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Moar Bleach Meta. (Because I just can't get enough.)
Spoilers for manga chapters up to 347.
So chapter 347, "The Lust", debuted last week....and what a fine debut it was.
I've heard lots of people referring now to Ulquiorra's complete Resurreccion (not a second release, but it seems to be a continuation of his first one) as him being an "incubus", "Lucifer", or the like.
Well, judging by what I've taught myself about the nature of the occult origins of the notion of Satan, they're not too far off the mark.
Let's start with an earlier tidbit -- Ulquiorra's previously-unreleased zanpakutou. The end of the handle, the part that meets the blade, is shaped a lot like an Egyptian-stylized eye, specifically the Eye of Horus (also known as the Eye of Ra, or in Egyptian as the Wedjat):
It's not a perfect match, but I'm too lazy to look up the manga chapters showing the handle -- needless to say, it's something most people have already seen.
The significance of the Eye of Horus symbol is compounded by the well-known fact that Ulquiorra can remove his eye, at will, to demonstrate to someone what it has recorded (and it records everything, much like the "all-seeing eye" of Ra in mythology). Even more significant is the fact that there is usually a teardrop found directly underneath the eye...not unlike Ulquiorra's infamous tear-marks.
There are a lot of different theories Egyptologists have about the eye, and its relation to the sun/moon/gods/goddesses, but one thing is for certain -- the eye was a protective symbol used by the Egyptians. It was an extremely sacred symbol that was said, when carved on the sarcophagi of mummies, to give them the ability to "see again".
The second point of evidence to link Ulquiorra to ancient Egypt is his new Resurreccion form. We still have yet to see it in its completion -- it may be completed at the beginning of 348, or we may be subjected to a flashback/backstory of Ulquiorra -- but already I see some very interesting occult parallels.
The picture below is a depiction of the occult figure of Baphomet -- also known as the "Goat of Mendes". Those of you who read my Witch Hunter Robin fanfictions will recognize the significance -- Baphomet is one of the key archetypal figures of Satan. He represents fertility and sexual power, above all else. ("The Lust" not too far off the mark, I think.) He also prominently figures in Neopaganist mythos -- Witchcraft -- as a manifestation of "The Horned God".
Here are some links which go into detail about him:
http://www.satanic-kindred.org/baphomet.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baphomet
http://altreligion.about.com/od/symbols/a/baphomet.htm
http://sonic.net/yronwode/arcane-archive.org/religion/satanism/ram-of-mendes-was-goat-of-mendes-1.php
(I would disregard the suggestions that the name "Baphomet" was linked to the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad -- that was certainly not Levi's [the original artist's] intent, as he was more a student of Hermeticism, Kaballah, and alchemy.)
Interestingly, there are links to Amun-Ra of Egypt (Ammon, Amon, Amun), in that sometimes the Goat of Mendes is referred to as the Ram of Mendes. Amun-Ra, too, was a "horned" god who, in addition to several other aspects, was largely invoked for fertility.
Links and information about Amun are here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amun
http://www.livius.org/am-ao/ammon/ammon.htm
What do these things mean, in relation to Ulquiorra and his role in Bleach?
...Good question. I can only speculate why Kubo has chosen to include so many ancient occult references all wrapped up in this single character. More than any other, Ulquiorra's very nature is reeking of symbolism.
If he is like Horus, will he defeat his enemy, as Horus defeated Set? (Not likely, given that Ichigo is the hero of the series.) If he is like Baphomet or Amun-Ra, is he going to "defy God" somehow as the archetypal Satan? This could be read as Ulquiorra possibly rebelling against his god, Aizen. I'm not sure which angle Kubo's going to go with, but whatever it is we can count on it being spectacular, at this point. There has been so much speculation about the parallel of this fight (Ichigo/Ulquiorra) to the Ichigo/Byakuya fight in the Soul Society arc -- Hime and Ishida on the sidelines, Ishida's attempt to reassure, Ulquiorra taunting Ichigo with the differences in their powers -- that it's hopeful the resolution of the fight will either end in a draw, or something else.
