{{Q|A holy mother of the dark, of Christian descent.<br />The statues in regular churches are usually of the Virgin Mary, but there exist some suspicious black statues. They say that these statues have their origins in the Middle East, such as Egypt's Isis and the Phrygian Cybele.|''Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey'' Compendium}}
{{Q|A holy mother of the dark, of Christian descent.<br />The statues in regular churches are usually of the Virgin Mary, but there exist some suspicious black statues. They say that these statues have their origins in the Middle East, such as Egypt's Isis and the Phrygian Cybele.|''Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey'' Compendium}}
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===''Shin Megami Tensei IV''====
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===''Shin Megami Tensei IV''===
{{Q|A holy mother of the dark, of Christian descent.<br />The statues in regular churches are usually of the Virgin Mary, but there exist some suspicious black statues. They say that these statues have their origins in the Middle East, such as Egypt's Isis and the Phrygian Cybele.|''Shin Megami Tensei IV'' Compendium}}
{{Q|A holy mother of the dark, of Christian descent.<br />The statues in regular churches are usually of the Virgin Mary, but there exist some suspicious black statues. They say that these statues have their origins in the Middle East, such as Egypt's Isis and the Phrygian Cybele.|''Shin Megami Tensei IV'' Compendium}}
Revision as of 21:17, 12 August 2013
Black Maria as she appears in Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Black Maria (ブラックマリア, Burakkumaria) is a recurring demon in the series.
Black Maria refers to the Black Madonna, or Black Virgin, which is a depiction of the Virgin Mary which has dark or black skin. Black Madonnas may have grown out of pre-Christian earth goddess traditions and that their dark skin may be associated with ancient images of these goddesses and the color of the fertile earth. Further assertions say that some of their Christian shrines were built on sites dedicated to Cybele and Diana, or Artemis of Ephesus.
Some say that Black Madonnas sprouted from the goddess Isis, which implies that the dark skin may have echoed an African archetypal mother figure. It is also claimed that they express a feminine power that is not fully conveyed by the paler Virgin Mary, which symbolises gentler qualities, such as obedience and purity. This feminine power may be linked to female sexuality, which was suppressed by the early or medieval Christian Church.
"A holy mother of the dark, of Christian descent. The statues in regular churches are usually of the Virgin Mary, but there exist some suspicious black statues. They say that these statues have their origins in the Middle East, such as Egypt's Isis and the Phrygian Cybele."
—Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Compendium
Shin Megami Tensei IV
"A holy mother of the dark, of Christian descent. The statues in regular churches are usually of the Virgin Mary, but there exist some suspicious black statues. They say that these statues have their origins in the Middle East, such as Egypt's Isis and the Phrygian Cybele."
—Shin Megami Tensei IV Compendium
Black Maria was formerly the Lady Danu who ruled over the fairies. Due to religious prosecution and the threat of the Fairy race being destroyed, completely the Lady Danu had no choice but to merge with an interpretation of the Virgin Mary to become Black Maria as a way to save her beloved children.
When Nozomi summons her, at the request of the fairies, Black Maria reveals that she cannot return to being the Lady Danu. However as a compromise she names Nozomi as her successor and passes down the powers Nozomi will need to fulfill her role as the next Lady Danu. With this completed Black Maria bids Nozomi and Flynn farewell as she returns to her duties as Black Maria.
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
"A holy mother of the dark, of Christian descent. The statues in regular churches are usually of the Virgin Mary, but there exist some suspicious black statues. They say that these statues originate in the Middle East, much like Egypt's Isis and the Phrygian Cybele."
—Soul Hackers 3DS Compendium
A Black Maria is necessary in order to fuse Zeed into the hero Jeanne d'Arc.
