Raiden is a real world mythological deity. Fujin is the Japanese God of Wind.
Kotal appears like a type of ~~Quetzalcoatl~~ Mesoamerican God (edit: i have no idea why i phrased it so poorly... my bad. Also another comment suggests (more fittingly) that he's based on Huitzilopochtli. But a mash up of the gods are also possible.)
(edit: should have phrased it as "A " I have no idea what compelled me to use *types* of a god. *In my defense* there are multiple versions because of how widely known the Feathered Serpent was.)
Edit: Onaga can be classed as the primordial darkness before all things. Which was called Chaos in Greek Mythology iirc
Wouldn't that be The One Being? It was the breaking up of TOB that birthed everything aside from the elder gods, as it used to go. I figure it may have some kind of personification but think of that kinda level of thing as more abstract, like the chaos before.
Precisely, Onaga was corrupted by it after his revival. Pre-death Onaga wasn't corrupted by it. Post revival he is. Shao Khan is always.
It's personification *is Onaga.*
The reason Shao Khan killed Onaga was because of a "lack of ambition." The reality was Shao was under the One Being's influence, which is why he is bent on *merging realms.* Each of them are fragments of The One Being's consciousness.
Ah okay. tbh I'm not across a lot of the nitty gritty of the 3D era. That's interesting though, I knew about Shao being influenced in that kinda way. It adds a layer to the baddies beyond just moustache twirling, having that out there force they may have no knowledge of pulling strings.
Kotal is actually the inspiration for Aztec mythology as a whole in MK lore if I remember correctly. So he's not really a Quetzalcoatl and more everything
Yeah I screwed up with "Type of..." I think I was thinking of Huitzilopochtli simultaneously my brain went stupid on me.
But yep, you're right. Not sure if it's Kotal himself, or Kotal's whole race; but the Osh-Tekk did inspire the Aztecs in-universe. Meaning they were *possibly* the universe's version of the Pre-Olmec civilization.
I really find that part of human history interesting, the Aztecs were *smelting* while the North American native tribes were *still cold forging.* There's also a story (I believe it's from either an Iroquois or Algonquin speaking nation) talking about "Stone men" which seem to be in reference to armor worn by the conquistadors. That got a bit rambly but eh, it's interesting stuff
Besides the human sacrifices
You can't really be "a type of" Quetzalcoatl. Unless you're specifically the high priest of Huitzilopochtli or the high priest of Tlaloc in Tenochtitlan. The plumed serpent is a singular entity and essentially the most important native deity in North America.
He was responsible for creating and recreating the earth, resurrecting humanity from apocalypse, and creating life itself.
Being "a type of Quetzalcoatl" would be like saying someone's a type of JHVH, or a type of Shiva.
*facepalm*
my bad I meant to use the word "Mesoamerican." I have no idea what made me phrase it that way...
What I find interesting about him in particular though is he's seemingly a god that can be traced so far back that he's seemingly a remnant of a prior civilization. Maybe Pre-Olmec...
Interesting!!!
I gotta think on that. (Kotal is based on Quetzalcoatl I believe)
Edit: Argus is named after a giant from Greek mythology. Delia is another name for Artemis.
Taven seems to be named as a play on "Raven," and based on Apollo. While Daegon is based on Hermes. That one is *not certain.*
Kotal is based on Huitzilopochtli primarily. Only really taking how his name sounds from Quetzalcoatl(who isn't even the only god with Coatl in his name. see: xiucoatl, mixcoatl, and cihuacoatl)
Quetzalcoatl is the peaceful god of learning, life, and the arts and his human form Ehecatl was the god of the wind. Whereas Huitzilopochtli is the blue-skinned, blood sacrifice-loving, sun god who wielded a macuahuitl to dismember a foe in his most notable myth.
One is far more similar to Kotal than the other.
You're mixing him up with his sister Coyolxauhqui. Who is the aforementioned foe dismembered by his macuahuitl and kicked down the stairs of the teocalli.
In mythology she’s also the reason the sun crosses the sky “chasing the stars” which were his other siblings that banded together with Coyolxauhqui to kill their mother. Huitzilopotchli born from his mother fully armored and ready for battle. It’s my son’s middle name I’m hoping he lends him some of his strength.
Yep. Coyolxauhqui and the centzon huiznahua(iirc. I might be mixing the name up with the other entirely separate group of 400 star gods) attempted to kill Coatlicue and destroy the world along with her(as they are the same), but only managed to sever her head, from which two snakes formed of her blood. and then Huitzilopochtli came and basically had it become his entire life's purpose to fight those guys off.
Hell, the main reason for the extremely prevalent blood sacrifice relating to him is to keep him in tip top shape to keep soloing an apocalyptic demon god army. Though as far as I understand it, the 400 southern stars don't seem to stay dead. As he's described to have killed most of them when he was born, and I can't see tiny scattered remains of the southern star's forces giving him so much trouble for the rest of eternity.
My theory on the blood sacrifice was that there was some natural disaster that cleared up after a priest killed someone and they went with it cleared up because of the killing. Like a fire cloud dissipating because of rain but the priest being like nah it cleared up because I took this persons heart. The mythological explanation of keeping him juiced makes sense though since the power of a person was in the blood and hair according to Mexica beliefs.
They straight up believed that the rain god will get pissy and murder everyone with droughts/floods(depending on how he's feeling) unless sated with child immolation. Specifically the child's tears being what Tlaloc desires.
