Wonder Woman's Greek in BvS - Nerdistnerdist.com/.../2016/03/Wonder-Womans-Greek-in-BvS.pdf ·...

The$“Greek”$on$Wonder$Woman’s$Equipment$in$Batman&v.&Superman&

Dr.$Vincent$Tomasso$(tomassov@gmail.com)$$1.$Both$inscriptions$

66sword:$↑υFαναμρ$+$αμαμταμ↑υFαναμ…ηας/ατιατιιθαβαλαντα$λριFα...σαης/αδατικα$ησαζαοθρασαλα...ατι$

66transliteration:$↑uwanamr$amamtam↑uwanam...êas/atiatiithabalanta$lriwa...saês$adatika$êsazaothrasala...ati$

66shield:$ατιψFαηαFατι$+$ατιιθαβαλαντ$+$αησαδατικα$+$ησαζαοθρασα$ρατιψFαηασατι$+$↑υFαμαμραμαμ$

66transliteration:$atipswaêawati$atiithabalant$aêsadatika$êsazaothrasa$ratipswaêasati$↑uwamamramam$

66repeated$strings:$↑υFαναμ$(↑uwanam),$αδατικα$(adatika),$ησαζαοθρασα$(êsazaothrasa),$ατι$(ati),$θαβαλαντα$(thabalanta),$ραμαμ$(ramam;$across$two$“words”),$ρατιψFαηα$(ratipswaêa)$

2.$Shield$66inscription:$ατιψFαηαFατι$+$ατιιθαβαλαντ$+$αησαδατικα$+$ησαζαοθρασα$ρατιψFαηασατι$+$↑υFαμαμραμαμ$66Shield$1.jpg$[left6hand$side,$bottom$to$middle;$overlap$with$Shield$4]:$digamma6alpha6eta6alpha6digamma6alpha6tau6iota$+$alpha6tau6iota6iota6theta6alpha6beta6alpha6lambda6alpha6nu6tau$+$66Shield$2.jpg:$[right6hand$upper$and$partial$lower]:$alpha6eta6sigma6alpha6delta6alpha6tau6iota6kappa6alpha$+$eta6sigma6alpha6zeta6alpha6omicron6theta6rho6alpha6sigma–alpha$+$rho6alpha6tau6iota6psi6digamma6alpha6eta6alpha6sigma6alpha6tau6iota$+$↑6upsilon6digamma6alpha6mu6alpha6mu6rho6alpha6mu6alpha6mu$$ 66αησαδατικα$ησαζαοθρασα$ρατιψFαηασατι$[?]υFαμαμραμαμ$66Shield$3.jpg$(right6hand$middle$and$lower):$letters$checked$against$previous$image$66Shield$4.jpg$(left6hand$lower):$letters$checked$against$previous$image$

3.$Sword$Blade$66entire$inscription:$↑υFαναμρ$+$αμαμταμ↑υFαναμ…ηας$/$ατιατιιθαβαλαντα$+$λριFα...θσαης$/$αδατικα$ησαζαοθρασαλατ...ασατι$+$66line$1:$↑*6upsilon6digamma6alpha6nu6alpha6mu6rho$+$alpha6mu6alpha6mu6tau6alpha6mu6↑6upsilon6digamma6alpha6nu6alpha6mu$[baldric$strap]$alpha6tau6iota6alpha6tau6iota6iota6theta6alpha6beta6alpha6lambda6alpha6nu6tau6alpha$lambda6rho6iota6digamma6alpha…theta6sigma6alpha6eta6sigma$/$alpha6delta6alpha6tau6iota6kappa6alpha$eta6sigma6alpha6zeta6alpha6omicron6theta6rho6alpha6sigma6alpha6lambda6alpha6tau$[baldric$strap]$alpha6sigma6alpha6tau6iota$

*:$I’ve$not$been$able$to$find$a$letter$that$looks$like$this$in$any$Greek$script.$It$looks$something$like$an$upward6pointing$arrow$(↑)$and$is$used$a$total$of$three$times$in$the$shield$and$sword$inscriptions.$

