Gemworld
Encyclopedia
Gemworld, also known as Faerie, is one of two fictional other dimensional homelands for the Faerie, as published by DC Comics
. In the mainstream DC Comics universe all members of the Faerie race relocated to a dimension called Gemworld which debuted in Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld #1 (May 1983), and was created by Dan Mishkin
, Gary Cohn and Ernie Colón
.
's The Books of Magic
#3 (January 1990), and in the Hunter: The Age of Magic spin-off series, where Timothy Hunter
went to a wizard's academy there.
sorceress Citrina went there and struck a deal with the Lords of Chaos
so she would be allowed to create a realm there for those Homo magi
and Faerie who wanted to emigrate from Earth. This deal was kept a secret from most of Gemworld's inhabitants. The Gemworld proper was at first depicted as a continent
that floats in the sky, with a "Sun" that orbited around it, obviously reflecting ancient beliefs of Earth being flat, but was eventually retconned into an actual planet. It contains a variety of terrains, and it was settled by cultures from all around the world.
Gemworld is one of many magical dimensions connected to Sorcerers' World
.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. In the mainstream DC Comics universe all members of the Faerie race relocated to a dimension called Gemworld which debuted in Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld #1 (May 1983), and was created by Dan Mishkin
Dan Mishkin
Dan Mishkin is a comic book writer, and co-creator of the DC Comics characters Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld and Blue Devil. Both series used fantasy elements in ironic and often thought-provoking ways. DC gave these series a promotional push by featuring them in free, 16-page insert previews...
, Gary Cohn and Ernie Colón
Ernie Colon
Ernie Colón is an American comics artist, born on July 13, 1931,Colón was born in Puerto Rico and began his professional career at Harvey Comics as a letterer. He later worked, uncredited, as an artist on titles including Monster in My Pocket, Richie Rich and Casper the Friendly Ghost...
.
Publication history
Gemworld debuted in Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld #1, (May 1983). Gemworld later appeared in Neil GaimanNeil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's The Books of Magic
The Books of Magic
The Books of Magic is a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has also been published in a single-volume collection under the Vertigo...
#3 (January 1990), and in the Hunter: The Age of Magic spin-off series, where Timothy Hunter
Timothy Hunter
Timothy Hunter, is a fictional character, a comic book sorcerer published by DC Comics. He first appeared in The Books of Magic vol. 1 #1 , and was created by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton.-Publication history:...
went to a wizard's academy there.
Fictional history
The dimension where the Gemworld is located was originally owned by the Lords of Chaos. However, thousands of years ago, when magic began to drop in its levels on Earth due to a change in the alignment of the stars (caused by a star going nova) the Homo magiHomo Magi
Homo magi is a fictional sub-race of magic-using humans in the . The Homo magi first appeared in Justice League of America #164 , and were created by Gerry Conway and Dick Dillin.-Publication history:...
sorceress Citrina went there and struck a deal with the Lords of Chaos
Lords of Chaos and Order
The Lords of Chaos and Lords of Order are complementary groups of supernatural entities with godlike powers that appear in DC Comics. They have also been retconned into the histories of Amethyst, Doctor Fate, Kid Eternity, the Phantom Stranger, Shazam and Hawk and Dove...
so she would be allowed to create a realm there for those Homo magi
Homo Magi
Homo magi is a fictional sub-race of magic-using humans in the . The Homo magi first appeared in Justice League of America #164 , and were created by Gerry Conway and Dick Dillin.-Publication history:...
and Faerie who wanted to emigrate from Earth. This deal was kept a secret from most of Gemworld's inhabitants. The Gemworld proper was at first depicted as a continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
that floats in the sky, with a "Sun" that orbited around it, obviously reflecting ancient beliefs of Earth being flat, but was eventually retconned into an actual planet. It contains a variety of terrains, and it was settled by cultures from all around the world.
Gemworld is one of many magical dimensions connected to Sorcerers' World
Sorcerers' World
Sorcerers' World, also known as Zerox is a fictional planet, a comic book location appearing in titles published by DC Comics. Sorcerers' World first appeared in Adventure Comics vol. 1 #369 , and was created by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan....
.
The nature of Gemworld
Time moves at a different rate in Gemworld; a Gemworlder raised on Earth will change into an older form if brought back after several years, only to change back to normal if returned to Earth. The reverse is also true - a human raised on Gemworld will de-age on Earth.Inhabitants of Gemworld
The Gemworld's level of technology is medieval, and it is divided into Twelve Royal Houses, each represented by a type of birthstone; the Houses take turns ruling the Gemworld. All of Gemworld's Homo magi inhabitants can use magic, though most only at a very pedestrian level (fishermen use spells to help them fish, for example). Aside from the Homo magi, Gemworld is home to all the traditional Faerie races. Each realm contains a vein of the appropriate birthstone, and its fragments are mined to make their Royal Family's jewelry. These jewels increase their magic powers enormously.Twelve Royal Houses
- AmethystAmethystAmethyst is a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry. The name comes from the Ancient Greek ἀ a- and μέθυστος methustos , a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness; the ancient Greeks and Romans wore amethyst and made drinking vessels of it in the belief...
- The House of Amethyst is the most powerful house and, until Amy's return to Gemworld, it remained without a leader. As Amy returned, it set matters into motion that would change Gemworld forever. - TopazTopazTopaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al2SiO42. Topaz crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and its crystals are mostly prismatic terminated by pyramidal and other faces.-Color and varieties:...
- Initially, Prince Topaz was Amethyst's love interest and staunch supporter. As time progressed and the series took a drastic change, Amy abandoned all hopes for a relationship with Topaz and allowed him to find comfort in the arms of Turquoise. - EmeraldEmeraldEmerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
- The House of Emerald is ruled by Lady Emerald who is a master of Nature magic. Lady Emerald later became the entity known as Fire Jade. - MoonstoneMoonstone (gemstone)Moonstone is a sodium potassium aluminium silicate, with the chemical formula AlSi3O8.-Etymology:Its name is derived from a visual effect, or sheen, caused by light reflecting internally in the moonstone from layer inclusion of different feldspars....
- The House of Moonstone is allied with the House of Amethyst. Its ruler, Lord Moonstone, is quick tempered. - SapphireSapphireSapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
- The House of Sapphire was allied with the House of Opal, due to the carnal desires of Lady Sapphire. - DiamondDiamondIn mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
- Home of the Diamond Priests. - RubyRubyA ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
- The Ruby Kingdom lies to the north of Ruby Lake. Its northern end has long been claimed by the Sardonyx Empire, which habitually launches incursions across their disputed border. - OpalOpalOpal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most...
- The House of Opal is ruled by the dictator Dark Opal. Dark Opal's son Carnelian was born on Earth and has no mystical aptitude. - GarnetGarnetThe garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds...
- The Stormy Peaks was a loyal ally to the House of Amethyst. Lord Garnet also has a son who went missing when he attempted to rescue Queen Emerald inside the Pandora's Box. - SardonyxOnyxOnyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...
- The House of Sardonyx is allied with the House of Opal. Lord Sardonyx the Lord of Serpents later transfers his loyalty to Fire Jade. - TurquoiseTurquoiseTurquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl648·4. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue...
- The House of Turquoise is allied with the House of Amethyst. Its ruler is a wild warrior woman named Lady Turquoise. - Aquamarine - The House of Aquamarine is ruled by Lord Aquamarine, who is a master of Water magic.