Hello my fellow believers!
Can I talk to you about the Grandmaster?!
It started very small just for me. It exploded and now we are here. Didn’t want to make zkk stuff out of it, but everything leads to this path… feel free to ignore the shameless zorowank, or to correct me. I studied this kind of stuff, but most is just copyandpaste and very shallow to keep it short. It gets more complicated if you go deeper into it. This is just the biggest part, maybe I do the green dragonslayermythstuff later.
Get your smartpants on!
ZORO: Comparative mythology, Symbolism of Death and the holy Sacrifice
Comparative mythology is the comparison of myths from different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes and characteristics. For example, scholars have used the relationships between different myths to trace the development of religions and cultures, to propose common origins for myths from different cultures and/or to support various psychological theories. If you look at the pantheon of gods and how they were perceived, you will see how they change, how two gods became one, one became two, changed the name, were assigned more or less power due to their believers. They not just have things in common; they grew through each other out of each other. The theories about the 5 act structure of Kabuki Theater follow a similar idea.
For every Example underneath there are scientific theories of why and when those different deities were part of the same complex.
Deities or holy heroes (like Herakles or Gilgameash) who share this characteristics control the realms of Storm, Water, Death, War and Blacksmithing.
For example: Odin (+Thor), Shiva (+Indra,Ragu), Yahweh (+Jesus), Zeus (+Orion, Herakles), Tsukuyomi (+Susanoo, Amatsumara)
I will call the summary of those attributes, “the Prototype of the holy Warrior”
A shared or combined tradition of the warrior-icon includes these points:
Sure every hero in every story shares these points in a way or another, because this structure is just part of every good hero story. BUT Zoro is special, because he is the direct representation of those points like no other in One Piece.
Zoro follows the way of the three-swords for his “name to reach the heavens”. A clearly spiritual ambition, under a buddhistic theme, that’s in the context of death. He is not just experiencing (the threat of) death, he is searching it. For becoming WSS he has to create a black blade. Him getting lost (but coming out where he needs to be) is an iconic running gag. His lost eye is just iconic and now part of Wano’s Swordsmanship.
Zoros Way
What is Buddhism? 1. All existence is suffering. 2. The cause of suffering is craving. 3. The cessation of suffering comes with the cessation of craving. 4. There is a path that leads from suffering. Buddha found it and called it amongst others the ‘Threefold Path’. It is the middle way, where you realize that everything depends on each other and that ‘Nothing’ truly exists. Bushido („the way of the warrior") is a possible practice of this path, like meditation or the ritual form of pouring tee, but through the facing of death. The aim is to become one with nothing through the facing of death: To be like a koi carp, waiting totally calm for the fisherman and to bite dutifully.
The existence/might of gods is accepted, but never should one depend on them. Even if they make you happy, it only increases your craving and gets you of your path. It’s ironic that those on their swordsmanspath, always gets lost (Zoro), wandering alone and without aim (Mihawk) or is not allowed to rest (Fujitora).
https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/threefold-way
https://pondinformer.com/koi-mythology/
The symbolism of Death (or the journey the Otherworld) in psychology and culture is not one of total destruction or ending, but always a representation of transformation and rebirth. Further it is part of a theme I call the mythical/holy sacrifice. Were through death, pain, mutilation power/wisdom is gained.
Here are symbolic represantations of the icons “Death” and its expansion “The Hanged Man”:
Death in Tarot: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=tarot+death
The hanged Man in Tarot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hanged_Man_(Tarot_card)
Oda going out his way and depicting Death like he never did before is big! Remember Kanjouros Dragon and how weird the scene was? If oda does shit like that its important! Sure a stupid gag will be incorporated and in the end someone like Brook or Killer will stand in front of Zoro and he will ask himself if he hallucinated, but he will have his travel to the otherworld and he will rise again like the true Stormgod King of Hell Jesus he is! It will be a transformative moment for him.
How was Zoro first introduced in the story? Hanging on a cross. And in Wano? He was about to commit Seppuku, wasnt he?
