Original Tattoo Notes

The following comes from the original notes within chapter three of Tattoo. I have taken the notes and added links to information available on the web. Note that the source is generally Wikipedia. I must stress much of the information I presented comes originally from sources other than Wikipedia. I used the site as a source for these notes because it is a good and quick reference that has links to other sites for additional information. In the near future, I will address the Akhenaten/Aten situation more and my take on the matter.


1. The bird and the snake

Of course, the title is a reference to the phoenix and oroborus tattoos the two get later in the chapter. Besides the overt symbolism of these mythological creatures yet to be discussed, the simplified symbols of the bird and snake can also speak of Robin and Amon’s tumultuous relationship. Who is really the bird and who is the snake is up to the reader’s interpretation.

2. Microfiche

Dang, for something that was so common when I was a young child, I could not find too much information on microfiche – not even on Wikipedia. I remember going to the library and having to sort through the microfiche files to look up books. Yeah, I’m so glad we switched to those nifty little things called jump drives. The idea for the rolled up microfiche comes from the COM type which is narrow and can be rolled, if I understand this correctly, although it actually originates from – this is so bad – the end sequence in The Rock. From what I could tell, that should also be a type of COM microfiche. Of course, Robin’s is a bit smaller, but I’m guessing that in the future there are additional types of data storage. Hey, if people can hack into data systems just with their minds in Ghost in the Shell, then developing a new form of compact microfiche should be no sweat. Interestingly, microfiche is very good to use because it is an analog storage device as opposed to today’s traditional digital storage and less likely to get corrupted. Since the letters are so small, it’s not possible to pick up a piece of microfiche and read it without some sort of viewing device (like one of those high-tech magnifying glass thingamajigs).

Edit: according to the Northeast Document Conservation Center, the item I described is actually called microfilm. The organization refers to microfiche as being the traditional index card type often found in libraries and the rolled variety as microfilm. At my earliest convience, I will rectify this.
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3. Akhenaten and Tutankhaten

Few discussions about the Egyptian god Amun can proceed without mentioning the later sun disk, Aten. Amun was initially the God of Air, though later he was fused with Ra and Horus to digivolve into Ra-Amun-Horus and was plastered to almost every Pharaoh’s name. The Aten/Akhenaten controversy is arguably history’s most interesting period. Unfortunately, this controversy hinders discussion because anything different than what is currently accepted by Egyptologists (who incidentally rely primarily on a book written nearly a hundred years ago and seem to ignore basic geological science) is not given any credence and ignored. I have read many books and seen many a documentary, but some of this knowledge is generally missing from what is available on the Internet, so I’m going by what’s in my brain. But, my brain is pretty reliable at remembering written material. Misora discussed Atenism a bit in her story The Burning Time, although I believe Akhenaten was actually not the first person to introduce the Aten sun religion as written. I am quite positive that I read that his father, Amenhotep III, (and possibly even Akhenaten’s grandfather) encouraged the idea of the monotheistic deity to the Egyptian people. Due to public opinion polls, however, the dude decided to leave the idea of an official new religion on the back burner during the reelection period and earned himself a rare long lifespan. (Note: ancient Egyptians did not hold elections and the author is fairly certain there were no opinion polls. And if there were, they were likely highly unreliable.) Smart thinking as this prevented him from being “erased” from Egyptian history as were his four successors. Akhenaten later forcibly proclaimed the sun disk Aten as Egypt’s only god, ignoring his country’s established belief system, economic state, international relations and choose instead to bankrupt his prosperous nation by building vast temples, a new capitol city and basically ignoring reality as the country fell around him (hmm, this sounds oddly familiar). Then…he mysteriously died.

Tutankhamun, perhaps today’s most famous pharaoh, was initially born Tutankhaten to Akhenaten and his lesser Royal Wife, Kiya. There is a lot of controversy about Tut (unbelievably a lot), but it seems that contrary to what many originally believed, Tutankhamun attempted to undo the damage wrought by his father and was doing a good job helping restore Egypt when he died at age nineteen. He changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun as a gesture to restore the confidence in the country’s popular polytheistic religions. On an unrelated note, many believe that Tutankhamun’s successor, Ay, stole the goods from the tomb of Nefertiti (primary wife of Akhenaten and, interestingly, daughter of Ay). This explains the surprising amount of wealth found in the tomb for a relatively minor, young Pharaoh. Many of the items found were actually created for a woman, including the trademark golden mask and his sarcophagus. The original face of the mask was cut out and the present one was inserted and bolted in the former’s place. Nefertiti was beloved by the Egyptian people, despite the damage done by her husband. There is (even more) controversial evidence that suggests Nefertiti was Akhenaten’s co-regent and quite possibly his successor as the Pharaoh Smenkhare (this is one of the most heated current subjects in Egyptology). For the longest time, historians didn’t know what to think about the homosexual overtones of depictions featuring Akhenaten and the co-regent sitting on his lap until somebody finally read the hieroglyphic symbols and figured out it was Akhenaten’s wife and not some other dude (reasons for this mix up: women were not given such official authority at this time, Nefertiti changed her names a few times, the symbols weren’t always completed, Egyptologists rely on an outdated book, every official and accepted statement on ancient Egyptian culture is basically made by one Egyptian official, etc.). Whether Great Royal Wife or Pharaoh, taking the goods from her tomb would be the reason behind the vastness of Tutankhamun’s tomb versus her very bare one. On an icky note, Tutankhamun married his half-sister, the daughter of Nefertiti, although that’s nothing compared to Akhenaten, who took the same daughter as his minor wife and apparently bore a son at age 12. Ew! Akhenaten quite loved Nefertiti to make her his Great Royal Wife despite never giving him a male heir, but he really (really) liked his women. This daughter later married Smenkhare (who was possibly Nefertiti herself) and finally Tutankhamun.

