Origin
Purchased as an egg by Cain, Goldie was given by him as a gift to his brother, Abel. Goldie hatched soon after; initially named Irving, Abel eventually settled on the name Goldie.
Creation
“You… can’t call it Irving. Names for gargoyles always begin with a “G”. Like Gazpacho… or Gormagon… or Gladstone… or Ganymede… or… or… Phaf!” — Cain.
Goldie was created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth. She made her first appearance in The Sandman #2. She is named after an imaginary or ghost character first introduced in the House of Secrets.
Character Evolution
Modern Age
In her first appearances, Goldie was explicitly identified as a male, and remained so throughout her introductory series. Several years later she became female, and has remained so.
Major Story Arcs
Sandman
Goldie accompanies Abel and lives with him in the House of Secrets. He bonds with the infant Daniel Hall when the child enters the Dreaming. When the Furies attack he is saved from the chaos by Cain.
The Dreaming
Distressed by Cain’s treatment of Abel, Goldie runs away from the House of Secrets in the night and enters the Dreaming Without. She is encountered there by Tempto the Intuiter, who attempts to use her to reenter Eden and rewrite the events so that Adam and Eve are never cast out. She is able to undo his changes to reality, but must remain behind to guard the Garden. She is later recalled from the Garden by an avenging angel and returns, as a baby, to live with Abel. She remains with him in the House of Secrets, and is able to escape and survive the tumult of the Nightmare War.
House of Mystery
Remaining with Abel, Goldie occasionally enters the House of Mystery with him. Growing dissatisfied of her life as a gargoyle, she is able to convince Lotus Blossom to use magic to transform her into a human girl. Growing obsessively dedicated to Lotus Blossom, she moves into the House of Mystery and becomes the new waitress there. She accompanies Lotus Blossom when she rescues Harry Bailey from the Conception, and protects her from the magical cabal who attacks her in an effort to undo her changes to the universe. After the universe is saved, she remains in the House as a waitress.
Powers and Abilities
As a gargoyle, Goldie possesses all the traits and abilities inherent to her species. She is able to fly and breathe fire, and may also spit acid. As a human, she is superhumanly strong and durable, but lost the ability to fly along with her wings.