#Zeus Aka Enki

[creature-wizard]

Figured I'd pop in to YouTube and see what the conspiracy theorists are up to, and I found this dude making some wild claims about Christmas and Santa Claus.

He claims that Santa is actually a reptilian, based on the old "Satan is an anagram for Santa" canard. (In reality, "Santa Claus" comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, AKA Saint Nicholas.) In New Age mythology, Satan is just another name for Enki, whom they regard as a reptilian alien.

It doesn't take long before he starts claiming that Christmas is just a new form of Saturnalia, which has been pretty thoroughly debunked by scholars. Next he leaps to the Black Cube of Saturn conspiracy theory, which for those of you who don't know is another Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion redux. And from here of course he jumps into the blood libel/witch panic tropes, claiming that the elite of Rome practiced child sacrifice.

Next he claims that Apollo (!) is another incarnation of Enki and compares Santa's chariot and claims that Jesus was a sun god created by the Catholic Church, which is extremely ridiculous for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Christianity existed for three hundred years before Emperor Constantine decided to make Christianity the official Roman religion. (Psst, by the way, if early Christianity interests you, check out Bart D. Ehrman.) This conspiracy theorist claims that Jesus's name derives from "Iesous," which means "hail Zeus" - again, completely made-up etymology.

He shows a graph claiming that the Christmas tree star represents a Satanic pentacle, the Christmas garland on the tree represents the serpent in Eden, the ball ornament represents Ba'al, and the lights represent the torch of Lucifer. In fact, Christmas trees have late medieval origins among Christian peasants from the Rhineland, not the early Catholic Church, and this supposed symbolism is literally just a malicious reading by people who want something sinister to be behind the Christmas tree.

This is why literacy in these topics matters. Without this kind of knowledge, you can watch a video like this and get sucked down into believing the world's deadliest conspiracy theories. The body count is in the millions, and it's still growing with every act of deadly violence motivated by belief in these conspiracy theories.

[pollard-zero]

gideon. it/its, 21+ ♡ romantic || ☆ platonic or familial || 𝗫 enemies or broken up

A

aella, child of ares (cyprus) aeon (the changeling exchange) aeryn gilmore (inner demons) ainsley langford (wayhaven chronicles) alcyone ("retribution," he cries) alenya wierszy (bladeweaver) alouette vogelsang (vögel der rose) ambrosia manes (cursed ambrosia) anharen (raiders of the caravan) apeiron ward (spellbound: a ghost story) arabella (the catalyst) arden fields (infinite blue) arden "little weasel" set (these reluctant years) ariarissa (the abyssal song) athena "bug" argent (into the shadows) "atlas" (valhalla) "atrax" (respice finem) atticus verissimo (next in line) aubrey graythorne (crème de la crème) aurelia "aura" crown (we wretched creatures) aurora (swallow the moon) avalon (villain's promise)

B

"boring bailey" miller (ghosted) ballad io (sentience) beckham "beck" oleander (home sweet) bee whitlock (such happy campers) bellamy fairchild (the error) benton crowley (when life gives you lemons) berry bloom (heaven's dog) beverly "badger" clearwater (roadkill) billie fischer (the lonely shore) blaire velvet (water to blood) blythe steele (social services of the doomed) bryn fleetwood (greenwarden)

C

calista (the brightest stars) calliope "cali" beckham (the fernweh saga) camille "philippe" de gonzague (gonzague) cassian grahm (misplaced) "preacher" cassidy abrams (larkin) catherine leblanc (when clouds break) cèilidh antitho (kenneski) célestine vailia (reaper's bay) chandler hale (emberwood) charlie bloomfield (the fog knows your name) charm brightbird (soulmates inc.) chauncey lambert (bad ritual) cillian sweet (our life: beginnings & always) clarice "claire" montistteti (they all fall down) clementine "new kid" deacon (conspiracy in emerson) colette diremourn (those long dead) "collins" (dead weight) curie, aka "sidney perth" (saturnine)

