Religion: elephant goddess (fake)
Name: Gorla, the Elephant Goddess
Alter Ego: Alice Foss
Other Names: Gorla, Goddess to All Elephants
Classification: supporting character
First Appearance: Detective Comics (vol. 1) #333 (Nov. 1964): "Hunters of the Elephant Graveyard!"
Creators: Gardner F. Fox, Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella
Number of Appearances: 1
Ally: Evan Bender
Defended or Helped by: Batman, Robin
Gender: female
Note: Evan Bender's girlfriend
Alice Foss was the girlfriend of animal trainer and explorer Evan Bender. When Evan stopped writig to her and seemed to be missing for three months, Alice Foss grew desperate. She devised an elaborate and dramatic charade in which she appeared before Batman and Robin and pretended to be "Gorla, Goddss to All Elephants." The caped crusader never really believed that the woman he saw was a goddess. After the vision of "Gorla" ended, Batman quickly deduced who she really was and found her nearby.
Alice meant well. Despite the ruse, she was simply trying to get Batman's attention. She accomplished this goal and Batman agreed to look for Evan, who was a friend of Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne.
Alice Foss's "elephant goddess" was quite detaild and rather imaginative. Although it is clear she did not believe herself to be a goddess, she may have had some belief or at least serious interest in esoteric religion.
Suggested links for further research about this character and the character's religious affiliation:
- https://www.comics.org/issue/18765/
- http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=62234