Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Research Assistant Notes

Thanks to Smithianum, Vincere, and BliterMaru

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An Introductory Reflection:

This part is a Deepdive into Cloud’s character. Quite abstract in that it encompasses Cloud’s character as a whole. Doesn’t necessarily involve a certain episode/stream but can be applied to speak about Cloud generally.

Representation and Identity

• Schopenhauer’s concept of representation helps tremendously in understanding Cloud’s internal struggle with his identity.

• Schopenhauer says that our experience of the world is fixed by representations, not by direct reality. Cloud’s false memories are a misrepresentation of his true self.

• In the original FF7 Cloud believes himself to be a heroic SOLDIER but these are abstract representations. As Schopenhauer says, we experience the world through representations that may not reflect the true nature of things.

Feeling vs Rational Knowledge:

• Schopenhauer talks about how feeling is the opposite of rational knowledge and it often encompasses experiences that are not purely conceptual. Cloud’s emotional journey, particularly his connection to Tifa and Aerith, is mostly about moving away from his rational, abstract self-conception and toward a more intuitive, emotional understanding of who he is.

• In both the original and remake, Cloud’s relationships play a major role in helping him break free from the false abstraction of his SOLDIER persona (that isn’t real) and reconnect with his true feelings. These real feelings that exist within him such as his love for Tifa/Aerith (more so romantic for both girls in the first game and more romantic for Tifa/platonic for Aerith in the remakes), his sense of duty towards his friends, etc. These help ground him in something real outside of the false narrative he’s been telling himself.

The Conflict Between Intuitive Action and Abstract Reflection:

• Schopenhauer describes how reflection (abstract reasoning) can sometimes interfere with intuitive action. For Cloud, especially in the Remakes, his reflection on his past often hinders his ability to act. He hesitates, doubts, and struggles because he is constantly reflecting on the past, trying to understand who he is, rather than acting on his instincts or intuitive feelings.

• As an example, Cloud’s fighting abilities and instinctive sense of leadership are examples of his intuitive self. However, his second-guessing of himself comes from his abstract reflections on his identity as a SOLDIER or a hero.

Chapter Analyses

Ch 2. Titan God of the Grasslands

Concept

• Titans coming from Greek Mythos

• Titans are children of Gaia

• Gaia as personification of the earth/land and Mother of all Life

• Titan in FF history

• Attack often called “Gaia’s Wrath”, “Anger of the Land”, “Earthen Fury” (Rebirth name) Titan as the anger of the planet?

• In the original FFVII Scarlet considers it Junk Materia and discards it an example of Shinra’s disregard for the power of the planet

• Fun Fact the original FFVII Summon designer said Titan was his favorite

Rebirth

• Titan Mythos from Chadley

• Titan escaped from a subterranean Prison (Came from inside the planet?)

• Angering titan could cause earthquakes, the harvest festival possibly evolved to appease him

• Titan is a symbol of the anger of gaia (the planet) and the myth could have evolved from the records of early weapons

• The Grasslands apart from Gongaga is one of the most fertile places we see.
  Stark contrast to the barren waste of Midgar.

• Was Midgar once like the grasslands?

• Was this why it was chosen for Midgar?

• Titan Shrines also found in the barrens next to Midgar. ( a visual representation of the grasslands receding.)

Our lives

• Understanding our ability to affect the planet.

• Being able to observe our own effect on the planet

• Aerith and Red XIII conversation (easy to say things are fine at first glance but if we look around we can find how we influence for good and worse)

• Understanding how Myths and Ritual are formed

• In many cultures we have myths and rituals that have evolved from natural phenomena.

• Understanding these origins can help us find common ground with people of different cultures
  

Titan: Lord of the Earth

FFVIIR Week 2

1) Concept: Titan as an analogue of Poseidon

- Titans are the "former gods" of ancient Greece, but nothing of much significance is known or recorded of them beyond their defeat by the Olympians and imprisonment in Tartarus. Other than the name, the underworld connection, and enormous stature (viz., the modern use of the word "titan"), there are no ties between the summon and the ancient beings.

- Titan's summon ability "Earthen Fury" is translated in other games as "Gaia's Wrath." Gaia, or Ge, is the pre-Greek word for "earth," and was once spelled De or Da. This older spelling shows up the names of the earth-gods Poseidon ("lord/spouse of the earth") and Demeter ("earth mother").

- While popularly god of the sea, Poseidon is ruler of the whole realm of earth, just as his brothers are rulers of the sky (Zeus) and the underworld (Haides). Consequently his nature/worship was markedly chthonic (khthon being the actual Greek word for "earth"). Horses were sacred to him, as were caves and promontories. In Pylos he was honored with the title wanax, the Bronze Age word for "lord protector"--equivalent to a king now.

2) Explanation: Poseidon's attributes and worship explain Titan's patronage of the Grasslands

- In Arcadia, Poseidon was god of the rivers and streams that flowed from the mountains, as the Region Intel indicates they do in the Grasslands. He was also worshipped here as a horse, and was the father of several mythical horses. While there are no real horses in FF7, chocobos and their carriages are associated in the Region Intel with the Grasslands. While chocobos are found in most every region of the Planet, the Grasslands are home to the classic iteration, and the breeding ranch of OG FF7 fame; they were also integral to this region's economy before the advent of sky shipping.

• The caves and promontories of southern Greece were associated with Poseidon. At Tainaron particularly, long regarded as an entrance to the underworld, there once stood a temple to Poseidon. Aside from the connection to Titan's imprisonment, association can be made with not only the cave sanctuaries, where the party retrieves Divine Intel for Chadley, but also the Mythril Mines as the site of the mythic mineral used for crafting the finest weapons and armor until the advent of Shinra.

- (Aside: hearkening back to my Dante connections, if Kalm/Grasslands represent the surface-level Ante-Hell, the wetlands/mines represent Acheron and the descent into the infernal underworld.)

- In Attica, Poseidon was honored at harvest festivals; the month bearing his name marked the time of the first harvest. A hint of this is found in the story of his contest with Athene for patronage of Athens, where his gift to the city was a spring, representing a plenitude of natural resources; he lost to Athene's innovative olive tree. According to Chadley, the harvest festival at Kalm--where natural resources likewise have taken a back seat--may have originated appeasement offerings to Titan.

-  A 1977 essay on The Odyssey ("The Anger of Poseidon," J. Lidov) posited that Odysseus' failure to respect the distinctions between himself and the world around him--that is, in his craftiness he defines himself primarily by the needs of the situation in which he finds himself rather than who he himself is--resulted in Poseidon's wrath against him to go on and on, even necessitating a symbolic appeasement. Taking this thought at face value, it provides a reason why "Gaia's Wrath" (or "Earthen Fury") is being unleashed now via summon materia: Shinra's usurping of chocobos, mythril, and other natural resources in favor of the comforts of mako and the ease of synthetics has caused technology to transgress its proper limits, awakening the ire

of deity who allegedly raised the Grasslands from the sea on his escape. It may also speak to a story/game about the search for identity--for the party members in general and Cloud in particular- beginning under the auspices of a deity who is an analogue for one associated with boundaries and right relationships.

3) Relevance: The truth--and the wrath--is out there

- Video games are just as rife with reference and allusion as any other artistic  medium, and can be just as valuable as any other artistic medium

- Myth continues to be one of our best resources for truth (as distinct from fact), and we should always want to pursue truth. Just as the myths of the Grasslands inform the realities associated with Titan, the ancient Greek and other myths continue to inform our understanding of the nature of reality. Where we've come from always informs where we're at and where we can go.

- We all have a responsibility to the earth and to maintain right relationship with it and with each other (including technologically). When our relationships falter, when boundaries aren't respected, when we don't know who we really are, rage follows.

Ch 3. Mining the depths

Digression: The Temple at Tainaron

- One of Titan's sanctuaries stands in the wetlands, overlooking the entrance to the Mythril Mine. The area is in ruins, the swamp is fraught with danger, and the mine itself is abandoned and in disrepair. The only beings in the mine are cave-dwelling monsters and the zombie-like black-cloaked SOLDIERs (later to be described as "shadows" of Sephiroth).

- As stated previously, at Tainaron (Ty-nah'-ron)--whose cave was regarded as an entrance to the underworld--there once stood a temple to Poseidon. This temple was an example of a rare kind of sanctuary known as a Nekromanteion (nek-roh-man-tee'-awn), or "death oracle"--a place where people communicated and consulted with the dead. Usually dedicated to Hades and/or Persephone and staffed by "evocators" (ee-vaw'-kah-terz) who knew how to call forth the shades of the dead, the Nekromanteion at Tainaron was instead dedicated to Poseidon and seems to have had no such staff on site.

- It was the only known Nekromanteion to be state-sponsored, as it was controlled by Sparta. While Sparta was a military-based society and the Republic of Junon was more trade-based, both were comprised of a federation of water-based settlements, Junon's on the Meridian Ocean and Sparta's along the Eurotas River Valley (NB: the name Eurotas is thought to derive from the Greek word for mold--also an epithet of Hades).

- The famous Greek traveler Pausanias reports to have seen no further path in the cave itself that would have led down into the earth. However, he does relate a story from an earlier author that a large serpent once inhabited the grounds that was so fearsome it was thought to have come from the underworld--just as the Midgardsormr (admittedly, a larger serpent) occupied the swamp before the Mythril Mines.

- Fun rock fact: Poseidon's Nekromanteion was known as a most sacred place, and a refuge for criminals, exiles and other suppliants. The Greek historian Thucydides relates that, in response to an uprising, the Spartans removed a group of suppliants from the temple and had them killed. This event happened around the same time as the earthquake of 464 B.C., which their neighbors considered to be retribution from the god for violating the sanctuary. Such a violation of suppliants' rights was referred to afterwards as the "Tainarian evil." (Lesson: Don't make the earth-shaker angry!)

Rock Fact #1

Concept

• The preservation of knowledge and conservation.

• As society progress new ideas often overshadow old ones and as humans we often have a desire to share or preserve old ideas

Rebirth

• An update to rebirth is the Mythril mines being fleshed out. And being put out of business.

