Old Ones (Buffyverse)
Encyclopedia
- Old OneOld OneOld One may be a term used to refer to a god or other deity. Old Ones may also be a term used to refer to beings who co-existed with early humans according to many religions...
is also a term used in numerous fantasy and horror series.
In the Buffyverse
Buffyverse
The Buffyverse, also known as the Whedonverse or Slayerverse , is the shared fictional universe in which the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are set. This term, originally coined by fans of the TV series, has since been used in the titles of published works, and adopted by Joss...
, the Old Ones are the extremely powerful, pure-breed demons that once dominated Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
before humankind appeared. Illyria
Illyria (Buffyverse)
Illyria is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker. She is a regular during the last third of season five, after she possesses Fred Burkle's body.-Character history:...
is one of these demons, though its real form was revealed only in an illustration.
History
Information regarding the Old Ones is limited. Rupert GilesRupert Giles
Rupert Giles is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character is portrayed by Anthony Stewart Head. He serves as Buffy Summers' mentor and surrogate father figure...
tells Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
in "The Harvest":
"This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the EarthEarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. They made it their home, their...their HellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. But in time, they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for, for man. All that remains of the Old Ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures..."
Anya Jenkins
Anya Jenkins
Anya is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also appears in the comic book series based on the television show. Portrayed by Emma Caulfield, the character appears as a guest star in the third and fourth seasons of the show before...
explains to the Scooby Gang in "Graduation Day, Part One" the nature of "pure demons." As Giles had stated, Earth was originally ruled by these huge, powerful, pure-breed demons, and the demon races that exist on Earth today are hybridized with humans and other species. Anya, although far too young to have seen an original Old One, had previously witnessed an Ascension.
The Old Ones possess many different shapes and powers, but all of them are gigantic. They were worshipped as gods (according to Illyria
Illyria (Buffyverse)
Illyria is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker. She is a regular during the last third of season five, after she possesses Fred Burkle's body.-Character history:...
, she was a "god to a god"), ruled over vast territories, commanded fearsome armies, and constantly made war against each other. They also did not seem to live and die the way mortals do. Illyria claimed she lived seven lives at once, and even after her death, releasing her essence from the sarcophagus was enough to resurrect her into the nearest host. In short, under the Old Ones' rule, the world was a living hell.
At some point, the Old Ones lost their claim over this reality; some were killed while others were driven from this dimension. The corpses of the greater fallen Old Ones were placed in stone sarcophagi, while their powers were drained and embedded in jewels affixed to the surface of their coffins. All of the sarcophagi were placed in a mystical graveyard known as the Deeper Well, a hole in the world which could be accessed in the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and its supposedly antipodal point
Antipodes
In geography, the antipodes of any place on Earth is the point on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to it. Two points that are antipodal to one another are connected by a straight line running through the centre of the Earth....
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. A keeper or guardian, with a small detachment of demon warriors, was placed in the Deeper Well to prevent anyone from extracting a sarcophagus. They failed, however, to prevent Illyria's sarcophagus from disappearing from the Well, thus allowing it to be shipped to Knox at Wolfram and Hart. It should be noted, though, that this act was said to be preordained.
It was originally stated by Giles that "the books tell" that the last of the Old Ones to leave this reality fed off of a human, mixing their blood, and that formed the first vampire. However, Illyria disputes this, claiming that vampires were around when she was. In "End of Days
End of Days
End of Days is a 1999 American action horror thriller film directed by Peter Hyams starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robin Tunney, Rod Steiger, Kevin Pollak, CCH Pounder, Udo Kier and Gabriel Byrne as Satan...
," the Guardian claims that the last pure-demon in this world was defeated by a Slayer using the Scythe, on the spot that would one day become Sunnydale, California
Sunnydale
Sunnydale, California is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all-too-serene towns typical in traditional horror...
.
In the centuries that followed, the Old Ones continued to be objects of worship among the lesser half-breed demons. One of these cults was the Order of Aurelius
Order of Aurelius
The Order of Aurelius is a fictional cult of vampires, seen primarily in the first season of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the first episodes of the show's second season.-The select, the elite:...
, a cult of vampires
Vampire (Buffyverse)
Vampire, in the fictional world of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, is a species of demon which inhabits and animates a human corpse...
worshipping the Old Ones and awaiting their return.
