Dream Angel and Mythology

I've had the pleasure of writing about the mythology of Sailor Moon at least three times, but each time it was for school. Never once did I find much chance to write about the mythology of my own original characters, who might not have such a heavy background in mythology, but it does play an important enough role to merit discussion. In this article, I'm going to offer a comparison of my characters and offer some idea of where I got the ideas for their mythological backgrounds.

Sailor Moon's true name of Tsukino Usagi literally means "Rabbit on the Moon." In comparison to Dream Angel's true name of Arora Arum which could be interpreted as "Golden Goddess of the Dawn." This is also where she gets her power: the dawn. Okay, I've changed the name a little from her mythical counterpart. It's really spelled Aurora instead of Arora, but if you think about it, it's a little tougher to make the connection and makes for an interesting article like this one. Sailor Moon's mythology is far more obvious but not any less interesting. Still, my characters' mythological background doesn't stop with just Arora.

So far we have the dawn for mythological figures. Now, we look at her best friend: Elizabeth Amphitrite. Her first name has no true significance, it's all in her last. Amphitrite was the goddess of the sea, and wife of Poseidon. So, in mythological terms, we could have a regular opposition: fire and water, warm and cold. This is why they're best friends. This also leaves open the opportunity for Elizabeth, or Ellie, to have more trouble than the other heroes with the villains. water tends to be a weak element. Weak element or not, she's a strong girl. In terms of Sailor Moon characters, she'd be a match for Sailor Neptune.

So, now we've had Tsukino Usagi, Arora Arum, Elizabeth Amphitrite, and Sailor Neptune for comparisons. There's still one more hero girl left: Katrilina. She's not based off mythology. Instead, she got her name from She-Ra's Katra character. Sad to say there weren't many cat-girls in mythology other than Japanese mythology and those were very mischievous. Not that she doesn't have her moments, just that most of the time, she's like the glue that keeps the team driven. Being teased about eyes, ears, teeth, and tail all her life made her into a sensitive to teasing, stubborn, driven girl. Being an Aries doesn't hurt either.

Katrilina's counterpart Aries is a guy you don't want to cross to an extent. Annoy him and you'll quickly wish you hadn't, but he's one of the most loyal friends around. His "kitten-of-the-adorable-ears," Katrilina, is one he'll protect even with his dying breath. Theirs is a relationship several of the heroes envy even a little. Shin is one that could be the sweetest guy around, but you also just don't want to cross him if he's got a sword in hand. He and Katrilina have one important thing in common: they were both born on April Fool's Day. In terms of characters from Ronin Warriors or Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, he's Cye/Shin Mouri and Sage/Seiji Datte's counterpart. Shin for his sweetness and sensitive nature and Seiji for his sword and some of his flirtatious nature. Toss in a little of Ryo Sanada's nature for double wielding for good measure and you've got a fair idea of my Shin.

Shin's counterpart hero guy is Hanaji. This guy is far closer to Cye/Shin Mouri than any of the other guys. He's also quite a bit like Tuxedo Kamen of Sailor Moon. Okay, that could mean he's little more than a boy-damsel-in-distress, but he's definitely stronger than that. He could give Sage a run for his money sword wise, he likes to flirt but only with girls he's comfortable with. His name holds a unique meaning: nosebleed. His problem is that he likes girls but can't easily talk to them or he'll get a nosebleed. Anything on two legs that's pretty, he has to be careful of what he says or does anywhere near. It was actually an intended joke I haven't gotten around to using. Since he's another who got teased for his name, he joined the kendo club at school with Shin to help defend against the teasing. The two boys are pretty much completely even unless Shin's double wielding.

Now, since mine's a fantasy series, there are some more non-human heroes as well. Not any less important than their human counterparts of course. First after Katrilina, we have Virgo. Yes, named for his Zodiac sun sign. He's a tiger-man. Since he's deadly with or without weapons of any kind, he chooses to simply wield a quarter staff. Just like his Earthly tiger counterparts, you don't want him mad at you. Unlike Katrilina, he's more animal than human, physically. In her case, fake teeth, a hat, and contact lenses, she could blend in as human. Her tail would have to be hidden, of course, but she could pass for human. Virgo, as much as he wants to, cannot. He's a peace-loving kind of guy with a shy and somewhat sensitive nature. He could be described as a lover not a fighter, but he's protective of friends as well.

Getting more into the non-human realm, we find Tristen. His Welsh name means "tumult" which means "noisy commotion," which is probably why he prefers his nickname of Kaida, which means "little dragon." His true name describes him perfectly - off the battlefield. His nickname describes him best on the battlefield. He's a Pegasus centaur that is quite a bit like a puppy: he needs to get used to his legs. Off the battlefield, he's clumsy enough to make Sailor Moon herself look graceful. Constantly tripping over his own legs and crashing noisily into things. Off the battlefield, he regains some of his dignity in the air. In flight, he's as graceful as an albatross, but watch out on the landing. You don't want to be near as his landing is a great deal like an albatross. On the battlefield, he has complete grace in all he does. He chooses a bow and arrow for distance and can be a good sniper with them if he needs to be, and a decorative sword that looks fancy, but he uses very effectively.

The last two are the fairies of the bunch. Don't discount their size, they're both dangerous enough.Yukie, whose name means "snow" and "luck," and his sister Yukina. He chooses a sewing needle sword and she uses no weapons. Neither is deadly, but both pack a wallop. Small but mighty describes these two.

Now for one who isn't yet mentioned on my site at all. He's been on the drawing board for a long time but until now, hasn't had an effective design. He's definitely least human of the heroes, but he's the one who refuses to fight. He has great power, but he will not use it for battle. He and Breezer are the ones who hang back and guide the heroes' movements. Breezer is the feroad, combination ferret and toad, that gave Dream Angel her power to start with. Ryu, the dragon mage is the one who helps guide the heroes' special abilities. He's also able to use his wings for fortune telling. One wing shows the present and the other shows the likely future based on the present. I want to leave his design a mystery though. He's more a surprise character that appears at a critical point in the series and offers his guidance.

True, not all my characters have a mythological background, but those that do, are the ones that truly drive the story. Their strength translates through to the others and who knows? I might make a mythological background for the others mentioned here as well. They're my characters.