, Beelzebub is a demon who was the third King of Hell. He often appears as either a gigantic green fly or a fly's head on two short human legs. Sometimes, a human face can be seen between the fly's eyes. His constant buzzing slurs his speech (for example, 'Bbbbut nooo. Itzzz a Triummmvirate.'). He is based on the demon
Beelzebub Ba'al Zabub , Ba'al Zvuv or Beelzebub ( ; ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ''), also spelled Beelzebul or Belzebuth, and occasionally known as the Lord of the Flies, is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted ...
. In the podcast, Beezlebug is voiced by
Ray Porter Ray Porter is an American actor and audiobook narrator who is most widely known for portraying the DC Comics villain Darkseid in '' Zack Snyder's Justice League''. He also did some voice acting work for '' The Scarecrow'', ''The Path of Atticu ...
.


Choronzon

Choronzon is a demon and a former duke of Hell who served under
Beelzebub Ba'al Zabub , Ba'al Zvuv or Beelzebub ( ; ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ''), also spelled Beelzebul or Belzebuth, and occasionally known as the Lord of the Flies, is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted ...
. He has pink skin and two mouths, one under the other. Chronozon had possession of Dream's helm, but lost it in a challenge where he had Lucifer fight Dream on his behalf. He later reappeared briefly as one of Azazel's tactics to gain ownership of Hell. Chronozon is based on the demon Choronzon. Choronzon appears in '' 52'' #25 (Late October 2006). In the podcast, Chorozon is voiced by
Paterson Joseph Paterson Davis Joseph (born 22 June 1964) is a British actor and author. Joseph appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) productions of ''King Lear'' and ''Love's Labour's Lost'' in 1990. On television he is best known for his roles in '' ...
. In the Netflix series, Choronzon is portrayed by
Munya Chawawa Munyaradzi Oliver Chawawa (born 29 December 1992) is a British–Zimbabwean actor, comedian and comedy rapper. Early life Munyaradzi Oliver Chawawa was born on 29 December 1992 in Derby, England, and spent his childhood in Zimbabwe. In his y ...
.


Duma

Duma is a fallen angel from the DC
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
series '' The Sandman''. Duma's name means "silence", and he is based on the angel
Duma A duma () is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were formed across Russia ...
from
Jewish mythology Jewish mythology is the body of myths associated with Judaism. Elements of Jewish mythology have had a profound influence on Christian mythology and on Islamic mythology, as well as on Abrahamic culture in general. Christian mythology directly ...
. In ''
Season of Mists ''Season of Mists'' is a 1990–1991 American eight-part comic and the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics' '' The Sandman'' series. It collects issues #21–28. It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringe ...
'',
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
abdicates Hell and gives the key to Dream until God assigns Duma and Remiel to take control of Hell. Remiel and Duma lose ownership of Hell in the ''Lucifer'' spin-off series. Duma eventually allies with Lucifer and Elaine Belloc to save creation, and persuades Hell's new ruler Christopher Rudd to bring his army to Heaven's aid at the Battle of
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
.


Lucifer

Lucifer is the sometime ruler of Hell and a fallen angel. He is based on the fallen angel
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
, whose story was created by
John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...
in his epic poem ''
Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...
''. Neil Gaiman also used the character Lucifer in his short story 'Murder Mysteries', wherein he was a captain in the Silver City, with
Azazel In the Hebrew Bible, the name Azazel (; ''ʿĂzāʾzēl'') represents a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the Jewish views on sin, sins of the Jews was sent during Yom Kippur. During the late Second Temple period (after the Development ...
as his protégé. In the book "Hanging out with the Dream King" (a book consisting of interviews with Gaiman's collaborators), one of Gaiman's artists, Kelley Jones, states that Lucifer's appearance is based on that of
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
: Lucifer made at least three previous appearances in DC Comics (''
Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from September–October 1954 until March 1974, spanning a total of 163 issues. Featuring the adventures of Superman supporting character Jimmy Olsen, it conta ...
'' #65, '' Weird Mystery Tales'' #4, and ''DC Special Series'' #8, a.k.a. ''
The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by a reprint miniseries in 1988, two original miniseries in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing anthology ...
Special''), but his appearance was more traditional. Lucifer as he appeared in ''The Sandman'' also appeared in issues of the series '' The Demon'' (vol. 3) and '' The Spectre'' (vol. 2) and in the miniseries '' Stanley and His Monster'' (vol. 2). In the podcast, Lucifer is voiced by
Michael Sheen Michael Christopher Sheen (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage roles in ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1992), ''Don't Fool wi ...
. In the Netflix series, Lucifer is genderbent (but still physically accurate to her comic variant) and portrayed by
Gwendoline Christie Gwendoline Christie (born 28 October 1978) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Brienne of Tarth in the HBO fantasy-drama series ''Game of Thrones'' (2012–2019), and the First Order (Star Wars), First Order Stormtrooper (Star War ...
.


Mazikeen

Mazikeen is a fictional character from
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
's ''
Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The San ...
''
mythos Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
. The name "
Mazikeen Mazikeen is a character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is one of the Lilim, a child of Lilith. She first appeared in '' The Sandman'' (vol. 2) #22 (December 1990), and was created by Neil Gaiman and Kelley Jone ...
" comes from that of a shapeshifting demon of
Jewish mythology Jewish mythology is the body of myths associated with Judaism. Elements of Jewish mythology have had a profound influence on Christian mythology and on Islamic mythology, as well as on Abrahamic culture in general. Christian mythology directly ...
. Mazikeen first appeared in ''The Sandman'', where she was
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
's consort while he reigned in Hell. At the time, half of her face was normal, but the other half was horribly misshapen and skeletal, causing her speech to be nearly unintelligible. (Gaiman wrote Mazikeen's dialogue by trying to speak using only half of his mouth, and writing down phonetically what came out.) When Lucifer resigned, Mazikeen left Hell and ended up following her master, becoming part of the staff at the "Lux" (Latin for ''light'', and the first root word in "Lucifer"), an elite Los Angeles bar that Lucifer had opened and played piano at. To conceal her demonic nature, she covered the deformed half of her face with a white mask and rarely spoke. In the ongoing comic book series ''
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
'', Mazikeen is a devoted ally of Lucifer Morningstar and the war leader of the
Lilin A lilu or lilû is the masculine Akkadian word for a spirit or demon. A female lilû was called a lilītu or ardat-lilî. Together, these were a class of demon that the ancient Mesopotamians believed emerged from the unfulfilled spirits of adole ...
, a race descended from
Lilith Lilith (; ), also spelled Lilit, Lilitu, or Lilis, is a feminine figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden ...
. A fearsome warrior and a respected leader, Mazikeen is a prominent character in the Lucifer comics. She has the appearance of a human female with long black hair. In ''Lucifer'', Mazikeen's face was turned fully human when she was resuscitated by the Basanos following the destruction of the Lux in a fire. This was because the vessel of the Basanos, Jill Presto, did not realize that Mazikeen's face was naturally deformed, and assumed that it was burned in the fire. When Lucifer refused to assist her in restoring her face to its former state, she defected to her family, the Lilim-in-Exile. As their war leader, she led their army against Lucifer's cosmos, allying herself briefly with the Basanos. However, this was a ruse; after a desperate gamble, she bought Lucifer enough time to destroy the Basanos and regain control of his creation. Lucifer then accepted her into his service once more and made the Lilim-in-Exile the standing army of his universe. Lucifer ultimately restores Mazikeen's half-skeletal face shortly before departing the known universes. In the podcast, Mazikeen is voiced by Karen Batke. In the Netflix series, Mazikeen is portrayed by Cassie Clare. She has a few lines of dialogue and serves as Lucifer's servant and bodyguard.


Remiel

Remiel is an
angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
in the comic book series '' The Sandman''; based on the angel Remiel. He first appears in ''
Season of Mists ''Season of Mists'' is a 1990–1991 American eight-part comic and the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics' '' The Sandman'' series. It collects issues #21–28. It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringe ...
''. In Biblical and Judaic traditions, Remiel is an
Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the Catholic hierarchy of angels, based on and put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' (''On the Celestial Hierarchy'') ...
and a ''
Grigori Grigory, Grigori and Grigoriy () are Russian masculine given names. Russian version of Gregory (given name). Grigory * Grigory Baklanov (1923–2009), Russian novelist * Grigory Barenblatt (1927–2018), Russian mathematician * Grigory Bey-Bi ...
''; a
Choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
/
Hierarchy of angels In the angelology of different religions, a hierarchy of angels is a ranking system of angels. The higher ranking angels have greater power and authority than lower ones, and different ranks have differences in appearance, such as varying num ...
, whose role is to observe humanity, lending a helping hand when necessary but not interfere. Remiel, along with
Duma A duma () is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were formed across Russia ...
, is sent to observe when
Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...
is given the key to
Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
. Dream finally gives the key to Remiel and Duma, and the two angels descend to Hell to rule over the countless sinners and demons there. Following the end of the ''Sandman'' series, Remiel and Duma lose ownership of Hell in the ''
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
'' spin-off series. At the end of the series, Remiel tries to rebel against Elaine Belloc, refusing to accept her as God's successor. When he tries to kill Gaudium and Spera, friends of Elaine's, she puts him in his own Hell until he reforms. In the podcast, Remiel is voiced by
Adrian Lester Adrian Anthony Lester (born Anthony Harvey on 14 August 1968) is a British actor. He is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award, an Evening Standard Theatre Award and a Critics' Circle Theatre Award for his work on the London stage, an ...
.


Minor angels and demons


Squatterbloat

Squatterbloat is a rhyme-speaking demon who serves as the Gatekeeper of Hell. In the Netflix series, Squatterbloat is performed by Martyn Ford.


Ketele

Ketele is a demon in Hell who doubted that Lucifer was originally from Heaven during Dream's second visit to Hell and prior to Lucifer's abdication.


Rimmon-My-Petal

Rimmon-My-Petal is a demon in Hell who doubted that Lucifer was originally from Heaven during Dream's second visit to Hell and prior to Lucifer's abdication.


Merkin, Mother of Spiders

First appeared in ''
Season of Mists ''Season of Mists'' is a 1990–1991 American eight-part comic and the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics' '' The Sandman'' series. It collects issues #21–28. It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringe ...
'', Merkin, Mother of Spider is an envoy with Azazel. A lumpen, hideous, vaguely feminine figure, whose womb produces
spider Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...
s. The Merkin's facial form was almost certainly based upon a photograph by the artist
Joel-Peter Witkin Joel-Peter Witkin (born September 13, 1939) is an American photographer who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His work often deals with themes such as death, corpses (and sometimes dismembered portions thereof), often featuring ornately decorated ...
entitled "Amour, New Mexico, 1987", showing a naked female figure wearing a spider-like horned mask. In the podcast, Merkin is voiced by Clare Corbett.