Related parties
HalfrekHalfrek
Halfrek or Hallie is a recurring fictional character on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She appears as a vengeance demon in seasons 6 and 7, and has previously appeared as Cecily in season 5. She is played by actress Kali Rocha....
refers to the First Evil
First Evil
The First Evil is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The First Evil first appeared in the third season episode "Amends", and became the main antagonist of the 7th and final season.A being manifested from all evil in existence, the First is an...
when she says, "Something's rising. Something older than the Old Ones, and everybody's tail is twitching," therefore, The First Evil is a powerful force that predates even the Old Ones.
The Ascension was the process of a human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
transforming into a pure demon. In the late 12th century, a sorcerer in the Koskov Valley above the Urals became the embodiment of the demon Lohesh (described as a "four-winged soul killer") and decimated the village within hours. Buffy's enemy Mayor Richard Wilkins III became the embodiment of the demon Olvikan (a huge, snake-like creature) through a series of rituals, offerings, and sacrifices done over the course of a hundred years.
The Scourge
Hero (Angel episode)
"Hero" is episode 9 of season 1 in the television show Angel. Written by Tim Minear and Howard Gordon and directed by Tucker Gates, it was originally broadcast on November 30, 1999 on the WB television network...
, though far different, smaller, and weaker than the Old Ones, consider themselves to be pure-breed demons. Their claim of purity is supported by the fact that they were immune to the effects of the Beacon, a machine that incinerated those with human DNA, including vampires.
Canon
- IllyriaIllyria (Buffyverse)Illyria is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker. She is a regular during the last third of season five, after she possesses Fred Burkle's body.-Character history:...
's seat of power was located in what would later be CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and she was one of the most revered and feared of all the Old Ones. She was killed by rivals and entombed in the Deeper Well before being released into spectral form, which then took over the body of Winifred "Fred" BurkleWinifred BurkleWinifred "Fred" Burkle is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon and introduced by Shawn Ryan and Mere Smith on the television series Angel. The character is portrayed by Amy Acker.-Character history:...
. - In the AngelAngel (TV series)Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
episode "Shiny Happy PeopleShiny Happy People (Angel episode)"Shiny Happy People" is an episode of the television show Angel named after a song by R.E.M.. Written by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, and directed by Marita Grabiak, it was originally broadcast on April 9, 2003 on the WB network...
", JasmineJasmine (Buffyverse)Jasmine is a fictional character, a deity in the fourth season of the television series Angel. She is portrayed for much of the season by Charisma Carpenter , but when she acquires her own body she is portrayed by Gina Torres, who also appeared in Joss Whedon's Firefly as Zoe Washburne...
states that she was a being who existed before the time of man and left the world when the age of demons began. Since Jasmine was formerly one of The Powers That Be, it is suggested the other Powers are equally old. - A group of demons known as the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart, who were weak by demon standards, left this dimension when the Old Ones were expelled. Unlike other demons, the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart, now under the moniker of the "Senior Partners", became major players by establishing the law firm Wolfram & HartWolfram & HartWolfram & Hart − Attorneys at Law is a fictional international, and interdimensional law firm featured in the television series Angel, as well as other extended materials in Joss Whedon's Buffyverse.-Fictional history:...
and its many incarnations and branches throughout many dimensions.
Non-canon
- Other Old Ones have also appeared in the BuffyverseBuffyverseThe Buffyverse, also known as the Whedonverse or Slayerverse , is the shared fictional universe in which the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are set. This term, originally coined by fans of the TV series, has since been used in the titles of published works, and adopted by Joss...
comics, such as Ky-laag. - In the comics, certain invocations to the Old Ones can change reality and cause severe mutations in people.
- In Monster IslandMonster Island (Buffy/Angel novel)Monster Island is an original novel based on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. The plot revolves around the Scooby Gang and the Angel Investigations team joining forces to defeat General Axtius, the father of Angel's deceased ally Doyle.-Plot summary:Doyle's pureblood...
, an Old One appears to have settled and resigned from influence amongst humanity, living on Questral – the 'Monster Island' of the title – and declines to participate in combat, having forsaken the violent ways of his people, until Wesley encourages him that he must fight now if he does not wish the world to return to what it once was. - In Night of the Living Rerun, the Book of Eibon appears. This book is a key tome in the mythosCthulhu MythosThe Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
of H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, who is credited for the creation of the Old Ones in fiction.