Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Villain Notes
Sailor Anima Mates
Either from anima or animal. "The anima is a personification of all feminine psychological tendencies in a man's psyche, such as vague feelings and moods, prophetic hunches, receptiveness to the irrational, capacity for personal love, feeling for nature, and his relation to the unconscious" (Jung, 186). She may be represented in the priestess, goddess, princess, or as a witch.
Sailor Chuu/Sailor Iron Mouse
Sailor Chuu was taken over by Sailor Iron Mouse. Chuu chuu is the sound a mouse makes (onomatopeia). Sailor Iron Mouse's human name is Nezu Chuuko. Nezumi-mouse.
Sailor Coronis/Sailor Lead Crow
Coronis was taken over by Sailor Lead Crow. In mythology, Coronis was a princess changed into a crow by Athene so she could escape from Poseidon, who chased and sought to ravage her before she cried out for a divinity to help her. Lead Crow's human name is Karasuma Akane. Karasu-crow, aka-red. The Tengu (mountain spirit) has a bird's wings and head, is humanlike, and has a red face. The Tengu (minor divinities) were said to haunt woodlands and mountains, not really malicious they were more like tricksters. Except for the head, the description fits Lead Crow.
Sailor Galaxia
Galaxia is Spanish for galaxy. Her image jewelry is Alexandrite, and her image color is gold.
Sailor Heavymetal Papillon
Papillon is butterfly in French. She is called the Soul Hunter, and the remnants of dead stars are represented by the butterflies. In the mythology of Japan, butterflies carry the souls of those who have died, sometimes they may be the souls of the living.
Sailor Lethe and Mnemosyne
Lethe (the river of oblivion) is located at the edge of the Elysian fields, causing those who drank from it to forget their past. The souls around this river included not only departed, but also those not yet born. Those who would be reincarnated forget their woes by drinking from this river. Plato said, "They were all required to drink a measure of the water, and those who were not saved by their good sense, drank more than the measure, and each one as he drank forgot all things."
Mnemosyne was the goddess of memory. She was also the mother of the Nine Muses in mythology. Usually mother and daughters are worshipped together. She gave humans the power of memory, and owns all tales (even though none were written about her).
In the manga, Sailor Lethe is the guardian of the River of Oblivion, she also acts as the ferryman. It was after crossing Lethe's river that everyone began to forget their mission to stop Galaxia. Sailor Mnemosyne guards the River of Memory, and it is through her that the senshi are returned their memories from Lethe.
Lethe's attack is Galactica Myosotis Alpestris.
Sailor Mau/Sailor Tin Nyanko
Mau was taken over by Sailor Tin Nyanko. Mau was an alternate name for the cat-headed goddess Bast in Egypt, and meant "mew". Her human name is Suzu Nyanko. Suzu-bell, nyan-sound a cat makes. The association with the bell comes from the image of the Japanese Beckoning Cat. These figures are found in restaurants and shops, and are believed to bring good fortune. Many figures or statues of the Beckoning Cat are seen with a collar and bell like the one Nyanko wears.
Sailor Mermaid/Sailor Aluminum Seiren
Sailor Mermaid was taken over by Sailor Aluminum Siren. In mythology, the mermaid was half maiden and half fish. Usually has a positive connotation, think of Anderson's Little Mermaid. In Japanese folklore the mermaid was called the ningyo. She protected against misfortune on sea and land. There is also an old legend that says if one eats the ningyo's flesh, they will gain long life. Seiren is Greek for siren. Sirens were known to lead seamen to their death through their beautiful voice. Aluminum Siren's human name is Aya Reiko. Aya-beautiful colors (from Ian Miller), rei-spirit or beautiful.
Sailor Phi & Chi
The Star Gardeners. Phi is the Greek for the digraph ph in English. From Ian Miller, Chi, the Greek letter, looks like the Roman letter "X," but it represents the "ch" or "kh" sounds. Phi's attack Galactica Plants Blizzard goes back to the garden motif, and it is the Star Gardeners who take Kakyuu's life (remember Kakyuu has much flower imagery involved with her, so fitting that her battle is with them).
Jadeite and Nephrite
These minerals are considered the true jades. Objects made from these minerals were once said to be symbols of protection or immortality, also of heavenly powers. The use of Jedeite goes back to 5000 B.C.E. There are cultures that believed jade was the heart in the afterlife. They were once used to make weapons of war. Important in ancient China.
