WelsperTheCat
06-11-01, 01:08 PM
OK, fair warning. I have definite opinions about Urd, mainly because the descriptions on most webpages and nearly all fanfictions are so off base from the manga, especially the manga since Terrible Master Urd. Most folks judge Urd by her appearance, and that's where they make their mistake. With Peorth, what you see is pretty much what you get. With Belldandy and Skuld it's mostly what you get, but with Urd what you see is what she wants you to see.
Before I begin, I would like to recommend a very nicely done website:
http://omg.tfenet.com/urd/
It isn't mine, but this guy has done his homework on Urd. I take issue with a couple things there, but it's the best work-up of Urd I've seen on the net.
There are so many misconceptions about Urd that it's hard to know where to begin, but let's start with the way she dresses. Skin tight leather, chains, locks, lots of skin, she has that biker chick/dominatrix look and the skill with a whip to back it up (she certainly impressed the president and vice president of the Nekomi S&M Club! ;) ). Contrast this, though, with how she goes about making love and how she treats people in general. Urd has tried to seduce Keiichi once and has imagined seducing him on at least one other occasion. In both instances her intended methods were straight forward, a simple kimono and Keiichi on top. Contrast this to Peorth's elaborate setup with lingerie, canopy bed, wine, etc., etc. Given Peorth's method of attack on Keiichi in the bath tub, it's doubtful she'd let him run the show in the love making department, either. The surprise here, of course, is that Urd's sexual tastes appear to be very simple. No whips, chains, lingerie, or other toys. She's all natural, no additives. ;)
Another look into Urd's psyche occurs during "Urd's Great Adventure" where a problem in Yggdrasil causes her to rapidly age in reverse. By the time she is able to stop the process she appears to be about 10 years old. In the story, she goes out for a walk and meets a rather geeky looking boy, Shohei. Being away from anyone who knows who she is, away from all expectations of her, Urd is able to be herself - and an unexpected self it is, too! I'm not going to go into details, but this story is one of the most touching in all of OMG. Belldandy couldn't have done better by Shohei than Urd did. :bawling:
Another piece of evidence about how Urd treats the men in her life occurs when Belldandy mistakenly believes that Tamiya has fallen for Urd. She gently reminds Urd to give Tamiya an honest answer of how Urd feels for him, but isn't concerned until Keiichi tells her that Tamiya is actually in love with Peorth. At that point Belldandy becomes very worried that Tamiya is going to get hurt by an insensitive Peorth, which is what indeed happens. By the time Peorth shows up Urd is getting pretty good at manipulating those around her (she plays Peorth and the others like a violin) but Belldandy obviously doesn't expect Urd to hurt others emotionally, and she never has.
The final bits of evidence about Urd's love life come from the Troubadour chapters. Troubadour left Urd suddenly when they were teenagers, presumably to go pursue his certification as a plum tree spirit. NOTE: There is a confusing mistranslation when he is first mentioned in the Dark Horse manga which refers to him as a cherry tree spirit. It's actually plum tree (ume) spirit both times. It's plain through this story that Urd still has feelings for Troubadour even though she knows he loves his career more than her, and at the end she is rather brutally reminded of that fact. What Urd's feelings for Troubadour tell us, though, is that in all the years since their break up she hasn't given her heart to anyone else. If she had, she wouldn't be wearing his bracelet or be so vulnerable to his manipulations. Given Troubadour's homicidal response to any male coming within arms reach of her, it's unlikely she has even dated since then.
This leads us to another surprising bit, Urd's night life! Fujishima goes to the trouble of explaining in the manga that Urd spends her evenings organizing her medicines in her room. If you've ever seen Urd's room (Urd's Castle), it's very spartan. Basically a few curtains, a mirror, her medicines, a futon, and neat as a pin. She calls it her castle, but in furnishings it's more like a nun's cell. The other activity we see Urd engaged in is watching TV. In the entire manga she has never so much as looked at a bar. Contrast this with Sayoko who regularly goes to bars and drinks men under the table. On the rare occasions where we see Urd drunk, it's either with the gang or quietly in her room. Belldandy and even Skuld seem to get out of the house more often than Urd! It's also interesting to contrast a drunk Urd with a drunk Belldandy. Belldandy is a manic drunk, running around doing "good" and generally creating chaos. It's also interesting that when Belldandy encountered the hungry cat, she sent it to Urd!