Tomasso$$ 2$

This$might$be$to$give$the$impression$that$as$in$Battlestar(Galactica$the$ancient$Greeks$were$Kryptonian$colonists$(per$Mike$Shaw)$and$so$their$Greek$is$slightly$“different”$from$the$historical$inscriptions.$

66line$2:$alpha6tau6iota6alpha6tau6iota6iota6theta6alpha6beta6alpha6lambda6alpha6mu6tau6alpha$+$lambda6rho6iota6digamma6alpha$[baldric$strap]$theta6sigma6alpha6[unclear$letter]6sigma$66line$3:$alpha6delta6alpha6tau6iota6kappa6alpha$*$theta[?$or$eta?]6zeta6alpha6zeta6alpha6omicron6theta6rho6alpha6sigma6alpha6gamma$(?)6alpha6tau$[baldric$strap]$alpha6sigma6alpha6tau6iota6phi$

4.$General$notes$about$the$inscriptions$$ 66the$letter$forms$seem$to$be$mostly$in$upper$case,$as$befits$an$ancient$Greek$inscription$$ 66the$cross$sign$[+]$seems$to$be$a$separator;$it$appears$elsewhere$in$the$inscription,$as$$

well$as$at$the$ends$of$the$first$and$third$lines$(as$decoration,$I$think;$in$other$words,$it’s$$outside$the$inscription,$not$within$it)$66the$letter$forms$are$not$standardized$ancient$Greek.$Their$forms$in$many$cases$appear$to$be$from$regional$alphabets—see,$for$instance,$the$frequent$appearance$of$the$digamma$(F;$a$“w”$sound)$that$dropped$out$of$most$alphabets$by$the$seventh$century$BC.$The$designer$may$be$trying$to$impart$a$sense$that$these$inscriptions$are$older$than$most$ancient$Greek.$66these$letters$don’t$form$any$ancient$Greek$words$that$we$know.$Michael$Wilkinson,$the$costume$designer,$has$said,$“There$is$ancient$Greek$script$on$Wonder$Woman’s$weapons,$too”$(reference:$http://www.themarysue.com/wonder6woman6costume6design/;$see$further$below),$so$the$inscription$on$the$armor$is$supposed$to$represent$a$language$(but$invented$instead$of$real).$66I$can’t$make$out$any$English$words$either,$nor$do$I$see$references$to$the$universe$of$Man(of(Steel,$including$“Krypton.”$Surprisingly,$there$aren’t$any$references$to$“Amazons”,$“Themiscyra”,$“Athena”,$or$“Aphrodite”$either.$66I’m$unable$to$make$out$the$letters$surrounding$the$figure$near$the$blade’s$hilt.$The$figure$looks$like$a$seated$deity$similar$to$Roman$coins$like$the$one$on$the$right$(figure$1).$66$Man(of(Steel’s$Kryptonian$(http://kryptonian.info/man6of6steel/about.html)$looks$very$similar$to$our$world’s$Arabic.$Dr.$Schreyer,$the$anthropologist$consultant$who$invented$Kryptonian$for$the$film,$has$said$that$a$big$influence$on$her$creation$was$the$native$American$Cree$language$as$well$as$Japanese$(http://kryptonian.info/news6feed.html/2013/07/22/interview6with6man6of6steel6linguist6christine6schreyer/).$Man(of(Steel’s$Kryptonian$is$a$syllabic$language,$meaning$that$syllables$are$formed$around$vowels.$This$is$very$different$from$the$ancient$Greek6like$language$on$Wonder$Woman’s$armor.$Some$of$the$syllables$look$similar,$however.$I$find$it$suspicious$that$the$creator$of$Kryptonian$in$Man(of(Steel$has$been$very$publicly$credited,$whereas$nothing$(to$my$knowledge)$has$been$said$about$the$“creator”$of$Wonder$Woman’s$language.$This$may$be$because$the$language$only$appears$on$her$equipment,$whereas$Kryptonian$appears$in$numerous$place$in$Man(of(Steel.$Perhaps$we$can$deduce,$then,$that$Wonder$Woman’s$Greek$is$a$one6for6one$letter$substitution$system?$In$other$words,$that$

