Goddess Statue: Difference between revisions

Each major settlement in {{Term|BotW|Hyrule}} contains a {{Term|BotW|Goddess Statue}}, even in {{Term|BotW|Gerudo Town|link}} where belief in the {{Term|BotW|Hylia|display=Goddess}} faded in favor of local religious faith and practices.<ref name="Muava"/><ref>{{Cite|No one here really believes in that stuff anymore, though, so they tend to avoid stopping here. Kind of like they avoid me...|Muava|BotW}}</ref> The {{Term|BotW|Goddess Statue}} in {{Term|BotW|Kakariko Village|link}} is adorned with a red bib, which reflects the Japanese cultural influences on the {{Plural|BotW|Sheikah}}.{{Note|The red bib of {{Term|BotW|Kakariko Village|link}}'s {{Term|BotW|Goddess Statue}} is based on Japanese Buddhist statues of {{Romanize|お地蔵様|Ojizō-sama}}, a {{Wp|bodhisattva}} who is believed to protect children, pregnant women, and travelers.<ref>{{Cite web|quote= Jizo, protector of travelers: Jizo is the first deity most people encounter when they set foot in Japan. This is because he is the protector of travelers. You’ll find Jizo peeking out among the grasses along the road, standing at intersections, overseeing borders, or sitting in a wooden shelter built especially for him. Jizo is at temples too, where sometimes he holds a baby in his arms. He is found at boundaries between places both physical and spiritual, between here and there, life and death.<br/>Jizo, protector of children: Jizo takes care of the souls of unborn children and those who die at a young age. Children “in limbo” in Japan are said to go to a place called sai no kawara, where they must create piles of stones into small towers. But every night the stone towers are destroyed by demons, so the next day the children must make new piles of stones. The making of these towers is to help their parents accrue merit for their own afterlife. This is why you sometimes see stray stones that have been made into little towers alongside Jizo statues. People make them for the souls of these children, to help them achieve their goals. People also leave toys, candy or fruit as offerings at the base of Jizo statues.<br/>Women also pray to Jizo for fertility and easy childbirth. Some temples sell amulets for this purpose. |author= Amy Chavez |published= March 31, 2012 |retrieved= May 6, 2020 |url= https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2012/03/31/our-lives/a-guide-to-jizo-guardian-of-travelers-and-the-weak/ |title= A guide to Jizo, guardian of travelers and the weak {{!}} The Japan Times |site= The Japan Times |type= }}</ref>}} Even prior to its construction, the site of {{Term|BotW|Tarrey Town|link}} contains a lone {{Term|BotW|Goddess Statue}} in a pond. {{Plural|BotW|Goddess Statue}} can also be found in the {{Term|BotW|Spring of Courage|link|display=Springs of Courage}}, {{Term|BotW|Spring of Power|link|display=Power}}, and {{Term|BotW|Spring of Wisdom|link|display=Wisdom}}. These {{Plural|BotW|Goddess Statue}} are unique in that they guard {{Plural|BotW|Ancient Shrine|link}} and require offerings of {{Plural|BotW|Dinraal's Scale|link}}, {{Plural|BotW|Farosh's Scale|link}}, {{Plural|BotW|Naydra's Scale|link}} respectively from each of the eponymous {{Plural|BotW|Dragon|link}} before they reveal the ways to their {{Plural|BotW|Ancient Shrine}}. The oldest known {{Term|BotW|Goddess Statue}} is located in the {{Term|BotW|Forgotten Temple|link}}.<ref>{{Cite|You've conquered all of the shrine trials. The monks have prepared a gift for just such an occasion. Head to the Forgotten Temple where the oldest statue of the Goddess stands to see what they have left for you there.|A Gift from the Monks|BotW}}</ref>