• At the beginning of the Mines is a Museum While it is now in disrepair it shows there was once an effort to preserve this history

• Lost Knowledge the disconnect between the generational divide between Barrett vs team (the Republic vs Shinra) this foreshadows the conflict we see later in Junon

• In Original FFVII The Mythril Mines were tied to Kalm with workers in the bar saying it was shut down due to monsters infesting the area

Our lives

• Understanding others through knowledge conservation.

• We often think about understanding and communication across different cultures but less so about across generational divides.

• Understanding of how society changes can help us find common ground with generations both above and below us

Rock Fact #2

Concept

• Using the knowledge we have to help others and teamwork.

Rebirth

• The Mythiril mines really showcases how different everyone in the team is and where their strengths are.

• Barrett and Red go down to help the robbed man. These two specifically go because of their knowledge of the cave/caves

• The group acknowledging clouds battle experience, Barrett asking him to take point/ Leaving him to keep track of the other robes/ the above team

• We even see this in the coordination of the turks have with each other during our fight in the way they coordinate attacks based on speciaties

Our lives

• Recognizing our own strengths as well as others strengths.

• We often don’t have to carry burdens alone and recognizing the strengths of those we associate with can be key to success.

Quick Rock Facts

Concept

• Mithril as a concept is modern myth! Invented my JRR Tolkien

• Mithril means grey shimmer

• Mythril has appeared in every main line final Fantasy as an item or equipment except 1 FFVIII

• In the OG FFVII Mythril is a required item for Aeriths Final Limit Break Great Gospel

Research Facts Cited

Week Sep 15th - 21th Focus Political Resistance

Ch 4. Under Junon and the Flames of Resistance

People of the Phoenix

FFVIIR Week 3

1. Concept: The Phoenicians as reviving the world

- The Phoenician cities were maritime societies renowned for the extent and quality of foreign commerce both during and after the late Bronze Age. After the Bronze Age Collapse around 1180 BC, in which the Hittite, Greek and Egyptian societies either were crippled or fell apart completely, the cities of the Phoenician coast were mostly untouched by destruction. As the only society left in the area with any sustainable influence, they expanded their network throughout the Mediterranean, making connections and establishing settlements as far away as modern-day Morocco and Portugal.

- The Phoenician cities were not a united nation but autonomous states that were able to hold on to that autonomy due to their favored status among the other powers, even during their time as vassals to Egypt. Even the new settlements after the Bronze Age Collapse were not an example of colonial expansion, but were also autonomous city-states that networked with each other and with the neighboring societies.

- This is not to say that Phoenician society was altruistic. Their trade was driven by economic self-interest, and they were capable of conflict--including among themselves. But history indicates that they were respected and dominant for 1000 years not as a military power but as an economic one, and they played a--if not, the--pivotal role in the revival of the near east following the Collapse.

- Even their name appears to be an indicator of their favored status. The Egyptians called them Fenekhu after their word for "carpenter" or "wood-cutter," because of the famous Lebanon cedar wood and other lumber. In Greek this word became Phoinikoi, after a word likely meaning "crimson," because of the famous Tyrian reddish-purple dye. (The Phoenicians for their part likely thought of themselves as Canaanites, and would have identified themselves by their cities.)

- Phoenician dominance was brought to an end by the Assyrian Empire. The city-states were first annexed as a province, and later conquered as the empire sought to strengthen and expand. Assyria would eventually fall to Babylon, Babylon to Persia, and Persia to Alexander the Great.

1. Explanation: Junon vs. Shinra as world-unifiers

- In their desire to remain as free as possible, the Junon seafarers created a Republic that touched virtually all corners of the Meridian Ocean. Like the Phoenicians, their society was not one based in aggressive expansion, but in aggressive self-interest used to connect and cooperate in freedom. Their trade network ushered in a prosperous world-wide civilization long before the advent of Mako. Junon's networking expanded over land as well, converting the old Mythril Mine into a passenger tunnel to the Grasslands to allow for connection with the farm- and chocobo-based economy there.

- The Junon philosophy seems perfectly captured in the legend Chadley relates about the Phoenix, Junon's tutelary deity (which takes its name from the Greek word for the Phoenicians--"the crimson bird"). A fisherman shared his fire with the dying Phoenix, reviving its flames without the need for its rebirth cycle. In gratitude, the Phoenix "bright forth myriad fish into the world." This simple act of sharing resources brought something new and beneficial into the world without infringing on anyone's freedom.

- The Republic came to an end when the Shinra Corporation forces destroyed Junon's floating city, subjugated the people, shut down the tunnel, and built their reactor and fortress. A world once united by the sharing of resources quickly became united by the imposition of Mako and SOLDIER.

1. Relevance: What really unites and renews

- While both Shinra and Assyria built large empires through aggression and domination, such societies never last or hold together for the long haul and are rarely peaceful as they require constant aggressive reinforcement to put down revolts. Assyria dealt with many revolts, including from Phoenician cities, until it was itself conquered, and Shinra is still dealing with Wutai, Avalanche, and other resistance movements throughout the story (until it too will overreach, fall apart and be destroyed).

- Both Junon and Phoenicia connected/united the world through non-violent self-interest. As illustrated by the legend of the Phoenix and the fisherman, positive relationship fostered and grown by sharing skills and resources for each other's mutual benefit can be a "Rebirth Flame" for a community or society.

Sources for the above include:

Astour, M., “The Origins of the Terms ‘Canaan,’ ‘Phoenician,’ and ‘Purple,’” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 24, No. 4, (Oct. 1965)

Oded, B., “The Phoenicians and the Assyrian Empire in the Time of Tiglath Pileser III,” Zeitschrift des deutschen Palästina-Vereins, Vol. 90, No. 1 (1974)

Urbanus, J. “Masters of the Ancient Mediterranean,” Archeology, Vol. 69, No. 3 (May/June2016)

Bird Fact #1

Concept

• The Phoenix as a symbol of cultural Diversity

• The Phoenix Myth Exists in multiple cultures and is often adapted from other sources Egyptian to Greek, Chinese to Japanese,

Rebirth

• The Junon republic represented a different view of Unification where cultures came together rather than the Shinra view of conquest.

• The Phoenix as a multicultural symbol fits for Junon because it symbolizes this shared commonality in cultures as the Junon republic was formed from “Like minded souls” (Taken from in game lore)

• The Phoenix design in rebirth while taking abilities and lore from Western Phoenixes Visually it takes from the Eastern Phoenix (Japanese Phoenix from Kinkaku-Ji ,The golden temple, for reference) (You can also google FengHuang Bird for more images of the Chinese/Eastern Phoenix)
  

• Shinra represents the opposite of this As they often move in and instill their own philosophies while discarding others

Our lives

• Understanding common ground across cultures.

• While there are cultural differences around the world often times there are commonalities that we can use as a starting point to come together, The phoenix is not just an in game example but a real world example of this.

Quick Bird Facts

About Phoenix In game design

• The Eastern Phoenix Design as a symbol of human Ideals

• The five colors of the Eastern Phoenix bird’s plumage— black, red, blue (or green), white, and yellow— represent the five cardinal virtues: uprightness, humanity, virtue, honesty, and sincerity. There is some liberty to how these are applied but this color scheme is found in FFVII Rebirth Phoenix

About Phoenix in Final Fantasy

• Since its Introduction in FF3 Phoenix has been present in every mainline FF except one FFX

• In the Original FFVII Phoenix was also tied to the Junon region and was obtain from Fort Condor though much later in the game

Sources for the above include:

Nigg, Joseph. The Phoenix: An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast. University of Chicago Press, 2016.

Ch 4. Upper Junon and Political Alignment

Research Facts Cited

Week Sep 22nd - 28th Focus Relaxation

Ch 5. Mid Semester Cruise

Ch 6. Costa del Sol and a Philosophy of relaxation

The Philosophy of Relaxation (Apollo vs Dionysus and Nietzsche)

• In our hustle culture of today it’s easy to get so caught up in doing things that we forget how to truly enjoy ourselves. In the classical Greek distinction between Apolline and Dionysian, leisure was seen as belonging to that of Apollo, representing an aristocratic enjoyment of life, whereas Dionysus represented the passions of the human spirit.

• German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche says: “Quiet fruitfulness. The born aristocrats of the spirit are not too zealous; their creations appear and fall on a quiet autumn evening unprecipitately, in due time, not quickly pushed aside by something new.” Nietzsche, echoing the sentiments of the ancient Greeks, believed that men of leisure accomplished more than those that were constantly chasing after something new (the hustle of today) This doesn’t mean that trying new things is bad by any means, but rather learning to enjoy the now is of paramount importance considering how easy it is to get caught up in everything going on. .

• Apollo brings great serenity but this serenity is challenged by Dionysian intoxication so as not to grow stiff. This intoxication presents passion, chaos, and readiness so that tranquility does not lead to complacency. Leisure is great and of wonderful benefit, but one should have their sights steady on the goal. Even here at Costa de Sol, the party never forgets their main goal of defeating Sephiroth.

• Exercise and sports were great leisure for the Greeks but these were seen as preparations for war even in peacetime. This could be seen by the Greeks emphasis on wrestling which helped produce a strong body. For the Greeks, even during times of relaxation and peace there was an underlying readiness for conflict.

• And we can see why in later events when Cloud and the gang embrace leisure but aren’t prepared for any sort of combat, causing Cloud to use an umbrella to fight. But even then this trip to Costa del Sol serves as a momentary form of leisure from the wild chase on Sephiroth.

Research Facts Cited:

Cristi, Renato, and Oscar Velásquez, editors. Nietzsche: On Theognis of Megara. University of Wales Press, 2016.

Costa del Schole

FFVIIR Week 4

1. Concept: Aristotle's definition of leisure

- Schole (skaw-lay) is the Greek concept of leisure, defined by Aristotle as "the state or condition of being free from the urgent demands of lower level needs"--that is, from those things in life that necessitate work/labor. Leisure was a refreshment of the soul once the base requirements of bodily life, like food, money, and politics(?), had been sufficiently addressed. Anything resembling business or occupational life was to be avoided. (The Roman concepts of otium, meaning "inactivity," and negotium, meaning "busy-ness," were similar in that regard.)

