Rating PanSMP Designs by How Well They Represent Their Gods
Alright, it's my turn to get in on all this. Due to work restrictions, I have not been keeping up with PanSMP's announcement timeline, but with all the character designs on the table, I think it's time to put my two cents in.
"Res," I hear you ask, "what are your qualifications?" While my degrees are primarily in English language literature and linguistics, the same professor who made me spot-translate the Peterborough Chronicle was the one making me insane about Etruscan funerary cultures the year before. Also, I used to teach this to sixth graders. If two rooms full of eleven year olds could comprehend my god lectures, I'm sure MCYTblr can.
Not everyone in Ancient Greece could read so well. As such, the common people needed to be able to recognize their gods at a glance. Every god had around three symbols to represent them - if you saw a sword, a helmet, and a dog, you knew you were looking at Ares.
This is purely going to be a discussion of how accurate each player's design is to the iconography of the gods they are claiming to represent - in short, how well you can tell at a glance that they champion each god. Some discussion will be made about how accurate the clothes are to the Greek period, but only when relevant. Now, onto the ratings.
Apo, Champion of Morpheus
There are not many classical depictions of Morpheus, god of dreams, which puts us already at a disadvantage. In his single mention in Ovid's Metamorphoses, he does have wings, but we don't have much if any actual Classical art of the figure. Apo's design seems to draw heavily from this 1889 statue of Morpheus by Teofila Certowicz - the owl imagery and flowers are relatively similar. There isn't enough to go on, here, though the point gets across. C+, but could use more sources.
Nyx, goddess of night, is often depicted as a winged woman in dark colors and with star or moon motifs. Pearl checks all of these boxes to a degree. I will be so real, however: this looks like Ianite. B-.
Owen, Champion of Chronos
All we have to indicate that Owen is a champion of Chronos, god of time, is the hourglass icon in the god announcement list. I will also admit that the red figure on the right is of Cronus, titan father of Zeus and god of harvest, who has a similar sounding name. I could not find a classical reference for Chronos, and all other depictions of Father Time had imagery that conflated the two. At least he's in a semi-accurate outfit. N/A.
If we're looking for imagery directly associated with Athena, goddess of strategy, Pyro's got it. His outfit does make me say "what the hell is that?" but he has the imagery. Helmet? Check. Spear? Check. Owl? Check. Aegis? Check. Yep. That's a champion of Athena, even if there's little evidence for a soft plume on actual battle helmets. A.
Martyn, Champion of Artemis
Unfortunately, Martyn immediately gets points off by virtue of not being an adolescent girl. Looking past that, however, he gets the motifs down. Artemis, as goddess of the hunt and, in the Roman period, the moon, is often depicted with bow and deer imagery. Martyn’s got those. Extra points for the scars on the chest looking like bear claws! Bears were a big part of the cult of Artemis and the rituals that brought girls from adolescence into adulthood. A-.
Not much to say with this one. Pan, god of nature, wilds, and rustic music, is depicted as a satyr and often seen carrying a pan flute. Cleo’s got all that. She's even got the Dionysian crown of ivy. No notes. A+.
Legundo, Champion of Zeus
There is nothing in this design that suggests Zeus. Zeus, king of the gods and god of thunder, is depicted most often with eagles and thunderbolts. The sun on Legundo’s shoulder suggests Apollo, but that’s about the only symbolic piece I can trace here. At least he has a beard. F.
Sausage, Champion of Hermes
Hermes, god of travel, trade, and tricksters, messenger of the gods, is often depicted wearing a winged helmet and shoes, and carrying a caduceus, a winged staff with two intertwining snakes. Sausage checks exactly one box on that list: vague wing imagery. D.
Scott, Champion of Aeolus
Scott’s design has been discoursed to death already, and baby, I’m here to beat a dead horse. Aeolus, keeper of the winds, is not depicted often in Classical art, but is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey as the one responsible for the bag of wind that Odysseus is given. Scott’s design invokes more cloud than wind, leading me briefly to think he may have been a champion of Tempestas, but she’s Roman. C-.
Drift, Champion of Apollo
Apollo is the god of music, poetry, healing, light, and prophecy, and is most often depicted with a bow and arrow, laurel wreath, or kithara. Absolutely nothing in Drift’s design suggests this, except for, if I’m being extremely generous, the vague laurel wreath in her hair. Everything about Drift’s design invokes Demeter, or, slightly more accurately, Ceres. This is not an Apolline design. F.
Shelby, Champion of Tyche
Tyche, goddess of fortune, is often depicted with a mural crown, acornucopia, a wheel of fortune, or the zodiac. This has none of that. This is Malenia, Blade of Miquella, from Elden Ring. F.
Abolish, Champion of Hephaestus
And, finally, we get to Abolish, champion of Hephaestus. As the god of artisans and blacksmiths, Hephaestus is often depicted with fire, a hammer, and an anvil or tongs. Abolish has, at most, the color scheme down. I don't trust that sword in combat. D+.
These designs, save for the few that got passing grades, barely do anything to actually depict their gods and goddesses in an iconographic, easy-to-parse way. Like. Man, c'mon. Anyway yeah that's what I got. Tumblr went down twice while I was writing this. Okay bye.
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