SARABAND SARABAND
Real Name: Saraband
Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Myth-Realm) magic-user
Occupation: Sorcerer
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Hulk (Bruce Banner), Morgaina, Nimbli, unidentified centaurs;
multiple unidentified pet cats
Enemies: Darkshorn and his demons, dinosaur-like creatures, dragon, griffins, harpies, minotaurs, ogres, trolls, yeti-like creature(s)and more.
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Myth-Realm;
last seen to be active around his floating castle;
formerly Saraband's high tower
(at the very heart of Myth-Realm)
First Appearance: HULK#21 (June, 1980)
Powers/Abilities: Saraband had a number of
magical abilities, including creation of an entire castle (and ship),
transporting beings across space and dimensions via magical mirrors, creation of a statue
to mimic/monitor another being, creation of potions to allow physical
transformations, creation of powders to allow others to utilize his
magic mirrors.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'9"...he looked pretty close to Banner in height)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 180 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: White (including mustache and full beard)
History:
(HULK#21 (fb) - BTS) - Per Saraband, "For ages, we, in the Myth-Realm, have borrowed your lore and
legends through means magical...and created a living, breathing world
around them in the forms of fever-dreams, illusions, and so on. "
(HULK#21) - Per Saraband, "the
Myth-Realm is precisely what it claims to be -- a parallel reality in
which the events and setting of legends and myths are literally in
force."
(HULK#21 (fb)) - The evil
sorcerer Darkshorn seized Saraband's high tower.
(HULK#21 (fb)) - Caught
unaware, Saraband was forced to flee; riding atop a pair of flying (but
not-winged) centaurs, Saraband fled with Nimbli, but he was forced to
leave Morgaina behind.
Darkshorn put Morgaina in a sleep spell of death, which was to be completed in seven days.
(HULK#21 (fb) - BTS) - Thereafter, Darkshorn seized the surrounding lands, binding them in a spell of darkness. The taint spread outward from the high tower, and with each passing moment, more and more of the realm was engulfed by the widening evil.
(HULK#21 (fb) - BTS) - Darkshorn's spell prevented men from entering the high tower, allowing only Darkshorn and his monsters to safely walk its halls and grounds.
(HULK#21 (fb) - BTS) - As Morgaina was the guardian of Myth-Realm's very essence; without her, Myth-Realm could not exist.
(HULK#21 (fb)) - Fleeing to a distant sea, Saraband constructed a large ship with a castle on top from which to direct the final struggle for Morgaina's life; as the abode was mobile, he could flee the spread of evil if it reached that far.
Via a hollow glass statue of
Morgaina and smoke rising to fill its form, Saraband followed the
progress of the sleep spell.
(HULK#21 (fb) - BTS) - Saraband gave Nimbli the necessary magic dust to the mirror gateway farthest from the high tower to secure the aid of a hero. However, Nimbli barely had time to do so before the encroaching pall consumed even that gateway, leaving it in the dark/haunted wood, and a fire-breathing dragon menaced Nimbli.
(HULK#21 - BTS) - While under the
influence of a hypnotherapist, Bruce Banner emerged through the mirror
into Myth-Realm.
(HULK#21 - BTS) - Nimbli
urged Banner to hurry with him back to Saraband or risk being slain. As
a number of demon-creatures descended on
them, Nimbli led Banner to the centaurs who carried them back to Saraband's floating castle.
(HULK#21) - Saraband asked Nimbli why he hadn't taken the
mirror back, and Nimbli explained that they had had to flee the demons. 
Saraband then told Banner of the
Myth-Realm's nature and origins, assuring Banner he was not dreaming,
and that he had been brought there to save Myth-Realm for destruction.
He continued that if Myth-Realm fell, Earth would lose a precious
repository of fantasy and magic, and it would be all the poorer for
their loss.
Still unsure whether this was real or not, Banner resolved to play along, and Saraband told him of Darkshorn and his spreading darkness spell; he clarified that the mirror and the pathway back to Earth were inaccessible until Banner could defeat Darkshorn and set the Myth-Realm free. Additionally, Saraband explained that as only a monster could enter and survive the dark tower, and that only a man could rescue Morgaina, they needed a man who was both man and monster. He also told Banner that in Myth-Realm, any man could be a hero if his heart was right, and he could slay dragons without fear or anxiety, which is why Banner didn't turn into the Hulk during the previous conflicts.
Saraband then related his plan: Nimbli was in possession of a potion that would permit him to change into the Hulk at the proper moment. Accompanied by Nimbli, Banner would rescue Morgaina. As it was already the 7th day of the sleep spell, Saraband urged haste, as Morgaina's death and thus the destruction of Myth-Realm was imminent.