Fair Folk

The following are inhabitants of
Faerie Fairyland (Early Modern English: ''Faerie''; (Scottish mythology; cf. (Norse mythology)) in English and Scottish folklore is the fabulous land or abode of fairies or ''fays''. Old French (Early Modern English ) referred to an illusion or enchan ...
:


Cluracan

The Cluracan is a
courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...
of the Queen of Faerie and the brother to
Nuala Nuala ( , ) or Fionnuala is an Irish feminine given name, derived from Irish mythology - being either a diminutive form of Fionnuala ("fair shoulder"), the daughter of Lir, or an alternate name for Úna (perhaps meaning "lamb"), wife of Finvar ...
, the Dream King's fairy servant. An amoral, merry, capricious, homosexual rogue, Cluracan features in ''
Season of Mists ''Season of Mists'' is a 1990–1991 American eight-part comic and the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics' '' The Sandman'' series. It collects issues #21–28. It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringe ...
'', '' Worlds' End'', '' The Kindly Ones'', and '' The Wake''. He is strongly reminiscent of the "
trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...
" archetype also associated with
Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
. Following the events of '' The Kindly Ones'', Cluracan offends his queen so badly that she sends him to the court of Llinor, where tradition demands that he marry a lady of the royal house; whereupon Cluracan's
nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...
 – identical to him in every way except his sexual orientation – takes Cluracan's place. The Cluracan is named after a drunken
leprechaun A leprechaun () is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. In later times, they have bee ...
of
Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...
, the Cluricaun. In the podcast, Cluracan is voiced by Aidan Turner.


Nuala

Nuala is a
faerie Fairyland (Early Modern English: ''Faerie''; (Scottish mythology; cf. (Norse mythology)) in English and Scottish folklore is the fabulous land or abode of fairies or ''fays''. Old French (Early Modern English ) referred to an illusion or enchan ...
given to Dream at the end of ''
Season of Mists ''Season of Mists'' is a 1990–1991 American eight-part comic and the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics' '' The Sandman'' series. It collects issues #21–28. It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringe ...
'' who takes on the housekeeping duties of the Dreaming only stopping when her brother Cluracan takes her back to Faerie in '' The Kindly Ones''. When she leaves, Dream grants her permission to summon him at need. When she asks to become his paramour, he refuses. She subsequently appears in the ''Sandman'' spinoff series ''
The Dreaming The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by hi ...
''. In the podcast, Nuala is voiced by Niamh Walsh.


Auberon

Auberon is a character in the comic book series '' The Sandman'' and ''
The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo Comics, Vertigo. Since its or ...
''. He is seen for the first time in ''Sandman'' #19 as Auberon of Dom-Daniel where he and Titania accompanied Dream in seeing the production of ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
''. Auberon appears again in several issues of ''
The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo Comics, Vertigo. Since its or ...
'' and in the '' Books of Faerie'' miniseries. The character was inspired by
Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania ...
of Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. In the podcast, Auberon is voiced by
Toby Longworth Toby Longworth is a British actor. He has appeared on film, radio, and television and is best known for his role in Not Going Out as Paul. He is originally from Somerset, where he attended King Edward's School, Bath. However, he has worked most ...
.


Titania

Titania is a character in
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
's comic book series '' The Sandman''. Titania is the queen of the fay; she first appears in issue #19. The character was inspired by Shakespeare's Titania (Fairy Queen) in the play ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
''. There is implication that she in the past was a lover of Dream's, although this is never confirmed. Auberon and Titania accompanied Dream in seeing the production of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' where Titania was accompanied by her court of boggarts, elves, fairies, goblins, nixies, and trolls. Titania is also a major character in the comic book ''
The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo Comics, Vertigo. Since its or ...
'', of which the first four issues were written by Gaiman, and its spin-off series '' The Books of Faerie''. In the latter series, it is revealed that she was a human girl who crossed over into the fay realm and was then adopted by the previous queen of the fay, and received her faerie powers from a circlet seized by her from that queen. Despite this power, it was revealed that she is
illiterate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...
, and so regularly uses Dream's library because its special properties allow its users to read books in any language, including those they cannot speak. There are suggestions that she may be the mother of the series' protagonist, Timothy Hunter. In the podcast, Titania is voiced by Felicity Duncan.


Puck

Puck is a brown-furred
trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...
and
hobgoblin A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his '' A Midsummer Nigh ...
, who appears several times in '' The Sandman''. In ''The Kindly Ones'', Puck aids the Norse God Loki in kidnapping Daniel, playing a small role in the death of Dream and Daniel's subsequent assuming of the title by assisting Loki in capturing Daniel. Puck later appeared in an issue of ''
The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo Comics, Vertigo. Since its or ...
'', hiding as a gangster called Mr. Robbins in
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
whose true nature is discovered—but not exposed—by Timothy Hunter. The character was inspired by Puck of Shakespeare's ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
''.


Immortals, witches, and long-lived humans

The following characters are either immortals, witches, or long-lived humans:


Hob Gadling

Robert "Hob" Gadling is a human granted immortality, who meets with
Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...
once every hundred years. Hob was granted immortality in a pub named the White Horse in 1389 when he simply declared that he "had decided never to die"; whereupon Death agrees, at Dream's request, to forgo him. Hob thereupon takes to a variety of occupations over the centuries, including slaving, and periodically reinvents himself as a descendant of his previous persona. Gradually, he acquires a conscience and by the 20th Century, he has become full of remorse at his past deeds. Dream converses with Gadling once per century, of Gadling's latest occupations. At their 20th Century meeting, Dream admits that the purpose of the exercise was simply for him to have a friend. In '' The Wake'', Death offers to end his six-hundred-year life. Gadling declines. In the podcast, Hob Gadling is voiced by Matthew Horne. In the Netflix series, Hob is portrayed by Ferdinand Kingsley.


Orpheus

Orpheus is the son of Dream and the muse
Calliope In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; ) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muses". Mythology Calliope had two famous sons, OrpheusH ...
. He is based on
Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...
of
Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
. In " The Song of Orpheus", the Endless attend Orpheus's wedding to Eurydice. Eurydice dies on the same night and Orpheus asks his father to retrieve her from the
Greek underworld In Greek mythology, the underworld or Hades () is a distinct realm (one of the three realms that make up the cosmos) where an individual goes after death. The earliest idea of afterlife in Greek myth is that, at the moment of death, an individu ...
. Dream refuses, but Orpheus gets help from Destruction and Death. As in the legend, Orpheus travels to Hades, plays his sad music to Hades and Persephonie, loses Eurydice again when he looks at her spirit during departure, and gets torn apart by the Bacchanae (the beloved madwomen of
Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...
). Because of his immortality, Orpheus survives as a disembodied head. Dream establishes a priesthood to take care of his son, saying that they will never meet again. In "
Thermidor Thermidor () was the eleventh month in the French Republican calendar. The month was named after the French word ''thermal'', derived from the Greek word ''thermos'' 'heat'. Thermidor was the second month of the summer quarter (''mois d'été ...
", Johanna Constantine is asked by Dream to rescue Orpheus from Revolutionary France. Orpheus's singing stuns
Maximilien Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; ; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre ferv ...
and
Louis de Saint-Just Louis Antoine Léon de Saint-Just (; 25 August 176710 Thermidor, Year II 8 July 1794, sometimes nicknamed the Archangel of Terror, was a French revolutionary, political philosopher, member and president of the French National Convention, a ...
, leading to the
Thermidorian Reaction In the historiography of the French Revolution, the Thermidorian Reaction ( or ''Convention thermidorienne'', "Thermidorian Convention") is the common term for the period between the ousting of Maximilien Robespierre on 9 Thermidor II, or 27 J ...
. Orpheus misses his father who still has not visited him. In '' Brief Lives'', Dream has to talk to Orpheus in order to find Destruction. In return, Orpheus is granted his wish of death enabling him to pass on and reunite with Eurydice in the afterlife. In the podcast, Orpheus is voiced by Regé-Jean Page.


Thessaly

Thessaly is the last of the millennia-old witches of Thessaly. She makes her first appearance in '' A Game of You''. She has a bookish appearance with straight hair and thick glasses that belie her personality: amoral, cold-blooded, proud, and ruthless, though not malicious. She will kill people who are potential threats with no hesitation or remorse.
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
named this character after the land of witches,
Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...
, in
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. In one of Plato's dialogues, the Gorgias, Socrates states "I would not have us risk that which is dearest on the acquisition of this power, like the Thessalian enchantresses, who, as they say, bring down the moon from heaven at the risk of their own perdition." In the series, Thessaly does exactly that, with deadly consequences, just as Socrates predicts. Later in the series, Thessaly changes her name to
Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...
, which is the capital of Thessaly. Larissa was actually the local fountain nymph, after whom the town was named. It is suggested however that Thessaly is even older than this civilization and may date from Neolithic times. In a later series, Thessaly tells someone her name is
Lamia Lamia (; ), in ancient Greek mythology, was a child-eating monster and, in later tradition, was regarded as a type of night-haunting spirit or "daimon". In the earliest myths, Lamia was a beautiful queen of ancient Libya who had an affair with ...
. “Lamia” refers to several types of monster, and to other magical and supernatural characters, in
Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
, as well as to the Thessalian witches Meroe and Panthia in ''
The Golden Ass The ''Metamorphoses'' of Apuleius, which Augustine of Hippo referred to as ''The Golden Ass'' (Latin: ''Asinus aureus''), is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety. The protagonist of the novel is Lucius. At the end of ...
'' by
Apuleius Apuleius ( ), also called Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (c. 124 – after 170), was a Numidians, Numidian Latin-language prose writer, Platonist philosopher and rhetorician. He was born in the Roman Empire, Roman Numidia (Roman province), province ...
. Thessaly returns in the later volumes, where she is Dream's lover for a time, but this relationship ends unhappily for both and is never actually shown in the series. When it is alluded to in '' Brief Lives'' Thessaly is never mentioned by name, so only in '' The Kindly Ones'' is this romance revealed. Also in ''The Kindly Ones'', Thessaly provides Lyta Hall with protection and sanctuary from
Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...
while he is being targeted for death by the Furies, who are using Hall as a vessel. In '' The Wake'' she attends Dream's wake and funeral. Thessaly speaks with two of Dream's lovers and recalls her relationship with Dream. She remarks that part of his attraction to her was that she was not intimidated by him. To her surprise she later would dream of Morpheus, and the two kindled a romance, with Dream madly in love with Thessaly (though this affection was not mutual). When Morpheus ended his courtship and resumed working Thessaly realized she did not love Morpheus and left the Dreaming. When Lyta wakes up after Dream's death, Thessaly calmly advises her to leave. Thessaly suggests that many people, including herself, would be more than happy to murder Lyta for her part in Morpheus' destruction. Thessaly also is the star of two spin-off comic series, ''The Thessaliad'' and ''Thessaly, Witch for Hire'' written by
Bill Willingham William Willingham (born 1956) is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series '' Elementals'' and ''Fables''. Career William Willingham was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. During his father's military career the fam ...
. In the spin-offs, Thessaly (under that name) and her companion, a ghost named Fetch, first set out to tackle various gods of the underworld who want her dead. Later she is unwillingly pressured into a monster-killing contract. She is alluded to in the ''
Faction Paradox ''Faction Paradox'' is a series of novels, audio stories, short story anthologies, and comics set in and around a "War in Heaven", a history-spanning conflict between godlike "Great Houses" and their mysterious enemy. The series is named after a ...
'' series, in the character Thessalia and her protégé Larissa. In the podcast, Thessaly is voiced by Emma Corrin.


