myth

Much of the Final Fantasy series has its roots in mythology and folklore of cultures the world round. Final Fantasy VI carries on this trend in the names of its characters, items and locales, story and themes. Some nods to myth are obvious, while others are merely hinted at or hidden completely. This article examines the mythological elements connected to Terra and attempts to explain their impact and importance on her character.

parts

• pandora's box • representing hope
• madonna • an unearthly child

The Greek myth of Pandora is an old one, one that has been referenced by various story-tellers, but perhaps most famously by the poet Hesiod (700BC). All incarnations of the story involve Pandora, the first woman, and a box which she opens out of curiosity, unleashing all of the evils on the world. Only hope is left behind in the box.

Pandora's box is referenced in Final Fantasy VI in a speech Banon, leader of the Returners, gives to Terra. Banon suggests that Terra is the hope left over in the box after the evils have been released.

Banon: You are this world's last ray of light...our final hope.

A metaphor can be drawn between Terra and her role in the story, and the story of Pandora's box. As Banon states, Terra represents hope. In the tale of Pandora's box, hope is thought to come between humans and the evils released from the box: hatred, greed, sickness, jealousy. The Empire can be represented by these evils: their greed and jealousy leads them to hate the espers and desire their power, finally making them so ill with the want of it, which provokes them to do terrible things in order to achieve that power. Terra, as hope, has the ability to come between the two forces and make right what is wrong.

Some further connections can be drawn between the two stories. Although Terra was surmisedly not the one to open Pandora's box -- that title would more appropriately belong to either Gestahl or Kefka, as well as the humans who started the War of the Magi one thousand years prior -- she could perhaps be linked to Pandora herself. Pandora is described as the first woman; Terra is the first woman (and first person) who is neither human nor esper, but a combination of both. Pandora literally translates as "all-gifted", which applies to Terra in that she has the natural gift of magic, the ultimate goal of certain humans.

Another alternative take on the meaning of hope in the original Pandora tale could also lend itself to Terra's story. Some scholars argue that hope was not a positive thing, and represented the ever-existing human desire for something better. If Terra represents this kind of hope, she could effectively be the realisation of the ultimate vision of humanity: a human with magical powers. As seen in the story, Terra's very existence provokes those infected by the evils, and also those seemingly not: Banon and crew desire her just as much as the Empire does, albeit for different reasons.

In the original Japanese incarnation of Final Fantasy VI, Terra's mother's name wasn't Madeline, but Madonna. Those versed with the Roman Catholic version of the Biblical stories will recognise this name as the moniker for Mary, mother of Jesus of Nazareth. Mary was a virgin who, by a miracle, gave birth to Jesus, often depicted as the son or human incarnation of the Christian God.

In either depiction of the child Jesus, it's possible to describe him as a child of two worlds: the human and the heavenly. Terra's story parallels this with her being of both the esper and human worlds. The common connection here is the birth of a child from a human woman, named Madonna in both cases. The Christian God can be comparable to the espers, who both are separated from humanity physically by distance and through their special powers.

The important aspect of virginity in the Christian story could act as a metaphor in Terra's creation. In the original story, Mary was a true virgin, conceiving Jesus by God's will alone. Although Terra was conceived by traditional means, her birth could be considered virginal in the sense that she was the first child of human and esper origin.

Beyond the first implications of Terra's mother being named Madonna, Terra herself could be compared to the Virgin Mary's son, Jesus. By their birthright, both were expected to be saviors, fighting with the oppressed against the oppressors. Both were strong symbols of hope; it should be noted, however, that Terra represented not only the hope of those oppressed, but also the oppressors, who wanted her for her power.

The ends of both Jesus' and Terra's stories carry similarities as well. Where Jesus gives his life to lift the sins from his people and make a stand against the oppressors, Terra risks her life to save her friends and allies even as magic is leaving the world, and her very existence is threatened. In a twist that parallels Jesus' second coming, Terra's esper self "dies" along with the magic of the world, and she returns to start her second life as a human.

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