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Mythology fans: Xerneas and Yveltal are from Norse mythology? (Pokemon XY)
- Thread starter Neiteio
- Start date
Nocturnowl
Member
I always figured Lucario to be going for an Anubis angle as opposed to a Jackal.
Manectric is a lion, from the mane to his roots in old Chinese statues, iirc.
Well yeah, but Anubis was based on a jackal, wasn't he?
LOL, ancient Egyptian Pokemon designers.
Bulbapedia says he's a Maned Wolf. Luxray is a lion.
Nocturnowl
Member
Well that may be but...well you've caught me with my trousers down so to speak.
Lets just say I think they drew moreso from the Egyptian approach for its appearance.
So anyway, Giant Tree for the Arceus style super legend spot.
Oh, I totally agree that it was Anubis in particular they were referencing. After all, it's both jackal-esque -and- humanoid.
And hell yeah, an actual Yggdrasil Pokemon would be crazy!With mod permission, Sugimori art is now in the OP, btw. GO YVELTAL!
The squirrel is Ratatoskr, the gossiping squirrel who runs up and down Yggdrasil giving messages and spreading slander to the eagle at the top and the serpent below, constantly provoking them to feud.
Dunno about the goat.
LOL, that's awesome -- in this case, a squirrel Pokemon that'd tell Yveltal the Z serpent is talking shit about him, and vice-versa.
Maybe a jerk-ass Pachirisu?
MasterSheen
Member
The squirrel could be this gens Mew.
Kickass667
Banned
Thor confirmed for demigod pokamen
Ratatoskr as the basis for the Gen VI Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Manaphy, Victini, etc? I dig.
I dig this also. Give it a hammer!
Why, when we speak of north gods, its always the norse
Inuits gods are pretty cool too.
Fun fact: The last dwarf planet we found orbiting around the sun was named Sedna who is a Neptunian type of planet. They went with the Inuits gods after the Greek Gods, because Inuits are used to the cold.
Why was furry ol' Reshiram part-Dragon, or the horse-like Dialga?
The Dragon-type has accompanied all recent cover legendaries, barring Groudon and Kyogre in Gen 3. But you're right -- they don't have to be part Dragon.
Yveltal, in particular, could be Psychic/Dark... Fighting/Flying... Any number of new type combinations.
Or he could be an existing type combo, like Psychic/Flying.
How on earth do you see a horse in Dialga and not a sauropod?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5woNs9WRE#t=6s
LOL, I said "horse-like," but yeah, guess it's not a very apt comparison, regardless, and he is more draconian than I thought. Still, look at Altaria as an example of a non-dragon-like Dragon-type, or the aforementioned Reshiram. I think the way Pokemon uses it, Dragon references more the idea of a "great majestic beast" than anything else.
I would say Kingdra, Altaria, and Flygon are the only ones that don't look like they should be dragon types.
Reshiram looks like a dog dragon, and looks more dragon-like than Falcor.
Yeah, I guess Reshiram has "The Neverending Story" going for it in terms of dragon credibility, lol. (Furry white dragon, etc)
In terms of the legend this game will center around... I wonder what they'll use as the origin for these legendaries? For example, in B2W2, we see that Reshiram and Zekrom were once unified as a single dragon -- and when they split, the incomplete Kyurem is what remained.
In this case, I wonder if there will be some elaborate myth where the Z serpent was raging out of control and the Yggdrasil equivalent sealed it deep below ground with its roots, and now Xerneas and Yveltal serve as guardians of the seal, so to speak.
IntelliHeath
As in "Heathcliff"
I'm psyched about norse mythology. I can't wait to see if they are going to work more on mythology for X/Y. Also here is egyptian mythology.
That's true. Here are other two evidences that might link Shinx's lines to Sphinx even more.
#1 Evidence
From wiki.
#2 Evidence
Look at his front legs. I believed that it is a nice reference to Egyptian arm bracelets.
#3 Evidence
I noticed colors were egyptians. Black, gold and blue are common colors for mummy coffin and statues.
#4 Evidence
Their names. That's all I can say.
That's true. Here are other two evidences that might link Shinx's lines to Sphinx even more.
#1 Evidence
From wiki.
