Hoy Hoy! My first entry in Fanfiction.net. Took me long enough, too.
As the title suggests, this is an explanation of SOME of the mythology
behind Sailor Moon. This really only covers the Roman/Greek portion, and
barely skims the Japanese folklore. This is the unedited version, written
for my H.S.T. a year ago, roughly between March and May somewhere in my
Junior year. My memory eludes me. In this aspect, some comments may go over
your head as they apply to either myself or my teacher. Ah, well...read it!
"Me, Roman/Greek Mythology and...... Sailor Moon?!"
by lil' Lime-chan
PG-13 (a little harsh, but better to be careful than nothing at all
s_midnite@hotmail.com
Welllllllllcom to Mount Olympus!
Home of the Gods and Goddesses, where all creation began...
Ah, n-no, That's not how it started. It actually began with Gaea (pronounced JEE-uh) known to us as Mother Earth ( those of you who have seen the show 'Captain Planet', they pronounced the name GUY-uh. That's wrong.)
She gave birth to Uranus, Ather of the Upper Air (or sky, duh) being the father.
Later on, Uranus, with his mother, fathered the Titans (Cronus being the youngest), the hundred handed (otherwise known as Hecatoncheries), and the Cyclopes (talk about incest.) Uranus thought them so ugly (Gee...I wonder why. Maybe that's why you don't have SEX with your MOTHER!) that he sealed them up inside the Earth, his mother-wife (that just sounds SO wrong...)
Uranus ruled the universe ( WHAT universe?!) with such force that Gaea roused her children (her children/grandchildren? Ewww...) from within her to rebel against their father and his rule. At the defeat, Cronus castrated his father with his sickle (chop choppity chop chop, chop chop!) and threw his genitals out into the sea (YEOWCH! So happy to be female and human.) From the blood and semen of this, Aphrodite came to be.
Mmmm.... yesss... about Aphrodite. There are two, count 'em, TWO different stories about her creation.
#1: According to Homer (NOT Homer Simpson... idiot) Aphrodite was born of Zeus and Dione (pronounced dy-OH-nee) and oak goddess.
Hmmm... not much on THAT myth to go on.
#2: According to Hesiod, and what most accounts say, Aphrodite was older than the Olympians (that's pretty damn old. And not a wrinkle on her. Oh, the benefits of being a goddess.) The story goes, as previously noted before, Cronus (A.K.A. Saturn) defeated his father Uranus, then (heheh)chopped- er - RELIEVED him of his genetalia, and tossed them into the sea (His mojo! It's gone!)
The blood and semen from this incident created a foam on the shores of an island (supossedly Cyprus) and from there, out of a big seashell, popped Aphrodite, surrounded by angels (whoever painted the picture of the birth of Venus got Christianity and Greek god worship mixed up) and a nymph who was trying to clothe her and make her decent looking ( this ain't no nude beach, woman!) Her name, at least the first part of it, 'Aphros', means foam (no- NOT like big fuzzy afro's, people) and the 'dite' part, well I'm guessing it means 'born', because together, the name Aphrodite means 'foam born'. Everywhere she walked, flowers sprang up and birds flew and sang.
And her love life? WELL......
Several gods had courted her (and who wouldn't? Happy nudist chick shows up, fresh from the sea, drop dead gorgeous. Well, I guess if you're not a guy- not that that has stopped some people...)
However, I almost feel sorry for the gods. She incited desire. Love was her profession, her hobby, HER love. It was the only duty she had. Therfore, anyone who fell in love with her wouldn't be able to help themselves.
So, as I said, many gods courted her. But as a big shock to EVERYONE, she married Hephaestus, the ugly and crippled, but gifted smith god. She bore many children, but with almost as many fathers, her most notorious affair being with Ares (Mars), with whom she bore Phobos (pronounced FEE-bus) and Harmonia, mother of the Amazons ( I'm thinking Aphrodite was attracted to this man because of his passionate way of fighting... oh well) However, after each man she took, she always returned to Hephaestus, and he always forgave her (dumb lovestruck idiot)
Well now, back to Cronus. Befor he had completly killed his father (Uranus), Uranus had prophesied that Cronus would be taken down from his thrown in a way that was just as bad if not worse. And by one of his own children, no less. Hmmm... now if that were me, I'd stay celibate to avoid that little problem (or at least use a condom) Alas, men and their testosterone. He married Rhea, his sister (can we all say 'EWW'?) and cranked out more than his fare share of children (what's that? Children/neices and nephews? iQue asco!) Now, pardon me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't actually having all these kids make the prophesy all the easier to be fufilled? I thought so. And apparently, so did Cronus, and after each of his children were born, he swallowed them, five in all.
Okay, here's the scenario: all five children swallowed by power-hungry husband, does wife stand by and take it? Heck, no! Personally, if I were Rhea at that point, I could care less if Cronus died and rotted in hell. But since hell didn't exist during that time, the thought couldn't have crossed her mind (of course I could be wrong.)
So, after Rhea secretly gave birth to the sixth one, she hid him, then wrapped up a stone in cloth to make it look like a baby, and presented it to Cronus, who in turn swallowed it. Rhea named this last child Zeus, which meant 'bright sky' (the Romans called him 'Jupiter', a mispronounced version of 'Zeus Pater', meaning 'Father Zeus'.) There, he was fed on the milk of the she-goat Almathea, and on ambrosia, the nectar of the gods. Now here's where a woman's genius comes into play. Not only did she hide him, she taught him in the ways of revenge. If you ever want to know how to get revenge on a person, ask a woman, especially one that's crazy pissed off, such as Rhea (unless you yourself are a woman.) And what better way to back stab someone than to do it by way of ambush?
Zeus was somewhere between his mid and late teens when he went after Cronus. Jumping his father while he was on a hunt, he kicked him in his stomach. For any human, this would have proved painful. But for Cronus, not only was it painful, it made him vomit up the rock, but not only the rock. Not a moment afterword did he begin to vomit up the rest of his children one by one, still in infant form. Now I know what your thinking: "How could nothing have happened to them?" But keep in mind- they were 100% gods and goddesses. They would have survived wheather they wanted to or not. Cronus fled from the scene like the coward he was. However, Zeus did not follow, and was instead greeted warmly by his newfound brothers and sisters. Then gathering up their strength together, a war ensued between Cronus with his army of Titans, and Zeus with his cavalry of brothers and sisters. Cronus and his gang were big and bad, but Zeus and his troops bushwacked 'em good; Cronus and the Titans never being heard from again.
And now...
Ladies and Gentlemen...The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus! And don't insult anybody, because Zeus' thunderbolts will zap you crispy (thunderbolts possible by Hephaestus Manufacturing, Inc. "If I Can Make Zeus' Thunderbolts, What Can't I Make?")
Let's start with Hermes, A.K.A. Mercury, nick-named the Devine Hearald. He was the son of Zeus and Maia (I do believe I forgot to mention it, Zeus married his older sister Hera, but being the lustful man he was, he took woman after woman, a bit like Aphrodite....pig)
Hermes is the messenger of the gods, and the god of commerce, property and wealth. We get words such as commerce, merchandise, and merchant from him. He was intelligent and (reasonably) good looking, and delivered his messages with an amazing speed because of his winged sandals called 'Talaria', and a winged hat called a 'petasus'. With him he carried a winged rod with two snakes wrapping themselves around it, which the Greeks called a 'kerykeion', which meant 'messenger'. However, the Romans called it a 'caduceus' (ka-DOO-see-us), which is basically the same thing, translated into latin (and it's the word I'm more familiar with anyway) This rod is recognized in the medical field, as Mercury was also associated with science, magic, and medicine.