How often was he near death in Wano? Three times? First time at a bridge that was guarded by a doglike creature. A myth as old as words. He was healed by ”the princes” of wano. Second time he was carried on a cross. Now the third and final time he meets Death in person.
Not only is Death a symbol for Zoro, but the theme of sacrifice is! He is the only Nakama so far being ready to throw his dream away (Luffy will do it too imo). To take the pain, like nothing happened. Being ready to cut his own arm of. Zoro, King of Hell, master of (not)magical weapons that only he can wield. Likes to hang from things, on things, in things. Allways ready to sacrifice EVERYTHING as long as it connects heaven and earth and there is booz. I believe that Wanos ancient tradition of sacrificing an eye is a way of spiritual awakening, that’s also a (swordsmanonly) powerup. Something like hearing the Voice of all things, but with seeing instead. It will help to find your own “Way of the sword”, evolve the ability of understanding your sword (a tool just for death), cutting Nothing (Shiryou!) and most important creating a black blade! Freak-of-nature Mihawk is just build different and awakened as small child. Fujitora overdid it for spiritual reasons and the three-eye-tribe are born naturally with something equal. What Death will bring to Zoro, i dont know, but i think it will connect the missing eye and the black blad.
Why? Here you go...
Again ignore the dragonslayerstuff if you arnt ready yet
Odin has many names and is the god of both heaven and death. Half of the warriors who die in battle are taken to his hall of Valhalla. He is the wandering All-Father, who sacrificed his eye in order to gain true knowledge over the world. He threw it into Mimir’s Well amongst the three roots of the world-tree Yggdrasil. Later he hanged himself onto the tree and wounded himself with a spear, while he looked into dark water. He hanged for nine days to again gain power. The sun and the moon are described as Odins Eyes, where the Moon eye is the one thrown into the well (water = mystic world = moon). Thor his son is the wielder of the mystical weapon who slays a dragon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin#Origin,_theories,_and_reception
Yahweh was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach likely to the Late Bronze Age. In the oldest biblical literature, he is a storm-and-warrior deity who leads the heavenly army against Israel's enemies.
His christian evolution and only existing deity sacrificed his son Jesus (or as part of the holy Trinity himself) on the cross, to protect humanities possibility to enter heaven. After three days he came back from the dead. Transformed into SuperJesus. With wine (Soma) for blood. Ready to fight in the Great Dragon in the Apocalypse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh
Shiva ('The Auspicious One' ) is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. Lord Shiva is said to be the deity of death and time. Shiva as we know him today shares many features with the vedic gods Indra and Rudra, and both Shiva and Rudra are viewed as the same personality in Hindu scriptures with fearsome powers of the roaring storm. Indra, "slayer of obstacles", is the king Heaven and the gods. He is associated with lightning, thunder, storms, rains, river flows and war. He was associated more than any other deity with Soma, a stimulant holy drug. Indra's weapon, which he used to kill the evil Vritra, is the Vajra or thunderbolt. Shiva bears on his head the crescent moon, may be due to the identification of the moon with Soma. Shiva typically carries a trident called Trishula. The trident is a weapon or a symbol in different Hindu texts, representing Shiva's three aspects of "creator, preserver and destroyer". He is not only the god of death, but also the god of renewal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#Iconographic_forms
Tsukuyomi is considered to be the god of the moon who rules the night. Some consider that Tsukuyomi and Susanoo the dragons layer and weather god are identical, because their ruling areas and episodes are somewhat the same. He is oncle of Amatsumara / Amenomahitotsu no Kami a Shinto god of iron manufacture and blacksmiths who appears in Japanese mythology.
