EBORA

Real Name: Presumably Ebora Identity/Class: Human magic-user;     possibly 17th century through present (see comments) Occupation: Priestess of Sligguth and N'Gabthoth; Group Membership: Priestess of the serpentine people of Starkesboro / "Troglodytes of Starksboro" / Spawn of Sligguth; Affiliations: N'Gabthoth, Set, Shuma-Gorath, Sligguth, serpentine people of Starkesboro / "Troglodytes of Starksboro" / Spawn of Sligguth);     unspecified/unidentified "sea-things and ghouls" Enemies: Ancient One (Yao), Clea, Dr. Stephen Strange, Johnny Frames, Wong Known Relatives: None, although almost all people in Starkesboro were descended from the group who originally emigrated there, meaning Ebora likely shared common ancestry with many of them) Aliases: Dark Servant of the Great One -- Sligguth, Dark Priestess, Dark Priestess of Dread Shuma-Gorath Base of Operations: Starkesboro, Massachusetts First Appearance: Marvel Premiere#5 (November, 1972)

(Marvel Premiere#5) - In recent years, Strange struggled futilely against his chains (having been overcome by the town's dark aura and chained to the altar), one of the townspeople then announced the arrival of the Great One (Sligguth) and his priestess, Ebora. 

    Confirming that Strange was glancing upon the Dark Servant of the Great One, and she noted that only Strange might prevent that which was to come, the rising up from slumber of the dread Shuma-Gorath to take over the world, and so he must die. As she offered Strange to Sligguth, Strange stalled for time, asking what was Sligguth and who was Shuma-Gorath, and Ebora -- considering that Strange would soon be rent by great Sligguth himself -- saw no harm in telling him.

    After she told Strange of Shuma-Gorath's history in ruling Earth in the distant past before taking rest deep within Earth and noting how he would arise soon, Strange asked why the people of Starkesboro were no longer human. She then discussed how the people had fallen under Sligguth's influence and been transformed by his power, and how a dark priestess had been chosen to do his will.

    Aided by his Cloak of Levitation, Dr. Strange then broke free from his chains and physically engaged Sligguth. At Ebora's urging, Sligguth unleashed the "curses of the fiends of the Fungol Thopa," a foul fungus that formed on Strange's flesh and drained the life from his pores. 

    Via multiple spells invoking various mystic principalities (the Ancient One apparently sent remote aid, allowing Strange to access mystic energies despite Starkesboro's draining aura), Strange drove off Sligguth, causing him to flee back into the tunnel from which he had emerged. 

    Ebora then urged the "Spawn of Sligguth" to assault Strange (who was weakened from his struggle with Sligguth) and they swarmed over and battered him. Calling on the Vapors of Valtorr, Strange pained and drove off his attackers; when they informed Ebora that they could not overwhelm the mage, Ebora realized that she must find a better way to do away with him...and she considered that she thought that she knew what it was.
    Meanwhile, Strange headed down the tunnel in pursuit of Sligguth. 

(Marvel Premiere#5 - BTS) - After Strange reached Sligguth's lair, the demon nearly overwhelmed him until Strange called on the Vishanti, who suspended the town's evil aura, allowing Strange to fight back and gain the upper hand.

(Marvel Premiere#5) - Sensing this, Ebora called upon sea-things and ghouls to cause the seas to shatter the stone into Sligguth's lair. While Sligguth escaped into the waters, Strange was caught in a closing crevasse, after which Ebora confronted him with her trident.

(Marvel Premiere#6) - With his legs trapped, Strange had his Cloak of Levitation grab and pull the trident from Ebora's grasp. Disarmed, Ebora nonetheless mockingly advised Strange that he would perish beneath the rising waters, and she fled with just enough time to escape them herself.

(Marvel Premiere#6 - BTS) - Strange used Ebora's trident to gain the leverage to free himself from the crevasse and escape the cavern. Strange was subsequently assaulted by Sligguth, whom he seemingly slew, after which N'Gabthoth, the Shambler from the Sea, awakened and headed to the surface.

    Meanwhile, as Clea and Wong arrived in Starkesboro by car, they encountered Johnny Frames, who told them of how his fiancee was in the townspeople's power. They were then confronted by a crowd of townspeople who overwhelmed and captured the trio; Clea, too, was weakened by the town's aura. 

(Marvel Premiere#6) - Led by Ebora, the townspeople brought their captives up the sacred cliff to N'Gabthoth's roost and then manacled them to the altar. Ebora then called to N'Gabthoth, and as he emerged from the sea, she instructed the people ("you worshippers of the primal gods") to kneel and bow down to the dread shambler. 

(Marvel Premiere#6 - BTS) - Though entrapped by other foes, the Ancient One sensed the danger to Dr. Strange and sent his astral self to aid his student. 

(Marvel Premiere#6) - Hearing the chanting atop the seaside cliff, Strange flew there and saw his allies chained to the altar. As Strange blasted N'Gabthoth, Ebora wondered aloud if nothing could stop that devil.

    The weakened Strange was overpowered by N'Gabthoth, but he did manage to shatter the chains and free the captives, causing Ebora to invoke the "Dread Dreams of Shuma-Gorath!" She then ordered the people who served the shambler to attack and recapture the escaped Wong, Clea, and Johnny Frames, but the trio fought back fiercely against the serpentine people. She then urged N'Gabthoth to rip and rend Dr. Strange.