D

daemon (the abyssal) daisy newton (two sides of a robot war) dallas "rookie" torrence (chop shop) daphne blake (body count) december moone (snakeroot) delilah "@lovely" hawthorne (blooming panic) denver (dark as night) diana copeland-smith (the murder of devon whicker) "ditto" (drink your villain juice) dolly kingston (infamous) dorian gray (decaying picture)

E

easter "bunny" montgomery (a life worth living) edelweiss hyde (when bodies collide) eiffel de angelis (take two) eirwen (swan song) elias "loser" machiavelli (error 143) elidyr lywel (from the ashes we rise) elliot wiseman (mind blind) elphaba "elphie" craft (witches of ferngrove) emilia thornton (twisted wonderland) enki (crown of exile) evîn cizîrî (a tale of crowns) everest "lifeline" graham (before we are ghosts) everleigh carter (second sight) ezra (blood moon)

F

farrah hartford (in ourselves we trust) fawn "bambi" becker (fallen hero) fen (manor hill) filipe addario (honor bound) finch hawkins (midnight diner) florence “flower” bannerman (get good or get lost) fortuna martinelli (college tennis: origin story) "four" (the numbers game) freddie "penance" lockwood (slaughter☆squad) friday mcallister (apartment 502)

G

gabriel (son of satan: the mortal coil) georgie kromberg (the shadow society) gianna de leon (press play) giles "guy" byrd (a comedy of manors) ginny "drizz" hendrix (creatures' cradle) guenevere (guenevere) gwendolyn "winnie" mccormick (our life: now & forever) gwenvaël "gwynn" venegard (the king's hound)

H

hadley maxwell (disenchanted) harper "heart" reed (speaker) hart avantus (leas: city of the sun) hawthorne de-ash (these reluctant years) hendrik wolfsbane (wolfsbane) hikaru lovac (the one chosen) honey faraday (homecoming)

I

imara (honor amongst thieves) imari (vanguard) imogene "genie" coffinwood (burning academia) ingrid "indie" morrison (circuit) iphis "phi" varyn (wayfarer) iris schwartz (the night market) isobel "belle" love (the zeus dilemma) isolde minh (split the body asunder)

J

january marconi (redsugarsociety) "jay doe" (when the sun rises) jericho "jj" jones (the spirited: origins) jett roe (superstition) jolene "joey" bishop (dahlia hills) josephine "josie" / rui min chan (merry crisis) jude hudson (the decoy) juniper "junie" nelson (you live and fern)

K

kasey downs (when twilight strikes) katya marsh (paranormal preparatory school) kerrigan holmward (myrk mire) kingsley ferris/müller (the hunt: demon eyes) kitty wilder (in the ocean of stars) krystal castle (gone to hell in a handbasket)

L

lacey gillespie (the bureau) lachlan "lake" rogers (more than me) lainey fulbright (sinners) lancelot (the great protector) lavencia (the night that feeds) leonin (touch of lies) libelle raygat (stigma: dragonfly) liliana vinteren (checkmate in three moves) lotte (folksaga) lovely boone (two against the world)

M

madeleine suleiman (the wrath of sekhmet) magdalyne cross (degrees of lewdity) manon rousseau (love♡verse) maria "marie" domingues (the overtaken) marion renaud (trouble brewing) marley woodbridge (ghost simulator) melrose (incubus) memphis "izzy" wylbourne (before dusk sets in) mercy karstark (the northern passage) merlin ivyflower (new witch in town) mikah "mikey" schmidt (ace of spades) mimir sonnen (ouroboros) mina harker (bleeding heart) mira "viper" reyes (subject zero) mirielle boone (citadel: a medical romantic drama) moira "momo" thompkins (one knight stand) monet "blondie" abernathy (love language: masked) mordred le fay (the bastard of camelot) morgan "ripper" daitan (hollowed minds) myrddin (the hunting of beasts)