Mad Hettie

Mad Hettie is a London tramp born in 1741. At the time of ''Sandman'' #3, she was 247 years old. Mad Hettie appears frequently in other DC comics such as ''Hellblazer'', first appearing in #9. She also had a large role in ''Death: The High Cost of Living'', where she is shown to be rude, miserly and constantly complains about the lack of knowledge that present day youths have. She has been accused of being a witch and also appears to have abilities as a
haruspex In the Ancient Roman religion, religion of ancient Rome, a haruspex was a person trained to practise a form of divination called haruspicy, the inspection of the entrails of Animal sacrifice, sacrificed animals, especially the livers of sacrifi ...
. However, she merely states that "you don't get to your two hundred and fiftieth without learning a few tricks". Later, Hettie worked in the series ''The Dreaming,'' in which it was discovered that she had dealings with
Destiny Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...
, Johanna Constantine and President
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
. In ''The Sandman: Overture'', it is revealed that she had stolen a magical timepiece in her youth, which remained hidden in her memories until Daniel retrieved it. In the podcast, Mad Hettie is voiced by
Josie Lawrence Josie Lawrence (born Wendy Lawrence; 6 June 1959) is an English actress and comedian. She is best known for her work with the Comedy Store Players improvisational troupe, the television series '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' and as Manda Best in ...
. In the Netflix series, Mad Hettie is portrayed by
Clare Higgins Clare Frances Elizabeth Higgins (born 10 November 1955) is an English actress. She is a three-time winner of the Olivier Award for Best Actress; for '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1995), ''Vincent in Brixton'' (2003), and ''Hecuba'' (2005). She mad ...
.


The Silk Man

Appearing for the first time in '' Lucifer: Nirvana'', the Silk Man is an immortal sorcerer, described by
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
as "a fossil remnant from an earlier, cruder creation. His body is a weaving that has to be renewed constantly. Silk Man's spirit too, come to that. A messy form of immortality, but it seems to do the job." In earlier days, Silk Man was the leader of the Arao Jinn. He appears as a mercenary, hired by the angel Perdissa to kill Lucifer. Silk Man seems to need to consume living things to stay alive, weaving them into himself. He is severely damaged by Perdissa and eventually killed by Lucifer.


Vassily

In The Hunt, Vassily appears as an old man telling his teen-aged granddaughter a tale from "the old country", Russia. A youth raised in a remote forest has a series of adventures, including meeting with Lucien (to whom he gives a book) and
Baba Yaga Baba Yaga is a female character (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) from Slavic folklore who has two contrasting roles. In some narratives, she is described as a repulsive or ferocious-looking old woman who fries and eats children, ...
, and marrying a fellow shape-changing wolf. At the end of the story, it is revealed that the grandfather is the youth in his own story.


Mortals

The following are known mortals:


Roderick Burgess

Roderick Burgess (1863–1947), born Morris Burgess Brocklesby and known also as The Daemon King, was the Lord Magus of The Order of the Ancient Mysteries. His magical fraternity was based in "Fawney Rig" in
Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
, and was initially funded by his inherited industrial wealth. Burgess is a magician rather in the vein of the real
Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...
, and within the DC world is Crowley's rival. The series begins with Burgess' attempt to capture and bind
Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
, which fails, capturing
Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...
instead. Burgess keeps Dream trapped in a glass globe for the rest of his (Burgess') life, attempting to bargain with Dream, but Dream remains silent. Burgess dies from a heart attack still attempting to get a response out of Dream. His order passes the globe and Dream to his son Alex. Burgess is a bald-headed, slightly pot-bellied man with a large hook nose. He is ultimately self-centred; his sole purpose for the Order is to bring money and power to himself, and he is consumed by his desire to achieve immortality. His relationship with his son is only briefly touched on, though it is implied that it is unhealthy, with Burgess pushing his son to spend his life pursuing his father's dreams. In the podcast, Roderick Burgess is voiced by Stephen Critchlow.
Charles Dance Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing intimidating, authoritarian characters and villains. Dance started his career on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) before appearing in film an ...
portrays the character in the television series '' The Sandman'' on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
. This version of the character dies of a brain hemorrhage instead of a heart attack.


Alex Burgess

Alex Burgess is the son of Roderick Burgess, mother unknown (but probably Ethel Cripps, and therefore half-brother of
Doctor Destiny Doctor Destiny (John Dee) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Gardener Fox and Mike Sekowsky, the character first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #5 (June 1961) Jeremy Davies played ...
). He is taught by his father, and takes part in his rituals. Upon Roderick Burgess' death, Alex inherits his estate, including his magical order. He keeps Dream imprisoned, as his father did, trying to bargain for power and immortality in exchange for Dream's release. The Order of the Ancient Mysteries enjoys a resurgence in popularity in the 1960s, but by the 1970s it is in decline again. Alex passes ownership of the Order on to his boyfriend, Paul McGuire, and becomes obsessed with his prisoner and with his father. Finally, in 1988, Dream escapes and puts Alex into a nightmare of "eternal waking", in which he is forever dreaming he is waking up, and each waking degenerates into another horrible nightmare. This nightmare lasts for years, ending only with Dream's death in '' The Kindly Ones''. Alex is quite tall and near-sighted. He has brown hair which he wears in a variety of styles throughout his life, but by old age he is bald and has come to resemble his father very closely. His relationship with McGuire is deep and heartfelt, but his obsessions with his father and with Dream eventually come to rule his life. In '' The Wake'', he appears again as the child that we see in his first appearance. Alex is in many ways a tragic figure, perhaps the first statement of the theme that
Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...
explores in '' The Wake'': "The bonds of family bind both ways". Had Alex not been born the son of his father, inheriting the imprisoned Dream, his life might have been much happier. However, he is finally able to find some measure of fulfillment in his old age, following Dream's death. His name almost certainly derives from
Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993) who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his Utopian and dystopian fiction, dy ...
's ''
A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...
'', the protagonist of which is named Alex, but could also be a nod to
Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley ( ; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...
, whose original middle name was Alexander and who was mentioned in the first issue. In the podcast, Alex Burgess is voiced by Blake Ritson. Alex appears in '' The Sandman'' episode "Sleep of the Just", portrayed by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as a young man,
Laurie Kynaston Laurence Stephen Kynaston (born 24 February 1994) is a Welsh actor. He won an ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for his performance in '' The Son'', as well as receiving a WhatsOnStage Award nomination. On television, he starred in the BBC Two ...
as an adult, and by Benedick Blythe as an elderly man.


Ruthven Sykes

Ruthven Sykes is a bespectacled Afro-Caribbean man with short hair. He is Roderick Burgess' second-in-command of the Order of the Ancient Mysteries until November 1930, when he steals a number of treasures (including Dream's helmet, ruby and pouch of sand) and £200,000 in cash from the order and flees to San Francisco with Roderick's mistress, Ethel Cripps. In December 1930, he trades the helmet to the demon Choronzon for an amulet that looks like an eyeball on a chain. This amulet protects him from the magics of Burgess until 1936, when Ethel Cripps leaves him, taking the amulet with her. He is then killed. In the podcast, Ruthven Sykes is voiced by Oris Erhuero. In the Netflix series, Ruthven Sykes is portrayed by Ansu Kabia.


Ethel Cripps

Ethel Cripps, also known as Ethel Dee, is the mother of
John Dee John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, ...
. She was the mistress of Roderick Burgess until she fled with Ruthven Sykes. Her last joy was her son, John Dee, whom she sought for 10 years. She discovered that he had become a living corpse, which happened because of his use of the Sandman's Ruby. At this time, she was 90 years old, and it was alluded that she had been kept alive by an amulet in the shape of an eye which granted its user protection, the amulet that Ruthven Sykes had been given by the demon Choronzon in exchange for Dream's helmet. Sykes, who had been second in command in The Order of Ancient Mysteries, needed protection from Roderick Burgess who was seeking retribution for Sykes' treachery of the theft of the £200,000 and Dream's magical items, which were in possession of the Order at the time he fled with Ethel Cripps to San Francisco in 1930. "Magical War" was declared upon them, and Ruthven knew he would need a way to protect himself from the hexes Burgess sought to put upon him. In 1936, Ethel walked out on Ruthven, taking with her the amulet of protection and Dream's Ruby. While in his possession, the amulet protected Sykes from Burgess' hexes, but without it, he died a messy and painful death, with his insides exploding out of him. The amulet continued to protect Ethel while Choronzon was still in possession of Dream's helmet. After Dream escaped and sought to regain his items, he descended to Hell to find his helmet. He had to battle Choronzon to regain it. After his victory, the compact was withdrawn and the power of protection the amulet possessed ended which also ended the life of Ethel Dee. In the podcast, Ethel Cripps is voiced by Karen Bartke. In the Netflix series, Ethel Cripps is portrayed by
Joely Richardson Joely Kim Richardson (born 9 January 1965) is a British actress. She is notable for her roles as Julia McNamara in the FX drama series '' Nip/Tuck'' (2003–2010) and Katherine Parr in the Showtime series ''The Tudors'' (2010). Her credits in ...
as an older woman and by Niamh Walsh as a younger woman. Unlike the comics, Ethel gave the Amulet of Protection to her son before dying.


Wesley Dodds

Wesley Dodds, also known as Sandman, is the original costumed crimefighter who used the name. According to Gaiman, he was merely filling a hole in the universe in a similar way to a process of evolution, in which animals fill up a niche—for instance, what should fly. He is first seen in ''The Sandman'' series in a two-panel cameo in issue #1, and another cameo in issue #26. Dream occasionally appeared in dream sequences in Dodds's own series, ''
Sandman Mystery Theatre ''Sandman Mystery Theatre'' was an ongoing comic book series published by Vertigo Comics, the mature-readers imprint of DC Comics. It ran for 70 issues, one annual, and a cross-over special between 1993 and 1999 and retells the adventures of ...
''. The two finally met for real in Gaiman's '' Sandman Midnight Theatre''. Dodds appeared out of costume during '' The Sandman: The Wake'' (#72). The reason for his prophetic visions is explained as him being embodied with a small portion of Dream's essence. His reasoning for assuming his role as The Sandman is given as nightmares of Dream in his helmet that plague him ''until'' he begins his career as a crimefighter, after which "Wesley Dodds sleeps the sleep of the Just." In the podcast, Wesley Dodds is voiced by
Ray Porter Ray Porter is an American actor and audiobook narrator who is most widely known for portraying the DC Comics villain Darkseid in '' Zack Snyder's Justice League''. He also did some voice acting work for '' The Scarecrow'', ''The Path of Atticu ...
.