Kunzite
Named after the man who discovered it, George F. Kunz. This stone is sensitive to sunlight and can be damaged if overexposed, thus earning it the nickname of "evening stone." It can be phospherescent.
Queen Beryl
The stone's name comes from the Greek word berylos, which means has been lost.
Queen Metallia
From Finnish metalli, meaning metal (from Ian Miller).
Shitennou
Four Heavenly Kings. From Japanese Buddhism. They protect the Buddhist realm, in particular, the god Taishakuten. All four have the appearance of warriors, weapon in hand. The guardian of the East, Jikokuten, usually is pictured with sword in right hand. The guardian of the West, Komokuten, has a scrolled paper in his left, and writing brush in his right hand. The guardian of the South, Zojoten, usually holds a halberd. The guardian of the North, Bishamonten, is the most powerful of the four. Vaishravana is the Sanskrit name for Bishamonten. Bishamon was a god of war, and protector against demons. In Sailor Moon, Jadeite, Kunzite, Nephrite, and Zoisite are known as the Shitennou.
Zoisite
It is an ornamental stone.
Ail and Ann
The names Ail and Ann together are a pun on alien. Their human last name Ginga can translate to either Milky Way or galaxy.
Ayakashi Sisters
"The term is used to refer to a type of mask in Noh theatre. That mask represents a mysterious figure, or a phantom. The sisters Koan, Berthier, Calaveras, and Petz call themselves the Ayakashi no yon shimai. I suppose in this case, that Japanese phrase could be translated as either "the four sisters of the Ayakashi" or "the four sisters of phantasma."" (From Ian Miller)
Second source for the name also comes from Ian, ayakashi can mean "weird" as well, as in the weird sisters. The weird sisters was another name for the Three Fates or weird as in witches. So Ayakashi or Weird Sisters would be much like the naming Witches 5 we see in the next season.
Beruche
From berthierite, a metallic mineral, associated with quartz and stibnite.
Calaveras
Actually spelled Karaberasu, mineral calaverite (from Ian Miller). Calaverite is sought after because it has an ore of gold.
Cooan
Actually spelled koan from Japanese name of mineral kermesite, koanko (from Ian Miller).
Demando
From the Japanese from old Middle High German demand for diamond - from Ian Miller. Diamond is Greek for unconquerable. Diamonds were once given gender, the dark ones being considered male. They were a symbol of courage and when worn brought victory in battle. They were also supposed to protect from evil spirits. Continually, it's a symbol of the marriage union, and purity. It is the April birthstone, and the stone representing the season of winter (with the emerald, ruby, and sapphire representing the other seasons).
Demando's Third Eye
Mythical power that can give magical or psychic ability. It was also a symbol of mental vision or light.
Esmeraude
Emerald is Greek for greenstone. In French it is emeraude. The stone is dedicated to Venus, and symbolic of nature's reproductive forces. Early Christians saw it as a symbol of resurrection. In childbirth, it used to be tied to the thigh to ease labor. (Since the associations with this stone are feminine, it seems appropriate the female of the group was named from this stone). The emerald is the birthstone of May, and the stone of the season of spring.
Makaiju
Ma=evil/magic
Kai=world/land
Ju=tree
The tree can be the feminine, the sheltering of the Great Mother. Trees were once thought to be home to supernatural beings, and about which the cosmos is organized. In Japan, some trees are thought to be be living beings, and inhabited by spirits who can speak.
Petz
From petzite. The Japanese spelling is pettsu-ko (from Ian Miller). The mineral is named after W. Petz, a chemist.
Rubeus
The ruby's Latin name is rubeus, which means red color. The ruby has been associated with the powers of health, invulnerability, and the removal of evil thoughts. If it turned dark, disaster would follow. It is the zodiac birthstone of the Leo, and celestially with the Sun. It is the birthstone of July, and the stone for summer.
Safir
Sapphire comes from the Latin word sapphirus, which means blue. In French it is saphir. Once it was said to protect kings. It is the birthstone of September, and the stone of autumn.
Veneti and Aquatiki
Veneti comes from the Latin, venetus, sea-colored. Aquatici from the Latin aquaticus, of the color of water. (trans provided by Ian Miller)
Wise Man
Magus also means "wise man," and was one possible title of a male witch.
