Mythology References

[Beatrice]

We all know that the Final Fantasy series tends to involve a lot of mythology in the story line. I was quite suprised to find that FFVIII has at least two strong ties to Ancient American mythology.

The most widely known would be our favorite thunder bird, Quetzy. Quetzy appears in Aztec mythology as a "feathered snake." He reigned as a sky god. Ironically, it was his twin brother Xolotl who was the god of lightening.

The second tie is very subtle. The "Balam" were the Mayan deities who protect people in their daily lives. The Balam ("jaguar") also protect the community against external threats. Interesting, no? Isn't that the purpose of Balamb garden, to protect people in their daily lives, and to protect the community against external threats?

What other mythological references have you found?

[~*Crystal*~]

Eden, as in the garden of Eden (see the thread about Garden of Eden).

Odin is a god from Scandinavian mytology.

Gilgamesh from the Assyrian epic poem of Gilgamesh. One of the four swords Gilgamesh is carrying is Exbalibur, a reference to the legendary Excalibur of Camelot.

I THINK I've heard of Shiva before, but I can't remember where... Maybe Scandinavian mythology...

Quezacotl like you said was a deity in Aztec mythology.

Cerberus is the three-headed demon dog that guarded the gates of the kingdom of Hades; Hades being the ancient Greek god of the underworld and his kingdom being the land of the dead and NOT hell as its widely believed...

Alexander is definitely a reference to the Greek Alexander the Great.

Chimaira (one of the monsters found in deserts, like Dingo desert and the desert near cactuar island) is a four-headed moster from Greek mythology.

Most of the references concern the GFs.

[TheAbominatrix]

Shiva is the Hindu (I think) God of destruction.

And yes, most of the references are in GF's, just like the summons on most FFs... I cant think of any others offhand...

[Lenne]

Shiva is Hinduisms. It (Shiva has no gender!!) is the destroyer and renovator. It's one of the most im portant gods to them because Shiva keeps the balance of the world.

Kali is hinduism, too, but that would be ff ix

and diabolos is clear: lucifer

Edit: Oh TheAbominatrix, you were typing faster

[Wrexsoul]

Can't forget Siren... those are the pretty-singing sea creatures that lured sailors to their demise in Homer's Odyessy.

And Leviathan is mentioned in the Bible a few times.

I can't come up with any more at the moment (Crystal, I think, got most of 'em), but they do seem to be mostly the GFs.

Bahamut is unique to Squaresoft, isn't it?

[Lenne]

hm, no bahamut is a fish swimming in world's ozean. sry, I forget the details

to siren: I think you mean the Lorely , yes that's right! She was sitting on a rock and had long blond hairs (like the GF) and the sailor just had eyes for her, so they didn't keep attention and their ship sank!
But Sirenes are birds, too with human appearance (like our GF, don't forget her wings!)

[Link1]

Der Bahamut ist ein monströser Fisch. Der Legende nach schwimmt er in einem ebenso riesigen See. Ein riesiger Bulle reitet auf seinem Rücken, auf dessen Rücken wiederum ein Berg steht. Auf dem Berg,der die sechs Höllen, die Erde und die sieben Himmel darstellt, steht ein Engel. Der Bahamut ist so groß, daß kein Mensch ihn mit den Augen erfassen kann. Wahrscheinlich wird von ihm der Behemoth abgeleitet.
(this is in german first ;-))
Is a big fish, swimming in a great lake.
a huge bull is riding on his back.
on the huge bull their are 6 holes and the 7 heavens, is an angel.
Maybe is behemoth called by Bahamut
(my english is bad i know)^^

[Beatrice]

Actually, I thought that "Diablos" in spanish only meant "devil" and not necessarily Satan. I could be wrong. ^,^;;

[Shockwave Pulsar]

Diablo means satan in spanish. diablos in spanish is a curse.

[Beatrice]

Well, then GF Diablos is a curse...no?

[Big D]

Cid does say that the Magical Lamp is a 'cursed item'...
Virtually every GF and significant boss has some mythological meaning or origin. Even some aspects of the plot...
Besimudo would love this thread.

[Scar Face]

Tiamat

In Babylonian myths, Tiamat is a huge, bloated female dragon that personifies the saltwater ocean, the water of Chaos. She is also the primordial mother of all that exists, including the gods themselves. Her consort is Apsu, the personification of the freshwater abyss that lies beneath the Earth. From their union, saltwater with freshwater, the first pair of gods were born. They are Lachmu and Lachamu, parents of Ansar and Kisar, grandparents of Anu and Ea.
In the creation epic Enuma elish, written around 2000 BCE, their descendants started to irritate Tiamat and Apsu so they decided to kill their offspring. Ea discovered their plans and he managed to kill Apsu while the latter was asleep. Tiamat flew into a rage when she learned about Apsu's death and wanted to avenge her husband. She created an army of monstrous creatures, which was to be led by her new consort Kingu, who is also her son. Eventually, Tiamat was defeated by the young god Marduk, who was born in the deep freshwater sea.

Marduk cleaved her body in half, and from the upper half he created the sky and from the lower half he made the earth. From her water came forth the clouds and her tears became the source of the Tigris and the Euphratus. Kingu also perished, and from his blood Marduk created the first humans.

[Besimudo]

(Besimudo has arrived)

Just on American myth... The halls of The pseudo Arch d' Triumph in Galbadia is elaborated with Incan artwork.
The American themes early in the game signify natural religion ... (non-organised man living with god (earth) type themes), this is consistent with the Norse themes... Then we begin to see Christian Ideologies enter FF8, influencing, but not replacing the older mythologies. Finally we see the Armageddon take place in Esthar, which the natural order (as it does in all myths "rebirth") manages to overcome/ evade.

FF8 follows a time scale of myth, we see early myth followed by more philosophical myths then we see the break down of mythical tradition in disc 3. As I pointed out the final destination before Ultimacia is the secular Esthar and Space (heaven) this is mans way of attain a "godless" existence, through invention and science.

This pattern follow our world situation...

This ephemeral thread cannot hold a comprehensive myth dissertation... I would gladly write essays until next spring... but this would mean deprivation from the volatile experience of forum contribution.

[Beatrice]

Is FFVIII the only Final Fantasy that has been influenced greatly by American mythology? I haven't noticed it in the other games.

[Besimudo]

When you speak of "American" mythology, did you exclude the north American Indian customs?

FF7 featured Cosmo Canyon, which typified the north American traditions.