N

nate hampton (swallow the dark) noelle "nellie" waters (model citizens: unmasked) "neo" (remember, you will die) nevada warvel (the monsters around us) nova d'arcadie (arcadie: second-born)

O

odette "dottie" kirby (unwilling souls) olivia edgecombe (the trials & tribulations of edward harcourt) omega (wolf set free) orange flowers (limerence) orcheil treles (of crowns and echoes) oz vanlaere (abyss)

P

parker caine (absentia) "lucky" penny maverick (venatici house) persephone (fields of asphodel) peyton brooks (demon bound) phoebe blackburn (ofna: birds of a feather) piper hadley (brimstone manor) poppy telleman (wolfebound) promise fauneus (spring panic) puppet (sol kha-ne lubri)

Q

quincey "rich kid" james (golden)

R

ravinder "ravi" northbreaker (god-cursed) reagan "rae" callahan (novaturient) "reaper" (project hadea) reese (the one who made red) reid lancaster (tournament of souls) ri'en, harbinger of calamity (fell star) "the devil" rinesa (demon, fireforged) ronan powell (professor of magical studies) rosalind de vesphire (crown of ashes & flames) rosie macarthur (all trails lead home) rowan greenberg (psy high)

S

sable "sherlock" holmes (sherlock holmes: an affair of the heart) moon saetbyeol (precious: the eyes of shan) santiago "saint" hayes (smoke & velvet) saorise "lord blackwell" o'hare (thicker than) sawyer (last legacy) scout newman (the passenger) seelie (talon's end) seraphim mcknight (fellow traveler) signe (the wroth ode) sigrid butcher (my love will never die) sigurd vamirel, the white wolf (the exile) siiveth vyrenhal (aesemyr: the withering) the royal child silke (of royal birth & forlorn fate) sin (the story of sin) sinéad (na daoine maithe) siobhan "bliss" beaumont (the six that thrive) sirius ripley (supernova: renegade) skye donovan-rosovsky (witchcraft u) sloane sweetwood (the ballad of devil's creek) socks wheeler (mind games: trepidation) their royal highness, sofie (royal affairs) solaris pyre (throne of ashes) sora dexter (stars arisen) "warden sparrow" (within your eyes) stanza venture (moon rising) sterling johannson (the golden harp) stevie briggs (tricksters)

T

talwyn "wynnie" wildegarde (shepherds of haven) teaghan (courting the crown) temperance (summoner's return) tempest larnete (sinners & saints) thevira, "queenslayer" (regrets of the traitor) thistle emerson (to the whistling winds) "thrim" (seekL) thunder bat (top villain: total domination) tinsley "teddy" whitman (mirror mine) trace mccallum (solid/ground) "treasure" (wall) trystan "tryste" davenport (valiant)

U

V

valentina "little heart" kozlov (vendetta) valora, the mad princess (a prophecy undone) vaniya "erebus" kincaid (emberfate) venus "wraith" sokolov (safe house) verity fairfax (love undying) "the vessel" (the night abridged) vetra woodard-briggs (skin & scales) victory hellström (seven days in paradise) vierna (the soul stone war) violet van dietrich (noblesse oblige) virginia campbell (queenstown's detective) vizaria (court of the gilded roses) vedette "vivi" valles (the veiled star)

W

whitney markov (heart of the house) wilhemina "mina" reed (the midnight bay) "wraith" (lamb to the slaughter) wylan albrecht (twisted gold) wysteria harlowe (the edge of dawn)

X

xander hoffman (young's home for retired robots)

Y

yaëlle (meraki: calais' gift) song ye-jin (crash course in you) yvette "star" rhys (fallen lights)

Z

zed (hybrid) zelith evenvale (virtue's end) ziarin bellévé (witch blood) "zorlok" (zorlok)

[windofmarduk]

