Anthropomorphism (courtesy of Ryan Malama, 2005)
Contents:
-Definition
-Religion and Mythologies
-Literature
-Identification
-Mythology
-Literature
-Identification
-Mythology/Religion
-Literature
Ratchet and Crash have teeth and mouths that resemble humans. Ratchet stands on two feet but still holds onto his animalistic tail. This blending of both humanistic and animalistic qualities is a strong example of how anthropomorphism is used in gaming.
Definition: Anthropomorphism is relating animal characteristics to that of humans or humanistic qualities. It is a combination of two Greek words (anthropos and morphe) meaning “human” and “shape of form,” respectively.
Religion and Mythologies: Mythology and anthropomorphism connect in the representation of human and sub-human traits as form of physiological interpretation. Ancient Greek mythology identified anthropomorphic gods of monotheistic humanistic traits in the form of humans. These “specialty” gods represented such characteristics as love, fertility, war etc.
In respect to religion one would have trouble relating to a form of divinity without relating to anthropomorphism. It is said in the Book of Genesis that God created man in his image. We, as humans, are a representation of god, though flawed through sin. Jesus is a human form of God which collaborates both divine characteristics and human flaws into one holy body. But within the New Testament hermeneutic circle which connects the serpent with the devil with sin, summation could represent a serpent with sin, the anthropomorphic flaw Jesus Christ willingly sacrificed his mortal body for.
Yoshi’s humanistic facial expressions and shoes are anthropomorphic traits. Yoshi, a interpretive dragon also wears shoes and his body has very human-like qualities as well. He has fingers and looks to be walking like humans do.
Literature: Anthropomorphic roles in literature are ever increasing especially through the medium of video gaming. Vide games utilize anthropomorphic ideology in creating games in which human characteristics are represented by animals both partial and full vice versa. Fantastic games such as but not limited to Devil May Cry’s, Fable, Doom’s, Ratchet and Clank, Spyro etc. etc. all relate animalistic qualities to humans and/or humanistic qualities to animals.
The main benefit of using anthropomorphism to portray characters in gaming and other forms of literature is that animals and stereotypic views of a particular animal are used to portray stock characters where the author or artist can convey a subliminal form of character development just by the animal used.
In both common vernacular and diction, we understand that human specialties or distinctive traits are sometimes described with attributes to animals. Examples like “savage as a beast” or “curious as a cat” and “eagle eye vision” are all sayings that can be attributed to humans to describe behavior and abilities/disabilities.
Above is a kitsune with three tails, probably a middle aged kitsune, maybe a couple hundred or thousand years old. The argument for the presence of anthropomorphism is the wisdom a fox must have in order to attain tails.
Identification: The Japanese word for fox is Kitsune, pronounced “kitsu-ne” and “ki-tsune”—each has a different meaning. Kitsune are known best for their intelligence, long life and magical powers. These creatures live for hundreds or thousands of years and become increasingly wiser with time. If Kitsune are represented in the human form they usually take shape of a beautiful woman or an old man.
Mythology: In common Japanese mythology Kitsune are known to be tricksters that use their witty intelligence and magic to play tricks on people. Benevolent Kitsune prank hubristic samurai or greedy merchants. These pranks often are centered around a common moral as a form of an informal lesson. Malevolent Kitsune abuse their intelligence and magic to play tricks on Buddhist monks or the lower class. Instead of imposing morality, cruel Kitsune play tricks for their own enlightenment.
Kitsune are sometimes defined as a fox spirit. Spirit, insofar as Japanese mythology, takes on the Eastern definition which identifies spirit as knowledge and enlightenment. With the assumption that wisdom comes with age, a fox that has lived for a long time can be considered a spirit. A spirit is just as much a real being as others; its body is not compromised upon becoming a spirit.
Tails are closely related to Kitsune and are a form of symbolism that physically express the spiritism a Kitsune possesses. Juveniles have only one tail and are identified as young and foolish. Tails can be earned/obtained through gaining wisdom and/or consecutively for each one-hundred or one-thousand years of life. Kitsune can have as many as nine tails, but no more. Possessing nine tails is the epitomic stature; wisdom, magic and new powers are maximized and ultimate respect is held for these Kitsune. Nine-tailed foxes are white, gold or silver in contrast to the archetypical amber brown.
Just as tails serve as an intellectual hierarchy, they are also the tragic flaw. Human forms of Kitsune are said to be indistinguishable from real humans, except for the tail. When in human form the tail must be hidden as it is the only remaining attribute of the fox body. Kitsune are mostly identified when being careless or drunk.