"Amatsu" refers to the Amatsukami (gods of heaven). The 'mara'/'mahitotsu' part of his name means 'one eye,' and it is said this was derived from the fact that blacksmiths closed one eye to judge the temperature of iron from its color, or another story that blacksmiths had an industrial disease which made one eye blind. Another theory states that 'mara' is a Mongolian word that means iron.
https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/Shinto/Tsukuyomi.html
https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/Shinto/Susano.html
https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/Shinto/Amatsumara.html
https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/Shinto/Amenomahitotsu no Kami.html
In Greek mythology, Zeus a weathergod killed a dragon. Orion was a giant huntsman who was placed among the stars. As punishment (for loving or raping the goddess of dawn) he was blinded. Later he was healed by a smith god by showing him the rising sun.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(Mythologie)
Perkwunos ('the Striker' or 'the Lord of Oaks') is the reconstructed name of the weather god in this Proto-Indo-European mythology. The deity was connected with fructifying rains, and his name probably invoked in times of drought. The name of his weapon, *meld-n-, which denoted both 'lightning' and 'hammer', can be reconstructed from the attested traditions. There is also an indoeuropean myth of a dragonslayer, who was bound to a tree that connected earth to the spiritual realm. He sacrificed himself to protect this connection. On winter solstice soma should be consumed, for humans to connect to the otherworld.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_mythology
The (christian) Eye of Providence (or the all-seeing eye of God) is a symbol that depicts an eye, meant to represent divine providence, often enclosed in a triangle, representing the holy Trinity. The third eye, a mystical and esoteric concept in different religions refers to the gate that leads to the inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. It symbolizes a state of enlightenment, religious visions, clairvoyance, the ability to observe chakras and auras, precognition, and out-of-body experiences. It is the sixth primary chakra in the body according to Hindu tradition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Providence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_eye
Zoro Frostmoon, King of Hell, Swordgod, Onihunter, sacrificed his eye to see the dawn. Sacrifices himself and his dream, because its part of it.
Maybe its all just coincidence, don’t think so. Oda choose to give Zoro exactly these qualities. He is someone special to Oda. He is the moon, luffys is the sun! Maybe Zoro wont kill Kaido. But to say it cant happen is at least as crazy as I am! At this point it is at least a redherring. But….
I WANT TO BELIEVE!
May the grandmaster lead your way!
Can I talk to you about the Grandmaster?!
It started very small just for me. It exploded and now we are here. Didn’t want to make zkk stuff out of it, but everything leads to this path… feel free to ignore the shameless zorowank, or to correct me. I studied this kind of stuff, but most is just copyandpaste and very shallow to keep it short. It gets more complicated if you go deeper into it. This is just the biggest part, maybe I do the green dragonslayermythstuff later.
Get your smartpants on!
ZORO: Comparative mythology, Symbolism of Death and the holy Sacrifice
Comparative mythology is the comparison of myths from different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes and characteristics. For example, scholars have used the relationships between different myths to trace the development of religions and cultures, to propose common origins for myths from different cultures and/or to support various psychological theories. If you look at the pantheon of gods and how they were perceived, you will see how they change, how two gods became one, one became two, changed the name, were assigned more or less power due to their believers. They not just have things in common; they grew through each other out of each other. The theories about the 5 act structure of Kabuki Theater follow a similar idea.
For every Example underneath there are scientific theories of why and when those different deities were part of the same complex.
Deities or holy heroes (like Herakles or Gilgameash) who share this characteristics control the realms of Storm, Water, Death, War and Blacksmithing.
For example: Odin (+Thor), Shiva (+Indra,Ragu), Yahweh (+Jesus), Zeus (+Orion, Herakles), Tsukuyomi (+Susanoo, Amatsumara)
I will call the summary of those attributes, “the Prototype of the holy Warrior”
A shared or combined tradition of the warrior-icon includes these points:
- A quest, theme of wandering
- A holy weapon only the warrior can wield
- Sacrifices like Mutation or Pain for Wisdom/Power, particularly: Losing an eye and gaining spiritual sight, Hanging on a holy tree/ gallow, A voyage to otherworld / a meeting with Death
- Destroying the old order and creating a new one / replacing the old evil king
- Protecting / Rescuing the holy order, particularly: Bringing back the stolen princess/the Dawn/the rain by killing a dragon
Sure every hero in every story shares these points in a way or another, because this structure is just part of every good hero story. BUT Zoro is special, because he is the direct representation of those points like no other in One Piece.