Marduk as a Pokemon

Arceus's name may come from the words arch (highest) and deus, which is Latin for god. It may also have a root in the Latin word arcanus, which means secret; sacred mystery. Arceus's name may also come from the word archaic (ancient), which comes from the Greek arkhaios, and is derived from the ancient Greek word for "beginning", arkhē. It could have also come from the Latin word archetypus (original). Alternatively, Arceus's name can be seen as a portmanteau of Zeus, the most powerful of Greek gods and arch (highest). Another theory may be the combination of Zeus and Ra spelled backwards (Zeus being the king of gods and Ra being the solar god and creator, albeit in different pantheons). Those two qualities are shared by the Pokémon. Also, Arceus can also be derived from aureus (golden), possibly referring to its hooves and wheel. Nevertheless, Arceus's name origin and possible theories have led fans to believe that Arceus may be in fact a creator deity in Pokémon form. Arceus's name is pronounced with a soft "c" (or "s" sound) by the announcer in Pokémon Battle Revolution; in keeping with its probable name origin, it is pronounced with a hard "c" (or "k" sound) in television commercials and in Arceus and the Jewel of Life. Its name could also come from arc, as in round/ring, since it's surrounded by one.

[sirtravisjacksonoftexas]

Is Jesus a mythical figure, based on the Sumerian goddess Inanna? Um, NO, and here is why:

Inanna was the Sumerian goddess of war, fertility and love. Queen of both Heaven and Earth, Inanna was known to the Babylonians as Ishtar (though the stories about Ishtar have differences from that of the Sumerian Inanna, reflecting different theologies). Inanna was considered the protector of prostitutes, and she was at times depicted at the keeper of the tablets of the Me, or cosmic laws. She fell in love with a minor god named Dumuzi (known to the Babylonians as Tammuz), only to lose him to the underworld. In some accounts this was for half of the year (fall and winter). When she had him for the other half, plants flourished (spring and summer).

Jesus Mythicists will claim that Jesus is based on this goddess, or that her cult at least influenced the Gospel stories. 

Considering this, I think it is an appropriate time to laugh.

Now that that’s over, let’s try to answer this question again without laughing.

Is Jesus based on…Inanna?

Let’s see why this is NOT the case.

1. Born of a virgin? 

No, she is the daughter of the moon god Sin, aka Suen aka Nanna, and Ningal (though in some sources her mother is not named). She was conceived the old-fashioned way.

3. Visited by Wise Men or Shepherds after she was born? No. Her lover Dummuzi was the god of shepherds, but there is no story of him visiting her after her birth.

4.Star proclaimed her birth?

No. She was identified with the planet Venus (aka the “Morning Star”), but this wasn’t a sign of her birth. If anything, it was symbolic of her descent into the underworld and return from it (Venus disappears and reappears in the night sky).

5. Miracle worker?

Yes, just like any other deity, big deal.

6. Bread and wine miracles? No.

7. Clothes stripped?

When Inanna went to the underworld, she had to pass through seven gates. At each gate, she had to discard jewelry (and at one point even her Me tablets). Eventually, at the seventh gate, she shucked her dress. According to Jesus Mythicists, this is supposed to be the basis for Jesus being stripped naked before being hung on a cross.

However…there is a problem.

You see, it was CUSTOMARY for those being crucified to be naked ! Roman soldiers were allowed by law to take the clothes of a person who was being crucified.

And what were the Roman Soldiers doing to Christ’s clothes in John 19:23-24?

Taking his clothes and casting lots, to see which one of them to get the clothing!

The story of Jesus being stripped naked wasn’t based on Inanna’s forced striptease; it was based on the Roman method of crucifixion.

8. Crucified?

No. While in the Underworld, the 7 judges of the underworld killed her with the “perishing stare of death.” Afterwards she was hung on a hook. (remember, Jesus died on the “upper” world, not under).

Oh, and by the way: Crucifixion wasn’t invented in ancient Sumer (the first civilization). It was invented in the 6th century BC, around 1400 years after the Sumerian Civilization ended.

Jesus Mythicists will protest, however, saying that, despite these facts, both Jesus and Inanna hung while dead; Inanna on a hook, Jesus on a cross. Thus, the latter must be derived from the former!

