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Foreteller Animal Emblems = Symbolism?



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Sephiroth0812

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Well, I mean, early last year I also had a really hard time believing that Riku and Mickey were looking for just our friends from BBS

Yep, so much for Nomura's "surprises" ;P

To be honest though I never bought the rumors (the bullshit) that Mickey and Riku are going out to save TAV. Blank Points explicitly states that it is Sora's job to save those three and with the exception of Aqua Mickey and Riku are actually incapable of saving anyone of them.
 

Alpha Baymax

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Yep, so much for Nomura's "surprises" ;P

To be honest though I never bought the rumors (the bullshit) that Mickey and Riku are going out to save TAV. Blank Points explicitly states that it is Sora's job to save those three and with the exception of Aqua Mickey and Riku are actually incapable of saving anyone of them.

Sora has Ventus' heart harbored inside of him so it wouldn't make sense for Riku to save them as he cannot restore Ventus even with Aqua. Besides, now that we know that Mickey seen Aqua in the Realm of Darkness in 2.8, we can assume that he's reluctant to directly try and save Aqua himself.

Back to topic, I wonder if the Foretellers can actually have a Keyblade Transformation that summons their respective animals?
 

Popsydoodles

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Back to topic, I wonder if the Foretellers can actually have a Keyblade Transformation that summons their respective animals?
That would be pretty dope if they show up at all in 3. Sora can turn the Mt Olympus keyblade into a Pegasus drawn chariot so it seems plausible.

With all these negative and positive attributes listed for the respective foreteller animal sign, do any of the present day characters relate specifically to any of them as well? This could potentially support or hinder the rebirth theory.
 

BlackOsprey

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Popsydoodles said:
With all these negative and positive attributes listed for the respective foreteller animal sign, do any of the present day characters relate specifically to any of them as well? This could potentially support or hinder the rebirth theory.
Alright, let's do this.

Unicorn:
- wild and untamable except for very pure souls.
- symbolizes grace and purity.
- rumored to have the powers to make poisoned water potable and heal sickness.

I wouldn't say there's anything about Riku that makes him particularly "graceful" and certainly not "pure," thanks to his... questionable past actions. However, those past actions- such as trying to blast a defenseless Sora into oblivion- could certainly be seen as examples of wrath, even if they were mostly fueled by jealousy. Riku's ability to "consume the darkness and return it to light" can be seen as a parallel to the unicorn's ability to cleanse water and banish diseases.

Bear:
- unrivaled strength and perseverance.
- often also considered a noble and protective animal, the celtic bear god Artaois being the namesake of the well-known mythological figure King Arthur himself.
- in scandinavic mythology, the bear is also connected with the state of "berserker", which literally means "bear shirt" in viking language and stands for the fact that once truly enraged, a bear is a nearly unstoppable force.
- folklore of the Native Americans also designates the bear as a "keeper of dreams" and it is a highly respected and powerful totem in their culture.

"Unrivaled strength and perseverance" sounds just like Terra, doesn't it? His fighting style is defined by the former, and the latter allowed him to animate an empty shell of armor to kick Xehanort's arse. His desire for strength comes from his want to protect what he cares about, and he demonstrates this protective nature when he defended Ven from Eraqus. "Strength to protect what matters."

Leopard:
- known to be very agile, speedy and versatile.
- rather elusive and reserved in behaviour.
- prefer to avoid fights if possible, but are very fierce if a fight is unavoidable, a famous hunter once stated that when a Leopard truly decides to fight, it might be more dangerous than a Tiger.
- in mythology, the Leopard is sometimes regarded as the symbol of Jesus Christ himself, as an enemy of snakes and dragons, which are said to be symbols of Satan.
- in ancient Greece and ancient Rome, Leopards were regarded and respected as symbols of determination and speed as well as being companions to the god Dionysus(greek)/Bacchus(roman).

