Glorificus (Buffyverse)
Encyclopedia : G : GL : GLO : Glorificus (Buffyverse)
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Glory, also known as Glorificus, The Beast, The Abomination and That Which Must Not Be Named is a fictional deity in the American television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, played by Clare Kramer. She appeared during most of the 5th Season of the program.
Biography
Character history
Glory was a goddess from a hell dimension, over which she ruled, with two other godesses. She's the most powerful of the three. Afraid that she would take control of their world, the other two began a war against her; Glory lost the war and was banished into the earthly dimension, where she was forced to share a body with a child named Ben, created especially to hold her. She soon began to gain control over Ben for short periods of time, taking the form of a vain, self-centered human female which possessed superhuman strength, but lacked many of Glory's other powers. A magical "amnesia" spell kept humans from learning that Glory and Ben were one and the same, even if she transformed right in front of them (although, interestingly, the spell did not affect non-humans, enabling Spike to know that Glory and Ben were the same entity).
Glory came to Sunnydale looking for "the Key", a mystical item that would break down the walls between all dimensions, allowing Glorificus to return to reign in her own dimension. Use of the Key would also cause the destruction of all other dimensions, including the one Buffy and her friends inhabit. Glory was not aware of what form the Key had taken. Glory surrounded herself with loyal minions, and began the quest to locate the key.
In order to maintain her sanity and power, Glory fed off of other humans by a process that Buffy and her friends referred to as "brain-sucking." She inserts her fingers into the victims head, absorbing the energies that bind the victim's mind. The humans that she "devoured" in this way became incoherent and mentally unstable; Glory's arrival in Sunnydale was followed by an inexplicable increase in the number of mental patients. One of her unfortunate victims was Willow's girlfriend, Tara.
For her part, Buffy was not initially aware of the Key's nature either. It was eventually revealed that Buffy's sister Dawn was the Key, in human form. Glory soon discovered this fact, and managed to kidnap Dawn.
The Key could only be used at a certain time, and as that time drew near, the power that separated Glory from Ben dissolved. They still inhabited Ben's body separately, but their memories and personalities began to blur together.
Buffy attacked Glory with everything she had: the Dagon Sphere, the Hammer of Olaf, her identical robot twin (the "Buffybot"), and eventually a wrecking ball, commandeered by Xander. However, the final spell that would invoke the Key had already been started. Ultimately, Buffy jumped into the portal that was opening between dimensions, resulting in its closure and her own death.
Glory was left significantly weakened, losing her hold on this reality, and returned to the form and mind of Ben. Giles knew that Glory would eventually return and get her revenge unless Ben was killed, so he suffocated him. As Ben died, so did Glory.
Glory is also referred to as Glorificus by her minions and in most textual references, and occasionally as "The Beast" by the monks who created Dawn. (Although she has nothing to do with The Beast who appeared in Angel, the spinoff series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.)
Powers & Abilities
It is revealed that Glory's powers were reduced when she was imprisoned in human form, however the powers that remained were:- Near-invulnerability. Only a Troll God's hammer was able to do any lasting damage to her when used repeatedly. In her own state she is immortal.
- Superhuman strength far beyond demons or slayers. At one point a building collapses on her after she repeatedly stomps her feet in a temper tantrum over a broken shoe.
- Super speed.
- The ability to drain the mental energy of humans to maintain her own mental strength. Victims were left in an insane state and appeared to be psychically linked to Glory from that point on.
The extent of her true powers as a Hell god were never revealed, though it is suggested that they were beyond what even her compatriot hell gods could conceive.
Servants
See also
External links
- ["Slayage" the on-line journal of academic Buffy Studies].
- [Archived articles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer]
- ["Buffy Stories" links to fanfiction]
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