- “I have no speech. No name. I live in the action of death, the blood cry, the penetrating wound. I am destruction. Absolute... Alone.”
- ―Sineya[src]
Sineya[1] was a prehistoric girl and the first in the line of Slayers.[2]
Biography
Becoming the Slayer
In prehistoric Africa, a young girl named Sineya was taken against her will by three powerful mages — the Shadowmen — to become the ultimate weapon in the fight against the dark forces that plagued the world. They chained her to the floor of a cave and, using powerful magic, imbued her with the heart, soul, and spirit of a demon. Thus the First Slayer was created.[3]
Life and death
Guided by her instincts and armed with her superhuman powers, Sineya hunted and killed vampires and demons. While the villagers she protected were grateful, they feared the Slayer for being part-demon, so they gave her a basket of supplies and asked her to leave.[4] Isolated, Sineya became a recluse, with either little or no contact with her own humanity or humanity at large.[2]
Though Sineya never had a Watcher,[2] at some point, she was given the mʔ weapon by the Guardians, and she used it to slay the last of the Old Ones that walked upon the Earth. Fatefully, that particular slaying took place on the Hellmouth in what would one day be the town of Sunnydale.[5]
After her death, Sineya's powers passed on to another girl. Thus the Slayer line was born.[4]
Encountering Buffy Summers
Thousands of years later, the Scooby Gang used an enjoining spell to invoke Sineya's spirit to defeat the near-invincible Adam.[1] She considered this an offense, as she firmly believed that the Slayer should and must operate alone.[2]
Using what appeared to be an apparition of Tara Maclay to speak for her, Sineya invaded the dreams of the Gang to punish them. While she was successful in attacking Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenberg, and Alexander Harris, Sineya was bested by the current Slayer of that era, Buffy Summers, who realized that it was but a mere dream, and she could stop the fight by waking up. Before she did, however, Buffy mocked her predecessor for her appearance and demeanor, and rejected Sineya's insistence that she worked alone.[2]
It was then that Sineya realized that she was defeated and vanished from the dreams, permitting the four of them to wake up, but not before leaving a cryptic message to Buffy, which foreshadowed the arrival of a sister, Dawn Summers, and her encounter with the banished god Glorificus.[2] As a result of this experience, Buffy became more accepting of her role as the Slayer and began to willingly study her power and history.[6]
Spirit guide
When Buffy later sought advice in a Vision Quest, the Guide took Sineya's form to give Buffy two messages. First: encouraging her to love, telling her that her love would save the world. Second: telling Buffy the key to preventing the destruction of all creation: "Death is your gift."[7]
Wherein Buffy initially believed this was an allusion to her dark heritage,[7] she soon realized that the Guide was being quite literal; Buffy would need to sacrifice her life to save her sister and the world.[8]
Against the First
In 2003, Giles took the Potential Slayers on a trip to the desert to meet the Guide in the form of the First Slayer, apparently to see if she could provide any information on the First Evil.[9]
Buffy encountered her for the third time in a dream a week later. This time, Sineya's message was: "It is not enough."[3] Buffy later learned that it meant her powers were not enough to fight the First Evil and that she had to get more power to win. This revelation ultimately led to Buffy sharing her Slayer powers with her army of Potential Slayers in the final battle against the Turok-Han vampires.[10]
The end of magic
A few months after the end of magic, Sineya used a fairy to communicate with Buffy, telling her that the Scythe was the key to reversing the damage caused by the destruction of the Seed of Wonder and restoring magic to the Earth, but this task was not for Buffy, but Willow.[11]
Sineya next appeared in a vision to the vampire hunter Billy Lane not long after magic returned to the world.[12] As Billy was male and therefore not a Slayer, the Watcher Giles interpreted this as a sign that the rules of magic had changed and that the First Slayer had accepted Billy as an ally.[13]
Powers and abilities
As the First Slayer, Sineya possessed superhuman strength, speed, durability, agility, stamina, reflexes, accelerated healing, and innate combat skills. However, due to her direct connection to the shadow demon, her superhuman powers were vastly superior to the other Vampire Slayers who came after her.[3] She also possessed the ability to astral-project into the dreams and visions of other Slayers, as well as the precognitive ability to foretell impending dangers.[2][3][11]
Invocation spell
Original:
Sha me-en-den.
