Nickelodeon (ended 2008)
The History Thread is back
It seems that Constantinople will never cease to be a product of discussion in this thread, because my current comparison concerns Princess Anna Comnena of Byzantium.
Born in the period of the Crusades, Princess Anna was the daughter of the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, and was groomed from an early age as his heir. The Emperor favored her above all his other children because of her natural abilities - by all accounts she was a true prodigy - brilliant at everything from history to diplomacy. Ruthless and ambitious, even as a child, she had become a powerful force in the imperial court by the time she was just 12 years old. Despite being so young, she proved a natural politician who excelled in the art of crushing her opponents without mercy. She also developed an interest in warfare, and was looked forward to as a great military leader for the Crusades.
By the time she was 14 she had proven that anyone who crossed her had a tendancy to end up dead or exiled. It was utterly inconcievable that anybody should challenge her claim. In the end however, she was challenged, by none other than her brother, who desired the throne for himself. An idiot who by all accounts possessed no desirable characteristics other than being a good fighter (and extremely good looking, incidently) Anna's brother nevertheless somehow managed to win the allegiance of the clergy, and had soon usurped Anna as heir to the throne.
Infuriated, and vowing revenge, Anna resolved to kill her brother. In the end however, her assassination attempt failed after she was betrayed by a friend she had trusted who turned her in to her brother. Anna was confined to a covent for the rest of her life, her career, once promising to be a spectacular one, brought to a sudden and abrupt halt.
A couple more notes about the Princess:
- As a child she had had a terrible relationship with her mother, possibly resulting in her ruthless outlook on life.
- She was famed as being one of the most beautiful women in the world.
- Although gifted in many ways, perhaps her greatest gift was with history - during her imprisonment she became a renowned historian.
I think I've dropped enough clues for everyone to guess who I think she parallels.
Though Anna Komnene did attempt to rid herself of her family history after losing the throne to her brother, she praised her mother more than you'd think.
"She stood upright like some young sapling, erect and evergreen, all her limbs and the other parts of her body absolutely symmetrical and in harmony one with another. With her lovely appearance and charming voice she never ceased to fascinate all who saw and heard her. Her face shone with the soft light of the moon; it was not the completely round face of an Assyrian woman, nor long, like the face of a Scyth, but just slightly oval in shape. There were rose blossoms on her cheeks, visible a long way off. Her light-blue eyes were both gay and stern: their charm and beauty attracted, but the fear they caused so dazzled the bystander that he could neither look nor turn away..."
And some stuff on Anna's brother John.
He was a very spiritual man, who in the course of his reign formed alliances with the Holy Roman Empire. Perhaps this is an allusion to Zuko making alliances with the fallen Air Nomads? Regardless though, John was labeled as unusually ugly, only called handsome due to his religion. And he was a militant leader, spreading the empire of Byzantine far, suspected as an effort to become the Christian leader of the world.
| kratosgod69 wrote: |
| Though Anna Komnene did attempt to rid herself of her family history after losing the throne to her brother, she praised her mother more than you'd think. "She stood upright like some young sapling, erect and evergreen, all her limbs and the other parts of her body absolutely symmetrical and in harmony one with another. With her lovely appearance and charming voice she never ceased to fascinate all who saw and heard her. Her face shone with the soft light of the moon; it was not the completely round face of an Assyrian woman, nor long, like the face of a Scyth, but just slightly oval in shape. There were rose blossoms on her cheeks, visible a long way off. Her light-blue eyes were both gay and stern: their charm and beauty attracted, but the fear they caused so dazzled the bystander that he could neither look nor turn away..."
