Portrait of Bilima kushtaharqa — African comic character

Bilima kushtaharqa

Full Title: Bilima, Keeper of Memory, The Voice Beneath the River, The Flowing Root

Species: Primordial Spirit / Elemental Entity
Lineage: Born of Rain and Seed; Brother of the Congo River; Soul of the First Tree
Affiliation: The Eternal Bloodline, Guardians of the Rooted River, Hidden Orders of the Forest
First apparence: Zaiire: The Prince of Kongo – The Siege of Kinzonzi
Created by: Isolele

Créé par: Isolele

Character Overview

Bilima is a primordial spirit older than gods, born of the sacred pact between sky and earth. A mysterious force of memory, balance, and nature, he weaves through rivers, forests, and timcarrying the truth of all that was forgotten. Neither hero nor villain, he is both flood and root, storm and silence.

Super powers & Abilities

  • Master of Water: Can vanish into rivers and reappear miles away; commands storms, floods, and springs; rivers under his touch preserve memory and grant ancestral visions.
  • Guardian of Trees: Trees bend toward him in recognition; roots obey his will, overtaking stone and armies; can assume a towering Tree-Spirit form with bark armor and vine-flowing limbs.
  • Mysteries of Memory: Records the truth of history; whispers secrets to chosen mortalwarnings, riddles, or buried truths; possession by him alters mortals permanently.
  • Dual Essence: Exists as both movement and stillness, water and roonever fully seen, only felt.
  • Spirit Possession: When called, can merge with mortals (like Zaïko), transforming them into vessels of elemental justice and memory.

Weaknesses

  • Unknowable Nature: Cannot be fully understood or controlleeven by allies. His silence frustrates those seeking certainty.
  • Neutral Alignment: Does not act according to human morality, which may create conflict with both heroes and villains.
  • Spiritual Possession Risks: Those who invoke him may never return to their former selveforever changed by what they see and feel.
  • Hidden Presence: Rarely intervenes directly, making reliance on him a gamble in urgent moments.

Symbolism

Bilima embodies the balance between nature’s memory and justicthe eternal cycle of water and root.