Also, there is AGAIN the reference to the Tanabata myth, in which the weaver-princess Orihime falls in love with a cowherder. The first reference was Ulquiorra's resurreccion name: "Murcielago", which as I pointed out in a previous post, was a famous name of a fighting bull. Now with the similarity to Baphomet and the "Goat/Ram of Mendes", there is again another reference.
Something's going to happen, especially now that Orihime's going to go join the fight at the top of the dome...and whatever happens, I have faith that it's not going to mean Ulquiorra's death. There's just something too important about him, by this point.
So chapter 347, "The Lust", debuted last week....and what a fine debut it was.
I've heard lots of people referring now to Ulquiorra's complete Resurreccion (not a second release, but it seems to be a continuation of his first one) as him being an "incubus", "Lucifer", or the like.
Well, judging by what I've taught myself about the nature of the occult origins of the notion of Satan, they're not too far off the mark.
Let's start with an earlier tidbit -- Ulquiorra's previously-unreleased zanpakutou. The end of the handle, the part that meets the blade, is shaped a lot like an Egyptian-stylized eye, specifically the Eye of Horus (also known as the Eye of Ra, or in Egyptian as the Wedjat):
It's not a perfect match, but I'm too lazy to look up the manga chapters showing the handle -- needless to say, it's something most people have already seen.
The significance of the Eye of Horus symbol is compounded by the well-known fact that Ulquiorra can remove his eye, at will, to demonstrate to someone what it has recorded (and it records everything, much like the "all-seeing eye" of Ra in mythology). Even more significant is the fact that there is usually a teardrop found directly underneath the eye...not unlike Ulquiorra's infamous tear-marks.
There are a lot of different theories Egyptologists have about the eye, and its relation to the sun/moon/gods/goddesses, but one thing is for certain -- the eye was a protective symbol used by the Egyptians. It was an extremely sacred symbol that was said, when carved on the sarcophagi of mummies, to give them the ability to "see again".
The second point of evidence to link Ulquiorra to ancient Egypt is his new Resurreccion form. We still have yet to see it in its completion -- it may be completed at the beginning of 348, or we may be subjected to a flashback/backstory of Ulquiorra -- but already I see some very interesting occult parallels.
The picture below is a depiction of the occult figure of Baphomet -- also known as the "Goat of Mendes". Those of you who read my Witch Hunter Robin fanfictions will recognize the significance -- Baphomet is one of the key archetypal figures of Satan. He represents fertility and sexual power, above all else. ("The Lust" not too far off the mark, I think.) He also prominently figures in Neopaganist mythos -- Witchcraft -- as a manifestation of "The Horned God".
Here are some links which go into detail about him:
http://www.satanic-kindred.org/baphomet.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baphomet
http://altreligion.about.com/od/symbols/a/baphomet.htm
http://sonic.net/yronwode/arcane-archive.org/religion/satanism/ram-of-mendes-was-goat-of-mendes-1.php
(I would disregard the suggestions that the name "Baphomet" was linked to the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad -- that was certainly not Levi's [the original artist's] intent, as he was more a student of Hermeticism, Kaballah, and alchemy.)
Interestingly, there are links to Amun-Ra of Egypt (Ammon, Amon, Amun), in that sometimes the Goat of Mendes is referred to as the Ram of Mendes. Amun-Ra, too, was a "horned" god who, in addition to several other aspects, was largely invoked for fertility.
Links and information about Amun are here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amun
http://www.livius.org/am-ao/ammon/ammon.htm
What do these things mean, in relation to Ulquiorra and his role in Bleach?
...Good question. I can only speculate why Kubo has chosen to include so many ancient occult references all wrapped up in this single character. More than any other, Ulquiorra's very nature is reeking of symbolism.
