PART IV: EQUIPMENT/ITEMS
NOTE: There are MAJOR spoilers in this. So if you don't want to ruin the story for yourself, don't read this!
Brunnhilde: In Norse mythology, Brynhildr was a valkyrie. Brynhildr was told to decide the fate of a battle between two kings. Yet she did not pick the king that Odin favoured, so Odin condemned Brynhildr to live out life as a mortal, and cast her into a deep sleep; one that could only be awakened by a man’s rescue and marriage to her. The hero Sigurd, the one that slew Fafnir (see Fafnir), rescued and fell in love with Brynhildr. In a long twist of events, Sigurd is tricked into forgetting about Brynhildr, who then tells her new brother-in-law (she is forced to marry someone else) to kill Sigurd. At Sigurd’s funeral pyre, Brynhildr throws herself on the fire.
Yayoi: The Yayoi period is an era in Japan from 300 BC, to 250 AD.
Minazuki: Minazuki is the traditional Japanese word for the month of June.
Sigurd: Sigurd was a legendary hero of Norse mythology. See Fafnir and Brunnhilde for most of his story.
Draupnir: Draupnir was a gold ring owned by the Norse God Odin. The ring was a source of endless wealth, since each ninth morning it had spawned eight more gold rings.
Manji Seal: Manji is a Buddhist and Hindu symbol, usually representative of admirable qualities such as peace or intelligence or strength, depending on clockwise or counter-clockwise direction of the arms. Because of the World War II Nazi symbol, the Manji is often mistaken for the swastika.
Yasakani Jewel: One of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, it is known as the Yasakani no magatama. In Japanese mythology, the jewels, along with the mirror, were hung on the tree outside of Amaterasu's cave (where she had hidden) to lure her out. The Yasakani no magatama represents benevolence.
Yata Mirror: One of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, it is known as the Yata no kagami. In Japanese mythology, the jewels, along with the mirror, were hung on the tree outside of Amaterasu's cave (where she had hidden) to lure her out. The Yata no kagami represents wisdom.
Krona Symbol: a Krona is a currency used by several European countries.
Sephira: Sephira was the Spanish Goddess of intelligence and creativity. Also, in Hebrew Sephira is an alternate spelling for Sephirah or Sefira, one of the ten Sephirot, or mystical “Divine Emanations” in the Kabbalah of Judaism.
Boltzman’s Book: Boltzman was an Austrian physicist who created the Boltzman’s Constant, which is the physical constant relating temperature to energy.
WEAPONS:
Masamune: Many RPG gamers probably recognize the Masamune, as it is often used as the best weapon for one of the characters, usually in Square-Soft games. Masamune is the alternate name for Goro Nyudo, who is considered Japan’s greatest swordsmith. While no exact dates for his life are known, it is generally accepted that he lived in the early to mid 1300s. He is considered the best at the art of “nie” (embedding crystals). Masamune’s most famous sword is probably the Honjo Masamune, which is a symbol of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Honjo Masamune is considered to be the finest katana ever made.
Osafune: Osafune was a town located in the Oku District, in Okayama, Japan. On November 1st, 2004, Osafune became part of the city of Setouchi, Okayama.
Kotetsu: Kotetsu, which in Japanese means “ironclad”, was the first ironclad warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It had an important role in the Battle of Hakodate, in 1869, which marked the end of the Boshin War, and the surrender of the Shogun’s forces.
Shiden: The Kawanishi K1N1-J, also known as the “Shiden”, was considered one of the finest land-based fighter planes flown by the Japanese in World War II.
Muramasa: Muramasa was a Japanese sword-maker of the late 1500s. While considered, slightly insane, he was no doubt brilliant, and was well known for the extreme sharpness of his blades. According to legend, a Muramasa blade could cut a leaf that was flowing down a river, when the blade was put in its path. The halves of the leaves were then said to float around the blade as if with a demonic aura. Other legends say that a Muramasa blade must taste blood before it is sheathed once more. Because of these legends, Muramasa blades are often considered to be demonic, and are often contrasted with Masamune blades, which are supposed to be pure and righteous.
Valkrie Sabre: The word Valkyrie, in Old Norse, literally means “choosers of the slain”. This pretty much sums up what Valkyries are. They are, in Norse mythology, minor deities that serve Odin,. They choose the most heroic warriors that die in battle, and bring them up to Valhalla, Odin’s great hall in Asgard, where they shall stay until Ragnarok, when they shall fight the giants by Odin’s side.