Cyprine & Ptilol
Cyprine & clinoptilolite (from Japanese sha-puchiroru-fusseki, thus her name puchiroru, and English ptilol - from Ian Miller). Cyprine is a blue to blue-green mineral. Clinoptilolite is a natural zeolite.
Eudial
From eudialyte. A pretty rare mineral, most of it is found in the Kola Peninsula, Russia.
Germatoid/Germat
physical carrier (from Ian Miller)
Kaolinite
The mineral is named after its locality, Kao-Ling, China.
Mimetto
From mimetite, which is usually yellow, orange, or brown.
Mistress 9
Possibly for the 9 planets. There is a Chinese folktale called The Dark Maiden from the Ninth Heaven. A third is that the number nine was also associated with the underworld in some Greek legends, and Mistress 9 does have dark qualities.
Pharoah 90
Pharoahs were the ancient Egyptian kings, who were believed to be both divine and human.
Tellu
From tellurium, which comes from the Latin word tellus, meaning earth. Tellus was also the name of the Roman goddess of the earth. Tellu's attack is the Mandragora Buster. The mandragora is a poisonous plant, but it was also the name for a demon derived from the nature spirit of the mandrake plant, it was supposed to scream when taken from the earth.
Viluy
From viluite.
Witches 5
The witch is a popular fairy tale and folk archetype. She appears as a woman with powers over the natural world or magic. While sometimes pictured as beneficial, such as in healing, she is also portrayed as one to be feared, as the one who places obstacles in the hero/heroine's path.
Amazon Trio/Amazones Quartetto
The stone amazonite usually is light green to blue-green. Fisheye is named after the fish-eye or moonstone, also known as the Water Opal. It's translucent, and the light reflected off it has been compared to moonlight. In the Orient, it was believed to be solidified rays from the Moon. Hawkeye is named after the mineral of the same name (a type of tigereye). Tigereye, named after the stone of the same, is a golden brown stone. It's said to help increase night vision.
The Amazons (or Greek, Amazones, breastless) were women warriors of Greek legend. They raised their daughters as warriors, but allowed no men amongst them. They earned the name "Amazones" or "breastless" from the custom of burning off their right breast to better use a bow. Artemis and Ares were their chief deities.
As a side note, there is a tale going back to the time of the Yellow Emperor dealing with a kingdom on the other side of a mirror. One day, those on the other side rose up against the human world, but the Yellow Emperor imprisoned them in the mirror. But, when the spell wears off the first to awaken is said to be the Fish, to battle again. In Yunnan, the Tiger is the animal said to emerge. (Tale recounted in Borges' book)
Quartetto is the Italian of Quartet, a group of four.
Nehelenia
Her name means Dark or Nether Moon, or it can also mean Leader or Steerswoman. Nehalennia was a goddess who protected sailors. She was at times associated with the Scandinavian goddess Hel, who ruled over the land of the dead. Their names mean the same. Depending on source consulted, Nehalennia's pantheon was Norse, Celt, and/or Roman.
Nehalennia had several monuments discovered near Domburg (Netherlands), a province of lower Germania, in 1647, and in 1776 in Deutz (Prussia). Also, in 1646 Holland, artifacts and altars were found dedicated to her. The Domburg temple was on the coastline and is submerged in present day. She was shown with a dog, and a basket of fruit. Both fertility and prosperity were expected of her. Like Neptune, Nehalennia was invoked to give thanks for a safe crossing or to request one. She was also a Germanic goddess of the dead, as well as fertility.
"In Roman times, the goddesses Isis and Nehalenia are portrayed with the ship, or with one leg in a ship. Greek Dionysos, brimming with the vital forces of blossoming vegetation, appears from the sea on a boat in February and with him come also the souls of the dead. The water is clearly a link between this world and the netherworld. The dead are 'those below' or 'those beneath the bosom of the Queen of the underworld,'" (Gimbutas, 249).
Her role as goddess of the dead or underworld is clearly seen as the queen of the Dead Moon Circus. Also, as Ian Miller pointed out, in the manga Takeuchi associates Nehelenia with ships, another mythological connection.
Naoko gave many connections to Nehelenia and the New Moon. First, she lives in the world inside the New Moon, and her ornaments are made of three crescents, one yellow. The crescent is the symbol for the New Moon, it marks the change from the Dark Moon. Also, yellow is the color of the crescent moon, hence the single yellow crescent in the lady's ornaments.