Agility defines Ven's fighting style, but I'd hardly call his behavior "reserved"; he's far too outgoing for that. As for avoiding conflict, he tried to do this with Vanitas... but when he was forced to, he fought quite valiantly.

The fact that leopards are seen as both symbols for Jesus and Satan is quite interesting in this case, considering how the Ven we know and Vanitas were derived from the same being. Moreover, Ven willingly took self-sacrifice to defeat Vanitas and to save his friends (sound familiar?). On the other hand, I see no real parallels between Ven and anything associated with the god of wine.

Snake:
- has a very mixed history in regards to mythology:
- often regarded as a symbol of scheming, treachery and temptation in several religions,
- but also as a symbol of immortality, fertility and healing, which is shown for example in the Rod of Asclepius, a widely known symbol for medicine.
- said to be very clever and also a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.

Wisdom is a trait often attributed to mages, so I guess it works for Aqua. However, she hasn't displayed many of the negative connotations associated with snakes, such as scheming, deceit, or evil in general, due to her "light is right" attitude.

Fox:
- often depcited as a symbol of cunning and trickery, but also as familiar animals possessing magic powers.
- highly intelligent.
- particularily interesting is finnish mythology, which paints the fox as cunning trickster which isn't evil, but outsmarts the true "evil" by proving that intelligence conquers both brute strength (bear) and malevolence (wolf).
- similar to that is the interpretation of chinese and japanese mythology which paints the fox as a mischievous trickster that may indeed be dangerous, but not necessarily evil by default.
- in the middle ages though, especially in Europe, the fox was designated as the symbol of the devil himself.
Kairi hasn't ever really been shown to be particularly cunning or tricky. We really just haven't seen enough of her to draw many parallels, although she does have an unknown amount of magical power by being a Princess of Heart.
 
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I wouldn't say there's anything about Riku that makes him particularly "graceful"
He fights like a ballerina in the concept art, though, Osprey
tumblr_mxnompKqPm1rri09ao5_1280.jpg

He's beauty and grace.


As Osprey's post shows, trying to draw similarities between the main cast and the foreteller's animals isn't going to work all that great. Maybe it can help us draw meaning from their trailer quotes?

Unicornis: Our books are missing part of the story-- The Lost Page.
Anguis: I found the traitor.
Ursus: I don't believe there is one among us.
Vulpeus: Are we all going to turn against one another?
Leopardus: It's written on that page that one will betray all.
 

BlackOsprey

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He fights like a ballerina in the concept art, though, Osprey
tumblr_mxnompKqPm1rri09ao5_1280.jpg

He's beauty and grace.
... Well then! That explains why Riku got the Nutcracker suite during the Symphony of Sorcery. (I've never seen that before. I wonder what he's clobbering...)
 

Alpha Baymax

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Wisdom is a trait often attributed to mages, so I guess it works for Aqua. However, she hasn't displayed many of the negative connotations associated with snakes, such as scheming, deceit, or evil in general, due to her "light is right" attitude.

Maybe, just maybe (and this is a bit of a stretch here), Aqua does something in A Fragmentary Passage that makes her "dark" thus making Mickey leave Aqua in the Realm of Darkness.
 

Zak1403

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Maybe, just maybe (and this is a bit of a stretch here), Aqua does something in A Fragmentary Passage that makes her "dark" thus making Mickey leave Aqua in the Realm of Darkness.
I'd say Aqua would be more connected to the trait of immortality in relation to the snake, seeing as how she has basically survived over a decade in a place filled with immense darkness. Gosh I couldn't even begin to fathom how she has retained her sanity knowing her friends are basically vegetables and she's powerless to do anything. She is very level headed and wise in that regard, it's not so much of a stretch to connect her to the snake.
 

Alpha Baymax

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No just no

It's easy to say "no" because we've seen Aqua be a hero throughout the series. The Realm of Darkness is a complete mystery. Aqua and Ansem The Wise are the only known two beings that have stayed there for a long period of time. Who's to say that the realm of darkness does not psychologically darken the heart of any wanderers? We have no idea what the Realm of Darkness does psychologically aside from amnesia of past life?

