Millennium Item

There are two different, contradictory accounts that explain how the Millennium Items were created. In an early chapter of the manga (Duel 14: The Man From Egypt (Part 2) in Volume 2: The Cards With Teeth), Shadi explains that the Millennium Items were created by the magicians of the pharaohs in Ancient Egypt to punish thieves who rob the pharaohs' tombs. Shadi says that this is written in the Pert Em Hiru, or Coming Forth By Day (the Egyptian title of The Book of The Dead). The first series anime also uses this story. The later chapters of the manga (published as Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium World in North America) and the second series anime explain the origin differently, performing a retcon. With Egypt under threat from invading armies in 3,000 years ago (5,000 in English Version), the Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen (Aknamkanon in the English anime, Akunamkanon in the Japanese anime) sought to protect his land through mystical means, and laid down the command for the seven magical Millennium Items to be forged. Akhenamkhanen's brother, Akhenaden (Aknadin, Akunadin in the Japanese) was charged with creating the items, but Akhenaden refrained from informing his brother that in order to do so, ninety-nine human sacrifices were required. The village of Kul Elna became the victim of the Pharaoh's unwitting decree, as Akhenaden had them slaughtered, their blood, bone and flesh melted in with the gold that was cast in the mystic rite that formed the items (in the English anime, to replace this gory concept, it is the spirits of the slaughtered which are harnessed to complete the rite that forges the items). With Akhenamkhanen possessing the Millennium Puzzle, the remaining six items were entrusted to his high priests - the Millennium Ring was held by Mahado (Mahad in English anime), the Millennium Rod by Seto (ancient version of Seto Kaiba), the Millennium Tauk (Millennium Necklace) by Isis, the Millennium Key by Shada, the Millennium Scale by Kalim (Karim) and the Millennium Eye by Akhenaden himself. Using the Items' combined power, an army of Duel Monsters was summoned which repelled the invading foes of Egypt. However, upon discovering the dark truth behind the Items' creation, Akhenamkhanen attempted to atone by offering his soul up to the Egyptian Gods as penance, sparing his son from any future retribution for his own indirect actions. When his father died, the Pharaoh Atem was given the Millennium Puzzle, and in time, Siamon Muran (Shimon) relinquished the Millennium Rod to the hands of Seto, a young priest who was, unknown to everyone, including himself, the son of Akhenaden, who became a strong friend of Atem, though both young men remained unaware that they were cousins. Thief King Bakura, a survival of the slaughter in Kul Elna, stole the holy duel disk from the tomb of Akhenamkhanen. By using it, Bakura could summon the ka, or soul, sealed in slates in the tomb of Akhenamkhanen and the demon Diabound, which created by the ka of the deceased people in Kul Elna (orignally, a Millenium Item was needed to summon Ka, except your own.). After failing to beat Atem, he defeated Mahado and acquired the Millennium Ring. Then, using the Millennium Ring, Bakura injected evil thoughts into Akhenaden's Millennium Eye to corrupt his mind. Akhenaden wanted his son, Seto, to become the new Pharaoh, so he helped Bakura defeat the other priests and Atem, then he placed the Millennium Items upon the stone slab to summon the Dark God Zorc. While Zorc attempted to decimate the planet, Atem used his own name and the magics of the Shadow Games, within the Millennium Items, sealed his own soul in the Millennium Puzzle and Zorc in hell, wiping his memory so that he could not recall it, so that the binding might never be undone. With Atem's eventual death, the Millennium Puzzle was entombed along with him in his crypt in the Valley of the Kings. And in a chamber beneath the village of Kul Elna, a sculpted stone rested - should the seven Millennium Items be placed upon it, along with the eighth key, the Pharaoh's name, Zorc would be free again. The magic of the Shadow Games was unleashed when the Millennium Puzzle was solved by Yugi Mutou in the present day, and he embarked on a series of adventures that eventually resulted in the locations of the Millennium Items being revealed, and the three Egyptian God Cards coming into his possession. Placed on a stone tablet that professed to chronicle a battle between the Pharaoh and Seto, the cards and the Puzzle opened a gateway to Ancient Egypt, through which the soul of the Pharaoh was pulled. Back in his original body, but still lacking in his memories, the Pharaoh was reunited with his priests, and Akhenaden's treachery was revealed as the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, which had also travelled back in time, stole the Items from their owners and used them to resurrect Zorc.