Friday, September 5, 2014

It's Finally Friday: Norse Mythology in Anime

For the next mythology in anime to take a look at, I've chosen to examine Norse mythology.



Example 1: Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok


As the title of the show would suggest, Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok is primarily about the Norse god Loki and the event known as Ragnarok. Loki is well known in popular culture as a trickster god, blood brother to Thor and adopted son of Odin; he retains this role in the series, albeit with a more comedic twist. Similarly, much of the plot of the series is about Ragnarok, the destined end of the world caused by a war between the gods and various supernatural entities (with Loki siding against the gods); this is very much a concern for multiple characters and is a driving force for much of the plot. Several other notable mythological characters, such as Odin, Heimdall, and Fenrir also make appearances over the course of the series, each of whom maintain their original roles and approximate relations with each other.

Example 2: Fafner in the Azure

Fafner in the Azure contains multiple references to various Norse mythological characters and items, primarily when it comes to the names given to certain pieces of technology. The most obvious example of which is the titular Fafner, a type of mecha piloted by the central characters of the story; this is based on Fafnir, the son of the dwarf king Hreidmar who became a dragon and was later killed by Sigurd. Similar references include Lindworm, Fenrir, and Garm; the first is a large carrier vehicle for the Fafners that is named after a type of serpent (the most famous of which was named Jörmungandr), the second is a self-destruct system installed into every Fafner that is named after the legendary giant wolf that is the son of Loki, and the third is a type of semi-automatic rifle scaled to be used by the Fafners that is named after the guard dog of Hel named Garmr.

Example 3: Oh My Goddess!


Oh My Goddess! is a series that makes prominent use of many Norse mythological terms and characters, most notably in the form of the titular goddesses. Said goddesses are named Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld, and are the three goddesses of fate; this is derived from the three most prominent goddesses of fate (known as Norns) in Norse mythology, oringally named Verðandi, Urðr, and Skuld. These three were the most important of the Norns, who tended to the world tree Yggdrasil and who ended the golden age of the gods; however, their equivalents in Oh My Goddess! share little other than their names and roles. There are also assorted references made to different concepts in Norse mythology, including Yggdrasil and Nidhogg, though these also share little with their mythological counterparts save for their name and general thematic roles.

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