Zoro follows the way of the three-swords for his “name to reach the heavens”. A clearly spiritual ambition, under a buddhistic theme, that’s in the context of death. He is not just experiencing (the threat of) death, he is searching it. For becoming WSS he has to create a black blade. Him getting lost (but coming out where he needs to be) is an iconic running gag. His lost eye is just iconic and now part of Wano’s Swordsmanship.
Zoros Way
What is Buddhism? 1. All existence is suffering. 2. The cause of suffering is craving. 3. The cessation of suffering comes with the cessation of craving. 4. There is a path that leads from suffering. Buddha found it and called it amongst others the ‘Threefold Path’. It is the middle way, where you realize that everything depends on each other and that ‘Nothing’ truly exists. Bushido („the way of the warrior") is a possible practice of this path, like meditation or the ritual form of pouring tee, but through the facing of death. The aim is to become one with nothing through the facing of death: To be like a koi carp, waiting totally calm for the fisherman and to bite dutifully.
The existence/might of gods is accepted, but never should one depend on them. Even if they make you happy, it only increases your craving and gets you of your path. It’s ironic that those on their swordsmanspath, always gets lost (Zoro), wandering alone and without aim (Mihawk) or is not allowed to rest (Fujitora).
https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/threefold-way
https://pondinformer.com/koi-mythology/
The symbolism of Death (or the journey the Otherworld) in psychology and culture is not one of total destruction or ending, but always a representation of transformation and rebirth. Further it is part of a theme I call the mythical/holy sacrifice. Were through death, pain, mutilation power/wisdom is gained.
Here are symbolic represantations of the icons “Death” and its expansion “The Hanged Man”:
Death in Tarot: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=tarot+death
The hanged Man in Tarot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hanged_Man_(Tarot_card)
Oda going out his way and depicting Death like he never did before is big! Remember Kanjouros Dragon and how weird the scene was? If oda does shit like that its important! Sure a stupid gag will be incorporated and in the end someone like Brook or Killer will stand in front of Zoro and he will ask himself if he hallucinated, but he will have his travel to the otherworld and he will rise again like the true Stormgod King of Hell Jesus he is! It will be a transformative moment for him.
How was Zoro first introduced in the story? Hanging on a cross. And in Wano? He was about to commit Seppuku, wasnt he?
How often was he near death in Wano? Three times? First time at a bridge that was guarded by a doglike creature. A myth as old as words. He was healed by ”the princes” of wano. Second time he was carried on a cross. Now the third and final time he meets Death in person.
Not only is Death a symbol for Zoro, but the theme of sacrifice is! He is the only Nakama so far being ready to throw his dream away (Luffy will do it too imo). To take the pain, like nothing happened. Being ready to cut his own arm of. Zoro, King of Hell, master of (not)magical weapons that only he can wield. Likes to hang from things, on things, in things. Allways ready to sacrifice EVERYTHING as long as it connects heaven and earth and there is booz. I believe that Wanos ancient tradition of sacrificing an eye is a way of spiritual awakening, that’s also a (swordsmanonly) powerup. Something like hearing the Voice of all things, but with seeing instead. It will help to find your own “Way of the sword”, evolve the ability of understanding your sword (a tool just for death), cutting Nothing (Shiryou!) and most important creating a black blade! Freak-of-nature Mihawk is just build different and awakened as small child. Fujitora overdid it for spiritual reasons and the three-eye-tribe are born naturally with something equal. What Death will bring to Zoro, i dont know, but i think it will connect the missing eye and the black blad.
Why? Here you go...
Again ignore the dragonslayerstuff if you arnt ready yet
Odin has many names and is the god of both heaven and death. Half of the warriors who die in battle are taken to his hall of Valhalla. He is the wandering All-Father, who sacrificed his eye in order to gain true knowledge over the world. He threw it into Mimir’s Well amongst the three roots of the world-tree Yggdrasil. Later he hanged himself onto the tree and wounded himself with a spear, while he looked into dark water. He hanged for nine days to again gain power. The sun and the moon are described as Odins Eyes, where the Moon eye is the one thrown into the well (water = mystic world = moon). Thor his son is the wielder of the mystical weapon who slays a dragon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin#Origin,_theories,_and_reception
Yahweh was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach likely to the Late Bronze Age. In the oldest biblical literature, he is a storm-and-warrior deity who leads the heavenly army against Israel's enemies.
