M
mindripper
Guest
I have seen several threads around here using religious symbolism, which I think is smashing, except for the fact that some people are absolutely slaughtering the notions which they are borrowing from. I saw that Scrap's "Sin" was derailed for a while due to some arguments, among which Yin-Yang was discussed. Unfortunately, the person who started the discussion, Ouallada if I am not mistaken, was spot-on with his (I assume) arguments about Yin-Yang.
That is beside the point. The point is whether or not a person should use religion at all in a fiction, especially if said writer knows little about the topic. For example, *******ising the notion of jihad would draw reactions from Muslims worldwide. Just remember the backlash the american media gave the war on Iraq when it was labelled a crusade. There is a reason why religion is banned in many forums, including this one, I believe, and that is the fact that statutary laws DO apply even online (lawyer friends do help), and it is possible to sue for religious slanging. I beseech anyone who wants to use any symbolism to at least do some research and make the effort to get it correct. Posting in this thread works as well, as I do know a fair bit myself.
On a lighter note, is it really needed to associate some religious or mythological symbol with legendaries 99% of the time? Is it really needed to include Yin-Yang in almost every prologue? Is it not better to create your own mythos, rather than borrow from an already existing notion, and then do it an injustice in the process?
I will post a FAQ right here, just to sort out a few things which I feel that people always get wrong, because it is pertinent to get religious issues right. People around here right now may not kick up a fuss, but there are many out there who do, especially when the entire world is on a knife's edge over the recent bombings, and terror threats. Getting your facts right will never hurt, and will even aid your credibility, as well as improve your general knowledge.
FAQ (More will be added when I have the time. Very busy now):
1) What is Yin-Yang?
Ans: Yin-Yang originates from chinese philosophy and metaphysics, and is basically about the two opposing yet complementary forces found in EVERYTHING. It is based on the notion that everything has degree, and context, and thus has an opposite degree and context, much like Newton's third law. Yang is the positive and active element, while Yin is the negative and passive element. There are no notions of good nor evil. Yin-Yang is also used in Confucianism, Taoism and TCM. TCM extrapolates to Tai-chi and the like, and is the base on which many internal arts originate. These martial arts are based on the fluxes of positive and negative energy, and strikes either to Yin or Yang areas of the body complement or dissipate such energies. On a personal note, my martial arts teacher taught me pretty well in this area, and so I guarantee you it works!
2) What do angels look like?
Ans: It really depends on their place within the angelic hierarchy, with there being nine classes. If they descend from heaven on a mission, they usually take a non-celestial form, generally a humaniod one, albeit with several discerning features, like flaming eyes in some instances, limbs of polished brass, faces of lightning, fiery swords etc. Angels in normal form typically have more than two wings, depending on their classification, and more than a single face too. Depictions you see in paintings are often taken from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
3) Is Ninetails considered to be a kitsune?
Ans: Very hard to say. Ninetails has nine tails, as older kitsune would possess. However, besides the physical similarities and the fiery abilities, there is absolutely nothing to correlate the two. The latter can morph, possess and even use hypnosis, while Ninetails can do none of that. It is possible that the appearance was mimicked, as Ninetails does have an image of innate power.
4) What is Rayquaza based on?
Ans: Nothing definite. Can be anything from british dragons to chinese dragons to Norse wyverns. I would say that Rayquaza is too generic to jump to any conclusions.
5) Can legendaries be attached to mythological or religious entities of similar ability?
Ans: At times, yes, but mostly it is a no-no. The problem is that pokemon legendaries do have commonplace superpowers, like control over the elements. You would not say Storm of the X-men was based on mythology, right? Most mythologies/religions have equivalents, and it is a huge chore to list all of them. For example, assuming that Groudon is based on Behemoth is plausible, but it is difficult to say if it is intentionally so.
6) What if I want to use Satan or Lucifer in a fiction?
Ans: If for some weird reason that is a writer's intention, then know first and foremost that the two are most probably different entities. The religious world is divided on this-- half do not know about the logical error in the bible that leads to this, most religious scholars believe that Satan and Lucifer are indeed seperate entities, and a minority believe that they are one and the same. Do avoid using those two, though.
7) I played games like Devil May Cry. Demons in those games like Mundus are really cool. What is he about?
Ans: Mundus means "universe", and his role is actually to be all encompassing. Do remember that Dante and co. were actually based on Dante Aligheri's TDC.
8) I want to use a referance to Tolkien's mythos, but I do not know enough. What then?
Ans: Well, Tolkien's work is actually the base on which most fantasy stories are based, and so most fantasy writers already borrow from Tolkien. I know a fair bit, and anyone can ask.
9) What exactly is a demon. I need to write a horror story.
Ans: The word demon is commonly taken to originate from "deivos", which means celestial or angelic. As most already know, demons in Christian religion and mythology are actually fallen angels, and hence the derivation. There are classes of demons, ranks, different days and powers associated with some of them as well. The big hitters accross mythologies are Satan, Lilith, Sammael, Azazel, Leviathan, Belial, the Shedu, Ghul, Iblis and Afrael. Just for knowledge's sake. Please ask for anything. Too complex to even skim the surface.
10) What exactly is a sigil?
Ans: A sigil in christian religion is taken to be the unholy symbol, while elsewhere it is commonly taken to be a magical symbol, with enemy elements opposite, with friendly elements next to each other. The difference between the two is that the star is inverted in the religious symbol, as in the two-pointed side of the star is at the top of the circle.