Hermes (Mercury) was also a patron of liars, gamblers, and thieves, and a protector of travelers. He himself was witty and a trickster. It is said that when he was a half a day old, he climbed out of his cradle and stole half of Apollo's herd of cattle (must've been a thirsty little kid) When the angered sun god (Apollo) came and confronted the infant (a few days later, of course) Hermes consoled him by teaching him how to play the lyre, which he somehow had managed to make when he was only two days old (now if MY kid were that smart, he wouldn't be at home)
Apollo, giddy as he was with his new toy, took Hermes up to Olympus, where the infant appealed to Zeus. There he was appointed the Hearald god, and was charged with bringing the dead to Hades. It is also said that Hermes invented dice, astronomy, taught humans the use of the firestick, and developed the first weight system. Zeus used him exclusively to run confidential errands (like love letters, most likely... the pimp) and became his companion, often going down with him in his noctournal adventures in diguise.
Did Hermes ever get some booty? Shawnuff ('sure enough'. 'Shawnuff' is actuall a jazz tune composed by 'Dizzy' Gillespie and Charlie Parker in 1948) He got it from Aphrodite (and who DIDN'T?! The slut...) Did Hermes have any kids? Ah, well...he had one, by Aphrodite. Ya ever heard of Hermaphroditus? That's the one. A He-She. Poor kid (cough cough...)
NEXT!
Ares, A.K.A. Mars by the Romans. The god of Warfare and Bloodshed (oooh... sounds intriguing)
Now, by no means did the gods and goddesses of Olympus get along, but most of them just plain didn't like Ares, not even his own parents, Zeus and Hera (no that isn't nice!)
He was too cruel and brutal for the lot of them, and was seen as a bloodyminded butcher. It was his pleasure and hobby to kill (kinda reminds you of Jack the Ripper or Jason) Ares loved to induce men into warfare, and gloat of the battlefield. When he went into battle, he was accompanied by his twin sister, Eris, A.K.A Discordia, who would shriek in delight everytime she rode out with him in his chariot. Also with him were his sons, Deimos (pronounced DAY-mus, meaning fear) and Phobos (terror). The name Terror also belonged to one of his chariot horses. The others were named Fire, Flame and Trouble.
It would seem that Ares would have no friends, but that isnn't totally true. The only gods that were friendly to him were Aphrodite, who was (for some odd reason) faacinated by violence, and thoought him handsome in a cruel kind of way which is how Phobos came into existance), Eris, who rode beside him in battle, and Hades. Of course Hades liked him! What did war bring? Bloodshed! And what does bloodshed bring? DEATH! Needless to say, Ares, hands down fully stocked the Underworld for Hades.
And since were on the subject, we'll talk about Hades, A.K.A. Pluto (have you noticed I like to use A.K.A. a lot?)
Yes, you're probably thinking, 'Oooh, the bad guy', 'No one likes him, he's evil'. The verdict?
WRONG!!!!!
Hades wasn't an evil god, but a grim and somber one. He hated change, so ruling the Underworld was a smooth ride for him. He was a somewhat greedy god, though, and didn't let anyone leave Tartarus, the name of his kingdom. Tatarus was surrounded by the river Styx, which was the river that the dead were ferried across by way of Charon (KAYR-un) to be 'checked in' to 'Hotel Tartarus' (Folks check in, but they don't check out. How ya like dem apples?!) Hades' kingdom lay far beneath the earth, and the gates were guarded by a three headed dog named Cerebus, trained to keep the dead IN, and the living OUT (now, if one could own a guard dog like that...)
Hades rarely ever left his kingdom, but when doing so, he rode out on his golden chariot, pulled by four black horses. He would only attend the most important events in Olympus, and when he did, he always brought gifts of treasure, since down in his kingdom, he owned vast troves of gems (well think about it. When mining for treasure, we go down into the earth. It would only make sense that Hades was rich.)
However, what he loved to do most was sit on his throne of ebony, next to his wife Persephone (who was also his neice. Yet another show of incest), and listen to the pleas and petitions of the dead (which he of course ignored. It's like that FARSIDE comic, with all the devils laughing their heads off, reading the slips from the suggestion box.) He liked to listen to the chiming of the Furies' brass wings (whose job was to torment those who had offended the gods) The crying of mourners was a beautiful melody to him, and he drank tears like wine. He hated the brightness of life, and only valued death (yep, sounds like a happy person to me.) Humans hated and feared him so much, they never said his name aloud, but referred to him indirectly, calling him either 'Pluton', 'the Rich One', or Aidoneus (ay- DON-ee-us, which means 'Unseen One'. Quite fitting, ne?) Although a god of dead, he was by far the most patient god, and always waited out all strategies until one of them worked.
While we're discussing underground kingdoms, we might as well dicuss Poseidon.
Poseidon, known to the Romans as Neptune, was the Lord of the Sea, Earthquakes, and Horses ("Horses, you say?" Yes, horses. Keep reading.) He wore a green robe, a pearl crown, carried a Triton, and rode a dolphin pulled chariot. He claimed not only the sea, but the land and sky as well with his powerful waves and waterspouts, feuding with his brothers and sisters. He was the most fearsome of the Olympians, Zeus' BIG brother, literally. Men spoke of him in quiet voices as the 'earth-shaker' (sounds like a ride at Cedar Point.) His emotions were always changing. He could be loving one moment, then hot tempered the next. He would be happy, letting sailor through safely, then turn wrathful, wrecking fleets and drowning those who dared to set sail ( as bad as
a woman on P.M.S.)
But Poseidon wasw also generous, his underwater domain holding vast riches, much like Hades. He invented many forms of life, such as the octopus, blowfish, and the seapolyp (don't ask. I have absolutely no idea what that is) all for the sea nymphs enjoyment. One time, as a peace offering for Amphitrite's (his wife) jealous wrath, he created the dolphin and presented it to her as a gift. But the most wonderful creation of his is the horse (a-HA! Now we shall find out WHY the horses. So shaddup and keep reading.) Poseidon created it as a love token to Demeter, the goddess of harvest. She had always detested his rude way of trying to woo her, and would always run inland to get away from him, until he had presented her with the most beautiful creation ever seen on earth: the HORSE.
(I swear that man is a player, just like his little brother, Zeus. Must run in the family.) This creature is what made Demeter change her opinion about Poseidon, although it had taken him several unsuccessful attempts to make the horse: the camel, hippopotomus, giraffe, donkey, and the zebra (Yeesh, you'd think it would only take him a couple of times to get it right, but NOOOOO..... it took him six times, SIX!)