Johanna Constantine

Lady Johanna Constantine is an 18th-century supernatural adventuress. Dream encounters her several times, once to ask her to recover the head of his son,
Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...
 – a mission she performed so successfully that part of its aftereffects was the ending of the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. In the ''Hellblazer Special: Lady Constantine'' graphic novel, an ancient evil refers to Johanna Constantine as 'the Constantine', the 'laughing magician', and the 'constant one', all titles that have been used (usually by other ancient evils) to describe
John Constantine John Constantine (), also known as Hellblazer, is an antihero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben, and first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985). I ...
. The evil taunts her, saying "did you think to trick us with a new form?" There is the implication that throughout all times there have been recurring incarnations of Constantine who contain the spark of magic. In the story Johanna Constantine learns that "the
Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...
and the
Wandering Jew The Wandering Jew (occasionally referred to as the Eternal Jew, a calque from German ) is a mythical immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century. In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Cruc ...
" meet once every hundred years in a London pub; this meeting is actually between Dream and Hob Gadling, as she discovers when she interrupts the meeting. The story's conclusion shows Johanna Constantine inheriting a property she calls "Fawney Rig", after the con job wherein a gilded ring is sold as though it were solid gold, the implication being that she attained the property through trickery. This property was later owned by Roderick Burgess, the mage who captures Dream in the beginning of ''The Sandman''. In her middle age, Johanna Constantine is charged by persons unknown with the key to a box containing the sigil of America, allegedly created by Destiny. This is stolen and hidden in the future by the wanderer, Mad Hettie. Hettie both blackmails ("I knows about you and the little Corsican") and bribes Johanna for her silence, promising her that she would live to age 99. This promise proves true, with Johanna dying at age 99 while getting out of her wheelchair when she hears the song of her old companion Orpheus. Johanna is an ancestor of
John Constantine John Constantine (), also known as Hellblazer, is an antihero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben, and first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985). I ...
, as revealed in the miniseries ''The Sandman Presents: Love Street''. She is also mentioned in the ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' novel '' The Man in the Velvet Mask'', set in an alternate post-Revolutionary France. In the podcast, Johanna Constantine is voiced by
Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an Indian-born British actress, presenter, author, television producer, activist and former model. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulo ...
.
Jenna Coleman Jenna-Louise Coleman (born 27 April 1986) is an English actress. She began her television career by playing Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2005 to 2009, followed by a recurring role in the BBC school-based drama series ''Wat ...
was cast as two versions of Johanna in the TV adaptation of '' The Sandman'': one in the eighteenth-century that encountered Dream and Hob Gadling and another in the present day where she is an occult detective just like John. In this show, Johanna serves the exact same role as John in the comics. Dream once saw into her nightmare regarding a previously botched exorcism that dragged her friend
Astra Logue The following is a list of characters in the ''Hellblazer'' comic book series published by DC Comics and its Vertigo imprint. John Constantine A Liverpudlian magician and conman, and the main character in the series. He first appeared in ''Swa ...
to Hell.


John Constantine

John Constantine is a
con man A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibi ...
and magician. He is a descendant of Johanna Constantine who accompanies Dream on a quest to find his pouch of sand. John Constantine has his own series, ''John Constantine: Hellblazer'', which occasionally has guest appearances by Cain and Abel. He is also prominently featured in another series, ''
Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...
'', from which he originated. In the podcast, John Constantine is voiced by
Taron Egerton Taron Egerton ( ; born 10 November 1989) is a Welsh actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he performed in stage plays before gaining recognition for his starring role as a spy in the action comedy films '' Kingsman: Th ...
.


John Dee

John Dee, also known as Doctor Destiny, is a
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
villain whose powers were derived from his use of Dream's Ruby. His name is almost certainly a reference to the real-life
John Dee John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, ...
. He was incarcerated in
Arkham Asylum Arkham Asylum () is a fictional psychiatric hospital appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in stories featuring Batman. It first appeared in ''Batman'' #258 (October 1974), written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Irv N ...
, with other
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
villains such as The Scarecrow and
The Joker The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, the character first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' on ...
, until freed by the amulet given to him by his mother, Ethel Dee, former mistress to Roderick Burgess. He had previously fought the Sandman (Garrett Sanford) alongside the
Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
. John originally named himself 'Doctor Destiny' to protect his mother's surname, but after her death changed it back. The Ruby had drained away his mental and physical state until he was no longer able to sleep or dream without it. This had the unpleasant effect of turning him into a browned, living corpse. Being able to control dreams, he used the ruby to bring out the 'darkness' and 'bestiality' of many people across the world. He originally sought power, money and mostly the restoration of his human body, but the madness brought about by overuse of the relic drove him to savage, monstrous acts of depravity using the ruby. To quote: "I think I'll dismember the world and then I'll dance in the wreckage." While doing this, over a period of 24 hours he focused the energy of the ruby on several people in a cafe, one of them a friend of Rose Walker and an ex-lover of Foxglove. He used them as puppets, horribly having them murder and degrade each other as if they were toys, until all were dead. Dream double-bluffed him into destroying the ruby, which Dee believed to be Dream's life. It actually only stored some of his energy, and with it released Dream instead became even more powerful than before. Easily overpowering Dee, Dream decided not to destroy him, and instead returned him to Arkham. Dee was finally able to sleep and his sadism and depravity faded as he now could again dream. He has since appeared in ''
Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
'' and ''
Justice Society In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes'' of Justinian, a ...
'' stories, having retained some residual power from the ruby. Even worse, since he has managed to replicate its power perfectly, the second ruby is now out of his grasp. However, since the new ruby is attuned to him, he has since not regressed to his previous vicious persona, mostly seeking the dominion of dreams or the waking world through dreams. In the podcast, John Dee is voiced by
William Hope William Hope may refer to: * William Johnstone Hope (1766–1831), prominent and controversial British Royal Navy officer and politician * Sir William Hope, 14th Baronet (1819–1898), British Army officer * William Hope (VC) (1834–1909), Scottis ...
. John Dee appears in the Netflix series, portrayed by
David Thewlis David Wheeler (born 20 March 1963), better known as David Thewlis (), is an English actor and filmmaker. He has appeared in a variety of genres in both film and television. He has received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and nomin ...
. This variant has a more expanded, different role. He does not kill Rosemary when they drive together, but he leaves her the Amulet of Protection he received from his mother. John does not possess his comic variant's shriveled appearance, simply looking like a weak middle aged man. Additionally, his use of the ruby is different: he still kills the people in the diner but the ruby’s power is more specific: he uses it to remove people’s ability to lie. Dream later defeated him. Taking pity, Dream places him in a dreamless state and dropped his body back at the institution that he escaped from.


Unity Kinkaid

Unity Kinkaid first appears as one of the victims of the sleepy sickness that follows Dream's capture in the first collection of issues in the series, '' Preludes and Nocturnes''. Following his capture, she sleeps until he escapes. While asleep, she gives birth to a daughter named Miranda Walker. It is later shown that the father of Miranda was
Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...
. Unity is later identified as a "vortex of Dream": a rare entity with the ability to telepathically combine the dreams of other beings and who can thus cause the destruction of the Dreaming. The only time Dream is allowed to take a human life is to kill a vortex. Desire's intervention transfers the vortex to Unity's granddaughter Rose Walker in the hope that Dream will kill one of their relatives and thus incur the vengeance of the
Furies The Erinyes ( ; , ), also known as the Eumenides (, the "Gracious ones"), are chthonic goddesses of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes them as "the Erinyes, that under earth take v ...
. Before Dream can kill Rose, Unity reclaims the vortex and dies in her stead. Unity is of medium height, with reddish-brown hair that she wears long and loose, in the final dream-meeting between herself, Rose, and Dream; as the old woman of waking life, she has grey hair and wears a curiously old-fashioned dress. In the podcast, Unity Kinkaid is voiced by
Sue Johnston Sue Johnston (born Susan Wright; 7 December 1943) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Sheila Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' (1982–1990), Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy '' The Royle Family'' (1998–2012), G ...
as an old woman and by Tracy Wiles as a young woman. In the Netflix series, Unity is portrayed by Sandra James-Young. This version is a
Black British Black British people or Black Britons"Black Briton, N." ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Oxford UP. December 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1136579918. are a multi-ethnic group of British people of List of ethnic groups of Africa, Sub-Saharan ...
woman.


Lyta Hall

Hippolyta "Lyta" Hall is a major character, the mother of Daniel. During Dream's captivity, pregnant Lyta and her husband were held captive in a dream-realm controlled by Brute and Glob, two of Dream's minions. In this pocket realm, Lyta remained pregnant for two years, giving birth to her son Daniel only after Dream destroys the pocket realm (and Lyta's husband) and frees her. When Dream tells Lyta that the child she gestated in dreams will one day belong to him, Lyta swears she will protect Daniel at all costs. When Daniel goes missing, Lyta is convinced that Dream has stolen him and seeks revenge, unwittingly setting into motion the events of Dream's death at the hands of the Three while unaware that the real culprits were Loki and Puck. Though her son Daniel would end up becoming the new Dream. In the podcast, Lyte Hall is voiced by Laura Lefkow. Lyte Hall is portrayed by Razane Jammal in the Netflix series. She has a more minor role in the Doll's House arc as it focuses less on her and Hector.


Miranda Walker

Miranda Walker is the daughter of Unity Kinkaid and Desire and the mother of Rose Walker and Jed Paulsen. When she split from her ex-husband Burt Paulsen, he gained custody of Jed. Miranda and Rose later met up with Unity upon her waking from the sleepy sickness. Following Unity's death, Miranda bought a house in Seattle and moved there with Rose and Jed. In the Netflix series, Miranda Walker is portrayed by
Andi Osho Yewande "Andi" Osho (born 27 January 1973) is a British actor, writer, and blogger who had previously been a stand-up comedian and television presenter. Life and career Osho was born in Plaistow, East London,In an interview for BBC Radio 4 E ...
. She was seen in a flashback where she told Jed that her now ex-husband demands custody of him. Unlike the comics, Miranda later died at some point and was impersonated in Jed's dreams by Gault.


Jed Paulsen / Jed Walker

Jed Paulsen, created by
Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (born Hymie Simon; October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books ...
and
Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
, first appeared in '' The Sandman'', vol. 1, #1, where he was protected from nightmare monsters by the titular hero. In ''
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade The "DC Explosion" and "DC Implosion" were two events in 1978 – the first an official marketing campaign, the second a sardonic reference to it – in which American comics company DC Comics expanded their roster of publications, then abruptly cu ...
'' #2, he was revealed to be the Earth-1 equivalent of Kirby's
Kamandi Kamandi () is a fictional comic book character created by artist Jack Kirby and published by DC Comics. The bulk of Kamandi's appearances occurred in the comic series ''Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth'', which ran from 1972 to 1978. He is a young ...
. In
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
's revisionist version of '' The Sandman'', Jed is the brother of Rose Walker, the son of Miranda Walker and Burt Paulsen, and the grandson of Unity Kinkaid and
Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...
. He was raised by his grandfather Ezra Paulsen and then taken and imprisoned by his abusive Aunt Clarice and Uncle Barnaby at the behest of Desire following the death of Ezra and the death of Burt. Once Rose rescues him, he is revealed in ''The Wake'' to have become close to her. In the podcast, Jed is voiced by Mack Keith Roach. In the Netflix series, Jed (named Jed Walker) is portrayed by Eddie Karanja while a younger version of him was portrayed by Aryel Tsoto. This incarnation of the character is
Black British Black British people or Black Britons"Black Briton, N." ''Oxford English Dictionary''. Oxford UP. December 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1136579918. are a multi-ethnic group of British people of List of ethnic groups of Africa, Sub-Saharan ...
. A flashback shows that he and Rose were separated when his father obtained custody of him upon divorcing Miranda.


Rose Walker

Rose Walker is a fictional character from the ''
Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The San ...
'' series written by
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
. She makes her first appearance in issue #10, part one of '' The Doll's House'' story arc. Rose Walker is the daughter of Miranda Walker and Burt Paulsen, the older sister of Jed Paulsen, and the granddaughter of Unity Walker and Desire. She is a young blonde with red and purple-dyed streaks in her hair. In later issues, she is shown as having red hair with a blonde streak. In '' The Kindly Ones'', several characters remark that Rose looks much younger than her actual age; Rose's responses to these comments imply that while she may not be a true immortal, she is aware that she is aging more slowly than normal. It is also revealed that Rose is the granddaughter of Desire. In the podcast, Rose Walker is voiced by Shey Grayson. In the Netflix series, Rose is portrayed by Kyo Ra. This version is an African-American girl. A flashback was shown where she and Jed were separated when his father wanted custody of Jed upon divorcing Miranda Walker.


