I wanted to post something scary for my favorite holiday and this character seems appropriate. Not only are the Bacchante some of the scariest characters in the Sandman universe, but this particular portrait is pretty terrifying.
Here is another of the Bacchante, this time drawn by Lukas Ketner.
These characters appear in both Greek and Roman mythology and play a very important role within The Sandman Universe.
Roman and Greek mythology, The Bacchante are the female followers of Bacchus (or Dionysus), the god of wine and intoxication. They are often seen as crazy or wild and living in the forests. They are capable of tearing animals and sometimes people into pieces with their bare hands, as we see in The Song Of Orpheus. Orpheus encounters the Bacchante after returning from Hades, having failed to rescue his beloved wife, Eurydice. He is profoundly grief-stricken and in mourning, after losing his one true love. He chooses not to flee from the Bacchante, even though his mother Calliope warned him of their arrival.
The Bacchante arrive, wild and drunk, and they eventually kill Orpheus, eat his body and throw his head into the river.
This woman of the Bacchante appears in The Sandman Special # 1, on page 46 in panel 5.
Lukas has a profound ability to make even the most frightening characters imaginable more frightening. This character is scary!!! I love the details that Lukas added to this portrait. There are leaves and twigs in her hair and it’s easy to see her bone structure based on her open mouthed expression. This really helps add to her a wild appearance.
Have a safe and fantastic Halloween!!!
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