Who's next? Ahhh..... my favorites. The Moon Goddesses (yes,yes, I know... and Gods)
The moon has many phases (FAY-zez, not FACES!) and the Goddesses (I have changed my mind. There ARE no gods of the moon! HA! MUWAHAHAHAHA! [maniacle laughter.] GODDESSES REVOLUTION, BABY!) were created after them. Suppose you glance up and the sky and say, "Hmm...no moon tonight." Yes there is (you dumbass) The New Moon. You could also call it the Dark Moon, since you can't see it. And the Goddess of this moon was named Hecate (HEK-uh-tee) She is also a Goddess of the Underworld, some believing her to be Hades' wife (Persephone) in her most deadly phase (naahhhh.) She has also been said to be Persephone's close companion while she was down in the Underworld (which is the idea I'll more readily accept,since Hades ahd kidnapped Persephone and brought her down unwillingly.) Now Hecate, the self-sufficent Goddess is a classic example of a real bitch: an ancient woman who was evil straight down to the bone. What did she spend her time doing? Torturing ghosts, of all things! C'mon, they're already dead, leave 'em alone! And she was the mistress of the Furies, who, as mentioned before when talking about Hades, tormented those who had royally pissed off the gods. And when people died in ancient times, they were taken beyond the walls of the city to be buried on the sides of the road, thereby Hecate earning the title 'Queen of the Roads'. Therfore getting a license plate that said that would be somewhat unflattering (unless of course you LIKED Hecate)
Hecate's love life was nil, void, D.O.A. (hehe...Dead On Arrival... she works with dead people... Get it? A joke! Hahahahaha.....ungh....) This woman, as much as a bitch she was (oh PLEEZE don't subtract points fro swearing, Mrs. Tobey, PLEASE!!!!!) is still worshipped today and her religion has outlasted that of all the other gods. She was made the patron of medival wiccans, and was worshipped in their secret rituals.
Now let's move on to a goddess who was less evil, but by no means less bitchy. Her name is Artemis, the virginal, macho goddess. The virginal part is pretty much self explanitory, and the macho part, well...how many chicks do you know who are breathtakingly beautiful but don't like men and enjoy hunting? That was Artemis. I can understand how she could be the Goddess of Wild animals, and of the Hunt and Chase (she was after all, the huntsman [woman]-in-chief of the gods, and represents the crescent moon, since it is shaped like a hunting bow.) But how she can be the Virgin Goddess AND the Goddess of Childbirth is beyond me. I think we'll just call her the Virgin Goddess. Besides, if I said that she'd slept with someone she'd kill me; Artemis is one of the more...shall we say, vengeful goddesses. In fact, one time she had been bathing, and had caught sight of a man watching her, and in a rage, she had hunted him down and killed him (ahh.... sweet revenge. That's what you get, ya stupid Peeping Tom!) Her wrath can be a good thing, though, for she is the protectress of youth (Mmmm...sounds like Sailor Moon to me!)
I believe we've touched down on Selene, so we might as well give her our attention. She was the goddess of the full moon, silvery and beautiful in form. She too was the goddess of chastity, but it is also fitting on how she is the Goddess of Fertility and Childbirth. Selene had fallen in love with a young man on earth named Endymion. Some say he was a prince or king, others say he was a hunter, most say he was a shepherd, but ALL agree that he was infinantly beautiful in form, so much so that Selene fell in love with him. Watching from the moon, she spied a breathtaking male, sleeping on Mount Latmus. In fact, there was even a poem written in behalf of these two starcrossed lovers. Starcrossed? Yes, because when Selene had come down and made love to him, he had still been asleep, and thought it all a wonderful dream (If you remember from reading Romeo and Juliet, being starcrossed lovers was a bad thing.) However, Endymion begged Zeus for eternal slumber and youth so that Selene could come to him every night (it's also been said that SELENE cast the sleeping spell on him so that SHE could love him all that she wanted to.) But needless to say, in the end, she bore him 50 children, never to be seen by his eyes. Now the poem:
Endymion the Shepherd
As his flock he guarded,
She, the moon, Selene,
Saw him, Loved him, Sought him,
Coming down from heaven
To the glade on Latmus,
Kissed him, lay beside him.
Blessed is his fortune.
Evermore he slumbers,
Tossing not nor turning
Endymion the Shepherd
Sweet poem, ne? WELL! To the Planets! TALLY HO!
1. MERCURY. The planet is blue and small, and moves rather quickly, like Hermes. It has no moons. A rather hot planet with no moons what so ever. It at times appears to be tinted a faint blue color ( a big factor coming up later on).
2. VENUS. Like Mercury, it is exceedingly hot, even hotter that Mercury, though it's closer to the sun. WHY? Because it has an atmosphere like ours and more that 10 times the greenhouse effect going on. A dry and cloudy planet. I don't know how it got named after Aphrodite. Prehaps because it was bright and beautiful like her? Ahhhh... to be a goddess......
3. EARTH. To ask how the earth is like Gaea is ridiculous. Gaea WAS the earth.
End-of-discussion.
4. LUNA (our moon). Like Selene when full because of its radiant beauty, like Artemis when a crescent because it represents her hunting bow, and like Hecate when new, because of its darkness and being unseen. Need I say more?
5. MARS. The 'Red Planet', and understandibly named so. Red like blood, from bloodshed, from battle, caused by Ares, God of Warfare. Mars' temperature is much cooler than ours, and is riddled with peaks, vallies, craters, mountains, and canyons, the biggest on being Valles Marineris, which would span the length of the entire USA continent, and then some. In other ways related to the god, it has two moons circling the planet, named Phobos and Deimos, like his sons.
6. JUPITER. Huge like the god, with its powerful winds and lightening storms. And surrounding it, sixteen moons, all named after the women he took. Go figure. What most people don't know about this planet is that it harbors rings, like Saturn.
7. SATURN. Planet of immense size (not as big as Jupiter) and of multiple rings, nine to be exact, made of ice and debris. Rotating around it are eighteen moons. However, as large as this planet is, it is composed entirely of gas. And according to a video on the planets I saw recently, the entire planet could (in theory) float in an ocean. Of course it would have to be a rather LARGE ocean...
8. URANUS. A very light blue-green color. It was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel, who almost named it "Georgium Sidus", Latin for George's Star, after his king George III of England. But he followed the advice of fellow astronomer Johann Bode, and named it Uranus, after Saturn's father. Orbiting around it are seventeen moons, and, like Saturn, a set of rings.
9. NEPTUNE. A deep blue colored planet, like the ocean and the god. And, like previously noted with Jupiter and Uranus, it has rings around it. Like the god, it is large, and has eight moons going around it.
10. PLUTO. Pluto is a small icy and barren planet, unseen to the naked eye, much like Hades. No rings on this one, but it has one moon circling it: Charon.
And now, for how they ALLLLLLL come together
(warning: this is a big trip into Sailor Moon world and Maeklyn's mind. Beware.....)
How's about we sit down and talk about my favorite show: Sailor Moon. Now, you say, "What in the WORLD does this have to do with Mythology?" Oh, but Sailor Moon has everything to do with mythology, in fact, the main plot is based off of it!
Do you recall the tale of Endymion and Selene? Selene's name was changed to Serenity, and some of the plot was redone, but in essence, the story is the same: A young princess sneaks away from her home to visit the forbidden Earth, and finds a handsome man (sigh.....*giggle*) named Prince Endymion. The two fall in love, and should live happily ever after, but the don't, primarily because a war shattered their lives, both dying. Then, 1000 years later, both are reincarnated to modern day Tokyo, living out their lives.
"Still no Mythology...."
Well hold on!
The mythology is, in fact, within the very characters themselves. Shall we begin?
1. SAILOR MERCURY. Her alternate identity is 'Mizuno Ami', translated from the original Japanese, it means 'friend of water'. Actually, the 'Ami' part is french, meaning friend. But who's paying attention anyway?!
Like the god, she is quick and intelligent. Her colors are light and dark blue, and her attacks are water and ice based. Like Hermes, she is reasonably good looking, and like Hermes, she only loves one person. Another comparison is the fact that she is good friends with Sailor Jupiter, much like Hermes was with Zeus (Jupiter- DUH.)
However, UNlike Hermes, she is shy and quiet, never one to really stick out.