Burt Paulsen

Burt Paulsen is the ex-wife of Miranda Walker and the father of Rose Walker and Jed Paulsen. When Burt and Miranda split, he took custody of Jed and moved to Florida. Burt later died in a car crash causing his father
Ezra Ezra ( fl. fifth or fourth century BCE) is the main character of the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible, he was an important Jewish scribe (''sofer'') and priest (''kohen'') in the early Second Temple period. In the Greek Septuagint, t ...
to watch over Jed. Burt was also revealed to has a sister named Clarice who took Jed in following Ezra's death.


Ezra Paulsen

Ezra Paulsen is a
fisherman A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million Commercial fishing, commercial and Artisan fishing, subsistence fishers and Fish farming, fi ...
who is the grandfather of Jed Paulsen and Rose Walker and the father of Burt Paulsen. During this time raising Jed in solitary after Burt died in a car crash, he was later killed by an unspecified sea beast causing Jed to end up in the custody of his Aunt Clarice and Uncle Barnaby.


Clarice and Barnaby

Clarice and Barnaby are
farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...
s who are the aunt and uncle of Jed and Rose who were introduced in ''The Sandman'' vol. 1, #5, created by
Michael Fleisher Michael Lawrence Fleisher (November 1, 1942 — February 2, 2018) was an American writer known for his DC Comics of the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for the characters Spectre and Jonah Hex. Biography Early life and career Fleisher was raise ...
and
Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
. The pair mysteriously show up on Dolphin Island a few hours after the drowning death of Jed's grandfather
Ezra Ezra ( fl. fifth or fourth century BCE) is the main character of the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible, he was an important Jewish scribe (''sofer'') and priest (''kohen'') in the early Second Temple period. In the Greek Septuagint, t ...
and the death of Burt who was the brother of Clarice. They take him to live with their own children Bruce and Susie. Clarice and Barnaby later treated him as a personal slave not unlike
Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
, with minimal food even as he does all the cooking. Eventually, their treatment of him is revealed to have become much more abusive—after he runs away from home, they place him in a basement dungeon with no toilet. This is told in issues 5 and 6 of the first series ''
The Best of DC ''The Best of DC'' is a digest size comics anthology published by DC Comics from September–October 1979 to April 1986. The series ran for 71 issues and while it primarily featured reprints of older comic books, it occasionally published new st ...
'' #22 and recapped in Rose's diary in issue #11 of the Gaiman series. In issue #12, their mysterious appearance is revealed to have been because they were being paid an $800 monthly stipend by social services at the manipulation of Jed's maternal grandfather Desire. In issue #14, they are revealed to have been accidentally killed by Dream when he was dealing with Brute and Glob where the side effect of Dream collapsing the pocket dream dimension unleashed a powerful blast that opened the basement door and killed Clarice and Barnaby. In the podcast, Clarice is voiced by Julia Winwood. In the Netflix series, Clarice and Barnaby are portrayed by Lisa O'Hare and Sam Hazeldine. Clarice is more kindly than in the comics, while Barnaby still mistreats Jed since claiming him following the death of Barnaby's brother-in-law, terrifying Clarice into complying with him. They have no other children. They are later killed by the Corinthian, who makes off with Jed.


Daniel Hall

Daniel Hall is the son of Lyta Hall, and the successor to the role of
Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...
of the Endless. In the Netflix series, Daniel was portrayed by an uncredited infant in season one.


Barbie

Barbie is introduced as one of Rose Walker's housemates in ''The Doll's House'', later the protagonist of ''A Game of You''. In the podcast, Barbie is voiced by Laurence Bouvard. In the Netflix series, Barbie is portrayed by Lily Travers.


Ken

Ken is one of Rose Walker's housemates in ''The Doll House''. In the Netflix series, Ken is portrayed by Richard Fleeshman.


Nimrod

Nimrod is a former orthodontist who became a
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
. He came up with a "Cereal Convention" that would be a secret gathering for other serial killers. Nimrod started by doing something to draw out the Corinthian so that he can speak at it and booked a hotel in Georgia. It was also mentioned that he and his fellow organizers Fun Land and Flay-By-Night tried to get Family Man to attend only to hear that he died. When the Boogeyman turned out to be an imposter since the real one is dead, Nimrod assisted the Corinthian in killing the imposter. Following the Corinthian's defeat at the hands of Dream during his event, Nimrod and the other serial killers had their delusions removed by Dream. It is unknown what happened to Nimrod after that. In the Netflix series, Nimrod is portrayed by
Kerry Shale Kerry Shale (born 4 June 1952) is a Canadian actor based in London, England. His BBC Radio 4 comedy-drama ''The Kubrick Test'' was broadcast in 2020. He is the co-host of ''Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan'', a podcast about Bob Dylan ...
. He met with Fun Land and Good Doctor at a restaurant in
Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...
where they had to do a copycat crime in order to draw the Corinthian to them so that he can attend their "Cereal Convention". After the Corinthian was defeated and Dream brought up the clarity of the serial killers' crimes while removing their delusions, Nimrod is among the serial killers that exited the hotel. He went to his car where he committed suicide by gunshot which startled a departing Rose Walker.


Fun Land

Fun Land is a pedophile and serial killer that uses amusement parks as his hunting ground and has the real name was Nathan Diskin. He helped Nimrod organize a Cereal Convention (which was a cover for a serial killer gathering). When he tried to target Rose, she was saved by Dream who subjected him to a dream where his victims forgave him. After the Corinthian was defeated and Dream brought up the clarity of the serial killers' crimes, Fun Land's fate was unknown after that. Fun Land later appeared in '' Batman: The Widening Gyre'' where he is still targeting children. In the Netflix series, Fun Land is portrayed by Danny Kirrane. He met with Nimrod and Good Doctor at a restaurant in Huntsville, Alabama where they had to do a copycat crime in order to draw the Corinthian to them so that he can attend their "Cereal Convention". When Fun Land tried to target Rose Walker and Jed Walker, he was killed by the Corinthian who stabbed him in the back.


Flay-By-Night

Flay-By-Night is a serial killer. He was a known surgeon who in his serial killer life skinned his victims. During the Fall of 1989, Flay-By-Night attended the Cereal Convention (which was a cover for a serial killer gathering) which he helped organize with Nimrod and Fun Land. When the Boogeyman turned out to be an imposter since the real one is dead, Flay-By-Night assisted the Corinthian in killing the imposter. Following the Corinthian's defeat at the hands of Dream during his event, Flay-By-Night and the other serial killers had their delusions removed by Dream. It is unknown what happened to Flay-By-Night after that. In the Netflix series, Flay-By-Night has a genderbent counterpart called the Good Doctor who is portrayed by Jill Winternitz. She met with Nimrod and Fun Land at a restaurant in Huntsville, Alabama where they had to do a copycat crime in order to draw the Corinthian to them so that he can attend their "Cereal Convention". After Corinthian was defeated and Dream brought up the clarity of the serial killers' crimes while removing their delusions, the Good Doctor is among the serial killers the exited the hotel. She went to her car and called up the police to turn herself over to them.


Philip Sitz

Philip Sitz is an
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
of ''Chaste'' magazine. He aspired to become a serial killer and attended the Cereal Convention (which was a cover for a serial killer gathering) to learned to become one by passing himself off as the late serial killer Boogeyman. When the Corinthian found out that the Boogeyman is an imposter, he, Nimrod, and Flay-By-Night drove him into the nearby woods and killed him. In the Netflix series, Philip Sitz is portrayed by
Lewis Reeves Lewis Reeves (born 29 March 1988) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Jake in the comedy horror series '' Crazyhead'', as Gareth Walker in the video games '' FIFA 17,'' ''FIFA 18 and FIFA 19 ''FIFA 19'' is a football simulation ...
. He is a blogger who aspired to be a serial killer. When the fact about him posing as the Boogeyman was found out, the Corinthian lured him to a secluded part of the hotel where he was stabbed to death by the Corinthian, Nimrod, and Good Doctor.


Erasmus Fry

Erasmus Fry is an
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
who found Calliope on Mount Helicon and managed to trap her. With Calliope as a prisoner, Erasmus raped her for inspiration. Some years later, he gave Calliope to Richard Madoc. A later news report mentioned that Erasmus has died. Though Madoc assumed that he died of old age, he actually poisoned himself after his publisher declined to bring one of his books back into print. In the podcast, Erasmus Fry is voiced by
Toby Longworth Toby Longworth is a British actor. He has appeared on film, radio, and television and is best known for his role in Not Going Out as Paul. He is originally from Somerset, where he attended King Edward's School, Bath. However, he has worked most ...
as an old man and by Harry Myers as a young man. In the Netflix series, Erasmus Fry is portrayed by
Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen as well as for his work at the Royal National Theatre, he has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, two ...
.


Richard Madoc

Richard Madoc is a struggling
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
suffering from an impenetrable writer's block who regains inspiration by imprisoning and repeatedly raping Dream's ex-lover Calliope after he obtains her from his mentor Erasmus Fry. Dream punishes Madoc with an overwhelming flood of ideas, whereupon he destroys his fingers trying to record them in his own blood. In her January 2025 piece for ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
'', Lila Shapiro noted that after the sexual assault and misconduct allegations against Neil Gaiman were publicized, readers drew similarities between him and Madoc; Shapiro contrasted this with their previous association of Gaiman with Dream. Following his punishment, Madoc has an acquaintance, Felix Garrison, go to his house and declare Calliope free. He consequently loses the inspiration and the identity of Morpheus. In ''The Wake'', Madoc is one of the attendees of Morpheus' funeral while dreaming, and it is implied that Madoc's mind is slowly healing after Morpheus' death. Madoc is voiced by
Daniel Weyman Daniel Max Weyman (born 1977) is an English actor notable for his main roles in '' Just Inès'' (2010), ''Foyle's War'' (2013), and ''Silent Witness'' (2016), and more recently known for his role as The Stranger / Gandalf in '' The Lord of the ...
in the podcast and portrayed by
Arthur Darvill Thomas Arthur Darvill (born 17 June 1982) is an English actor, composer and musician. He is known for portraying Rory Williams, a companion of the Eleventh Doctor in the television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2012), as well as Rip Hunter in ' ...
in the Netflix series, which did not show him to be a director or a playwright.


Maddison Flynn

Maddison Flynn is a young woman who first appears in Nightmare Country who has had her connection to the Dreaming tampered with by unseen forces. Consequently, she has not been able to enter the Dreaming proper since she was a young child. For much of her adult life she has been plagued with visions of the Smiling Man, a rogue dreamlike entity that she wrote off as a product of depression. She would paint pictures of the entity to cope; an act which drew the attention of both the Corinthian and unseen forces who seek to eliminate those who have had contact with the entity. She is targeted by a pair of demonic assassins who send one of her classmates who they had murdered as a proxy to kill her when they are ordered to back down by their employer. After a confrontation where the Corinthian is forced to call in Morpheus for help she is badly wounded by her reanimated friend and ends up in Limbo where she is made an offer by Morpheus to help the Corinthian track down the Smiling man in return for a second chance at life. She agrees and is directly taken to the Dreaming to get a new body to throw off her pursuers. During a botched scrying ritual involving the witch Thessaly to find out the truth being her supposed death, Maddison in protected from being seen by a combination of the Dreaming's defences and the Corinthian. She returns to the waking world in the shape of a white cat and begins track a young man from her support group named Max who also had been seeing the Smiling Man. The pair team up with the Witch Thessaly after being lured into a trap and are able to escape with the help of Lucien. Thessaly later performs a ritual to summon the spirit of the Prince of Pain; a servant of Desire who indirectly confirms they have some involvement with current events. The investigation is brought to a premature end by Morpheus who has deduced the involvement of Desire and Despair in these events and, refusing to play the twins game returns Maddison and the Corinthian to the Dreaming. He erases the Corinthian's memory and offers Maddison permanent residence in the Dreaming until they can deduce the level of tampering that has been done to her; having compared her to something akin to a Dream vortex with how supernatural beings are drawn to her. Unfortunately once left alone on the balcony of the castle she is abducted by the Smiling Man.


