WARNING: Contains Potential Spoilers for BATMAN: GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT - THE KRYPTONIAN AGE #3!Wonder Woman’sLasso of Truth is one of Diana Prince’s most iconic and enduring pieces of lore, having existed nearly as long as the character herself. Over the years, the Lasso of Truth has been rebooted multiple times, with changes to its origin, name, and powers. Now, thanks to the sequel of a critically acclaimedElseworldsseries, Wonder Woman’s lasso is once again getting a new name and a power upgrade.
The sequel to the fan-favoriteElseworldsseries,Batman: Gotham By Gaslight, continues with Andy Diggle and Leandro Fernández’sBatman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age#3, where the lore of this alternate universe keeps expanding, bringing new characters into the fold. Among those reimagined with a19th-century twist is Wonder Woman.
However, this version of Diana Prince is far from a typical Victorian lady; she remains the Amazon Warrior Princess fans know and love, but with significant changes to her lore. One of these changes includesrenaming the Lasso of Truth as the Cord of Hestia.
The Lasso of Truth Becomes the Cord of Hestia inBatman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age#3
The Cord of Hestia Gets a Major Truth-Related Power Upgrade
The Cord of Hestia debuts inThe Kryptonian Age#3when thisElseworldsversion of Wonder Woman saves Adam Strange and his crew from a giant centipede-like creature called the"Brood-Mother.“During the fight, Diana uses her lasso to ensnare the beast and speaks with it to try to deescalate the situation. This moment reveals the Cord of Hestia’s unique ability to translate languages across species.While the Lasso of Truth in the main continuity also has translating powers, it remains unclear if it could translate the language of a cryptid creature like the Cord of Hestia can.
Like the Lasso of Truth, the Cord of Hestia also compels its target to speak the truth. This is demonstrated when Diana demands that she and the Brood-Mother communicate openly and honestly with one another. Thus, the Cord of Hestia shares similarities with its main continuity counterpart. However, it differs from the Lasso of Truth in its ability to share one’s memories and thoughts mentally through a shared vision.This is an upgrade to the lasso’s truth-centric powers, as it provides an alternative way of revealing the truth—not just through words, but also through visual experiences.
Wonder Woman’s Cord of Hestia Lets Her Warn Adam Strange About the Return of the“Kryptonian Doom”
Diana Prince Reveals Kryptonians Are the Ancestral Enemies of the Amazons
Wonder Woman’s Cord of Hestia plays a crucial role in this issue, as it enables her to communicate not only with the Brood-Mother but also with Adam Strange. This ability to speak with Strange proves to be especially significant, consideringthe dire news Diana brings—the imminent return of the Kryptonian Doom to the surface world.While details about the“Kryptonian Doom”remain scarce, Diana reveals that this catastrophic force was once responsible for devastating Earth’s civilizations eons ago. Now, it appears to be coming back for a second time, posing an existential threat to the planet once again.
While the Cord of Hestia enables Diana to verbally communicate with Strange, she chooses to use the Lasso’s mind-linking ability to let him“see the truth of [her] heart.”Through this mental connection, Diana shows Strange her origins in Skartaris, a hellish realm located in the Earth’s hollow core.She reveals that the Amazons once lived on the surface but retreated underground when the Doom of Krypton struck.Diana also shares that her people’s seers now predict a second Kryptonian Doom approaching the surface world, and she has come to warn and assist humanity as best she can against"hated Krypton.”
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The History of Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth (The SparkNotes Version)
The Lasso of Truth Was Created by American Psychologist William Moulton Marston (AKA the Creator of Wonder Woman)
The Lasso of Truth first appeared inSensation Comics#6 (June 1942), making it nearly as old as Wonder Woman herself, who debuted inAll Star Comics#8 (December 1941). Both Diana Prince and the Lasso of Truth were created by American psychologist and writerWilliam Moulton Marston, who also invented the lie detector, or polygraph.Marston’s connection to the polygraph makes Wonder Woman’s truth-based weapon even more fitting.Over the years, the Lasso of Truth has been known by various names, including the Magic Lasso, the Lasso of Hestia, the Golden Perfect, and now the Cord of Hestia.
The Pre-Crisis origin of the Lasso of Truth holds that it was a gift from Diana’s mother, Queen Hippolyta, and was crafted from Aphrodite’s girdle. This endowment gave the lasso magical properties from the Goddess and rendered it indestructible—a quality that remains true today. In contrast, George Pérez redefined its origin in the Post-Crisis era, attributing its creation to the god Hephaestus. According to this version,Hephaestus forged the lasso from the Golden Girdle of Gaea, once worn by Antiope, Hippolyta’s sister, and empowered it with the fires of Hestia.As a result, the lasso compels anyone it ensnares to tell the absolute truth.
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Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth and Its Connection to Greek Mythology
The Cord of Hestia Is a Fitting Name for Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth, Given What the Goddess Symbolizes
Any Wonder Woman fan knows thatDiana Prince’s origin storyis intricately connected to Greek gods and goddesses, whether she was made from clay or is Zeus’s daughter. Thus, it is particularly fitting that her primary weapon also has a Greek deity origin. As previously mentioned the Lasso of Truth was initially attributed to Aphrodite, but the Post-Crisis version credits its creation to Hephaestus.This later origin aligns more logically, given that Hephaestus crafted all the weapons for the gods of Olympus.
Additionally, this version of the lasso’s creation is stronger as it ties the weapon to being forged in Hestia’s own hearth and fires. While Hestia isn’t directly linked to the virtue of truth, she is an exceptionally fitting goddess for the lasso to be named after inThe Kryptonian Age, as her fires often symbolize purity—a virtue closely associated with truth. Furthermore, Hestia’s fires are known for their cleansing power, parallelingWonder Woman’sLasso of Truth’s ability to cure insanity and reveal the truth.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age #3is available now from DC Comics!
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is the superhero identity of Diana, Princess of the Amazons. Created on the island of Themyscira, Wonder Woman is a super-powered demi-goddess with extreme physical strength who utilizes magical gifts (like her famous Lasso of Truth) to defeat her foes. As mighty as her fellow heroes Superman and the Justice League, Wonder Woman is unmatched in her compassion and virtue.