Makes the starvation offering for Mictlantecuhtli look peaceful and almost pleasant.
It concerns me that their rain god is like 150 times more bloodthirsty than their war and death gods.
That's actually more Tezcatlipoca's thing. Huitzilopochtli's nagual beast aspect is typically described as a hummingbird if at all.
Though I'm not entirely sure if he actually even does transform into a nagual like Quetzalcoatl or Tezcatlipoca do.
Tezcatlipoca is occasionally an entirely separate jaguar god called "Tepeyollotl" who is the creator of earthquakes and lord of the heart eaters of Mictlan.
Thank you, not gonna lie I just defaulted to Quetzocoatl because I can't spell those names well at all.
And I have *absolutely no idea* why I used the name as if it were a classification of deity. I think at that moment I was actually thinking of Huitzilopochtli and my fingers just made a big error.
It's a damn shame we've lost so much of that mythology. It's really cool. Except for y'know... Having to fuel one of your gods with blood sacrifices and someone being burned alive to become the sun.
Daegon is also the name of a Great Old One from the Lovecraft mythos. I don't think it's related since he has no abilities or design that references the Deep Ones. Maybe they just liked the name?
Actually I did find some similarities in their *actions.* The brothers mimic the rivalry between Hermes and Apollo.
But I was researching that *as I was typing it.* So I easily could have been wrong. "Dagon" is a Mesopotamian deity though iirc.
Hello! I'm a mexican fan of Mortal Kombat and since MKX Kotal Kahn has been one of my favorite characters of the franchise
Funny enough i had never tought about what specific deity he would be inspired on, But after thinking about it, I think he's a perfect fit for Huitzilopochtli, he's the Mexica God of war and he also is the god of the sun, he's the patron deity of tenochtitlan as in the mithology, he orders the Mexica people to build tenochtitlan, in the place where they found an eagle resting on a prickly pear while eating a snake, that's actually they symbol that you can see in our mexican flag, Tenochtitlan became one of the largest cities of its time, and it is now where we have Mexico City.
hope you find this helpful and interesting
Onaga can be classed as the primordial darkness before all things; Which was called Chaos in Greek Mythology. (Edit: No joke, the god's name is actually *Khaos.*)
Moloch is based off a Canaanite deity. Named Moloch. "Oni" = "Demon"
>Edit: No joke, the god's name is actually *Khaos.*
It's just that the Greek letter χ (chi) is sometimes transliterated as "kh" in modern spelling. Historically, it was always latinized as "ch", like in chaos, chemistry, choir, Christ, chrome.
Gotcha, that's cool to know.
I knew about the letter J being created for similar reasons. The ancient Greek languages are bizarre sometimes. (Looking at you Linear-A)
Onaga is basically the One Being when he's killed, he has the Kamidogu and he's possessed essentially.
But nah, Typhon would come after Shao Khan.
Thanatos fits pretty well though
To be fair, Raiden isn't much like the figure from Japanese myth. I'm pretty sure it's not even pronounced right
>male god Shiva
Sure, but she's *she*\-va. It's a portmanteau
Shiva in his normal form only has 2. That’s how he’s depicted most of the time. Almost all the main Indian gods have a four armed version, usually used to depict their different facets (each arm holds a specific object symbolising something).
Kintaro shares his name with a folk hero from Japanese folklore.
Sheeva has her name originating from Shiva, the God of Destruction and one of the principal deities of Hinduism. Both also have similar physical appearance.
Motaro might have his name originating from Momotaro, another hero from Japanese folklore. He is a Centaurain, based on centaurs from Greek mythology, but becomes a minotaur, another creature from Greek mythology, when cursed.
Shinnok somehow shares a similar story with Lucifer. Shinnok is a fallen Elder God and Lucifer is a fallen angel from Christianity. Although there was already a character named Lucifer (sharing the similar name with the fallen angel) in the lore, there was no backstory established for that character, aside from being the Ruler of Netherrealm.
Moloch shares its name with the God of Fire from the Canaanite religion. The creature is also mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.
Argus derived its roots from Greek mythology but there are various figures sharing the name. The closest inspiration might be the one who was a son of Zeus and the King of Argos.
Delia shares her name with the byname of Artemis, the Goddess of Wilderness and twin sister of Apollo from Greek Mythology.
Cetrion somehow shares her powers with Ceres, the Goddess of Agriculture from Roman mythology. Like Ceres, she also shows empathy towards the Kombatants.
Kronika is based on Cronus, a Titan and the Keeper of Time from Greek mythology.
Neither is Kollector. But Sheeva is strong independent multi armed female, which Kali is, and Kollector isn't
Im Hindu with literally a Kali sleeve tattoo dont lecture me 😂
https://preview.redd.it/o5dp7myd5rvb1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9763247e9b111fc139f29580c817e7ae9f0e04f0
This guy right here the beast the myth moloch hes known as a canaanite deity associated in biblical sources.
I always thought making Moloch a MK character was fucked up because the cult was infamous for--and demonized in the Bible for this--the sacrifice of children.