2. SAILOR MARS. The polar opposite of Mercury's personality. Her alternate identity is 'Hino Rei' which translated means 'spirit of fire'. How fitting for one who represents Mars. Her colors are red and violet, her disposition firey (pardon the pun; couldn't resist). Her attacks are all fire based, if not spiritually. As Rei, she is a Shinto Priestess as the shrine in which she resides along with her grandfather. The name of the shrine is 'Hikawa Jinja' - fire temple. She is always arguing and causing arguments, much like Ares and his causing wars. And also, she has two crows, named Phobos and Deimos, like Ares' sons.
3. SAILOR JUPITER. The name Kino Makoto (Sailor Jupiter) means 'faithfulness; of wood'. And you may wonder, 'Why does Jupiter of all people hold the name FAITHFUL?' If you're thinking that the name doesn't pretain to the god, you're right. However, she is very loyal to her friends, standing true. The 'of wood' part has an actual meaning towards the gods. In japanese, the kanji for 'ki' means 'tree'. So 'Kino' (NOT Keno!) means 'of wood', or 'of tree'. In greecian times, it wasn't uncommon to see people with wreaths of leaves on their head. And in many sculptures, Zeus is portrayed with a wreath of olive leaves on his head, which of course came off a tree.
Other traits Sailor Jupiter has that are reminicent of Zeus' behavior, is the fact that she absolutely LOVES men, much as Zeus loved women. She can't live without 'em. However, unlike Zeus, she doesn't go bedding every goodlooking man she sees.
Sailor Jupiters attacks are based off of thunder and lightening, and later on, one of her attacks is 'Jupiter Oak Revolution!' during which many leaves come flying off from a wreath.
Hmmm... Her colors are green and pink, somewhat like the shades of the planet itself.
4. SAILOR VENUS. Aino Minako ('Everyone's Love'). The meaning of her name just screams the goddess Venus. Her colors are orange, blue and yellow, like the planet. In the myth, Aphrodite arises out of the foam of the sea- literally, she came out of nowhere. In the Sailor Moon series, Sailor Venus shows up out of nowhere, surprising everyone. Her attacks are affectionately named 'Venus Love Me Chain', and 'Venus Love and Beauty Shock!'. She entranced everyone she met, thereby making herself a perfect comparison for the goddess of love. However, unlike Venus, Minako's sucess with matchmaking leaves much to be desired.
5. SAILOR URANUS. One of the toughest of the group, definitley resembling the god she was named after. Her name, 'Te'noh Haruka', means 'far away sky king', of 'distant king of the heavens'. Much like Uranus.
Her attacks are 'World Shaking!' and 'Space Sword Blaster!'. I don't know about the last one, but worldshaking seems highly appropriate. Uranus did a small amount of conquering as a god. Actually, the last attack has a whole other reason for being named that; a season of Sailor Moon being based loosely on the tale of King Aurthur and the Search For the Holy Grail. But that's a completley different story for another time.
Sailor Uranus' colors are blue and gold, but mostly blue, like the color of the planet. Also like the god she has a child, who is Sailor Saturn- CRONUS. But that one didn't come around in a way that you might think.
6. SAILOR NEPTUNE. 'Full King of the Ocean' is the translation of her name Kaioh Michiru- need I say more? Yes. Like the others, her attacks are based on the god she represents in some way. The water attack 'Deep Submerge' is obviously related, whereas 'Submarine Reflection' can leave you wondering. But like Uranus, that attack has to do with a completely different story. Her colors are a turquoise green and teal, like her respective planet.
With her senses, she can feel how the ocean moves; wheather things are calm or when trouble is arising. With Haruka she shares a child, Sailor Saturn. I don't think I need to tell you what kind of relationship Haruka and Michiru have.
7. SAILOR SATURN. The adoptive daughter of Sailors Uranus and Neptune. Her name is Tomoe Hotaru (those of you who bought the spring copy of the 'Palladian' have seen the picture of her, although it's under the heading of Tomoe Holaru. Cheap typo.) and the translation of it is 'firefly of the soil'. This little girl has the power to HEAL, of all things. But don't get too comfy. She is most certainly Cronus' reincarnation. As Sailor Saturn, she wields a sickle called the 'Silence Glave'. It is nearly twice her size, and it holds the power to destroy an entire PLANET. Her attacks are 'Silent Wall', 'Silence Glaive Surprise' (like when she disembodied the god Uranus-OUCH.) and the final one, which has yet to be used since it is a last resort, 'Death Ribbon Revolution' (often translated 'Death Reborn Revolution'.) It is the attack that will kill off an entire planet. Hotaru is a sweet little girl- after she was healed. She was a pale sickly child, being possessed by an evil entity. During a battle, the entity, named 'Mistress 9', fully took over her, and she did indeed try to kill Uranus and Neptune. But at the last moment she turned good, and finally recieved her transformation into Sailor Saturn, willingly giving her life so that the others could be saved. This is back to the King Aurthur reference. In one of the story arcs in Sailor Moon, as part of the plot, they are looking for Messiah who can bear the Holy Grail. The only problem is that there are TWO Messiahs- the Messiah of Life (Sailor Moon) and the Messiah of Death, who just happens to be Saturn. When Saturn jumps into the battle scene with the actual nemisis, 'Pharoh 90' she disappears. Sailor Moon desprately tries to transform, but isn't able to. The others (the other Sailors) hearing her cries, give the last of their energy, since they all were nearly killed in the battle. With this energy, Sailor Moon was able to transform into the Messiah and jumped into the battle. when it was all over with, it had seemed to all that neither of the two had survived, until a shimmering light appeared in the sky. Coming forth was a beaten and worn Sailor Moon, holding a tiny, precious babe in her tired arms- the warrior formerly know as Sailor Saturn. And who was to take this child? But of course, Sailors Uranus and Neptune. Now the child had a family, since her father had died in the fight. But she would need other relatives, wouldn't she? Like... an aunt...?
8. SAILOR PLUTO. Enter Sailor Pluto. Her name 'Meioh Setsuna' means 'King of Dead' or 'Momentary Dark Ruler'. She is Hades' counterpart. Sailor Pluto is the Guardian of the 'Gate of Time'. She has seen all that there has been and all that there will be. Like Hades, she is rarely ever seen, and only appears for important matters. She is calm and patient, like the god, and she stands and makes certain that the time stream continues correctly. She appears to be grim, and she never reveals out any information unless it is of vital importance.
TO THE GODDESSES!!!!
Actually, parts of this will be quite funny, as you will see in a moment.
In the Sailor Moon Saga, I would like to think that the evil Queen Neherenia played the part of Hecate, seeing as how she was the ruler of the dark side of the moon. She seems to be a lot like Hades; loved to see her victims tortured. 'Nuff 'bout her. In poor Artemis' case... well, poor Artemis. For the Sailor Moon story plot, Artemis was made a guy, and was not at all like the goddess. Neither is Luna, his female partner. Luna was more like the goddess Artemis, always protecting her ward, Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon's name is Tsukino Usagi which means 'Rabbit of the Moon'. In the way that we believe in the Man on the Moon, the Japanese believe that there is a rabbit pounding a sweet rice paste called mochi. Sailor Moon is the Protectress of Youth, and in Serenity and Endymion's case, the perfect model of everlasting love.
Well, that about wraps up the comparisons between the Planets, Mythology, and
Sailor Moon. Hope you enjoyed. (Kick a$$ on the H.S.T. tomorrow, Mako- chan!)
