Comments: Created by David Sexton.SHAMHAT SARASWATI
Real Name: Shamhat Saraswati
Identity/Class: Elderspawn magic-user;
Pre-Cataclysmic, Hyborian, post-Hyborian/BC
era
Occupation: Sorcerer;
former Sorcerer Supreme
Group Membership: Sorcerers Supreme, Bird-Men of Akah Ma'at, Seraphim
Affiliations: Alhambra, Gaea, the Vishanti (Hoggoth, Oshtur, Agamotto), unidentified King of the Bird-Men of Akah Ma’at (Alhambra’s
father);
possibly the Daevas (Hindu gods; see comments);
as she was affiliated with Alhambra , it is quite possible, but
unconfirmed, that she may have also known Conan--Snood
Enemies: The Asura, Chthon, Dragon of the Moon, Dweller-in-Darkness, Man-Bats of Ur-Xanarrh, N'Garai, Serpent Men, Set, Shuma-Gorath,
Sligguth, Slorioth, Trinity of Ashes, Varuna, Wolf-Men (see comments)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: See comments
Base of Operations: Planes of Sephiroth (see comments);
formerly the floating cloud city Akah Ma'at
First Appearance: Marvel Tarot#1 (June, 2007)
Powers/Abilities: Shamhat Saraswati was one of the most powerful magic users of her era. She could access the astral plane and other dimensions, transport others across dimensional barriers, project magical bolts, and magically extend her lifespan by over 20, 000 years. She could call on power from entities such as Oshtur and Agamotto (see comments).
She possessed and could utilize the Book of the Vishanti and the three Eyes of Agamotto.
The full range of her abilities
remains unrevealed.
Height: 6’0 (see comments)
Weight: 111 lbs (see comments)
Eyes: Golden (see comments)
Hair: Black (see comments)
History: (Marvel Tarot/Marvel
Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Various Monstrosities (fb) - BTS) -
In prehistoric times (see comments), Oshtur created the Bird-Men of Akah Ma'at (aka the Winged Lords) to fight the
creations of Chthon and Set, most notably Chthon's Wolf Men and Set's Serpent Men.
(Marvel Tarot (fb) - BTS) <18,000 BC - see comments> - Agamotto prepared Zhered-Na to be his successor, but she was slain as the Great Cataclysm occurred. Agamotto was so upset that he abandoned humanity for 500 years.
(Marvel Tarot (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z
(hardcover) Vol. 7: Appendix: Magic (from the journals of Ian
McNee) (fb) - BTS) - Returning to Earth, Agamotto spent more time with Oshtur's new "offspring" - the Bird Men of Akah Ma'at.
(Marvel Tarot (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook
of the Marvel Universe A to Z (hardcover) Vol. 7: Appendix: Magic (from the
journals of Ian McNee) (fb) - BTS) - <Circa 15,000 BC> - Agamotto chose
Shamhat Saraswati of Akah Ma'at to succeed him as the next mystic protector of
Earth. He gave her the Book of the Vishanti and the three Eyes of Agamotto, and
she was the first to officially hold the title of "Sorcerer Supreme"
circa 15,000 BC.
<more detail on the Sorcerer Supremes here>
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (hardcover) Vol. 7: Appendix: Magic (from the journals of Ian McNee) (fb) - BTS) - Agamotto was the paradigm toward which all future Sorcerer Supremes would aspire.
(Marvel Tarot (fb) - BTS) - Saraswati became a great priestess of Oshtur.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (hardcover) Vol. 7: Appendix: Magic (from the journals of Ian McNee) (fb) - BTS) - Shamhat served as 15,000 to 10,000 BC (see comments) Guided by Saraswati and her sponsors Oshtur and Agamotto, the Bird-Men evolved into powerful sorcerers and became near god-like beings.
(Marvel Tarot (fb) - BTS) - Influenced by Chthon, Varuna became suspicious of the "lower races," including humanity. In time, Varuna put himself above the "lower races" as judge and executioner. The stars became his thousand-eyed spies, watching every movement of Man. He swayed many of his brethren to his cause, and thesect of the Winged Lords to become the Asura.
The Winged Lords who did not follow Varuna were led by Saraswati, a great priestess of Oshtur; filled with shame over the Asura, they vowed to shield those the Asura would harm, and they came to be known as the Seraphim.
(Marvel Tarot (fb) - BTS/Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (hardcover) Vol. 7: Appendix: Magic (from the journals of Ian McNee) (fb) - BTS) <circa 10,000 BC> - Further manipulated by Chthon, the ideological dispute within Akah Ma'at that (with some help from Chthon) grew into a civil war. The two factions, Saraswati's Seraphim and Varuna's Asura, grew so destructive that Oshtur banished the entire race from the Earthly plane to the Plane of Sephiroth (see comments), and an again frustrated Agamotto withdrew into his Orb.