(Marvel Premiere#6 - BTS) - The Ancient One's astral self then merged with Strange, shielding him from the town's aura and allowing Strange to turn N'Gabthoth's magic against him, driving him off.

    N'Gabthoth rushed to the desecrated church and recovered an "eon-old chest," but Strange confronted N'Gabthoth and turned his magics against him, apparently destroying the Shambler. The Ancient One's astral self departed to return to his imprisoned body in Kaa-U the Accursed.

(Marvel Premiere#6 (fb) - BTS) - At some point after Strange's first driving off N'Gabthoth, and perhaps not until after Strange's apparently killing N'Gabthoth, the people of Starkesboro (including Deborah) fled back into the dark hills.

(Marvel Premiere#6) - With N'Gabthoth's death, Starkesboro's evil aura lessened, and Strange swiftly regained his strength. 

Comments: Created by Gardner F. Fox, Irv Wesley, and Don Perlin.

    It seemed odd to me that Ebora had no lamentation for the seeming death of Sligguth and instead immediately shifted her worship/praise to N'Gabthoth, but maybe this was all part of Shuma-Gorath's plot from the start. Who understands those Great Old Ones, anyway?

    I don't think we saw Ebora after the Ancient One's astral self merged with Dr. Strange and certainly not after N'Gabthoth's apparent death. I would imagine she fled with the serpentine people into the dark hills outside Starkesboro.

    Although the image to the right is the best full body image of Ebora, it also features her being at home underwater, as if she could breathe underwater, which wasn't the case. So I relegated it to the comments.

Donald Campbell:

• I never interpreted that bit in Marvel Premiere#5 about how Sligguth selected a dark priestess to do his will and, in return, she alone remained human as meaning that Ebora herself was that long-ago priestess. Instead, I thought that it meant that Sligguth chose a series of dark priestesses and that they were the only members of their generations to remain human. In this scenario, Ebora was just the most recent dark priestess and not the original "she" who alone remained human.
• It just seems to me that, if Ebora had been the one-and-only dark priestess, then she wouldn't have been able to resist bragging to the captive Doctor Strange about how long she had been faithfully serving her god.
• I could, of course, be totally wrong.

Snood:

• But if all of the others were serpentine, than their descendants would have been, too, and there wouldn't be anyone to reproduce with to have other human priestesses.
• I agree that it is not clearly stated whether Ebora was the first or only the latest priestess, but I'd think she was the one.

Donald:

• I may be misremembering the story, but didn't most Starkesboro folk start out looking mostly human and then develop the "Starkesboro look" as they aged?
• After all, both Bethel Doan and Lemuel Joad looked entirely human when they were younger. If Bethel had been selected as the next dark priestess when she was still a child, then she could have remained fully human. 
• Also, Ethan Stoddard retained his human appearance for much longer, presumably because only his father was from Starkesboro. Even if only a few Starkesboro folk married people from outside the town every twenty years or so, their offspring would probably generate at least a few potential dark priestesses per generation, wouldn't you think?
• I'm not saying that you're wrong to believe that Ebora was the one-and-only dark priestess, I just wish that Gardner Fox had written Ebora as saying something to that effect. You know, "Mua-ha-ha! I am and always have been Sligguth's chosen Dark Priestess and I will live forever! Mua-ha-ha!"
• That would have been helpful.

  

Snood:

• That definitely would have been helpful! 
• Similarly, if they specified that she was NOT the original priestess, that would have clarified the matter. 
• As is, it is vague. The original priestess looks very similar to Ebora, although the original priestess at the time of choosing has gray hair (or perhaps was meant to be black, as blue was used to give features to black colors in older art), while Ebora's hair is more strawberry blonde in #5 and brown in #6.
• Obviously changing hair color is no big deal for a magical being
• Or maybe it was a simple matter of her being older at the time she was chosen and then being de-aged and having eternal youth thereafter.
• From the Serpent People of Starkesboro comments (with the most relevant history bolded and enlarged):
• Marvel Premiere#4 notes the people of Starkesboro as having been from an obscure religious sect that fled from England to escape persecution. 
• Strange considers that they are actually a result of Serpent Men mating with humans, and that Stoddard's fully human mother diluted the serpentine influence somewhat. 
• Marvel Premiere#5 rather notes that they were fisherfolk who fell under the influence of Sligguth after recovering his inverted cross from the ocean's depths.  
• In #5, they are shown in serpentine form after discovering Sligguth’s inverted cross and praying to it, and that's when the priestess is chosen.
• I figure all elements are true to somewhat, and that the diluted serpentine heritage had remained dormant until finding Sligguth's cross. 
• It seems quite likely that they were actually drawn to the region that would become Starkesboro due to their connections to Sligguth.
• Different writers between #4 and #5-6, so they changed directions a little.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Ebora should be distinguished from:

• other "Ebo" characters, places, things, groups, etc. 

Appearances:
Marvel Premiere#5 (November, 1972) - Gardner F. Fox (writer), Irv Wesley (pencils), Don Perlin (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Marvel Premiere#6 (January, 1973) - Gardner F. Fox (writer), Frank Brunner (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)

First posted: 09/02/2026
Last updated: 02/11/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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