The Stories and Symbolisms behind the Garden Codenames (2): Hemlock/Hypericum/Otogiri
It has proved that there's A LOT to talk about Yor's codename in the first part, so here's part two which is about other codenames of the Garden assassins.
Basically we are introduced to three more characters who are affiliated with the Garden. We have learned that there is a hierarchy within the Garden. And we know that only one new character will be joining us in the new arc - Hemlock.
Hemlock is in fact not Hemlock in the JP version. His codename is 弟切 Otogiri, or hypericum in English. At first glance, it makes sense why the English version takes the liberty to change the plant. Hemlock is highly poisonous. It's easy to read and makes a better codename than Hypericum.
However, I don't think the English version should have taken the liberty. There are two things the English version has missed.
First of all, there's this story behind the name Otogiri, and the symbolism that comes with the story. The plant is named Otogiri 弟切: the brother[弟]-killing (or cutting [切]) plant. The name of the plant has its origins from a legend about a takajo 鷹匠 (the word is often translated as "falconer" or "hawk master") from the Heian Period 平安時代. There are two different versions of the legend but the main plot remains to be the same:
A falconer killed his younger brother for revealing his trade secret (that the otogiri could be used to stop bleeding hence it is used as a medicine for raptor's wound) to others.
Is it a coincidence that a "falconer" and his raptor appear in sxf? (Short Mission 16)
The spots on the yellow flowers are said to be the blood splattered by the younger brother, and therefore the flower language for the plant is "resentment" and "revenge". This is what makes a plant with high medicinal value ominous.
B. Themes and renewed symbolisms
Like the story of the Sleeping Beauty, this medieval folklore has its influence on modern pop culture. In 1992, a visual novel video game named Otogirisou was published by Chunsoft for the Super Famicom. (Now if you remember, Chapter 94 is also inspired by another visual novel video game, Banshee's Last Cry, also published by Chunsoft for the Super Famicom.)
If you compare the stories of the Sleeping Beauty and Otogiri (the video game), they share a common theme - as a revenge, a curse was placed; thus the people in the story tried hard to reverse the curses with love and kind wishes.
A scene in the game: "The flower language of otogiri is... 'revenge'."
In the Sleeping Beauty, the cursed object is a needle; in Otogiri (the game), the cursed object is a sword. Is it a coincidence that these objects have become the weapon of the assassins who use the names of the stories as their codenames?
The other thing the English version has missed is that Otogiri is, first and foremost, a medicine - the younger brother was killed because he had revealed to the others about the medicinal value of the plant. But the tricky part is, without the backstory or the folklore, otogiri or hypericum could totally be a harmless, highly medicinal herb. (Without war, is it possible that he could grow up as a person contributing to the society in a normal way?) And the irony is exactly that - for most of the English audience who doesn't necessarily have the knowledge about this Japanese legend, hypericum seems to be too harmless and even beneficial to be a codename for an assassin. So much so they have to change it into a plant that is highly poisonous.
But what if it's deliberate?
We have four codenames revealed: いばら姫 (Thorn Princess/roses), 弟切 (otogiri/hypericum), ぎんピー (gympie-gympie) and アザミ (thistle). Even if thistle as a plant is slightly toxic, gympie-gympie is considered to be one of the most poisonous plants - she's also the known poison expert in the group:
We expect the assassins to be dangerous. Naturally we would expect the codenames to be plants that have dangerous features, like thorns, or toxins. But we will also have to consider how the Garden sees them, or more exactly, how the Garden sees itself:
All of these plants are medicines. Even roses can be medicine. And yes, even gympie-gympie can be medicine.
I'm not saying that the Garden is righteous, but at least we have to understand that at least from their perspective, they are doing the right thing. The other hint we get is the title 剪定者, translated as "pruner" in the English version. To "prune" is not only to merely "cut off" things; it is to ensure a fruitful growth. There is a nurturing side in the action. That is exactly why it's equally important for them to be dangerous and to be "medicinal" at the same time - they didn't do it because they are blood-thirsty.
The idea of "the dose makes the poison" is universal. In Japanese there is this phrase "変毒為薬" - to turn poison into medicine. One would have to be very careful if they want to cure the nation with dangerous plants. You have to use them sparingly - one would not want to overuse them. This could be one of the explanations why Yor doesn't have as many missions as Twilight does. Interestingly, Endo has played with the idea of poison 毒 = medicine 薬 before.
See you all two weeks later!
