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Cait Sith Cheshire (ケット・シーのチェシャ, Ketto Shī no Chesha) is a terrestrial specter and somewhat of a comic relief, acting more as a servant of Pandora than a combatant. He is a friend of sorts to Sylph Edward.
History[]
He's seen riding Pandora's carriage and guiding the Specters that invaded Jamir. His mannerisms are depicted in the stereotypical feline behavior common in manga and anime. He escorted Pandora in her quest to punish Alone, and didn't exhibit any abilities or intention to fight. Reminiscing about their encounter in Jamir, Cheshire prepares to engage Tenma in battle, which never comes to pass as the groups separate. After Rhadamanthys' death, Cheshire is taken by Athena, and witnesses the petrified Saints and soldiers come back to life by the goddess' intervention. After Hades' defeat, and having never taken part in any battle or exhibited any ability, Cheshire last appears, no longer a Specter, escorting Pandora at her arrival to Heinstein Castle, remaining as her loyal servant.
Surplice and Name[]
- Cait Sith Surplice
Cheshire's Surplice is based on a Scottish-Celtic creature, the Cait Sidhe (Cait Sith or Cat Sith), which is a fairy or witch that takes the form of a giant black cat with a white patch on its chest. The Cait Sith was also thought to be the origin of the saying that cats have nine lives, as this was a characteristic of the creature. It was believed that the Cait Sith could steal the souls of the newly dead by jumping over them, which prompted the practice of a nightly wake and distractions to prevent this from happening to the corpse. However, despite this, the Cait Sith was not evil and could even be kindly; if left a saucer of cream on Halloween (Samhain), it is said a Cait Sith would bless the home. The Cait Sith features particularly in the fairy tale "The King o' the Cats", in which a laborer returning home one night learns that not only has his pet housecat been a Cait Sith all along, but has also been declared the king of the cats, after which the cat disappears forever.
- Cheshire
The name Cheshire comes from a region in England where Lewis Caroll, the author of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" was born. One of the characters of the book is the famous Cheshire Cat, which is known for its haunting grin (an actual figure of speech in olden times, due to the "grin" cats living on dairy farms had because of all the milk around) and its ability to appear and disappear at will.
References[]
- ↑ 地獣星 Chijūsei. 獣 is Japanese for "thing of hair", a term commonly used to refer to furred animals. Bestial and Feral both apply to the term.