What is the Seven Soldiers of Victory?
Currently running in DC, Seven Soldiers is the mega-series envisioned by award winning comic creator Grant Morrison. It encompasses seven 4-part mini-series and two book ends. Following a modular story telling approach where each book can be read separately but all together tells a bigger story.
Seven Soldiers #0
Shining Knight #1-4
Guardian #1-4
Zatanna #1-4
Klarion the Witch Boy #1-4
Mr. Miracle #1-4
Bulleteer #1-4
Frankenstein! #1-4
Seven Soldiers #1
What About JLA: Classified 1-3?
JLA Classified can serve as a teaser for Seven Soldiers since it is the first appearance of the main villains the Sheeda and Neh-Buh-Loh the Hunter. However it is not needed to understand the Seven Soldiers story. This might just be a way to establish that this story takes place within the same universe as the Justice League of America. Through out the Seven Soldiers books, there are several references to DCU's popular hero team.
Brief History of the Seven Soldiers
From the DC Comics Encyclopedia:
First Appearance - LEADING COMICS #1 (Winter 1941-1942)
Independantly stopping the villainous agents of the Iron Hand, seven heroes joined together to become the Laws' Legionaires, more commonly referred to as the Seven Soldiers of Victory. Founding members included the Crimson Avenger I, the Spider (Alias the Spider), the Shining Knight, Vigilante I, Billy Gunn (later succeeded by Stuff), the Star-Spangled Kid, and Stripesy. The Avenger's aide, Wing, was the unofficial eighth member.
In 1948, the Seven Soldiers of Victory were betrayed by one of their own, the Spider, and engaged in battle with an entity known as the Nebula Man. Wing sacrificed his life to destroy the creature in Tibet, but the resulting explosion of temporal energies cast the rest of the group across the timestream. Decades later, Deadman organized a short-lived new edition of the Seven Soldiers of Victory including Adam Strange, Batgirl, Blackhawk, Mento, Metamorpho, and the Atomic Knight to defend the planet Rann from an attack by the Injustice League. Soon after that, six of the time-displaced original Soldiers were rescued by the united Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America before Red Tornado II sacrificed his life to save Earth from the Iron Hand.
The Power of 7
From The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spenser:
Worthy Knight, I will now entrust you with our Signs and Token. The first, or Sign of Sorrow is given by placing the right hand on the heart, then pointing with the index finger downwards, saying 'He is not there'. The response of a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre is pointing upwards with the index finger of the right hand, saying 'He is risen.'
These Signs, however, must never be uses except in the Sanctuary, or when you are obliged to claim form a Brother Knight the performance of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy, which I will now recite to you:
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti: I greet you as a Guardian Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.
1st - Go, feed the hungry;
2nd - Give drink to the thirsty;
3rd - Clothe the naked with a garment;
4th - Visit and ransom the captives;
5th - Harbour the harbourless, give the widows and orphans where to lay their heads;
6th - Visit and relieve the sick;
7th - Go, bury the dead.
From the Book of Revelations (chapter and verse are in parenthesis):
Seven churches (1:4).
Seven golden candlesticks (1:12).
Seven stars (1:16).
Seven lamps of fire burning before the throne [of God], which are the seven Spirits of God (4:5).
Seven seals (5:1)
[Saw a] lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes (5:6).
Seven angels (8:2).
Seven trumpets (8:6).
[An angel spoke with] a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices (10:3).
[As a result of] the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand (11:13).
[Saw] a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads (12:3).
[Saw a] beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy (13:1).
The seven last plagues (15:1)
Seven golden vials full of the wrath of God (15:7).
7 Sins/Virtues
7) Jealousy/Generosity
6) Pride/Humility
5) Envy/Love (Charity)
4) Sloth/Zeal
3) Anger/Kindness
2) Lust/Self-Control
1) Gluttony/Faith and Temperance
In folk stories and legends the number would seem to express the seven stages of matter, the seven degrees of awareness and the seven stages of evolution
awareness of the physical body: cravings satisfied simply and brutally
awareness of the emotions; impulses become more complex through feeling and imagination
awareness of intellect; the individual classifies, arranges and reasons
awareness of intuition; relationship with the unconscious becomes apparent
awareness of spirituality; detachment from worldly things
awareness of will; thought is transmitted into action
awareness of life; directing action towards eternal life and salvation.
The word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel or disk and signifies one of seven basic energy centers in the body. Each of these centers correlates to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column. In addition the chakras also correlate to levels of consciousness, archetypal elements, developmental stages of life, colors, sounds, body functions, and much, much more.