The significance of the name Kitsune comes with an ancient myth. In the myth a female fox takes human form and marries a man. After nine years the fox encounters a dog where she transforms back to a fox to hide. Her husband, unwilling to give her up asks the fox to sleep with him. Each night the fox returns as a human for the night, then leaves as a fox in the morning. The female fox earned the names “kitsu-ne” meaning “come and sleep” and ki-tsune” meaning always comes.
Despite the humanistic traits the fox still has its tails and is silver, meaning it is of the wisest and oldest foxes.
Literature: Anthropomorphism in gaming usually objectifies the body of a Kitsune with humanistic traits which include but are not limited to facial features, body mechanics (four legs good, two legs better!), and the ability to talk. Natural characteristics like sense of smell, coloration and physical abilities are usually maintained to identify the character as a fox. Utilizing Japanese Kitsune mythology is most popular because it is the most proliferated image of a fox. Games that use Kitsune as important characters include Star Fox, Kitsune 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Other forms of literature utilize the Kitsune persona such as Aesop’s Fables as well as many Japanese and Chinese forms of literature. In Aesop’s Fables the fox is often used to teach morality to other animals. While the fox is known for many traits such as seduction, trickery, wisdom, etc. only one of these traits is usually identified in a story to better emphasize that strength or weakness Kitsune have.
Ball python (Python regius) in no relation to "Monty"
Identification: The heteroglossia of serpents in mythology and religion are many, differing in more ways than the miles between sources. Eastern mythology links serpents to the god of wisdom “Aegean.” Ancient Egyptians identify their god “Atum,” as “one who completes or perfects.” Western cultures, heavily influenced by Biblical rhetoric, fear the serpent and look to him as a mono-deistic god of the underworld or “he who harnesses the souls.”
Mythology/Religion: One of the most widespread attributions to the serpent is the idea of permanence and immortality. Snakes, as reptilians, have scaled skin as a form of protection. When snakes shed the outer layer of scales are sloughed off at once revealing a new shiny coat of the regenerated serpent
The immortal reputation is confirmed in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh dove to the depths of the ocean to retrieve the plant of life, when he was resting from the dive a serpent ate the plant assuming immortality. Furthermore, Gilgamesh was inevitably set to die confirming mans’ mortality and emphasizing the god-like stature of the serpent.
More popular is the widespread biblical ideology that the serpent represents the devil and links the origin of sin with the Garden of Eden. However, in contradiction to a representation of the devil, the Book of Genesis does not connect the serpent with Satan or even recognize the serpent as a deity of its own. Although the influence of the serpent onto the two humans (Adam and Eve) was significant, the serpent remained in truth, heading way to personal will sought by the two humans.
The art of persuasion in the Garden of Eden underscores the light in which serpents are known for wisdom. In Greek mythology, gods and heroes bore serpents in their grasp to signify wisdom. For example, the hero Heracles was threatened by a serpent while in his cradle. Escaping the grasp of the serpent he grows up to defeat a greater, more powerful serpent “Hydra.” Heracles, torn between two different ways of life brandishes two serpents in each hand bringing wisdom to the future regardless of the path of progression.
Serpents come in pairs throughout Greek mythology where the two ideally work as a pair of opposites towards common wisdom. This meiosis complex is a resultant an-ending from the time of the King Hezekiah—Greek Mythology—and the story of Moses—biblical interpretation.
The Lord sent fiery serpents down to the earth and many of the Israeli people died. The people, confessing their sins in fear of their lives, prayed to Moses to stop the serpents. Then, under the instruction of the Lord, Moses made a fiery serpent of brass mounted on a pole. If any man were bitten while he was holding the staff, he lived.
The staff of the fiery serpent was ruined by the king Hezekiah in the eighth century. The serpent Moses had made was ground and cut until it was no more. Following the destruction of the staff, the children of Israel burned incense in respect for the fiery serpents.
This dual ending story identifies—in the subtext—that the staff was not of one serpent but of two. Though physically the staff may have only had one serpent, the two endings that coincided both with the creation and destruction of the staff identify the regeneration which is commonly associated with shedding—the death of one is the beginning of another. The two snakes were of paired opposites.
A current representation of the Rod of Asclepius, better known for its medical symbolism.
Moses’s staff, which symbolized two serpents wrapped around itself, is similar in iconography to the Rod of Asclepius. Asclepius was a Greek god of healing in which he combined two serpents in correlation with immortality and regeneration symbolize rebirth and fertility. The rod is a simple tool which unites the traits of healing to the power to direct those actions. The wings on the top of the staff came about from Hermes’ Caduceus. Hermes is the winged messenger and master of diplomacy and new discoveries in Greek mythology. The Rod of Asclepuis topped with the wings of Mercury(Hermes) is a modern medical symbol adopted from Greek mythology.