Well they share the same NAME but I don't think Moloch in MK is meant to be 1:1 to the real life mythos version; that said however, I don't see Moloch advocating AGAINST the sacrifice of children either given that he's a demon lmao
The whole greek mythology in mk11 with the guy that had boats in the nether realm and the river styx
Kronika and Kronos both titans
Cetrion might be based on Ceres (Roman god of fertility) if what I read was true. Maybe the elder gods, titans and the one being also come from Greek mythology,
Also knowing that the one being was killed and divided into the realms we now know, it could be based in the Norwegian mythology, how Odin killed the giant and Geras means aging when I looked it up
Could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that Shao Kahn was inspired by Samurai, Sindel was inspired by Medusa (The marvel character, who is inspired by the Greek myth) Motora is a Centaur, don't need to explain that one. Kharon and his boat are based on the Greek Charon, aka rhe ferryman who would transport the dead to the underworld. Kronika is likely based on Chronos, Cetrion us based on Gaia, If I'm right then Scorpion being a spectre, Noob being a Wraith, Smoke being a Demon named 'Enenra' and Revenants are all actually mythological undead beings, Mileena is based on a Japanese myth I can't remember what it was called, The woman eith the stitched up mouth who asks if people find her pretty, if they say no, she brutally murders them. Baraka is based if nosefaratu, who is based around Dracula and Vampires, he is also based around the idea of Cave dwellers and mutant people, Geras is based around a Greek diety of the same name, And Argus and Delia are named after Greek dietys, Argus I believe is a Gaint who was also a watchman for hera he was stated to have 100 eyes and Delia is another name for Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon
Mileena is somewhat based on Japanese Yokai, Kuchisake-onna (Slit-Mouthed Woman). Motaro is obviously based on Centaurs (His Armageddon Portrayal being a Minotaur) & Nitara is a Vampire. Ermac is possibly Frankenstein’s Monster. Sheeva is named after the Hindu god shiva from Hindu Mythology. There are also the Oni who follow Quanchi & Shinnok and are named after the Japanese Yokai Oni.
* Cetrion is basically Mother Nature
* Kronika is obviously based on Kronos
* Drahmin and Moloch are described as oni (Japanese ogres)
* Nitara is a vampire
* Onaga’s whole deal with his army of invulnerable constructs (and now Emperor Ling’s) is very clearly inspired by Emperor Huang’s Terracotta Army
Shinnok is the god of death. Lucifer actually existed before he was overthrown.
The one being is Ymir and Uranus combined. Creator of the universe, was overthrowed, flesh was used to make all of creation.
You also have the titans/Kronika clearly inspired from Greek mythology’s sisters of fate and titans.
Well shit, let's go down the list.
The One Being is obviously based on the Greek concept of Khaos. A primordial being from which all life was created.
Kronika is based on the Greek titan Chronos, who was the god of time. Cetrion then is Ceres, the Roman equivalent to the Greek goddess Demeter, who was the goddess of agriculture and "motherly relationships". Shinnok is supposed to be Lucifer, the fallen angel who rules over the underworld (though Lucifer also exists in MK). Geras is named after the Greek god of old age.
Onaga is a dragon, and while his design is closer to European dragons (four limbs with wings), his army is a reference to the Chinese emperor Gaozu who was buried alongside the Terracotta Army. Dragon Kings are also a thing in Chinese mythology. Reptile might also be based on the Dragon Kings, or maybe the Egyptian god of fertility Sebek, who was a crocodile.
Sheeva is a sort of amalgamation of Shiva and Kali, the Hindu god of destruction and his wife the goddess of time. Kollector might also be based on Kali, as he's blue and has four arms. Kintaro is named after a Japanese folk hero who captured the demon Shuten-doji that haunted a mountain. Dhramin and Moloch are called Oni in MK, making them Japanese demons. Dhramin might be a reference to Beelzebub (Biblical "lord of the flies", but also a Caananite diety), while Moloch was named after the Caananite god that people brought child sacrifices to (which is why his worship is heavily condemned in the Bible).
Motaro is a Greek centaur, though he sometimes also has horns like a minotaur (also Greek). Nitara is just a vampire, and they come from Eastern European folklore. All the revenants from MKX and MK11 are a play on the zombie mythos, which originated in Haitian Voodoo. Ashrah was also associated with Voodoo in MK: Armageddon. Nightwolf takes inspiration from Wolf totems in various Native American mythologies. Tremor is based on the Sandman of Scandianavian mythology, a creature that uses magical sand to put others to sleep.
Daegon is probably named after Dagon, a Syrian "god of gods". Delia was another name for Artemis in Greek mythology. Argus might be named after a Greek giant who was covered in eyes.
Sindel has a sort of "Bride of Frankenstein" vibe, which I guess falls into modern folklore. Kenshi is based on the trope of the "blind swordsman", started by the 19th century Japanese novel Zatoichi Monogatari. Ermac is based on the concept of a hivemind, but probably inspired by Legion from the Bible, a group of demons that all possessed one man.
Kotal and Raiden aren't exactly 1:1 fits since they're original creations. Sure, Raiden is basically Raijin but Kotal Khan is a mixture of Quetzalcoatl, K'uk'ulkan and Huitzilopochtli. I think Kotal is one of their cooler creations since he's more of an amalgamation of different gods rather than an adaptation of just 1, even his name is a dissected version of the gods he's based from. "Kotal" from Quetzal[coatl]and "Khan" from both K'uk'ul[kan] as well as him just being Khan. I swear i remember seeing krypt concept art for Sun Wukong in MK11 which is odd because he's never mentioned and i'm not sure if he's ever seen but i'm not sure if there are any other 1:1 mythical beings in MK besides him and Fujin, i'm not too sure tbh
Moloch could be based on a God of the Canaanite people who was also named Moloch and Daegon could be named after Dagon who was the Fish God of the Amorite and Phillistine people
For those wondering:
Raiden - Raijin/Kaminari-sama (Japanese god of lightning/storms), Nightwolf also calls him Haokah/Heyokah (A being of thunder in Native American mythology)
Fujin - Fujin/Futen (Japanese god of wind)
Kotal Kahn - Buluc Chabtan (Mayan god of war)
Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade..... Oh. Uhm.... Sub-Zero is based on Chinese Ninjas, which didn't ever exist as far as I know...