Although Banner was uncertain, Saraband threatened him to undertake the quest or he would strike
Banner down himself, but Nimbli then tackled Banner through the mirror,
forcing his compliance.
(HULK#21 - BTS) - Nimbli gave
Banner the potion, and Banner became the Hulk, fought past Darkshorn's
agents, and revived Morgaina.
(HULK#21) - Saraband noted as the smoke in the statue stopped rising; however, it did not abate.
(HULK#21 - BTS) - After
Darkshorn ruled that Morgaina would die if she left the high tower,
Morgaina halted time to allow her and Banner to remain there forever.
Wishing vengeance on Saraband,
Darkshorn offered that if the Hulk surrendered his life to him,
Morgaina could go free, but Morgaina warned that Darkshorn could not be
trusted, and he would slay her anyway.
Considering that Morgaina could
not leave the tower, the Hulk tore the tower free from the castle and
carried it to the seaside town beyond the spread of evil where
Saraband's ship resided.
(HULK#21) - Outside the region of darkness, Morgaina was
able to exit the tower, and she was reunited with Saraband seconds
before Darkshorn arrived atop the spreading dark clouds, announcing
that he was willing to risk his own life to achieve victory by
defeating the man-monster who had humiliated him.
Exclaiming his own power,
Darkshorn grew to to perhaps 75-100' tall and unleashed sorcerous
withering death-energies at the Hulk. However, the Hulk shrugged off
these assaults, and he assaulted Darkshorn, who vanished in a burst of light.
The dark clouds then faded away, replaced by sunlight and singing birds, and the Hulk was hailed as Myth-Realm's savior. Morgaina kissed the Hulk, who then reverted back to Banner and considered that maybe he could stay there forever...
At which point he he then faded away, falling through darkness and awakened on the couch of his
hypno-therapist.
Comments: Created by Doug Moench and Bob McLeod.
The whole journey to Myth-Realm was apparently part of a trance by Banner's hypno-therapist who wanted him to confront the source of his anxiety, which he did, accepting that the Hulk was an aspect of him and was not evil. However, the final panel shows the hypno-therapist to be identical or Morgaina, and she is described as a "mistress of Hypnos." It leaves the question of whether it was truly all imagination or not...and, of course, in the Marvel Multiverse, even dreams are real in the Dream dimension, etc. So, Myth-Realm exists on some level, hence this profile...
It seems likely that following Darkshorn's defeat and the liberation of Myth-Realm from that dark spell that Saraband would have re-established his castle/base instead of continuing to use the castle on the ship, but that's obviously unconfirmed.
In the image of Saraband conjuring
a demon or whatever, that looks like Darkshorn looking in the
window...I don't know what that's all about.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Saraband should be distinguished from:
 | Saraband had at least five cats in his floating castle. Other than some of the cats being different colors than cats on Earth, they seemed to be pretty much conventional cats. They may or may not have been present in his high tower; while Saraband could not rescue Morgaina, Darkshorn may not have placed any wards preventing the retrieval of the cats. (HULK#21) - After Nimbli brought Banner back to Saraband's floating castle, the cats watched from a distance initially. Once Nimbli reached down and petted an orange/red tabby, the other cats came rushing up to him. Soon after, the cats were piling all over Nimbli, who soon began physically fighting them off. When Saraband became forceful with a reluctant Banner, Nimbli tackled Banner through the magic mirror, forcing his compliance, partially to spare Banner from Saraband's wrath, and partially because the cats were driving him crazy. --HULK#21 | * |
 -- |
(HULK#21 (fb)) - Fleeing to a distant sea, Saraband constructed a large ship with a castle on top from which to direct the final struggle for Morgaina's life; as the abode was mobile, he could flee the spread of evil if it reached that far.
(HULK#21 - BTS) - Nimbli urged Banner to hurry with him back to Saraband or risk being slain. As a number of demon-creatures descended on them, Nimbli led Banner to the centaurs who carried them back to Saraband's floating castle. (HULK#21) - While Saraband told Banner of Myth-Realm's plight, Saraband's cats tormented Nimbli. Although Banner was uncertain, Saraband threatened him to undertake the quest or he would strike Banner down himself, but Nimbli then tackled Banner through the mirror, forcing his compliance. (HULK#21 - BTS) - Ultimately, the Hulk tore the tower free from the castle
and
carried it to the seaside town beyond the spread of evil where
Saraband's ship resided. (HULK#21) - Darkshorn arrived soon after, grew to giant-size and challenged the Hulk. (HULK#21 - BTS) - The Hulk destroyed Darkshorn, after which Banner vanished, returning to Earth.--HULK#21 |  |
| (HULK#21 (fb) - BTS) - Saraband dwelled within his high tower
(at the very heart of Myth-Realm) along with his ward, Morgaina (the guardian of Myth-Realm's very essence, and all of
legend and heroism drew upon the inspiration of her beauty and
innocence), and his assistant/associate Nimbli.
