|
A human disguise (also human guise and sometimes human form)〔Or other synonymous descriptions, such as "disguised as human being(s)", or "taking human shape". This article concerns the underlying ''concept'' rather than any particular ''phrase''.〕 is a concept in fantasy, folklore, mythology, religion, literary tradition, iconography and science fiction whereby non-human beings such as aliens, angels, demons, gods, monsters, robots, Satan or shapeshifters are disguised to seem human. Stories have depicted the deception as a means used to blend in with people, and science fiction has used the dichotomy to raise questions about what it means to be human.〔''The Android and The Human'', Philip K. Dick, 1972〕 ==In religion, mythology, and folklore== In pagan religions, deities very often took on the form of a human disguise for various tasks.〔Joseph Campbell (1991). ''The Masks of God: Primitive Mythology''. Arkana, Viking Penguin. ISBN 0-14-019443-6.〕〔H. J. Rose (1956). ("Divine Disguisings" ), pp.63-72, in ''The Harvard Theological Review'', Vol.49, No.1 (Jan.1956). (ISSN 0017-8160 ) (print), (ISSN 1475-4517 ) (web).〕〔Warren Smith (1988). ("The Disguises of the Gods in the ''Iliad''" ), pp.161-178 in ''Numen'', Vol.35, Fasc.2 (Dec.1988). (ISSN 0029-5973 ) (print), (ISSN 1568-5276 ) (web).〕 The gods "of whom the minstrels sang" in Homer's Iliad watched the "human spectacle" as partisans, and came down to Earth invisible or in human disguise〔 to interfere, sometimes to protect their favorites from harm (compare ''deus ex machina''). Their human disguises sometimes extended to them getting hurt in conflicts.〔Louis Ropes Loomis (Introduction to Homer's The Iliad ) The Iliad Issue 77 of Classics illustrated Translated by Samuel Butler Publisher Wildside Press LLC, 2007 ISBN 1-4344-8892-6, ISBN 978-1-4344-8892-3. Length 428 pages〕 Zeus's human disguises have been compared to Plato's use of communicating through alternate characters as a means to express that the "essential philosophical nature is divine rather than human" and "cannot be represented without some element of human "disguise".〔Ruby Blondell (2002). (''The Play of Character in Plato's Dialogues'' ). Cambridge University Press. pp.230 & 325. ISBN 0-521-79300-9, ISBN 978-0-521-79300-1.〕 In the borderlands between religion, myth and literature, Dunn in his study of the concept of incarnation notes that Greek gods appeared disguised as humans in Ovid's legend of Baucis and Philemon.〔 〕 In the Torah, angels only appeared to men in a human disguise, and never without one.〔 In the Old Testament apocryphal Book of Tobit, the Archangel Raphael takes on human disguise and the name of Azarias.〔(Raphael ) ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' 〕 (Child and Colles note that '() he appears as a mere man, an archangel incognito as it were".〔 〕) The Book of Genesis tells of three angels visiting Abraham in human disguise (Gen.18),〔 〕 and two visiting Lot in Sodom (Gen.19).〔 In this context Isaacs notes the nature of the interaction between angelic and human figures: 〕 Philosophy professor Peter Kreeft has asserted that when an angel wears its human disguise, human beings cannot penetrate the disguise due to the superior abilities angels possess; Kreeft cites as proof (Hebrews 13:2: ) ''"... some people have entertained angels without knowing it."''〔Peter Kreeft (1995). (''Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?''. ) Ignatius Press. pp.52-53, 83. ISBN 0-89870-550-9, ISBN 978-0-89870-550-8. 〕 Child and Colles summarize: "The angels in the Old Testament were known to be messengers of God, sent to do his will, usually invisible and mysterious, but sometimes coming without wings in the guise of men."〔 〕 St. Augustine and Christian scholars of that age agreed that the Devil could manipulate a person's senses to create illusions in the mind, constructing from particles of air fake human bodies that seemed quite real to those who saw them.〔Peter Day, ''Vampires: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil'', p.85.〕 John Milton's poem ''Paradise Regained'' has Satan disguised as an old man.〔John Milton, John Leonard (ed.) (1998). (''The Complete Poems'' ). Penguin Classics. pp.13, 912. ISBN 0-14-043363-5, ISBN 978-0-14-043363-0.