This is a list of characters appearing in The Sandman. This page discusses events which occur in The Sandman, and may give away plot points that could spoil your enjoyment of the series if you have not yet read it. Cover of The Sandman #1, by Dave McKean. ...

The Endless

The Endless are a dysfunctional family of seven siblings who embody various aspects of existence. They all tend to have white skin and black hair, but their appearances and personalities vary wildly beyond that. They have some degree of control over the concept they represent, but, like the gods of Sandman, they are also shaped and influenced by the subconscious expectations and beliefs of mankind. In particular, Dream's appearance varies wildly based on who is observing him. Family dysfunction can be any circumstance that interferes with healthy family functioning. ... This article is about deities or gods from a non-monotheistic perspective. ...

The Endless spend most of their time fulfilling their functions: in Death's case, by infusing life in newborns and leading the souls of the dead away to their destinations; in Dream's case, by overseeing the Dreaming and regulating dreams and inspiration; and so on. However, some of the Endless are more dedicated to their tasks than others. The younger Endless (especially Desire) are known to play games with mortal lives, and one of the Endless, Destruction (often called "The Prodigal"), abandoned his duties altogether. When this happens, apparently that aspect of existence just becomes totally random and arbitrary, rather than being supervised by any individual. However, if an Endless dies, he or she will be replaced by another individual assuming the same role.

Each of the Endless has a realm, a place of uncertain location, geography, geometry and physics in which they are absolutely sovereign. The Endless are generally uncomfortable in each other's realms, and do not travel between them unless they absolutely have to. Death is the exception, as she goes wherever she needs to. Within their realm, each member of the Endless has a gallery. In the gallery hang picture frames containing symbols of the other Endless, or sigils. Holding these sigils and speaking a ritual sentence is a formal way for the Endless to contact each other, although at times, merely speaking their name is enough. An example of a sigil. ...

It has been speculated within the series that, in addition to overseeing their own sphere of influence, the Endless also define the opposite of their aspects. This dualistic aspect of the Endless has been confirmed at least in the case of Death, who not only ends lives but also begins them. If this trait extends to the other Endless as well, than Delirium may also define sanity, Despair happiness, Desire fulfillment, Destiny freedom, and Dream reality. This belief rests on a notion of Gaiman's that contrast and limitations are necessary for anything to be considered valuable: without death, life's beauty would be ignored and squandered; without unhappiness, happiness would be meaningless; without madness, there would be no sanity.

The origin and exact nature of the Endless is unknown. They are thought to be some of the most powerful (or at least influential) beings of existence, and they are as old as the concepts they represent, but few hints are given in the series as to exactly why they exist. One of the only references to any sort of parenthood for the Endless is the The Sandman #70, where some sentience in the Necropolis Letharge that guards the symbols of each of the Endless wails "like a mother sorrowing for her departed child."

The Endless are, in order of age (though Desire and Despair are twins):

• Destiny: A blind man dressed in brown robes who carries a large book with him. The book is chained to him, or he is chained to the book, and within the book is written the entire sum of existence, past, present, and future. Destiny seems the most possessed by his function of any of the Endless, rarely demonstrating much personality, and he more often observes events than causes them. His symbol is his book.

• Death: A spunky, attractive, level-headed goth girl wearing an ankh (representing life) and often marked with a spiral tattoo under one of her eyes. She prefers to dress and act casually, and is on better terms with Dream than any of the other Endless. Her symbol is the ankh.

• Dream: A tall, pale man with wild dark blue-black hair who tends to dress in a shapeless purple cloak. His eyes are pools of shadows with glimmers of light within. He is known by many names, most commonly "Morpheus." He has a long history of insensitivity towards others, and throughout The Sandman he must come to deal with his past cruelties. He is very concerned with fulfilling his responsibilities. His symbol is his dream-helm.

• Destruction: A very large, robust man with red hair and often a beard in the past, though he has none presently. He abandoned his post several hundred years ago, causing much conflict between him and the other Endless. He has a passion for creative and constructive endeavors, but little talent. His symbol is the sword.

