Kanohi as Representations of Spirits

[Drakontarachne]

Greetings, folk of BZPower!  I bring you a subject on which to idly speculate...

It seems reasonable to assume that the original decision to give BIONICLE characters magical masks was inspired by the ritual use of masks in real-life indigenous cultures.  In such cultures, however, masks do not merely grant power of one kind or another.  Rather, they allow the wearer to temporarily embody or become the god, spirit, legendary character, or revered ancestor whom the mask represents and play that being's part in a ritual performance.

Now, it is certainly the case that canonically, kanohi do not have this property.  But...WHAT IF THEY DID?  Imagine an AU in which each Kanohi is named after a god, deified hero, or other mythological entity (and the Matoran have a pantheon extensive enough to provide all of these spirits) and designed to visually resemble them.  To use the Kanohi's power is to channel/incarnate the spirit temporarily and thus have access to their power (which is the same power canonically associated with the Kanohi).  What might this pantheon look like?  In other words, let's have some fun coming up with spirits whom different masks might represent!  I imagine this would work well in one of those reimagine-bionicle-characters-as-humans AUs that folk sometimes come up with, in which characters don't necessarily wear their masks all the time.

I'll start us off with a few & probably post more later (feel free to come up with interpretations different from mine or to expand on mine):

Hau = Obviously some sort of courageous warrior god who provides protection in battle.  (Charms and amulets to protect against enemy warriors' blows are actually really common in real-world cultures, too.)

Kaukau = A spirit of the sea, presumably.  Or maybe the central figure of an Earth-Diver myth.

Miru = A bird spirit, given that it looks sort of "beaked" as well as having a flight-like power.  Maybe the Kadin is the same, and its spiky mohawk represents a crest of feathers.

Mahiki = A shapeshifting trickster god.

Rau = The culture-hero who invented language.

Huna = A shy fairy or goblin that always stays hidden from the sight of mortals.  Would fit with Vakama's initial timidity.

Komau = A guardian of divinely ordained law, maybe?  Or, almost the opposite, a tricksy enchanter who could put spells over the minds of others.  Or maybe a legendarily persuasive leader/rhetorician!

Zatth = A Mother of Monsters type figure or spirit of the wilds.

Crast = A legendary monster cursed to be hated by all beings, to the point that even inanimate objects recoil from it in revulsion.

[Master Inika]

I like this idea. It was sort of true, with the Hau at least, being a symbol of Mata Nui, and the Kraahkan was clearly associated with Makuta even in-universe. LEGO probably wouldn't have pursued this idea, especially not later on, for being too associated with religion. BIONICLE's Polynesian influences never went much deeper than the tiki aesthetic and vague talk of "spirits."

[chuckschwa]

It would have been neat to have other prominent deities than the Toa, Makuta & Mata Nui. The removed references to Papu and Rangi seemed to invoke the idea of an Earth and Sky being from the Maori stories. My personal theory is that Papu & Rangi are the Toa Kaita: Fire/Lava, Earth & Stone are from beneath (Akamai = Papu), while Water/Rain, Ice & Air are from above (Wairuha = Rangi).

I remember a lot of references in 2001 of the Toa being worshiped as gods. Over time they became more like mythical demi-god heroes. The Great Beings always loomed over the story. Before 2009, my theory on The Great Beings was that they were actually LEGO builders, us the fans, the big hand in the sky, kids 7 and up, etc.

One thing I always noted about the original Great and Noble Kanohi is how they seem to allude to the powers of Mata Nui and Makuta respectively: Mata Nui protects his people, is fast and strong, and explores the highest heights and deepest depths of the universe, to discover what is hidden; Makuta infects the minds of others, hides himself in the dark as a disembodied voice, and manipulates the universe with illusions and magic. 

[Toa Komali]

3 hours ago, chuckschwa said:

It would have been neat to have other prominent deities than the Toa, Makuta & Mata Nui. The removed references to Papu and Rangi seemed to invoke the idea of an Earth and Sky being from the Maori stories. My personal theory is that Papu & Rangi are the Toa Kaita: Fire/Lava, Earth & Stone are from beneath (Akamai = Papu), while Water/Rain, Ice & Air are from above (Wairuha = Rangi).

I remember a lot of references in 2001 of the Toa being worshiped as gods. Over time they became more like mythical demi-god heroes. The Great Beings always loomed over the story. Before 2009, my theory on The Great Beings was that they were actually LEGO builders, us the fans, the big hand in the sky, kids 7 and up, etc.

