»Names Revisited«

A lot of research has been done on the significance of names in the matrix. Here's two interpretations that I have, that I've never seen on any sites:

Thomas Anderson-
Anderson means literally "Son of Man" (This has been well publicized) which is one of the names Jesus calls himself in the Gospels. What hasn't been explored is the "Thomas" part of the name. A few places attribute it to referring to the "Doubting Thomas" schtick because Neo doubts that he is the one. Here's my take. The Wachowski brothers really poured in the Gnosticism into the movie. In Gnostic Christianity, the Gospel of St. Thomas is a very important work. In fact, it's most complete version is found in the Nag Hammadi library, which is the library of Gnostic texts. I think the Wachowskis were not only making Neo a Christ figure, they were making him a Gnostic Christ figure. Hence, Thomas's Jesus. . .Thomas Anderson.

Niobe-

I struggled to figure out what Niobe meant for a long time. Niobe was a greek queen who had 7 sons and 7 daughters from the Gods. She was so proud of her children, she said that she should be worshipped rather than Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis, who arejust two measly children. When Leto heard of this, she sent Apollo and Artemis to kill her children. After losing her children, Niobe turns to a statue out of grief. So the question is, what does this have anything to do the movies?

Niobe is an anagram of "Ebion" who is the figurehead of an early Christian cult called the Ebionite (who were associated with the Gnostics by the way). Anyway, the Ebionites rejected the divinity of Jesus, but still followed him because he was a great man. Niobe made a very Ebionite comment when she gave Neo the Logos, something like "I don't believe he's the One, but I believe in Neo." Speaking of the Logos, Logos means "Word of God" or "Word of Christ" which could be seen as Christ's vehicle for the salvation of mankind. The Logos was Neo's vehicle for the salvation of Mankind.

Anyway, just a little interesting info for anyone interested.

Cant argue with any of these Bach, excellent theories

I think we need to elaborate more on the names, I'm especially interested in Smith as many have said his name means nothing significant.

Thoughts?

When Smith first appears in Matrix Reloaded his car has a registration number beginning with IS the numbers following it are the chapter and verse in Isaiah where it says something allong the lines of "and I shall send the Smith who will destroy".

So Smith refers to that biblical verse I guess. However, it has also been noted that Smith is a common name and so being a Smith is like becoming an unknown boring yuppie and getting sucked into the system.

Fatpie42 wrote:

When Smith first appears in Matrix Reloaded his car has a registration number beginning with IS the numbers following it are the chapter and verse in Isaiah where it says something allong the lines of "and I shall send the Smith who will destroy". So Smith refers to that biblical verse I guess. However, it has also been noted that Smith is a common name and so being a Smith is like becoming an unknown boring yuppie and getting sucked into the system.

not to mention a Smith is:

2. One who makes or effects anything. [R.] --Dryden. (dictionary.com)

Morpheus

n : (classical mythology) the god of sleep and dreams [syn: Morpheus]

Great interpretations!

I think its established that the Merovingian is a reference to the merovigian kings who claimed to have the blood lines of christ and were the keepers of the holy grail.

Of course Mervs other role in the matrix is that of the devil.

What Im facinated with is the relationship between Merv and Seraph.

When Merv and seraph meet Merv calls him the prodical son and later a little judas.

Does Seraphs name have any meaning that could shed some light on that.
I wonder what relationship merv and seraph have that merv would call him that.

Any thoughts?

Starbuck

I think this site explains Seraph, and there are quite a few posts about him...

If Merv refers to the devil (or Hades) then Seraph (most people know the Hebrew plural Seraphim) is an angel of the first (highest) order. In the movie, he even glows like an angel... Based on Christian mythology, the devil used to be an angel of the first order as well, but he refused to bow before humans when God created man (frankly, I’m with Lucifer on that one) so God kicked him out, and Lucifer lives in exile. Now Seraph is not just protecting the Oracle, but also human interests.... (wether Lucifer betrayed the Seraphim or the Seraphim betrayed Lucifer... it’s a matter of perspective).

Legend has it that Lucifer (also known as “the tempter”) asked other angels to join him in his quest to tempt humanity into committing sins, and some angels did indeed join him... It’s possible that in the movies, Seraph used to help Merv, but then he betrayed him and decided to help the humans and the Oracle (hence the reference to Judas). Or it’s possible that at some point, Merv expects Seraph to betray the Oracle or Neo.

Some people believe that Seraph is in a way the Oracle's guardian angel. This isn't supported by mythology, since the Seraphim are practically godlike, they are much too important to be a guardian angel... but it fits with the movie.

As for Merv, he doesn’t seem to be a fan of humans, or the Oracle. But Lucifer has no links to an Oracle as far as Christian mythology goes, but if you interpret Oracle as the feminine side of God and the Architect as the masculine side of God then you can explain some of the animosity.

If you're interested. Caedmon has written a lot about this subject (thought some say he didn't do the writing himself).

Thats a excellent analysis of Seraph and the merovingian.cant agree more.Also when the Merovingian calls Seraph Judas,that explains him working for him in the past,but choosing to protect the Oracle.

