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Oni (myth): Difference between revisions
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→Why is Bungie's Oni called Oni?
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So it would look like Bungie's title merged all those notions (those carried by the Buddhist ONI ''per se'' and the additional ones carried by the "oni with a kanabô"), and that it thus applies to the different aspects of the effect of [[Daodan]] "symbiosis" on human beings, in particular on [[Konoko]]. | So it would look like Bungie's title merged all those notions (those carried by the Buddhist ONI ''per se'' and the additional ones carried by the "oni with a kanabô"), and that it thus applies to the different aspects of the effect of [[Daodan]] "symbiosis" on human beings, in particular on [[Konoko]]. | ||
ZDLO's quote | ZDLO's quote from the Russian site provides another interesting parallel, namely "people who can't control their anger can become oni, especially females". As for "feasting on human flesh", this probably applies to the pagan ONI rather than to the Buddhist ones (the ones with the KANABÔ), but it can also be seen as an allegory for physical violence, which Daodan-enhanced symbiotes (and Mai) are rather good at. So it's all about anger and lack of control : that's pretty much what drives all of Bungie's Oni. | ||
[http://web-j.com/main.html Here] is a Japanese site, seemingly about that Buddhist proverb/expression : ONI NI KANABÔ. | [http://web-j.com/main.html Here] is a Japanese site, seemingly about that Buddhist proverb/expression : ONI NI KANABÔ. | ||
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That last thing was taken from ''In Ghostly Japan'', which you can read either [http://books.onelang.com/In-Ghostly-Japan/index.htm#HOME here] (top of [http://www.literaturehead.com/section/hearn%252c-lafcadio/in-ghostly-japan/34.html page 34]) or [http://www.literaturehead.com/book/hearn%252c-lafcadio/in-ghostly-japan.html here] (middle of the [http://books.onelang.com/In-Ghostly-Japan/Japanese-Buddhist-Proverbs.htm Japanese Buddhist Proverbs chapter]). | That last thing was taken from ''In Ghostly Japan'', which you can read either [http://books.onelang.com/In-Ghostly-Japan/index.htm#HOME here] (top of [http://www.literaturehead.com/section/hearn%252c-lafcadio/in-ghostly-japan/34.html page 34]) or [http://www.literaturehead.com/book/hearn%252c-lafcadio/in-ghostly-japan.html here] (middle of the [http://books.onelang.com/In-Ghostly-Japan/Japanese-Buddhist-Proverbs.htm Japanese Buddhist Proverbs chapter]). | ||
Another proverb with a similar meaning is "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benkei Benkei] ni [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naginata naginata]" (Benkei is a | Another proverb with a similar meaning is "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benkei Benkei] ni [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naginata naginata]" (Benkei is a legendary fighting monk). There's also the Western allegory of Hercules with his massive club and lion skin (see below) | ||
Basically it means that great tools (primarily tools of death : any great power holds some kind of danger) should be handled by the ones who are worthy of them. The juxtaposition of the two proverbs "Oni ni kanabô, Benkei ni naginata" is rare (I only found it in some guy's signature) and the moral meaning would be somewhat weaker. | Basically it means that great tools (primarily tools of death : any great power holds some kind of danger) should be handled by the ones who are worthy of them. The juxtaposition of the two proverbs "Oni ni kanabô, Benkei ni naginata" is rare (I only found it in some guy's forum signature) and the moral meaning would be somewhat weaker. | ||
===Hercules=== | ===Hercules=== | ||
Ironically, a character that's very similar to Buddhist ONI is the ''pagan'' hero [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules Hercules]/[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracles Heracles]. He wears a lion skin and wields a massive wooden club, which is fairly close to an ONI's tiger skin and kanabô... | Ironically, a character that's very similar to Buddhist ONI is the ''pagan'' hero [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules Hercules]/[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracles Heracles]. He wears a lion skin and wields a massive wooden club, which is fairly close to an ONI's tiger skin and kanabô... | ||
The Greek mythos has episodes where Hercules displays gratuitous violence, while at other times he appears as sly and cunning. One thing's for sure : he's inhumanly strong to start with (half-god), and his chosen attributes (the Nemean Lion's skin and the massive club) make him even tougher. | The Greek mythos has episodes where Hercules displays gratuitous violence, while at other times he appears as sly and cunning (just as ambiguous as the Buddhist Oni). One thing's for sure : he's inhumanly strong to start with (half-god), and his chosen attributes (the Nemean Lion's skin and the massive club) make him even tougher. | ||
As for regeneration... a (Greek) hero is not immortal (neither is an ONI), but as a half-god he's inhumanly tough and resilient. So there's a reasonable analogy here as well, with the Japanese ONI | As for regeneration... a (Greek) hero is not immortal (neither is an ONI), but as a half-god he's inhumanly tough and resilient. So there's a reasonable analogy here as well, with the Japanese ONI ''and'' with the [[Daodan]]. | ||
See [[Oni2:Heroes|here]] for a deeper connection between Bungie's [[Daodan]] and Greek heroes (no, it's not just the way they used the Greek alphabet at the TCTF... there's more). | See [[Oni2:Heroes|here]] for a deeper connection between Bungie's [[Daodan]] and Greek heroes (no, it's not just the way they used the Greek alphabet at the TCTF... there's more). | ||