Edit: One of the books that discusses many of these aforementioned topics is Akkenaten: Egypt's False Prophet by Nicholas Reeves. I got lucky and remembered the guy's name. Let me again state that this is an incredibly controversial topic. There is very little information in general for what we know of the pharaohs and even less of the Akhenaten period because of widescale erasure. Also, if it is not clear to the reader, Akhenaten was the only Pharaoh to formally proclaim the Aten as the sole God of Egypt.
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Additionally, I came across some information in Wikipedia describing Amon as the marquis of hell. The article states that Amon “controls forty legions of spirits. He appears as a wolf with a serpent's tail, and breaths fire, or appears as a man with dog's teeth in the head of a raven, or simply as a man with a raven's head. He tells of things past and future, and reconciles feuds and controversies between friends.” That’s an interesting addition to the Egyptian mythology.

Edit: I thought it was clear by the last sentence that this has nothing to do with Egyptian mythology and is an addition in knowledge to what many WHR fans already know about the name of Amon.
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Anyway, in this chapter, Janet makes the reference to Aten as a counter to Amun – a sort of irony, so to speak. The reference to naming a son Tutankhaten is because he was the son of Akhenaten. One probably would not name their son after a rival, usurped god, so the suggestion is instead for the child of said god. The historical period of Akhenaten is incredibly interesting. I truly believe that in the future, Akhenaten will be remembered more prominently than any other Pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

4. Phoenix

Another symbol stemming from Egyptian mythology. The idea behind the firebird should be fairly simple. A (male) bird builds a nest then ignites it, burning up in flames. From the ashes a new phoenix arises. The phoenix can also regenerate from wounds if injured by an enemy. I thought I had read somewhere that the phoenix was female, but that may have been derived from an alternate firebird mythology (probably the Russian version since I’m more familiar with slavic history). Though the phoenix is clearly a sacred symbol originally associated with the sun god Ra, Christians later took the idea and used to symbol to represent Jesus Christ. The phoenix concept has to be the most used symbol throughout history, including Stravinsky’s Firebird, which was beautifully captured in the Disney film Fantasia 2000. In addition, Jean Grey from X-Men becomes a phoenix and there is that city in Arizona...

I love using this symbol for Robin, given her craft and what happens to her throughout the latter portion of the series. To me, she has always been the phoenix. Since Robin already knows that the first tattoo of Amon’s was inspired by a woman, she chooses a phoenix design as a representation of herself to “mark” him. Even if he does not love her, Robin can still ensure that Amon remembers her by way of the tattoo. Amon, however, actually replaces his old tattoo with the phoenix, which should have been a fairly blatant sign to Robin about his feelings towards her. Of course, she doesn’t get it at the time.

5. Oroborus (or ouroborus)

The timeless symbol of a serpent or dragon eating its tail (because, hey, a big rat eating its tail would just be gross and makes a poor circular design). It’s a compelling symbol of many meanings, including infinity and immortality, and considered one of the world’s oldest mystical symbols. It has also been used to represent a type of Yin Yang, or the nature of duality, another favorite symbolism of mine. Again, the depiction of a serpent eating its tail originates in Egypt, though similar designs utilizing pig dragons have been found earlier in China. (It’s good that time went with the serpent over the pig dragons, in my opinion.) The name ouroborus comes from Greek, meaning literally “tail-devourer”. Amon partially chooses this design for Robin for the reason that she is an engineered witch and has the ability to restore and continue the lineage of witches as an “Eve”. Robin can retain immortality by endlessly passing on her DNA to her offspring.

Referencing Egyptian beliefs again, the people believed the way to attain immortality was to remain in the minds of others over the years. This is the primary reason why the Akhenaten group was “erased” from all records in Egypt and completely omitted later. If people forgot about them, they could not truly attain immortality. This idea is kind of odd considering some of the tombs we have found of the “normal” people who had their portraits painted on slates and placed on their preserved body. By preserving their bodies through mummification and depicting what they looked like, modern people can remember those who lived thousands of years earlier. This Egyptian idea of immortality is surprisingly sound in some ways. [Sorry. No links yet.]

Amon chooses the oroborus symbol for Robin primarily because it is reminiscent of his immortal namesake. Well, that and the fact that it’s a kick-ass design. Maybe he also likes the idea of remaining timeless, always a rock to support Robin wherever she goes and never leaving her side. Amon sees himself as her eternal guardian. This idea is tested later in the story. The oroborus can also be seen as a counter to Robin’s phoenix, since both are used to represent eternal rebirth.

And that is the most symbolism I have ever put into any of my works – and there wasn’t even that much.