Figure(1(

Tomasso$$ 3$

Wilkinson$chose$a$letter$of$the$ancient$Greek$alphabet$to$represent$a$letter$from$the$American$alphabet.$$

$In$The(Secret(History(of(Wonder(Woman,$historian$Jill$Lepore$remarks$that$one$of$William$Marston’s$wives,$Sadie$Elizabeth$Holloway,$enjoyed$reading$Greek$poetry$(Sappho$in$particular).$This$is$significant,$since$Holloway$had$a$strong$influence$on$the$creation$of$Wonder$Woman—some$say$she$was$a$model$for$the$character.$$Michael$Wilkinson$on$the$costume$design$In$an$interview$with$DC(All(Access$(available$at$https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSAO2Ff09SU),$Wilkinson$reveals$that$Zack$Snyder$asked$him$to$put$some$words$in$Kryptonian$on$Superman’s$suit:$“Zack$loved$the$idea$that$there$was$actually$some$Kryptonian$script$embedded$in$the$suit.$He$gave$me$this$fantastic$quote$that$he$wanted$us$to$translate$into$Kryptonian$and$incorporate$into$the$suit.$It$deals$with$the$nature$of$power$and$the$responsibility$that$comes$with$power.”$We$know$what$these$words$are.$They’re$a$quote$from$Joseph$Campbell:$“Where$we$had$thought$to$stand$alone,$we$will$be$with$all$the$world”$(source:$http://www.msn.com/en6us/lifestyle/pets/kryptonian6quote6on6supermans6suit6in6batman6v6superman/vp6AAg7E0e).$Could$the$same$quote$be$on$Wonder$Woman’s$armor?$Wilkinson$further$says:$“With$Wonder$Woman,$what$Zack’s$talked$to$me$about$is$creating$a$character$who$has$incredible$power$and$strength.$Her$presence$as$a$warrior$is$completely$legitimate$and$unquestionable,$but$at$the$same$time,$has$a$grace$and$elegance$of$the$Amazonian$culture.$It’s$quite$a$formal$culture;$their$way$of$fighting$is$very,$very$disciplined,$so$we$wanted$to$sense$that$majesty$with$her$look.”$Wilkinson$also$mentions$that$he$and$the$production$team$combined$Wonder$Woman’s$fantastical$and$realistic$elements:$“When$we$were$creating$our$textures,$we$were$referring$to$metals$that$exist,$but$also$creating$new$finishes$of$metals$that$might$have$this$supernatural$kind$of$power$to$them,$so$hopefully$we$created$something$original$and$eye6catching.”$This$philosophy$might$also$be$applied$to$the$script$on$her$armor—it$looks$like$real$ancient$Greek$but$also$is$partly$invented.$$Greek$in$Wonder$Woman$comics$

$1)$All@Star(Comics$#8$(=Chronicles$p.$7;$12/41;$figure$2):$the$Amazons$use$a$“magic$sphere”$that$has$inscriptions$in$English$around$its$rim$similar$to$new$shield’s$design.$2)$Sensation$Comics$#3$(=Chronicles$p.$43;$1942;$figure$3):$Wonder$Woman$gets$a$job$as$a$secretary,$and$her$shorthand$style$is$

depicted$in$one$panel.$It$looks$like$gibberish,$but$in$a$later$comic$it’s$revealed$to$be$Greek.$