Foxglove

Foxglove (Donna Cavanagh) is a
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
and
musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...
who first appears in '' A Game of You''. She is mentioned in '' Preludes and Nocturnes'' as the girlfriend of Judy, one of the patrons at the diner who dies in the story concerning John Dee, titled "24 Hours". In ''A Game of You'', she lives with her partner Hazel and the two help
Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...
rescue Barbie. In '' Death: The Time of Your Life'', Foxglove has become a pop superstar after being seen by a promoter in '' Death: The High Cost of Living''. She is raising a child with Hazel named Alvie. Alvie dies of
cot death Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sometimes known as cot death or crib death, is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and ...
, leading Hazel to make a deal with
Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
. However, even in the world of the Endless there is no such thing as a free lunch, and another character's life has to be sacrificed for the child's. In the podcast, Foxglove is voiced by Reece Lyons.


John Hathaway

John Hathaway is the senior
curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...
of the
Royal Museum The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a museum of Scottish history and culture. It was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, ...
. He steals the Magdalene
Grimoire A grimoire () (also known as a book of spells, magic book, or a spellbook) is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms, and divin ...
from the museum's collection to aid Roderick Burgess in his attempt to gain immortality after his son Edmund dies. He commits suicide in 1920 using a dagger from the museum after a stock taking reveals his theft. His suicide note, implicating Roderick Burgess in a multitude of crimes, is never found.


Hazel McNamara

Hazel McNamara is Foxglove's lover. She appears in '' A Game of You'' and '' Death: The High Cost of Living''. She has a son named Alvie from her one heterosexual encounter. It is likely that Alvie is named after Wanda (see below). In '' Death: The Time of Your Life'' Alvie dies of
cot death Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sometimes known as cot death or crib death, is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and ...
and Hazel makes a deal with Death to bring him back. In the podcast, Hazel McNamara is voiced by Anna Demetriou.


Prez Rickard

Prez Rickard is a fictional character who first appeared in ''Prez'' #1 (December 1973). He is the subject of the story "The Golden Boy", in ''Sandman'' #54, where he is the first 19-year-old to be elected President of the United States. In the podcast, Prez Rickard is voiced by KJ Apa.


Wanda

Wanda is a
transgender woman A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...
featured in '' A Game of You'' who is Barbie's best friend. She dies in a storm caused by Thessaly's magic and is buried as 'Alvin Mann', her deadname. In response, Barbie uses lipstick to write Wanda's name on her gravestone. Wanda is last seen, along with
Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
, in Barbie's dream. In the podcast, Wanda is voiced by Reece Lyons.


Historical figures


Harun al-Rashid

Haroun al-Raschid is the King of
Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
who sells the city to Dream to keep it alive forever, in the '' One Thousand and One Arabian Nights''.


Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
was seen during Dream's showdown with John Dee where Dream had John Dee appear as him. It was also revealed that Dream had Julius Caesar rape Caesar Augustus. In the podcast, Julius Caesar is voiced by
Nicholas Boulton Nicholas Boulton may refer to: * Nicholas Boulton (cricketer) * Nicholas Boulton (actor) See also * Nick Bolton, American football player {{hndis, Boulton, Nicholas ...
.


Caesar Augustus

Caesar Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...
is the first emperor of Rome. In ''The Sandman'' he is revealed to carry psychological scars from being continually raped by his uncle Julius Caesar, which he (at Dream's advice) assuages by planning the destruction of Caesar's empire. In the podcast, Augustus is voiced by Brian Cox.


Lycius

Lycius is a dwarf, born of the Roman nobility, who lived in the time of
Caesar Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...
. Augustus had banned the nobility from working as actors upon the stage, but he made an exception for Lycius, who had few other opportunities.


Joshua A. Norton

Joshua A. Norton is an English-American declaring himself "Emperor of the United States" in "Three Septembers and a January", after Dream gives him his delusion as part of a challenge issued by his three younger siblings: Despair, who tries to make him fall into her realm by making his life increasingly difficult; Delirium, who makes a half-attempt to drive him insane; and Desire, who uses the King of Pain to tempt him with a real palace and a Queen. In the end, Joshua Norton lives a happy and dignified life. When he dies, thousands come to see him off. In the podcast, Joshua A. Norton is voiced by
John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...
.


The King of Pain

The King of Pain, according to
Herbert Asbury Herbert Asbury (September 1, 1891 – February 24, 1963) was an American journalist and writer best known for his books detailing crime during the 19th and early-20th centuries, such as ''Gem of the Prairie: An Informal History of the Chicago U ...
's book ''The Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld'', is an itinerant healer in 19th century San Francisco who sold aconite
liniment Liniment (from , meaning "to smear, Anointing, anoint"), also called embrocation and heat rub, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Some liniments have a viscosity similar to that of water; others are lotion or balm; s ...
. In ''The Sandman'' #31 ("Three Septembers and a January", reprinted in ''Fables and Reflections''), the King of Pain is Desire's undead minion. He tries to tempt Emperor Norton into betraying his dignity for his desires (in the form of Worldly Power, Wealth, An Estate, and A Noble Wife). Norton retains his dignity and refuses the offers, saying that he is content ruling his city and that he has all he needs.


Mark Twain

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
is an American writer who shares his story about a jumping frog with Emperor Norton.


Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In ...
is an English radical who, after participating in the French Revolution, is imprisoned in the
Luxembourg Palace The Luxembourg Palace (, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of the regent Marie de' Med ...
and briefly encounters Johanna Constantine. In the podcast, Thomas Paine is voiced by
Arthur Darvill Thomas Arthur Darvill (born 17 June 1982) is an English actor, composer and musician. He is known for portraying Rory Williams, a companion of the Eleventh Doctor in the television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2012), as well as Rip Hunter in ' ...
.


Louis de Saint-Just

Louis de Saint-Just Louis Antoine Léon de Saint-Just (; 25 August 176710 Thermidor, Year II 8 July 1794, sometimes nicknamed the Archangel of Terror, was a French revolutionary, political philosopher, member and president of the French National Convention, a ...
is the Orator of the French Revolution and supporter of the Terror, he is deposed after Orpheus sings a song that saps his ability to articulate.


Maximilien Robespierre

Maximilien Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; ; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre ferv ...
is the leader of the
Committee of Public Safety The Committee of Public Safety () was a committee of the National Convention which formed the provisional government and war cabinet during the Reign of Terror, a violent phase of the French Revolution. Supplementing the Committee of General D ...
and instigator of the
Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...
. An extreme dreamer, he seeks to destroy the head of Orpheus due to his wish to destroy all myths, but is in turn destroyed by it.


Marco Polo

Marco Polo Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...
is the famous 13th-century explorer and trader. He is lost in a part of the Dreaming that connects to the real world, and encounters Rusticello, a friend of his future self; Fiddler's Green; and Dream, who gives an otherwise forbidden passage home. Upon waking Marco is unable to remember any of his encounters.


Rustichello da Pisa

Rustichello da Pisa Rustichello da Pisa, also known as Rusticiano (fl. late 13th century), was an Italian romance writer in Franco-Italian language. He is best known for co-writing Marco Polo's autobiography, ''The Travels of Marco Polo'', while they were in priso ...
is the publisher of Marco's autobiography, who encounters his friend in a dream in the Desert of Lop.


William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
is the famous 16/17th-century English playwright. Dream gives him the inspiration for many of his plays in exchange for Shakespeare writing two plays for him: ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'' and ''
The Tempest ''The Tempest'' is a Shakespeare's plays, play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1610–1611, and thought to be one of the last plays that he wrote alone. After the first scene, which takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest, th ...
''. In the podcast, William Shakespeare is voiced by
Arthur Darvill Thomas Arthur Darvill (born 17 June 1982) is an English actor, composer and musician. He is known for portraying Rory Williams, a companion of the Eleventh Doctor in the television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2012), as well as Rip Hunter in ' ...
. In the Netflix series, William Shakespeare was seen under the name of "Will Shaxberd" and is portrayed by Samuel Blenkin.


Hamnet Shakespeare

Hamnet Shakespeare Hamnet Shakespeare (baptised 2 February 1585 – buried 11 August 1596) was the only son of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, and the fraternal twin of Judith Shakespeare. He died at the age of 11. Some Shakespearean scholars s ...
is the son of William Shakespeare who is often overlooked by his father. It is implied that Titania may have taken him into the realm of Faerie (this is confirmed in a brief cameo in ''
The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo Comics, Vertigo. Since its or ...
'').


Christopher Marlowe

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe ( ; Baptism, baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the English Renaissance theatre, Eli ...
is a famous 16th-century playwright who is depicted discussing Shakespeare's terrible writing and Marlowe's ''Faust''. Shakespeare tells Marlowe, "God's wounds! If only I could write like you!"


Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
is the famous 14th-century poet and author of ''The Canterbury Tales'' is seen in the White Horse Tavern in AD 1389 in part four of ''The Doll's House'', where Dream first meets Hob Gadling. It is mentioned in the tavern that people do not want "filthy tales in rhyme about pilgrims", a reference to ''The Canterbury Tales''.


Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime ...
is married to William Shakespeare.


Susanna Shakespeare

Susanna Shakespeare is the older daughter of William and Anne Shakespeare.


Judith Quiney

Judith Shakespeare is the younger daughter of William and Anne Shakespeare.


Thomas Quiney

Thomas Quiney Thomas Quiney (baptism, baptised 26 February 1589 – c. 1662 or 1663) was the husband of William Shakespeare's daughter Judith Quiney, Judith Shakespeare, and a vintner and tobacconist in Stratford-upon-Avon. Quiney held several municipal offic ...
is a pub waiter and future husband of Judith.


Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...
is a poet and friend of William Shakespeare.


Minor mortals


Danielle Bustamonte

Daniel Bustamonte is a resident of Kingston, Jamaica and a victim of the " sleepy sickness" that results from Dream's capture. He falls asleep in 1926, then wakes up sometime before 1955, staying awake much of the time but unable to speak. He recovers fully on September 14, 1988 when Dream escapes.


Ellie Marsten

Ellie Marsten is a resident of Toronto, Canada and a victim of the " sleepy sickness" that occurs during Dream's capture. She sleeps continuously for decades, awaking only four or five times a year, and recovers in an insane asylum on September 14, 1988 when Morpheus escapes. Her waking memory is basically founded on the book ''
Through the Looking-Glass ''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' is a novel published in December 1871 by Lewis Carroll, the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a mathematics lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, University of Oxford. I ...
'' by
Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...
.


Stefan Wasserman

Stefan Wasserman is a victim of the " sleepy sickness" that results from Dream's capture. He joins the army during the First World War at 14 and goes over the trenches shortly before he catches the sickness. Stefan commits suicide in 1918 at age 16 because he cannot sleep. His body was inhabited by the dormant spirit of the Corinthian.