• Desire: A beautiful, slim, androgynous, and pale Endless with a cruel streak and a long-standing rivalry with Dream. Its symbol is a heart shape.

• Despair: An obese, short, nude, greyish Endless with irregularly-shaped teeth and a quietly intelligent, dully cold manner. Her symbol is a hooked ring.

• Delirium: A young girl whose form changes the most frequently of any of the Endless, based on the random fluxations of her temperament. She tends to have wild and colorful hair and eccentric, mismatched clothes. She was once Delight, but some traumatic event caused her to shift into her current role.

Spoiler warning: Destiny is one of the Endless, fictional characters from Neil Gaimans comic book series, The Sandman. ... Death is a fictional character from the DC comic book series, The Sandman (1988 - 1996). ... The ankh (pronounced ahnk) was the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that stood for the word ʿnḫ, which means life. ... Cover of The Sandman #1, by Dave McKean. ... Destruction is one of the Endless, fictional characters from Neil Gaimans comic book series The Sandman. ... Desire is one of the Endless, a fictional character from Neil Gaimans comic book series, The Sandman. ... Despair is one of the Endless, fictional characters from Neil Gaimans comic book series, The Sandman. ... Delirium amid fish Delirium is one of the Endless, fictional characters from Neil Gaimans comic book series The Sandman. ...

Dreams and nightmares

These inhabitants of the Dreaming are often former gods, myths, and even ordinary human beings who later became dreams.

• Cain and Abel: The keepers of mysteries and secrets. Cain is prone to frequently killing the bumbling Abel in various horrific ways, though Abel quickly revives after each murder.

• Eve: The Biblical wife of Adam, who lives in a cave with her raven, currently Matthew.

• Matthew: A smart alec raven who was once a man. He often goes on missions for Dream.

• Mervyn Pumpkinhead: A street-wise, cigar-smoking pumpkin-headed scarecrow. He oversees much of the construction and maintenance work in the Dreaming.

• Lucien: The bookkeeper of the Dreaming, and one of Dream's most faithful and trusted servants. He is a tall, thin, bookish man.

• The Corinthian: An ambitious nightmare with mouths in place of his eyes. He is destroyed by Dream for escaping into the real world and causing havoc, but is later remade when Dream requires his service. The new Corinthian only shares some of his original self's memories, and seems to have a different personality.

• Fiddler's Green: A place in the Dreaming which sometimes likes to take human form. His most common form is as a kind, portly man who strongly resembles G. K. Chesterton.

• Goldie: A small golden gargoyle who Abel wanted to name "Irving" until Cain told him that gargoyles must have names starting with "G."

• Gregory: A large green gargoyle, the pet of Cain and Abel.

• Brute and Glob: A pair of troublemaking nightmares who try to gain power during Dream's absence.

• The Fashion Thing

Cain and Abel are a pair of fictional characters who appear in DC Comics. ... Eve is a character in Neil Gaimans comic book series The Sandman. ... Matthew is a character in Neil Gaimans The Sandman comic series. ... Mervyn Pumpkinhead is a character in Neil Gaimans popular comic book series, The Sandman. ... Lucien is a fictional character in in the Neil Gaimans comic book series The Sandman. ... The Corinthian is a fictional character in Neil Gaimans comic book series The Sandman. ... Fiddlers Green is the happy land imagined by sailors where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing and dancers that never tire. ... G.K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (May 29, 1874 – June 14, 1936) was an English writer of the early 20th century. ... Goldie is a character in Neil Gaimans popular The Sandman comic book series. ...

Gods and demigods

• The Three: The Mother/Maiden/Crone trinity, a major symbol throughout the series whose incarnations are numerous.

• Bast: The cat-headed Egyptian goddess Bast, a friend of Dream's who he often consults.

• Loki: The Norse god Loki, a callous trickster

• Thor: The Norse god Thor, a ridiculously muscular and dim-witted drunkard who likes to brag about how his hammer can change sizes.

• Ishtar: An exotic dancer who happens to be the goddess Ishtar.