Well? My writing has improved dramatically since this. I dropped from the high school I was in and transferred into a technical middle college. I'm telling you, there is help EVERYWHERE. In the Writing Center, there are staff members who read your essays and stories to help you revise them. I even got this one edited, as you will see in the next upload. Crap. It's 1:30 in the morning here in 'cheery' Michigan. My mom warned me once to get in the bed (a half hour ago! O_o) I'm working off borrowed time. Until next time.
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"Me, Roman/Greek Mythology and...... Sailor Moon?!"
by lil' Lime-chan
PG-13 (a little harsh, but better to be careful than nothing at all
s_midnite@hotmail.com
Welllllllllcom to Mount Olympus!
Home of the Gods and Goddesses, where all creation began...
Ah, n-no, That's not how it started. It actually began with Gaea (pronounced JEE-uh) known to us as Mother Earth ( those of you who have seen the show 'Captain Planet', they pronounced the name GUY-uh. That's wrong.)
She gave birth to Uranus, Ather of the Upper Air (or sky, duh) being the father.
Later on, Uranus, with his mother, fathered the Titans (Cronus being the youngest), the hundred handed (otherwise known as Hecatoncheries), and the Cyclopes (talk about incest.) Uranus thought them so ugly (Gee...I wonder why. Maybe that's why you don't have SEX with your MOTHER!) that he sealed them up inside the Earth, his mother-wife (that just sounds SO wrong...)
Uranus ruled the universe ( WHAT universe?!) with such force that Gaea roused her children (her children/grandchildren? Ewww...) from within her to rebel against their father and his rule. At the defeat, Cronus castrated his father with his sickle (chop choppity chop chop, chop chop!) and threw his genitals out into the sea (YEOWCH! So happy to be female and human.) From the blood and semen of this, Aphrodite came to be.
Mmmm.... yesss... about Aphrodite. There are two, count 'em, TWO different stories about her creation.
#1: According to Homer (NOT Homer Simpson... idiot) Aphrodite was born of Zeus and Dione (pronounced dy-OH-nee) and oak goddess.
Hmmm... not much on THAT myth to go on.
#2: According to Hesiod, and what most accounts say, Aphrodite was older than the Olympians (that's pretty damn old. And not a wrinkle on her. Oh, the benefits of being a goddess.) The story goes, as previously noted before, Cronus (A.K.A. Saturn) defeated his father Uranus, then (heheh)chopped- er - RELIEVED him of his genetalia, and tossed them into the sea (His mojo! It's gone!)
The blood and semen from this incident created a foam on the shores of an island (supossedly Cyprus) and from there, out of a big seashell, popped Aphrodite, surrounded by angels (whoever painted the picture of the birth of Venus got Christianity and Greek god worship mixed up) and a nymph who was trying to clothe her and make her decent looking ( this ain't no nude beach, woman!) Her name, at least the first part of it, 'Aphros', means foam (no- NOT like big fuzzy afro's, people) and the 'dite' part, well I'm guessing it means 'born', because together, the name Aphrodite means 'foam born'. Everywhere she walked, flowers sprang up and birds flew and sang.
And her love life? WELL......
Several gods had courted her (and who wouldn't? Happy nudist chick shows up, fresh from the sea, drop dead gorgeous. Well, I guess if you're not a guy- not that that has stopped some people...)
However, I almost feel sorry for the gods. She incited desire. Love was her profession, her hobby, HER love. It was the only duty she had. Therfore, anyone who fell in love with her wouldn't be able to help themselves.
So, as I said, many gods courted her. But as a big shock to EVERYONE, she married Hephaestus, the ugly and crippled, but gifted smith god. She bore many children, but with almost as many fathers, her most notorious affair being with Ares (Mars), with whom she bore Phobos (pronounced FEE-bus) and Harmonia, mother of the Amazons ( I'm thinking Aphrodite was attracted to this man because of his passionate way of fighting... oh well) However, after each man she took, she always returned to Hephaestus, and he always forgave her (dumb lovestruck idiot)
Well now, back to Cronus. Befor he had completly killed his father (Uranus), Uranus had prophesied that Cronus would be taken down from his thrown in a way that was just as bad if not worse. And by one of his own children, no less. Hmmm... now if that were me, I'd stay celibate to avoid that little problem (or at least use a condom) Alas, men and their testosterone. He married Rhea, his sister (can we all say 'EWW'?) and cranked out more than his fare share of children (what's that? Children/neices and nephews? iQue asco!) Now, pardon me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't actually having all these kids make the prophesy all the easier to be fufilled? I thought so. And apparently, so did Cronus, and after each of his children were born, he swallowed them, five in all.
Okay, here's the scenario: all five children swallowed by power-hungry husband, does wife stand by and take it? Heck, no! Personally, if I were Rhea at that point, I could care less if Cronus died and rotted in hell. But since hell didn't exist during that time, the thought couldn't have crossed her mind (of course I could be wrong.)
So, after Rhea secretly gave birth to the sixth one, she hid him, then wrapped up a stone in cloth to make it look like a baby, and presented it to Cronus, who in turn swallowed it. Rhea named this last child Zeus, which meant 'bright sky' (the Romans called him 'Jupiter', a mispronounced version of 'Zeus Pater', meaning 'Father Zeus'.) There, he was fed on the milk of the she-goat Almathea, and on ambrosia, the nectar of the gods. Now here's where a woman's genius comes into play. Not only did she hide him, she taught him in the ways of revenge. If you ever want to know how to get revenge on a person, ask a woman, especially one that's crazy pissed off, such as Rhea (unless you yourself are a woman.) And what better way to back stab someone than to do it by way of ambush?
Zeus was somewhere between his mid and late teens when he went after Cronus. Jumping his father while he was on a hunt, he kicked him in his stomach. For any human, this would have proved painful. But for Cronus, not only was it painful, it made him vomit up the rock, but not only the rock. Not a moment afterword did he begin to vomit up the rest of his children one by one, still in infant form. Now I know what your thinking: "How could nothing have happened to them?" But keep in mind- they were 100% gods and goddesses. They would have survived wheather they wanted to or not. Cronus fled from the scene like the coward he was. However, Zeus did not follow, and was instead greeted warmly by his newfound brothers and sisters. Then gathering up their strength together, a war ensued between Cronus with his army of Titans, and Zeus with his cavalry of brothers and sisters. Cronus and his gang were big and bad, but Zeus and his troops bushwacked 'em good; Cronus and the Titans never being heard from again.
And now...
Ladies and Gentlemen...The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus! And don't insult anybody, because Zeus' thunderbolts will zap you crispy (thunderbolts possible by Hephaestus Manufacturing, Inc. "If I Can Make Zeus' Thunderbolts, What Can't I Make?")
Let's start with Hermes, A.K.A. Mercury, nick-named the Devine Hearald. He was the son of Zeus and Maia (I do believe I forgot to mention it, Zeus married his older sister Hera, but being the lustful man he was, he took woman after woman, a bit like Aphrodite....pig)
Hermes is the messenger of the gods, and the god of commerce, property and wealth. We get words such as commerce, merchandise, and merchant from him. He was intelligent and (reasonably) good looking, and delivered his messages with an amazing speed because of his winged sandals called 'Talaria', and a winged hat called a 'petasus'. With him he carried a winged rod with two snakes wrapping themselves around it, which the Greeks called a 'kerykeion', which meant 'messenger'. However, the Romans called it a 'caduceus' (ka-DOO-see-us), which is basically the same thing, translated into latin (and it's the word I'm more familiar with anyway) This rod is recognized in the medical field, as Mercury was also associated with science, magic, and medicine.
