Sandman’s Seven Endless

The Sandman comic published by Vertigo told the story of Dream, a figure who aptly rules over the world of dreams. During the beginning of the series Dream was imprisoned after an occult ritual and held captive for 70 years. Once he breaks free Dream seeks revenge against his captors and works to rebuild his kingdom which has fallen apart during his incarceration.

Dream also known as Morpheus, is a member of the seven Endless, powerful beings that embody forces or aspects of the universe, along with Destiny, Desire, Despair, Delirium, Death, and Destruction. They are the anthropomorphic versions of what they epitomize. In the story Destiny is portrayed as a tall figure whose face is obscured by a purple and brown robe and cowl. He often reads a large book that is chained to his wrist containing all of the past, present, and future events. Destiny is blind, though it doesn’t seem to be a hindrance, as well as calm and detached.

Desire and Despair are twins. Desire is a beautiful figure who can be male or female and blends in with the environment. Desire lives in a flesh and blood statue of itself known as the Threshold. He/she casts two shadows described as one black and sharp while the other is translucent and wavering. Despair is the antithesis, squat and flabby, with a voice that can barely be heard. She wears a ring with a hook on it that she uses to carve into her own flesh. Her realm is a gray place floating in a white fog that has countless mirrors.

Delirium is the youngest of the Endless, but somehow older than the rest of existence. Short and thin she appears as a young teenage girl who distracts easily and is scatterbrained. Her personality is often jubilant and ecstatic in any situation.

Death meets with the recently deceased to guide them to their next existence but unlike most personifications of death she also visits people when they are born, though only she remembers these encounters. Another difference from most versions of Death, she appears as a young attractive gothic girl instead of a large, frightening masculine figure.

In Gaiman’s Sandman Destruction is a large man with red hair and beard. He has abandoned his responsibilities because the Age of Reason would lead to the creation of the atomic bomb and he didn’t want to be responsible for it. Destruction didn’t stop existing, rather he just left people to their own decisions.