This objection is so weak that it doesn’t even deserve a response...But I’ll give one nonetheless for the fun of it. 

In UFC 3, a fighting event held in 1994, a master martial artist named Keith Hackney (5 feet 11, 200 pounds) fought Emmanuel Yarborough, a sumo wrestler who was 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighed at the time over 600 pounds. Yarborough was strong enough to curl 315 pounds 20 times  in a row. In terms of size and strength, Keith Hackney was outmatched, but by the time the fight was over…Keith Hackney emerged victorious. He was nicknamed “The Giant Killer” afterwards.

Now, Keith Hackney’s accomplishment is quite similar to fairy tale and mythological stories involving normal sized men or women facing giants, overcoming them with guile (think “Jack the giant killer”, or Odysseus and the Cyclops in Homer’s “Odyssey”). He did use superior fighting styles and strategies in that fight, thus outsmarting and outfighting the Sumo colossus.

Does this similarity with fairy tale stories like Jack the Giant Killer and myths like Odysseus mean that…Keith Hackney never did defeat Emmanuel Yarborough? Does it mean that his fight with Emmanuel Yarborough is a fiction, based on fairy tale stories and myths of normal sized  people overcoming giants?

Then why would Jesus’ crucifixion be based on Inanna hanging on a hook?

9.  Went to the underworld?

After he died, Jesus descended into Sheol (In the New testament called “Hades), which was pictured as being in the earth (Acts 2:31, Ephesians 6:8-10, see also Matthew 12:40). This was the Hebrew underworld. Afterwards, Jesus rose from the grave. True, Inanna went to her version of the underworld and returned as well…but so did numerous ancient mythological figures (and even monsters) who are never said by Jesus Mythicists to have striking parallels to Christ.

Hades (who shared the same name as the underworld. He was given charge of the underworld by Zeus, his older brother. He nevertheless rose back to the world of the living for a short time, to kidnap Persephone).

Persephone, as stated above, was kidnapped by Hades, who took her to the Underworld. She was eventually allowed to leave , but before she went she was tricked to each the Pomegranate of death. As a result, she can only stay on the earth for two thirds of every year. The other third, she has to go back to the underworld).

There were several others, such as Orpheus, Sisyphus (  (Had told his wife not to bury him or make offerings to him (customary offerings for the dead) if he passed away. When he did die, he told Hades about his lack of burial and offerings and asked permission to go back to earth to make sure that these things were done. Hades let him go…but when he realized that he had been duped, he dragged him back to the Underworld) , Hermes ( Watched over Hercules while he was in the underworld, but left when Hercules did. He also accompanied the spirits of the dead as they made their journey to the underworld. Being the messenger of Zeus, he would have no doubt sent messages to the god Hades.), Theseus (Theseus (went to the Underworld, was imprisoned by Hades, but Hercules freed him and brought him back to earth) and Cerberus, the three headed offspring of the monsters Typhon and Echidna (the latter half woman, half snake). 

The latter lived in Sicily in one version of her myth, the Peloponnese in another. Thus, Cerberus would have been conceived while on earth, only to be taken to the Underworld to keep its spirits within…only for Hercules to bring it out of the underworld and take it to the ancient Greek city of Mycenae.

Not much of a parallel then. 

Keep in mind: Inanna died while in the Underworld; Jesus died before going there.

10. Dead for three days?

No.

After waiting three days, the goddess Ninshubur (aka Nincubura) went to several gods, pleading for help. She visited Enlil first, but he refused. She visited Inanna’s father Sin/Seun/Nanna next, but he also refused. Then she visited Ea aka Enki, who,  despite being angry with Inanna, agreed to help. 

How long did this take? 

How long was Inanna in the Underworld?

We don’t know. The ancient texts do not say.

Indeed, we have to remember that Ninshubur had to wait three days after Inanna descended into the Underworld before seeking aid, not three days after Inanna died (Inanna didn’t know that she was going to be killed). We don’t know how long Inanna’s journey through the Underworld took, or at which point in those three days that she was killed.

