|
I find the term "eternal maiden" very interesting, and after reading some of the other posts I find myself still wondering about what it really means. Does being an eternal maiden mean that they never physically age? But that doesn't make sense, since relatively, they would have to age, even if they pop in and out of time eventually they'll age physically.
All the sibyllae age in the show, some of them past the regular age limit of 17 in the show, but are still considered to be the same as the younger girls since none of them have visited the Spring and chosen a gender. And with Dominura as an example, clearly the physical age of the sibyllae doesn't matter when it comes to flying simoun. Technically, aren't Aaeru and Neviril just prolonged versions of Dominura (aging slowly because they are in and out of time but just basically old sybillae?)
So does it mean that they stay eternal maidens emotionally? As in never mature, take responsibilities, etc. But then you get characters like Onashia, Limone and Dominura.
Aside: I personally consider Limone and Dominura to have accomplished the same thing that Aaeru and Neviril did, completing the Emerald Ri Maajon and travelling through time as sibyllae forever. I know that some people disagree, this is just my interpretation.
Those three characters did take on responsibilities: Onashia as guardian of the Spring, Limone and Dominura as instructors of the past people about the Simouns. So can they really be considered "eternal maidens" aka immature girls who haven't become adults?
So both the meanings of "eternal" and "maiden" seem to be very subjective, and so to reiterate my previous question, what exactly defines an "eternal maiden"? And do any of the characters actually become these maidens, or do many of them accomplish it?
|