Animah (Character)

Animah is one of the main characters of the Incal saga and John DiFool's main love interest in The Incal. She lived in the Interior Sun, in the vast world of the Center of the Planet, and was the Guardian of the White Incal, while her sister, Tanatah, was the Guardian of the Black Incal. As a Guardian of the Incal she saved the universe by engendering Solune, the perfect androgyne, and aided John DiFool in his quest to stop the Darkness, falling in love with him.

She made her first appearance in the first issue of The Incal, The Black Incal, disguised as "Nimbea S.Quinq", although her proper introduction was in the second issue of The Incal, The Luminous Incal.

Early life
Animah was fathered by the Arhats (which in turn were created by Orh). She lived far below the Acid Lake, in the vast world of the Center of the Planet, beyond the Great Glass Caverns and Pyramid Island, in the heart of the Interior Sun, guarding the Incal with her sister, Tanatah.

Birth of Solune
At one point the Incal, sensing that the universe would be soon in danger urged Animah to ascend to the surface of the planet, to City Shaft to engender the mutant savior and perfect androgyne Solune with John DiFool, since he was the onlu human whose genetic code matched with her, Her sister had to stay behind to guard the temple, which angered her.

Tanatah tried to stop Animah from leaving, hitting one of the crystals in the Forest of Crystals so that both would fall sleep, but the Arhats eventually woke up the two sisters.

Following the Incal's orders, Animah ascended to City Shaft riding her psychorat Raphaela, and, posing as homeo-whore, had sex with John. Nine month later she gave birth to Solune, which she gave to the Metabaron, so the he could give protection and mentor him. Upon returning to the Center of the Planet she learned that Tanatah had stolen the Black Incal in a fit of rage. Animah wanted to go after her, but the White Incal explained that it was actually all part of his plan, and that she would have to wait ten years to reenter the outside world.

Retrieving the Black Incal
As the Incal had planned, ten years later Animah had to reeenter the surface world. But first, as part of the Incal's supreme design, Animah had to pretend to pass out, so that the Bergs could steal the White Incal, which would eventually end in John's hands. Afterwards, she broke into a luxurious conapt, stealing two holomask generators (one was the virtual body of an old lady and the other virtual body was one of a beatiful aristo), she assumed the identity of Nimbea S. Quinq, and hired John DiFool, putting into motion the events that begin the Incal.

Later, Amimah went to the Technocity to retrieve the Black Incal from John, which was now also in his posession after stealing it from the Techno-technos.

Reuniting the two Incals
Eventually John, Deepo, Tanatah, the Metabaron and Solune set aside their differences and decided to work together to reunite the Incals. They managed to get to the Center of the Planet, where Animah saved them from the psychorats and helped to cure Tanatah's vertebra, which had been injured during the descend. Escaping form the Necrodroid, who's also after the Incal, Animah guided the rest of the crew to the Interior Sun. At the door of the Interior Sun, each of the characters made peace with each other in order to open the door. Animah made peaces with Solune, his son, by acknowledging him as his son.

After going through the Forest of Singing Crystals, they reached the Doorway of Transfiguration, where Animah revealed that John was the biological father of Solune. When the Incals were reunited Solune became the consciousness of a starship that had the abilities of the Incal and was shaped in the form of the two merged pyramids.

Developing a relationship with John
After The Seven unsuccessfully attempted to destroy a Shadow Egg with the Incal Ship, they headed to Aquaend, where they met with the Emperoress and decided to launch a war campaign against the Technogea with the help of the Bergs. In order to get the help from the Bergs John participated and won the Five Thousand Year Nuptial Games. In order to seal the deal and help the Emperoress' army Barbarah, Organgan's Protoqueen, demanded to have sex with John. Since John found the Protoqueen's natural state to be unattractive she took the appearance of Animah and had sex him. Animah felt worried that the Proteoqueen was trying to trick John,

After John reunited with the rest of the group he embraced and kissed Animah enthusiastically, which made the Protoqueen grow jealous, disintegrating John on the spot (although he was later resucitated). With the help from the bergs The Seven managed to neutralize the Shadow Eggand disband the Technos, but the Emperoress was infected by the tenebrae virus.

Final fight agaisnt the Darkness
To destroy the Darkness once and for all, The Seven decided to destroy the Techno-centreur, a being that was totally devoted to the Darkness, and which was hidden in the War Star. John was afraid to attack the War Star and wanted to run away with Animah to planet far away, but she convinced him to stay, explaining that they would be safe with the power of the Incal.

While attacking the War Star John got almost consumed by the Darkness, worrying Animah, but he was saved at the last minute. Left unconsciouss, Animah cured John's injuries. The Seven managed to destroy the main processor of the War Star, and Solune won the battle against the Techno-centeur but in the process the barrier of the Light was broken. After the darkened Emperoress was also defeated, Solune was named the new Emperoress. Solune claimed that humanity had to enter a state of deep slumber called the Theta Dream to avoid falling under the influence of the Darkness. Animah convinced John to go to back to the Berg Galaxy, since it was the only galaxy who hadn't enter the Theta Dream, and he promised her they would find a quiet planet after all of this was over where they could leave together. In the Berg Galaxy, where DiFool discovers he has fathered thousands of clones of him, the Protoqueen still used Animah's appearance to communicate with DiFool.

The Seven went back to the Portal of Transfiguration, so that the united Incal could prepare to absorb the Theta Dream energy generated by the entire human race in the two galaxies. The Seven entered the Theta dream itself, and they were transported to null-time and null-space to confront the Darkness.

In the first circle of the Theta Dream, The Seven started hallucinating nightmares concocted by the Darkness to feed on their inner terror (Animah's nightmare involved turning into a blob of pus), but they eventually realized that the nightmares were only a part of themselves that they were afraid to face. In the second circle The Darkness attacked the Incal itself, so the Incal demanded the energy of all Seven Companions to survive. They all gave their energies, with the exception of John, who felt distestressed when he saw his friends and especially Animah, be carbonized before his eyes.

Symbolism
According to Jodorowsky "Animah is DiFool's mother", she's her reincarnation, hence the physical similarity. In Before the Incal, at one point John's mother says to his son: "I was your mother, but also your sister, your friend, your lover, and your daughter… in my next incarnation I hope to be your guide".

Moebius related Animah to the Virgin Mary: "O virgin mother, daughter of thy Son" as Dante wrote. The Virgin Mary imagery can be clearly seen in the short story In the Heart of the Impregnable Metabunker.

Etymology
Animah is an allusion to anima. According to Carl Jung's theory of the collective unconscious, the anima makes up the totality of the unconscious feminine psychological qualities that a man possesses.

Behind the scenes
Moebius considered different names for the character: Hetna the Beautiful, Any Mamundi (as in Anima Mundi), and the aura female (a word play between aura and aux rats).