Last modified: 2016-03-19 by peter hans van den muijzenberg
Keywords: nausicaä of the valley of the wind | kaze no tani no naushika | torumekian empire | snake: two-headed | sword |
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In Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind), the
movie and the manga by Hayao Miyazaki, a universe
heavily influenced by Franck Herbert's Dune, the world is in a
post-apocalyptical state. Most of the Earth is uninhabitable because it is
occupied by poisonous fungi and various forms of huge insects. The
inhabitable world is divided in three main groups, the technological and
militaristic Torumekian Empire, the religious Dorok Empire (plays no direct
part in the movie), and the petty kingdoms of the Periphery, of which we
learn about two in the movie: The Valley of The Wind and Pejite. Nausicaä is
the princess of the Valley of the Wind at the time the Torumekian Empire
invades it. She then allies herself with prince Asbel of Pejite in trying to
stop the destruction of the valley and of the insect/fungi world, because
she discovers it is actually cleaning the land.
João Madureira, 6 March 2004
image by João Madureira, 8 March 2004
The flag of the Torumekian Empire — Torumekia for short — is briefly but clearly visible in the movie: With proportions about 2:3 or 3:5, on a black field, a red snake with two heads, one on each end, the body of which does a pretty loop in the middle, and a vertical golden sword on top of them. This symbol (snakes and sword) occupy almost the complete totality of the flag. The snake has a number of black stripes near its heads, the exact number of which I couldn't figure out, and it seems not to have any teeth. The sword has more details in the movie to make it look golden and shiny, but I think this is a good heraldic approach to that.
Looks like a Viking thing, doesn't it?
João Madureira, 6 & 8 March 2004