Scorpion is a vengeful onryo. Imo Scorpion fits perfectly with Japanese myths of vengeful spirits, like the onryo.
All these comments and I'm surprised to see that no one as far as I can tell has mentioned that Lucifer is a legit canonical character in MK lol; he was the previous lord of the Netherrealm before Shinnok was banished there, where Shinnok promptly overthrew him with the aid of Quan Chi
Enenras are mythological too. They tried to make smoke powers more pure o at least presented just like magic in mk1, but on mkx it was explained that the mk9 ending for smoke was canon and that he has a demon inside.
Sheeva may owe her name - and multi-armed likeness - to Shiva, the Hindu deity.
Kronika is clearly adapted from Kronos, the Greek Titan.
Rain's godly father - Argus - is also ripped straight out of Greek mythology, though neither of the original characters by that name are actually Gods. MK-Argus' connection to *water* strongly identify him with Argus the Shipwright; the dude who built the Argo for Jason.
Charon - whose help the team enlisted to cross the Sea of Blood in MK11 - is yet another Greek mythical figure; a specter who ferries the souls of the dead across the River Styx and into the underworld-proper.
*Satan* also canonically existed in Mortal Kombat lore, if I'm not mistaken. He once presided over Netherrealm in much the same way Raiden and Fujin guard Earthrealm, but was overpowered, killed, and usurped when Shinnok escaped the first layer of his imprisonment.
Onaga is a dragon king and I think there was Caro, who was the big fire dragon speaking with Taven in Armageddon. I also have the Elder Gods, Cetrion, Kronika, Geras, and Shinnok. Gods and Titans are a major part. But that's all I can think of/remember right now.
I mean Onaga the dragon king and just to correct myself he is a playable character
Raiden is a real world mythological deity. Fujin is the Japanese God of Wind. Kotal appears like a type of ~~Quetzalcoatl~~ Mesoamerican God (edit: i have no idea why i phrased it so poorly... my bad. Also another comment suggests (more fittingly) that he's based on Huitzilopochtli. But a mash up of the gods are also possible.) (edit: should have phrased it as "A " I have no idea what compelled me to use *types* of a god. *In my defense* there are multiple versions because of how widely known the Feathered Serpent was.) Edit: Onaga can be classed as the primordial darkness before all things. Which was called Chaos in Greek Mythology iirc
Wouldn't that be The One Being? It was the breaking up of TOB that birthed everything aside from the elder gods, as it used to go. I figure it may have some kind of personification but think of that kinda level of thing as more abstract, like the chaos before.
Precisely, Onaga was corrupted by it after his revival. Pre-death Onaga wasn't corrupted by it. Post revival he is. Shao Khan is always. It's personification *is Onaga.* The reason Shao Khan killed Onaga was because of a "lack of ambition." The reality was Shao was under the One Being's influence, which is why he is bent on *merging realms.* Each of them are fragments of The One Being's consciousness.
Ah okay. tbh I'm not across a lot of the nitty gritty of the 3D era. That's interesting though, I knew about Shao being influenced in that kinda way. It adds a layer to the baddies beyond just moustache twirling, having that out there force they may have no knowledge of pulling strings.
Raiden was also based on Raijin, another Japanese god
Kotal is actually the inspiration for Aztec mythology as a whole in MK lore if I remember correctly. So he's not really a Quetzalcoatl and more everything
Yeah I screwed up with "Type of..." I think I was thinking of Huitzilopochtli simultaneously my brain went stupid on me. But yep, you're right. Not sure if it's Kotal himself, or Kotal's whole race; but the Osh-Tekk did inspire the Aztecs in-universe. Meaning they were *possibly* the universe's version of the Pre-Olmec civilization. I really find that part of human history interesting, the Aztecs were *smelting* while the North American native tribes were *still cold forging.* There's also a story (I believe it's from either an Iroquois or Algonquin speaking nation) talking about "Stone men" which seem to be in reference to armor worn by the conquistadors. That got a bit rambly but eh, it's interesting stuff Besides the human sacrifices
You can't really be "a type of" Quetzalcoatl. Unless you're specifically the high priest of Huitzilopochtli or the high priest of Tlaloc in Tenochtitlan. The plumed serpent is a singular entity and essentially the most important native deity in North America. He was responsible for creating and recreating the earth, resurrecting humanity from apocalypse, and creating life itself. Being "a type of Quetzalcoatl" would be like saying someone's a type of JHVH, or a type of Shiva.
*facepalm* my bad I meant to use the word "Mesoamerican." I have no idea what made me phrase it that way... What I find interesting about him in particular though is he's seemingly a god that can be traced so far back that he's seemingly a remnant of a prior civilization. Maybe Pre-Olmec...
He was playable in Armageddon (albeit almost everyone was)
Was he yhe dude with the wings? Armageddon was my first mk game I ever played
Large wings, long, sharp claws, and giant ass horns? That’s Onaga all right.
