Hero of Darkness
chapter-919

The traditional Epilogue chapter of the arc that all of you hate. Well, let's dive into the details and references that most of you missed in this arc. I promise to keep it short, kinda.

Character Names, their Meaning and Symbolism in the Beast Empire arc.

Atreus Bellator : Atreus is the Greek word for Fearless and Bellator is Roman for Warrior.

So Kahn's persona for this arc literally means Fearless Warrior which signifies his evolution as a Warrior and a War General after his intense training under Romulus, Vildred and Rathnaar.

However, even his battles in Elysium Tribal Tourney were just groundwork for what is to come. You will see how much this changes Kahn's characterization in the next arc.

Romulus Lykaios : Reference to the Legend of Romulus and Remus in Roman culture.

According to tradition, Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus in 753 BC. They were twin brothers, sons of a human mother and the roman god of war, Mars.

After their birth, the king ordered them killed. They were placed in a basket and put into the Tiber River - left to die from exposure in the outdoors. But their basket washed up on the river bank where a female wolf found them. The wolf nursed the hungry babies and cared for them.

Lykaios is a reference to Lycaon, the first ever Werewolf in greek mythology.

Maximus Gladius :

Maximus is Roman for Greatest and Gladius means Gladiator. So the name transitions to Greatest Gladiator, the type of character I wanted to introduce Maximus as Hero of Nature.

He is also a bit inspired from Maximus Decimus Meridius from the Gladiator movie.

Kaali Adisesha :

Reference to Kaali, the Goddess of ultimate Power and Destruction from Hindu mythology.

Adisesha is a reference to the cosmic serpent Adisesha who is associated with God Vishnu in Hindu religion. The empress is a descendant of Basilisk who is also a snake-like mythical monster so it was the best surname for her.

Even her character is showcased in the novel as someone who gets angered easily and is very wrathful when making decisions as the Empress.

Sobek Slytherin : Reference to the Egyptian God Sobek, also called the God of Crocodiles.

Slytherin is a reference to one of the House in Hogwarts which Dumbledore never gave any points to.

Dahaka of Black Panther tribe :

Reference to Dahaka, one of the main villains of the Prince of Persia games.

As for the Black Panther tribe… Yibambe!!

Gaja Ekdantay :

Gaja is Sanskrit for Elephant and Ekdantay is one of the names of lord Ganesha, the God of Prosperity, Wisdom and Intelligence in Hindu religion.

Hōō Basan : Hōō is a creature from Japanese folklore.

Hōō are beautiful, peaceful phoenix-like creatures that are honored across East Asia and worshiped as divine spirits.

Basan is also another bird-like creature from Japanese mythology. According to the folklore, it resembles a large chicken and breathes ghost-fire from its mouth. It is described as having a bright red cockscomb and spits an equally brilliant-hued fire. The fire is a cold fire, a glow, and it does not burn.

This character is from a descendant tribe of Godbeast Roc so these references seemed suitable for it.

Harambe Kong :

Honestly… Life ain't been the same since Harambe died.

Kong name is a reference to King Kong. Tell me a better name for this character if you've checked the reference art, I'll wait… *sips tea menacingly*

Conan Doykle :

Reference to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author and creator of Sherlock Homes.

*people who already understood the reference* : No shit, Sherlock!

Juno : One of the 4 disciples of Romulus, named after Juno, the Roman Goddess of Love & Marriage.

Ivaar Baneslav : Reference to viking king Ivaar the Boneless, also one of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok.

Mythical Creatures and Cultural Mythology in the Beast Empire Arc:

Kukulkan : The chief god in Aztec/Mayan culture is the feathered serpent god who was a creator god, and the god of rain, wind, storms, and life.

Kurama : Name of a Japanese Mountain.

And no, it's not a reference to the fox from, you know where. I was actually basing it on Gumiho (Nine-tailed Fox in Korean Mythology) or Kitsune (Japanese folklore demon), but Romulus is a Wolf and not a Fox so I settled on this name.

Kami No Tsukuyomi : Reference to Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the Japanese god of the moon, a proud deity of order and beauty.

The estranged husband of the sun goddess Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi spends eternity chasing her across the sky.

