[Faithe]

Thank you for this thread! It was very informative!

[Reolen]

wow Rylock chill lol...

[Rekki]

Japanese mythology

Kirin
The Japanese unicorn, an animal-god who punishes the wicked with its single horn. It protects the just and grants them good luck. Seeing a kirin is considered an omen of extreme good luck - if one is a virtuous person.

Chinese

Suzaku
The red bird of summer, guardian of the south. Suzaku is represented by a Bird (though Suzaku does hint at having properties of the legendary Phoenix which is known to die in its own flames and be reborn anew). Because of its association with the heat and fiery temperatures of summer, Suzaku is usually red in color, and may contribute to some people's conclusion that Suzaku is more like the phoenix than an ordinary bird. Red also has connotations of being a color associated with romance and love, and it is from love that Suzaku draws his strength. Suzaku has a multicolored plume like a peacock's, and is meant to emphasize its rarity and beauty, as well as its virtue as a guardian deity.

Genbu
The black turtle of winter, guarian of the north. The Tortoise is representative of endurance, wisdom, and longetivity, and is also sometimes used in terms of divination. Though in the series Genbu is shown to be greenish in color, its real color is black, due to the fact that Winter was perceived to be the twilight or end of the seasons.

Seiryu
The blue draon of spring, guardian of the east. While at times the color of Spring is usually green, Seiryu is depicted as a blue Dragon in part because Dragons were thought of by the ancient Chinese to be aquatic creatures that reside in the sea. Spring is also thought of to be a rainy season, so the color blue is also indicative of water. As one of the oldest, most powerful, and respected of all Chinese mythological creatures, the dragon was usually symbolic of authority and strength, and was usually worn as such by major figures of power or the royalty.

Byakko
The white tiger of fall, guardian of the west.Tigers in Chinese mythology represent ferocious defense like metal or steel when it comes to soldiering. They were also considered to be natural guardians and the king of all animals (and thus their protector). The white color is possibly from an original myth that stated that a piece of metal left behind at a king's grave supposedly turns into a white tiger to guard it from being defiled. White can also be a part of the symbolism of autumn, as things are still alive, but are growing "old" and gray at this time of the year.

These are all Japanese names given to these deities, as seen in Fushigi Yuugi. Kirin is actually a Chinese legend, Kirin is what Japan calls it.

[Kamots]

I'm not sure if it was mentioned yet or not, but the relic lance "Gungir" was the spear Odin wielded in Norse mythology.

[Stardrifter]

intulo is a humanoid lizard in zulu mythology

baron vapula, viscount morax & count bifrons are all names of dukes of hell in demonology (i dunno about that last one though - baronete romwe or something)

just about every NM in delkfutt's tower is named after a giant in greek mythology.

hakutaku is a mythical beast in chinese myhtology that has 9 eyes.

ose, in demonology is a president of hell, depicted as a leopard that changes into a man.

amaltheia, in greek mythology is the foster mother of zeus, represented as a goat.

odqan is a fire spirit in mongolian mythology

vodyanoi, in slavic mythology is a male water spirit, master shapeshifer who is said to live in a whirlpool, or in an underwater palace.

imdugud is a mythical beast in sumerian mythology with the body of a lion and the tail and legs of a bird.

boroka is a witch in phillipino myths said to have the head of a woman, feet like a horse and wings like an eagle, who loves to eat children.

and lastly, as far as i can find, ouryu is a dragon in japanese mythology. a dragon with flame like wings that performs good deeds on behalf of the emporer.

and yes, i do take an interest in mythology >.> <.< too much an interest it seems XD

[Simkin]

wendigo:

The Wendigo is a Canadian entity, half phantom, half beast, who lives in the forests and preys on human beings, particularly children. The belief in this horror dates back to the earliest Indian legends and it is said that the wendigo will eat the flesh of its victims. According to R. S. Lambert in Exploring the Supernatural (1955), 'Wendigos (who might be women as well as men) were believed to have entered into a pact with evil spirits, lurking in the forest, who helped them kill their victims.'

[Kæn]

Not much depth on the Argus myth. It makes more sense when you know that Argus was a thousand-eyed giant that Hermes sung to sleep, then turned into a Peacock. (Or Peacock feather depending on which variation of the myth you read.)

[Zarath]

Pollux and Castor:

In Greek mythology, Castor (or Kastor) and Polydeuces (sometimes called Pollux) were the twin sons of Leda and the brothers of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. They are known as the Gemini (which is latin for twins)

This is the reason why you will usually see these two characters in pairs, and thus why there are both Pollux and Castor rings.

[Saphirea]

Another thing I found, the bard relic horn Gjallarhorn:


In Norse mythology, the Giallar or Gjallar ("ringing horn") is the name of the horn that Heimdall, carries. It is hidden beneath Yggdrasil and will be used to announce the beginning of Ragnarok.