Hermes (Mercury) was also a patron of liars, gamblers, and thieves, and a protector of travelers. He himself was witty and a trickster. It is said that when he was a half a day old, he climbed out of his cradle and stole half of Apollo's herd of cattle (must've been a thirsty little kid) When the angered sun god (Apollo) came and confronted the infant (a few days later, of course) Hermes consoled him by teaching him how to play the lyre, which he somehow had managed to make when he was only two days old (now if MY kid were that smart, he wouldn't be at home)
Apollo, giddy as he was with his new toy, took Hermes up to Olympus, where the infant appealed to Zeus. There he was appointed the Hearald god, and was charged with bringing the dead to Hades. It is also said that Hermes invented dice, astronomy, taught humans the use of the firestick, and developed the first weight system. Zeus used him exclusively to run confidential errands (like love letters, most likely... the pimp) and became his companion, often going down with him in his noctournal adventures in diguise.
Did Hermes ever get some booty? Shawnuff ('sure enough'. 'Shawnuff' is actuall a jazz tune composed by 'Dizzy' Gillespie and Charlie Parker in 1948) He got it from Aphrodite (and who DIDN'T?! The slut...) Did Hermes have any kids? Ah, well...he had one, by Aphrodite. Ya ever heard of Hermaphroditus? That's the one. A He-She. Poor kid (cough cough...)
NEXT!
Ares, A.K.A. Mars by the Romans. The god of Warfare and Bloodshed (oooh... sounds intriguing)
Now, by no means did the gods and goddesses of Olympus get along, but most of them just plain didn't like Ares, not even his own parents, Zeus and Hera (no that isn't nice!)
He was too cruel and brutal for the lot of them, and was seen as a bloodyminded butcher. It was his pleasure and hobby to kill (kinda reminds you of Jack the Ripper or Jason) Ares loved to induce men into warfare, and gloat of the battlefield. When he went into battle, he was accompanied by his twin sister, Eris, A.K.A Discordia, who would shriek in delight everytime she rode out with him in his chariot. Also with him were his sons, Deimos (pronounced DAY-mus, meaning fear) and Phobos (terror). The name Terror also belonged to one of his chariot horses. The others were named Fire, Flame and Trouble.
It would seem that Ares would have no friends, but that isnn't totally true. The only gods that were friendly to him were Aphrodite, who was (for some odd reason) faacinated by violence, and thoought him handsome in a cruel kind of way which is how Phobos came into existance), Eris, who rode beside him in battle, and Hades. Of course Hades liked him! What did war bring? Bloodshed! And what does bloodshed bring? DEATH! Needless to say, Ares, hands down fully stocked the Underworld for Hades.
And since were on the subject, we'll talk about Hades, A.K.A. Pluto (have you noticed I like to use A.K.A. a lot?)
Yes, you're probably thinking, 'Oooh, the bad guy', 'No one likes him, he's evil'. The verdict?
WRONG!!!!!
Hades wasn't an evil god, but a grim and somber one. He hated change, so ruling the Underworld was a smooth ride for him. He was a somewhat greedy god, though, and didn't let anyone leave Tartarus, the name of his kingdom. Tatarus was surrounded by the river Styx, which was the river that the dead were ferried across by way of Charon (KAYR-un) to be 'checked in' to 'Hotel Tartarus' (Folks check in, but they don't check out. How ya like dem apples?!) Hades' kingdom lay far beneath the earth, and the gates were guarded by a three headed dog named Cerebus, trained to keep the dead IN, and the living OUT (now, if one could own a guard dog like that...)
Hades rarely ever left his kingdom, but when doing so, he rode out on his golden chariot, pulled by four black horses. He would only attend the most important events in Olympus, and when he did, he always brought gifts of treasure, since down in his kingdom, he owned vast troves of gems (well think about it. When mining for treasure, we go down into the earth. It would only make sense that Hades was rich.)
However, what he loved to do most was sit on his throne of ebony, next to his wife Persephone (who was also his neice. Yet another show of incest), and listen to the pleas and petitions of the dead (which he of course ignored. It's like that FARSIDE comic, with all the devils laughing their heads off, reading the slips from the suggestion box.) He liked to listen to the chiming of the Furies' brass wings (whose job was to torment those who had offended the gods) The crying of mourners was a beautiful melody to him, and he drank tears like wine. He hated the brightness of life, and only valued death (yep, sounds like a happy person to me.) Humans hated and feared him so much, they never said his name aloud, but referred to him indirectly, calling him either 'Pluton', 'the Rich One', or Aidoneus (ay- DON-ee-us, which means 'Unseen One'. Quite fitting, ne?) Although a god of dead, he was by far the most patient god, and always waited out all strategies until one of them worked.
While we're discussing underground kingdoms, we might as well dicuss Poseidon.
Poseidon, known to the Romans as Neptune, was the Lord of the Sea, Earthquakes, and Horses ("Horses, you say?" Yes, horses. Keep reading.) He wore a green robe, a pearl crown, carried a Triton, and rode a dolphin pulled chariot. He claimed not only the sea, but the land and sky as well with his powerful waves and waterspouts, feuding with his brothers and sisters. He was the most fearsome of the Olympians, Zeus' BIG brother, literally. Men spoke of him in quiet voices as the 'earth-shaker' (sounds like a ride at Cedar Point.) His emotions were always changing. He could be loving one moment, then hot tempered the next. He would be happy, letting sailor through safely, then turn wrathful, wrecking fleets and drowning those who dared to set sail ( as bad as
a woman on P.M.S.)
But Poseidon wasw also generous, his underwater domain holding vast riches, much like Hades. He invented many forms of life, such as the octopus, blowfish, and the seapolyp (don't ask. I have absolutely no idea what that is) all for the sea nymphs enjoyment. One time, as a peace offering for Amphitrite's (his wife) jealous wrath, he created the dolphin and presented it to her as a gift. But the most wonderful creation of his is the horse (a-HA! Now we shall find out WHY the horses. So shaddup and keep reading.) Poseidon created it as a love token to Demeter, the goddess of harvest. She had always detested his rude way of trying to woo her, and would always run inland to get away from him, until he had presented her with the most beautiful creation ever seen on earth: the HORSE.
(I swear that man is a player, just like his little brother, Zeus. Must run in the family.) This creature is what made Demeter change her opinion about Poseidon, although it had taken him several unsuccessful attempts to make the horse: the camel, hippopotomus, giraffe, donkey, and the zebra (Yeesh, you'd think it would only take him a couple of times to get it right, but NOOOOO..... it took him six times, SIX!)
Who's next? Ahhh..... my favorites. The Moon Goddesses (yes,yes, I know... and Gods)
The moon has many phases (FAY-zez, not FACES!) and the Goddesses (I have changed my mind. There ARE no gods of the moon! HA! MUWAHAHAHAHA! [maniacle laughter.] GODDESSES REVOLUTION, BABY!) were created after them. Suppose you glance up and the sky and say, "Hmm...no moon tonight." Yes there is (you dumbass) The New Moon. You could also call it the Dark Moon, since you can't see it. And the Goddess of this moon was named Hecate (HEK-uh-tee) She is also a Goddess of the Underworld, some believing her to be Hades' wife (Persephone) in her most deadly phase (naahhhh.) She has also been said to be Persephone's close companion while she was down in the Underworld (which is the idea I'll more readily accept,since Hades ahd kidnapped Persephone and brought her down unwillingly.) Now Hecate, the self-sufficent Goddess is a classic example of a real bitch: an ancient woman who was evil straight down to the bone. What did she spend her time doing? Torturing ghosts, of all things! C'mon, they're already dead, leave 'em alone! And she was the mistress of the Furies, who, as mentioned before when talking about Hades, tormented those who had royally pissed off the gods. And when people died in ancient times, they were taken beyond the walls of the city to be buried on the sides of the road, thereby Hecate earning the title 'Queen of the Roads'. Therfore getting a license plate that said that would be somewhat unflattering (unless of course you LIKED Hecate)
Hecate's love life was nil, void, D.O.A. (hehe...Dead On Arrival... she works with dead people... Get it? A joke! Hahahahaha.....ungh....) This woman, as much as a bitch she was (oh PLEEZE don't subtract points fro swearing, Mrs. Tobey, PLEASE!!!!!) is still worshipped today and her religion has outlasted that of all the other gods. She was made the patron of medival wiccans, and was worshipped in their secret rituals.