Mother with her child (Sculpture) A mother is typically the biological or social female parent of a child or offspring while the male parent is the father. ... A maiden may refer to: A female virgin. ... Commonly a synonym for Hag. ... The Egyptian goddess of cats. ... This article is about the plant tissue. ... This picture, from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript, shows Loki with his invention - the fishing net. ... Thor carries his hammer and wears his belt of strength in this illustration from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript. ... Ishtar is the Akkadian counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate northwest Semitic goddess Astarte. ...

Angels

• Lucifer

• Duma

• Remiel'

:This article is about Lucifer, the DC Comics series and character. ... Duma is a fallen angel from the DC Vertigo series The Sandman. ...

Demons

• Mazikeen

• Choronzon: A former duke of Hell who served under Beelzebub. He had possession of Dream's helm, but lost it in a challenge. He later reappeared briefly as one of Azazel's tactics to gain ownership of Hell.

• Azazel: A former ruler of hell, alongside Lucifer and Beelzebub. He was cast out after Lucifer abandoned Hell, and made the mistake of attacking Dream to try to gain ownership of it. Dream keeps him in a bottle in a chest of trinkets and mementos.

In the comic book Lucifer, Mazikeen is the war leader of the Lilim, a race traced back to Lilith. ... Choronzon is a demonic entity, described by Edward Kelley as that mighty devil. It is associated with the tenth Aethyr in the system of Enochian Magic devised by John Dee, and is the Dweller in the Abyss in the magickal system(s) developed by Aleister Crowley. ... A modern interpretation of Azazel, from Collin de Plancys Dictionnaire Infernal (Paris,1825) According to the apocryphal Book of Enoch, Azazel was a leader of the grigori (also known as watchers), a group of fallen angels who mated with mortal women, giving rise to a race of giants known...

Immortals, witches, and long-lived humans

• Thessaly: A witch and one-time lover of Dream.

• Robert "Hob" Gadling

• Mad Hettie: A London tramp born in 1741. At the time of Sandman #3, she was 247 years old.

Thessaly is a fictional character in the Sandman comic book stories. ... Hob Gadling is a fictional character from the Sandman comic book by Neil Gaiman . ...

Fair folk

Inhabitants of Faerie. In mythology and in fiction, Faerie (also Faery) is an otherworldly realm, home to the Fae or fairies. ...

• Oberon

• Titania

• The Cluracan

• Nuala

• Puck

There are two comic book characters called Oberon, both published by DC Comics. ... Titania is a character in the comic book series The Sandman. ... A cluricaun is a drunken leprechaun-like creature in Irish mythology thought to raid wine cellars. ...

Mortals

Listed in alphabetical order due to sheer number.

• Alex Burgess

• Roderick Burgess

• Daniel Bustamonte: A victim of the 'sleepy sickness' that results from Dream's capture. He falls asleep in 1926, then wakes up sometime before 1955, staying awake much of the time but unable to speak. He recovers fully on September 14, 1988 when Dream escapes.

• Francis "Chas" Chandler: a cab driver and friend of Constantine's who drives him and Dream to Rachel's father's house so that Dream can retrieve his pouch. Chas takes his nickname from Jimi Hendrix's manager, and is a recurring character in the comic Hellblazer.

• Compton - Roderick Burgess' butler.

• Johanna Constantine: An ancestor of John Constantine. Dream encounters her several times, once to ask her to recover the head of his son, Orpheus.

• John Constantine: A conman and magician who accompanies Dream on a quest to find his pouch of sand.

• Ethel Cripps: Also known as Ethel Dee, the mother of John Dee. She was the mistress of Roderick Burgess until she fled with Ruthven Sykes. She gave Dream's Ruby to her son after stealing it from Ruthven Sykes, who had stolen it from Roderick Burgess, who had stolen it from Dream.

• John 'Dr. Destiny' Dee: a DC Comics villain whose powers were derived from his use of Dream's Ruby. His name is almost certainly a reference to the real life John Dee.

• Wesley Dodds: The original Sandman, a costumed crimefighter.

• Nurse Edwards: The caretaker of Alex Burgess at the time he is put under Dream's curse.

• Ernie and Frederick: Two of the men guarding Dream when he escapes from his imprisonment.