John Hathaway

John Hathaway is the senior curator of the Royal Museum who gave Roderick Burgess the Magdalene Grimore following the death of his son Edmund during the Battle of Jutland. After it was noticed that some artifacts from the Royal Museum were missing, Hathaway made out a suicide note and then committed suicide. It was mentioned that the suicide note was never found since Roderick used a spell to burn it. In the podcast, John Hathaway is voiced by
Anton Lesser Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', Harold Macmillan in ''The Crown'', Clement Attlee in '' A United Kingdom'', Chief Superintendent Bright in '' E ...
. In the Netflix series, John Hathaway is portrayed by Bill Paterson.


Compton

Compton is Roderick Burgess'
butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...
.


Nurse Edmund

Nurse Edmund is Alex Burgess' caretaker at the time he is put under Dream's curse. In the Netflix series, Nurse Edmund is portrayed by Stacy Abalogun.


Paul McGuire

Paul McGuire is a good friend and lover of Alex Burgess. Originally a
gardener A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner suppleme ...
at the estate, Paul eventually takes over the Order of Ancient Mysteries. After accidentally breaking the seal which freed Dream and placed Alex in a "nightmare of eternal waking", Paul later ran the Wych Cross Retirement Home where he met Rose Walker. In the Netflix series, Paul McGuire is portrayed by Christopher Colquhoun at age 32 and by Gus Gordon at ages 18-42.


Ernie and Frederick

Ernie and Frederick are two of the men guarding Dream when he escapes from his imprisonment. In the Netflix series, Ernie is a woman and portrayed by Naomi Cooper-Davis and Frederick is portrayed by Jordan Long.


Dr. Roger Huntoon

Dr. Roger "Piggy" Huntoon is a doctor in
Arkham Asylum Arkham Asylum () is a fictional psychiatric hospital appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in stories featuring Batman. It first appeared in ''Batman'' #258 (October 1974), written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Irv N ...
and former schoolmate of Constantine's. He used to perform electroshock therapy on Constantine, back when he was institutionalized.


Rachel

Rachel is an ex-girlfriend of
John Constantine John Constantine (), also known as Hellblazer, is an antihero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben, and first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985). I ...
's who stole Dream's pouch of sand from Constantine and became addicted to its effects. In the podcast, Rachel is voiced by Sandra-Mae Luykx. In the Netflix series, Rachel is portrayed by Eleanor Fanyinka and depicted as Johanna Constantine's ex-girlfriend.


Nada

Nada is a beautiful African queen, cast into hell by the Dream King (known to her as Kai'ckul) when she refuses to become his queen. Her story is revealed in the beginning of ''The Doll's House''. An argument over her unfair punishment prompts Dream's initial actions in ''Seasons of Mist'', and eventually Dream begs her forgiveness and lets her choose her own fate. Nada chooses to be reincarnated as a baby boy in Hong Kong ('' Nada'' means "nothing" in Spanish and Portuguese and other related languages). In the Netflix series, Nada is portrayed by Deborah Oyelade.


Rosemary

Rosemary is a nurse and the mother of two daughters who picked up John Dee. When they arrived at a warehouse where Ethel Cripps hid the Dreamstone, John shot Rosemary. In the Netflix series, Rosemary is portrayed by
Sarah Niles Sarah Niles is an English actress. She became widely known for her performance as Dr. Sharon Fieldstone in the Apple+ series ''Ted Lasso'', for which she received two Emmy Award nominations. She has also appeared in '' Beautiful People'' (2009) ...
. This version is a Black British woman. Unlike the comics, she survives her encounter with John Dee where he spared Rosemary and left her the Amulet of Protection that he originally possessed.


Judy

Judy is a young lesbian who is one of the victims of John Dee using Dream's ruby in ''Preludes and Nocturnes''. At the time of her forced suicide at the hands of John Dee while at a diner in Mayhew, she was trying to reconcile with her girlfriend Donna (Foxglove). She was found dead from self-inflicted wounds the next morning. In ''The Doll's House'', she was revealed to be the best friend of Rose Walker. In the Netflix series, Judy is referred to as Judy Talbot and is portrayed by
Daisy Head Daisy Head (born 17 March 1991) is an English actress. She played Grace in the American drama series '' Guilt'', Amy Stevenson in BBC One's drama '' The Syndicate'', Kate Bottomley in the third season of Hulu series '' Harlots'', Genya Safin i ...
. Unlike the comics, Judy died from blood loss upon her wrists being slit.


Marsh

Marsh is a
mail carrier A mail carrier, also referred to as a mailman, mailwoman, mailperson, postal carrier, postman, postwoman, postperson, person of post, letter carrier (in American English), or colloquially postie (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Unite ...
and
truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; an HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...
who stopped at a diner in Mayhew. He was one of John Dee's victims in ''Preludes and Nocturnes''. He would later be found dead from bloodloss by the next morning. In the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
series, Marsh is referred to as Marsh Janowski and is portrayed by
Steven Brand Steven Brand (born 1969) is a Scottish actor. His feature debut was ''The Scorpion King'' (2002), where he portrayed Memnon. He has had many guest appearances on television series, and in 2015, Brand was nominated for Best Guest Starring Role ...
. Unlike the comics, he worked as a diner
cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (profession), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * C ...
.


Gary and Kate Fletcher

Garry Fletcher and Kate Fletcher are a husband and wife who were diner patrons in Mayhew. They were one of John Dee's victims in ''Preludes and Nocturnes''. Garry was imposing while Kate was a businesswoman who puts up with Garry. They were later found gutted the next morning. In the Netflix series, Garry was portrayed by James Udom and Kate was portrayed by Lourdes Faberes. Garry served as the
Vice-President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
at Vangaurd and Kate served as the
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of Vanguard. Unlike the comics, Garry was found stabbed in the neck and Kate was found with a slit throat.


Mark

Mark is a patron at a diner in Mayhew who was one of John Dee's victims in ''Preludes and Nocturnes''. He was found dead from blood loss the next morning. In the podcast, Mark is voiced by
Ray Porter Ray Porter is an American actor and audiobook narrator who is most widely known for portraying the DC Comics villain Darkseid in '' Zack Snyder's Justice League''. He also did some voice acting work for '' The Scarecrow'', ''The Path of Atticu ...
. In the Netflix series, Mark is referred to as Mark Brewer and is portrayed by Laurie Davidson.


Bette Munroe

Bette Munroe is a waitress at a diner in Mayhew who was one of John Dee's victims in ''Preludes and Nocturnes''. She was found beheaded the next morning. In the Netflix series, Bette is portrayed by Emma Duncan. Unlike the comics, she died from blood loss when John stabbed her eyes with two screwdrivers.


Hal Carter

Hal Carter is a drag queen living in the house Rose Walker was staying at in ''The Doll House''. In the Netflix series, Hal is portrayed by
John Cameron Mitchell John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 film ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film), Hedwig and t ...
.


Chantal and Zelda

Chantal and Zelda: Apparently lesbian roommates in the house Rose Walker was staying at in ''The Doll's House''. They dress in white and collect dead spiders. Of the two, Zelda relies on Chantal for confidence, and rarely if ever speaks. When they dream, Zelda dreams of her childhood, where it is implied that she collected bones. Chantal's dreams are self-repeating loops, trying to explain something of nothing. In a later issue, Zelda is dying from AIDS which she contracted from Chantal, who has already died, having originally contracted it from an organ transplant. They are identified with
Stheno and Euryale In Greek mythology, Stheno (; ) and Euryale ( ; ) were two of the three sister Gorgons, the third being Medusa, who were able to turn anyone who looked at them to stone. When Perseus beheaded Medusa, the two Gorgons pursued him but were unable ...
, the
Gorgon The Gorgons ( ; ), in Greek mythology, are three monstrous sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, said to be the daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. They lived near their sisters the Graeae, and were able to turn anyone who looked at them to sto ...
sisters of
Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...
. In the Netflix series, Chantal and Zelda are portrayed by Cara Horgan and Daisy Badger respectively.


Cereal Convention Attendees

The Cereal Convention Attendees are the serial killers who attended the "Cereal Convention" at the Empire Hotel somewhere in Dodge City, Georgia. When the Corinthian was defeated, Dream removed the delusions from the serial killers. * Candy Man: A practicing psychiatrist in Connecticut who participated in the Sanity Clause Panel. * Carrion': A serial killer who participated in the "Make It Play" panel. In the Netflix series, Carrion is portrayed by Jimmy Essex. * Choirboy: A serial killer who participated in the "Make It Play" panel where he mentioned his experiences with hefty ransoms. In the Netflix series, Choirboy is portrayed by Joe Frost. * Connoisseur: A serial killer who was known for targeting eight transsexuals. In the Netflix series, Connoisseur is portrayed by J.P. Conway. * Dark Angel: A serial killer who participated in the "Women in Serial Killing" panel. * Dog Soup: A serial killer who attended the "Make It Play" panel and participated in the "Women in Serial Killing" panel. In the podcast, Dog Soup is voiced by Julia Winwood. * El Dorado: A serial killer who participated in the "Sanity Clause" panel. * Grass Widow: A serial killer who attended the "Women in Serial Killing" panel. In the Netflix series, Grass Widow was portrayed by Desiree Burch. * Hello Little Girl: A serial killer who attended the "Make It Play" panel. In the Netflix series, Hello Little Girl is portrayed by Daniel Tuite. * Moon River: A shy serial killer whose hunting grounds are disco nights. In the Netflix series, Moon River is portrayed by Daniel Quirke. * Psycho Killer: A serial killer who participated in the "Sanity Clause" panel. * Death Stalker: A serial killer who appears in the Netflix series portrayed by Gianni Calchetti. * Myth America: A serial killer who appears in the Netflix series portrayed by Zora Bishop. * An unidentified serial killer who participated in the "Religion" panel and identifies himself as a just god. He was identified as Adonai in the Netflix series where he was portrayed by Kirris Riviere. * An unidentified serial killer who sings to himself that participated in the "Religion" panel and claims that God told him to start "collecting". He was identified as The Crooner in the Netflix series where he is portrayed by Matthew Sim. * An unidentified serial killer who participated in the "Religion" panel and sees himself as a Born Again Christian. He was identified as The Hammer of God in the Netflix series where he was portrayed by David Menkin. * An unidentified serial killer who has an obsession of shredding magazines and people where he attended to find someone who has the same obsession as he does. He was identified as The Shredder in the Netflix series where he was portrayed by Dickie Beau. After Corinthian was defeated and Dream brought up the clarity of the serial killers' crimes while removing their delusions, the Shredder entered his car and weeped in remorse. * An unidentified serial killer who doesn't believe in anything, hates humanity, hates himself, and boasts that he drowned 171 of his victims. He was identified as The Water Boy in the Netflix series where he was portrayed by Michael Walters. There were also some other serial killers who were invited where their status was unverified: * The Bone God * Brother Chip * The California Widow * Christian * Cincinnati Oyster * The Devil of Kentucky * The Devil of Oregon * The Dutch Uncle * The Faggoteer * Flesher


Felix Garrison

Felix Garrison is a surgeon who provided Richard Madoc with a trichno-bezoar. When Madoc got filled with too much inspiration by Dream, he had Felix go to his house and declare that Calliope is free. In the podcast, Felix Garrison is voiced by Cliff Chapman. In the Netflix adaption, his role is given to a college student named Nora (portrayed by Amita Suman).


Don

Don: Don is the owner of a tabby kitten in "Dream of a Thousand Cats". In the Netflix series, Don is motion-captured by Jeffrey Mundell and voiced by
David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
.


