Describing The Goddesses (From Hitoshi Doi's Megami ML) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, I know. We have to translate _megami_ as "goddess" if we're to get the joke in the title _Aa--Megami-sama--_ (cf. _aa, kami-sama_, i.e. "Oh, my God!") I also know _kami_ is the word generally used to translate the English word "god" into Japanese, and is generally translated into English as such. (I should apologize to the Japanese members of the list for any misunderstanding or ignorance I may reveal at this point of the fine points of their language and culture, and I ask them to please correct me if I haven't my facts straight or if I have misunderstood or misinterpreted.) My understanding, however, is that _kami_ (and by extension _megami_) is a much broader and vaguer word than "god" is in English, and thus has very different connotations. I've also seen _kami_ rendered as "spirit," a much broader term in the English language, and without the connotation of omnipotence that "god" has. But that, in English, seems too vague in the context of our favorite _megami._ Where I am going with this: Of course Bell and her sisters describe themselves as _megami_ ("female spirits") when speaking Japanese; perhaps they know no other word in that language permitting finer distinction of just what they are. The native tongue of the heavenly host is presumably not Japanese; in all likelihood they have a language of their own unknown to humans. In that case it is quite possible that they might not know any words that in Japanese might be used to make a distinction between God and lesser spirits. (I know much less Japanese than I would like, and I confess to not knowing what such words might exist in that language; I'd love to know what they are and their meanings, if anyone could pass on that information.) But to render _megami_ in English as "goddess" at all times (barring presumably the title) in the context of Bell et al. is, I think, a little misleading. In English "god" has the connotation of omniscience and omnipotence, and the three sisters are clearly neither one or the other. That Bell is not omnipotent is obvious (someone joked on rec.arts.anime about how "wimpy" a goddess Bell makes; obviously this is for dramatic purposes--if Bell could do anything any conflict would be trivial, as would the story--but he had a point, I think); that Urd especially is not omniscient is painfully obvious. :) Clearly, Bell, Urd and Skuld are not goddesses in the Western sense. The only being resembling the omnipotent God of the Jews and Christians in the story is Kami-sama (whom I usually identify with the Jewish God, though of course that may just be my cultural biases showing). Even the Greco-Roman deities leave them in the dust. Bell, with her seal broken, might have approached them, but even that is not clear. Which wouldn't matter so much, really, except that when I am asked about the story I'm never quite sure how to describe the character of Belldandy and those of her sisters to those unfamiliar with any but Western ideas of divinity. So, how to accurately describe Belldandy in English? For a long time, I thought it possible to describe Bell et al. as angels of sorts, and generally described them as such to questioners. Fujishima's drawings of the three sisters with the wings of angels (I have a picture of Bell-as-angel up in my room at home) helped suggest that interpretation, as well as the fact that Bell was sent as a sort of messenger from God (the Hebrew word _mal'akh_, rendered _angelos_ in Greek, and hence "angel" in English, means messenger), on a mission rather than completely of her own accord (God himself rarely deigning to come to Earth himself in any form). Then a class 1 _megami_ (Bell) might be an archangel to the class 2 _megami_'s (Urd, Skuld) ordinary angel. The problem that is the appearance of characters clearly labeled "angels" in the manga (question to Japanese speakers who've seen volumes 12 and 13: is "angel" directly used in the text as an English loan-word, or is "angel" a translation of a "genuine" Japanese word I'm not aware of?) means I can't accurately describe Bell and her sisters as angels any more. Unfortunately that means I've run out of words that might describe them in English without misleading the unwary listener. So, then: just what English word will accurately describe the character of Belldandy such that I won't have to waste my and a questioner's time saying "The word _megami_ means 'goddess,' but that's not quite what she is..." Paul Corrigan budgie@insomnia3.dorms.utoledo.edu So I have taken this too seriously. Who cares? :) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Profess'nal Agitator" On Tue, 20 May 1997, Paul Corrigan wrote: > But to render _megami_ in English as "goddess" at all times (barring > presumably the title) in the context of Bell et al. is, I think, a little > misleading. In English "god" has the connotation of omniscience and > omnipotence, and the three sisters are clearly neither one or the other. > That Bell is not omnipotent is obvious (someone joked on rec.arts.anime > about how "wimpy" a goddess Bell makes; obviously this is for dramatic > purposes--if Bell could do anything any conflict would be trivial, as > would the story--but he had a point, I think); that Urd especially is not > omniscient is painfully obvious. :) > Clearly, Bell, Urd and Skuld are not goddesses in the Western sense. Ah, but Norse Gods are very much "Western gods". And it is the Norse mythos where our characters draw from. Norse gods are not as powerful as their Greek rivals. Norse gods are not immortal. They can grow old and die, without the aid of the Apples of Idun to restore their youth. One of the more famous stories in Norse myth is about the death of one particular well-liked god, Balder. So, from a Norse standpoint, Bell's powers are not "wimpy". Agitator