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Chakra Seven:
Thought, Universal identity, oriented to self-knowledge
This is the crown chakra that relates to consciousness as pure awareness. It is our connection to the greater world beyond, to a timeless, spaceless place of all-knowing. When developed, this chakra brings us knowledge, wisdom, understanding, spiritual connection, and bliss. |
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Chakra Six:
Light, Archetypal identity, oriented to self-reflection
This chakra is known as the brow chakra or third eye center. It is related to the act of seeing, both physically and intuitively. As such it opens our psychic faculties and our understanding of archetypal levels. When healthy it allows us to see clearly, in effect, letting us "see the big picture." |
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Chakra Five:
Sound, Creative identity, oriented to self-expression
This is the chakra located in the throat and is thus related to communication and creativity. Here we experience the world symbolically through vibration, such as the vibration of sound representing language. |
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Chakra Four:
Air, Social identity, oriented to self-acceptance
This chakra is called the heart chakra and is the middle chakra in a system of seven. It is related to love and is the integrator of opposites in the psyche: mind and body, male and female, persona and shadow, ego and unity. A healthy fourth chakra allows us to love deeply, feel compassion, have a deep sense of peace and centeredness . |
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Chakra Three:
Fire, Ego identity, oriented to self-definition
This chakra is known as the power chakra, located in the solar plexus. It rules our personal power, will, and autonomy, as well as our metabolism. When healthy, this chakra brings us energy, effectiveness, spontaneity, and non-dominating power. |
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Chakra Two:
Water, Emotional identity, oriented to self-gratification
The second chakra, located in the abdomen, lower back, and sexual organs, is related to the element water, and to emotions and sexuality. It connects us to others through feeling, desire, sensation, and movement. Ideally this chakra brings us fluidity and grace, depth of feeling, sexual fulfillment, and the ability to accept change. |
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Chakra One:
Earth, Physical identity, oriented to self-preservation
Located at the base of the spine, this chakra forms our foundation. It represents the element earth, and is therefore related to our survival instincts, and to our sense of grounding and connection to our bodies and the physical plane. Ideally this chakra brings us health, prosperity, security, and dynamic presence. |
Spiders are weavers and tricksters. They symbolize fate, female energy, creative energy, female energy, wisdom, creativity, new life, entanglement, caution, divine inspiration, starting a project, becoming pregnant, being industrious, warning signals, illusions. They are connected to Ishtar, Atargatis, Athene, the Fates, the Norns, Holda, Inktomi, Kokyangwuti, Tsitsicnako and Sussistanako and Neith.
Weaving & Spinning Mythology and Folklore Library
A lot of the symbolism associated with Spider can be seen in her form. Her body is made up roughly of a figure eight which, laid on it's side, is the symbol for infinity. Infinity is like the wheel of life, constantly flowing in a continuous cycle from one circle to the other. She is also associated with death and rebirth, not only with the shape of her body but with the eating of the male after mating. She is both a feminine and lunar energy. Her constant building of new webs have been tied by some to the waxing and waning of the moon. The glistening web also has very strong symbology, signifying the tapestry of the universe and the infinate possibilities of creation.
Native Americans: she is a grandmother figure whom is a link between the past and the future and who brought people the gift of fire. Some tribes believed the spider was the weaver who created the world and saw her as a symbol of creative female energy.
India: Spider is sacred to Maya who was known as the 'weaver of illusion.'
Greece: it was sacred to Athena who was a goddess of wisdom and a moon goddess
Egypt: spider represented Neith, the Divine Mother and also a moon goddess.
It is also believed the first true alphabet was formed from the patterns and angles in Spiders web which has her considered the teacher of language and writing. This makes her a strong guide for those who use symbols and writing in performing magic.
Facts
The building of a web is linked to that of creation. When building a web, the orb spider just shoots her silk into the wind. If the breeze carries it to a spot where it sticks, her first bridge has now been formed. She then reinforces it with a second line and builds her frame.
Spiders are very delicate and gentle creatures. If you held a tarantula while standing and dropped it, the fall would break her and she would die. Most spiders are only aggressive when threatened and many are very shy, avoiding confrontations. They combine gentleness and strength with balance to survive.
Lessons
Spiders strongest lesson is that of fate. She encourages us to weave our dreams into reality because she knows the mind is a powerful thing. She teaches us we create our own destiny because the past and future are linked. What we decide to take from our experiences can either be an aid or obstacle in the future and we weave our path by every action. Everything you do now affects your future encounters.
She also poses a warning to avoid getting locked into barriers created by society. Our beleifs, behaviour and views on ourselves should come from us, not other people. This is important because these things can limit our possiblities short of their potential.
Balance is another lesson of this spiritual creature. She teaches us to keep blance in every aspect of our lives - past and future, physical and spiritual, feminine and masculine, etc.
At the each point of the septagram are symbols of the seven visible heavenly bodies in the sky.
Clockwise from the top; the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars.
The seven-pointed star, septagram, represents a belief in fairies and magic. Each of the seven points is believed to have a different meaning, although there are several common interpretations.
Some say each point represents a pathway, or the "seven rays of manifestation of the Higher Self."
1 - power, personal will and determination
2 - unconditional love, wisdom and growth
3 - knowledge and intelligence
4 - harmony and tranquillity
5 - the powers of mind and science
6 - devotion and honesty
7 - magick
Another idea is that the points signify the seven magical elements - earth, air, fire, water, light, life and magic - or the inner and outer elements - earth, air, fire, water, heaven, earth and self. Whilst a further suggestion is that they represent the seven directions - north, south, east, west, above, below and within.
Vainglory is defined by Webster's 1913 Dictionary as excessive vanity excited by one's own performances; empty pride; undue elation of mind; vain show; boastfulness.
Originally included in the 4th century greek monk Evagrius Ponticus eight deadly "passions"; however, Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century enumerated only seven deadly sins, by merging pride with vainglory.
The sin everyone from Seven Soldiers #0 suffered from because they were trying to be too ambitious. |
