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bethanythebogwitch · 11 months ago

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Digimon & mythology: the Warrior 10 and spirits

In the genesis of the Digital World there was the Warrior 10, a group of mighty Digimon who each represented one of ten elemental attributes. When Lucemon rebelled against God, the Warrior 10 fought him. In the end, they managed to seal away Lucemon at the cost of their own lives. While the Warrior 10 are long since dead, they passed their data and abilities down to the many Digimon types. In addition, each member left behind two spirits who can be taken up by others to become special Digimon.

Designed for the anime Digimon Frontier, the Warrior 10 and their spirit descendants go outside of the normal evolution methods. For each element there is two spirits: human and beast. The holder of the spirits can switch between human and beast forms. In addition, the holder can merge the two into a fusion form. All spirit Digimon are given the special level of hybrid, but in general human spirits are equivalent to the Adult/Champion-level, beast spirits to Perfect/Ultimate-level, and fusion spirits to Ultimate/Mega-level. In other media outside of Frontier, the spirits have been treated as normal Digimon. In addition, the spirits of fire and light can fuse with other spirits to take on a transcendent form. In the anime, only the holders of the fire and light spirits got to reach their fusion forms but the other heroic spirits (darkness, ice, thunder, and wind) from Frontier have been given their fusion forms in other media. The villainous spirits (water, earth, wood, and metal) have only been given their human and beast forms, which is a big missed opportunity. To fit with being the descendants of legendary heroes, the spirit Digimon have a lot of mythological themes in their names. A lot of these were changed in the English translation to avoid religious references. The concept of different elements that make up the world can be found in many cultures, including the classical elements originating in Greece (earth, air, fire, and water), the Chinese Wuxing (fire, water, wood, metal, and earth), and Hindu Pancha Bhuta (earth, air, fire, water, and akasha, which can be translated as sky, space, or ether).

The Warrior 10 member representing fire is AncientGreymon and it passed its abilities down to dragon Digimon. No real mythological references with it so we move onto the human spirit of fire: Agnimon. Agnimon is a flaming martial artist that hones its mind and controls its temper with yoga. Its name comes from Agni, the Hindu god of fire. In the Vedas, Agni brought light into the universe and frequently acted as the intermediary between humans and the gods, making him one of the most important deities. While later texts downplayed his importance somewhat, he is still a major deity and is invoked in many ceremonies and traditions. He also carried over into Buddhism and Jainism. Agnimon doing yoga is another reference to India. The beast spirit is Vritramon (eng: BurningGreymon), a ferocious dragon born from data produced by scientists researching volcanoes. Vritramon's name comes from Vritra, an asura (demon or evil demigod) who personified drought and was the archenemy of Indra, the king of the Hindu gods and god of the sky and weather. In the Hindu text Rig Veda, Vritra blocked all the rivers in the world to horde all the water and force the people to suffer. Indra then fought Vritra and eventually slew him, releasing the water and ending the drought. In one version of the story, Agni was originally on Vritra's side before being convinced to side with Indra, which may be why their Digimon versions are linked. While most early depictions of Vritra had him as a humanoid, some later adaptations made him into a dragon. The fusion of the spirits of fire is Aldamon, who combines the intelligence of Agnimon and bestial power of Vritramon. Its name comes from Ardhanarishvara (Japanese doesn't have the "L" sound and uses the "R" sound instead, which is how "ardha" becomes "alda"), which is a fusion of the Hindu god Shive and his consort Parvati. Usually depicted as male on the right and female on the side and represents a fusion of the masculine and feminine powers of creation and how the feminine and masculine principles of the divine are inseparable. While Ardhanarishvara is a fusion of male and female, Aldamon represnets the fusion of human intellect and bestial power. Aldamon's attacks are maned Brahmastra and Brahmashira, legendary weapons from Hindu mythology. The transcendent form of the spirit of fire is KaiserGreymon (eng: EmperorGreymon) and it doesn't have any real mythological references other than harnessing ley lines, a concept found in new age pseudoscience.