• Foxglove

• Hippolyta 'Lyta' Hall

• John Hathaway: Senior curator of the Royal Museum. He steals the Magdalene Grimoire from the museum's collection to aid Roderick Burgess in his attempt to gain immortality after his son, Edmund, dies. He commits suicide in 1920 using a dagger from the museum after a stocktake reveals his theft. His suicide note, implicating Roderick Burgess in a multitude of crimes, is never found.

• Doctor "Piggy" Huntoon: A Doctor in Arkham Asylum and former schoolmate of Constantine's. He used to perform electro-shock therapy on Constantine, back when he was institutionalised.

• Unity Kinkaid

• Leigh: A man who works in "Easy Diner," an American-style diner in London.

• Ellie Marsten: A victim of the 'sleepy sickness' that occurs during Dream's capture. She sleeps continuously for decades, awaking only four or five times a year, and recovers on September 14, 1988 when Morpheus escapes.

• Paul McGuire: Lover of Alex Burgess.

• Prez Rickard

• Rachel: An ex-girlfriend of Constantine's who stole Dream's pouch of sand from Constantine and became addicted to its effects.

• Ruthven Sykes: A black, bespectacled man with short hair. He is Roderick Burgess' second-in-command of the Order of the Ancient Mysteries until November 1930, when he steals a number of treasures (including Dream's helmet, ruby and pouch of sand) and £200,000 in cash from the order and flees to San Francisco with Roderick's mistress, Ethel Cripps. In December 1930, he trades the Helmet with the demon Choronzon for an amulet that looks like an eyeball on a chain. This amulet protects him from the magicks of Burgess until 1936, when Ethel Cripps leaves him, taking the amulet with her. He is then killed.

• Rose Walker

• Stefan Wasserman: A victim of the 'sleepy sickness' that results from Dream's capture. Commits suicide in 1918 at age 16 because he cannot sleep.

Alex Burgess is a fictional character from Neil Gaimans comic book series, The Sandman. ... Roderick Burgess is a fictional character from Neil Gaimans comic book series, The Sandman. ... Encephalitis lethargica is an atypical form of encephalitis characterized by high fever, headache, double vision, delayed physical and mental response, and lethargy. ... Jimi Hendrix James Marshall Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, widely considered to be the most important electric guitarist in the history of popular music. ... Hellblazer is a comic book series published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics, which features the central character John Constantine. ... John Constantine is the protagonist of the comic series Hellblazer. ... In Only a Dream part 1 & 2 in Justice League, Dee was a man in jail for minor charges and kept in regular contact with his girlfriend. ... The current DC Comics logo, adopted in May 2005. ... A sixteenth century portrait of John Dee, artist unknown. ... Adventure Comics #40 (July, 1939) Sandman Mystery Theatre #29 (August, 1995) The Sandman, alias Wesley Dodds, is a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe, best known for his stories set during the 1940s and his costume consisting of a green business suit, fedora, and gas mask. ... Foxglove is a fictional character from the Sandman series, a lesbian pop superstar who falls in love with a woman named Hazel (and in a Death side series) raises a child who accidentally dies. ... Fury is the name of two DC Comics superheroines with a rather convoluted history. ... Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane is a fictional mental hospital near Gotham City in the DC Universe, where many of Batmans foes (most famously the Joker) wind up after they are captured. ... Unity Kinkaid is a fictional character from Neil Gaimans comic book series, The Sandman. ... Encephalitis lethargica is an atypical form of encephalitis characterized by high fever, headache, double vision, delayed physical and mental response, and lethargy. ... Alex Burgess is a fictional character from Neil Gaimans comic book series, The Sandman. ... Prez was a four issue comic series by Joe Simon released by DC Comics in the early 1970s. ... Rose Walker is a fictional character from the Sandman series written by Neil Gaiman. ... Encephalitis lethargica is an atypical form of encephalitis characterized by high fever, headache, double vision, delayed physical and mental response, and lethargy. ...

Historical figures

• Haroun al-Raschid

• Caesar Augustus

• Joshua A. Norton: A benevolent madman believing himself to be Emperor of the United States in "Three Septembers and a January".

• Marco Polo

• William Shakespeare