The End of Evangelion (1997) is riddled with mystery, religious references, and psychological explorations. According to Robert Frost, some say the world will end with fire, others with ice. In this case, will it end with robots and science, angels and demons, or a sea of primordial soup?
Hideki Anno’s Japanese animated film, The End of Evangelion (1997) presents a religiously rich solution in order to achieve physical and psychological peace for all of humanity. The protagonist, Shinji is emotionally scarred and rendered powerless due to his lack of a parental figure that will help him make his own decisions. As a result, he is only able to do what he is told, in a world where people use others as pawns to further themselves in the game of life. Even when loyalty is almost completely absent, the world is dominated by the patriarchy. Scientifically manufactured automaton figures and humanity alike are controlled and given a distinct role and purpose. When the plans of the powerful go wrong however, the spiritual ghosts within the mechanised automatons reject their masters and rush to Shinji’s aid, in order to provide motherly support to their abandoned son. Rather than taking the form of the ‘first woman’ Eve, Lilith, the woman before her who was suppressed due to her desire for gender equality with Adam, takes the reins of the narrative. Through forbidden divine intervention, she instigates the end of a doomed world and begins another, with the promise of a fresh start and second chance.
This film features as the final film in the original Evangelion franchise. The name Neon Genesis Evangelion or Shin Seiki Evangerion in Japanese, translates to ‘Gospel of a New Genesis’ (Ortega 2007, p.217) Walter Elwell in The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology defines the gospel as being “the joyous proclamation of God's redemptive activity in Christ Jesus on behalf of man enslaved by sin.” (Faith Facts 2008) The world of Evangelion however appears to be far from redemption. God and faith in him are absent thus; man still struggles and sins, in order to serve their own purposes and agendas. The title suggests that the narrative will provide a new Gospel message, which will directly deal with the current problems of this corrupt yet self-assured society. In the Evangelion universe, two organisations hold the most power over the fate of humanity. Firstly, NERV (German for ‘Nerve’), where the majority of the story takes place is a scientific-military group lead by Shinji’s estranged father, Gendo Ikari. NERV’s motto “God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world” is a reference to the verse drama, Piper Passes (1841) by Robert Browning. In its original context, the phrase meant that if God is up in Heaven, separate from his creation, there is no need for him to intervene as everything is at peace and working in harmony as intended. In Evangelion, it takes on an ironic and anti religious connotation. In this new sense, God in his Heaven away from the Earth is what makes everything right in the world, as humans have the power of self-determination and can do, as they like, regardless of the desires of a divine entity.
While the group is co-ed and directed by two females, Captain Misato Katsuragi and head scientist, Ritsuko Ikagi, who hope to protect the world from destruction, Gendo is plotting its end in order to achieve his dream to be one with his wife, whose spirit possesses the Evangelion creature. By hiding his true motive, he is able to gain autonomous rule over all operations. While NERV headquarters on the surface is a pyramid structure, a symbol of order and of the creative power of mankind, what looms beneath threatens to undo this façade to serve individual purposes. SEELE (German for ‘Soul’) is the other powerful group that is affiliated with and also opposing NERV. This all male group of twelve older men wish to destroy humanity’s separate forms, making them into one united super-organism, for the purpose of playing God by manufacturing evolution. In contrast to NERV’s upright pyramid, the SEELE logo is an inverted pyramid, representing disorder and chaos. The purple colour emphasises their power, as it symbolises “nobility and luxury” (Morton 2016). On the left side of the triangle are three eyes and on the right side are four. In a way, the eye and the pyramid echo the Masonic ‘Eye of God’ or ‘Eye of Providence’ that often appears within an upright triangle. The fact that there are seven eyes instead of one has deeper mythical significance, as seven is considered a magical number in many cultural contexts throughout time. Specifically, “According to the Jewish and Christian Old Testament, the world was created in seven days and Noah's dove returned seven days after the Flood…but also in the Christian Bible, Satan is surrounded by the symbolism of the number 7 in the Book of Revelation.” (Crabtree 2013) Seven eyes could also literally translate as multiple god-like figures. While the men remain faceless and are almost always depicted as a set of ‘voice only’ monolith communication devices, they too are not completely united; they are separate individuals with their own hidden desires.