Gesh-toog me-en-den.
Zee me-en-den.
Oo-khush-ta me-ool-lee-a
ba-ab-tum-mu-de-en.
Translation:
We are heart.
We are mind.
We are spirit.
From the raging storm,
We bring the power of the Primeval One.
Gallery
Behind the scenes
- She was portrayed by Sharon Ferguson.
- In The Slayer's Tarot, Sineya would have represented "The Fool" in its tarot card.
Appearances
Canonical
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4 | |||||||||||
| "The Freshman" Absent |
"Living Conditions" Absent |
"The Harsh Light of Day" Absent |
"Fear, Itself" Absent |
"Beer Bad" Absent |
"Wild at Heart" Absent |
"The Initiative" Absent |
"Pangs" Absent |
"Something Blue" Absent |
"Hush" Absent |
"Doomed" Absent | |
| "A New Man" Absent |
"The I in Team" Absent |
"Goodbye Iowa" Absent |
"This Year's Girl" Absent |
"Who Are You?" Absent |
"Superstar" Absent |
"Where the Wild Things Are" Absent |
"New Moon Rising" Absent |
"The Yoko Factor" Absent |
"Primeval" Mention |
"Restless" Vision | |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 5 | |||||||||||
| "Buffy vs. Dracula" Archive |
"Real Me" Absent |
"The Replacement" Absent |
"Out of My Mind" Absent |
"No Place Like Home" Absent |
"Family" Absent |
"Fool for Love" Absent |
"Shadow" Absent |
"Listening to Fear" Absent |
"Into the Woods" Absent |
"Triangle" Absent | |
| "Checkpoint" Absent |
"Blood Ties" Absent |
"Crush" Absent |
"I Was Made to Love You" Absent |
"The Body" Absent |
"Forever" Absent |
"Intervention" Vision |
"Tough Love" Absent |
"Spiral" Absent |
"The Weight of the World" Archive |
"The Gift" Archive | |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 7 | |||||||||||
| "Lessons" Absent |
"Beneath You" Absent |
"Same Time, Same Place" Absent |
"Help" Absent |
"Selfless" Absent |
"Him" Absent |
"Conversations with Dead People" Absent |
"Sleeper" Absent |
"Never Leave Me" Absent |
"Bring on the Night" Absent |
"Showtime" Absent | |
| "Potential" Absent |
"The Killer in Me" Mention |
"First Date" Absent |
"Get It Done" Vision |
"Storyteller" Absent |
"Lies My Parents Told Me" Absent |
"Dirty Girls" Absent |
"Empty Places" Absent |
"Touched" Absent |
"End of Days" Mention |
"Chosen" Absent | |
| Tales | |||||||||||
| "Prologue" Appears |
"Righteous" Absent |
"The Innocent" Absent |
"Presumption" Absent |
"The Glittering World" Absent |
"Sonnenblume" Absent |
"Nikki Goes Down!" Absent |
"Tales" Flashback | ||||
| Broken Bottle of Djinn Absent |
Tales of the Vampires Absent |
"Father" Absent |
"Spot the Vampire" Absent |
"Dust Bowl" Absent |
"Jack" Absent |
"Stacy" Absent | |||||
| "Some Like It Hot" Absent |
"The Problem with Vampires" Absent |
"Taking Care of Business" Absent |
"Dames" Absent |
"Antique" Absent |
"Numb" Absent |
The Thrill Absent |
"Carpe Noctem" Absent | ||||
| Fray: Future Slayer | |||||||||||
| Big City Girl Absent |
The Calling Absent |
Ready, Steady... Flashback |
Out of the Past Absent |
The Worst of It Absent |
Alarums Absent |
The Gateway Absent |
All Hell Absent | ||||
| Angel: Season 5 | |||||||||||
| "Conviction" Absent |
"Just Rewards" Absent |
"Unleashed" Absent |
"Hell Bound" Absent |