- Leisure was not, to Aristotle, simply entertainment or vain pursuits; the purpose of leisure was to be free to pursue activities that would lead the intellect to contemplate the highest things, leading to a better and well-lived life. In that sense, both work and entertainment have leisure as their end: the necessity of labor finds its relief in the pleasurable activity of leisure, and the vanity of entertainment rests the body so that leisure can be more active.

- Leisure also has a moral component, because it involves non-obligatory choice. One is free to choose one's leisure pursuits, but one must also be able to deliberate and discern the pursuits that lead to the life best worth living. For Aristotle choice is moral, and it is the origin of character. Therefore, to him, leisure must involve morality, since it involves choice.

- Leisure time in Greek society was greatly facilitated by slave labor. Slaves did not have the opportunity for free choice and free time unless it was granted by their masters (or they were freed). However, in Aristotle's philosophy, "natural" slaves (who were usually non-Greeks) would have had no need or use for leisure, because they lacked the capacity for independent practical reasoning. Therefore, they would benefit more (albeit incidentally) from facilitating their masters' opportunity for leisure, since the bettering of their masters' lives allowed for the bettering of their own state.

1. Explanation: Costa del Sol as leisurely locus

- Mayor Kapono sums up the resort town Costa del Sol by saying "[F]orget your dead-end nine-to-fives, 'cause here the fun lasts all the way to sunrise." This is a wonderful encapsulation of "being free from the urgent demands of lower-level needs," and of how work and entertainment ought to balance out. The Region Intel for Costa del Sol also states that vacation packages are offered "to suit any budget." Unlike in Aristotle's Greece, the opportunity for leisure is not restricted due to class or "nature," and is maximized for the greatest possible number of the population--at least in theory.

- However, the Black Robes who wander onto the beach are ostracized by the other visitors to the point the Barret feels bad for them; they "ain't done nothin' to nobody, but we treat 'em like monsters all the same." Johnny is also looked down on by others and used as a lackey by the mayor, as he tries to better his "no money, no job" life by running and repairing his broken hotel. While the opportunity for leisure is there for all, there remains the feeling that certain undesirables lack the capacity for leisure, that they are an imposition on those who "naturally" deserve their free time.

- Aerith suggests that "a little sightseeing couldn't hurt," as a way of making the most of their time while they wait on the Black Robes, since they can't resume their labor until the Black Robes move on. Details such as Costa del Amor to team visitors together, and the rules for games such as Pirate's Rampage and the Card Carnival keeping experts from having an upper hand, help ensure that leisure is not simply idle time, but time well spent. And the decisions made by the characters throughout the chapter--Cloud's not clearing away the Black Robes from the beach; Aerith's helping the Shinra middle manager; Tifa's helping the wheelie employee for Johnny as much as for her own peace of mind--help illustrate the moral component of choices that are made without obligation, which is the key component of schole.

- Hojo, on the other hand, represents the antithesis of leisure and the abuse of free choice. He uses his freedom to force others to work, compelling the team, the Black Robes, and even monsters to labor for his benefit as he observes from his lounge chair, corrupting both work and entertainment by using leisure as a means to his own ends. He even teases that he'd like to use the swimsuit girls in his experiments--and anyone familiar with how Shinra's last great hero was born may guess what he has in mind.

- Finally, the conversations on the beach in the evening illustrate the intended benefit of schole: the direction of the intelligence upon the higher or highest things, which in turn gives new or deeper meaning to one's life and work. Four of the characters have new resolve after the events of their "day off": Tifa wants to build a new life for herself, Barret wants to reunite with Marlene, Aerith faces her future, and Red XIII wants to punish Hojo. (The only question mark in this regard is Cloud, who seems not to know himself beyond the pursuit of Sephiroth.)

1. Relevance: The modern face of leisure

- While Aristotle may have missed the mark in the long run regarding natural slavery, he hit closer regarding the need for leisure and the morality of choice. Time free from obligation is imperative for living well, but that time must still be well-directed. It's as simple as doing the right thing even when no one is watching or making you, but it still involves knowing what the right thing is.

- The continued automation of various kinds of labor, the increasing presence of AI, and the continued expansion of social media make knowing how to conduct one's free time rightly even more pressing of an issue.

- It remains very easy to look down on others who may bring down our mood or mess with the vibe we're trying to establish, but that does not mean they are less entitled to work, entertainment, or leisure than we are. (Unless we believe 1) that there is such a thing as a natural slave and 2) that we're not it.)

- Our participating in a series of videos and streamed live-plays analyzing the themes, messages and relevance of video games in the same way as other art media is (we hope!) a quite modern example of schole. It's not that no work is involved, and it's not that it's not entertaining, but both the work and the entertainment are directed, in freedom, towards the contemplation of higher things once the needs of the day have been met.

Heath, M., “Aristotle on Slavery,” Phronesis, Vo. 53, No. 3 (2008)

Owen, J., “Aristotle on Leisure,” Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Vol.11, No. 4 (Dec. 1981)

Week Sep 29th - Oct 5th Focus Escapism

Ch 6. Fun in the Sun

Ch. 7 The Happiest place on earth

Research Facts Cited

Interlude: Origins of Ninja and the Shinobi

The roots of ninjitsu are found in the “art of warfare” that began around 4000 B.C. in Indian culture, was passed to the Chinese mainland, and around the 6th century, passed through the Korean peninsula and crossed over to Japan.

The military strategy brought from China was developed in conjunction with shugendo, a practice involving mountain training, and adapted to Japan’s hilly, narrow geography, becoming unique Japanese strategy. From this body of strategy emerged Ninjutsu.

There were shugen studios in the Iga and Koka regions. Also, the houses of Todaiji and Kofukuji in the Iga region had most of the country’s warriors, and the lords of these houses adopted guerilla-like tactics, and kept the peace by containing one another. From this, Ninjutsu was developed.

We now use the unified term “ninja”, but they were not called “ninja” in the past. Depending on the era and region, there were many different ways to call them, including “shinobi” (meaning “one who is stealthy”), “monomi,” “ukami,” “suppa” and “rappa.” The various names depended on their relation to being secretive, the jobs they performed, and the reading of the Chinese characters with which their names were written.

Wutai and the war with Shinra actually have parallels to Japanese history. In 1579 Nobunaga Oda (the first Unifier of Japan) had his Son lead a campaign against Iga know as the First Tensho Iga War which was ultimately unsucessful later in 1579 Nobunaga himself led a campaign against them known as the second Tensho Iga War that led to the destruction of most the ninja and eventually a ceasefire. However this conflict would lead Iga and the shinobi to have a lasting resentment towards the Oda clan and would lead to the Iga ninja moving to serve Tokugawa Ieyasu who would later take the seat of Shogun from the Oda clan

Ninjutsu was passed down through generations within families or directly from teacher to a selected one or few disciples. This secrecy in part explains why little factual information exists about the ninja, giving rise to lots of stereotyping of them both within and outside of Japan.

Week Oct 6th - Oct 12th Theme Hatred

Ch. 8. What Hate does to a man

The Dark Side of Fantasy

FFVIIR Week 6

1) Concept: Aristotle on Fantasy

- The word "fantasy" comes from the Greek word φαντασίᾱ (fahn-tah-see-ah). According to Aristotle, φαντασίᾱ is the capacity to recall or generate in the soul things previously perceived. Unlike memory (μνήμη), which involves acknowledging recalled images as things that have been experienced in the past, φαντασίᾱ is imagination; it is the ability to create or process perceptions in a way that is not dependent on time, experience, fact, belief or even intelligence.

- For example, Aristotle speaks of the impression that the image on a signet ring makes in wax. The wax impression of the seal is a recall of the seal on the ring, but it does not contain and is not dependent on the ring being physically known or present. It also allows one to imagine what the signet ring could look like, even if one has never seen the ring before. In φαντασίᾱ, we conjure up the sense of a thing but not the thing itself.

- For Aristotle, φαντασίᾱ is the reason why recall can be wrong. It operates more like a dream or a train of thought, regardless of what is known to be accurate. and evaluates itself based on what could be true in the moment. Memory does not do this, because it is firmly rooted in a past experience. (For example, if we're looking for our car keys, memory would say "Where did I last leave them?" and φαντασίᾱ would say "Where could they possibly be?" With memory there would be a factually correct answer, or at least an answer less prone to error; with imagination there would be a variety of answers, many or all of which could be inaccurate.)

- Because φαντασίᾱ acts independent of intelligence and judgment, it operates more freely than either one, which is also why it is highly subject to error. But when our intelligence and judgment are compromised by our feelings, our emotions, illness (mental or physical) or even just the need for rest, φαντασίᾱ can eclipse what we know or believe to be true--or put another way, that's when the fantasy becomes reality.

2) Explanation 1: Serving Up Fantasy on a Gold Saucer

- Just as Costa del Sol is a locus of leisure (σχόλη), the Gold Saucer is a locus of imagination (φαντασίᾱ). As the song says when the party arrives, the Saucer promises “[t]onight all our dreams will come true, “a party that will never end,” a place where you can “[b]are your soul and live free.”

- When Cloud bests Dio in the 3D Brawler, Cloud is given a moment to revel in his victory with Dio’s and the crowd’s encouragement. In the midst of his identity confusion, Cloud is given a moment where the public affirms the success he sees himself as. He got a taste of it leading the Midgar 7 in Junon, but now even the party is reinforcing his imaginary self as he “bare[s] his soul.” This moment is shortly followed by a vision of Sephiroth telling him “Have your fun, while you still can.” Cloud is given permission to indulge his fantasy…but Sephiroth will try to impress reality upon him in the end.

- The sequence in Zack’s world shows him resolve to find Biggs, whom we saw at the end of Remake had “survived” just like Zack into this new world. We see initially through the eyes of the infirm Cloud, who in the main world is napping as the sequence takes place. Cloud in the main world also seems to hear the beginning and the end of this sequence. So even the Planet seems to be shifting and struggling between the memory of what is accurate and the imagination of what isn’t but could be.

- While exploring the Saucer, we come upon Jessie’s Loveless poster at the Golden Theater. For Jessie this moment was a memory, but for her parents it was what they thought was an ongoing reality. Like the confused Biggs who is somehow in Zack’s world, and like Wedge in Remake when he evaded death and the Whispers in Sector 7, Jessie is both a memory of the original and an imagination of the remake (muses of the Planet?)