In the film, the religious figures in Jewish and Christian mythology, Adam, Eve and Lilith feature prominently as sources of religious power. Adam, the first man and Lilith, the first woman before Eve are the Godlike ‘angels’ with the capacity to create life on a planet. According to Kabbalistic lore, Lilith was created from the Earth as Adam was because “It is not good for man to live alone” (Genesis ref). According to the controversial and previously unattainable book: The Alphabet of Ben Sira, almost immediately, the two were locked into an argument regarding who would be on top during sexual intercourse and ultimately, who would be dominant in their relationship. Adam insisted that Lilith was meant to be subordinate to him whereas she argued “…the two of us are equal as we were both created from the earth.” (Sawyer 1996, p.139) According to the legend, Lilith grew wings and fled from the garden to the Red Sea, where she fornicated with Satan. However, an important fact to keep in mind is that ‘Samael’ is another name given to Satan. In the Jewish text, the Zohar, Samael is an angel of God, who delivers justice and punishment in the form of esoteric knowledge. When this deep knowledge is experienced, it is shocking, difficult and uncomfortable to the ego thus he is “the God of war against the ego…[who] punish[es] on behalf of God, with the permission of God” (Glorian Publishing 2015) When the three angels sent to the Red Sea by God cannot retrieve Lilith, God creates Eve from one of Adam’s ribs, who has a docile temperament and fulfils the purpose of serving him. In the Evangelion world, Eve takes the form of the ‘Evangelion’. This giant artificial being is also derived from Adam, as it is a clone of him. It is incased by a mechanised suit of armour in order to control it, and make it serve the purposes of the male organisations.
In the Christian Bible, the serpent, which seduced Eve, was the devil in disguise. Eve then went on to corrupt Adam with the forbidden Fruit of Knowledge. A Kabbalistic myth about this event is ‘The Rape of Eve’ where the serpent was at first Samuel, but then, Lilith assumed the form and gave Eve menstrual blood. This became “…the actual ‘filth and impure seed of Samael.” With this blood, Eve and all women were given the power to seduce and “compel men to act against their will…[a] persuasive ability or gift…given by Lilith through Samael.” (Hefner 2014) In this sense, what is truly frightening is the power of women, which poses a great threat to the patriarchal world. In the film, the blood of Lilith is portrayed as ‘LCL’. This liquid fills the entry plugs manned by the child pilots, making it possible for them to breathe whilst inside. Additionally, when humanity merges and becomes one being, they share the form of a sea of LCL, “the primordial soup” of life. According to Kristeva, softness, liquidity and formlessness are feminine qualities that contrast sharply with bright, dry and clear edged of forms that are deemed masculine. (Kristeva 1982) To dispel the power of the female, Lilith came to be known as a dreadful she-demon who killed babies and raped and killed men in their sleep, causing them to spill their seed. This linked her back to her origins in Babylonian demonology 4000 years ago as a “winged spirit who preyed on pregnant women and infants.” (Gaines 2016) Eve was also punished and labeled responsible for Adam’s fall. The fact that she was approached first by the serpent justified to theologians and religious scholars that women are the weaker half of mankind. Aristotle asserted that a woman is “…a malformed male, but claimed that the innate inferiority had been exacerbated by sin.” (Drury 1994, p.36) Saint Augustine, during his lifetime proclaimed that “Adam’s sin not only caused our mortality but cost us our moral freedom [and] irreversibly corrupted our experience of sexuality.”(Pagels 1988, p.26) He believed sexual desire was a punishment from God, rather than a natural way of continuing life. This is because, if man had not sinned, they would have been able to live forever in the Garden of Eden, as they had access to the Fruit of Life. These myths justified and consolidated the ideology of male dominance as a natural truth.
In order to fully control Adam and Lilith, the organisations separated their bodies from their souls. The body of Lilith is crucified in the lowest level of NERV headquarters; Terminal Dogma, while her soul exists inside Rei Ayanami, who is a clone of Yui Ikari, Shinji’s mother. The body of Adam was reduced to an embryonic state and, in the previous film was fused into Gendo’s left hand. The soul of Adam existed in the late Kaworu Nagisa, a manufactured entity like Rei. In order to instigate ‘Third Impact’, where all individual entities are fused into one, contact between Lilith and Adam had to be made. In front of the huge body of Lilith, Gendo commands Rei to initiate the project and to take him to his wife’s side. As he pushes his hand into her belly, she rejects him stating “I am not a puppet for you to control” and chooses to merge with Lilith’s body instead. Up until this moment, Rei is “…a blank doll-figure…” but reveals a nature that is truly “shocking” (Osmond 2010, p.135). Lilith, now animated, frees herself from the cross and takes the form of a giant humanoid figure with Rei’s likeness. She rises from Terminal Dogma and into the sky to help Shinji, who is already beginning to lose his ego due to the shock of new knowledge. Her refusal and choice of Shinji over Gendo fulfills Nelson’s theory that “…the automaton usually brings about the destruction of the human’s hopes and sometimes the human himself.” (Nelson 2001, p.65) Gendo and the male organisations had made the same mistake God had when he made the first humans. God “…plant[ed] the garden of Eden like a gardener (Gen. 2:15); he put[s] Adam like a toy in the garden (Gen. 2:15)” (Korpel & Moor 2014, p.126) If God had wanted us to be dolls for him to control, he should not have given us free will. This is also true for Gendo, who failed to realise Rei’s potential to choose and desire for herself, ability possible for all beings that have a soul.