Ragnarok:
In Norse mythology, Ragnarok ("fate of the gods") is the battle at the end of the world. It supposedly would be waged between the gods (the Æsir, led by Odin) and the evils (the fire giants, the Jotuns and various monsters, led by Loki). Not only will the gods, giants, and monsters perish in this apocalyptic conflagration, but almost everything in the universe will be torn asunder.

In the Viking warrior societies, dying in battles was a fate to admire, and this was carried over into the worship of a pantheon in which the gods themselves were not everlasting, but would one day be overthrown, at Ragnarok. Exactly what would happen, who would fight whom, and the fates of the participants in this battle were well known to the Norse peoples from their own sagas and skaldic poetry. The Völuspá (Prophecy of the Völva (female shaman)), the first lay of the Poetic (or Elder) Edda, dating from about 1000 AD, spans the history of the gods, from the beginning of time to Ragnarok, in 65 stanzas. The Prose (or Younger) Edda, written two centuries later by Snorri Sturluson, describes in detail what would take place before, during, and even after the battle.

What is unique about Ragnarok as an armageddon tale is that the gods already know through prophecy what is going to happen: when the event will occur, who will be slain by whom, and so forth. They even realize that they are powerless to prevent Ragnarok. But they will still bravely and defiantly face their bleak destiny.

The word Ragnarok is derived from the Old Norse word Ragnarök, which consists of two parts: ragna is the genitive plural of regin ("gods" or "ruling powers"), while rök means "fate", etymologically related to English "reach".

[Sassi]

here's somewhat comon creatures:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cwn_Annwn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraken
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peryton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahriman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomor

[Widget~taru]

In Egytpion mythology, maat stood for truth and justice. Basically like a concept... though wikipedia refers to it also as a goddess.

Also, all the antican are different things in Roman society. Some are the names of different types of gladiators and others stand for different offices in the Roman heiarchy. If I weren't too lazy I would list them...

[Pocketrocket]

Bahamut is a fish!??!?!?! *my world has just crumbled* ><

Great post , and it inspired myself and others I'm sure to look further into it. Nice.

Ma'at is central to my spirituality (though lately i have drifted far from what she represents =/)
Anyway, here's some more background on that name we signify with that pain in the butt old dude with the cap (I'm a RDM, so i'm well aware of the conflict XD)

Maat

Other Names: Ma'at

Patron of: truth, law and universal order.

Appearance: A woman wearing a crown surmounted by a huge ostrich feather. Her totem symbol is a stone platform or foundation, representing the stable base on which order is built.

Description: Maat was the personification of the fundamental order of the universe, without which all of creation would perish. The primary duty of the pharaoh was to uphold this order by maintaining the law and administering justice. To reflect this, many pharaohs took the title "Beloved of Maat," emphasizing their focus on justice and truth.

At any event in which something would be judged, Maat was said to be present, and her name would be invoked so that the judge involved would rule correctly and impartially. In the underworld, the heart of the deceased was weighed by Anubis against Maat's feather. If the heart was heavy with wicked deeds, it would outweigh the feather, and the soul would be fed to Ammit. But if the scales were balanced, indicating that the deceased was a just and honorable person in life, he would be welcomed by Osiris into the Blessed Land. Maat's presence in all worlds was universal, and all the gods deferred to her.

Worship: Worshipped and revered widely throughout all of Egypt. Even the gods are shown praising Maat.

Referred to by some of us as "Mom" :')

Thanks for the thread.

"Mom's gonna fix it all soon.
Mom's comin' round to put it back the way it ought to be." -Tool

[Abattoir Siren]

Leviathan
Literally, "coiled". In the Bible, and especially the Old Testament, the Leviathan is some sort of chaos animal in the shape of a crocodile or a serpent. In other bible texts it is taken to mean a whale or dolphin, because the animal is there described as living in the sea. Later the Leviathan became a symbol of evil, an anti-divine power (some sort of devil) which will be destroyed on Judgement Day.

Bahamut
Floating in a fathomless sea, Bahamut is a gigantic fish. A giant bull, Kujata, lays upon its back, and upon him is a ruby mountain. Upon that is an angel, the six hells, and the earth, with the seven heavens at the top. The Bahamut is so large that human eyes cannot bear it. This is the Arabic version of Bahamut, the name "Bahamut" is included in several other mythologies


ok in the myths bahamut is a huge fish that we can't seem to phathom.

while in the game it has always been a dragon, dragon king i believe.

and leviathan has always shown up as a giant fish or sea monster, in game... [even in magic: the gathering leviathan appeared as a huge fish.]

if i'm wrong about my assumptions, ok fine i'm wrong.

but if i'm right... SE is dumb for not fixing this over the last 15 years.

