MORRIS MEN	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Paul Cornell and Jimmy Broxton

TEAM DATA

Status: Active
Current Members: Morris Major,
Occupation: Folk dancers, assassins for hire
Base of Operation: Yeominister Churney, Somerset, Britain
First Appearance: Knight & Squire #2 (January 2011)
Creators: Paul Cornell and Jimmy Broxton

"It starts with just a bit o' cheese rolling at the weekends... A half of scrumpy and some Steeleye Span records... But it ends with the full Morris." - Elijah Snood Quote taken from Knight & Squire #2

OVERVIEW

The Morris Men are a group of British folk dancers – and hired killers. They have encountered Knight and Squire a few times.

MEMBERSHIP

Member	First Appearance	Joined	Status	Note
Elijah Snood	Knight & Squire #2		Deceased	Former member
Morris Major	Knight & Squire #2	Knight & Squire #2	Active	Leader

HISTORY

The Morris Men is a British criminal organization with its origins in folk dancing. Morris dancing is a traditional British dance where less-than-menacing men dressed in hats, ribbons and bells hit each other gently with sticks. The dance is said to have pagan origins, but the earliest record is from the 15th century. Originally a sword dance to celebrate the victory over the Moors (Arabs) in Spain, the swords have been exchanged for sticks in what seems like a harmless traditional pastime. But nothing could be further from the truth, as the assassins known as the Morris Men have proven over and over.

A few decades ago, the morris dancers of Yeominister Churney, Somerset, were approached by the mysterious and controversial Morris Major, who had been thrown out of a number of neighbouring Morris dancing organizations. This time, he quickly became their leader, playing on nationalistic sentiments, unsound conservative ideals and prejudices against women, homosexuals, and immigrants. This did not sit well with all members, and Elijah Snood left their ranks.

The Morris Men that remained started working as hired assassins, and in this capacity they have encountered the crimefighting team known as the second Knight and Squire. Their exact number is difficult to tell, but there are at least 20 Morris Men. Recently, the Morris Men amassed a large number of occult items in order for Morris Major to perform a magic ritual that would slide Britain back in space and time, back to a more "innocent" time. When the investigations of Knight and Squire led them to Yeominister Churney, they met former Morris member Elijah Snood, who before he was killed by his former mates told the heroes about the origins of the Morris Men and their true agenda.

The Knight and Squire tracked the Morris Men to a pagan monolith monument close by, where the mere prescence of the female Squire was enough to undo the "men-only" spell. With the help of local police, the Morris Men were rounded up. Their leader, Major Morris, escaped into another dimension, leaving behind a flag – a Black Jack, Hell's version of the British flag Union Jack.

POWERS AND WEAPONS

All Morris men are well versed in the obscure martial art known as Wassail Futtock. A mere tap on the head with a Morris stick with bells is enough to kill a grown man.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Morris Men in chronological order click here