〕 The Christian heresy of docetism held that Jesus was not a human but was, instead, a divine spirit in the guise of a human. Monsters like vampires and werewolves could purportedly take human form at certain times, and lore gave advice as to how to detect or drive away these seemingly human creatures.〔Raymond T. McNally, Radu Florescu (1994). ''In Search of Dracula: the History of Dracula and Vampires''. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (Chapter 10: Vampirism: Old World Folklore, pp. 117-132. ) ISBN 0-395-65783-0, ISBN 978-0-395-65783-6. Compare detecting a werewolf in human form: Christopher Golden, Stephen Bissette, Thomas E. Sniegoski (2000). (''The Monster Book''. ) Simon and Schuster. p.247. ISBN 0-671-04259-9, ISBN 978-0-671-04259-2.〕 Even Red Riding Hood's Wolf (though presumably not a werewolf) could disguise himself as her grandmother. Stories are also told of mermaids walking in human form, such as Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid, which is based on many such legends. Changelings are often described in Western European folklore as a type of legendary creature, left in place of a human infant, for a variety of reasons. They are usually not able to mimic the human perfectly, thus there are various ways to reveal them. Religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and native American beliefs have traditions whereby gods and spirits descend to earth in human form to help or hinder humanity.〔William Howitt (1863). (''The History of the Supernatural in All Ages and Nations'' ). Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green. p.286.〕 In native American myths "the sun, moon, and morning star seem free to take human form and roam the earth, seeking love and other adventures."〔Richard Erdoes, Alfonso Ortíz (1984). (''American Indian Myths And Legends''. ) Random House. p.xii. ISBN 0-394-74018-1, ISBN 978-0-394-74018-8.〕 In Japanese mythology, ''kitsune'', or legendary foxes, often take on a human disguise; most frequently taking the form of an elderly man, an attractive woman, or a child. ''Kitsune'' can also replicate the exact appearance of a specific person. In medieval Japan, the belief that any beautiful women met alone at dusk was a ''kitsune'' was prevalent. In some legends, ''kitsune'' cannot fully transform, but maintain a tail or other foxlike characteristic such as long red hair. Some ''kitsune'' in disguise prey on humans through sexual contact, much like the succubus. Other Japanese animals that (according to myth) can take human disguise include the ''bakeneko'' (ghost-cat), ''tanuki'' (raccoon dog), ''mujina'' (badger), and ''jorōgumo'' (spider). Japanese-speakers call the category of such shapeshifting creatures ''obake'' or ''bakemono''. The wandering Stranger (''ijin'', 異人) in Japanese folklore may turn out as a secret prince or as a priest... "And he can also be an avowedly supernatural being, outside the human race. The Wardens of certain pools, for example, who are believed to be snakes, and to be ready to lend lacquer cups and bowls to those who wish to borrow them for a party, are referred to as ''ijin''. So are the uncanny ''yamabito'' or 'mountain people', said to be seven or eight feet tall, to be covered with hair or leaves, and to live deep in the mountains beyond human habitation. .... The Stranger is... possessed of powerful magic, but he is disguised as a filthy beggar. Be careful therefore how you treat strangers...."〔Carmen Blacker (1990). ("The Folklore of the Stranger: A Consideration of a Disguised Wandering Saint" ), pp.162-168, in ''Folklore'', Vol.101, No.2 (1990). (ISSN 1469-8315 ) (print), (ISSN 0015587X ) (web).〕 Generically, a stranger "may as easily be a dangerous incarnation of the Devil as a messenger from God".〔 〕 Selkie, seals which can shed their skin and turn into humans,〔Meliss Bunce (2003). ("The Selkie Wife", p.56 ), in ''Happily Ever After: Folktales that Illuminate Marriage and Commitment''. August House. ISBN 0-87483-674-3, ISBN 978-0-87483-674-5.〕 appear in Faroese, Icelandic, Irish, and Scottish mythology, as well as in myths of the Chinook people, and are the premise of the film ''The Secret of Roan Inish''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Human disguise」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|