Look at his ears and tail. Three stars.
#2 Evidence
Look at his front legs. I believed that it is a nice reference to Egyptian arm bracelets.
#3 Evidence
I noticed colors were egyptians. Black, gold and blue are common colors for mummy coffin and statues.
#4 Evidence
Their names. That's all I can say.
PRjumpman124
Member
The goat is Heidrun, who along with the stag grazes the foliage of Yggdrasil.
Doesn't seem like an interesting idea for a pokemon imo.
Why, when we speak of north gods, its always the norse
Inuits gods are pretty cool too.
Fun fact: The last dwarf planet we found orbiting around the sun was named Sedna who is a Neptunian type of planet. They went with the Inuits gods after the Greek Gods, because Inuits are used to the cold.
The problem with Inuit gods and myths is that, in the words of most Inuit people who know of the myths, their gods and sprits were not revered but feared. Their belief system is as such that, since every creature and thing possesses a soul like man does, killing an animal is like killing a human, and once the soul is released from the body, it can enact vengeance upon you. So in their ancient traditions, even the simple act of obtaining food is a fearful and perilous ordeal. And their gods represented not beneficial things, but fearful ones... Nanuk, for instance, was the god of polar bears, creatures that will stalk their prey indefinitely to the exclusion of all other prey if you give them an ounce of mercy in the wild after being seen. The northern lights were regarded as the narrow path to the heavens, which you crossed over the abyss where land and sea ended; to fall from them was your peril. Sedna, the goddess of sea creatures, is also the ruler of Adlivun, the underworld.
All of their gods bring fear and never reverence, treated more like malevolent forces of nature than points of worship. Given that history, it's easy to see why they are less spoken of.
I'm pretty sure these legendaries are based on Norse mythology.
My guesses:
Yveltal: Flying/Psychic. Flying because it's a bird. Psychic because the eagle it's based on can peer into souls. Psych means soul.
Xerneas: Rock/Fighting. Rock because of the gyms, fighting because stags are commonly seen as fighters.
Plus these types balance the two. Rock works against Flying/Psychic and Psychic works against Rock/Fighting. Flying Psychic has a slight advantage in that flying moves will be 1x effective against Xerneas whereas fighting moves will only be .25x effective against Yveltal, but both get a 2x effective tpye against each other.
My guesses:
Yveltal: Flying/Psychic. Flying because it's a bird. Psychic because the eagle it's based on can peer into souls. Psych means soul.
Xerneas: Rock/Fighting. Rock because of the gyms, fighting because stags are commonly seen as fighters.
Plus these types balance the two. Rock works against Flying/Psychic and Psychic works against Rock/Fighting. Flying Psychic has a slight advantage in that flying moves will be 1x effective against Xerneas whereas fighting moves will only be .25x effective against Yveltal, but both get a 2x effective tpye against each other.
PRjumpman124
Member
What if there's a legendary based on Yggdrasil itself? It's about time we had a new biggest pokemon.
Well, Xerneas' antlers look like the branches of Yggdrasil.
Sigismundo
Member
I've wanted Norse mythology legendaries for ages so this is awesome.
It's the manliest mythology.
It's the manliest mythology.
So did the stags in the myth, though -- they had antlers resembling the tree's branches. So, nothing to stop Xerneas from existing alongside an actual Yggdrasil Pokemon. Although I'd imagine having an actual tree as a location in the game would work better.
Dr.Palutena
Member
This, I dont want to see another dragon legendary for a long while.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
We already have our Valkyrie.
Its name is Jynx
Its name is Jynx
Black-Wind
Member
Altaria is based on Chinese Dragons ( cloud wings, bird like ).
Reshiram is a feathered Wyvern.
Kingdra is a Sea Dragon.
Flygon is a Sand Dragon/ Dragonfly.
That's one of the reasons why we need more of them. They are equal. A'akuluujjusi is a benevolent god for example. She created the animals from her clothes and then wanted the hunters to have a chance to kill them. She created the creatures equal. They also have many many gods of fertility and hunting like Pinga who is the Psychopomp of the inuits, simply bring the souls to Sedna in Adlivun.
