The second season of Netflix’s fantasy epic, The Sandman, begins on an ominous note when the omniscient Destiny of the Endless gets visited by the Fates/the Three in his Garden of Forking Ways. The Three—who have taken different forms across a myriad of cultures throughout history—share three prophecies with Destiny, all of which concern the future of his brother, Dream. Each of the three prophecies foretells events that transpire in the course of the first six episodes of this final season and also those that will come to pass in the final volume. In the first episode, with the reunion of the family of Endless, things are already set in motion, and the ripple effect of the chain of events will lead to something disastrous in the concluding part of the final season. Before I begin to discuss the prophecies, a spoiler warning is duly given, as several references to future events will be made from the comics.
Spoiler Alert
A King Will Forsake His Kingdom
The first prophecy shared by the Three seems to have manifested quite abruptly as in the second episode of the ongoing season, Lucifer Morningstar quits his duty as the keeper of hell and hands the key over to Morpheus. After spending billions of years ruling over demons and tormented souls with an iron fist, Lucifer has grown tired of following God’s plan. Lucifer knows that his act of rebellion against God was merely a part of His grand design, and the futility of his own actions has hit him so badly that he has decided to abandon his domain altogether. However, like most of the predictions made by the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone, nothing is what it initially appears to be. This becomes evident when their prophecies remain unchanged in the final moments of the first volume, even after God has taken control of hell. Lucifer’s abdication of hell is not what their first prophecy intended to address. It’s a hint at what will transpire in the final volume. In the first season, Morpheus’ abduction ruined his realm, Dreaming, and readers who have gone through the series already know that Morpheus’ temporary absence from Dreaming will once again put his domain in peril.
Life and death will clash and fray
The second prophecy, which mentions an upcoming conflict between life and death, initially seems to point to the events that occur during Dream and Desire’s quest to find their brother, Destruction. By going off searching for Prodigal, Dream and Desire end up unwittingly causing the demise of three beings who had thus far escaped Death. Bernard Capax, a mortal who lived more than ten thousand years; Ishtar, the goddess of war and love; and finally Dream’s own son, Orpheus, whose bargain with Death had kept his severed head alive since antiquity—all of them met their end by getting entangled in the cosmic plan. However, once again, the true meaning of the Fates’ prophecy is different than assumed.
By killing his own son, Orpheus, to pay the boon he promised to him, Dream violates the old rule that dictates the Endless are forbidden from spilling family blood. As a result, he has incurred the wrath of the Kindly Ones, aka the Fates, who take the role of vengeful goddesses, Furies/Erinyes, who subject sinners to torment in Hades’ Underworld. In the upcoming volume, the battle between life and death will unravel, with the Furies hounding Morpheus to make him pay for his sin of filicide by giving up his life to his sister, Death. Desire almost tricked Dream into taking the life of an Endless family member by creating the whole situation with Rose Walker (who is related to Desire) in the first season, but thanks to Unity’s sacrifice, Morpheus didn’t commit such an offense, even unknowingly. It can be argued that Orpheus himself wanted to be released from his sordid existence, but unlike what their title indicates, the Kindly Ones are anything but kind.
The Oldest Battle Begins Once More
The final prophecy has not come to pass yet in the first volume, so there is no chance of any confusion regarding its meaning just yet. Still, from whatever can be gathered from the comics, it seems the attack of the Furies, who seek to destroy Dreaming to get to Morpheus, and the Dream Lord’s actions to ensure the survival of his domain are being referred to as part of the oldest battle. In the DC cosmology, the Great Darkness and the extension of his corruption known as Anti-Life have existed in a forever conflicting state with the creator/the god who is often referred to as the Presence and his light of creation. Dream, who represented hope against Lucifer’s Anti-Life in the battle of wits in the first season, is an extension of Presence himself. While in their vengeful goddess form, the Erinyes are emissaries of cosmic annihilation. In this sense, the Fates foretold of their upcoming conflict with Dream Lord, something which Morpheus needs to figure out before things inevitably get really ugly in the final volume.
Will Morpheus Die?
Throughout the first volume of this season, Morpheus’ demise has been hinted at in a number of ways, and the Dream Lord himself has clearly mentioned such a possibility. But as an ideal ruler, Morpheus wants to ensure the survival of Dreaming, the world he has created, irrespective of what happens to him. In that context, the Endless needs a successor who can carry out his responsibilities after his passing, and Morpheus has already found one. Daniel Hall (yet unnamed in the TV series), son of Lyta and Hector Hall, is going to play a significant role in that regard, both in undoing and rebuilding Morpheus’ world in ways viewers can not expect just yet. Lyta, who conceived Daniel in Dreaming, has remained afraid of Dream’s claim over her son, and she too will play a crucial part in the final volume. It should be mentioned that Lyta, whose real name is Hippolyta Hall, is the daughter of the main DC continuity Wonder Woman, aka Diana Prince, and Steve Trevor—an aspect the Netflix series completely overlooks, just like it ignored the identity of Hector’s father, Carter Hall, aka Hawkman.
