Religion

God redirects here. You may be looking for the creators, Kaja and Phil Foglio, or their word.

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St. Teodora, pray for us.

Religion in the world of Girl Genius seems to have been left deliberately ambiguous.

Evidence of Judeo-Christian religious belief

Whatever form religion is in in Europa, it is closely analogous to Christianity to the point of using the same terminology (at least as translated from lingua europa), albeit with a mad science twist.

• In TPU there is a machine or tank labeled "Do not open until Xmas", and Dr. Mittelmind let most of his research children out of their containment tanks for Christmas. Even Castle Heterodyne expects presents for Christmas, as does Bangladesh DuPree. Presumably, one must have a Christ in order to celebrate a mass (holy day) for him/her.
• The first name of Moloch von Zinzer was chosen by his mother from the Bible ✣ . The Bible exists, and from the discussion at least one story is similar to the Bible we know.
  • To add to this, a water tower ✣ to the side in ine pannel has an incomplete passage from the Bible written on it (Proverbs 25:25)
• Hezekiah Donowitz appears wearing a kippah or yarmulke (skullcap), which suggests that Judaism is currently being practiced as a religion. Another unnamed TPU student is seen wearing ✣ what appears to be Hasidic-style dress, including rekel (long dark coat), shtreimel or spodik (fur-trimmed hat), and payot (sidelocks). Hebrew also exists as a language, as the Schlognwurst ✣ is labeled as כשר (Kosher).
• One of the old Heterodynes was called a blasphemer, implying a belief in someone to blaspheme against.
• Before their appearing in the actual comic, The Secret Blueprints and Othar's journal refer to the railroad-building order, the Corbettite Monks, whose works seem to be supported by Imperial sponsorship, fudge sales and some more-or-less voluntary payment by passengers on their trains.. The Corbettite Railway is used by Agatha to escape ✣ from Gil and Martellus von Blitzengaard. The schedule is gospel ✣ and a late train is blasphemy ✣ . The Corbettites submit, grudgingly, to the authority of a as-yet-unnamed bishop ✣ who is an uncle of Martellus von Blitzengaard.
• Many common expletives invoke a higher power of some ilk: "Good Lord!", "Mon dieu". Professor Diaz uses a prayerful oath one might almost imagine as coming from a Corbettite monastery, "Madre de Diodes".
• Dame Aedith, vampire hunter, wears a high collar with a Greek Cross, or crux immissa quadrata, inside a circle imprinted on it. This, combined with the notion of vampire hunters bedecking themselves in holy symbols, suggests the existence of Christianity.
  • In the novellisation her wagon is covered with a lot of holy symbols from multiple religions (it's unclear whether different denominations of Christianity are counted as separate religions in this world). It also regularly gets hit by lightning, so it requires a dragging copper chain.
• There is in Mechanicsburg the Red Cathedral, built by the Good, er Goot Heterodyne (to win a bet). The cathedral has a curate, Dr. Yglyn, and an abbess, although no bishop.
• Multiple saints are mentioned:
  • There is a Saint Finnemede the Overdressed ✣ whose feast is celebrated in Challaburg by tailors
  • Mittelmind invokes the Feast of St. Bungi
  • Seffie has a devotion to Saint Teodora ✣ , i.e., Teodora Heterodyne
  • Dimo mentions a Saint Valo ✣
  • The Temptation of Saint Vulcania ✣
  • The Castle mentions a Saint Valentine's Day Riot ✣ , implying the existance of St. Valentine's Day and therefore of St. Valentine.
  • The Incorruptible Library's Tube system has an exit in St. Lavoisier ✣ Church.
  • Abner gives thanks to Bosco ✣
  • One of the chefs in Albia's palace swears by Saint Laurent ✣
• Further evidence of the existence of Christianity and Judaism can be found in A Mechanicsburg Solstice Story. Oggie is talking about the traditional Mechanicsburg Solstice celebration ✣ and Kaja's in-comic avatar asks if it is like Christmas and Chanukah. Oggie replies that those holidays also exist, but that the Solstice is different.
• The ecclesiastical vestments and mitre of the clank from the Corbettite Crypts ✣ , although what the Diet of Krakow considers heretical differs significantly from conventional Christianity.
• Theopholous DuMedd had a christening ✣ .
• The Castle's story of The Heterodyne Papacy ✣ .
• Franz wonders ✣ whether Notre Dame has an opening in the Gargoyle Squad.