And some stuff on Anna's brother John. He was a very spiritual man, who in the course of his reign formed alliances with the Holy Roman Empire. Perhaps this is an allusion to Zuko making alliances with the fallen Air Nomads? Regardless though, John was labeled as unusually ugly, only called handsome due to his religion. And he was a militant leader, spreading the empire of Byzantine far, suspected as an effort to become the Christian leader of the world. |
True, but I was refering to her youth, back when Anna was being educated by her grandmother, Anna Dalassena, who Anna's mother despised. They had something of a falling out over that. Anna and her mother were not reconciled until after John became the new heir to the throne (similarly, it was after Azula was deposed by Zuko that we first began to see hints that she would dearly like to be forgiven by Ursa).
Good catch on the stuff about John
| rgc19 wrote: |
| I am very impressed. We should create a compendium of all the avatar characters and who we think they most resemble. |
All right, why not? We can turn it into something of a game. I'll start off the list, and people afterwards can add to the list, or suggest replacements.
The list thus far:
Azula - Cross between Julius Caesar, Shi Huang Di, and Anna Cormnena. Caesar accounts for her tactical genius, incredible charisma, perfectionism, kick-ass fighting abilities, and obsession with personal hygiene and appearance, particularly hair related. Shi Huang Di accounts for her mind-set, general out-look on life, and temporary lapse into insanity. Cormnena supplies looks, and a passion for history. All three of them had lives that mimicked Azula's, in varying ways.
Aang - He also comes closest to Julius Caesar, in my opinion, but for different reasons to Azula. I made a post about it a few pages back.
Iroh - Gebghis Khan is the one we have come up with so far, but that isn't a very close fitting example, as the others are. A better suggestion would be welcome here.
Ozai - I think that Ozai can actually be compared to Emperor Augustus of Rome. The two were very similar in their general attributes, personalities, actions, goals, and outlook on life (AKA both of them wanted to rule the world). The only difference is that Augustus was far more contained than Ozai - preferring diplomacy and politics to warfare. So an additional name would be welcome here.
Those 4 are the ones that we have come up with so far in this thread. Feel free to add to the list
| Axrendale wrote: |
| The list thus far: Azula - Cross between Julius Caesar, Shi Huang Di, and Anna Cormnena. Caesar accounts for her tactical genius, incredible charisma, perfectionism, kick-ass fighting abilities, and obsession with personal hygiene and appearance, particularly hair related. Shi Huang Di accounts for her mind-set, general out-look on life, and temporary lapse into insanity. Cormnena supplies looks, and a passion for history. All three of them had lives that mimicked Azula's, in varying ways. Aang - He also comes closest to Julius Caesar, in my opinion, but for different reasons to Azula. I made a post about it a few pages back. Iroh - Gebghis Khan is the one we have come up with so far, but that isn't a very close fitting example, as the others are. A better suggestion would be welcome here. Ozai - I think that Ozai can actually be compared to Emperor Augustus of Rome. The two were very similar in their general attributes, personalities, actions, goals, and outlook on life (AKA both of them wanted to rule the world). The only difference is that Augustus was far more contained than Ozai - preferring diplomacy and politics to warfare. So an additional name would be welcome here. Those 4 are the ones that we have come up with so far in this thread. Feel free to add to the list |
I nominate Jet for Eamon de Valera! I will cling tightly to my only contribution to this forum! Also the whole Aang/Michael Collins thing. I'm not sure if anyone's said this, but I don't think it would be unfair to compare Sozin to Herod, the Judean king who basically ordered infanticide (Massacre of the Innocents) to prevent the birth of the King of the Jews (Jesus), similar to how Sozin killed the airbenders to prevent Aang's birth.
| kratosgod69 wrote: |
| But Aang was already born. All Sozin would have done is kill him, but he would just be reborn as a water bender. |
True. It's not a perfect comparison I suppose.
| isabelwhatx wrote: |
| Didn't we get one for Zuko a few pages back? The nephew of Hitler It was a loose comparison, but it was something. |
Perhaps, but remember - as stated in the first post, we are trying to avoid fairly recent history, and stick to the stuff that has no chance of stirring up any angst.
This is why I have always preferred Ancient History to Modern History - it is far easier to view things in retrospect. It makes everything that much simpler.