In the film, there are two distinct moments that become metaphoric calls for divine intervention. Near the beginning, when the army sent by SEELE is attacking NERV headquarters with bombs, the pyramid that marks its location on ground level is directly hit and the top is separated with a horizontal crack. The pyramid is now truncated while the top part remains sitting precariously on top. While the pyramid represents the highest creative power of humanity, according to Masonic symbolism, the truncated pyramid represents unfinished work. On the American dollar bill, “the triangle, with its enclosed eye, completes the truncated pyramid… suggest[ing] that the pyramid will be completed with the aids of the all-seeing God.” (Ovason 2004, p.54) North American currency highly incorporates Mason ideology, as many of the founding fathers of the United States were Masons. Later, once Shinji’s Evangelion Unit 01 awakens and becomes self aware, a huge purple cross of light explodes from the crack, into the sky and then disintegrates. The pyramid incidentally crumbles. This symbolises that the divine entity, Lilith is not there to work together with humanity or to complete and complement their work but must destroy it completely, in order to facilitate a new beginning. In another explosion, above the Geo-Front (headquarters), the chamber of Guf forms which; according to Jewish mythology is a holding hall for the souls located in the seventh heaven. It is said that after becoming ripe, the souls grown on the Tree of Life in Paradise are kept here. (Triangulations 2014) In the film, the Guf is ‘the Egg of Lilith’ and, if she wishes, all souls can be pulled back inside of it.
A key function of the film is to debunk the fear of female power and to exemplify its significant, restorative potential. When the giant figure of Lilith, now resembling Rei rises up, the workers in headquarters are incredibly frightened. Maya Ibuki, a kindly, young network analyst screams in horror and grabs the sides of her face. Her reaction represents the enduring sense of fear that exists within people, caused by mythic tales many centuries ago. Shinji watches the being come towards him and Lilith closes her demonic black and red eyes. She opens them and reveals the human eyes of Rei. Shinji and the Evangelion scream in unison at the revelation that his friend was hiding a monstrous form. This shock causes the Eva’s core to be exposed. The Lance of Longinus penetrates the core when Shinji sees Kaworu, his dead friend in front of him in Lilith’s place and allows himself to be overcome with dream-like happiness. While the Lance of Longinus in the Christian Bible was the weapon used by a Roman soldier to check if Jesus Christ had died on the cross, in this context, it is an essential tool in the ‘Instrumentality Project’ ritual. As Shinji relaxes, he hears his mother’s voice telling him: “This Rei is your heart, she embodies your hopes and your dreams.” This is followed by Rei’s voice gently asking him: “What is it you wish for?” In this sense, Lilith becomes almost like Shinji’s personal fairy godmother that will make the world whatever he wants it to be. Following this, the shot of Shinji’s ecstatic face flows out of focus like water and with a drop of liquid, transitions into an alternate reality. Here, Shinji is confronted with his lonely, parentless childhood and Misato’s adult private life, which he finds repulsive. Asuka then provokes him angrily, demanding him to leave her alone and refusing to help him. He hears the voices of Rei, Asuka and Misato abandoning him with a variety of phrases such as “I don’t like you in that way” and “Let’s split up!” In response, Shinji chokes Asuka and metaphorically kills all humans, as being separate entities carries the threat of pain from rejection.
In response, Lilith initiates the project. The nine mass production Evas, released by SEELE take on her likeness and push their imitation Lances into their cores. They do this in quasi-orgasmic delight, and then float with their arms outstretched to the sides, so they are in the shape of a cross. This becomes a metaphor for Rei as a Christ-like saviour figure. Just as Jesus died for our sins, the Eva’s merged with Lilith are more than willing to sacrifice themselves for this ritual. While the huge humanoid sprouts wings and grasps the Guf, images of Rei crawl towards the people. They giggle, smile and take the shape of each person’s true love before causing them to dematerialize and become LCL. This directly references Jewish myth where “Lilith would laugh maniacally…[and] smile sweetly at a man before killing him.” (Leeming & Page 1994, p.113) Once he is in the world of ‘instrumentality’ where everyone is one being, Shinji is guided through a live-action vision of Tokyo where he sees building structures, crowds of anonymous people on the streets and in the movie theatre screening the film itself. Rei talks with him about the existence of dreams versus reality and allows him to understand that a world where people exist everywhere and also nowhere, “isn't right”. She reveals that this alternate world is only a dream and that he can find reality at the end of the dream. At that moment, the giant figure of Lilith begins projectile bleeding from her neck and begins to fall backwards. Shinji has a final talk with Rei and also his mother before confirming that he wants to return to human form. In order for Shinji to live independently, the mother figure must physically disappear from Shinji’s world however, the maternal bond, Yui’s soul who lives on inside Eva 01 and their memory and influence survives forever.