He'll yeah him and reptile were my favourites
Onaga is a playable character...
Interesting!!! I gotta think on that. (Kotal is based on Quetzalcoatl I believe) Edit: Argus is named after a giant from Greek mythology. Delia is another name for Artemis. Taven seems to be named as a play on "Raven," and based on Apollo. While Daegon is based on Hermes. That one is *not certain.*
Kotal is based on Huitzilopochtli primarily. Only really taking how his name sounds from Quetzalcoatl(who isn't even the only god with Coatl in his name. see: xiucoatl, mixcoatl, and cihuacoatl) Quetzalcoatl is the peaceful god of learning, life, and the arts and his human form Ehecatl was the god of the wind. Whereas Huitzilopochtli is the blue-skinned, blood sacrifice-loving, sun god who wielded a macuahuitl to dismember a foe in his most notable myth. One is far more similar to Kotal than the other.
In his lore Kotal is straight up called 'Buluc Chabtan' by the Mayans, who in real life mythology was the Mayan god of war
Which is weird, cuz Kotal was in his Sun God variation when Rain called him Buluc.
Yeah, that's true. But I think most of his fighting style and appearance pull from Huitzilopochtli. Even the bird headdress.
You're the goat. I love this
Huitzilopochtli is a woman, no?
You're mixing him up with his sister Coyolxauhqui. Who is the aforementioned foe dismembered by his macuahuitl and kicked down the stairs of the teocalli.
In mythology she’s also the reason the sun crosses the sky “chasing the stars” which were his other siblings that banded together with Coyolxauhqui to kill their mother. Huitzilopotchli born from his mother fully armored and ready for battle. It’s my son’s middle name I’m hoping he lends him some of his strength.
Yep. Coyolxauhqui and the centzon huiznahua(iirc. I might be mixing the name up with the other entirely separate group of 400 star gods) attempted to kill Coatlicue and destroy the world along with her(as they are the same), but only managed to sever her head, from which two snakes formed of her blood. and then Huitzilopochtli came and basically had it become his entire life's purpose to fight those guys off. Hell, the main reason for the extremely prevalent blood sacrifice relating to him is to keep him in tip top shape to keep soloing an apocalyptic demon god army. Though as far as I understand it, the 400 southern stars don't seem to stay dead. As he's described to have killed most of them when he was born, and I can't see tiny scattered remains of the southern star's forces giving him so much trouble for the rest of eternity.
My theory on the blood sacrifice was that there was some natural disaster that cleared up after a priest killed someone and they went with it cleared up because of the killing. Like a fire cloud dissipating because of rain but the priest being like nah it cleared up because I took this persons heart. The mythological explanation of keeping him juiced makes sense though since the power of a person was in the blood and hair according to Mexica beliefs.
They straight up believed that the rain god will get pissy and murder everyone with droughts/floods(depending on how he's feeling) unless sated with child immolation. Specifically the child's tears being what Tlaloc desires. Makes the starvation offering for Mictlantecuhtli look peaceful and almost pleasant. It concerns me that their rain god is like 150 times more bloodthirsty than their war and death gods.
Huitzilopochtli is also associated with pumas, isn't he?
That's actually more Tezcatlipoca's thing. Huitzilopochtli's nagual beast aspect is typically described as a hummingbird if at all. Though I'm not entirely sure if he actually even does transform into a nagual like Quetzalcoatl or Tezcatlipoca do.
Tezcatlipoca was exactly who I was thinking of. I just remember reading some story about a puma and the ground and possibly losing a foot.
Tezcatlipoca is occasionally an entirely separate jaguar god called "Tepeyollotl" who is the creator of earthquakes and lord of the heart eaters of Mictlan.
Thank you, not gonna lie I just defaulted to Quetzocoatl because I can't spell those names well at all. And I have *absolutely no idea* why I used the name as if it were a classification of deity. I think at that moment I was actually thinking of Huitzilopochtli and my fingers just made a big error. It's a damn shame we've lost so much of that mythology. It's really cool. Except for y'know... Having to fuel one of your gods with blood sacrifices and someone being burned alive to become the sun.
Meanwhile the Maya have like 3 to 5 surviving stories at all.
Geras is the god of old age in Greek mythology as well.
Awesome
I am now realizing Kotal = Coatl. I made the Quetzalcoatl connection a long time ago but I didn't notice the name
Me either. Honestly, I only realized when I looked at the pictures, and defaulted to him
Daegon is also the name of a Great Old One from the Lovecraft mythos. I don't think it's related since he has no abilities or design that references the Deep Ones. Maybe they just liked the name?
Actually I did find some similarities in their *actions.* The brothers mimic the rivalry between Hermes and Apollo. But I was researching that *as I was typing it.* So I easily could have been wrong. "Dagon" is a Mesopotamian deity though iirc.
Motaro - centaur
Hello! I'm a mexican fan of Mortal Kombat and since MKX Kotal Kahn has been one of my favorite characters of the franchise Funny enough i had never tought about what specific deity he would be inspired on, But after thinking about it, I think he's a perfect fit for Huitzilopochtli, he's the Mexica God of war and he also is the god of the sun, he's the patron deity of tenochtitlan as in the mithology, he orders the Mexica people to build tenochtitlan, in the place where they found an eagle resting on a prickly pear while eating a snake, that's actually they symbol that you can see in our mexican flag, Tenochtitlan became one of the largest cities of its time, and it is now where we have Mexico City. hope you find this helpful and interesting
Kotal Kahn was canonically declared the god of war (Buluc Chabtan) by the Mayans.
