21928


In Fullmetal Alchemist the door in the Truth realm has a huge symbol with all
kinds of things on it:

[![Door in the Truth realm from
FMA](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WZK3s.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WZK3s.jpg)

I've seen the opening of Neon Genesis Evangelion today and noticed that the
same symbol is shown in the beginning of the opening around 0:10 - 0:13.

I first thought that it was just a random symbol in FMA, but now that I've
seen it in the opening of NGE, I believe that it must come from something else
since there is no connection between those anime.

What is this symbol, where does it come from and what does it describe?

Here is a more detailed picture of the symbol:

[![Symbol from both Anime in High
Quality](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GuvzR.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GuvzR.jpg)


CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-28T14:27:06.477
21923
2021-02-24T14:48:52.053
2017-04-10T10:56:46.400
28456
13056
question
fullmetal-alchemist-series neon-genesis-evangelion
What is this huge symbol on the door in the Truth realm and in the Neon Genesis Evangelion opening?


[The FmA Wikia](http://fma.wikia.com/wiki/The_Gate) seems to indicate that the
picture is _Tree of Life_ (also known as _World Tree_ or _Tree of Emanations_
or _Arber Sephiroteca_ ), as described by a 17th century English Paracelsian
physician [Robert Fludd](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Fludd). I'm
having a hard time finding additional information about the diagram, but the
[EvaGeeks Wiki](http://wiki.evageeks.org/Tree_of_Life#Arber_Sephirotheca) has
a page that describes the different parts in more detail. It does seem
somewhat related to the _[Sephirot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephirot)_ ,
or _Sefirotic Tree_ as diagrams depicting it are often called.

![Fludd's Sefirotic Tree](https://i.stack.imgur.com/31QWM.jpg)

It also seems that this diagram is unique to Edward's Gate, as Alphonse's Gate
has a different diagram, from 15th century alchemist [George
Ripley](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Ripley_\(alchemist\))'s text _The
Marrow of Alchemy_. (I wasn't able to find out if the diagram itself has a
name).

![The Marrow of Alchemy diagram](https://i.stack.imgur.com/H0lPI.jpg)


CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-28T16:03:54.673
21926
2015-05-28T16:48:31.337
2015-05-28T16:48:31.337
1398
8182
21923
answer


It's a slightly modified version of the [Sephirothic Tree of
Life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephirot) as defined by Robert Fludd, who
was a physician with interests in Kabbalah and other religious mysticisms. The
globes (called Sephiroths) are thought of as being ways in which the universe
shows its truths to humanity. They're also printed with the words God used in
creating the universe in Genesis.

![The tree is a different view of the Kabbalist Tree of
Life](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8UHvS.jpg)

You can read up on it more [here](http://www.sacred-
texts.com/eso/sta/sta29.htm), but the basic idea behind it is that it is a
mystic symbol representing universal truth -- and the Truth is on the other
side of the door in FMA.

In [NGE](http://wiki.evageeks.org/Tree_of_Life), however, the symbol appears
after the Mass Production units form an inverted tree of life, symbolizing the
opposite of creation -- destruction, death -- after crucifying Eva 01. This is
part of the Third Impact, in which nearly all of humanity is reduced to LCL.
You'll find that there's a lot of mystic symbolism in NGE.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-28T16:14:44.507
21928
2015-05-28T17:20:20.783
2015-05-28T17:20:20.783
1398
18894
21923
answer


On the door, there is a lot of Hebrew on it. On the bottom, it says 'Adonai'
which translates to 'god' and 'Elohim gibor' means 'god is strong' or 'god is
brave'.

Also, on Alex Armstrong's fists, 'chasak' is written in Hebrew which means
'strong'.

I feel like this show is more related to Judaism than any other religion by
all the Hebrew and Jewish beliefs.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-04T18:04:59.763
41715
2017-08-04T18:11:53.883
2017-08-04T18:11:53.883
2516
34985
21923
answer


"adonai" in hebrew actually "my master" but its used as gods name. there is
also some other names for god in judaism on the door such as "elohim" which
means god, "elohim gabor" means god is brave, iah or YHVH also means god, on
armstrongs fists it says "chazak" which means strong in hebrew, and the door
also says "el" which is also a name for god usually put at the end of a word.
for example, samuel in hebrew means "god heard" or "god listened". it also
says "cherub" on the door and a cherub or the "cherubim" are the little angel
thing thing on the ark of god or ark of the covenant which is basically a
really holy large box made of gold that holds the tablets with the ten
commandments and some other stuff.


CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-08T23:37:29.323
52874
2019-05-08T23:37:29.323
47196
21923
answer