| She Who Must Be Obeyed | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Ayesha/Hiya/Asha |
|
First Appearance |
She (1887) |
|
Original Publisher |
Longmans |
|
Created by |
H. Rider Haggard |
Origin[]
Ayesha, Hiya or Asha is an immortal woman, rumored to be 2,000 years old, regenerated by a mysterious flame within her subterranean temple which is guarded by the mysterious Amahagger tribe.
Ayesha in the Pillar of Flame.
Her secret African realm, Kôr, houses great wealth, strange mysteries of a lost world, and the dark secret of her megalomaniacal rulership. She tolerates no disobedience from any, even the white visitors whose expedition so intrigues her.
There seems to be some small degree of uncertainty whether her powers as a sorceress are merely trickery, but they are generally pretty convincing. She seems to have the ability to do incredible things, such as summoning storms on command and killing men by mere willpower.
Allan Quatermain, in one of his later adventures, travels to Kôr, and is confronted by She Who Must Be Obeyed.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of She Who Must Be Obeyed published before January 1, 1931 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances include:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- She (1887)
- Ayesha (1905)
- She and Allan (1921)
- Wisdom's Daughter (1923)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- The Pillar of Fire (1899) by Georges Méliès
- She (1911)
- She (1917)
- She (1925)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Stories by Famous Authors #3 (Seaboard Publishing/Famous Authors Illustrated)
Notes[]
- Ayesha was one of the main inspirations for Jadis the White Witch in C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia and the elf-queen Galadriel in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth.
- Ayesha may also have inspired La of Opar in the Tarzan stories and Queen Samaris from Lee Falk's Phantom.
- It may also have been an inspiration for the Serpent Queen.
- Will Eisner said that Sheena was named after the title of the novel She.