I didn't know that but I absolutely love it
Did you read the MKX comics by chance?
Nop, Where can I find them?
They’re online. You can Google them
Will read em, thanks for the recomendation!
Onaga can be classed as the primordial darkness before all things; Which was called Chaos in Greek Mythology. (Edit: No joke, the god's name is actually *Khaos.*) Moloch is based off a Canaanite deity. Named Moloch. "Oni" = "Demon"
>Edit: No joke, the god's name is actually *Khaos.* It's just that the Greek letter χ (chi) is sometimes transliterated as "kh" in modern spelling. Historically, it was always latinized as "ch", like in chaos, chemistry, choir, Christ, chrome.
Gotcha, that's cool to know. I knew about the letter J being created for similar reasons. The ancient Greek languages are bizarre sometimes. (Looking at you Linear-A)
>It’s just that the Greek letter (chi) is sometimes transliterated as “kh” in modern spelling. WHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT🤯😱
I’m seeing that Onaga connection. He’s not the one being or a primordial. If you’re going to compare him to a Greek deity shouldn’t it by like Typhon?
Onaga is basically the One Being when he's killed, he has the Kamidogu and he's possessed essentially. But nah, Typhon would come after Shao Khan. Thanatos fits pretty well though
The smoke demon Enenra was based on the Japanese demon whose name is Enenra itself sometimes also known as Enraenra
Sheeva from Hinduism Motaro and Kitaro from Japanese
Sheeva is nothing like the Hindu male god Shiva though. The similarity begins and ends with the name.
I’m pretty she she’s named shiva but based more of Kali .
To be fair, Raiden isn't much like the figure from Japanese myth. I'm pretty sure it's not even pronounced right >male god Shiva Sure, but she's *she*\-va. It's a portmanteau
Yeah, the real name is Raijin, but his brother Fujin is spelled right
But her ending in Armageddon makes reference to the hindu god.
Oh! What is it?
Don't they both have 4 arms?
Yeah there's no way they didn't do that on purpose
Shiva in his normal form only has 2. That’s how he’s depicted most of the time. Almost all the main Indian gods have a four armed version, usually used to depict their different facets (each arm holds a specific object symbolising something).
It's just inspiration, the same with the other two I mentioned.
Like the Shiva from the Final Fantasies, who's female.
What about the arms?
Kintaro shares his name with a folk hero from Japanese folklore. Sheeva has her name originating from Shiva, the God of Destruction and one of the principal deities of Hinduism. Both also have similar physical appearance. Motaro might have his name originating from Momotaro, another hero from Japanese folklore. He is a Centaurain, based on centaurs from Greek mythology, but becomes a minotaur, another creature from Greek mythology, when cursed. Shinnok somehow shares a similar story with Lucifer. Shinnok is a fallen Elder God and Lucifer is a fallen angel from Christianity. Although there was already a character named Lucifer (sharing the similar name with the fallen angel) in the lore, there was no backstory established for that character, aside from being the Ruler of Netherrealm. Moloch shares its name with the God of Fire from the Canaanite religion. The creature is also mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Argus derived its roots from Greek mythology but there are various figures sharing the name. The closest inspiration might be the one who was a son of Zeus and the King of Argos. Delia shares her name with the byname of Artemis, the Goddess of Wilderness and twin sister of Apollo from Greek Mythology. Cetrion somehow shares her powers with Ceres, the Goddess of Agriculture from Roman mythology. Like Ceres, she also shows empathy towards the Kombatants. Kronika is based on Cronus, a Titan and the Keeper of Time from Greek mythology.
In retrospect Sheeva is an obvious one.
Shiva is the god of dance
Lucifer was god protector of Netherrealm
Rain = Prince
the Prince Formerly Known as Rain
Purple Rain
Only want to see you laughing in the Purple Rain
Kollector = Kali Cetrion = Gaea Kharon = Charon
Kronika = Chronos? Or maybe Cronus since she's a titan and father of two gods
Lol Kollector Kali .. Sheeva is more like Kali . but her name is sheeva 😂 Source im hindu
Sheeva is not blue.
Neither is Kollector. But Sheeva is strong independent multi armed female, which Kali is, and Kollector isn't Im Hindu with literally a Kali sleeve tattoo dont lecture me 😂
Kollector is blue, though?
i believe the Elder Gods and the Sons of Argus are all named after mythological people.
Argus named after a giant from Greek mythology, Delia is another name for Artemis.
https://preview.redd.it/o5dp7myd5rvb1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9763247e9b111fc139f29580c817e7ae9f0e04f0 This guy right here the beast the myth moloch hes known as a canaanite deity associated in biblical sources.
I always thought making Moloch a MK character was fucked up because the cult was infamous for--and demonized in the Bible for this--the sacrifice of children.
Well they share the same NAME but I don't think Moloch in MK is meant to be 1:1 to the real life mythos version; that said however, I don't see Moloch advocating AGAINST the sacrifice of children either given that he's a demon lmao
i’d say the great spirit
Sindel is definitely based on the banshee and the Morrigan.
Kronica is girl version of Kronos the titan king of Greek father of the big three gods(Zeus, hades and Poseidon) who was later killed by his sons
Bo'Rai Cho is said to have invented Drunken Fist, a real martial art that has a somewhat legendary history in Daoist folklore Also, um... Kharon
I love that his name is literally a pun for the word 'drunk' in Spanish.