Explanation 2: And To Dust(bowl) You Will Return

- While only Dyne was the holdout when it came to signing up with Shinra for a reactor, Barret takes the blame from Corel's survivors. Perhaps because they cannot face their own roles in the tragedy, or perhaps because Barret is the only main proponent left alive, the people of Corel have made Barret the object of their anger.

- Barret also blames himself and seeks both atonement and vengeance, going so far as to join a Shinra resistance group and splintering off a radical environmental terrorism cell. So he accepts Corel's anger and takes their abuse. His guilt also drives him to take care of Marlene, but also to use her as an excuse for his acts of vengeance and terror.

- In both cases, emotion is clouding proper judgment, and imagination has made Barret into a Shinra-like monster. The difference is in the support systems and what they reinforce. Corel cannot imagine Barret as anything else, whereas Tifa, Aerith, Cloud and even Yuffie can be reasonable and rational when Barret can't or won't be. Unlike at the beginning of Remake, Barret's emotions can now be tempered by his friends' perceptions, which keeps him from losing himself to his guilty imagination.

- The utter low point of all this anger and guilt is represented in Dyne, whose physical and emotional trauma has led him to lose his grip on reality. Barret faces him almost like facing a shadow version of himself, a product of a deranged imagination that Barret could have become. And when Dyne is brought back to reality by the knowledge that Marlene is still alive, he cannot deal with what he has done.

- (See also, the Madness of Ajax: in a rage over being dishonored, he loses his sense of reason and imagines a herd of sheep as the other Greek chieftains. After coming back to his senses, he sees what he has done to the sheep and decides to fall on his sword rather than face his dishonor.)

3) Relevance: Fantasy Is Not the End-All Be-All

- Fantasy/Imagination can be a powerful tool for helping us make sense of ourselves and the world around us. But when it overwrites what we know to be true, it stops being a tool and become a false belief. We can adjust our core beliefs based on new intelligence, but not on our emotions or neuroses running wild.

- Having and seeking proper support systems are vital in keeping us grounded. Their objectivity helps us frame and filter our imagination as exactly that, and can engage our intelligence in helpful and constructive ways. When all the emperor has are Yes-men, no one can tell him the truth of his "new clothes."

- It shouldn't be lost on us that we're fans of a fantasy anthology series that involves the breaking of negative or destructive cycles. Those cycles are broken through a combination of the imagination to see a new way forward and the intelligence needed to make it work in reality-at-large. And those cycles usually begin because emotion or trauma allows fantasy to trump reality.

Scheiter, K., “Images, Appearances, and ‘Phantasia’ in Aristotle,” Phronesis, Vol. 57, No. 3 (2012)

Zipes, J., “Why Fantasy Matters Too Much,” The Journal of Aesthetic Education, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer 2009)

Ch. 8 Alexander and the desert Debrief

Alexander: God and Man, King and Avenger

FFVIIR Week 7

1) Concept: The God King

- For Aristotle, a city-state is best governed in the same way as a free man ought to govern his household, not by managing its property or wealth but by fostering the virtue and excellence of its members. Cultivating virtue in one's children enables them to correctly use their leisure time (σχόλη) in order to better themselves and lead the best life possible. Proper governance of a city-state would accomplish the same thing but for the greatest number of citizens, whether that city-state is governed by one man (monarchy/tyranny), by few (aristocracy/oligarchy), or by many (polity/democracy).

- In his discussion of the proper distribution of justice in a monarchy, Aristotle defines four historic types: Spartan generalship; the king-priests of the Bronze Age; the elected dictators of the pre-classical period; and the barbarian (i.e., non-Greek) hereditary kings who rule for life. He then introduces a fifth type he refers to as παμβασιλεία (pahm-bah-see-lay-ah), or absolute kingship. This absolute king is sovereign over the affairs of multiple cities or multiple peoples, in the same way that the master of a household rules over the affairs of his wife, his children and his slaves.

- Aristotle then presents his idea of who is the best man to be a king, which is someone who is able to rule others because he is naturally more wise and virtuous than everyone else, a truly godlike man. But even Aristotle admits this should not be possible in societies such as the self-governing Greek city-states, where the majority of citizens are, if not equal, at least alike in the cultivation of virtue. It stands to reason, then, that παμβασιλεία can only succeed if the absolute king rules by force rather than by consent--not as a godlike man, but as an actual god or an inhuman man.

2) Explanation: The Holy Avenger

- Alexander, the tutelary deity of Corel, is said by Chadley to appear when humanity "strays from its proper course" and renders a "righteous judgment." He even references a wicked nation in Corel long ago, that was wiped out in a single night by Alexander, whose name means "man's avenger" (see also: Atlantis and various flood myths).

- "His pronouncements are absolute and cannot be defied." Alexander shows up to enforce justice and virtue among people who will not or cannot do so for themselves. It is telling that part of household management in Corel involves telling children that Alexander will punish them if they keep misbehaving. As the family goes, so does society.

- The summon Alexander is described as a robot or a machine, much to Chadley's fascination. Chadley even fantasizes about "doing something wicked in the hopes [he] might get to see him up close." This idea is reminiscent of the "god from the machine" (deus ex machina, ἀπὸ μηχανής θεός), where the drama of a Greek play is interrupted by the arrival on-stage of a god-character, via a crane or some other contraption, in order to dispense justice and resolve conflict.

- Aristotle composed much of his notes on politics while living as a resident alien in Athens, and while watching the conquest of Alexander the Great--his most famous pupil--play out in real time. It is highly likely that Alexander the Great himself is the παμβασιλεύς, the absolute king claiming descent from both Hercules and Achilles, acclaimed as son of Zeus Ammon, and enforcing his rule on Greek and barbarian alike. In a similar way, the summon Alexander could be the παμβασιλεύς of Corel, but he rules by virtue of being an actual divinity, not as a man playing at being a god (and sacrificing his humanity as a result, even to the point of dying young).

- As Titan is roused by Shinra's damage to the land and the Lifestream, and the Phoenix stands ready to "rebirth" Junon as Shinra continues to overreach itself, perhaps Alexander will yet pronounce his judgment upon the "wicked nation" of Shinra that has ruined Corel and made it a desert. (And perhaps, given what happened to the Corel reactor, this has already happened once before.)

3) Relevance: Whom Do You Trust

- There is no such thing as the best man to rule or the best system of government, but there is such a thing as managing one's house well and cultivating virtue in oneself and one's family. The "ideal state" is easier and better achieved from the bottom up rather than the top down.

- If someone comes along claiming to solve all your problems and fix everything--and that someone isn't obviously God--they're probably going to turn out to be a monster. Be careful whom you put your faith in, and why.

- Please don't be a Chadley: doing something bad just to see if you'll get punished isn't virtuous! (Then again, neither is Artificial Intelligence...)

Badian, E., “Alexander the Great and the Unity of Mankind,” Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, Bd. 7, H. 4 (Oct. 1958)

Dietz, M. G., “Between Polis and Empire: Aristotle’s Politics,” The American Political Science Review, Vol. 106, No. 2 (May 2012)

Nagle, D. B., “Alexander and Aristotle’s ‘Pambasileus’,” L’Antiquité Classique, T. 69 (2000)

Tierney, M., “Aristotle and Alexander the Great,” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, Vol. 31, No. 122 (Jun. 1942)

Research Facts Cited

Week Oct 20th - Oct 26th Theme Mindfulness and Meaning

Ch 9. The Gongaga event

Gongaga and the Lake of Memory

FFVIIR Week 8

1) Concept: The Cult of Memory

- Mnemosyne is most well-known as the Greek goddess of memory and the mother of the nine Muses. Her name comes from the Greek word μνήμη (mnay-may), meaning "memory" or "remembrance." Unlike imagination (φαντασία), which recalls perception of something without any necessary regard for accuracy, memory (μνήμη) recalls perceptions of things acknowledged to be are bound to past experience. With memory, and through Mnemosyne, there is always a factually correct answer.

- Mnemosyne had little to no official cults, but occupied a distinctly liminal position in Greek spiritual consciousness. Most famously, she could be invoked along with the Muses at the start of artistic endeavors, particularly poems and hymns in the hopes that the artist could recall the events he was writing or singing about correctly before conveying them to an audience. She could also be prayed to or sacrificed to when staying at "healing temples" (or faith-healing centers) of the god Asklepios in the hopes that they would remember any dreams or visions they experienced while they slept (Note: the father of Asklepios--Apollo--is the god of truth and prophecy, and chorus-master of the Muses).

- At Lebadaia in central Greece, those wishing to consult the oracle of Trophonios had to undergo several tasks and rituals over a number of days before descending into a cave to experience visions. These rituals included drinking from two fountains: one called Lethe (λήθη meaning "forgetfulness") to clear the mind of thoughts and distractions; and another called Mnemosyne to ensure the visions they would see in the cave would be remembered. After experiencing a number of frightening visions (usually at the hands of the temple staff playing tricks in the dark), the person would emerge from the cave and be placed in the Chair of Memory (Mnemosyne). The priests would then record the horrifying experiences before the person could forget, and from that story they would discern the oracle.

- In the Greek underworld, the newly dead would also drink from the River Lethe so that they would forget their earthly lives. Greek philosophers postulated this was needed to prepare the dead for eventual reincarnation. Those initiated into Orphic mysteries, however, were taught that this cycle of rebirth was for the unjust, and therefore something to escape so they could enjoy a just life on earth and an afterlife among the gods. As part of this, Orphics were taught to avoid Lethe on entering the underworld and to ask instead to drink "from the Lake of Memory" (Mnemosyne) to ensure they retained the memories of their life and so prevent their souls from transmigrating.

2) Explanation: The Jungle That Time Forgot

- As indicated in the Region Intel, Gongagans were originally descended from the Cetra and spent most of their existence here secluded from the rest of the world, even enjoying only limited relations with the Republic of Junon. But while they are surrounded by abundant nature, and even worship an embodiment of nature itself in the summon Kujata (see Divine Intel), they no longer commune with the Planet. In their seclusion they have atrophied; they have ceased to be Cetra and no longer relate to nature (or other people) in the same way.