Grammaton Cleric wrote:

Thats a excellent analysis of Seraph and the merovingian.cant agree more.Also when the Merovingian calls Seraph Judas,that explains him working for him in the past,but choosing to protect the Oracle.

I AGREE. BUT CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY?

ONE MORE THING ...THE CALL SERAPH AS WINGLESS
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Angels lose their wings when they becomes fallen. Seraph is an angel without wings.

I need to get me a script. Is Seraph really described as "Wingless"? That changes a lot of my ideas. Does that mean Seraph is also a fallen angel?

Maybe all of the exile programs are considered fallen. But is Seraph an exile? The Oracle seems to be necessary, and if she's necessary, then her bodyguard would have a function. Right?

IT IS ONE OF THE POSSIBILITIES THAT SERAPH CAN BE THE FORMER THE ONE WHO HAS LOST HIS SUPER POWERS (MAY BE DISSEMINATION OF THE CODE). U C HE ISN'T INFERIOR TO NEO IN KUNG FU COMABTS.

Q-Ball Gang Member #1: You've got to be kidding...
Q-Ball Gang Member #2: Holy shit, it's Wingless.
Q-Ball Gang Member #1: I get it. You must be ready to die.
Seraph: I need to speak with him

Merovingian: What in the hell? *laughs* I don't believe this.
Merovingian: *to the DJ* Hey. Hey! *to Seraph* The prodigal child returns. L'ange sans ailes (Trans: The angel without wings). Are you here for the bounty, Seraph? *laughs heartily* Tell me, how many bullets are there in those guns? I don't know, but I don't think you have enough.
Seraph: We only want to talk.

Merovingian: *laughs* Quelle bonne surprise, n'est pas? (Trans: What a fine surprise, isn't it?) Who could've guessed we'd all be seeing each other so soon after our last meeting? A fate too kind. And since you, my little Judas, have brought them here, I can only surmise that the fortune teller has found herself another shell? Disappointing, but not unexpected. I do hope, however, she has the good manners to learn her lesson, and to remember that there is no action without consequence. And if you take something from me you will pay the price.


there is the actual dialogue between Seraph and the others.

Seraph can not be a former one because he is a program not a human.

Thoughts

Starbuck

It's been said before that maybe Seraph came to the Matrix the same time as Mero and Perseph. Could it be that Mero sent Seraph for the Oracle and he wouldn't do it, or she freed him from Mero which is why he calls him judas? He says in Enter the Matrix he is forever gratefull for what she did for him....does he mean she set him free?

Actually there is no proof that the previous ones WERE human. It also seems that Neo goes through the wrong door BECAUSE he is human. That is why he has a different connection to humans than the other ones ("vis a vis love")

However, this does not mean that Seraph is a previous one. In fact it seems that if Seraph had been a previous one he would have been removed last time Zion was destroyed. It seems more likely that Neo has the program of the one in him and thus he is a mixture of program and human.

I have a hard time buying that Seraph is a former One, because there's no evidence for it. But then again, there really isn't evidence against it. I don't think it explains his "wingless" status, because Neo isn't really an Angel, despite his background wings in the Smith fight scene.

If you were to draw Christian parallels, Neo is Christ and Seraph is an Angel. The Wachowskis just don't promote the idea that Seraph was once a "One" even though they could have. But let's explore. . .

In addition to being the highest angelic order, Seraphim also means "the burning ones" in Hebrew. I think Seraph is uniquely the only character we see with an Orange glow in a Green background. Did anyone notice that? And Seraph holds his own against Neo. And, no one ever actually says that Seraph is a program.

However, I think if Seraph was a former One, there would be a lot more made about it.

I had made a comment on another thread that I thought there would at some point be a "Michael" program in counterbalance with The Merovingian. I found from a few sources (not very definitive or reliable sources) Archangel Michael being called "Prince of the Seraphim." This could mean that Seraph is representative of Michael who would be Lucifer/Merovingian's archrival. Here's another interesting Mero/Seraph parallel: They both protect Programs, Mero by hiding them and Seraph by fighting to defend them. I still wnat to go with Seraph being an Angel and Mero being the fallen angel, it fits so well. The "winglessness" really bothers me. Maybe they were just being ironic in that popular conceptions of Angels are that they have wings, yet Seraph doesn't. It would be like saying "Hey Merovingian, did you lose your pitchfork?" Am I reaching?

Quote:

Every major religion in the world makes some reference to winged messengers of God. According to the Bible, they are immortal beings, numbering in the millions, created by God before the beginning of time, to act as His messengers or carry out His will. While angels have been typically depicted in art and literature as winged females, the majority of the biblical references have portrayed angels as wingless men, normally invisible to humans. However, when they do appear, in order to deliver a message, they generally appear in human form

Heres a little quote I found on the Net. What do you think of this?



Starbuck

Sereph's code was different to others that we have seen within the Matrix... it was gold? Maybe somewhat similar to the code that Neo sees in the machine world?

Could this give him a stronger connection to the "real world"?

Or as further questioning to the "Neo, Dead?" saga... amybe this is how Neo would be seen...IF....her were to be in the Matrix again?

Suggestions?