(left to right: AncientGreymon, Agnimon, Vritramon, Aldamon, KaiserGreymon). I have to compile images to stay under the limit

The Warrior 10 member representing light is AncientGarurumon, which passed its abilities down to beast Digimon. Once again, no mythological references so we'll move onto the human spirit. Wolfmon (eng: Lobomon) is a warrior empowered by a righteous spirit that contains a holy light. It doesn't have any real mythological references but its attack names are in German and the rest of the spirits do have a germanic and norse theme. Missed oppurtuinity to reference the faoladh, benevolent Irish werewoves, tbh. The beast spirit of light is Garmmon (english: KendoGarurumon), an extremely fast beast that hunts evil. It will never obey an evil creature, but will devote itself to a master with all its heart. Garmmon's name comes from Garmr or Garm, a wolf found in Norse mythology. It is described as a guardian of the gates of the bad afterlife Hel, giving it a similar role to the Greek Cerberus. Garmr is trapped by a chain in a cave called Gnipahellir and in the Porse Edda, will escape during Ragnarok where he and the god Tyr will fight and kill each other. Garmr is very similar to the more famous Fenrir and the two may be different cultural variations of the same legend. The fusion of the light spirits is Beowolfmon, a fighter who cooly measures up its enemy with human-like intelligence and tries to remain level-headed in combat. Its name comes from Beowulf, the hero of the germanic epic of the same name. In the epic, Beowulf slays the monster Grendel and then its mother and became king before dying in the process of slaying a dragon. The transcendent form of the light spirits is MagnaGarurumon, which again doesn't have any mythological references.

(left to right: AncientGarurumon, Wolfmon, Garmmon, Beowolfmon, and MagnaGarurumon)

Where there is light, there is darkness and the Warrior 10 member representing darkness is AncientSphinxmon, which passed its abilities down to mythical beast and demon beast Digimon. It is based on the great sphinx of Egypt. The Egyptian version of the sphinx was seen as a protector and was often associated with Ra, god of the sun. A bit ironic for the Digimon of darkness to be associated with a sun god. The spirits of darkness are unique in that there are two versions of each one, a corrupted and purified version. Also, I like that Digimon made the warrior of light a dog and the warrior of darkness a cat. The corrupted human spirit of darkness is Duskmon. It was born from the regrets of extinct Digimon species and exists to oppose holy Digimon. Duskmon doesn't have any real mythological references, but the corrupted beast spirit, Velgrmon, does. Velgrmon is a being of hatred as the proud Duskmon hates transforming into its ugly beast form. Velgrmon's name comes from Hræsvelgr, a gigantic eagle from Norse mythology that creates wind when it flaps its wings. The purified human spirit of darkness is Löwemon. It operates from within the darkness, but is not evil and instead hunts evil from the shadows. Löwemon wears a ring called Neeblinge, which comes from Der Rings des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), an epic music drama by Richard Wagner. In the story, various gods, monsters, and humans battle to obtain the title ring, that will grant dominion over all. The story is named after and partially based on the germanic epic poem Nibelungenlied. The purified beast spirit of darkness is KaiserLeomon (eng: JagerLöwemon, whos unique armor lets it be incredibly fast and sharp enough to cut apart whatever it runs through. No mythological references here, it just furthers the visual connection to sphinxes. Similarly, there is no real mythological connection in the fusion form Raihimon (eng: Rihihimon). Its a humanoid sphinx that is so skilled at stealth that few realize it even exists. The name "Raihi" is a corruption of the German "Reich", meaning "empire".

(left to right: AncientSphinxmon, Duskmon, Velgrmon, Löwemon, KaiserLeomon, Raihimon)

The Warrior of ice is AncientMegatheriummon, which passed its abilities down to mammal and icy snow Digimon. While it is not based on a myth, the megatherium is an extinct giant ground sloth. The human spirit of ice is Chackmon (eng: Kumamon). Its a cute tedy bear made of snow that carries military gear and claims to be part of an arctic defense force. No myths here so we go to the beast spirit of ice: Blizzarmon. Blizzarmon (eng: Korikakumon) is a ruffian with a love of battle that offers prayers to an ice god. There's no obvious mythological references other that it maybe being based on a yeti. The yeti is a mythical being said to live on the Himalayan mountains. It is supposed to be hairy and is associated with ice and snow at least. Weirdly enough, Blizzarmon's axes are named in the Igbo language of Nigeria, which is not a place known for snow. The fusion of ice is Daipenmon which not only has no connection to myths, it has no real connection to its prior forms. Not sure how two snowy mammals merge to become a mechanical ice shaver penguin dual-wielding popsicles.