Literature: In literature serpents are not so much a vital role in a story as much as they are sporadically placed to bring out a certain emotion. Snakes often work off of other characters’ dispositions minimizing the offensive attack. The snakes role as a passivist works back into the story of the Garden of Eden where the serpent does not lie but rather works off of the humans’ free will—disposition. Serpents are often portrayed in literature in a fashion that promotes their wisdom. In the jungle book the python uses hypnosis to illicit certain actions of “Mowgli” that would lead him to be an easy meal. Hypnosis in The Jung Book is a form of wisdom that the snake uses to their advantage. In contrast to common literature, a certain genre, Greek epics use serpents as vital roles in stories. In the Epic of Gilgamesh the serpent works off of Gilgamesh’s disposition when he is fatigued from his dive to retrieve the plant of life. It is not that the snake fights for the plant and wins, but rather uses wisdom to obtain and eat the plant when Gilgamesh is sleeping.
Animal Symbolism (From http://www.princetonol.com)
Alligator - Aggression, survival, adaptability. Cunning, deceptive.
Ant - Group minded, perseverance, self-discipline, group effort, teamwork, industriousness, orderliness, virtue. Strength, stamina, honor.
Antelope - Lunar animal, associated with the Mother. Grace, beauty.
Ape/Monkey - Mischief, mimicry, cunning, benevolence. Humanity, nurture.
Baboon - Hailer of the dawn.
Badger - Supernatural power, mischief, playful. Other world, wisdom, caring.
Bat - Guardian of the night, cleaner, obscurity, messenger, double nature, happiness, good luck, longevity, peace;also - hypocrisy, melancholy, revenge, wisdom.
Bee - Immortality, rebirth, industry, order, purity, soul, chastity, messengers between worlds, secret wisdom, Mother and priestesses. Community.
Birds - The soul, transcendence, spirits of air, ascent, communication, freedom, sight.
Bear - Primal power, mother, cunning, healer, gentle strength, dreaming, sovereignty, intuition married with instinct. Nurturing, protective.
Bear Paw - Power, direction, connection to creator.
Beaver - Builder, gatherer.
Blackbird - Enchantment, the Gateway, the inner call. Guide, illumination.
Boar - The warrior spirit, leadership, direction, lust, gluttony, fertility, prophecy, magic, protection, hospitality.
Buffalo - Sacredness, life builder. The buffalo provides all good things for living, and bestows great curing powers.
Bull - Wealth, potency, beneficence, generative force, male procreative strength, kingship, taming of the masculine and animal nature. Destructive force.
Butterfly - Metamorphosis, carefree, transformer, immortality, rebirth, resurrection. Grace, light, soul.
Cat - Guardianship, detachment, sensuality, stealth, desire, liberty, pleasure, magic, lust, pride, vanity.
Cock - Solar, courage, vigilance, supremacy, passion, pride, the underworld.
Cougar - Leadership, courage, power, swiftness and balance.
Cow - Nourishment, motherhood, power of Earth, plenty, procreation, gentleness, nurturing.
Coyote - Prankster, insight, playful. The coyote symbolizes duality and the ability to present both sides of an issue. Clowning and humor, perhaps sarcastic.
Crane - Solitude, independence, messenger, communion, higher state of consciousness, wisdom, knowledge.
Crocodile - Devourer, liberation, guardian, dual nature, conscious and unconscious, fertility, brutality, viciousness, deceit, treachery.
Crow - Messenger, death, wisdom, communication, the underworld.
Deer - Love, gentleness, kindness, gracefulness, sensitivity, purity of purpose, walking in the light, swift, nimble, meek, gentle, meditation, love, longevity, wealth.
Dog - Guidance, protection, loyalty, fidelity, faithfulness, watchfulness, the Hunt.
Dolphin - Kindness, play, savior, guide, sea power, swift, intelligence, communication, breath control, awareness of tone.
Donkey - Humility, patience, peace, stupidity, stubbornness, lewdness.
Dragon - Power of Earth, combining bird and serpent as matter and spirit, breath of life, supernatural, power, magic, strength, wisdom, knowledge, guardian.
Dragonfly - Flighty, carefree, swift, activity, shamanistic, supernatural powers.
Eagle - Divine spirit, air, the sun, power in battle, protection from evil, clear vision, success, prosperity, wealth, intelligence, renewal, courage.