Next, we have the association of the New Moon and mirrors. Naoko says in the manga there is a legend concerning a pitch-black world on the other side of mirrors during a New Moon. There is a superstition that exists that says one should not look into a mirror during a New Moon. Nehelenia's hair ornament is made of glass with a black mirror in the center. (Also, her minions wear this same symbol on their forehead).
Finally, a last association with Nehelenia is in the goddess triad. The crone's color is black, and the color black is used in many places in her character design. Also, at the end of the SS arc in the anime, Nehelenia is discovered to have the true form of Zirconia's appearance after her mirror is shattered. This can be seen as another reference to the crone aspect. For how she fits into the triad, see the page on the Triple Goddess.
There is also an asteroid named Nehalennia.
From Aisha, a comparison to Countess Erzsebet Bathory of the 1600's:
Neherenia is the most beautiful in Sailor Moon with the most beautiful hair and beautiful white skin. The Countess was known for her lustrous black hair and pale skin. Neherenia was a queen and her people loved and respected her; the Countess was of royal blood and had good comunication with the people. Neherenia was a witch, she had a magical mirror and had spells, the countess practiced witchcraft. Neherenia collected BEAUTIFUL dreams from young people to stay young and never grow old, and when their dreams are stolen, they become "dead"; the Countess killed only the BEAUTIFUL women and bathed in their blood because she thought it would give her eternal beauty and youth. Neherenia bewitched her servants(lemures) to hurt her enemies; the Countess was believed to have bewitched her animals(mostly cats..the priest who went in her castle was startled by 6 cats) to hurt her enemies. I dont know if this is significant or not, but Neherenia's servants(trio) usually caught their victims by chains making them very vulnerable and are left on the ground after the dream is stolen; in the Countess's castle they discovered prison cells full of women and children, most of whom bore the scars of repeated bleedings, and most of them chained to a wall. She released them after getting all of their blood on the ground to die. Neherenia is easily angered; The countess always threw an uncontrollable rage. Neherenia, was introduced to evil by Zirconia, her servant; The Countess's nurse introduced Neherenia to witchcraft. Neherenia wanted and enjoyed power; The Countess enjoyed power and practiced it by killing lesser beings. Neherenia is vain, she spent most of her time admiring her beauty through the mirror and believed she was the most beautiful; The Countess was pretty vain and changed her clothing 5-6 times a day and spent hours gazing at her legendary beauty in mirrors. Neherenia looks or is a vampire, she has fangs and the large elf ears; the Countess was rumoured to be a vampire. Neherenia got found out by Queen Serenity for what she had done to her people and Serenity had her sealed her away in the dark side of the moon; the Countess was punished (by a relative) by making her stay in solitude and locked away in a small set of rooms in a castle.
Xenotime
A phosphate.
Zeolite
Name of a mineral group.
Zircon and Zirconia
The cubic zirconia is a man-made simulation of a diamond. Zircon is natural, and is the birthstone of December. It comes from the Arabic word zargun, which means gold color.
Bonnoun
Her name comes from the Japanese word bonnou meaning passion (from Alex Glover's translation). The enemy from Ami-Chan No Hatsukoi.
Cardians
Cards can represent either luck or fate, "the hand that fate dealt me." Ail and Ann send their monsters out from cards.
Daimon
In Greek mythology, they were evil spirits of the dead or minor gods. After time, the name came to be used for an evil spirit. The daimon of regeneration is also the name given to the attendant to the goddess. At the same time, a daimon might also be an individual's personal guardian spirit.
Droid
The monster of the day from the second season.
Genius Loci
"A tutelary deity of a place" according to Phrase and Fable. The Latin genius was a type of guardian spirit; in earlier Latin it was called lemures. These were the monsters in the Exam Battles in the manga, and from Chibi Usa's Picture Diary, the story with the genius loci Otakura (otaku-geek, kura-storehouse: Glover's translation).
Ghost Sistern
Monster from the third Exam Battle.
Lemures
Lemures is Latin for ghosts or phantoms. They were similar to the Larvae.
Lyrica
Vampire from the SuperS Special.
Phage
A virus that destroys different bacteria.
Touhiichan
Monster from first Exam Battle. From Alex Glover's notes, the name is formed from the word touhi meaning escape.
Youma
Japanese for ghost or apparition. These are the first season monsters.
Jung, Carl G. Man and His Symbols. New York: Dell Publishing, 1964.