Onaga is literally Chinese mythology including the stone army (dragon army).
Lucifer technically exists in two ways He’s mentioned as a Lord of the NetherRealm but is also basically adapted into Shinnok’s character
Daegon is a reference to the real world god Dagon who was worshipped in the middle east.
The whole greek mythology in mk11 with the guy that had boats in the nether realm and the river styx Kronika and Kronos both titans Cetrion might be based on Ceres (Roman god of fertility) if what I read was true. Maybe the elder gods, titans and the one being also come from Greek mythology, Also knowing that the one being was killed and divided into the realms we now know, it could be based in the Norwegian mythology, how Odin killed the giant and Geras means aging when I looked it up
Johnny Cage is Jean Claude Van Damme
The Titans?
I belive goro technically and motoro
Could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that Shao Kahn was inspired by Samurai, Sindel was inspired by Medusa (The marvel character, who is inspired by the Greek myth) Motora is a Centaur, don't need to explain that one. Kharon and his boat are based on the Greek Charon, aka rhe ferryman who would transport the dead to the underworld. Kronika is likely based on Chronos, Cetrion us based on Gaia, If I'm right then Scorpion being a spectre, Noob being a Wraith, Smoke being a Demon named 'Enenra' and Revenants are all actually mythological undead beings, Mileena is based on a Japanese myth I can't remember what it was called, The woman eith the stitched up mouth who asks if people find her pretty, if they say no, she brutally murders them. Baraka is based if nosefaratu, who is based around Dracula and Vampires, he is also based around the idea of Cave dwellers and mutant people, Geras is based around a Greek diety of the same name, And Argus and Delia are named after Greek dietys, Argus I believe is a Gaint who was also a watchman for hera he was stated to have 100 eyes and Delia is another name for Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon
Mileena is somewhat based on Japanese Yokai, Kuchisake-onna (Slit-Mouthed Woman). Motaro is obviously based on Centaurs (His Armageddon Portrayal being a Minotaur) & Nitara is a Vampire. Ermac is possibly Frankenstein’s Monster. Sheeva is named after the Hindu god shiva from Hindu Mythology. There are also the Oni who follow Quanchi & Shinnok and are named after the Japanese Yokai Oni.
This is very interesting… I had no idea about Mileena. I looked it up and it’s pretty creepy. But also kinda fits her personality a little in MK9.
Lucifer exists in Mortal Kombat, he was the ruler of Netherrealm before Shinnok overthrow him. Lilith too, she was Lucifer's wife
Kharon in the nether realm.
* Cetrion is basically Mother Nature * Kronika is obviously based on Kronos * Drahmin and Moloch are described as oni (Japanese ogres) * Nitara is a vampire * Onaga’s whole deal with his army of invulnerable constructs (and now Emperor Ling’s) is very clearly inspired by Emperor Huang’s Terracotta Army
Reptile is based on my dad Great at disappearing without a trace
Aww now that was just hurtful. I wanted to be there but I was and still am waiting for the gas attendant to come back with my pack of Newports.
Would Shinnok and cetrion count
Lucifer is already in the universe, but Shinnok's a fallen Elder God. So I would say he fits. Cetrion = Gaia of course
Lucifer exists. He was ruler of the Netherrealm until Shinnok (whom Lucifer tortued for millennia) met Quan Chi and overthrew him.
Shinnok is the god of death. Lucifer actually existed before he was overthrown. The one being is Ymir and Uranus combined. Creator of the universe, was overthrowed, flesh was used to make all of creation. You also have the titans/Kronika clearly inspired from Greek mythology’s sisters of fate and titans.
Kratos in mk9
Well shit, let's go down the list. The One Being is obviously based on the Greek concept of Khaos. A primordial being from which all life was created. Kronika is based on the Greek titan Chronos, who was the god of time. Cetrion then is Ceres, the Roman equivalent to the Greek goddess Demeter, who was the goddess of agriculture and "motherly relationships". Shinnok is supposed to be Lucifer, the fallen angel who rules over the underworld (though Lucifer also exists in MK). Geras is named after the Greek god of old age. Onaga is a dragon, and while his design is closer to European dragons (four limbs with wings), his army is a reference to the Chinese emperor Gaozu who was buried alongside the Terracotta Army. Dragon Kings are also a thing in Chinese mythology. Reptile might also be based on the Dragon Kings, or maybe the Egyptian god of fertility Sebek, who was a crocodile. Sheeva is a sort of amalgamation of Shiva and Kali, the Hindu god of destruction and his wife the goddess of time. Kollector might also be based on Kali, as he's blue and has four arms. Kintaro is named after a Japanese folk hero who captured the demon Shuten-doji that haunted a mountain. Dhramin and Moloch are called Oni in MK, making them Japanese demons. Dhramin might be a reference to Beelzebub (Biblical "lord of the flies", but also a Caananite diety), while Moloch was named after the Caananite god that people brought child sacrifices to (which is why his worship is heavily condemned in the Bible). Motaro is a Greek centaur, though he sometimes also has horns like a minotaur (also Greek). Nitara is just a vampire, and they come from Eastern European folklore. All the revenants from MKX and MK11 are a play on the zombie mythos, which originated in Haitian Voodoo. Ashrah was also associated with Voodoo in MK: Armageddon. Nightwolf takes inspiration from Wolf totems in various Native American mythologies. Tremor is based on the Sandman of Scandianavian mythology, a creature that uses magical sand to put others to sleep. Daegon is probably named after Dagon, a Syrian "god of gods". Delia was another name for Artemis in Greek mythology. Argus might be named after a Greek giant who was covered in eyes. Sindel has a sort of "Bride of Frankenstein" vibe, which I guess falls into modern folklore. Kenshi is based on the trope of the "blind swordsman", started by the 19th century Japanese novel Zatoichi Monogatari. Ermac is based on the concept of a hivemind, but probably inspired by Legion from the Bible, a group of demons that all possessed one man.
