In 1976, a comic creator – Jack Kirby, released the first issue of The Eternals. Eternal is an inhuman race that was created by powerful beings called the Celestials. Each and every Eternal possesses a different kind of superpower but they share some similar traits such as immortality, invulnerability and wisdom. These traits sound familiar right? Like you have heard them many times somewhere. Read their names out loud, rings any bell? That’s right! The Eternals themselves were created based on many gods and mythologies of earth’s ancient civilizations.
Initially, there are 100 Eternals in the comics. But in 2021 Eternal movies, we see only 10. Every character is portrayed by actors from a different ethnicity. This further emphasizes the diversity of our heroes’ inspirations. So which god and mythical heroes do the 10 Eternals represent?
#1 Thena – Athena
Athena – Greek goddess of war, strategy and wisdom
#2 Ajak – Ajax
Ajax – Greek legendary hero, a man of great stature and colossal frame, second to the Greek hero Achilles in strength and bravery
#3 Gilgamesh – Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh – Ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, historical king of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk
#4 Druig – The Druids
The Druids – Celtic group of religious leaders known as the druids. The druids were similar to shamans, believing in the extreme power of the natural world and its bounties
#5 Makkari – Mercury
Mercury – Roman god of communication, financial gain, travelers and, most notably, speed
#6 Phastos – Hephaestus
Hephaetus – Greek god of fire and the forge, a craftsman among his peers
#7 Sprite – The Spriggans
The Spriggans – Tree spirits in Celtic lore, they are nature guardians
#8 Kingo – Kingu
Kingu – Babylonian god and the son of Tiamat, the mother goddess of the earth
#9 Ikaris – Icarus
Icarus – Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the creator of the Labyrinth
#10 Sersi – Circe
Cicre – Witch whom Odysseus, hero of the Trojan war and king of Ithaca, meets in his long voyage home, as told in Homer’s epic The Odyssey
