United we Stand, Divided we Fall: Where Loyalties lie

The Archaic Period proceeded the Classical Period in 800-490 BC. From this age emerged a concept known as polis, politically independent cit-states and with it, citizenships. (Only free men were eligible for citizenships and they were highly competitive--"Greek cultural values depended on the spirit of male competition".) It gave rise to such terms like "Athenians" and "Spartans". Not only were men competitive amongst themselves, states were often locked in power struggles.

Even though the men's first loyalty is to their city, their second is to their country. Only when Greece was threatened as a whole did the states cooperate with one another. A prime example being the Persian invasion. Athens and Sparta had put aside their differences and demolished the Persian army that had previously conquered Mesopotamia, Egypt, Russia and Greek colonies along Asia Minor. The fact that the Persians were trained warriors whereas the Greek army was made of any able men who could afford armour made the victory that much more impressive. These men were driven by something far more destructive than the Persian's thirst for colonization; they were driven by loyalty and, from the recent establishment of democracy, freedom.

The canon does not say explicity, but the fact that Endymion is always shown to be in armour suggests that Earth was a planet in constant war; thus, the notion of civil war in fandom, perhaps. Against the threat of the Moon, people of Earth banded together motivated by what they thought was loyalty to their prince, their planet and freedom (recall how Kunzite believed that the Moon was always monitoring them when Endyion asked why they were fighting--volumn 2 repinted, act 10). It explains the shitennou's looks of terror when Endymion is struck down; they were not brainwashed (at least not in that lifetime), their emotions were manipulated. There isn't anything quite as noble and enpowering as freedom and choice.

Queen Serenity, however, says that Metaria "manipulated people using the darkness in the depths of their hearts" (volumn 2 repinted, act 10). I like to entertain the thought that because people chose to follow Endymion, appealing to their emotions makes them stronger than surpressing their thoughts and brainwashing them. Mindset and actions are then working together instead against each other. It's a more much romantic and powerful notion. (See the ending scene of "Braveheart" 1995)

Now the Moon isn't exactly the Persian army hoping to conquer Earth, but suppose Earth takes a smooth victory. If they follow the footsteps of the Ancient Greeks, truce between the individual regions are temporary. The warring nations will eventually lead to an event so grand from which they never recover. In the case of Greece, the 27 years Peloponnesian War was fought between its two greatest power centers: Athens and Sparta. Large scale atrocities resulted in widespread poverty and cultural devastation; it marked the end of the Classical Period.

The Undeserving: Gods

You can't talk about Greece and not mention the divine figures that dominated its culture and religion and dictated their way of life. Greek gods were anthropomorphic--they looked and acted like human beings complete with passion, lust, ambition, hate and all those other emotions associated with people. Similar to how the gods' domain of control sometimes overlapped with one another, Endymion's gifts dip into many gods.

• Beginning with Zeus, father of gods and mortal. Zeus is known equally for his thunderbolts as he is for his love affairs. While I can see Endymion having a few outrageous rendezvous with women before he met Serenity, Mamoru can be nothing but loyal. It's ironic then, at least to us (recall that women were immaterial in Greek society), that the sky god should preside over law and justice. But similarly, as the crowned prince, the responsibility is his to keep order in the world as a whole. Independant kingdoms may exist, and they will have their own laws, but he controls the empire of Earth.


• Apollo, though called sun god by Homer, has no real association with the star although he is patron to many things: prophecy/truth, archery, medicine/healing and disease, music, pasture, and horses, his associated animal (Pegasus, anyone?). Mamoru exhibits a talent in healing and prophecy through psychometry. It's interesting to note that not only is Mamoru connected to Earth, he is also mentioned to be protected by the sun; he gives off "the light of the sun."
  
  
  
  
  • Helius/Helios is also a sun god, brother to Selene. He is the god that pulls the sun across the sky in his chariot. In the Sailor Moon universe, Mamoru's guardian priest takes his name.
  
  
  
  


• Prometheus, commonly known as the fire bringer. According the poet Hesoid, gave and taught man everything they knew including brickmaking, woodworking, dates, numbers, writing, astronomy, animal husbandry, seafaring, medicine, prophecy... essentially civilization, and of course, fire. Now I'm not saying Endymion was responsible for any of that on Earth. The most well known story of this second generation titan was "Prometheus Bound". Prometheus is punished for stealing fire from the heavens for mankind. He is bound to a rock and subjected to the wrath of nature at a mountain where he never sees his beloved mortals. A giant eagle comes to feast at his liver everyday which regenerates every night because of his immortality. Despite this, he stands defiant and proud against anything Zeus throws at him. Endymion's stance with the moon and Mamoru's struggle against Beryl's brainwashing (in the anime) reflects this same sort of iron will and stubborness especially in the case with Mamoru. I don't suggest for a second that the Beryl-Mamoru-Usagi is the same as the Zeus-Prometheus-Mortal dynamics, but our heroes selfless; even though they suffer unjust consequences, they don't regret what they've done, and they are ready to bear the full responsibility. (Prometheus also has a touch of arrogance and confidence to help. I plan on elaborating that in separate article.)