- The culmination of the Gongagans' change in relationship with nature could be seen as the reactor explosion and the erection of the memorial by Shinra. It is not a shrine of remembrance so much as of forgetfulness; Shinra set up the memorial in an attempt to make the problem of the reactor disaster "go away." Also, while Cetran philosophy of death appears to have centered on rebirth and return, the Gongagans' (like the Corellans' and other humans') focuses on loss and distrust. The memory of the ways of their ancestors has been blown away--a stark contrast with the planetologists we will see in Cosmo Canyon.

- There are, however, pockets of memory present here. Cissnei holds memories of Zack, Cloud, Shinra and the events of Crisis Core, and her presence here in Gongaga is a kind of offering to memory; she stays so that she will not forget. Aerith, of course, holds memories of Zack, and goes to see his parents also as a kind of offering to memory; she is motivated by seeing someone who looks like Zack, and admits to feeling bad about "stirring up memories." And hovering over it all is Sephiroth, the "chosen"/"just" one, who refuses to let go of his memories and is using Cloud's memories to escape the Planet's cycle of rebirth and enjoy a divine life.

- Tifa takes a literal plunge into a "lake of memory" at the ruined reactor, being forced into the mako by Cloud and taken by the proto-WEAPON into the Lifestream. There she experiences parts of her own memory, parts she later admits to Cloud are from a time that is "a blur" to her (a hint of what we will see in Part 3 with Cloud). Her journey into the "lake of memory" helps her escape an unjust cycle of misunderstanding in her relationship with Cloud, and that enables her to better stand by him in his own struggle with what's real ("You saved me before; now it's my turn").

- She also witnesses a seeming war among two factions of Whispers (Arbiters of Fate), one of which is controlled by Sephiroth who is seeking to remake reality. Like Cloud, even the Planet is now struggling to determine which of its memories is "correct." And like Cloud, the Planet's memories are being fractured and manipulated by Jenova and Sephiroth for their own ends. But thanks to her time in the "healing temple" of the proto-WEAPON and the "lake of memory" of the Lifestream, Tifa is now equipped to help Cloud (and possibly the Planet).

3) Relevance: Don't Forget to Remember

- Our memories, personal or institutional, assist us in communing with and relating to other people and the world around us. They are not just for ourselves, but help us maintain a wholeness in the midst of the shared experience of life.

- Life is not meant to be escaped or run away from, and others' lives are not there for us to use. All life is meant to live, and to be lived in.

Ahearn-Kroll, S. P., "Mnemosyne at the Asklepieia," Classical Philology, Vol. 109, No. 2 (April 2014)

Ogden, D. "The Ancient Greek Orackles of the Dead," Acta Classica, Vol. 44 (2001)

Sinos, R. H, "The Ultimate Prize: An Orphic Image of Victory," Conflict and Competition: Agon in Western Greece: Selected Essays from the 2019 Symposium on the Heritage of Western Greece (2020)

Ch. 9 Kujata and the Jungle Debrief

Bull Fact #1

Concept

• Kujata “The bull that holds the world”

• Kujata in Mythology original comes from Islamic Cosmography, He is a great bull that Carries a platform which holds an angel that carries the Earth, Kujata also rides on the back of the great fish Bahamut
  Kujata is a symbol of a greater whole that we are a part of.

Rebirth

• In Chadleys Intel on Kujata he mentions that Kujata was worshiped as the embodiment of nature itself

• Gongaga was settled by descendants of the Cetra, we know the Cetra had a closeness to the planet and nature and Gongaga was most likely not chosen at random. It is the most alive place we see in the entire game so much so that we can see many old structures actively being reclaimed by nature in a way we don’t see anywhere else. The mako life springs here are also much larger than any other region. If Kujata is an embodiment of nature itself it makes since for him to appear hear

• A core tenant of Planetology and the way the Cetrans treated the planet is that we are part of a bigger whole. Kujata sits as a physical manifestation that there are forces bigger than us. In Rebirth he is a reminder of the power of nature, and was viewed as a possible cause of the reactor failure in Gongaga by the locals.

• Much like when we discussed Titan, Kujata has similarities to the concept a Weapon

Our lives

• Mindfulness and understanding our place in the greater whole.

• Kujata whether it be his in-game representation or his mythological one serves as a reminder of things that are greater than us. Being mindful of how we fit into this greater existence can help us to understand how we can have positive or negative effects we can have on the world around us.

• Against the backdrop of something as grand as Kujata and the Gongaga jungle FFVII chooses to remind us that the small moments matter. The relationships we have with those around, the memories we share, the memorials we leave, Understanding how we are part of a greater whole highlights how special our small interpersonal relationships are.

Quick Bull Facts

About Kujata In Mythology

• Kujata is a huge bull endowed with four thousand eyes, ears, nostrils, mouths, and feet.

• Kujata stands on the back of the fish Bahamut and they Comprise the 4th and 5th layer of a 9 Layer Cosmography

• It is said to walk the distance between Kujata’s eyes would take 500 years

About Kujata in Final Fantasy

• Kujata has only been a usable Summon in one other FF game “Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade”

• Kujata has not made many appearances appearing in only 4 in mainline FF games FF7/RE “summon”, FF13 “Fal'cie”, FF14 “Quest enemy”, and FF15 ”Hunt Enemy” (Correlation between Prof Noctis playing an FF and Kujata appearing???)

Research Facts Cited

Jorge Luis Borges, et al. The Book of Imaginary Beings. 1967. New York, Penguin, 2006, p. 89.

Week Oct 27th - Nov 2nd Theme Cognitive dissonance and believe systems

Ch. 10. Cosmo Canyon, Intro

Canyon of the World’s Soul

FFVIIR Week 9

1) Concept: The Cycle of Rebirth

- Metempsychosis ("change of ensouled state"), the Greek term for transmigration of the soul, refers to the belief that after death the soul passes into another body, whether it be as another person, an animal, or some other lifeforms. This transmigration would happen any number of years after death, for any given number of cycles, and for any number of natural or moral reasons. Greek religions and philosophies had a variety of takes on the details, but common features include that the soul could choose its next incarnation, and that the choice had to be confirmed by the goddess of Necessity (Ananke).

- Again, those initiated into Orphic mysteries were taught that this cycle of rebirth was for the unjust, and therefore something to escape so they could enjoy a just life on earth and an afterlife among the gods. They were also taught that some people were destined always to transmigrate, and could not escape the cycle of rebirth no matter how hard they tried. But for the fortunate, they could try to lead a just life in order to reincarnate into a higher type of life and escape the cycle entirely, enjoying an afterlife among the gods.

- According to Plato, the world itself is a living being, and as such has a soul (ψυχή κοσμοῦ or anima mundi) from which the souls of all other beings are drawn and to which they return. The "world soul" also endows the world with a sort of sentience, enabling it to discern different types of objects and elements according to the make-up of its own soul. These qualities, along with the soul's immortality, make the world a god unto itself, and able to influence the life and lives on its surface.

- In Plato's Socratic dialogues, it is posited that metempsychosis is the source of all knowledge. Prior to birth, the soul has access to all knowledge. At birth, or at the drinking from the waters of Lethe prior to rebirth, this knowledge is forgotten but it is recalled throughout life through education or experience. This recalled knowledge manifests first as true belief, which can later be confirmed through reason and understanding (see Chochmah, Binah, and Da'ath in Kabbalah).

2) Explanation: The Planet Remembers What Man Forgets

- According to Bugenhagen, planetology is more than the study of the planet and other stars; "it is a quest to comprehend the cyclical nature of life." Just as the earth gives forth physical life, which also returns to it, the "great river" of the Lifestream acts as a reservoir for the convergence and divergence of souls, as well as being the "world soul" of the Planet itself.

- Planetology, according to the Region Intel, has its origins in the Cetra; they passed down their knowledge of relating to the Planet to the humans of the Canyon region, who in turn developed it into a highly organized academic and spiritual discipline. While a core feature of this discipline seems to be to "keep challenging your beliefs"--also a feature of Greek philosophy and Socratic inquiry--Bugenhagen and other planetologists don't appreciate having their own beliefs questioned.

- In addition to passing on their knowledge to other humans, the Cetra established altars and other structures in order to commune with the Gi, beings alien to the Planet who therefore could not join the Lifestream after death. They used their knowledge to do what they could to pacify the Gi, in view of the crisis posed to the Planet by their souls' continued lingering. But this knowledge either was not passed on or was forgotten by the planetologists, resulting in the Gi attacks on the Canyon's settlements. (Their concern for the Planet is also what moved them to capture the Gi's Materia.) This failure of recall is one of the things that, in the classical mind, perpetuated the cycle of rebirth as a consequence of ignorance or lack of virtue.

- One of the (presumably Cetran) scriptures recited at the Torch Ceremony states that "[t]hose who sacrifice shall be made whole," and will be reunited to "the wellspring of all truths" that is the Lifestream. This philosophy, somewhat related to the Orphic belief in escaping the cycle of rebirth through just conduct, is echoed in Aerith's speech at the ceremony; her whole life has been a daily exercise in pain, but the pain has been mitigated by the friends and the love she has encountered. If Aerith--who is struggling to regain and retain her "truth," her lost memories--can return the love she's been given, then "all the pain feels worth it."

- Still hovering over all is Sephiroth, who has escaped from the cycle of rebirth and is exerting his will over the Planet's "world soul," forming multiple worlds from the Planet's knowledge and memories--a pantheon of timelines with which he can merge and become a god unto himself.

3) Relevance: Everything Is Connected

- The Greeks had one word that meant both "experience" and "suffering": pathos. To them they were one and the same, which informed much of how they saw both life and afterlife. When we see life as suffering, it's natural to want to escape it or simply endure it. Aerith has found a third path: to find something worth living for, that makes the suffering seem worth it. Experience of or through suffering does not have to negate life having value and meaning.

- The Cetra saw all life as precious, even the Gi whom they sought to commune with in their suffering and also fought to ensure their suffering would not harm the Planet. Ultimately, though, if we believe the world is alive, then that life isn't ours to do with as we please but to commune with, relate to, and care for, as we would for others who come into our lives. But, like Shinra or Sephiroth–or even some of the planetologists–we can easily make ourselves into an alternative "world soul," influencing and imposing our own type of order on the world around us to serve only our purposes.