Seven Popes

At one point in Volume 8, Gil claims that "all seven Popes ordered" his father's manuscript burned. The comic proper has yet to offer any more details on these leaders, but a footnote in one the Girl Genius print-novel adaptations reveals that after the sacking of the Vatican by the Anabaptist Alchemical Army in 1566, seven recognized popes arose:

• The Pope of Avignon
• The Ottoman Pope
• The Pope of the Tsars
• The Pope of Belfast (the Pope who the Corbettites recognize ✣ )
• The Gypsy Pope (unaffiliated with the Romany.)
• The Pope of the Mountains
• The Sicilian Papa de Tutti Papi

There are at least three places ✣ called Vaticans.

Churches in Mechanicsburg

Mechanicsburg has at least one church building, the Red Cathedral, as well as a chapel inside Castle Heterodyne, the former being built as a result of the Prince of Sturmhalten's Big Bet ✣ . If the term "cathedral" is being used properly, it would imply that a Bishop has his seat there. On the other hand, the only ritual known to be performed in the Red Cathedral does not appear (from one frame in flashback ✣ where the building is mentioned) closely related to Christian liturgies. The Red Cathedral is probably the same building from which Carson von Mekkhan leads Agatha's party ✣ on the way to the Heterodyne family crypt, but this has not been 100% confirmed.

Geisterdamen

The Geisters' religious symbol

The Geisterdamen are a cult that worship the Other as their goddess, as well as Agatha Heterodyne as the "Holy Child".

They have an orthodox hierarchy with priestesses of at least two different levels, culminating in their high priestess, Lady Vrin (now apparently deceased).

The religious symbol used by the Geisterdamen depicts a (stylized) Madonna and child.

Religion elsewhere

• In some unspecified part of Africa, people apparently take holy vows quite seriously ✣ .
• In the Heterodyne stories, Barry Heterodyne always ends up with whoever the exotic High Priestess happens to be.
• Bangladesh DuPree wears a skull on her forehead where a bindi goes, although whether it is religious or merely decorative is not known.
• In his twitter, Othar describes himself as a Deist.
• Skifandrians, including Zeetha, worship the goddess Ashtara. They also have other god(desse)s, like Eshkigax, whose cult fell out of favor not so long ago.
• The people of England apparently worship Albia, who actually can answer the prayers ✣ , and possibly pay token veneration to her sister Queens.

Pagan references

Although they have been commonplace in the West at least since the Renaissance, and are therefore invisible to the modern reader, there are a number of references to Pagan mythologies, such as the name of the Knights of Jove — Jove (also called Jovis pater, or "Jupiter") is the king of the Roman pantheon and the god responsible for thunder and lightning.

A number of characters have first names that would be considered unusual in our world. Thus, we have Gilgamesh Wulfenbach, and Moloch von Zinzer for example, to say nothing of many members of the Heterodyne family. It could even be significant that the first name of Sanaa Wilhelm is the name of the city given by H. P. Lovecraft as the home town of Abdul al-Hazred, the author of the Necronomicon.

In one instance Oggie mentions in passing a "high priestess from (th)e temple o(f) Nyx" ✣ that the Storm King once knew. Over in our reality, Nyx was the Greek pagan goddess of (and the personification of) the night, but in this case it appears that Nyx was an Ancient God-Queen who was killed ✣ by Lucrezia.

One minor instance; one scene has a Wulfenbach general shout "By Janus" ✣ , in reference to the Roman god of gateways.

See also:

• Category:Greek Mythology
• Category:Roman Mythology
• Category:Levantine Mythology
• Category:Norse Mythology
• Category:Slavonic Mythology
• Category:Geisterdamen
• List of expletives (Some of these mention God or gods, after all.)
• Rogue Clanks discussion: 'All Seven Popes...'