Water is a recurring[1] theme in Realms of the Haunting, and often imbued with a magical quality or symbolical meaning. Like a stream of consciousness, it is running through all the realms as a connecting principle and may represent the flow of time.
Dripping Water[]
To our considerable bemusement, we find that in various parts of the Mansion, for instance by the staircase that leads upwards to Florentine's Library, and the subterranean Mausoleum, there's water dripping from the ceiling, when this, from a strictly physical perspective, should not be possible.
The roof of St. Michael's is suffering from dilapidation, as indicated by the puddles of water covering parts of the floor. Consequently, somebody has set up a donation box under the church canopy, to collect money for its restoration.
Magical Fountains[]
The magical water, gathered from the two fountains with the help of the silver goblets, can be used to open the metal doors in Hawk's Prison.
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Adam: Fountain. Where's that glow coming from? |
” |
Water is particularly significant in Arqua, and the Fountain on the upper floor deserves some pronounced attention, inspiring the following commentary from Rebecca and Adam:
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Rebecca: I couldn't at first, but the more I concentrate, the more Power seems to channel itself from the water through me. |
” |
Filling the silver goblet we found inside the staircase maze with the magical water from the fountain, we can splash it at the shimmering curtains and deactivate them in the process. After successfully preparing the Hookah Pipe, by successively filling it with the elemental ingredients, and offering it to the fountain, Tishtrya, the Iranian deity of water, will materialise and reward us with the Sword of the Dragon.
Memory's Garden[]
In one of the Mansion's courtyards, Memory's Garden, there's an octagonal basin containing the Outhouse Key. For some reason, Adam doubts that the water it is filled with stems from the rain, though.
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Adam: That doesn't look like rainwater to me... |
” |
Holy Water[]
Under the canopy of St. Michael's, there's a small alcove with a red cross painted on top of it, filled with water that, according to Rebecca, could have been used as Holy Water. If we're so inclined we can choose to scoop three handfuls of water from the niche until it becomes depleted. I haven't as of yet managed to determine whether this has any effect on the gameplay, though, such as enemy encounter frequency or damage resilience.
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Adam: Look,there's some water in this niche. |
” |
The sacramental use of water, which has been blessed by a member of the clergy or another religious figure, for spiritual cleansing and similar rituals is a common practice in various religions, from the Christians to the Indian Sikhis (who employ the ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ (amrita) during the baptism ceremony). As a reminder of baptism and as such a symbolical cleansing of a venial sin, Catholic Christians dip their fingers in the holy water and make the sign of the cross when entering the church.
According to the belief of the Anglicans and Roman Catholics, holy water may also protect the user against evil. Saint Teresa of Avila, a 17th century Doctor of the Church who reported visions of Jesus and Mary, was a strong believer in the power of holy water and wrote that she used it with success to repel evil and temptations, stating that "I know by frequent experience that there is nothing which puts the devils to flight like Holy water."[2][3]
A form of Holy Water was also known to the ancient Greeks, called χέρνιψ (chernips), which was fashioned by extinguishing a torch from a religious shrine in water, and used for purifying people and locations as a means of distinguishing the sacred from the profane.[4]
Another practice pertaining to the holy and healing aspect of water can be found in a certain branch of the Islam, known as the Twelver Shi'a, who dissolve the dust of sacred locations in water and drink the concoction as an antidote against illnesses of both physical and spiritual nature.[5]
References[]
- ↑ Pun intended.
- ↑ Teresa of Avila, 2008 Life of St. Teresa of Jesus ISBN 1-60680-041-8 page 246
- ↑ Tessa Bielecki, Mirabai Starr, 2008 Teresa of Avila: The Book of My Life ISBN 1-59030-573-6 pp 238–241
- ↑ Greek religion: archaic and classical, by Walter Burkert, John Raffan 1991 ISBN 0-631-15624-0 page 77
- ↑ Virani, Shafique. The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, A Search for Salvation (New York: Oxford University Press), 2007, pp. 107–108.