11.  Resurrected?

Yes, but not by her own power.

Ea made two sexless beings and sent them to the underworld, to ease the suffering of Ereshkigal, Inanna’s sister and Queen of the Underworld. When Ereshkigal asked them what reward they would like, they asked that they would be allowed to revive Inanna. This was granted, and Inanna resurrected (though some sources use the word “reborn”), and eventually returned to the upper world.

Inanna’s resurrection is more similar to those in the Bible involving mere humans who were resurrected by God, instead of Christ, who is God incarnate and resurrected…himself.

Not much of a parallel, eh?

Folks, the comparisons between Jesus and Inanna are abysmally weak. Indeed, she oddly enough has more in common with Moses than with Christ (Had a set of law tablets, brought plagues on Sumer (Turned all  the well water into blood, then brought floods, and finally sandstorms. She did this because the Shu-kale-tuda, a gardener’s son and Sumerian, raped her while she was asleep), but these similarities don’t mean that Moses was a fictional character based on Inanna (once again, consider the parallels between Alexander the Great, a historical figure, and Achilles, a mythical one. Recall also the similarities between the Novella “Futility/Wreck of the Titan” and the Titanic disaster, which occurred 14 years later, as well as Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket” and the sinking of the Mignonette. Plus, the differences between Moses and Inanna FAR, FAR outweigh their few similarities.

No, Jesus was not based on Inanna, who was a myth.

Jesus…is real.

Sources: 

“Epics of Early Civilization” by Michael Kerrigan, Alan Lothian, Piers Vitebsky, and Jeremy Black (Consultant), 36-41 “The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology” by Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm, 288 (See also 30-31, 47, 51, 74-75, 82-83

https://www.ancient.eu/Inanna/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb4KIFtdRPI&feature=emb_title 

“The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology” by Pierre Grimal, 133, 189, 197-99, 434 UFC 3 DVD

https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/1/Keith-Hackney-Where-Is-He-Now-30163 

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352563/ 

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1156762/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVs4930ERGw&feature=emb_title 

https://books.google.com/books?id=5lmrCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT90&dq=Who+is+Inanna%27s+mother?&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiO-uum7ZHlAhUPiqwKHYDgB-4Q6AEwA3oECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=Who%20is%20Inanna's%20mother%3F&f=false 

https://www.exploratorium.edu/ancientobs/chichen/HTML/caracol3.html 

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/sumer 

“The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament” by Craig S. Keener, 313 “In the Footsteps of Jesus” (A National Geographic Book), by Jean-Pierre Isbouts, 263  

https://www.britannica.com/topic/crucifixion-capital-punishment 

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1172309229585125376.html?refreshed=yes 

https://sirtravisjacksonoftexas.tumblr.com/post/628113211750776832/do-supposed-parallels-between-the-gospels-and 

“Encyclopedia of Gods” by Michael Jordan, 114-15  

[onewingeddragonqueen]

Okay. I thought I was gonna leave this alone but I cannot and its eating at me!!

GRRM is heavily inspired by mythology, and this motif of 3s is actually very prevalent in a lot of different canons (many of these legends intersect and are often retellings of each other). Christianity’s Holy Trinity, the Triumurti, the triple goddess Hecate, Zeus-Poseidon-Hades, Anu-Enlil-Enki, there are so many more!

You can actually see this in the 7. Maiden-Mother-Crone is actually an archetype that shows the divine feminine at the three stages of her life, while Father-Warrior-Smith parallels the heavenly father you worship, soldier in constant warfare, and the daily work and toil peasants saw most of their life enduring. The stranger exists in opposition to these easily recognizable constructs, as a shifting shadow that doesn’t fit neatly into male nor female, god of death and fundamentally unknowable. I would argue that the maiden-mother-crone is a single grouping of three faces, the father-warrior-smith is another, while the stranger sits on its own. The seven disguises itself as 7 and fits into this numerology, but its also a triple deity in disguise. You can go back to mythology itself to see this, as the Triple Goddess often follows that very structure, and the worship-war-toil structure is common for male deities. There is also however Heaven-Earth-Underworld, which this larger grouping of the seven would fit pretty neatly into (mmc-fws-stranger).