Elephant - Strength, fidelity, memory, patience, wisdom, intelligence, power.
Elk - Strength, agility, freedom, power, nobility.
Fox - Cunning, provider, intelligence, feminine magic, diplomacy, wildness.
Frog - Power of water, sensitivity, medicine, hidden beauty, power.
Goat - Vitality, fertility, creativity, virility, abundance, lust.
Goose - Guardian, watchful, wind, the sun, war, inspiration, swift, happiness, providence.
Grizzly Bear - Mother, nature's pharmacist
Hare - rebirth, rejuvenation, resurrection, intuition, balance, fertility, fire, madness, transformation.
Hawk - Nobility, recollection, cleansing, messenger, observer, Solar, clarity, discrimination, inspiration, the soul.
Heron - Vigilance, quiet, power of water, the underworld, tact, delicacy, renewal, life, transformation.
Horse - Stamina, mobility, strength and power, coping under difficult circumstances, love, devotion, loyalty, the land, travel. Life and death symbol, intellect, wisdom, power, nobility, energy, freedom, wildness, divination, prophecy, fertility.
Hummingbird - Messenger, stopper of time, optimism, sweetness.
Jackal - Guide of souls, associated with cemeteries.
Jaguar - Messenger, forest spirits, power.
Kingfisher - Beauty, dignity, speed, calmness, serenity.
Leopard - Ferocity, aggression, intrepid, Great Watcher, courage, activity, speed.
Lion - Solar, splendor, power, majesty, strength, courage, nobility.
Lizard - Conservation, agility, promotes dreaming.
Moose - Headstrong, unstoppable, longevity, value, integrity.
Octopus - The spiral, water, unconscious.
Otter - Laughter, curiosity, mischievous, feminine power, grace, empathy, joy, play, helpfulness.
Owl - Wisdom, truth, patience, darkness, a death messenger, divination, solitude, detachment, wisdom, change, totem of clairvoyants and mystics.
Python - Darkness, feminine, power of Earth, wisdom.
Rabbit - Alertness, nurturing.
Ram - Sacrifice, breakthrough, achievement, virility, creativity, the Sun, solar power.
Raven - Trickster, teacher, hoarder, healing, initiation, protection, shaman's power, transformation, change in consciousness, mark of a shape shifter.
Salmon - Instinct, persistence, determination, wisdom, inspiration, rejuvenation.
Seahorse - Confidence, grace.
Serpent - Life, rebirth, resurrection, wisdom, passion, healing, poison, preserver, destroyer, malice, fertility.
Shark - Hunter, survival, adaptability.
Snake - Shrewdness, transformation, life, death and rebirth, rain, fertility.
Spider - Creative, pattern of life, connects the past with the future, creating possibilities.
Stag - Pride, independence, purification.
Swan - Grace, balance, innocence, faithfulness, solitude, retreat, poetry, sincerity.
Tiger - Creator, destroyer, strength, ferocity, power, anger, power of Earth.
Turtle - Self contained, creative source, Earth, informed decisions, planning, adaptability.
Unicorn - Chastity, purity, dreams, virtue, strength, integrity, magic, healing, freedom.
Whale - Power of Water, regeneration, death, rebirth.
Wolf - Loyalty, success, perseverance, stability, thought, pathfinder, teacher, intuition, learning, the shadow.
Wolf Print - Tracking, movement.
Woodpecker - Prophecy, magic, power, guardian of trees, Heralds rain and storms.
Wren - Spirit, witchcraft, the Oak King.
http://www.biologydaily.com/biology/Kitsune
http://www.biologydaily.com/biology/Serpent
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/animals2.htm
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/animalgods.htm
http://www.kitsune.org/kitsunedotorg.html
http://academia.issendai.com/fox-chinese.shtml
http://www.elook.org/literature/aesop/fables
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/5789/serpent.htm
http://www.biologydaily.com/biology/Serpent#Serpent:_mythology
http://www.biologydaily.com/biology/Rod_of_Asclepius
Star Fox, Nintendo(Argonaut Games) 1993
Sonic the Hedgehog, Master System(SEGA Japan) 1991
Devil May Cry, (Capcom) 2001
Fable, (Lionhead Studios) 2004
Ratchet and Clank, PS2 (Insomniac Games) 2002
DOOM 3, (id Software) 2004
http://www.gamecritics.com/feature/artgallery/ratchetclank2/art01.jpg
http://www.dragon-realms.com/gallery/albums/isdrake/Kitsune.sized.jpg
