- "Midian is where the monsters live."
- ―Peloquin
 | |
| Midian | |
| Continuity: | Nightbreed |
| Category: | City |
| Continent: | North America |
| Country: | Canada |
| City: | Alberta |
| Town: | Shere Neck |
| 1st appearance: | Cabal (novella) |
Midian is a fictional city featured in the 1989 novella Cabal by author Clive Barker. It was also the central setting for the 1990 film adaptation of the story, Nightbreed.
Description[]
Midian is the name of a series of subterranean caverns that lie beneath a necropolis located near the town of Shere Neck in Canada. The mausoleums and tombstones that make up the topography of Midian are old, dilapidated, and largely ignored. The cemetery is nestled into a low valley thicket of overgrown weeds and vines. Some mausoleums have secret access panels that descend down into the lower city, which is inhabited by a race of people that make up the Tribes of the Moon, aka the "Night Breed". The Tribes of the Moon came in all shapes and sizes and worshiped at the altar of their founder - Baphomet. Although the appearance and abilities of each Night Breed differed from one to the next, the one thing they all had in common was an aversion to sunlight, which was lethal to them. In addition to the Tribes of the Moon, there also lived a race of truly monstrous beings known as Berserkers. The origins of the Berserkers and their current state can be traced back to Germany in the time of the Great War. The Tribes of the Moon kept the Berserkers locked away in special cages deep within the bowels of the Earth.
History[]
Midian's location, even its very existence, had been kept a closely guarded secret by Baphomet and the Tribes of the Moon. Its name is spoken only in hushed whispers, and only those who are destined to benefit from the sanctuary it provides ever learn of it. To others, it is a name spoken only as rumor or legend. An ancient prophecy foretold the coming of a champion - one who would lead the Tribes of the Moon out of the darkness and pave the way for salvation. This champion turned out to be a young man named Aaron Boone. Boone had been suffering from blackouts and intense nightmares in which he envisioned himself gruesomely murdering several people. As it turned out however, this was just post-hypnotic manipulation wrought by his psychiatrist, Doctor Philip Decker. Decker convinced Boone that he was an amnesiac killer in order to frame him for crimes that Decker himself had committed.
Boone met another mental patient named Narcisse, who had heard of Midian, and sought to find this mysterious sanctuary himself. He showed Aaron evidence of Midian's location. To prove his worthiness, Narcisse used thumb-razors to partially flay his own face. Boone eventually made his way to Midian on his own but was attacked by a member of the Tribes of the Moon named Peloquin. Peloquin bit Boone, producing a mystic balm that slowly transformed him into one of the Night Breed. Coming into his own as the prophecy had dictated, Baphomet dubbed Aaron Boone with his tribal name, Cabal.
Meanwhile, Philip Decker, who had always known about the Night Breed, was a ruthless serial killer bent on exterminating them. He tracked Aaron Boone's movements to the cemetery near Shere Neck and called in local law enforcement to aid him. With the firepower of the Shere Neck Police Department, as well as that of a xenophobic group known as the Sons of the Free, they attacked Midian, blasting away at the crypts and exposing the Night Breed beneath to the lethal rays of the sun. At Boone's urging, the Tribes of the Moon unleashed the monstrous Berserkers, who drove many of the offending assailants away, slaughtering most of them in the process.
With Midian largely destroyed, Cabal took his place as savior of the Night Breed and led the Tribes of the Moon on a great exodus to find a new home.
Films that take place in Midian[]
Books that take place in Midian[]
Comics that take place in Midian[]
- Hellraiser/Nightbreed: Jihad Vol 1
- Night Breed Vol 1
- Nightbreed Vol 1
- Nightbreed: Genesis
Residents of Midian[]
- Aaron Boone
- Annastasjia
- Ashberry
- Babette
- Baphomet
- Beloit Motto
- Cocholat
- Devil Lude
- Dirk Lylesberg
- Leroy Gomm
- Kinski
- Kushnir Day
- Narcisse
- Ohnaka
- Otis and Clay
- Peloquin
- Rachel
- Shuna Sassi
Notes & Trivia[]
- The concept of Midian was developed by author Clive Barker. It is named for a mountain range located in West Asia. Midian has been referenced in the Holy Bible and the Quran.
- According to Narcisse from the novel, Midian was located "Northwest of Athabasca... East of Peace River, near Shere Neck, north of Dwyer". It should be noted that Dwyer is also a fictional location. The reference to Athabasca placed Midian somewhere in the province of Alberta.
Related categories[]
- Midian residents
- Midian appearances