Kusanagi Blade: The Kusanagi sword can be described as Japan’s Excalibur. Kusanagi (which means “grasscutter”), in legend, was found by the God Susanoo, who, upon fighting the eight-headed serpent of Koshi, found it inside the fourth tail. He called it Ame Murakumo-No-Tsurugi (Sword of Billowing Clouds). There are several theories as to how the sword became to be known as Kusanagi, but the most popular one is that a great warrior, Yamato Takeru, was given it as part of a pair of gifts given by his aunt. The legend goes that Yamato was trapped by a warlord in open grassland, and that the lord had begun burning the grass, so that Yamato would burn to death. Yamato began cutting the grass, in hopes to stave off the fire, when he discovered that the sword could control the wind. Yamato made the fire sweep towards the lord and his men, allowing him to escape. Because of this, he renamed the sword Kusanagi. Yet many researchers claim that this is false, and that the name comes from ancient Japanese language, where kusa meant sword, and nagi meant snake, giving it the other name of sword of the snake. The Kusanagi sword, along with the jewel Yasakani no magatama, and the mirror, Yata no kagami, are known as the Imperial Regalia of Japan. The Kusanagi represents valor.
Flamberge: a Flamberge is a type of longsword whose blade is wavy so as to help parrying. Also, a Flamberge is a sword much like a claymore, except that the blade is wavy. The Flamberge was also a sword used by Charlemagne.
Excalibur: Excalibur is the well-known magical sword of King Arthur. Sometimes it is referred to as the sword that Arthur draws from the stone, but usually it is not. It is often said that Arthur broke the sword he drew from the stone, and that Merlin then told him that he was going to get a magical one instead. Arthur and Merlin meet the Lady of the Lake, who gives Arthur the sword Excalibur, and its scabbard, which shall protect Arthur by keeping him from losing blood.
Fafnir: The son of the dwarf King, Hreidmar, he was the strongest of three brothers, gifted with a fearless soul, as well as a magical helmet, Aegis. His brother was killed by Loki, and his father received the cursed gold of Anvari's as payment. Fafnir and his other brother killed their father to get the gold, but Fafnir, wanting it all, turned into a dragon, which was a symbol of greed in Norse mythology. Fafnir was later killed by his brother's foster son, Sigurd.
Toroid: a toroid is a donut-shaped object, enclosed by a torus. In mathematics, a toroid is a surface generated by a closed curve rotating about, but not intersecting or containing, an axis in its own plane.
Cor Leonis: Cor Leonis is a star in the constellation Leo, situated above the lion’s heart.
Phantasmagoria: Phantasmagoria is a fantastic sequence of haphazardly associative imagery, as seen in dreams or fever.
Hanuman’s Staff: In Hinduism, Hanuman is the monkey God helper of Rama, the God of devotion and courage. Hanuman epitomizes virtue, strength, humility, siddhi, and courage.
Bahamut’s Tear: Bahamut, in Araibic mythology, is an enormous fish. The re-imaging of Bahamut into a dragon originated in Dungeons & Dragons, and was used the same way in many Final Fantasy games.
Kaiser Greaves: Kaiser is the German equivalent to Emperor.
Dynast: a dynast is a hereditary ruler.
Vajra: In Hindu mythology, Vajra is the thunderbolt weapon used by Indra, King of Gods. In Buddhism, the Vajra is the symbol for Vajrayana, one of the three major branches of Buddhism. The five-pronged Vajra represents each of the five poisons, as well as the counter five wisdoms. They being: greed = wisdom of sameness, hatred = mirror like wisdom, delusion = reality wisdom, pride = wisdom of individuality, and envy = all accomplishing wisdom.
Yaska: Yaska Acharya was a well-known Sanskrit scholar of ancient India.
Asura: Asura, in Hindu mythology, are a group of power-seeking deities, not quite demons, but are opposed to devas (Gods).
Acalanatha: In Vajrayana Buddhism, Acalanatha, more commonly known as Acala or Achala, is the best known of the Five Wisdoms Kings of the Womb Realm. Acala is the destroyer of delusion, and is seen as a protector and helper of goals. Acala is also the eighth of the ten stages towards Buddhahood.
This is the end of my little series on Tales of Symphonia. If anyone has any questions, comments, or mistakes to point out, please let me know! It will be much appreciated!
Research Sites Used:
http://www.pantheon.org/
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.dictionary.com/