- "The unexamined life is not worth living," Plato has Socrates famously say. Challenge your beliefs, test the spirits, and don't be afraid of doubt. But we also shouldn't rely too heavily on sense-data and the material world. Faith and reason working together is what leads to real knowledge.

Brisson, L. "How to Make a Soul in Plato's Timaeus," Plato's Timaeus: Proceedings of the Tenth Symposium Platonicum Pragense, Brill, 2021

Long, H. S., " Plato's Doctrine of Metempsychosis and Its Source," The Classical Weekly, Vol. 41, No. 10 (Feb. 1948)

Robinson, T., "Plato on Metempsychosis and the Concept of Appropriate Degradation," Methexis, Vol. 10, 1997

Planet fact #1

Concept

Planetology as an analogue of Japanese Religion

• Before we can explore the comparisons Between Planetology we must clarify that "Japanese religion" is not considered a singular religion but an amalgamation of various religions and traditions including indigenous civilizations that predate modern japan intermingled over thousands of years and still evolving, This is supported by the last several Japan censuses have over 80% of the population identify with 2 or more religions, Further more many Japanese do not refer to these traditions as religious but as cultural or historical practices. Common in all is the sacredness found in nature

Rebirth

• The structure and cultural treatment of Planetology is actual one of the first similarities is has with "Japanese Religion" We learn in cosmo canyon that modern planetology is built off the original teachings of the Cetra but in its modern iteration is mingled with modern sciences, and those who study it do not always view it as a religious practice, Chadley's region intel referring to scholars and devotees among paleontologists. But the core of planetology is the sacredness found in nature

Our lives

• Oftentimes our belief systems are the foundational core of how we view the world. When viewing art we often tend to start from our foundational understanding and find meaning but through understanding the foundations and beliefs of the artists we can find new meaning in their art as well as find the common ground between cultural beliefs.

Planet fact #2

Concept

Animism and the Lifestream

• One of the Key tenets of Japanese religion is Animism or the belief that all things animate or inanimate have the capacity to carry life energy and a soul. This Life energy is all considered to come from the same divine source weather you be a person,  a plant, a mountain, or a river. This idea of spiritual kinship has led to a respect and idea of living harmoniously with nature

Rebirth

• The Lifestream serves as an analogue to the Japanese view of animism that all life as well as the planet itself share a spiritual kinship. All life big and small finds its spiritual origins within the lifestream. This belief has led paleontologists and other inhabitants of cosmo canyon to seek to live more harmoniously with the planet, rejecting invitations that would cause harm like Mako.

Our lives

• There are various religious views throughout the world about our place in existence. Some place nature as a bounty for us to claim while planetology/Japanese beliefs place a burden of stewardship on us over nature, a mandate to understand our common relationship to the world around us. Seeking a greater understanding of your relationship with the world around you in either capacity helps us to find meaning and purpose in our existence

Planet fact #3

Concept

The Torch Festival as an Analogue to the Obon festival (pronounced O-bone)

• In Japan one of the most culturally significant holidays is Obon, similar traditions to obon are celebrated throughout Asia as it finds its roots in Buddhism and is often seen as a time of reflection and remembrance. Obon has several distinct traditions within its multi day celebration. On the first day of Obon a small fire is lit and smoke sent up to guide ancestral spirits back to their family home. The end of the festival is usually marked by large bonfires and the sending off of ancestral spirits to return to the spirit world by lighting small lanterns set adrift to the sky or along the river.

Rebirth

• The torch festival, a new addition to rebirth, uses incredibly similar imagery and ceremony to the japanese Obon festival. This is a moment where we see many of our party members reflect on their past, the festival is marked with a large bonfire and a send off of lanterns that we see glow in the life stream almost as if they are carrying souls returning to the planet.

Our lives

• Often festivals and holidays are a great way to see into the belief systems of others, while they can be fun and a time for celebration. Understanding the deeper symbolism and meaning behind these events help us to understand deep rooted beliefs that exist in other cultures.
  (Optional thought if you want to explore it)
  In this specific instance understanding the use of obon symbolism in rebirth lets us see how real life Japanese beliefs on death and spirits effect and inform possibly how death and spirtis function in the world of FFVII rebirth and could have large implications in understanding the story and conclusion.

Research Facts Cited

“Welcoming the Obon Holiday: Exploring Japanese Tradition.” Www.japanlivingguide.com, www.japanlivingguide.com/living-in-japan/culture/obon/.

Go! Go! Nihon Staff. “What Is Obon? A Guide to the Japanese Spirit Festival.” Go! Go! Nihon, 14 Aug. 2021, gogonihon.com/en/blog/what-is-obon/.

Bowker, John. World Religions : [the Great Faiths Explored & Explained]. New York, Dk Pub, 2006, pp. 110–121.

“JINJA HONCHO - Association of Shinto Shrines | Spiritual Beliefs - Nature Worship.” Www.jinjahoncho.or.jp, 2011, www.jinjahoncho.or.jp/en/spiritual/index.html.

Research Facts Cited

Week Nov 3rd - Nov 9th Theme The Gi and deep dive into hell

Ch. 10. CC, The Cave of the Gi

Gi Fact #1
Concept
Underworlds and Afterlives
In ancient Semitic/Near Eastern cosmology, the underworld and death are integral to the structure of the universe; there has to be a place under the earth (or across the ocean) for the unbodied soul to continue to exist after earthly life. This concept of underworlds tied to physical places in our world also exists in Japanese mythology with the concept of "otherworlds" places where the spirits of the deceased continue existing. Contrasted to the permanence of Judgement and Heaven or Hell. Many Ancient underworlds were seen as continuations of this life or places of continued learning. Examples include the Orphic idea of escaping the cycle of rebirth to an immortality with the gods (or as a god) or in Japanese Afterlives Spirits Moving between otherworlds and our world.

Rebirth
In rebirth we see multiple depictions of possibilities after death and how people process this. With Planetology we see the idea of the Life stream and a continued cycle, We see Zack and Biggs in a state of confusion in a world similar to there own striving for purpose, With the Gi we see the idea of trapped stagnation we see the effect this has on the Gi and how grief changes them.

Our Lives
There are many varied beliefs about where we end up after we die however often a common thread among them is that our current life is an important piece of the journey. Whether it be a cycle or a judgment, the things we do in our lives today are important. Are we setting ourselves up to look back at life searching for purpose, are we setting ourselves up to have resentments and grief?

Gi fact #2

Concept

The Japanese Underworld of Yomi

Among Japanese "otherworlds" one of the most interesting is Yomi. Yomi is not an afterlife underworld but is considered a literal underworld beneath our own. In Japanese myth it is sealed behind a Giant stone to prevent dark Spirits from invading the land of the living. The entrance and boulders that seal it are located in Izumo Japan, the Spiritual Center of Shintoism. Most of the spirits in Yomi are considered polluted and having partaken of the food there are unable to return to the natural realm. This being considered a miserable state of being for a spirit in Japanese mythology as being able to move between realms and continue progression is a key part of the deceased's existence

Rebirth

The cave and village of the Gi have striking resemblance to the Japanese Yomi. For starters it is a physical underworld that was sealed off to prevent the Gi's dark spirits from invading cosmo canyon. It is also similarly located in the spiritual center of Planetology. The Gi also share similarities to the the Spirits trapped in Yomi as they are unable to enter into the natural life and death cycle of reentering the life stream

Our lives

Oftentimes we take for granted our ability to grow and change. The Japanese Myth of the Yomi underworld and the tale of the Gi serve as a warning to pain and grief that stagnation can cause. We have the ability to take control of our fate and change the course of destiny in our own lifes. And while there may be trials to overcome we are not forced into a stagnant space like the Gi

Gi fact #3

Concept
Souls did resent their shadowy existence after death being interrupted; therefore, the living who wished to contact them had to do so in very specific ways or for specific reasons, if at all. Greek religion included nekromanteia, or "death oracles," temples and caves where people underwent a series of steps to commune with the dead, including sacrifices and libations to the gods or to daimones (the shades of heroes or one's ancestors). Within Japanese religion the deceased are often worshiped and contacted within the home via home altars known as Tamaya or Butsudan. Communing with the dead in this way is considered important because it is seen that we can help their existence but they can also help and protect ours. The idea of the souls of those departed being influential is found throughout many myths and ideologies.

Rebirth
Nanaki and Barret traverse the Gi Cave, appeasing and communing with spirits of the Gi by restoring order to their sanctuary or by outright fighting some of them. After accomplishing these rituals, Gi Nattak formally asks permission from Seto (with whom he seems to have communicated in this way before) to commune with the party and invite them further into Gi territory. Once there, the party is to undergo the ritual of communing with the Gi effigies in order to learn what they want and how to help them. It is also stated in the local data that the Cetra built these altars to commune and appease the Gi. The interaction between realms of the living and the departed is potent through this section of Rebirth, showcasing how souls can affect the world we see in multiple ways: Seto's continued deterrence; The Gi creating the black materia; even Aerith feeling Zack through the Lifestream.

Our lives
Whether we choose to believe in the direct influence of those in our lives that have moved on, we can still reflect on the influence they have in our lives. Whether it was advice from a departed family member or the memories of the time we spent together, these experiences helped shape us into who we are and can often be encouraging in times of struggle. Like we spoke about last stream, there can be peace and strength in remembrance. And those departed can still guide and influence our lives.

Research Facts Cited

jinja Honcho. “JINJA HONCHO - Association of Shinto Shrines | Spiritual Beliefs - after Death and the Ancestral Worship.” Www.jinjahoncho.or.jp, 2011, www.jinjahoncho.or.jp/en/spiritual/index2.html.

Prefecture, Shimane. “Home of Japanese Mythology “SHIMANE.”” Www.kankou-Shimane.com, 2011, www.kankou-shimane.com/en/japanesemythology/.

Bowker, John. World Religions : [the Great Faiths Explored & Explained]. New York, Dk Pub, 2006, pp. 110–121.