So there we have it. In a sense, Urd is much like her room. On the outside it's leather, chains, and a domineering attitude, Urd's Castle. On the inside it's simple, sensitive, and even quiet. Urd is a study in contrast, like night and day, and her life reflects that.
Well, that's enough for one post, don't you think?
Before I begin, I would like to recommend a very nicely done website:
http://omg.tfenet.com/urd/
It isn't mine, but this guy has done his homework on Urd. I take issue with a couple things there, but it's the best work-up of Urd I've seen on the net.
There are so many misconceptions about Urd that it's hard to know where to begin, but let's start with the way she dresses. Skin tight leather, chains, locks, lots of skin, she has that biker chick/dominatrix look and the skill with a whip to back it up (she certainly impressed the president and vice president of the Nekomi S&M Club! ;) ). Contrast this, though, with how she goes about making love and how she treats people in general. Urd has tried to seduce Keiichi once and has imagined seducing him on at least one other occasion. In both instances her intended methods were straight forward, a simple kimono and Keiichi on top. Contrast this to Peorth's elaborate setup with lingerie, canopy bed, wine, etc., etc. Given Peorth's method of attack on Keiichi in the bath tub, it's doubtful she'd let him run the show in the love making department, either. The surprise here, of course, is that Urd's sexual tastes appear to be very simple. No whips, chains, lingerie, or other toys. She's all natural, no additives. ;)
Another look into Urd's psyche occurs during "Urd's Great Adventure" where a problem in Yggdrasil causes her to rapidly age in reverse. By the time she is able to stop the process she appears to be about 10 years old. In the story, she goes out for a walk and meets a rather geeky looking boy, Shohei. Being away from anyone who knows who she is, away from all expectations of her, Urd is able to be herself - and an unexpected self it is, too! I'm not going to go into details, but this story is one of the most touching in all of OMG. Belldandy couldn't have done better by Shohei than Urd did. :bawling:
Another piece of evidence about how Urd treats the men in her life occurs when Belldandy mistakenly believes that Tamiya has fallen for Urd. She gently reminds Urd to give Tamiya an honest answer of how Urd feels for him, but isn't concerned until Keiichi tells her that Tamiya is actually in love with Peorth. At that point Belldandy becomes very worried that Tamiya is going to get hurt by an insensitive Peorth, which is what indeed happens. By the time Peorth shows up Urd is getting pretty good at manipulating those around her (she plays Peorth and the others like a violin) but Belldandy obviously doesn't expect Urd to hurt others emotionally, and she never has.
The final bits of evidence about Urd's love life come from the Troubadour chapters. Troubadour left Urd suddenly when they were teenagers, presumably to go pursue his certification as a plum tree spirit. NOTE: There is a confusing mistranslation when he is first mentioned in the Dark Horse manga which refers to him as a cherry tree spirit. It's actually plum tree (ume) spirit both times. It's plain through this story that Urd still has feelings for Troubadour even though she knows he loves his career more than her, and at the end she is rather brutally reminded of that fact. What Urd's feelings for Troubadour tell us, though, is that in all the years since their break up she hasn't given her heart to anyone else. If she had, she wouldn't be wearing his bracelet or be so vulnerable to his manipulations. Given Troubadour's homicidal response to any male coming within arms reach of her, it's unlikely she has even dated since then.
This leads us to another surprising bit, Urd's night life! Fujishima goes to the trouble of explaining in the manga that Urd spends her evenings organizing her medicines in her room. If you've ever seen Urd's room (Urd's Castle), it's very spartan. Basically a few curtains, a mirror, her medicines, a futon, and neat as a pin. She calls it her castle, but in furnishings it's more like a nun's cell. The other activity we see Urd engaged in is watching TV. In the entire manga she has never so much as looked at a bar. Contrast this with Sayoko who regularly goes to bars and drinks men under the table. On the rare occasions where we see Urd drunk, it's either with the gang or quietly in her room. Belldandy and even Skuld seem to get out of the house more often than Urd! It's also interesting to contrast a drunk Urd with a drunk Belldandy. Belldandy is a manic drunk, running around doing "good" and generally creating chaos. It's also interesting that when Belldandy encountered the hungry cat, she sent it to Urd!
So there we have it. In a sense, Urd is much like her room. On the outside it's leather, chains, and a domineering attitude, Urd's Castle. On the inside it's simple, sensitive, and even quiet. Urd is a study in contrast, like night and day, and her life reflects that.
Well, that's enough for one post, don't you think?