Lilith’s physical sacrifice results in a new hope for mankind. Both Kaworu and Rei in their human forms tell Shinji that anyone can return to human form as long as they imagine themselves within their own hearts. Humanity is given a true sense of self-determination over their own existence, as re-materialisation is only possible if each individual chooses it for himself or herself. Shinji ultimately learns that living with others is worth it even if there is the risk of getting hurt or abandoned because, alongside that, there is the never-ending hope and possibility of love and understanding. Richard Cornish in the introduction of his novel The Woman Lilith asks if Lilith was “…perhaps the first mythical figure who had to choose between the divine and the human, and chose the latter?” (Cornish 1974, p.ii), as she gave up her divinity so sexual equality could be possible. In the final scene of the film, Shinji and Asuka are lying on the beach before the sea of LCL. When Shinji looks out to the sea, Rei Ayanami, dressed in her school uniform is standing on the water, just as Jesus in the Christian New Testament had when he performed the miracle of walking on water. When he blinks, she vanishes, highlighting that she will always be spiritually present on the Earth. Shinji, who had already been back for a long time chokes Asuka when he sees her. He does this to confirm if she is really there with him and not still within instrumentality. He hopes that she will characteristically hit him or yell out but instead; she reaches up and caresses his face gently. He lets go and cries. This act of physical vulnerability equates with Asuka’s and as a result, the two share an equal level of power. Equality, especially concerning gender power has been restored; Lilith’s greatest wish and the solution to the doomed world. Feminist writer Carol Christ “…claims that worship of a male deity keeps women in a state of psychological dependence on men” (Gross 1996, p.225) thus, Lilith’s victory in the narrative can definitely be approached as a triumph of feminism in a patriarchal world.
Therefore, The End of Evangelion presents a religiously rich solution in order to achieve physical and psychological peace for all of humanity. In a world that is dominated by the patriarchy, automaton figures and humanity alike are controlled and given a distinct role and purpose. Lilith, who lives as a spiritual ghost within the mechanised automatons, provides motherly support for Shinji. She bestows on all people a second chance, by giving them control over their own fates and equalising gendered power distribution.
References
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Gross, R. (1996), Feminism & Religion: An Introduction, Beacon Press, Boston
Korpel, M & Moor, J. (2014), Adam, Eve, and the Devil: A New Beginning, Sheffield Phoenix Press, England
Kristeva, J. (1982), Powers of horror: an essay on abjection, Columbia University Press, New York
Leeming, D & Page, J. (1994), Goddess: Myths of the Female Divine, Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford
Nelson, V. (2001), The secret life of puppets, Harvard University Press, London
Ortega, M. (2007), Mechademia 2: networks of desire, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis
Osmond, A. (2010), 100 animated feature films, British Film Institute, London
Ovason, D. (2004), The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill: A closer look at the hidden magic and meaning of the money you use every day, HarperCollins Publishers, New York
Pagels, E. (1988), Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, Random House, New York
Sawyer, D. (1996), Women and religion in the first Christian centuries, Routledge, London, New York
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Online:
Crabtree, V. (2013), ‘The Mystical Number 7’, http://www.humanreligions.info/seven.html, accessed on 14/4/16
Faith Facts. (2008), ‘What is the Gospel?’, http://www.faithfacts.org/bible-101/what-is-the-gospel, accessed on 12/4/16
Gaines , J. (2016), ‘Lilith: Seductress, Heroine or Murderer?’, http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/lilith/ , accessed on 11/3/16
Glorian Publishing. (2015), ‘The Angel Samuel’, http://www.samaelaunweor.info/identity/38-the-angel-samael.html, accessed on 20/4/16
Hefner, A. (2014), ‘Rape of Eve, The’, http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/r/rape_of_eve_the.html, accessed on 11/3/16
Morton, L.J. (2016), ‘The Meanings of Purple’, http://www.colormatters.com/the-meanings-of-colors/purple, accessed on 25/4/16
Triangulations. (2014), ‘Guf: A Jewish Soul Myth’, https://triangulations.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/guf-a-jewish-soul-myth/, accessed on 1/5/16
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