(left to right,: AnceintMegatheriummon, Chackmon, Blizzarmon, Daipenmon)

The Warrior of thunder is AncientBeatmon (eng: AncientBeetlemon), which passed its powers down to insect Digimon. Digimon associates insects with electricity a lot. The human spirit of thunder is Blitzmon (eng: Beetlemon), a mechanical yet highly emotional electric wrestler with a heart of gold. Blitzmon is not based on mythology, but it is one of many references Digimon makes to the Japanese franchise Kamen Rider, which features a lot of martial artists wearing bug-themed costumes. The beast spirit of thunder, Bolgmon (eng: MetalKabuterimon) sacrifices mobility for incredible firepower as it turns itself into a tank. Its name comes from Firbolg, a mythical tribe of people who inhabited Ireland in the story collection Lebor Gabála Érenn. I found a few sources associating the name Firbolg with a thunder god, though as far as I can tell this appears to be a misconception. Bolgmon's profile also references scarabs, which were used in ancient Egypt that were used as seals and symbols of the sun due to an association with the god Kephri. The fusion spirit is RhinoKabuterimon. It's just an electric rhinoceros beetle. Nothing mythical about that. You may have noticed that the fire and light spirits have tons of references and the other spirits have a lot less. That comes down to the writing of Frontier where if you weren't the human holders of the fire and light spirits, the writers did not care about you and occasionally seemed to resent having you in the show to the point they turn you into a power-up for the heroes. The lack of interest in the other spirits and their holders is my biggest gripe with Frontier.

(left to right: AncientBeatmon, Blitzmon, Bolgmon, RhinoKabuterimon)

TheWarrior of wind is AncientIrismon (eng: AncientKazemon), who passed down its abilities to bird man and fairy Digimon. Iris is a minor Greek goddess who personified the rainbow and usually acted as a servant for other gods. The human spirit of wind is Fairimon (eng: Kazemon), a good-hearted gossip with the power to manipulate the atmosphere. Fairimon is based on modern interpretations of fairies. Fairies are found throughout European folklore, but are most famously associated with Ireland. The myths about them are highly diverse and they can range from benevolent to malevolent to having a completely alien sense of morality. More modern depictions of fairies often simplify them to small humans with insect wings and make them cute and friendly. This is the version that Fairimon is based on. Fairimon is also based on kamaitaichi, a form of yokai from Japanese folklore. They are associated with wind and dust devils and often look like weasels. The story about them says that they (often working in groups of three) will use sickles to cut people and then heal them so fast that the person will feel the pain of being cut but see no wound. One hypothesis to explain the origin of the stories was that minute vacuums in the air would make people feel pain with no wound. Fairimon is stated to be able to use is power over air to cause these vacuums. The beast spirit Shutumon (eng: Zephyrmon) is a mischevious trickster with the power to cast Mesopotamian spells. It is based on Shutu, a minor Mesopotamian god or goddess of wind. Design-wise, it also takes after two other Mesopotamian creatures. Lamashtu is a she-demon that appears as a fusion of human and various animals (fitting for a beast spirit) while Lilith was a demon (or class of demon) associated with women and birds. The fusion spirit is JetSilphymon, who can fly so fast it can't be seen and unleash hurricanes from its giant pinwheel. In the writings of the Swiss philosopher Paracelsus, Sylphs are elemental spirits of air.

(left to right: AncientIrismon, Fairimon, Shutumon, JetSilphymon

The Warrior of earth was AncientVolcamon (eng: AncientVolcanomon), which passed its powers down to ore and mineral Digimon. The human spirit of earth is Grottemon (eng: Grumblemon), a temperamental artisan who can summon hammers from the ground. Grottemon is based on European folklore of gnomes and dwarves, diminutive people who lived underground and were typically great craftsmen. The gnome was also used by Paracelsus as an earth elemental and Grottemon's design is based on garden gnomes and their pointy hats. The beast spirit of earth is Gigasmon, a gigantic and violent beast with earthen skin baked into armor. Gigasmon is visually based on some sort of troll or ogre, but thats the closest it gets to a myth.