If you think about it, most Greek gods are not good or bad either. Zeus is not a good god and Hades is not Evil. They have a job to do and they do it.
I just think that more games should have the inuits Pantheon of gods. I mean, Sedna (Senna) is a pretty cool goddess when you think about it. Queen of the Sea creature and of the underworld. How many culture have a underwater queen of the dead.
Ingueferroque
Banned
They look like characters from Etrian Odyssey.
Latias and Latios don't reaaaaaally look very Dragon-like.
Sounds about right. Also the stag is really well-designed, and the eagle isn't too bad either. They seem to be more like Lugia and Ho-oh than any of the legendaries after (which is a good thing).
Also, if the game really draws from Norse mythology, there's a good chance that we'll see Huginn and Muninn, Odin's two ravens representing thought and memory.
Sounds good for a Latias/Latios type of thing.
Also, if the game really draws from Norse mythology, there's a good chance that we'll see Huginn and Muninn, Odin's two ravens representing thought and memory.
Sounds good for a Latias/Latios type of thing.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Yeah Latios and Latias are the ones I don't get.
Hell even the Sinnoh main legendaries I get (they're dinosaurs), the Lati@s duo I don't.
Hell even the Sinnoh main legendaries I get (they're dinosaurs), the Lati@s duo I don't.
Excellent idea! (Huginn and Muninn-based legendary birds)Sounds about right. Also the stag is really well-designed, and the eagle isn't too bad either. They seem to be more like Lugia and Ho-oh than any of the legendaries after (which is a good thing).
Also, if the game really draws from Norse mythology, there's a good chance that we'll see Huginn and Muninn, Odin's two ravens representing thought and memory.
Sounds good for a Latias/Latios type of thing.
"Latios appears to be a cross between a jet plane and a dragon. He and Latias may also draw inspiration from the philosophy of yin and yang. They may also be based upon the aeons in Gnosticism, being that certain aeons are immaterial beings of concepts existing in pairs of males and females emanated from God and one another; also, their species is "Eon." Latias and Latios are also based on birds, and due to Latias's shared origin with Blaziken, they could be based on Junglefowl."
They are a little strange yeah.
Black-Wind
Member
They're Jets mixed with Dragons.
That'd be Reshiram.
I can see where you're coming from, but I think of Reshiram's tail as more like a brazier.
Now Zekrom, on the other hand, definitely has a jet turbine for a tail.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
On a related note in Black/White, the "Yin Yang" was pretty obvious with Zekrom/Reshiram (although Kyurem was a surprise), so I wonder if the Norse bit would as obvious.
The more I look at Yveltal, the easier it is for me to believe he is in fact based on the Blind Eagle of Yggdrasil. Some people contended the "blind" part, saying Xerneas also has blue eyes. But with Xerneas, only the iris is blue -- the rest is white, and the x-shaped pupils are black. With Yveltal, his entire eye is bright blue -- a common depiction of blindness -- and his pupils are white, as though absent altogether. I woudn't be surprised if his Pokedex entry said something to the effect that he sees not with his eyes, but with his mind, identifying life forms by their souls, not by their appearance.
I wasn't surprised by Kyurem, insofar as I was expecting a third legendary who would be grey and represent the grey area between black and white. However, we didn't get a third game called Grey, or Twilight, or something similar; instead we got B2W2, and it's how they used Kyurem in -those- games that surprised me (fusing him to Reshiram and Zekrom).
As for making the Norse bit obvious, again, I think the fact Xerneas has all four colored gemstones of the Stags of Yggdrasil, and the fact its counterpart is a bird Pokemon, makes the connection obvious. How many other famous stag-and-bird pairings are there in mythology?
Wholly agreed. They really knocked it out of the park with these two. The Pokemon designers are still at the top of their game.
I know, but those animals just have dragon in their name. That doesn't make them look like dragons.
Gyarados and Charizard actually look like dragons but aren't.
Femmeworth
Banned
Norse mythology is so passé, Game Freak. Should have been African mythology or something.
IntelliHeath
As in "Heathcliff"
Perhaps 7th generation. But hey, I like Norse Mythology.
Pokemon makes everything awesome. Norse mythology won't reach its full potential until all of its figures are turned into Pokemon. Now is the time.