Now let's move on to a goddess who was less evil, but by no means less bitchy. Her name is Artemis, the virginal, macho goddess. The virginal part is pretty much self explanitory, and the macho part, well...how many chicks do you know who are breathtakingly beautiful but don't like men and enjoy hunting? That was Artemis. I can understand how she could be the Goddess of Wild animals, and of the Hunt and Chase (she was after all, the huntsman [woman]-in-chief of the gods, and represents the crescent moon, since it is shaped like a hunting bow.) But how she can be the Virgin Goddess AND the Goddess of Childbirth is beyond me. I think we'll just call her the Virgin Goddess. Besides, if I said that she'd slept with someone she'd kill me; Artemis is one of the more...shall we say, vengeful goddesses. In fact, one time she had been bathing, and had caught sight of a man watching her, and in a rage, she had hunted him down and killed him (ahh.... sweet revenge. That's what you get, ya stupid Peeping Tom!) Her wrath can be a good thing, though, for she is the protectress of youth (Mmmm...sounds like Sailor Moon to me!)
I believe we've touched down on Selene, so we might as well give her our attention. She was the goddess of the full moon, silvery and beautiful in form. She too was the goddess of chastity, but it is also fitting on how she is the Goddess of Fertility and Childbirth. Selene had fallen in love with a young man on earth named Endymion. Some say he was a prince or king, others say he was a hunter, most say he was a shepherd, but ALL agree that he was infinantly beautiful in form, so much so that Selene fell in love with him. Watching from the moon, she spied a breathtaking male, sleeping on Mount Latmus. In fact, there was even a poem written in behalf of these two starcrossed lovers. Starcrossed? Yes, because when Selene had come down and made love to him, he had still been asleep, and thought it all a wonderful dream (If you remember from reading Romeo and Juliet, being starcrossed lovers was a bad thing.) However, Endymion begged Zeus for eternal slumber and youth so that Selene could come to him every night (it's also been said that SELENE cast the sleeping spell on him so that SHE could love him all that she wanted to.) But needless to say, in the end, she bore him 50 children, never to be seen by his eyes. Now the poem:
Endymion the Shepherd
As his flock he guarded,
She, the moon, Selene,
Saw him, Loved him, Sought him,
Coming down from heaven
To the glade on Latmus,
Kissed him, lay beside him.
Blessed is his fortune.
Evermore he slumbers,
Tossing not nor turning
Endymion the Shepherd
Sweet poem, ne? WELL! To the Planets! TALLY HO!
1. MERCURY. The planet is blue and small, and moves rather quickly, like Hermes. It has no moons. A rather hot planet with no moons what so ever. It at times appears to be tinted a faint blue color ( a big factor coming up later on).
2. VENUS. Like Mercury, it is exceedingly hot, even hotter that Mercury, though it's closer to the sun. WHY? Because it has an atmosphere like ours and more that 10 times the greenhouse effect going on. A dry and cloudy planet. I don't know how it got named after Aphrodite. Prehaps because it was bright and beautiful like her? Ahhhh... to be a goddess......
3. EARTH. To ask how the earth is like Gaea is ridiculous. Gaea WAS the earth.
End-of-discussion.
4. LUNA (our moon). Like Selene when full because of its radiant beauty, like Artemis when a crescent because it represents her hunting bow, and like Hecate when new, because of its darkness and being unseen. Need I say more?
5. MARS. The 'Red Planet', and understandibly named so. Red like blood, from bloodshed, from battle, caused by Ares, God of Warfare. Mars' temperature is much cooler than ours, and is riddled with peaks, vallies, craters, mountains, and canyons, the biggest on being Valles Marineris, which would span the length of the entire USA continent, and then some. In other ways related to the god, it has two moons circling the planet, named Phobos and Deimos, like his sons.
6. JUPITER. Huge like the god, with its powerful winds and lightening storms. And surrounding it, sixteen moons, all named after the women he took. Go figure. What most people don't know about this planet is that it harbors rings, like Saturn.
7. SATURN. Planet of immense size (not as big as Jupiter) and of multiple rings, nine to be exact, made of ice and debris. Rotating around it are eighteen moons. However, as large as this planet is, it is composed entirely of gas. And according to a video on the planets I saw recently, the entire planet could (in theory) float in an ocean. Of course it would have to be a rather LARGE ocean...
8. URANUS. A very light blue-green color. It was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel, who almost named it "Georgium Sidus", Latin for George's Star, after his king George III of England. But he followed the advice of fellow astronomer Johann Bode, and named it Uranus, after Saturn's father. Orbiting around it are seventeen moons, and, like Saturn, a set of rings.
9. NEPTUNE. A deep blue colored planet, like the ocean and the god. And, like previously noted with Jupiter and Uranus, it has rings around it. Like the god, it is large, and has eight moons going around it.
10. PLUTO. Pluto is a small icy and barren planet, unseen to the naked eye, much like Hades. No rings on this one, but it has one moon circling it: Charon.
And now, for how they ALLLLLLL come together
(warning: this is a big trip into Sailor Moon world and Maeklyn's mind. Beware.....)
How's about we sit down and talk about my favorite show: Sailor Moon. Now, you say, "What in the WORLD does this have to do with Mythology?" Oh, but Sailor Moon has everything to do with mythology, in fact, the main plot is based off of it!
Do you recall the tale of Endymion and Selene? Selene's name was changed to Serenity, and some of the plot was redone, but in essence, the story is the same: A young princess sneaks away from her home to visit the forbidden Earth, and finds a handsome man (sigh.....*giggle*) named Prince Endymion. The two fall in love, and should live happily ever after, but the don't, primarily because a war shattered their lives, both dying. Then, 1000 years later, both are reincarnated to modern day Tokyo, living out their lives.
"Still no Mythology...."
Well hold on!
The mythology is, in fact, within the very characters themselves. Shall we begin?
1. SAILOR MERCURY. Her alternate identity is 'Mizuno Ami', translated from the original Japanese, it means 'friend of water'. Actually, the 'Ami' part is french, meaning friend. But who's paying attention anyway?!
Like the god, she is quick and intelligent. Her colors are light and dark blue, and her attacks are water and ice based. Like Hermes, she is reasonably good looking, and like Hermes, she only loves one person. Another comparison is the fact that she is good friends with Sailor Jupiter, much like Hermes was with Zeus (Jupiter- DUH.)
However, UNlike Hermes, she is shy and quiet, never one to really stick out.
2. SAILOR MARS. The polar opposite of Mercury's personality. Her alternate identity is 'Hino Rei' which translated means 'spirit of fire'. How fitting for one who represents Mars. Her colors are red and violet, her disposition firey (pardon the pun; couldn't resist). Her attacks are all fire based, if not spiritually. As Rei, she is a Shinto Priestess as the shrine in which she resides along with her grandfather. The name of the shrine is 'Hikawa Jinja' - fire temple. She is always arguing and causing arguments, much like Ares and his causing wars. And also, she has two crows, named Phobos and Deimos, like Ares' sons.
