Aradia is a demon in the series.
History[]
Aradia is the messianic daughter of the goddess Diana and Lucifer/Apollo who came to Earth to teach witchcraft to her oppressed worshipers for them to use against the Roman Catholic Church and the upper classes. While originally created by Charles Godfrey Leland, Aradia has become an important figure in Wiccan and Neo-pagan mythology. Some Wiccan traditions use the name Aradia as one of the names of the Great Goddess, Moon Goddess or "Queen of the Witches."
She is one of the principal figures in the American folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland's 1899 work Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, which he believed to be a genuine religious text used by a group of pagan witches in Tuscany, a claim that has subsequently been disputed by other folklorists and historians. The folklorist Sabina Magliocco has theorized that prior to being used in Leland's Gospel, Aradia was originally a supernatural figure in Italian folklore, who was later merged with other folkloric figures such as sa Rejusta of Sardinia. By the High Middle Ages, this figure seems to have become attached to the train of nymphs of Diana, now also seen as a host of spirits flying through the night across the Italian countryside.
In 1992, Aidan Kelly, cofounder of the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn, distributed a document titled "The Gospel of Diana." The text contained a list of mother and daughter priestesses who had taught religious witchcraft through the centuries. Instead of Leland's goddess Diana and her messianic daughter Aradia, Kelly's text described mortal human beings. The priestesses' names alternated between Aradia and Diana. Magliocco describes the character of Aradia in Kelly's accompanying narrative as "a notably erotic character; according to her teachings, the sexual act becomes not only an expression of the divine life force, but an act of resistance against all forms of oppression and the primary focus of ritual." Magliocco also notes that the text "has not achieved broad diffusion in contemporary Pagan circles."
Appearances[]
Profile[]
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne[]
Aradia is a false god from the Shadow Vortex. She was born from the prayers of persecuted witches and is both called the false goddess of freedom and the goddess of falsehood. Being born outside the true power of Creation, Aradia's existence is forbidden in the Amala Universe and is virtually powerless: she can only offer her followers hope. Aradia searches for a world where she can become "real" through the power of Creation and becomes the demonic sponsor of Yuko Takao.
She possessed Yuko after her liberation from her role in the Assembly of Nihilo's Nightmare System, further empowering the Demi-fiend by allowing him two more demonic contracts. She then fled the Obelisk, taking Yuko with her. She was encountered again in Yoyogi Park after Yuko is given the Yahirono Himorogi, where she questioned the Demi-fiend's motivations; her questions were poised to influence his heart and actions by making him confront his fears and doubts about the role he would be forced to play in the coming storm. The answers to the questions Aradia poses may influence what ending will come to pass once Kagutsuchi is slain if all of the three established Reasons have been rejected.
Finally, she was separated from Yuko in the Diet Building, manifesting as a glowing white effigy in Yuko's shape (though she retained her own face) and confronted Hikawa, stating freedom is a necessary constant (even pointing out his belief in Shijima was a type of freedom). She urged Yuko to leave for the new world about to be born, but she refused, feeling both worlds would die if left to Hikawa's devices. She left alone instead, with Hikawa mocking Yuko for delivering herself to a goddess who abandoned her.
Oddly enough, the Lady in Black mentions to the Young Boy that Aradia's arrival could only mean trouble, implying a previous encounter which ended badly for either party. Hikawa is also aware of Aradia (despite Yuko's belief that Hikawa was unaware of her existence) and feels at least a certain amount of contempt for her.