symbolism
wrath of the heavens and cries of the earth
In my opinion, Tales of the Abyss manages to employ the usual RPG mythological symbolism quite tastefully.
Meaning, it's not over the top and in your face *cough*Xenosaga*cough* and some of the references are even relevant! Wow!
Keterburg - Tales of the Abyss draws many of its names and concepts from the beliefs of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism).
Many locations take their names from different "Sephirot" (or Sephiroth), the "divine emanations" on the
tree of life. Keter (or Kether) is
the topmost Sephirot and means "crown." Keter is also supposed to be entirely "unknowable" and "the most hidden of all hidden things."
An obvious connection would be the location of Keter and Keterburg; both exist at the top, Keterburg at the top of Auldrant and Keter and the topmost Sephirot.
"Crown" seems to connect in terms of Emperor Peony, who grew up in Keterburg, or possibly even in terms of the gemstone-related names
of its residents. As for the concept of being incomprehensible and
hidden, perhaps a connection can be made to Jade's inability to understand that the power to use the Seventh Fonon was beyond him,
though that's a bit of a long shot.
Nebilim - The name of Professor Nebilim is likely derived from "Nephilim," a race of giants
found mainly in early Jewish and Christian writings. The writings describe the Nephilim as the offspring of "sons of God" (presumably angels, though it's
unclear) and human women. They were said to be large in stature and quite powerful, and some works state that their immense appetites led them to
eat humans and wreak havoc on the earth. Translated from Hebrew as "fallen ones," the Nephilim seem to represent an evil and unwanted creation. The
replica of the Professor that Jade was ultimately an unwanted creation as well, a monster who murdered others for her own desires much like the destructive
Nephilim. Also, the replica Nebilim desires two forms of fonons, light and shadow, while the Nephilim are hybrids of angels and humans, so there's a
possible link between the two in terms of mixing opposite elements. But I'm probably trying too hard with that one. Interestingly,
Wikipedia states that in some texts,
"the fallen angels who begat the Nephilim were cast into Tartarus/Gehenna, a place of 'total darkness.'"
Tartarus - The Malkuth landship Tartarus takes its name from Greek and Roman mythology.
In Greek myth, Tartarus, or Tartaros, is the lowest level of Hades (the underworld) and also a deity. Tartarus was supposed to be a
dark and miserable pit that served as a prison for monsters and the defeated Titans. In Roman mythology, Tartarus is essentially hell,
where sinners were sent and punished. Perhaps the name was foreshadowing for the landship's eventual journey to the center of the earth.
Also, some Greek writings state that Tartarus was born from Chaos, the void of nothingness from which existence was created, which Wikipedia also calls
the "Abyss."
Gungnir - One of Jade's strongest weapons, Gungnir, is found in the optional dungeon: the Replication Facility of the Abyss. The spear draws its name from the javelin
belonging to Norse mythology's Odin, the father of all the gods. Odin represented two seemingly opposite things: war and death,
but also poetry and wisdom. These two aspects relate to Jade's character as well; he's not only a solider but also a scholar. Additionally, Odin was able
to command slain warriors, known as "einherjar," which relates to Jade's rumored exploits as "the Necromancer."
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