Forum - View topicThree Goddesses in EVA commentary
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Kyle Smyth
 Posts: 157 Location: Ontario, Canda |
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What do the three goddesses or three girls symbolize in Evangelion? It is mentioned several times on the Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion commentary track several times. I checked the net several times and found nothing. So please if you know the answer or have a theory on it post a reply.
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DarkTenshi90
 Posts: 440 Location: Nebraska |
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 Three goddesses? Interesting, I never heard of this. Could they be referring about Asuka, Rei, and Misato? 
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld pops into my mind when I saw your title.
 I don't think they have anything to do with EVA.
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Nani?
 Posts: 632 |
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Agreed but it's a reference to various Indo-European myths that some Goddesses are different aspects. Examples include the Norse fates (Urd,Verthandi/Belldandy, Skuld) but also some Irish and Hindu examples which I cannot pull off the top of my head. Maiden-- A youthful aspect that represents the future, who is somewhat naive and whose time is yet to come. This would clearly be Rei in Eva terms, sometimes also Asuka, spoiler[for example when she asks to borrow Misato's perfume.] Mother-- A protective, mature aspect that looks is clearly based in the present with present day goals and plans she can be a warrior if needed. This would be primarily Misato but also spoiler[Yui as Eva 01.] Crone-- An older woman or more likely a woman past her prime, one who is sometimes consumed with bitterness and anger and could be quite wrathful. I thinkspoiler[ Ritsuko is the primary aspect in this sense that she is embittered, passed over by men, overshadowed by her mother. Asuka also, toward the end of the series when her sych rates fall and she goes off the deep end, also in the sense that she has had to grow up too fast. ] All the Best, Nani? |
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Kyle Smyth
Posts: 157 Location: Ontario, Canda |
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If you or any of your friends own a copy of Neon Genesis Evangelion: The end of Evangelion on DVD then just listen with the commentary track on it. It is mentioned several times. Also it does refer to Asuka, Rei and Misato. Nani?, I never thought of those characters in that sense that is great input, thanks. |
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Umm, when referring to the actual Norns of Nordic mythology, could we put the "Belldandy" thing aside, please? That name is one big transliteration error from start to finish, and while "Belldandy" as an anime character is by now an established tradition, the actual Norn's name is "Verthandi" (or one of the Nordic variations thereof - in Denmark, we say "Verdande"). The mistake, such as it is, comes from "Verthandi" being transliterated into katakana ベルダンディ ("Berudandi") and then back into "Belldandy", without anyone ever spending two seconds to think about the original meaning. For a hypothetical comparison, imagine if an anime starred a cast of Irish superbeings - whose name, after going through the same mishmash of poor transliteration, became "The Two-Day Donnon"...
The Irish example you couldn't quite recall is the Morrigu/Morrigan - the triune deity composed of Badbh Catha, Macha, and Nemhain. The Hindu example you're thinking of is probably Trimurti (the triple-aspected God, who manifests as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva), except that he is male.
Can't fault this analysis. I am still far from convinced that this isn't over-analysis of NGE, an anime that I have always considered to be overrated and far less coherently symbol-laden than its fans think. But on the basis of the given premise (i.e. that an actual symbolism exists and was intended - instead of, as I suspect, it being an after-the-fact rationalisation), this is probably the best fit available. - abunai |
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Nani?
Posts: 632 |
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I agree completely. I thought there might be more there that I wasn't aware of and so I went into it hoping to hear something, well more along the lines of "Hideki Anno says". All the Best, Nani? |
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Pepperidge
 Posts: 1106 Location: British Columbia, Canada |
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That commentary = 100% bullshit. It's good for a few laughs, but that's about it. Don't take a word they say seriously.
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Mohawk52
 Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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axion
 Posts: 17 Location: New York |
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I've never heard this one before... Rei, Asuka, and Misato are a trinity? Hrm. Well, it is true that Misato is one most similar to Shinji out of the 3 main girls, so if you take a leap and say she's the female Shinji (which is, at best, debatable) then there is a possibility that the three form the same trinity that Rei, Shinji, and Asuka do. I'm referring to Freud's mental structures and how they are embodied in the characters: Rei = Superego, Shinji = Ego, and Asuka = Id, so I guess with the first assumption you could replace Shinji with Misato.. I guess...
Another possibility is that as Rei represents Thanatos and Asuka represents Eros, Misato could represent a god that has been adapted by Freudian Psychology to describe an archetype (btw, Freud did not have a concise theory of archetypes, but the word is very appropriate). Misato's would be somewhere in between Thanatos and Eros, the name? No idea. Problem here is that when you think about it, Misato is much more similar to Asuka than Rei, so it wouldn't really constitute a trinity, where all parts are equally different/similar. The other possibility is that they all represent not specifically goddesses, but the concept of an earth-mother, nurturer, woman, and giver of life, but all in slightly different ways. Rei is a mother in the sense that she is a combination of two mothers (Lillith & Yui) and eventually becomes the mother of everything, she is the least like a woman in this context, Misato is a mother in the sense that she nurtures and cares for others (namely Shinji, Asuka, Pen-Pen, and Kaji) and a mother in the sense that she is also independent and assertive, and Asuka is a mother only in the physical sense (ie that she is a woman capable of motherhood), she is the most like a woman among them. (Please understand that I don't mean to say that Rei and Misato aren't women, they are, but that they are MORE motherly than womanly in the sense that the woman is primarily a person of herself where a mother is primarily a person of her offsrping/kin). I prefer the last possibility because we can see another example of it in the MAGI, the three parts of a female being divided among them. It also requires the fewest assumptions and relies the most on what is deducible from the show/movies directly. (Granted that in my explanation, the part of a female that is the "person" is equal among Rei, Asuka, and Misato) PS - I do find deep meaning in Evangelion, whether it is intentional or not, its there. Also, I agree that Gainax and other holders of Evangelion properties are capitalists of the highest order, but this doesn't mean you have to buy their stuff to appreciate/understand/enjoy Evangelion. |
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