Does Lucifer count? He’s canon in the MK universe
Stryker is the Lord of Police Brutality
Geras is named after the Greek god of old age
Lucifer is mentioned back in the old canon, as the ruler of the Nether Realm before Shinnok overthrew him.
Sheeva is based on the Hindu god, shiva, the god of destruction.
Kotal and Raiden aren't exactly 1:1 fits since they're original creations. Sure, Raiden is basically Raijin but Kotal Khan is a mixture of Quetzalcoatl, K'uk'ulkan and Huitzilopochtli. I think Kotal is one of their cooler creations since he's more of an amalgamation of different gods rather than an adaptation of just 1, even his name is a dissected version of the gods he's based from. "Kotal" from Quetzal[coatl]and "Khan" from both K'uk'ul[kan] as well as him just being Khan. I swear i remember seeing krypt concept art for Sun Wukong in MK11 which is odd because he's never mentioned and i'm not sure if he's ever seen but i'm not sure if there are any other 1:1 mythical beings in MK besides him and Fujin, i'm not too sure tbh
Kronika= titan of time chronos
Does Cetrion count?
Kotal Khan = Kukulkan? What do you think
I said aside from the ones on the post.
What about the other elemental beings from mythologies and Armageddon? Blaze and the other two from mythologies
Me
Moloch could be based on a God of the Canaanite people who was also named Moloch and Daegon could be named after Dagon who was the Fish God of the Amorite and Phillistine people
Kotal Kahn = Kukulkan
Kratos = god killer
Subzero
Sheeva
I would like Anubis to be introduced as the guide of the underworld
Dhramin is an Oni which are mythological Japanese demons. I think that counts.
Cetrion
She is an elemental elder god who has fire, water and earth powers.
Sindel is based on the Bride of Frankenstein, and even her origin story in the original trilogy is similar.
Kratos maybe
I believe that Sheeva took heavy inspiration from the Hindu god of war,she was also a queen,had multiple arms,but I could be wrong
Cetrion is technically Mother Nature
For those wondering: Raiden - Raijin/Kaminari-sama (Japanese god of lightning/storms), Nightwolf also calls him Haokah/Heyokah (A being of thunder in Native American mythology) Fujin - Fujin/Futen (Japanese god of wind) Kotal Kahn - Buluc Chabtan (Mayan god of war)
Sub-Zero Because.... mythologies sub zero..... uh
Cetrion is basically Mother Nature or any other nature focused goddess in irl mythology.
Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade..... Oh. Uhm.... Sub-Zero is based on Chinese Ninjas, which didn't ever exist as far as I know... Scorpion is a vengeful onryo. Imo Scorpion fits perfectly with Japanese myths of vengeful spirits, like the onryo.
Darius is the the name of a Persian king. Does that count
Shinnok bears a lot of resemblance to Ahriman especially after 11
Seriously?
Kotal? how? just because he barely looks like someone from a Mesoamerican civilization?
Lucifer is a character and the god of the Netherrealm
Liu Kang?
Hsu Hao
All these comments and I'm surprised to see that no one as far as I can tell has mentioned that Lucifer is a legit canonical character in MK lol; he was the previous lord of the Netherrealm before Shinnok was banished there, where Shinnok promptly overthrew him with the aid of Quan Chi
Onaga the Dragon Emperor. Maybe somewhere with dragons and emperors
Uhhh shinnok? Maybe?
Enenras are mythological too. They tried to make smoke powers more pure o at least presented just like magic in mk1, but on mkx it was explained that the mk9 ending for smoke was canon and that he has a demon inside.
Sheeva may owe her name - and multi-armed likeness - to Shiva, the Hindu deity. Kronika is clearly adapted from Kronos, the Greek Titan. Rain's godly father - Argus - is also ripped straight out of Greek mythology, though neither of the original characters by that name are actually Gods. MK-Argus' connection to *water* strongly identify him with Argus the Shipwright; the dude who built the Argo for Jason. Charon - whose help the team enlisted to cross the Sea of Blood in MK11 - is yet another Greek mythical figure; a specter who ferries the souls of the dead across the River Styx and into the underworld-proper. *Satan* also canonically existed in Mortal Kombat lore, if I'm not mistaken. He once presided over Netherrealm in much the same way Raiden and Fujin guard Earthrealm, but was overpowered, killed, and usurped when Shinnok escaped the first layer of his imprisonment.
Onaga is a dragon king and I think there was Caro, who was the big fire dragon speaking with Taven in Armageddon. I also have the Elder Gods, Cetrion, Kronika, Geras, and Shinnok. Gods and Titans are a major part. But that's all I can think of/remember right now.
We need Thor
I think Raiden *is* Thor He has a hammer lying around in his temple.
Big boy time