Spice and Wolf – Church Intervention
I actually watched this show because there is a season 2 for summer. This is not a review by the way.
The setting of the show is medieval age where the economic system is mercantilism so trading goods as well as gaining a lot of profit is really the most important for the nobles and even for the church so as to gain the power over a certain city or town.
If you watch Spice and Wolf, you can really see the power of the church involving the minds of the people. The very person that manifested this would be Chloe since she was the one who grasp the new era over the old one. Can you blame the person herself if she wants to break loose against the superstitious belief of the town? Nonetheless, she didn’t knew Horo’s existence which might have caused her to doubt due to the lack of physical reference since the only thing present about Horo would be tales about her which was passed through span of generations already.
One could say that Chloe just wanted to be practical about reality. Of course, sure profit comes first in contrast to Horo’s principle of having the land rest for future harvests (which the people call “whim”). Now, can you tell me what kind of farmer would stick to the older way when the new era of harvesting can produce sure results and improved ones? None… But Horo’s way of giving prosperity in harvesting was never wrong. It was actually the most normal thing to do. After all, even the most richest soil in the earth could experience drought if pushed to the limits.
Now why would the church want to persecute Horo? The answer lies in the minds of the people. If the church would be successful in establishing the belief that Horo is just a pagan god that doesn’t exist and never really helped in the harvest of the people, people will turn over their belief towards the new religion the church is offering. Accompanied by the swarm of new believers would be the increase in donations and other powerful nobles that support the church; thus, further enhancing the network the church controls.
Based from the anime, the church somehow became the lodgings for traveling merchants. The church was also responsible for irrational increase of the prices of gold just by engraving a seal of the church. Because of the church rapid spread of authority, they even had the privilege to avoid tax. They even dug sewer passages just to ensure underground dealings. So far so good eh? Are these the things people of the old era willing to give to the church in behalf of their sure profit from forsaking pagan gods? Sure sounds fair, for the deceived ones.
Behold, the follies and flaws of the church. We have forsaken the pagan belief of our ancestors yet we’ve gotten this. The premise of the new era where graft and corruption is prevalent. Where religion is no less than a mask for wrong doings. Just an allegory of our forgotten beliefs. Do you think that its worth that we got to exchange this belief over the old era? — (What I’m referring here is during the past)
Don’t make harsh judgment since I’m no anti-christ, atheist, agnostic, or whatever you want to call it. I just had this thinking — What could have been instead if something like church didn’t existed. What if people during the past just stayed worshipping deities like Horo? Would the people be much happier and contented? I mean living during those days was like living in the shadows of the church because of their influence. Based from the anime, people should give donations every now and then… One character from the anime(Nora) even took the peril of engaging her vengeance towards the church because of their bigotry even to their own kinsfolk.
When you talk about Medieval age, the first thing to enter your mind would be chivalry and all those cool knights clad in armor but others seem to forgot about the church during this period, which is nothing less than a corrupt institution.
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Who knows? Some polytheistic religions were using human offerings, some not. So some people would indeed live happier, because the church was everywhere in contrary to smaller (even evil) religions. The church burned away so many people like no other organisation.
I myself am polytheist, I believe in the Gods-of-Things, like Horo or all the gods of Terry Pratchett, because it seems natural for me, and, well, it makes more fun.
I liked Spice and Wolf so far (ep. 2), although Horo being nekkid half an episode is both enjoyable and embarrasing.
“When you talk about Medieval age, the first thing to enter your mind would be chivalry and all those cool knights clad in armor but others seem to forgot about the church during this period, which is nothing less than a corrupt institution.”
I would have to disagree on that. During the Decline of the Roman Empire (AD 476), the church was the sole institution that kept the Christians (and Romans, as a whole) from tearing apart. They gave the Roman people faith, they united them with one true God,and they saved their culture from being ravaged by the Barbarians. It was only the churches in Rome that was saved from being destroyed. It was the church who united the Franks, the Germanic tribes, and the Nords by converting them in one faith. It was them who conserved Socrates’s, Plato’s, and other works of Antiquity to be utilized fully by the entrance of Renaissance. In short, the Roman Catholic Church saved Europe’s grand ass from vanishing without a trace (from our history books
).
Corruption has been existing in the earliest of times; it is inherent in ALL institutions in our society. Corruption happens not only inside the church; feudal lords, knights, and even fiefs are guilty of being one. Even you and I, we are corrupt.
The church is tainted, and it is a fact. The church is open about it. But if you would analyze the greater things they have given the world, I would consider it an absolution for all the shortcomings of this imperfect institution. Corrupt it may be, it is the ens causa sui why Medieval is Medieval. Not the knights, not the peasants, not the lords. It can never be lesser to any other institutions perceived in this age. And perhaps, maybe, it was greatest thing that Medieval Age has offered to the history of mankind.
Sorry sa mahabang post Ivan! See you when I see you.
circa 476 Anno Domini is barely the start of the Medieval Period.
Well, even nowadays, we are not sure of what is happening inside the church walls but yes, everything in the world is tainted, the fact is, church WAS more tainted during the Medieval Period due to their triumphant belief that Catholicism is the only true religion.
Good thing Vatican II revised it.
My professor said that there is no such thing as “polytheism” because these “Gods” you might be referring to are just of the same manifestation of the only one God. Which kind of explain why Catholicism is monotheistic when there is such thing called “Trinity”
I like Horo whenever she teases Lawrence.
Well, actually this reply is for the ‘tweet’ 2 weeks ago and I didn’t know where to place it @_@
can’t seem to absorb what i’ve watched from persona trinity soul. o_o 2 weeks ago
I kind of liked the first episode but I forced myself to hiatus my watching since I was still working on Gintama, Soul Eater and other (sort of)long anime @_@ Tried reading Persona (one of the manga, it was 4 I guess) and I didn’t understand anything. I’d read the manga from where Trinity Soul was based after FMA, though.
Btw, following you in twitter
I don’t think there is a manga where Trinity soul has been based. Persona 3 and 4 are stand alone mangas since they were based from RPGs.
I also like Persona trinity soul a lot because of its dark atmosphere although the series lacks the explanation about lots of terminologies which will definitely rack your brain while watching it and in trying to figure it out.
Ah -nods- Just finished reading Persona 4 up to the recent in OM (I assumed Persona 4 was where TS was based wince Persona 3 wasn’t so it was late when I realized that both had no relations to TS whatsoever, sorry sorry)
I.. thought at first it was the same since it involved moving, then I was a bit surprised when he was the only one moving (I remember in the first eps of the anime, he was with his sister (?)) Ah, I guess I have to watch the anime. Thanks for the reply!
maybe it’s just me but when I watched ep 1 it was boring so didn’t really give it much thought…
yeah, this anime is kind of slow paced, which is why watching it means patience. After all, it turned it out good.