[Criffin]

I drink this beer called KIRIN ICHIBAN (They have a website and T-Shirts ) this is whats on the side of there cans next to an awsome drawings ^^

A mythical beast that is half deer and half dragon, the Kirin heralds good fortune. (And a great beer....) In game killing kirin many times brings you great wealth in RL it brings you great times (and hangovers lol)



About the mythology: In some interview with the creator of the FF sagas i read he (the creator) didnt set out to make a good video game he set out to tell a great story...

[Kunachi]

I dont know if you put this down, but Pallas is a place where people worshipped the goddess Athena. I read that in a literature book. ^^

[Falconblade]

Well this isnt a NM or Avatar But...

Ballista

The ballista ( (Any dialect of the language of ancient Rome) Latin, from (A native or inhabitant of Greece) Greek ballistēs, from ballein "to throw") is a powerful (Any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting) weapon conceived as a giant (A bow fixed transversely on a wooden stock grooved to direct the arrow (quarrel)) crossbow, to eject heavy (A tapered tuck made in dressmaking) darts singly or in groups. It is also sometimes referred to as a bolt thrower.
Roman ballistae fired large stones, rather than bolts. Ballistae in the Middle Ages launched bolts, and were thought to have inspired the European crossbow, though 5th century Chinese crossbows may have also been a factor in the development of these weapons and bolt-throwing ballista.

A ballista's arms are wood, each supported by being spun into the middle of a large rope. The ropes (one per arm) are the springs of the ballista. The ropes are made of animal (A cord or band of inelastic tissue connecting a muscle with its bony attachment) sinew. When the bow-arms are pulled back, they twist the ropes. Winches pull the bowstring back.

The ballista was a very accurate weapon, but it had to compromise its accuracy for range. The bolts (arrows) were not nearly as heavy as a 200-300 (16 ounces) pound (90-135 (One thousand grams; the basic unit of mass adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites) kg) stone. The lightweight bolts could not gain the high momentum of the stones used in (Asiatic wild ass) onagers, (Medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles) trebuchets, or (Medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles) catapults.

The precise design of ballistae was a triumph of ancient engineering and mathematics. The surviving manuals provide exact measurements and calculations for building ballistae of any size.

The first known appearance was in (The Athenian siege of Syracuse (415-413 BC) was eventually won by Syracuse) Syracuse, (A republic in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula; was the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire between the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD) Italy, around 400 BC.

Its wider development was in the Middle Ages. The (Medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles) catapult was an evolution of the ballista.

[Babyorphan]

Fun reading. In addition:

Aegis shield -
The Aegis was sometimes seen as a shield belonging to Zeus,
but most of the time, it was seen as a breastplate worn by Athena.
Athena had made the Aegis from the hide of the giant Pallas, whom she killed in the war against the giants.
It is also said Apollo had one time borrowed and used the Aegis to rout the Greek army.

Edited from this webpage where you can also read about alot of other enchanted objects.

Eurytos' bow -
The bow had originally belonged to Eurytus (Eurytos) the archer and King of Cechalia, given to him by the god Apollo.

It was said Eurytus could handle the bow in such a way that he was a god amongst men
when it came to archery, and that he could easily shoot his bow at the gods themself if he so desired.
Eurytus was also the mentor to Heracles (also known as Hercules) in the art of using bow and arrows.
Iphitus, Eurytus's son, would later pass the bow to the hero, Odysseus, who would use this bow to kill
Penelope's (Odysseus' wife) suitors, who consumed his wealth with their banquets and feasts,
in his absence from his home, all the while courting to his wife in effort to make her marry one of them.

Odysseus came to his palace disguised as a beggar, and when Penelope declared that
she would marry the man who could bend Odysseus' bow (Eurytus' bow) and shoot an
arrow through 12 axes, and not one of the suitors could string the bow,
Odysseus, still disguised took the bow, strung it like it was air, and shot an arrow
perfectly through the 12 axes, the suitors was in awe at his strength and marksmanship.
Penelope removed Odysseus' disguise, revealing him to the suitors, and he then killed them using the bow.

There is a more split story about how Eurytus came to his preliminary death though,
some say that after challenging Apollo himself, (the god of archers amongst other things)
to a contest of archery, he fell to the wrath of the god for this insult, and Apollo
struck him down with his Silver bow.
Others say he was slain by his student Heracles for quite another reason, but in either case,
when Eurytus died, he left his bow to his son, Iphitus, who again, before being thrown
from the walls of Tiryns by Heracles, gave the bow to Oddysseus.

As always, there's not really easy to dig out all correct information, as there are usually
several versions of the same mythologies, but this is one that I have managed to
put together from reading bits and pieces here and there.
Read books, search the internet, there is a wast amount of information out there to be
read, and alot of it is really interesting.

[Celia]

Wow I didnt know this thread was moved, I just thought it fell by the wayside lol. Thanks to all that have posted great info! It was a great read after I haven't visited it for 6 months.

[ummhi]

Kunachi :
I dont know if you put this down, but Pallas is a place where people worshipped the goddess Athena. I read that in a literature book. ^^

Palace?