Episode 50: The Power of Names
In Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, your name equals your freedom
Science fiction and fantasy are full of stories about the power of knowing someone's true name, from the Doctor on Doctor Who to the wizards in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea. But why are names so important and powerful? And what do they tell us about the characters we love?
Notes, citations, & etc.!
Jordan Peterson (Wikipedia page)
Rumpelstiltskin (fairy tale)
The Odyssey by Homer (epic poem)
Ursula K. Le Guin (author)
The Earthsea series by Ursula K. Le Guin (book series)
Patricia McKillip (author)
The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander
The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher
Spirited Away (movie)
The Once and Future King by T.H. White (book)
Doctor Who (TV series)
River Song (Doctor Who character)
Carl Linneus (scientist)
Adam and Eve (Biblical characters)
Jacob wrestling with the Angel (Biblical story)
Harry Potter (book series)
Voldemort (Harry Potter character)
Star Wars (movie series)
Darth Vader (Star Wars character)
True Names by Vernor Vinge (novel)
Neuromancer by William Gibson (novel)
Kylo Ren (Star Wars character)
Green Lantern (superhero)
The Flash (superhero)
Jean Grey (superhero)
Batwoman (TV series)
Mr. Sensitive (X-Men character)
Meaningful Rename (TVTropes page)
Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (TV series)
Master Pain (Kung Pow! character)
Bettie Page (model)
Batman (superhero)
Starman by James Robinson and Tony Harris (comic)
Game of Thrones (TV series)
Theon Greyjoy (Game of Thrones character)
Ramsay Bolton (Game of Thrones character)
Arrow (TV series)
Ra's al Ghul (supervillain)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV series)
Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation character)
Dr. Pulaski bitchslapped (Youtube video)
Phantasm (movie)
Don Coscarelli (director)
Kate Coscarelli (author)
Phantasm by Kate Coscarelli (novelization)
Death Ray on Coral Island (movie)
The Liverpool Companion to World Science Fiction Cinema (book)
Sci-fi with Socialist Characteristics (The World of Chinese)
Future Imperfect: Death Ray on Coral Island (Unseen Films)
A Brief History of Chinese Science Fiction
Ye Yonglie (author)