One thing I always noted about the original Great and Noble Kanohi is how they seem to allude to the powers of Mata Nui and Makuta respectively: Mata Nui protects his people, is fast and strong, and explores the highest heights and deepest depths of the universe, to discover what is hidden; Makuta infects the minds of others, hides himself in the dark as a disembodied voice, and manipulates the universe with illusions and magic. 

Back in the early years I too thought Mata Nui was meant to be the next step up in the cosmos, with the intro of Karzahni and Artakha  we even had what could of been seen as the two under gods, beings to look after Mata Nui's Charges who passed on like in greek myth only Hades here was split in two. One who guarded a paradise (The Elysian Fields) and one who made sure no bad deed went unpunished (Tartarus). Makuta was always the prince of evil of the universe and had no real power over spirit only on the mind.

 

Then we learn the Great Beings are really Glatorian who knew how to make things and as misunderstanding were labeled with a title that went to their heads, being mere scientists who could and can die. It is no wonder they were in your head "Us", "The Man Upstairs", "MOC" builders and so forth if you look at it they fit how we see ourselves when we create and build. We are the step between all Lego creations and the true higher powers (Based on your beliefs who that is but there is a step between even that and it is in Denmark.   ) Also I only noticed from your avatar Chuck but the classic UFO Mask it looks a lot like The Mask of Shadows.

[chuckschwa]

Quote

 Also I only noticed from your avatar Chuck but the classic UFO Mask it looks a lot like The Mask of Shadows.

I does, doesn't it? I kinda thought it looked a little like the Mask of Energy from the game. Always liked those UFO aliens, very original helmet design.

I always envisioned Makuta as the computer virus analogy established in Roboriders and Throwbots. The Turaga deified Mata Nui, the super-computer/giant-robot, and likewise the error (The Makuta) that had corrupted The Great Spirit into a demon/plague. Since Makuta is chaos, destruction, the disassembled lego pieces on the floor, he can't create anything -- but he can inhabit them, just like a virus or a possession of an evil spirit.

Edited September 27, 2019 by chuckschwa

[Toa Komali]

13 hours ago, chuckschwa said:

I does, doesn't it? I kinda thought it looked a little like the Mask of Energy from the game. Always liked those UFO aliens, very original helmet design.

I always envisioned Makuta as the computer virus analogy established in Roboriders and Throwbots. The Turaga deified Mata Nui, the super-computer/giant-robot, and likewise the error (The Makuta) that had corrupted The Great Spirit into a demon/plague. Since Makuta is chaos, destruction, the disassembled lego pieces on the floor, he can't create anything -- but he can inhabit them, just like a virus or a possession of an evil spirit.

I see full Krahkan in that mask, that is something and a amazing unplanned (?) connection to villains with Masks. Cannot agree with you on the Mask of Elemental energy similarity though, Cheeks are not pronounced enough. I think though this is giving me a idea, Kanohi based off the helmets and masks of previous Lego series, like the Stingray guys in the old Auqazone sets or the knights from the 2003-ish line that was kinda a Middle-ages Ninjago now I think on it.  

 

Pity Johnny Thunder didn't have a mask nut the Aussie style one side up brimmed hat, among my Lego memories Johnny is second only to the Infomaniac of Lego Island fame. I properly discovered Lego around 1996-7 and the rest is life long.

 

As for a computer scenario Makuta is more like the Viral villain Megabyte from the first CGI cartoon "Reboot", he is calm, collected, ever scheming and if Lee Tokar hadn't played Teridax in the movies (How did he do it? This is the guy who voiced Bling-Bling Boy in Johnny Test, Mr. Higsby from Megaman Nt Warrior, Doctor Frog in League of Super Evil a short run on US airwaves, and I think it was Inkey in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures alongside many Bionicle Alumnus if I recall. All his characters have a somewhat whinny touch to their voice but Teridax is full on Baritone-Bass levels of deep voice)  Tony Jay would of been my pick for his voice, pity Jay never got a role in the first three since he passed back in 2006 he would of made a great Icarax seeing how he was the most like Teridax in mindset. 

 

Off topic sorry, but back to the Analogy. Megabyte was pure brute strength much as Teridax in 2003 was, he had the power to infect a program with touch alone which in another similarity changed the color of the infected to match his deep blue metal skin (As Teridax infected things they became either slimy, rusted or toxic looking as a corruption to the poor saps enslaved by him. But Megabyte could not infect all of the system he was in as it had security parameters , in this case the Matoran, Toa, Turaga and Rahi were able to fight as anyone being infected would could use will power, and the Toa unless forced to wear the Mask were Gaurdian protocol (Think Tron only they don't need the User, in fact in Reboot which takes place inside a computer where no one knows what is inside their OS. just as beyond