Eve

Eve is a dream that first appeared in The Sandman in Preludes and Nocturnes. Eve is based on the Biblical Eve, the mother of humanity, of Cain and Abel, and consort of Adam.

Appearance
Eve's appearance is shifting. Most of the time, she appears as a black-haired woman of indeterminate age. However, her appearance also mirrors her triple nature; she sometimes shifts between being a young attractive maiden, a middle-aged mother, and an elderly crone.

Personality
Eve is often kind, and has a maternal nature, though she retains her assertiveness that might have been seen more snappishness.

History
Eve lived in a cave in the Dreaming, and was often accompanied by Dream's raven, Matthew. The first Raven, Lucien, taught her how to bury Abel after Cain murdered him, and she had been accompanied by a Raven ever since. In Dream's absence, she decayed badly, citing that she "lived only in nightmares" since the dream lord was taken.

She recovers over the course of the series, when Mathew appears to her in issue #24, to meet with her once more. She has put on weight, and shows her ability to become younger as she embraces Matthew. When she appeared in #40, she appeared young and beautiful for the first time.

Trivia

 * Eve originally appeared in the horror comic series Secrets of Sinister House as the series' principal host, usually with her raven.
 * She is one of the many representations in The Sandman of the triple woman (maiden, mother, and crone), as such, while she is an individual, with her own personality, she is also a representation of The Three, along with the Fates, Graces, Gorgons, and Furies. This is comparable to the way the series' protagonist, Dream, is on one level a character in his own right, and equally a symbol or representation of the larger concept of dreams.