#mashin

The origins of the Rune Gods are unknown except for the fact that they were created by Mokona as part of the world of Cephiro. Each Rune God was enshrined in a remote area of the world and laid in rest until they were awakened by the legendary Magic Knights.

The main forms of the Rune Gods are those of larger-than-life, fantastical beasts. Rayearth is a red wolf with a single horn and a mane made of fire; Windam is a green bird with two sets of wings; and Selece is a blue dragon that exhibits characteristics from Eastern and Western folklore. In battle, the Mashin appear as ancient mecha to be wielded by their Magic Knights. When not in use, the Mashin reside in a pocket dimension until they are called on.

When piloting the Mashin, the Magic Knights are able to use the Rune Gods’ bodies as their own. They share a powerful psychic connection to their Rune God and to each other, allowing them to communicate telepathically. However, when a Rune God takes damage in battle, that harm transfers to its pilot, appearing as physical strain or wounds. Additionally, if the Mashin sustains too much damage or if the pilot falls unconscious, the Rune God vanishes back to its dimension, leaving the knight exposed and defenseless. It is demonstrated that Rayearth, Selece, and Windom can merge into Combined Rayearth, a single entity whose power surpasses that of the individual Rune Gods.

After the events of Magic Rayearth II, with the abolishment of the Pillar System, Rayearth, Windam, and Selece join Mokona to travel to other universes. This could explain their appearances as kudan in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. When Syaoran and his companions arrive in the Hanshin Republic, they learn that a kudan is a kind of protector spirit or deity connected to a person that can used in battle. The kudan’s power will depend on the will and strength of the individual and their elemental properties are representative of the personality of their possessor.

As kudan, the Mashin join Syaoran, Kurogane, and Fay and appear to them as the Kudan of Fire, the Kudan of Water, and the Kudan of Wind respectively and in their bestial forms. In addition to their elemental attacks, Rayearth and Selece can be wielded by their masters like swords and Windam allows Fay to fly.

Associations

Each Rune God is associated with a different element—Rayearth is the Rune God of Fire, Windam is the Rune God of Wind, and Selece is the Rune God of Water—and each resided in a shrine linked to their element. Selece rested in an underwater shrine; Windam was perched on a floating crystal mountain; and Rayearth at the base of a volcano.

Selece was named after the Toyota Corolla Ceres, a restyle of the Sprinter Marino. Its symbol looks like this:

Windam was named for the Toyota Windam, a Japanese domestic market equivalent of the Lexus ES. The name ‘Windam’ is a portmanteau of the word ‘win’ and the suffix ‘-dom’ to invoke the feeling of perpetual victory. It could also be thought of a a mix of ‘wind’ and ‘wisdom’, a nod to Windam’s element and ancient knowledge. It’s symbol looks like this:

Rayearth is the only Rune God not originally named after a car but his name was changed to Lexus in the OVA series. It is a portmanteau of the words ‘ray’ and ‘earth’. In the manga, Hikaru Shidou told Guru Clef that Rayearth's name means “glowing land”. This is his symbol:

Magical Applications

Like in Magic Knight Rayearth, I can see magicians potentially using the Rune Gods in magical combat. If utilized in this way, I expect that one Rune God would make themselves known and available to the magician, based on their strengths and personality.

To be effective in combat, the Mashin respond to the strength of the wielder’s heart and resolve. If you find yourself wavering in your self-confidence and self-reliance, it would be best to work on those aspects of yourself before engaging with a Rune God or else they may refuse to work with you.

Alternatively, the Mashin can easily be used as stand-ins for ‘watchtowers’ for calling quarters. Traditionally, the archangels and other elemental entities are called upon in this manner so the nature of the Rune Gods seem to fit well into this formula.

I also see a great opportunity to enchant vehicles and tools with the Mashin to aid with the user’s confidence with various tasks.

Suggestions for Offerings or Devotional Acts

As I mentioned before, the only thing the Mashin respond to is the strength of one’s heart. To establish a bond with a Rune God, they will need you to demonstrate that you possess true courage. Once a connection to a Rune God is established, little is needed to ‘feed’ this bond as they were not venerated as such in their source material. However, I don’t see why they couldn’t request specific offerings depending on what you plan to use them for.