But what I found suuuper interesting is the god Trios, who is worshipped in Essos and has three heads.

“One time, the girl remembered, the Sailor's Wife had walked her rounds with her and told her tales of the city's stranger gods. "That is the house of the Great Shepherd. Three-headed Trios has that tower with three turrets. The first head devours the dying, and the reborn emerge from the third. I don't know what the middle head's supposed to do.”

This sticks out heavily to me, not just because of the three heads of the dragon, but because of the Trimurti and other deities that follow the pattern of Creation-Preservation-Destruction. That middle head is so obscured because, like the Stranger, it sits in a realm shrouded by cognitive dissonance and eludes all categorization. You want to fit it in this box or another, you want answers but you won’t find them easily.

Now onto Dinraal-Naydra-Farosh, AKA Din-Nayru-Farore. Din is the goddess of power (Ganon’s part of the Triforce), Nayru is the goddess of wisdom (Zelda’s part of the Triforce), and Farore is the goddess of courage (Link’s part of the Triforce). Courage and wisdom are widely touted as virtues, and it is understandable why. The courage it takes to stand against ancient evil, the wisdom to learn and master powers you fear you may not even have, it is commendable especially in a world that is plagued by bokoblins and stals and keese and that one guardian who just keeps on following you. We are constantly bombarded with the message that courage and wisdom are the tools of the saintly, and we should aspire to meet that. Its older than Arthurian legend.

But power. I mean, Ganon stole the Triforce of Power and immediately used it to subjugate Hyrule to obtain the complete Triforce. We have been told that the aspiration for power is evil, and to even look above your station and try for it is proof that you are ambitious and cruel and unfit. But the thing that I love so much about the dragons of Zelda is that they aren’t evil. Dinraal isn’t evil, they are simply powerful and if you get too close their fire will burn you. It is not to hoard treasure, its not some wicked beast to slay. It is a neutral, beautiful, but deadly being. And I love that the Hyrule Compendium literally specifies that about all the dragons: they bear humanity no ill will. Just like the Guardians, Divine Beasts, and Naydra, who has been corrupted by the malice, Ganon corrupted the Triforce of Power for his own means. It isn’t inherently a negative thing. In fact, Din is the creator goddess of Hyrule!

So putting that all back into the mythology. You have your creator goddess Din, and her creation has been taken by malicious figures who seek to oppress the very world she wanted to love and protect. There’s Nayru, whose wisdom allows her to preserve the law and order, establishing peace and prosperity in the land. Then there is Farore, who is the goddess of courage yes but also the source of life itself, and falls into the category of destruction or better put change, because when looking at these gods on a comparatively mythology level thats often how you can describe them best. And it makes sense. Life must change to survive, we change our environments and have the potential to destroy and its a tragedy but we can also rebuild and grow and become anew. Life is adaptation, and Link is ever changing and learning and responding to whatever the world throws at him. It is the courage to keep going in the face of mortality, to live in spite of the cycle of life and death and rebirth that haunts him in a way that would seem cruel and soul crushing to most people in his position.

Back to ASOIAF, we know that the dragon must have three heads. But in all actuality I kind of feel that the three heads of the dragon must all embody all three of these things in varying degrees, and compliment each other where the other two traits need it. In other words, its all about balance.

Someone who seeks holds power, and uses it for good.

Someone who is wise and balances power between courage, who preserves and chooses the best options with all the information available.

Someone who embodies change and is willing to do all that it takes to keep life going, fighting in the face of insurmountable odds.

Drogon, Rhaegal, Viserion. Dany, and whichever heads may follow.

I will pioneer the loz/asoiaf parallels with my bare fucking hands if I have to so help me