This ability when used by Romulus looked like a moon when I was writing and imagining it, hence I named it after Tsukuyomi.

Kami also means 'God' in Kanji, so Romulus' 2nd Form of Domain of Slaughter literally means God of Moon. You will see the full effects of it in later arcs. This was just foreshadowing for now.

Cherufe : It is the mythical creature Hero of Nature fights in his introduction chapters.

The Cherufe is a large man-eating mythical creature found in the Mapuche religion of the indigenous Mapuche people of south-central Chile.

The Cherufe is depicted as an evil humanoid creature made of rock crystals and magma. It is said that Cherufe inhabits the magma pools found deep within Chilean volcanoes and are the source of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Hodag : The mythical creature and descendant of Godbeast Behemoth that Atreus/Kahn and Dorian fought.

In American folklore, the hodag is a fearsome critter resembling a large bull-horned carnivore with a row of thick curved spines down its back. The hodag was said to be born from the ashes of cremated oxen, as the incarnation of the accumulation of abuse the animals had suffered at the hands of their masters.

Godbeast Baihu : Reference to White Tiger from Chinese mythology.

The White Tiger (Baihu), known in Chinese as Baihu, is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West (Xīfāng Baihu). It represents the West in terms of direction and the Autumn Season.

Heavenly Kings : Reference to 4 Heavenly Kings in Buddhism also called as Buddhist Gods or Devas… namely Komukuten, Jikokuten, Tamonten and Zachoten who respectively represent Light, Water, Earth/Metal and Fire.

The Four Heavenly Kings are the protectors of Dharma, which we can think of as the proper and good teachings passed down by enlightened people such as the Buddha.

Each king holds a different object, which symbolizes a different teaching. Their teachings explain how to have a good life and a prosperous society.

In the novel, Heavenly King of Light, Haldor rules West of Nadur Empire, Heavenly King of Water, Kaida governs East while Heavenly King of Metal, Jaro ruled North.

And lastly, the Heavenly King of Fire, Romulus Lykaios governed and protected the South.

All the Heavenly Kings in this arc are a counterpart of the mythological Heavenly Kings.

Locations in the Beast empire arc and their cultural and mythological references :

Aurelius city : Reference to Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, mostly famous for his wisdom on Meditation and Stoicism.

Tenochtitlan : Reference to Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, that was founded by the Aztec or Mexica people around 1325 C.E.

Tenochtitlan, also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, was a large Mexican altepetl in what is now the historic center of Mexico City.

Elysium : This is the southern part of the Nadur/Beast Empire ruled by Romulus as a Heavenly King.

Elysium, otherwise known as the Elysian Fields or Elysian Plains, is a conception of the afterlife in Greek mythology that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philosophical sects and cults.

It was initially separated from the Greek underworld – the realm of Hades. Only mortals related to the gods and other heroes could be admitted past the river Styx.

Later, the conception of who could enter was expanded to include those chosen by the gods, the righteous, and the heroic. They would remain at the Elysian Fields after death, to live a blessed and happy afterlife, and indulge in whatever enjoyment they had enjoyed in life.

In simple words for people who can't read, it is similar to Valhalla from Norse mythology without the whole bloody fights and war thing.

Kunlun : This is the place where Kahn was sent to suppress the revolution and lead the native military forces as their war general.

Kunlun Mountain is a very famous mountain in Chinese mythology. Legend has it that in ancient times this was the birthplace of Taoist Kunlun School.

Mount Kunlun is also known as Kunlun Xu, Immortal Mountain of China, the Forefather of Mountains, Kunlun Qiu or Yushan (Jade Mountain).

The Kunlun Mountains is a mountain chain of southern Central Asia and is eulogized as the "backbone" of Western China.

CrimsonWolfAuthor : Sorry for taking another break. I had some personal life issues that I cannot explain here and needed some time to sort out real-life stuff.

Also, the next arc storyboard and characterization were half-baked at that point so I needed time to perfect the storyline and many plots as well as characters that are to be introduced in the next arc.

Do think about supporting me on Patreon or I will have to open an OnlyFans due to poverty.

https://www. patreon. com/CrimsonWolfAuthor/posts

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The will be the beginning of the Conclave of Heroes arc.

See you soon.