Saraswati’s fate after
the banishment is unrevealed (see comments).
Comments: Created by David Sexton.
We also don't know exactly when Oshtur created of the Bird Men of Akah
Ma'at...after the creation of the N'Garai, Serpent Men, and Wolf Men
apparently. It would seem that they may have been created sometime
between 17,500 and 15,000 BC, as they were listed as Oshtur's "new
creations" with whom Agamotto spent time after his returning to Earth
following his self-exile of 500 years following the Great Cataclysm of
18,000 BC.
--Snood
The Marvel Tarot listed Shamhat Saraswati as having been Sorcerer Supreme from 15,000 to 11,000. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z
(hardcover) Vol. 7 (2009): Appendix: Magic (from the journals
of Ian
McNee) lists the succession of Sorcerer Supremes in much greater
detail, and notes that she was active until 10,000 BC, at which point
the Bird Men of Akah Ma'at were banished from Earth. It makes sense
that the Tarot was McNee's preliminary investigations, while his
journal detailed the final information, which also matched the info in
the Book of the Vishanti.
Since Shamhat was appparently banished
from Earth with all of the Bird-Men of Akah Ma'at by Oshtur, and the
Bird Men were around circa 10,000 BC when Conan encountered them, they
would have to have been banished after that, so the 10,000 BC date makes the most sense.
--Snood
The Serpent Men and Wolf-Men, as well as their parents/ancestors, Set
and Chthon, were natural enemies of the Bird-Men/Winged Lords, and the
Man-Bats specifically fought the Bird-Men in comics. Shamhat directly
led the opposition against Varuna and the Asura.
David also includes amongst the enemies Shamhat Saraswati would have
faced (or assisted in opposing) as Sorcerer Supreme the Dragon of the
Moon, Dweller-in-Darkness, the N'Garai (also the spawn of Chthon),
Shuma-Gorath, Sligguth, Slorioth, and the Trinity of ashes.
--Snood
There are no comic images of Shamhat Sephorith.
The physical description information was provided by the character's
creator, David Sexton. Similarly, we don't know what her exact
abilities were, but those listed in the powers section are consistent
with those expected for Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. The time frame
specified for the extension of her lifespan presumably indicates she
was intended to survive into the modern day.
--Snood
The image to the right is the Hindu Bird Godess Sarasvatī (referred to by some as the Hindu goddess
of knowledge, music,
arts, wisdom and learning), who was the original inspiration for the
name of Shamhat Saraswati. Thought not discussed in the profile, David
speculates that Shamhat Saraswati is connected to Sarasvatī,
and that early humanity's encounters with the Akah Ma'at Saraswati
may have inspired the legends of the Hindu goddess.
According to the myth information on the Appendix, Sarasvati was the
second wife of Brahma and the mother of Vach and Adarma via Brahma.
Other sources list Sarasvati as the daughter or granddaughter of
Brahma. I would speculate that there is indeed a Sarasvati associated
with the Hindu gods, and that perhaps Saraswati was her namesake or
inspiration...or perhaps Sarasvati is an incarnation or descendent of
Shamhat Saraswati.
--Snood
The image was found on the internet...if anyone can provide reference for the original source of this image, please let us know so we can add it to this profile.
I believe the initial Tarot references to the Great Cataclysm provided
a 16,000 BC date. That might come from old, erroneous references on the
Appendix way back when I first got started around 2001, before I
appreciated the error(s) and corrected them as I found them many moons
ago. Corrections were discussed during the review process, but the book
was running late and they never happened. The references were corrected
in future publications, such as the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z
(hardcover) Vol. 7 (2009): Appendix: Magic (from the journals
of Ian
McNee)
--Snood
Also of interest is the realm Sephiroth, home to the Seraphim; Ian
McNee's investigation detailed this realm's position in relation to
similar realms.
The text discovered by Ian
McNee, as well as the Book of the Vishanti section on the Sorcerer
Supremes spelled the realm this way, while the image to the right
obviously spells it Sephorith.
--Snood
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Shamhat Saraswati should be distinguished from:
images: (without ads)
Sarasvati image - unknown to us (see comments)
Sephiroth and associated realms - Marvel Tarot - image design by David Sexton
Appearances:
Marvel
Tarot (2007) - David Sexton (writer/designer), Doug Sexton (technical
consultant), Jeff Christiansen (continuity consultant), Michael Short
& Cory Levine (assistant editors), Mark D. Beazley & Jennifer
Grunwald (associate editors), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (hardcover) Vol. 7 (2009):
Appendix: Magic (from the journals of Ian McNee) - David Sexton
(writer), Jeff Christiansen (head writer/coordinator), Madison Carter,
Mike Fichera & Stuart Vandal (coordination assistants), Jeff
Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editors)
Last updated: 
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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