Noegel, S. B., “God of Heaven and Sheol: The ‘Unearthing’ of Creation,” Hebrew Studies, Vol. 58 (2017)

Ogden, D. “The Ancient Greek Orackles of the Dead,” Acta Classica, Vol. 44 (2001)

Wyatt, N., “The Concept and Purpose of Hell: Its Nature and Development in West Semitic Thought,” Numen, Vol. 56, No. 2/3 The Uses of Hell (2009)

Digression: What the Planet Connects, Bahamut Separates

- According to Chadley's Divine Intel, Bahamut was wounded in a fierce battle and sought refuge in the land now known as Cosmo Canyon. The earth offered its "divine protection," dyeing the summon's scales as red as the region's clay soil. On recovery, the "arisen" Bahamut let out a mighty roar which split the region in two, creating the canyon.

- Bahamut is the first summon to strike against the Planet's anima mundi (world soul). Unlike Titan who created the Grasslands by an earthquake when he emerged from his underground prison, or the Phoenix who gifted Junon with a multitude of new fish upon having its dying flame restored, Bahamut Arisen's roar of rebirth caused destruction in the land that hid and healed it. And unlike Alexander and Kujata who manifest their powers to enact justice--for men and for nature, respectively--Bahamut Arisen creates a literal divide in the land. This divide is reflected in the climate variations between the plateaus and valleys (see Region Intel), and echoed in the relationship between the Cetra and the Gi, the differing strains of planetology and the challenges they face from outside information, and Nanaki's internal struggles (as reflected in his voices).

- It is intriguing that a Whisper of Bahamut features in the final boss sequences of both Remake and Rebirth, and both are related to Sephiroth. Remake's is formed from the Whispers of the future Sephiroth remnants of Advent Children, and Rebirth's is formed by Sephiroth Reborn from the Whispers under his thrall. Both Bahamut and Sephiroth strike against the anima mundi, the Planet's rational structure and its prerogatives as a god unto itself. Bahamut does this by nature but Sephiroth does it by design, and it appears that Sephiroth is co-opting the nature of the "god of destruction" for his own ends.

Week Nov 10th - Nov 16th Theme Home sweet Home

Ch. 11. Odin Lore

Digression/Speculation: Excellence in Life...and Death?

- The Greek epic concept of ἀριστεία, from the word meaning "best" (ἄριστος), referred to a hero's excellence in battle, a moment in his journey that rises above and outshines all the others in glory and achievement. It usually involved the slaughter of many opponents (or one great one), and could easily end in the hero's own death, such as that of Patroklos in Iliad Book XVI. It could also involve feats of superhuman strength, such as Diomedes wounding both Aphrodite and Ares in Iliad Book V. Excellence in battle was typically rewarded, often by being gifted an opponent's or other hero's armor.

- During the Divine Intel relay, Chadley confesses to Cloud that he thinks Odin's sword Zantetsuken, which has power to cleave anything from "the fabric of creation" to "the time between seconds," may surpass his own Buster Sword in power. The Buster Sword itself was created in Banora by Angeal's father for him when he joined SOLDIER; he passed it on to Zack at his death, and Zack passed it to Cloud at his, and the sword has become a symbol of honor and legacy--both qualities of heroic excellence. It is interesting to note, then, that Chadley thinks that Rebirth's god of death has power over a weapon associated with ἀριστεία. Death comes for us all, but Odin does "[claim] the souls of fallen warriors as his own."

- The only other sword we have seen with this kind of cleaving potential is Sephiroth's Masamune--the sword with which he disarmed Cloud at the end of Remake, at the literal Edge of Creation that exists "seven seconds till the end." While the origin of that sword is currently playing out in Ever Crisis, we can say that Sephiroth died without ever achieving ἀριστεία; he himself admits that his reputation as a war hero is a false narrative, Shinra propaganda. He even dies in an ignoble way: driven mad by revelations, destroying a village, and killed by a grunt.

- It may be possible that now, through his manipulations of Cloud and the timeline, Sephiroth may be trying to save the Planet in order to achieve in death the excellence he never achieved in life (if only in his own mind). Odin, as "gatekeeper of the afterlife" who "turns away all whose time has not yet come," may be monitoring the situation, inasmuch as Sephiroth’s presence and manifestation is allowed to continue. Will Sephiroth will become a warrior after the summon's own heart or just another soul that must finally submit to the Lifestream?

Stamatopoulou, Z., “Wounding the Gods: The Mortal Theomachos in the Iliad and the Hesiodic Aspis,” Mnemosyne, Vol. 70, Fasc. 6 (2017)

Ch. 11 Nibel Region MSQ

Dwellings of the Dead

FFVIIR Week 11

1. Concept: Exploring the House of Hades

- The Greek underworld changed in many ways over the centuries of Greek history, but one constant was that within it dwelled the σκίαι ("shades"), the stagnant souls of the dead. Presided over by Hades, the "chthonian Zeus" whose name means "unseen," and his bride Persephone, who rules with him during the autumn and winter months, the kingdom of the dead boasts countless subjects in a timeless gloom, aware of the past and future in the world above but forgetful of their own earthly lives.

- These shades would be led to the underworld by a psychopomp--literally a "soul guide." Hermes, god of messengers and boundaries, was one such guide, as was Hekate, goddess of the crossroads. The most well-known is Charon, for whom a coin was placed on the mouth of the dead as payment for his ferrying the shade down one of the underworld rivers (usually Styx or Akheron).

- Hades himself later became known as Pluto, conflated with the Greek god of wealth (Ploutos) whose domain was the precious stones and metals under the earth. The god Zagreus, who in older myths was a son of Hades and Persephone, later became conflated with Dionysos in the Orphic mysteries; the twice-born son of Zeus, first by Persephone and then by Semele, become a symbol of death and rebirth.

- As ideas of the underworld developed, the realm of Hades became more expansive and structured. Tartaros and Elysion were originally imagined as separate locations, the former a prison of the Titans and other monsters, the latter a dwelling place for heroes and those favored by the gods; they later became areas of the underworld for those especially wicked or heroic (respectively). Judges were even envisioned, with Minos, Rhadamanthys and Aiakos determining the fate of the dead, and the many rivers of the underworld were imagined to separate the various regions from each other and from the entrance. Most shades, however, would still reside in the Asphodel Meadows--the traditional "house of Hades."

1. Explanation: The Best There Is

- Beyond Mount Nibel is said to lie "the land of the dead." It is unclear how such a location, real or imagined, fits into the concept of the Lifestream. What is clearer is that at the foot of Mount Nibel lies the village of Nibelheim, Cloud's and Tifa's home destroyed by Sephiroth five years ago, making it a more tangible land of the dead than the regions beyond the mountain. The version rebuilt by Shinra is now a center for the treatment of mako illness, futilely tending to the shade-like black cloaks.

- The summoned entity Odin is said to ride in from the land of the dead to claim the souls of warriors and turn away those whose time has not yet come. This function makes Odin a psychopomp, directing the soul to its proper location. Cait Sith also acts as a psychopomp of sorts, working to gain the party entry to the Shinra facilities in the manor as he works to find the information he seeks. Even Tifa acts as a psychopomp, resuming her role as the 'best' guide through the mountain paths--a role she likely assumed after her initial attempt to find her mother's soul on the other side of the mountains as a child.

- While the land of the dead is conceived of as lying beyond Mount Nibel, underneath the mountain is a kingdom of wealth. The mako pools and fountains in the mountain's caverns result in beautiful, naturally-formed materia. This richness was exploited by Shinra who built the first-ever mako reactor there, as well as multiple levels of labs beneath Shinra Mansion, whose expanse is such that it must extend under the mountain as well.

- LIke the Greek underworld, Nibelheim is a place of stagnation. The town's boys, including Cloud, left the place to find success or glory in Midgar. Home to the first Mako reactor, its primitive nature resulted in it being set to low output (see Region Intel), making ;life there comparatively slow. The personalities of Tifa and Cloud did not develop much as children, nor did their relationship, until Tifa's father became overprotective of her after her mother died. Cloud and Zack were held in stasis for four years under the empty Shinra Manor following the village's destruction. Vincent Valentine also lies in a coffin beneath the mansion, only waking when necessary to allow or deny entry to the facility. The only way any of these characters could grow and change was by leaving "the land of the dead."

- Also, while Aerith is not native to Nibelheim, she has strong feelings of stagnation which she vocalizes to Cloud. She has no one she can truly share or reminisce with and feels taunted by her loneliness. While she affirmed the positive lessons she takes from her life at the Torch Ceremony, held in a place associated with life, here in Nibelheim--similar to the train graveyard--she seems overwhelmed by her existence as a living shade.

- While NIbelheim itself is stagnant and locked in time, the characters' perspectives bring with it an evolution or expansion, not so much in geography but in understanding. Cloud's sudden recollections of Zack cause him to think differently about the events of five years earlier, though even his recollections are spotty; he has to rationalize Zack as dead in order to make sense of it. The path through the mountains is not the same, forcing Tifa and Cloud to rely on skill more than memory in order to progress. And Cloud's and Tifa's relationship has progressed to the point that he can stand by her as she confronts, and almost relives, what happened to her father in the reactor.

1. Relevance: It's All about Attitude

- Much of our conception of the "land of the dead" originates not so much from study but belief, and particularly from our attitude in the face of death. Tifa used her longing for her mother to demystify the mountain for herself and others, while Cloud's shifting memories and rationalizations continue to color his perceptions of his home.

- The adventure of "what comes next" can make the imagination run wild, but with the right guides and companions it doesn't need to be faced alone or in fear. Both Cloud and Tifa have been learning that lesson in the build-up to this chapter, as has Aerith.

- "I'll rest when I'm dead," the saying goes. Don't let this life stagnate, and try not to mourn before it's time.

Cuadra Rubio, R. M., “Herms: From Custodians of Boundaries to Custodians of Gardens,” The Many Faces of Mimesis: Selected Essays from the 2017 Symposium on the Hellenic Heritage of Western Greece, 2018

Edmonds, R., “Tearing Apart the Zagreus Myth: A Fee Disparaging Remarks on Orphism and Original Sin,” Classical Antiquity, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Apr. 1999)

Ogden, D. “The Ancient Greek Orackles of the Dead,” Acta Classica, Vol. 44 (2001)

Research Facts Cited

Week Nov 17th - Nov 23rd  Theme the relationships that make up our Psyche

Ch. 12 Fun and Games!

Ch. 12 All the dates!