"Life of the Party" Absent |
"The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco" Absent |
"Lineage" Absent |
"Destiny" Absent |
"Harm's Way" Absent |
"Soul Purpose" Absent |
"Damage" Mention | |
| "You're Welcome" Absent |
"Why We Fight" Absent |
"Smile Time" Absent |
"A Hole in the World" Absent |
"Shells" Absent |
"Underneath" Absent |
"Origin" Absent |
"Time Bomb" Absent |
"The Girl in Question" Absent |
"Power Play" Absent |
"Not Fade Away" Absent | |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 | |||||||||||
| "Magical Mystery Tour, Featuring the Beetles" Absent |
Freefall, Part 1 Absent |
Freefall, Part 2 Absent |
Freefall, Part 3 Absent |
Freefall, Part 4 Absent |
Slayer, Interrupted Vision |
On Your Own, Part 1 Absent |
On Your Own, Part 2 Absent |
Apart (of Me), Part 1 Absent |
Apart (of Me), Part 2 Absent |
Apart (of Me), Part 3 Flashback | |
| "In Space No One Can Hear You Slay" Absent |
Guarded, Part 1 Absent |
Guarded, Part 2 Absent |
Guarded, Part 3 Absent |
Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part 1 Absent |
Billy the Vampire Slayer, Part 2 Absent |
Wonderland, Part 1 Absent |
Wonderland, Part 2 Absent |
Wonderland, Part 3 Absent |
Wonderland, Part 4 Absent |
Wonderland, Part 5 Absent | |
| Welcome to the Team, Part 1 Absent |
Welcome to the Team, Part 2 Absent |
Welcome to the Team, Part 3 Absent |
Welcome to the Team, Part 4 Absent |
The Watcher Absent |
The Core, Part 1 Absent |
The Core, Part 2 Absent |
The Core, Part 3 Absent |
The Core, Part 4 Absent |
The Core, Part 5 Absent |
Love vs. Life Vision | |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 | |||||||||||
| New Rules, Part 1 Absent |
New Rules, Part 2 Mention |
New Rules, Part 3 Absent |
New Rules, Part 4 Absent |
New Rules, Part 5 Absent |
I Wish, Part 1 Absent |
I Wish, Part 2 Absent |
Return to Sunnydale, Part 1 Absent |
Return to Sunnydale, Part 2 Absent |
Day Off (or Harmony in My Head) Absent | ||
| Love Dares You, Part 1 Absent |
Love Dares You, Part 2 Absent |
Love Dares You, Part 3 Absent |
Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 1 Absent |
Relationship Status: Complicated, Part 2 Absent |
Old Demons, Part 1 Absent |
Old Demons, Part 2 Absent |
Old Demons, Part 3 Absent |
Freaky Giles Day Absent |
Triggers Absent | ||
| In Pieces on the Ground, Part 1 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 2 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 3 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 4 Absent |
In Pieces on the Ground, Part 5 Absent |
Own It, Part 1 Absent |
Own It, Part 2 Absent |
Own It, Part 3 Absent |
Own It, Part 4 Absent |
Own It, Part 5 Absent | ||
| "Where Are They Now?" Absent | |||||||||||
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 12 | |||||||||||
| One Year Later Absent |
Future Shock Absent |
The Reckoning Mention |
Finale Vision | ||||||||
Other
- Lost & Found (Only in flashbacks)
- Note from the Underground, Part Three (Only in visions)
- "The Ghosts of Slayers Past" (Only in visions)
- Chosen: The One (Only in visions)
- Queen of the Slayers
- Slayer (Only mentioned)
References
|