When the Pandaren of the Wandering Isle come to Pandaria proper, I suspect they will find the August Celestials to be very familiar….
Remember the Muppet Babies and the Disney Babies and the Tiny Toons from the late ’80s and early ’90s? The relationship between the August Celestials of Pandaria mainland and the Ancient Elemental Spirits of the Wandering Isle sort of reminds me of that.
On a more serious level,
Xuen, the white tiger, is the embodiment of true strength, standing against the perverted uses of strength by the Shas of Anger, Violence, and Hatred; Huo, the ancient spirit of fire, represents “the passion of Shen-zin Su”.
Yu’lon, the jade serpent, is the embodiment of confidence, standing against the Sha of Doubt; Shu, the ancient spirit of water, represents “the spirit of Shen-zin Su”.
Niuzao, the black ox, is the embodiment of bravery, standing against the Sha of Fear; Wugou, the ancient spirit of earth, represents “the body of Shen-zin Su”.
Chi-ji, the red crane, is the embodiment of hope, standing against the Sha of Despair; Dafeng, the ancient spirit of air, represents… well, the quest chain doesn’t say. Given that we restore him by defeating the great black cloud serpent that is frightening him, however, I think “the courage of Shen-zin Su” is a reasonable interpretation.
True strength to govern one’s passions wisely. Confidence of spirit and mind to not only overcome doubts, but also have joy and delight in life. Bravery to protect the lives and property of oneself and those one loves. Hope, which gives one the courage to go and do things that may be mentally or emotionally overwhelming.
These are the lessons the Pandaren have for the rest of Azeroth… but how much more destruction must we wreak upon their land before our leaders understand?
#IntPiPoMo 51/50
Delightful pics of the spirits there! And congrats on finishing IntPiPoMo Kam
Thank you, thank you!
This explained a lot to me! I think it will even help me in writing so thanks for pointing it out
I had not drawn such explicit connections between to the two groups of four.
You’re welcome!
I didn’t do the Wandering Isle until after I’d reached level 90. When I first encountered Wugou and saw that he has an ox face, that got me thinking. Huo has a cat face… and oh, I guess that’s what Shu is, some kind of reptile face. Ox, Tiger, Serpent… only Crane is left, so the last ancient elemental spirit must have a bird face. And sure enough, Dafeng does indeed have a bird face.
Then I started thinking about how the elements and aspects of Shen-zin Su represented by the Ancient Spirits might be connected to the concepts represented by the August Celestials, and it seems to me that they match up pretty well.