(HULK#21 (fb)) - The evil
sorcerer Darkshorn seized Saraband's high tower. (HULK#21 (fb)) - Caught
unaware, Saraband was forced to flee; riding atop a pair of flying (but
not-winged) centaurs, Saraband fled with Nimbli, but he was forced to
leave Morgaina behind. (HULK#21 - BTS) - Saraband had Nimbli summon Bruce Banner for aid, and the two of them forced Banner to undertake the quest to rescue Morgaina. (HULK#21) - As Banner and Nimbli reached the high tower, one of Darkshorn's demons grabbed Nimbli and began flying away, but Nimbli hurled the vial containing the potion to Banner that allowed him to transform into the Hulk. The Hulk leapt and punched out the demon, recovering Nimbli and then continuing on to the tower. The Hulk swiftly subdued the monsters there (a dinosaur-creature, a minotaur, a yeti-like creature, and another demon), after which Darkshorn arrived in a griffin-drawn carriage, irate that Saraband had sent a man-monster against him. Vowing to win nonetheless, Darkshorn resolved that even if the man-monster freed Morgaina from her spell of sleep, they would both remain trapped in the tower for all time. The Hulk tore off the dark
material covering Morgaina and touched her cheek, reviving her.
Darkshorn
warned that though Morgaina had regained control of the high tower, if she left it, she would die instantly. Proclaiming her gratitude, Morgaina suspended time in her hourglass, and for "a time called forever" she and the Hulk ("two mismatched lovers") shared everything good: feasts, music, art, and love. Eventually, however, the Hulk decided that she could not love him, despite her insistence (although she did admit she loved his essence but not his rough form), and he shattered the hourglass, breaking the spell and allowing time to move forward anew. Wishing vengeance on Saraband,
Darkshorn offered that if the Hulk surrendered his life to him,
Morgaina could go free, but Morgaina warned that Darkshorn could not be
trusted, and he would slay her anyway. --HULK#21 |  |
 |
The mirrors were magical portals that facilitated transport within
Myth-Realm, as well as between Myth-Realm and other dimensions (such as
Earth). Additonally, Saraband and others can use the mirrors to show
images of events that have previously occurred or are occurring
elsewhere. (HULK#21 (fb)) - Saraband sent Nimbli to the mirror gateway farthest from the high tower to
secure the aid of a hero. However, he barely had time to do so before
the encroaching pall consumed even that gateway, leaving it in the
dark/haunted wood, and a fire-breathing dragon menaced Nimbli. (HULK#21) - While under the
influence of a hypnotherapist, Bruce Banner emerged through the mirror
into Myth-Realm where he observed Nimbli under attack from the dragon. (HULK#21 (fb) - BTS) - The mirror was consumed by evil. (HULK#21) - Via his mirrors, Saraband told Banner of the Myth-Realm's nature and origins, (HULK#21) - When Banner waffled at opposing Darkshorn, Nimbli then tackled Banner through the mirror, forcing his compliance. Armed with a sword, Banner fought his way through trolls, harpies, ogres, dragons, and more en route to the high tower in which Morgaina was held.--HULK#21 |  |
 |
(HULK#21 (fb)) - Fleeing to a distant sea, Saraband constructed a large ship with a castle on top from which to direct the final struggle for Morgaina's life; as the abode was mobile, he could flee the spread of evil if it reached that far. Via a hollow glass statue of Morgaina and smoke rising to fill its form, Saraband followed the progress of the sleep spell.(HULK#21) - Saraband noted as the smoke in the statue stopped rising; however, it did not abate. --HULK#21 Note: The statue wasn't shown after Morgaina halted time, but presumably it eventually indicated Darkshorn's defeat. |  |
HULK#21, pg. 8, panel 1 (floating castle);
pg. 9, panel 1 (face);
pg. 10, panel 2 (conjuring demon);
pg. 12, panel 4 (full, distant, with cats);
pg. 14, panel 2 (high tower, fleeing on centaurs);
panel 4 (creating floating castle);
panel 5 (Morgaina glass statue);
pg. 15, panel 3 (full lateral, with mirror and full Morgaina statue);
panel 4-5 (passing through mirror)
Appearances:
HULK#21 (June, 1980) - Doug
Moench (writer), Bob McLeod (penciler/inker/colorer/letterer), Roger
Stern (consulting editor), Ralph Macchio (associate editor), Lynn
Graeme (editor)
First posted: 01/03/2021
Last updated: 01/03/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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