I'd say Aqua would be more connected to the trait of immortality in relation to the snake, seeing as how she has basically survived over a decade in a place filled with immense darkness. Gosh I couldn't even begin to fathom how she has retained her sanity knowing her friends are basically vegetables and she's powerless to do anything. She is very level headed and wise in that regard, it's not so much of a stretch to connect her to the snake.

Yeah, in that context, it makes a lot of sense. Aqua is the only member of the BBS trio that Xehanort has not tampered with (or even directly spoke to for that matter which is interesting...) Alternatively, I suppose the balance of good and evil is that Aqua is the figure of good and her duty as a Keyblade Master is to banish the evil which is another context of balancing good and evil.
 

Alpha Baymax

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No, it's a bit harder to say no because it's hard to believe Mickey, who traveled with and rescued Riku, would leave someone behind for being "dark".

You have to understand, Mickey traveled to the Real of Darkness to save Aqua before he even met Riku. Maybe, during that time, Mickey was either to pre-occupied with something else to really get Aqua out of the Realm of Darkness, or, he just did not know how to help somebody else face their budding darkness, so out of fear, he left Aqua and vowed to come back to her another time.
 

gosoxtim

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maybe we should wait for more info on 0.2 before we take guesses on connections like aqua
 

BlackOsprey

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You have to understand, Mickey traveled to the Real of Darkness to save Aqua before he even met Riku. Maybe, during that time, Mickey was either to pre-occupied with something else to really get Aqua out of the Realm of Darkness, or, he just did not know how to help somebody else face their budding darkness, so out of fear, he left Aqua and vowed to come back to her another time.

Riiight, so instead of helping someone who's only got some budding darkness, Mickey goes with the one who willingly immersed himself in it earlier. And lost his body to it. I'm not buying that.
 

Antifa Lockhart

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For the record: Mickey, as far as the canon has stated, did not go to the Realm of Darkness to find Aqua. He went to find the Kingdom Key and seal the Door to Darkness. He most definitely was preoccupied.

Though if we wanted some more comparisons, Asclepius the god Of Medicine whose symbol is the snake, was struck down by Zeus for bringing people back from the underworld.
 
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Muke

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Riiight, so instead of helping someone who's only got some budding darkness, Mickey goes with the one who willingly immersed himself in it earlier. And lost his body to it. I'm not buying that.
Neither do I.
Besides, they would not even think about making Aqua evil/killing her. She is waaay to 'prominent' amongst fans.
 

Alpha Baymax

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Riiight, so instead of helping someone who's only got some budding darkness, Mickey goes with the one who willingly immersed himself in it earlier. And lost his body to it. I'm not buying that.

Hold your horses, I never meant it like that. I just stated that Mickey was either pre-occupied (which as Tinny stated: he was sealing the Door to Darkness), or, he just feared that he wasn't prepared to help Aqua as she actually lingered in the Realm of Darkness for a long time as opposed to Riku who was there just because Ansem Seeker of Darkness consumed his body. Besides, it took Mickey some time in Chain of Memories before he had the power to act as Riku's light against Ansem darkness anyway.
 

BlackOsprey

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Neither do I.
Besides, they would not even think about making Aqua evil/killing her. She is waaay to 'prominent' amongst fans.
She's also pretty much the only female main character in this series that has shown much agency so far. I hope they're not dumb enough to kill her off, not when they give fanservis armor a mile thick to characters like Axel...
 

Alpha Baymax

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She's also pretty much the only female main character in this series that has shown much agency so far. I hope they're not dumb enough to kill her off, not when they give fanservis armor a mile thick to characters like Axel...

If anybody has any plot relevance of getting killed of then it's Ventus. Killing off Ventus will completely eradicate Vanitas.
 
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