Eternia
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Eternia is the name of the fictional planet that serves as a setting for the Masters of the Universe toy collection and animated series.
Contents
History
The beginning
According to an episode of the first series, and the 1987 motion picture, Eternia is at the center of the universe. At the planet's center lies the Star Seed, a spark left over from the creation of the universe. Possessing it would grant infinite power to its holder. Skeletor, upon discovering this information, tried to obtain it, but He-Man was able to get it first. After resisting its corrupting influence, he then gave it to Zodak, who disposed of it.Prehistory
Eternia's prehistoric era is known as "Preternia." It seems to have featured dinosaur-like monsters, including some bionic variations of unknown origin, giants, and cavemen. Some of these dinosaurs are preserved within Eternia's Tar Swamp.Some of Eternia's ancient civilizations possessed very advanced technology, and left many ruins and artifacts behind. One such race is the Egyptian-like Osirians, who used to live in the Sands of Time.
The oldest being still alive on Eternia is an enormous sentient tree named Skytree. The second oldest is Granamyr, ruler of the Dragons of Darksmoke, who has always envied the tree's status.
Castle Grayskull
A Council of Ancients who possessed great magical power decided to store their power and wisdom on Eternia, and built Castle Grayskull for this purpose. In the 2002 series, the castle contains the very essence of the Ancients. Castle Grayskull's powers are channeled through the Sword of Power, the source of He-Man's powers. It was also decided that a woman known as the Sorceress would be the Castle's guardian; heirs to be determined by matrilineal succession. In the original series, the Sorceress was not allowed to leave Castle Grayskull except in the form of a falcon, named Zoar; this has changed in the 2002 series.In the original series, Zodak was the last member of the Council, but in the new version, he's a warrior from their time period.
He-Man is not the first person to wield the Power of Grayskull. One of Prince Adam's ancestors, King Greyskull (who built the castle as his own}, used his power to oppose the evil Snake-men and their leader, King Hiss. He succeeded in trapping them within the petrified remains of the giant, three-headed 'Snake God', which eventually became known as Snake Mountain. Two of its heads eventually crumbled, resulting in its appearance during Skeletor's inhabitation. In the new series, the Snake Men were freed, and the 'god' temporarily revived. When Adam calls upon the Power of Greyskull, he is actually calling upon the power of his ancestor, stored within the sword.
Modern Eternia
The original concept of Eternia was a world with a barbaric civilization, with the exception of advanced technology, as well as powerful magic In the animated series, the world's features and background were greatly expanded. Eternia came to feature an incredible variety of lifeforms, from monsters to sentient races, including nonhumanoids, and hidden civilizations.Frequently visited locations in the modern age of Eternia include Castle Grayskull, The Evergreen Forest, the Vine Jungle, The Palace of Eternia, and Snake Mountain. It should be noted that there seem to be very few "modern" or contemporary locations in Eternia. Many, if not most, of the cities, castles, and regions are very ancient.
In the new series, the planet was separated into two regions by a huge magical wall to keep Skeletor's forces at bay, but the wall was eventually destroyed.
Notable Locations
Some of Eternia's features include:Buildings of Significance
- The Royal Palace of Eternia - Home to Prince Adam, Man-At-Arms, Orko, Cringer, and the Royal Family.
- Castle Grayskull - The most mysterious and powerful location in all of Eternia. The Castle is the prime source of the magical power that is so prevalent in Eternia. It is surrounded by a bottomless pit. It resembles an ancient, primitive castle, with a huge skull carved in front of it. Despite the name, it is often portrayed as green, rather than grey.
- Snake Mountain - Home of Skeletor, the sorcerer who wishes to take over Eternia. The mountain is a large, steep, rock spire with a massive carving of a snake twisted around it.
- The Fright Zone- in the Mattel minicomics and the UK comics, home of Hordak and the Evil Horde.
- The Three Towers- Grayskull Tower, Viper Tower and Eternia Tower, constructed by the Elders of Eternia to balance the powers of good and evil, thus containing the ultimate power.
- The Widget Fortress- home of the Widgets, a race of small, midget-like people who mine Corodite, the most powerful mineral in Eternia.
- Temple of Shokoti- formerly hidden ancient temple, home to the evil goddess Shokoti.
- Temple of the Sun- an ancient temple on the Sands of Time, which houses many ancient treasures and secrets. Surrounded by continuity discrepancies, for its purpose and design has varied between its episode appearances.
- Temple of the Cats- an ancient, Egyptian-like temple home to a race of Cat People, thought to be extinct until recently.
- Castle Star- an apparently ancient castle, for a while owned by the alien Lord Todd, who turned the castle into a complex of life-size games.
- Eternian Weather Station- weather station in Eternia's northernmost regions, owned by Randor and run by his guardsmen. Monitors weather as well as allowing control over weather conditions on Eternia.
- Station Sata- scientific research center.
Cities and other settlements
- Eternos City- the ruling capital of Eternia and location of the Royal Palace, and the place where most of He-Man's adventures begin. Home to many of Eternia's richer citizens.
- Avion- an airbone kingdom located in the highest peaks of the Mystic Mountains. Home of Stratos and the Bird People.
- Andreenos- a settlement in the lower regions of the Mystic Mountains, home to Buzz-Off and the bee-like Andreenids.
- Tauren- an elegant city ruled over by Prime Minister Pangus, which formerly lived with the terrible threat of being destroyed by the sleeping beast Yog, who dwelt beneath the city until he was defeated by He-Man, with the help of Pangus' daughter, the singer Celice.