If he is like Horus, will he defeat his enemy, as Horus defeated Set? (Not likely, given that Ichigo is the hero of the series.) If he is like Baphomet or Amun-Ra, is he going to "defy God" somehow as the archetypal Satan? This could be read as Ulquiorra possibly rebelling against his god, Aizen. I'm not sure which angle Kubo's going to go with, but whatever it is we can count on it being spectacular, at this point. There has been so much speculation about the parallel of this fight (Ichigo/Ulquiorra) to the Ichigo/Byakuya fight in the Soul Society arc -- Hime and Ishida on the sidelines, Ishida's attempt to reassure, Ulquiorra taunting Ichigo with the differences in their powers -- that it's hopeful the resolution of the fight will either end in a draw, or something else.
Also, there is AGAIN the reference to the Tanabata myth, in which the weaver-princess Orihime falls in love with a cowherder. The first reference was Ulquiorra's resurreccion name: "Murcielago", which as I pointed out in a previous post, was a famous name of a fighting bull. Now with the similarity to Baphomet and the "Goat/Ram of Mendes", there is again another reference.
Something's going to happen, especially now that Orihime's going to go join the fight at the top of the dome...and whatever happens, I have faith that it's not going to mean Ulquiorra's death. There's just something too important about him, by this point.
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Anyway, love how you take all of the symbolism and put it together in this very convincing Ulquiorra/Orihime context. I think you're spot-on in your predictions and I'm very interested in seeing where Kubo takes us with this latest development.
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Can I ask if your WHR fic is still being worked on? >_> :D
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I've been unabashedly optimistic on Ulquiorra's survival in the past, though Ishida's recent foreshadowing has made me very uneasy, and that uneasiness keeps coming back. I doubt that the next chapter will already lay those fears to rest or finally tell us for sure that he will die in the near future and therefore end this horrible uncertainty.
I know that at this point is Orihime being forced to kill Ulquiorra and suffering Rukiaesque guilt over it is my most hated scenario right now, and some other people have pondered this possibility, too.
Then again there's the whole Mulcielrago/Hubert Schiffer overlap, which seems just too much of a coincidence right now to not be intentional, though I'm wondering if it might not end up being related to Ulquiorra's past exclusively.
And then there's the possibility of Ulquiorra having a fake death and coming back after a long, long time in the manga.
*sigh* I'm so torn.
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I'm interested in the Paradise Lost connection (Lucifer) and how that might play out if Ulquiorra does rebel against Aizen.
Supposing Orihime does support Ulquiorra, how do you think it will affect her -- how I loathe saying this -- relationship (or lack thereof) with Ichigo & Co.? I admit, I greatly dislike her (she's too archetypal/stereotypical for my tastes), but I do want to see how any relationship she might've formed with Ulqui would change the way her friends interact with her.
Lastly, what are your thoughts on the extremely lulzy off chance she's headed up there to tell Ulqui she's preggers with his baby?
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MY ICON, IT IS APPROPRIATE
Re: MY ICON, IT IS APPROPRIATE
Re: MY ICON, IT IS APPROPRIATE
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I'm a lover of all things Mythology, and this comparison you've just made fits so right with the situation and the character it's insane. The wedjat was also a symbol of eternal life, and the primary symbol of the God Amon-Ra (kukuku WHR XD).
Does this means that Hime might be also compared to the Goddess Mut?
Some of Mut's many titles included World-Mother, Eye of Ra, Queen of the Goddesses, Lady of Heaven, Mother of the Gods, and She Who Gives Birth, But Was Herself Not Born of Any.
I think it would fit, seeing as Hime's powers reject/restore damage from things, returning it to their previous state.
I also toyed with the idea of the first Espadas to have two Resurrección processes. It might work ot not, but having Ulquiorra go through two releases was a bit bemusing for me, haha, and this idea popped in my head. It would be valid, though, since the Espadas above the Cuarta can't release inside the dome, and can't fire a Grand Rey Cero inside Las Noches. It might be another leash that Aizen put on the four most powerful of his subject, but then again, who knows with Kubo, haha.
Wonderful post, hon! And I think I'll pull a Ketmit as well on that news about Hieros Gamos. I seriously hope you're not entering the Egyptian land on this story or my plot will be totally blown to pieces. XD
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I never tire of hearing these theories, and everyone who presents them does so in a different way. Thank you for the read, I enjoyed it.
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Is he also dripping blood or blank ink from his hole?