That is just the first ten questions. I will post more when I have time,covering Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Babylonian and Jewish mythologies, among others. Please excuse the talk about demons and all, as it is an integral part of religion, as they are the trials that make man stronger, and are needed to paint a complete picture. More people use those than deities in any case. Please post with any questions. I will try to answer them. Any field is fine with me.
That is beside the point. The point is whether or not a person should use religion at all in a fiction, especially if said writer knows little about the topic. For example, *******ising the notion of jihad would draw reactions from Muslims worldwide. Just remember the backlash the american media gave the war on Iraq when it was labelled a crusade. There is a reason why religion is banned in many forums, including this one, I believe, and that is the fact that statutary laws DO apply even online (lawyer friends do help), and it is possible to sue for religious slanging. I beseech anyone who wants to use any symbolism to at least do some research and make the effort to get it correct. Posting in this thread works as well, as I do know a fair bit myself.
On a lighter note, is it really needed to associate some religious or mythological symbol with legendaries 99% of the time? Is it really needed to include Yin-Yang in almost every prologue? Is it not better to create your own mythos, rather than borrow from an already existing notion, and then do it an injustice in the process?
I will post a FAQ right here, just to sort out a few things which I feel that people always get wrong, because it is pertinent to get religious issues right. People around here right now may not kick up a fuss, but there are many out there who do, especially when the entire world is on a knife's edge over the recent bombings, and terror threats. Getting your facts right will never hurt, and will even aid your credibility, as well as improve your general knowledge.
FAQ (More will be added when I have the time. Very busy now):
1) What is Yin-Yang?
Ans: Yin-Yang originates from chinese philosophy and metaphysics, and is basically about the two opposing yet complementary forces found in EVERYTHING. It is based on the notion that everything has degree, and context, and thus has an opposite degree and context, much like Newton's third law. Yang is the positive and active element, while Yin is the negative and passive element. There are no notions of good nor evil. Yin-Yang is also used in Confucianism, Taoism and TCM. TCM extrapolates to Tai-chi and the like, and is the base on which many internal arts originate. These martial arts are based on the fluxes of positive and negative energy, and strikes either to Yin or Yang areas of the body complement or dissipate such energies. On a personal note, my martial arts teacher taught me pretty well in this area, and so I guarantee you it works!
2) What do angels look like?
Ans: It really depends on their place within the angelic hierarchy, with there being nine classes. If they descend from heaven on a mission, they usually take a non-celestial form, generally a humaniod one, albeit with several discerning features, like flaming eyes in some instances, limbs of polished brass, faces of lightning, fiery swords etc. Angels in normal form typically have more than two wings, depending on their classification, and more than a single face too. Depictions you see in paintings are often taken from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
3) Is Ninetails considered to be a kitsune?
Ans: Very hard to say. Ninetails has nine tails, as older kitsune would possess. However, besides the physical similarities and the fiery abilities, there is absolutely nothing to correlate the two. The latter can morph, possess and even use hypnosis, while Ninetails can do none of that. It is possible that the appearance was mimicked, as Ninetails does have an image of innate power.
4) What is Rayquaza based on?
Ans: Nothing definite. Can be anything from british dragons to chinese dragons to Norse wyverns. I would say that Rayquaza is too generic to jump to any conclusions.
5) Can legendaries be attached to mythological or religious entities of similar ability?
Ans: At times, yes, but mostly it is a no-no. The problem is that pokemon legendaries do have commonplace superpowers, like control over the elements. You would not say Storm of the X-men was based on mythology, right? Most mythologies/religions have equivalents, and it is a huge chore to list all of them. For example, assuming that Groudon is based on Behemoth is plausible, but it is difficult to say if it is intentionally so.
6) What if I want to use Satan or Lucifer in a fiction?
Ans: If for some weird reason that is a writer's intention, then know first and foremost that the two are most probably different entities. The religious world is divided on this-- half do not know about the logical error in the bible that leads to this, most religious scholars believe that Satan and Lucifer are indeed seperate entities, and a minority believe that they are one and the same. Do avoid using those two, though.
7) I played games like Devil May Cry. Demons in those games like Mundus are really cool. What is he about?
Ans: Mundus means "universe", and his role is actually to be all encompassing. Do remember that Dante and co. were actually based on Dante Aligheri's TDC.
8) I want to use a referance to Tolkien's mythos, but I do not know enough. What then?
Ans: Well, Tolkien's work is actually the base on which most fantasy stories are based, and so most fantasy writers already borrow from Tolkien. I know a fair bit, and anyone can ask.
9) What exactly is a demon. I need to write a horror story.
Ans: The word demon is commonly taken to originate from "deivos", which means celestial or angelic. As most already know, demons in Christian religion and mythology are actually fallen angels, and hence the derivation. There are classes of demons, ranks, different days and powers associated with some of them as well. The big hitters accross mythologies are Satan, Lilith, Sammael, Azazel, Leviathan, Belial, the Shedu, Ghul, Iblis and Afrael. Just for knowledge's sake. Please ask for anything. Too complex to even skim the surface.
10) What exactly is a sigil?
Ans: A sigil in christian religion is taken to be the unholy symbol, while elsewhere it is commonly taken to be a magical symbol, with enemy elements opposite, with friendly elements next to each other. The difference between the two is that the star is inverted in the religious symbol, as in the two-pointed side of the star is at the top of the circle.
That is just the first ten questions. I will post more when I have time,covering Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Babylonian and Jewish mythologies, among others. Please excuse the talk about demons and all, as it is an integral part of religion, as they are the trials that make man stronger, and are needed to paint a complete picture. More people use those than deities in any case. Please post with any questions. I will try to answer them. Any field is fine with me.
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