Seven Soldiers of Victory #1 lists the seven treasures as Gwydion the Merlin, The Undry Cauldron (Dagda's Cauldron), Pegasus the flying horse, Excalibur, the all-knowing Fatherbox, the Hammer, and the Spear whose name is both love and vengeance (possibly a reference to the Gáe Bulg, but eventually revealed to be the progeny of Aurakles, the first superhero).

Once a civilization reaches a certain level of development, the Sheeda arrive to 'harvest' it; to destroy its monuments and defeat its champions.

The first three issues of JLA: Classified were published before any part of Seven Soldiers of Victory, and appear to be a prelude to that series.

Whichever it is, the Earth now orbits a dying sun, and mismanagement of the planet by the Sheeda has reduced it to a wasteland.

In an interview Grant Morrison explained that: "[These soldiers] are recruited into an apocalyptic battle with some ancient Enemies of Humanity, a race of beings called the Sheeda, who are familiar to us from folk tale and legend as 'the Unseelie Court', or the people of 'Faerie' among many other names.

Periodically, these Sheeda arrive like locusts in their millions in huge floating 'Castles' they use to 'harvest' civilizations which have reached their peak.

I had a wild idea about what these legends might REALLY be describing and realized I'd found the perfect villains for this story.

I based my portrayal of the Sheeda civilization itself on a dark, inverted Goth image of Queen Elizabeth 1's England.

[1] In the representation of Sheeda's language depicted in Shining Knight #4 Morrison used the Ogham alphabet.