3. SAILOR JUPITER. The name Kino Makoto (Sailor Jupiter) means 'faithfulness; of wood'. And you may wonder, 'Why does Jupiter of all people hold the name FAITHFUL?' If you're thinking that the name doesn't pretain to the god, you're right. However, she is very loyal to her friends, standing true. The 'of wood' part has an actual meaning towards the gods. In japanese, the kanji for 'ki' means 'tree'. So 'Kino' (NOT Keno!) means 'of wood', or 'of tree'. In greecian times, it wasn't uncommon to see people with wreaths of leaves on their head. And in many sculptures, Zeus is portrayed with a wreath of olive leaves on his head, which of course came off a tree.
Other traits Sailor Jupiter has that are reminicent of Zeus' behavior, is the fact that she absolutely LOVES men, much as Zeus loved women. She can't live without 'em. However, unlike Zeus, she doesn't go bedding every goodlooking man she sees.
Sailor Jupiters attacks are based off of thunder and lightening, and later on, one of her attacks is 'Jupiter Oak Revolution!' during which many leaves come flying off from a wreath.
Hmmm... Her colors are green and pink, somewhat like the shades of the planet itself.
4. SAILOR VENUS. Aino Minako ('Everyone's Love'). The meaning of her name just screams the goddess Venus. Her colors are orange, blue and yellow, like the planet. In the myth, Aphrodite arises out of the foam of the sea- literally, she came out of nowhere. In the Sailor Moon series, Sailor Venus shows up out of nowhere, surprising everyone. Her attacks are affectionately named 'Venus Love Me Chain', and 'Venus Love and Beauty Shock!'. She entranced everyone she met, thereby making herself a perfect comparison for the goddess of love. However, unlike Venus, Minako's sucess with matchmaking leaves much to be desired.
5. SAILOR URANUS. One of the toughest of the group, definitley resembling the god she was named after. Her name, 'Te'noh Haruka', means 'far away sky king', of 'distant king of the heavens'. Much like Uranus.
Her attacks are 'World Shaking!' and 'Space Sword Blaster!'. I don't know about the last one, but worldshaking seems highly appropriate. Uranus did a small amount of conquering as a god. Actually, the last attack has a whole other reason for being named that; a season of Sailor Moon being based loosely on the tale of King Aurthur and the Search For the Holy Grail. But that's a completley different story for another time.
Sailor Uranus' colors are blue and gold, but mostly blue, like the color of the planet. Also like the god she has a child, who is Sailor Saturn- CRONUS. But that one didn't come around in a way that you might think.
6. SAILOR NEPTUNE. 'Full King of the Ocean' is the translation of her name Kaioh Michiru- need I say more? Yes. Like the others, her attacks are based on the god she represents in some way. The water attack 'Deep Submerge' is obviously related, whereas 'Submarine Reflection' can leave you wondering. But like Uranus, that attack has to do with a completely different story. Her colors are a turquoise green and teal, like her respective planet.
With her senses, she can feel how the ocean moves; wheather things are calm or when trouble is arising. With Haruka she shares a child, Sailor Saturn. I don't think I need to tell you what kind of relationship Haruka and Michiru have.
7. SAILOR SATURN. The adoptive daughter of Sailors Uranus and Neptune. Her name is Tomoe Hotaru (those of you who bought the spring copy of the 'Palladian' have seen the picture of her, although it's under the heading of Tomoe Holaru. Cheap typo.) and the translation of it is 'firefly of the soil'. This little girl has the power to HEAL, of all things. But don't get too comfy. She is most certainly Cronus' reincarnation. As Sailor Saturn, she wields a sickle called the 'Silence Glave'. It is nearly twice her size, and it holds the power to destroy an entire PLANET. Her attacks are 'Silent Wall', 'Silence Glaive Surprise' (like when she disembodied the god Uranus-OUCH.) and the final one, which has yet to be used since it is a last resort, 'Death Ribbon Revolution' (often translated 'Death Reborn Revolution'.) It is the attack that will kill off an entire planet. Hotaru is a sweet little girl- after she was healed. She was a pale sickly child, being possessed by an evil entity. During a battle, the entity, named 'Mistress 9', fully took over her, and she did indeed try to kill Uranus and Neptune. But at the last moment she turned good, and finally recieved her transformation into Sailor Saturn, willingly giving her life so that the others could be saved. This is back to the King Aurthur reference. In one of the story arcs in Sailor Moon, as part of the plot, they are looking for Messiah who can bear the Holy Grail. The only problem is that there are TWO Messiahs- the Messiah of Life (Sailor Moon) and the Messiah of Death, who just happens to be Saturn. When Saturn jumps into the battle scene with the actual nemisis, 'Pharoh 90' she disappears. Sailor Moon desprately tries to transform, but isn't able to. The others (the other Sailors) hearing her cries, give the last of their energy, since they all were nearly killed in the battle. With this energy, Sailor Moon was able to transform into the Messiah and jumped into the battle. when it was all over with, it had seemed to all that neither of the two had survived, until a shimmering light appeared in the sky. Coming forth was a beaten and worn Sailor Moon, holding a tiny, precious babe in her tired arms- the warrior formerly know as Sailor Saturn. And who was to take this child? But of course, Sailors Uranus and Neptune. Now the child had a family, since her father had died in the fight. But she would need other relatives, wouldn't she? Like... an aunt...?
8. SAILOR PLUTO. Enter Sailor Pluto. Her name 'Meioh Setsuna' means 'King of Dead' or 'Momentary Dark Ruler'. She is Hades' counterpart. Sailor Pluto is the Guardian of the 'Gate of Time'. She has seen all that there has been and all that there will be. Like Hades, she is rarely ever seen, and only appears for important matters. She is calm and patient, like the god, and she stands and makes certain that the time stream continues correctly. She appears to be grim, and she never reveals out any information unless it is of vital importance.
TO THE GODDESSES!!!!
Actually, parts of this will be quite funny, as you will see in a moment.
In the Sailor Moon Saga, I would like to think that the evil Queen Neherenia played the part of Hecate, seeing as how she was the ruler of the dark side of the moon. She seems to be a lot like Hades; loved to see her victims tortured. 'Nuff 'bout her. In poor Artemis' case... well, poor Artemis. For the Sailor Moon story plot, Artemis was made a guy, and was not at all like the goddess. Neither is Luna, his female partner. Luna was more like the goddess Artemis, always protecting her ward, Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon's name is Tsukino Usagi which means 'Rabbit of the Moon'. In the way that we believe in the Man on the Moon, the Japanese believe that there is a rabbit pounding a sweet rice paste called mochi. Sailor Moon is the Protectress of Youth, and in Serenity and Endymion's case, the perfect model of everlasting love.
Well, that about wraps up the comparisons between the Planets, Mythology, and
Sailor Moon. Hope you enjoyed. (Kick a$$ on the H.S.T. tomorrow, Mako- chan!)
Well? My writing has improved dramatically since this. I dropped from the high school I was in and transferred into a technical middle college. I'm telling you, there is help EVERYWHERE. In the Writing Center, there are staff members who read your essays and stories to help you revise them. I even got this one edited, as you will see in the next upload. Crap. It's 1:30 in the morning here in 'cheery' Michigan. My mom warned me once to get in the bed (a half hour ago! O_o) I'm working off borrowed time. Until next time.
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