Research Facts Cited

Week Nov 24th - Nov 30th

Ch. 12 Chadley’s hardest Battles?

Research Facts Cited

Week Dec 1st - Dec 7th  Buddhism, Prayer and Knowledge

Ch. 13 The Temple of the Ancients
Concept

The Japanese concept of Shinden (pronounced Sheen-den)

• In Japanese there are multiple words for temple. There is the buddhist Tera (pronounced like Terra) and in Shinto Honden (Pronounced ho-n-den) that are commonly used however there is also a rarer Shinto word for temple Shinden.
  The Shinden (Literally meaning Deity Anchor) is the most sacred part of Shinto Shrine and is considered the house of the enshrined Deity. The Shinden cannot be accessed by the general public and is often only involved in the most sacred rituals. (Very similar to the Holy of Holies in Judism)

Rebirth

• In the Original Japanese Shinden is the word chosen for a temple in the “temple of the ancients.” Remember this is not a common word to choose and would imply several things about the temple of the ancients. This place would have been viewed as the home or anchor point of a deity most likely the Life stream itself. It also, even among the Cetra, would not have been a place the general public would access, This would have been a place where only those akin to High Priests, trained in the rites and rituals of the Cetra, would have gone. This suggests the information and practices kept inside may not have been common knowledge among the Cetra.
  

Our lives

• Despite the fact that she has no formal training in Cetran rites nor was she even raised at a time when their beliefs were common knowledge, Aerith is seen inside the Temple working with and manipulating the life stream like it is second nature, we later see her communing with the planet in the forgotten capital as well. There is a strong message here and in Aerith’s overall character arc of understanding our own place spiritually. While many belief systems place importance in rites and sacred places like the Temple of the Ancients, Aerith’s character shows how we can make our own spiritual journey. Her journey shows us how what's in our hearts and our desire to be and do good can have real power and effect on the world around us, regardless of how we were raised or our station in life like Aerith we can choose to use our talents to be force for good.

Ch. 14 Making Sense of the Ending

Maiden and Mother: Aerith’s Rite of Passage

FFVIIR Final Week

1) Concept: The Mistress

- The Greek goddess Persephone is (traditionally) the daughter of Zeus, the sky father, and Demeter, the earth mother. While picking flowers in a meadow she is distracted by a narcissus (similar to a daffodil) and is consequently abducted by Hades, lord of the underworld, in accordance with the decree of Zeus, her father and Hades’ brother. Demeter searches the world for her, eventually hiding herself away in grief while allowing nature to go barren, which threatens the survival of all life. To restore the cosmic order, Zeus commands Hades to return Persephone to her mother, and decrees she must spend a third of each year with him as his queen.

- Persephone's abduction and descent into the underworld has been seen as an echo or allegory of marriage, where a Greek girl leaves her mother's house and is given by her father to a husband. All rites of passage involve the death of certain parts of the self as a person moves to a new sphere of life; in marriage, a women saw the death of her childhood, of her identity as her mother's daughter, and of membership in her father's house.

- Jungian philosophy sees in Persephone and Demeter the archetypes of the Maiden and the Mother. Demeter has the word for "mother" in her name (μήτηρ), Persephone was commonly revered as Kore (κόρη), literally meaning "girl" or "maiden." The two of them were also worshipped together as "the goddesses" or "the mistresses" (δεσποίναι), and were seen as two sides of the same coin: the mother lives on through her maiden daughter, and the maiden grows to become the mother.

- Orphic belief also casts Persephone as a mother figure, and not just by being "mother" to the countless shades of the underworld. The gold tablets buried with those initiated into Orphic mysteries (see Week 8 on the Lake of Memory) contain instructions on what to say to the "mistress" (δεσποίνα) in order to begin the ritual of rebirth, and rebirth itself is compared to a calf or kid "fall[ing] into milk" (as in, mother’s milk). In one tablet, the dead are even described as having "sunk upon the lap of the chthonian queen," assigning her the very pose of a mother goddess.

2) Explanation: Mother Aerith

- Both Persephone and Aerith are flower girls, and are associated with golden-colored flowers with large tepals. Both these plants--Aerith's yellow flowers and Persephone's narcissus--are symbols of death and rebirth. Persephone reaches for the narcissus and is taken by the lord of the dead, while Aerith "follow[s] them, the yellow flowers" towards her own destiny in death.

- Entrance to the world of the dead also marks a rite of passage for Aerith. In the Temple, which functions in part as a nekromanteion or death oracle (see Week 2 digression on Tainaron), Aerith learns how to act as a Cetra, communing with the Planet and manipulating the energies of the Lifestream. Through her trial, she learns to let her own mother go and help the others focus on "the future, not the past." And in allowing Cloud to take the Black Materia, she accepts what she needs to do in order to fulfill her own destiny, let her past self go, and save both Cloud and the Planet.

- LIke "the mistresses" Demeter and Persephone, Aerith exists in Rebirth as two sides of the same coin: one wandering the main world on her journey towards motherhood, and the other trapped in an alternate world as a maiden who does not rise from sleep. While the Aerith in the main world is trying to reclaim the parts of herself that have been taken from her by the Arbiters of Fate, the alternate world is dying as the Aerith there sleeps hidden away in her mother's house. It is only when “main world Aerith” intrudes upon the dying world to claim the full White Materia that she is restored--and with her the "cosmic order" of the game's story.

- From the Sleeping Forest onward, Aerith ceases to be a Maiden and begins to become a Mother. In the Forest, as she takes back the White Materia, she dispenses motherly advice to Cloud while fully assuming her role as the last Cetra. In her prayer at the Forgotten Capital altar, her prayer is to "keep the others safe," which we see her able to accomplish through preventing Cloud from recognizing her death and intervening throughout the battle against Sephiroth.  As indicated in both the OG and the ending of Rebirth, and as expanded upon in "The Maiden Who Travels the Planet," Aerith helps to guide Cloud back to his real self and encounters several souls whom she helps to adjust to existence in the Lifestream. By the time of Advent Children, she even remarks on "everyone calling [her] 'mother' lately"--contrasting with Sephiroth and his remnants using the same title with regard to Jenova (Jung's Terrible Mother figure).

3) Relevance: From Death into LIfe

- Rites of passage interrupt the cosmic order of our lives as we have maintained them up to that point. Whether they involve something as intense as a disability or death, or as "routine" as a graduation or marriage, or even the choices and decisions we have to make every day, the order of our lives can only be restored by acceptance of the change we have entered into. The "five stages of grief" are a famous example of such a process,.as are the rituals that accompany commencements, weddings, birthdays, etc.

- As she has progressed through both Remake and Rebirth, Aerith is able to do what Demeter and Persephone are not: she accepts her Cetran role and what it means, and willingly makes passage from one mode of life to another. It's why, of all the ways she could have claimed the full White Materia, she chooses a dream date with Cloud: having that "ritual" experience and knowing where she stands with him allows her to let her feelings go and accept what comes next. It is also one reason why death cannot be a homecoming for Aerith; in dying, she is leaving her home to "wed" the Planet’s world soul.

- While Aerith knows and accepts her fate, Cloud and the others are traumatized by its suddenness, just as Demeter was by her daughter's abduction. As Part 3 unfolds, all the characters may experience their own restoration and compromise before they can accept--and Aerith may have a role to play, not for just Cloud but perhaps the others as well.

Athanassakis, A. N. (tr.), The Homeric Hymns, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976

Makowski, J. F., “Persephone, Psyche, and the Mother-Maiden Archetype,” The Classical Outlook, Vol. 62, No. 3 (March-April 1985)

Ogden, D. “The Ancient Greek Orackles of the Dead,” Acta Classica, Vol. 44 (2001)

Sinos, R. H, "The Ultimate Prize: An Orphic Image of Victory," Conflict and Competition: Agon in Western Greece: Selected Essays from the 2019 Symposium on the Heritage of Western Greece (2020)

Digression: Orpheus and…Aerith?

- The Thracian bard Orpheus, credited as the founder of the Orphic mysteries, had the power to charm all creation with his music, from people to animals to the earth itself. When his wife tragically died soon after their wedding, he descended into the underworld alive and asked Hades and Persephone to allow him to bring her back to the surface. After charming them both with his music, they restored her life and allowed Orpheus to bring her back. However, he was told that she must walk behind him and that he must not look back until they were both outside the realm of the dead; this he failed to do, and so she was lost to death again.

- The details of Orpheus' failure are many and varied; in some tellings he thinks she has tripped on her way out and turns to help her; in others, he fears he has been tricked and turns to make sure she is in fact behind him. In Plato's telling, he actually is tricked; the gods give him a phantom (εἴδωλον) of his wife as a punishment for presuming to enter the underworld alive and ask a favor. In all versions, however, the result is the same: Orpheus' love for his wife prompts both his journey and his failure.

- In Plato's telling, Orpheus is denied his wife because of his weakness and cowardice: Orpheus would enter the underworld, but he is not willing to die first. In a similar way, Sephiroth in Remake tells Cloud he is "too weak to save anyone, even yourself," and then in Rebirth gives Cloud his "blessing" to try to escape the Reunion, as well as to try to save Aerith. Succumbing to Jenova would be a "death" for Cloud, one Sephiroth would now bring about by Cloud's failure to save Aerith. Oddly enough, though, this "death," or succumbing to Jenova, is prevented by Aerith, who allows Cloud, via a phantom (εἴδωλον) of herself, to think she is still alive--and, therefore, that he saved her. Whatever kind of love exists between Cloud and Aerith, it defines both the struggle and tragedy.

- At what point in Part 3 will it be safe for Cloud to recognize that Aerith is really dead? Orpheus was devastated by the loss of his wife, forsook the company of women, and was killed by a group of spurned would-be lovers. Fortunately, Cloud's would-be lovers are all on his side; both Aerith and Tifa are guiding him as gently as possible until he can face the whole truth.

- "You have to promise not to look up." Orpheus' reunion with his wife was doomed when he looked back, which he was told not to do until it was safe, Aerith, however, seems to eb counting on the disobedience as part of her own plan ("There I go again, putting my foot in my mouth. When will I ever learn?") What benefit could this knowledge afford Cloud in Part 3?

Heath, J., “The Failure of Orpheus,” Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-2014), Vol. 124 (1994)