His christian evolution and only existing deity sacrificed his son Jesus (or as part of the holy Trinity himself) on the cross, to protect humanities possibility to enter heaven. After three days he came back from the dead. Transformed into SuperJesus. With wine (Soma) for blood. Ready to fight in the Great Dragon in the Apocalypse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh
Shiva ('The Auspicious One' ) is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. Lord Shiva is said to be the deity of death and time. Shiva as we know him today shares many features with the vedic gods Indra and Rudra, and both Shiva and Rudra are viewed as the same personality in Hindu scriptures with fearsome powers of the roaring storm. Indra, "slayer of obstacles", is the king Heaven and the gods. He is associated with lightning, thunder, storms, rains, river flows and war. He was associated more than any other deity with Soma, a stimulant holy drug. Indra's weapon, which he used to kill the evil Vritra, is the Vajra or thunderbolt. Shiva bears on his head the crescent moon, may be due to the identification of the moon with Soma. Shiva typically carries a trident called Trishula. The trident is a weapon or a symbol in different Hindu texts, representing Shiva's three aspects of "creator, preserver and destroyer". He is not only the god of death, but also the god of renewal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva#Iconographic_forms
Tsukuyomi is considered to be the god of the moon who rules the night. Some consider that Tsukuyomi and Susanoo the dragons layer and weather god are identical, because their ruling areas and episodes are somewhat the same. He is oncle of Amatsumara / Amenomahitotsu no Kami a Shinto god of iron manufacture and blacksmiths who appears in Japanese mythology.
"Amatsu" refers to the Amatsukami (gods of heaven). The 'mara'/'mahitotsu' part of his name means 'one eye,' and it is said this was derived from the fact that blacksmiths closed one eye to judge the temperature of iron from its color, or another story that blacksmiths had an industrial disease which made one eye blind. Another theory states that 'mara' is a Mongolian word that means iron.
https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/Shinto/Tsukuyomi.html
https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/Shinto/Susano.html
https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/Shinto/Amatsumara.html
https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/Shinto/Amenomahitotsu no Kami.html
In Greek mythology, Zeus a weathergod killed a dragon. Orion was a giant huntsman who was placed among the stars. As punishment (for loving or raping the goddess of dawn) he was blinded. Later he was healed by a smith god by showing him the rising sun.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(Mythologie)
Perkwunos ('the Striker' or 'the Lord of Oaks') is the reconstructed name of the weather god in this Proto-Indo-European mythology. The deity was connected with fructifying rains, and his name probably invoked in times of drought. The name of his weapon, *meld-n-, which denoted both 'lightning' and 'hammer', can be reconstructed from the attested traditions. There is also an indoeuropean myth of a dragonslayer, who was bound to a tree that connected earth to the spiritual realm. He sacrificed himself to protect this connection. On winter solstice soma should be consumed, for humans to connect to the otherworld.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_mythology
The (christian) Eye of Providence (or the all-seeing eye of God) is a symbol that depicts an eye, meant to represent divine providence, often enclosed in a triangle, representing the holy Trinity. The third eye, a mystical and esoteric concept in different religions refers to the gate that leads to the inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. It symbolizes a state of enlightenment, religious visions, clairvoyance, the ability to observe chakras and auras, precognition, and out-of-body experiences. It is the sixth primary chakra in the body according to Hindu tradition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Providence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_eye
Zoro Frostmoon, King of Hell, Swordgod, Onihunter, sacrificed his eye to see the dawn. Sacrifices himself and his dream, because its part of it.
Maybe its all just coincidence, don’t think so. Oda choose to give Zoro exactly these qualities. He is someone special to Oda. He is the moon, luffys is the sun! Maybe Zoro wont kill Kaido. But to say it cant happen is at least as crazy as I am! At this point it is at least a redherring. But….
I WANT TO BELIEVE!
May the grandmaster lead your way!