- Drisdos- one of the major cities within Randor's kingdom.
- Abherron- jungle city, home to the Princess Raya.
- Targa- jungle city, neighbour to Abherron. Formerly rife with slavery and at war with Abherron when ruled by the evil Queen Valena, but after Valena's defeat, the arena gladiator Garn was crowned King. Home to many great fighters.
- Arcadia- secret city ruled by Queen Sumana. Formerly rife with slavery, dominated by female warriors who forced men to work in the underground mines before the gender inequality was put right by Prince Adam and Teela.
- Shandor- a small village once attacked by the Gryphon.
- Aquatica- an undersea kingdom inhabited by a race of sea-dwelling people.
- Morainia- ice kingdom ruled by King Moraius, a close friend of King Randor.
- Stone City- an ancient city in the depths of the Vine Jungle, filled with statues, which were revealed to really be ancient warriors who encased themselves in stone, thus freezing themselves in time to re-emerge when Eternia next needed them.
- Zak- small peasant village briefly enslaved by Skeletor.
- Cathenay- a small village, which hails He-Man as a hero after he saved its people from giant Sand Crawlers.
- Malarkah- home to a race of insect-like creatures.
- Ruckstown- a small snow village within an icy mountainous region. Its residents are friendly and well-meaning but notoriously superstitious.
- Morragor- a dark, desolate kingdom ruled by the Monster of Morragor, a demon in thrall to Skeletor who was noble and dignified despite his appearance. After being kissed by Teela, Skeletor's spell was broken and he was restored to his original form- a handsome prince, and his kingdom returned to its original beautiful state.
Regions and landmarks
- The Evergreen Forest - A large forest that is the planet's main source of oxygen.
- The Sands of Time - The largest expanse of sand on Eternia.
- Anwat Gar - A now deserted island, formerly inhabited by a culture similar to the ancient Japanese, which excelled in samurai skills. Believed by many fans to be the former home of Sy-Klone's race, the Guar.
- Subternia - The collective name for subterranean areas of the planet.
- Isles of Darksmoke - The mountainous islands, home of Granamyr and the more advanced races of dragons on Eternia. Also inhabited by Ice Trolls, allies of the dragons.
- The Tar Swamp- location of numerous battles and adventures throughout both cartoon series. Also notable for being the place where Orko arrived on Eternia.
- The Vine Jungle - Another major source of oxygen on the planet. In some mediums the home of Beast Man.
- The Mystic Mountains - The mountain range where the Sea of Eternity is located, as well as the home to a tribe of intelligent, slightly humanoid insects. Also home to the Bird People of Avion and the Bee People of Andreenos.
- The Ice Mountains- cold and icy mountain range.
- Zagraz Mountain- home of Zagraz, the comet keeper, who possesses magical power over comets.
- The Slime Swamp
- Stardica
- Stone Mountain- the home of Malik, a young but immensely powerful wizard who once possessed an insane lust for Teela.
- Darklands- a dark region home to the powerful wizard Kor.
- Isle of Tears- ruled by King Danton, who was briefly ousted from his position by the monstrous Gorgon.
- This Forest- amusingly named forest on the edge of the city of Drisdos. So named as an inside joke by the animation artists.
- The Province of Bracilia
- Selkie Island- a small, uninhabited island full of many ancient ruins and historic monuments, having once been home to a great civilization in Eternia's ancient past. Nowadays inhabited only by various species of wild animal.
- The Valley of Power- a magical valley whose streams contain mystical waters with great power.
- Ancient Ruins- a region of ancient historical ruins guarded by the Zaktons, a race of centuries-old robots.
- Mount Eternia- Eternia's largest mountain, within which the Elders imprisoned the Energy Beast, a demonic entity which once ruled over Eternia. Surrounded by continuity discrepancies, for it appeared in two episodes and was in a different place in both of them.
- Demon Zone- a dark, dangerous underworld, home to Whiplash and many species of evil demons. Ruled by Kraal, its demonic overlord.
- Caves of the Singing Crystal- a complex of caves filled with the singing crystal, a substance which emits a beautiful 'singing' sound whenever anyone touches it.
- Rose Mountain- a large mountain on which grows The Bitter Rose, a flower formed from the tears of a grieving goddess.
- Mount Fear- a large, dark mountain overlooking the village of Ruckstown. Home to a giant named Herman, who was formerly known as 'The Tingler', mistakenly believed to be a monster by the superstitious people of Ruckstown.
- Avathar- lost island continent full of many ancient ruins and historical relics. Formerly home to a great civilization which ruled over all Eternia before collapsing centuries ago.
- The Repton Kingdom- a dark, underground kingdom located beneath a stone pyramid. Home of the Reptons, a peaceful race of snake-like people from which Kobra Khan hails, now regarded as a traitor since joining the ranks of Skeletor. Ruled by King Pythos. Many fans believe the Reptons are descendants of the Snake Men.
- The Plain of Perpetua- a dark, dangerous rocky plain full of many traps and evil species. The Labyrinth of Perpetua was built centuries ago to imprison the most dangerous monsters of Eternia below ground.
Oceans and Seas
- The Sea of Eternity - A large sea atop the Mystic Mountains that provides water to the Vine Jungle and the Evergreen Forest.
- The Sea of Rakash
- Ocean of Gnarl
- The Crystal Sea
- Harmony Sea
External links
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