Don's Wife

Don's Wife is the unnamed wife of Don and the owner of a tabby kitten in "Dream of a Thousand Cats". In the Netflix series, Don's wife was credited as Laura-Lynn where she was motion-captured by Louise Williams and voiced by
Georgia Tennant Georgia Elizabeth Tennant (; born 25 December 1984) is an English actress and producer. She played Detective Inspector Samantha Nixon's daughter Abigail in ''The Bill'', Jenny in the ''Doctor Who'' episode " The Doctor's Daughter" and Lady Vi ...
.


Paul and Marion

Paul and Marion: The owners of the Siamese cat that appear in the story "Dream of a Thousand Cats". When their pet had kittens with a tomcat, Paul had the kittens drowned. In the Netflix series, Paul and Marion were motion-captured by Mark Osmond and Nicole Evans and voiced by
Michael Sheen Michael Christopher Sheen (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage roles in ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1992), ''Don't Fool wi ...
and Anna Lundberg.


Rebel Human

Rebel Human: In the story "Dream of a Thousand Cats", Dream in the form of a black cat told the Siamese Cat about how this golden-haired human had led the uprising against the giant cats by dreaming that they were the masters and not them. In the podcast, the Rebel Human was voiced by Andrew James Spooner. In the Netflix series, the Rebel Human was motion-captured by Bruno Aversa and voiced by
James McAvoy James McAvoy (; born 21 April 1979) is a Scottish actor and director. He made his acting debut as a teen in '' The Near Room'' (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his film career began. His notable television work inclu ...
.


Breschau

Breschau is a cruel ruler who was condemned to Hell and enjoyed his torment much to the dismay of Lucifer.


Etain

Etain is a woman who had befriended Destruction at one point. In the podcast, Etain is voiced by
Jill Thompson Jill Thompson (born November 20, 1966) is an American comics artist, illustrator and writer who has worked for stage, film, and television. Well known for her work on Neil Gaiman's ''The Sandman (Vertigo), The Sandman'' characters and her own ''Sc ...
.


Eurydice

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice', classical pronunciation: ) was a character in Greek mythology and the wife of Orpheus, whom Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several ...
is the lover of Orpheus where her history remains intact. In the podcast, Eurydice is voiced by Clare Corbett.


Superheroes


Mister Miracle

Mister Miracle Mister Miracle is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first and third are humans Thaddeus Brown and Shilo Norman, while the second is New God Scott Free. The Scott Free incarnat ...
(Scott Free) informs Dream that his ruby is no longer kept at Justice League headquarters. (#7, ''Preludes and Nocturnes'')


Martian Manhunter

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" in ''Detective Comics ...
(J'onn J'onnz) is the last member of the original Justice League lineup. He gives Dream the details of the storage unit where the JLA's old trophies, including the ruby, are kept. (#7, ''Preludes and Nocturnes'') Also makes an appearance in Vol. 2 issue #71 ( ''The Wake'') attending the original Dream's funeral.
Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...
is also seen at the funeral. In the podcast, Martian Manhunter is voiced by
Reginald D. Hunter Reginald Darnell Hunter (born March 26, 1969) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian based in the United Kingdom. Early life Reginald Darnell Hunter was born on March 26, 1969, in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, the youngest of nine.Ma ...
.


Sandman / Hector Hall

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The San ...
(
Hector Hall Hector Sanders Hall (also known as Hektor Hol) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entert ...
) is the dead father of Daniel Hall and successor to Garrett Sanford, whose death is noted. Hall's only previous appearances as the Sandman were in '' Infinity Inc.'' #49–51. (#11–12, ''The Doll's House''). In the podcast, Hector Hall is voiced by
Ray Porter Ray Porter is an American actor and audiobook narrator who is most widely known for portraying the DC Comics villain Darkseid in '' Zack Snyder's Justice League''. He also did some voice acting work for '' The Scarecrow'', ''The Path of Atticu ...
. In the Netflix series, Hector Hall is portrayed by
Lloyd Everitt Lloyd Alexander A. Everitt (born 20 March 1987) is a Welsh actor. In 2015 at 27, he was the youngest actor to play Othello at Shakespeare's Globe. He was nominated for Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards for his role in the BBC One me ...
.


Element Girl

Element Girl Element Girl is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Metamorpho'' #10 (February 1967), written by Bob Haney and drawn by Sal Trapani. Element Girl's death was featured in Neil Ga ...
(Urania Blackwell) is coming for an upstairs neighbor who has fallen off a ladder, Death visits Element Girl and senses her longing to die. She is unable to take her. Though Death informs Element Girl that Ra (the
sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
) can take her power back so she can die. (#20, '' Dream Country'') In the podcast, Element Girl is voiced by
Samantha Morton Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her work in independent film with dark and tragic themes, particularly in period dramas. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship ...
.


Batman / Bruce Wayne

Bruce Wayne Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. In t ...
attends the funeral of Dream in ''The Sandman: The Wake''.


Superman / Clark Kent

Clark Kent Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
attends the funeral of Dream in ''The Sandman: The Wake''.


Doctor Occult

Doctor Occult Doctor Occult (Richard Occult, sometimes nicknamed the Ghost Detective, and one time referred to as Doctor Mystic) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (the crea ...
attends the funeral of Dream in ''The Sandman: The Wake''.


Phantom Stranger

Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...
attends the funeral of Dream in ''The Sandman: The Wake''.


Supervillains


Scarecrow

The
Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin that is often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops. ...
(Dr. Jonathan Crane) is an
Arkham Arkham () is a fictional city situated in Massachusetts, United States. An integral part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft, Arkham is featured in many of his stories and those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers. Arkham ...
inmate who attempts to dissuade his friend
John Dee John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, ...
from escaping, saying Arkham is a better home for their kind than the outside world. He is portrayed as a nervous, paranoid, babbling academic, trying to make jokes to psychologically test his prison guards, and unable to sleep for fear of rats. After Dream returned John Dee to Arkham Asylum, Scarecrow interacted with him where he mentioned the terrrible sleeping conditions here. Dream proceeds to give Scarecrow and the other imnmates a peaceful sleep alongside the other victims of John Dee's mayhem.


Darkseid

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...
is the ruler of
Apokolips Apokolips is a fictional planet that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The planet is ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series, and is integral to many stories in the DC Universe. Apokolips is co ...
. He was seen attending the funeral of Dream in ''The Sandman: The Wake''.


Other beings

The following are not in the categories of the above:


Siamese Cat

An unnamed
Siamese cat The Siamese cat (; แมวสยาม, Maeo Sayam; แมววิเชียรมาศ, Maeo Wichien Maat) is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Asian cat. It derives from the Wichianmat landrace. The Siamese cat is one ...
is owned by a wealthy couple namd Paul and Marion. When it mated with a tom cat, Paul had the kittens drowned. The Siamese cat later found itself in the Dreaming while it slept where a dead crow directed it to a cave where the "Cat of Dreams" resided. After getting by the Wyvern, Griffin, and Hippogriff that resided outside, the Siamese cat met with the Cat of Dreams (a form of Dream) who showed her a time when cats ruled over the humans. Following this experience, the Siamese cat became a prophet and goes around informing all cats about this knowledge hoping that they will one day use what they learn to reclaim their world. In the podcast, the Siamese Cat is voiced by
Bebe Neuwirth Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth ( ; born December 31, 1958) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she has received two Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and two Drama Desk Awards. ...
. In the Netflix series, the Siamese cat is voiced by
Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Rita Wu in ''Arliss (TV series), Arliss'' (1996–2002), Cristina Yang in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–14), and Eve Polastri in ''Kill ...
.


Skull Crow

The Skull
Crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...
is a dead crow with an exposed skull. When an unnamed Siamese cat ended up in the Dreaming, the Skull Crow directed her to the cave where the "Cat of Dreams" resided. In the Netflix series, the Skull Crow is voiced by
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
.


Barnabas

Barnabas is a sarcastic talking dog who belonged to Destruction and was assigned to guard Delirium. His origins are unknown. In the podcast, Barnabas is voiced by Harry Myers.


Basanos

The Basanos was a living
Tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play t ...
deck created by the
seraph A seraph ( ; pl.: ) is a celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christian angelology and in the fif ...
Meleos to duplicate the divining power of
Destiny Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...
's book. They are incredibly powerful due to the fact that they control probability, making whatever outcome they desire not only likely, but inevitable. After escaping from Meleos, the Basanos took possession of Jill Presto, a cabaret worker. Lucifer Morningstar sought them out for a tarot reading, which they granted. When Lucifer created his new universe, the Basanos moved to take control of it so that they could breed (something that is impossible in God's cosmos). Though initially successful in their plan, forming an alliance with Lucifer's enemies, their ability to control randomness was severely limited by Lucifer's creation, and Lucifer was able to outmaneuver them. Lucifer finally gave them an ultimatum: destroy themselves or risk letting the egg they laid in Jill Presto die. The Basanos chose death and extinguished themselves. ''Basanos'' is Greek for touchstone. Such a touchstone may be a piece of
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
used to test
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
, or it may be a metaphor for
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
or torment to test truthfulness. Why Meleos chose this name for his creation is unknown.


Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine

Charles Rowland was the only boy left at his boarding school during the holidays when
Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
closed Hell, sending its former inhabitants back to Earth. While the adults of the school are preoccupied with the dead spirits who came back into their own lives, Charles is tortured and killed by three dead boys who used to go to the same school. Edwin Paine is a previous victim of the trio, his body still trapped on the grounds. He befriends Charles, but is unable to keep him from dying. When Death shows up, Charles refuses to go with her and she lets him go, preferring to focus on all the other trouble Hell's closure has brought her. As
ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
s, they later appeared in other books as the
Dead Boy Detectives The Dead Boy Detectives are a fictional supernatural detective duo who have appeared in comic books published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. They were created by writer Neil Gaiman and artists Matt Wagner and Malcolm Jones III in '' The Sandman ...
where they investigate supernatural crimes. In the podcast, Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine are voiced by Mack Keith Roach and Harry Tuffin.


Chiron

Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for ...
is a
centaur A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...
who appeared as a patron of the "World's End Inn".''The Sandman'' Vol. 2 #51. DC Comics. Chiron later appeared at the funeral of Dream in ''The Sandman: The Wake''.


Eblis O'Shaughnessy

Eblis O'Shaughnessy is a
golem A golem ( ; ) is an animated Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...
and envoy created by the Endless to obtain the Cerements and the "Book of Ritual" for the funeral rites of their brother Dream. Five of the Endless participated in the creation of Eblis O'Shaughnessy and Delirium named him. He thereafter accompanied them at the funeral. He reappears in the Vertigo story ''The Girl Who Would Be Death'' (1999).


Alianora

Alianora was first introduced in '' A Game of You'' as the original inhabitant of The Land, an island region of the Dreaming that Barbie has visited since childhood and is being threatened by the Cuckoo. After the Hierogram is broken and The Land is dissolved, Alianora appears and speaks to Dream. Her history is expanded in ''The Sandman: Overture,'' where it is revealed that she was created by
Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...
to be Dream's lover and to help him escape imprisonment after the Dreaming is invaded by two unspecified gods. Together, they vanquish the Gods, but Dream is unable to make her happy so he creates The Land as a place in which she can be free and contented. Alianora's ghost later appeared at the funeral of Dream in ''The Sandman: The Wake''. In the podcast, Alianora is voiced by Charly Duley.


Notes


References


External links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:List of ''The Sandman'' characters Characters Sandman, The Vertigo Comics characters