(left to right: AncientVolcamon, Grottemon, Gigasmon)

The Warrior of wood is AncientTroiamon, who passed down its abilities to plant Digimon. It is based on the Trojan horse from the Odyssey and Aeneid. The story goes that during the Trojan war, the Greek forces could not breach the walls of Troy. Odysseus had the Greeks feign retreat and leave behind a giant wooden horse as an offering to the goddess Athena. The Trojans brought the horse into the city as a trophy and that night, a force of men hidden in the horse came out and opened the city's gates, allowing the Greek army to invade the city. The human spirit of wood is Arbormon, a seemingly emotionless puppet that is actually keenly aware of its surroundings. Arbormon is based on a karakuri doll, mechanized Japanese puppets that were able to move on their own. The beast spirit of wood is Petaldramon, a giant and hungry plant dragon.

(left to right: AncientTroiamon, Arbormon, Petaldramon)

The Warrior of water is AncientMermaimon, who passed its abilities down to aquatic Digimon. AncientMermaimon is based on mermaids. Human-fish hybrids has appeared in virtually every culture that lived around water, though AncientMermaimon is based on the common European image of a mermaids. It holding a trident and having power over water is similar to the Greek sea god Poseidon. The human spirit of water is Ranamon, whose mood is as changeable and temperamental as the sea. Ranamon is also based on fish/human hybrids, though is more humanlike than most mermaids. Its name comes from the Spanish ford for frog, "rana", which is why it's dumb that more recent English translations like the card game keep trying to change it to Lanamon. The Japanese L/R confusion strikes again. The beast spirit of water is Calamaramon, a witch who excels at offense and defense. It is based on more monstrous versions of the human/fish hybrid.

(left to right: AncientMermaimon, Ranamon, Calamaramon)

The Warrior of steel is AncientWisemon, who passed its abilities down to mutant Digimon. It is all-knowing due to having access to the Akhasic Records, a spiritual compendium of all knowledge found in Theosphy and new-age spiritualism. The human spirit of steel is Mercuremon (eng: Mercurymon), a genius tactician and philosopher. The beast spirit of steel is Sephirothmon (eng: Sakkakumon), a bizarre being that possess the power of all 10 elements. Sephirothmon is based on the Sefirot tree of Kabbalah, a school of Jewish mysticism that attempted to explore the relationship between the eternal, unchanging god Ein Sof and the finite mortal world. Kabbalah is an extremely complex subject that I can't do justice with the short amount of research I'm doing for this post. The Sefirot tree, which Sephirothmon takes the shape of, is a concept in Kabbalah intended to illustrate the 10 methods or emanations of God's work in the material world. Each emanation also may represent a metaphysical world that people can pass through as they try to understand God. While the 10 spheres of the Sefirot tree each represent one of the emanations and their relationship to each other, the 10 spheres of Sephirothmon's body each represent one of the 10 elements that make up the Digital World and presumable how they and their associated Warrior 10 member relate to each other. The Sefirot tree is also supposed to help one gain wisdom and they further understand God and AncientWisemon and the steel spirits are associated with knowledge and wisdom.

When the power of all of the spirits come together, they become Susanoomon, a god who presides over destruction and regeneration. When the Digital World descends into chaos, Susanoomon will appear and destroy it so that a new one can take its place. Susanoomon carries a weapon called ZERO-ARMS: Orochi. Susanoo is the Shinto god of storms and wind that has been portrayed as both a hero that slays monsters and a wild and dangerous god of storms. This with with Susanoomon representing both destruction and regeneration. The most famous story involving Susanoo says that he was banished from the heavens after his bad behavior terrfied his sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu. Now on Earth, Susanoo encountered an old couple who told him of a mighty, eight-headed snake named Yamato-no-Orochi who had devoured seven of their daughters and would be coming back for the eighth and final one soon. Susanoo agreed to help them and transformed the final daughter into a comb to keep her hidden. He then brewed strong sake (an alcoholic beverage) and offered it to Orochi. After the snake got drunk and passed out, Susanoo killed it. In Orochi's tail, Susanoo found a sword that he gave to Amaterasu as a gift, leading to the two reconciling. ZERO-ARMS: Orochi is based on the sword found in Orochi's tail. There is an Orochimon, but it debuted before Susanoomon and the two are not connected.

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