Figure(2( Figure(3(

Tomasso$$ 4$

3)$Wonder$Woman$#1$(=Chronicles$p.$100;$6/42;$figure$4):$a$nurse$finds$a$scroll$dropped$by$Wonder$Woman$after$she$leaves$Steve$Trevor$at$a$hospital.$Three$lines$of$ancient$Greek$are$more$or$less$visible:$η$ιστορια$των$αμιχων$Αμαζονα$(grammatically$incorrect$Greek$for:$“The$history$of$the$unconquerable$Amazons”,$which$imitates$the$first$line$of$the$ancient$Greek$historian$Herodotus:$Ἡροδότου$Θουρίου$ἱστορίης$ἀπόδεξις$ἥδε$=$“This$is$the$display$of$Herodotus$of$Thurii”).$

$$$4)$A$newspaper$strip$(8616644)$has$the$following$exchange$between$Diana$Price$and$her$employer:$"For$heaven's$sake,$Diana,$explain$your$shorthand$symbols$to$Miss$Dollar!"$"Why,$er,$those$are$Greek$letters!"$"D'you$mean$to$tell$me$you$use$Greek$letters$for$shorthand$symbols?"$"I$didn't$say$that6"$$

5)$In$Wonder(Woman:(the(Hiketeia$(Rucka$and$Jones$2002;$figure$5),$Wonder$Womanand$the$Furies,$spirits$of$vengeance$in$ancient$Greek$myth,$speak$Greek$to$one$another.$This$is$represented$by$angled$brackets$$(<>).$$

Figure(5(

Figure(4(

Figure(5(

Tomasso$$ 5$

$(

6)$In$Frank$Miller’s$The(Dark(Knight(Strikes(Again$(200162;$figure$6)$Wonder$Woman’s$belt$is$emblazoned$with$a$Greek$alpha$(=“A”).$$$$$7)$Azzarello’s$run$on$Wonder$Woman$in$The$New$52$makes$much$more$(explicit)$use$of$Greek$mythology$than$previous$iterations,$with$gods$like$Apollo,$Poseidon,$Hades,$Hermes,$and$Hera$playing$major$roles$in$the$

story.$It’s$ironic,$then,$that$Greek$script$doesn’t$appear$in$the$run.$Take,$for$instance,$the$panel$in$issue$#1$(2011;$figure$7)$that$gives$us$a$glimpse$of$Wonder$Woman’s$armor$wardrobe.$We$see$a$bit$of$her$shield,$and$there$are$no$Greek$letters$on$it.$When$she’s$outfitted$with$new$armor$by$Hephaestus,$she$chooses$pieces$that$Hephaestus$call$“archaic”—but$still$no$Greek$lettering$(2013;$figure$8).$

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$Conclusions$Although the “words” on Wonder Woman’s equipment are not from ancient Greek, I still think something can be said about them. Most of the letter-forms are recognizably ancient Greek, which suggests, combined with the fact that there are no decipherable Greek words, that Snyder and co. are jettisoning Wonder Woman’s usual mythology in which Wonder Woman’s native language is Greek. Grant Morrison recently complained about the New 52’s Wonder Woman having armor and a sword—perhaps the inscriptions suggest a similar re-invention. This idea is also bolstered by the fact that many of the letters, including the digamma form, are archaic—that is, they make the Greek look like it’s from an older stratum than many historical inscriptions that we have. It seems that costumer designer Michael Wilkinson was tasked with “translating” certain key phrases and incorporating those phrases both onto Wonder Woman’s equipment and into Superman’s suit. We might then suspect that the Kryptonian and Wonder Woman’s ancient Greek are similar in some way, shape or form. Snyder’s Wonder Woman is making a break with all previous incarnations of Wonder Woman, who have had no Greek on their equipment (with the very marginal exception of Miller’s version). It’s sort of in line with the golden age version, who reads and writes (in

Figure(7(

Figure(8(

Figure(6(

Tomasso$$ 6$

some cases real) ancient Greek, but it adds the twist that it’s not actually ancient Greek (though it would look so to the casual viewer, which is probably the point). Snyder’s version also combines the New 52 version’s penchant for using armor that looks like it’s from ancient Greece. My strong suspicion is that Snyder and his production crew are implying through these inscriptions that their Wonder Woman is from an older culture, one of whose offshoots was the historical ancient Greece. This is similar to the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, which posited that the human civilization was the basis for human cultures on Earth (and it was implied that their gods, which were named after Greek and Roman deities, became the basis for the ancient Greek and Roman religions).