Myrmecolion

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Myrmecolion
ミルメコレオ
DeSumDCBRDCW

Artwork from Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner

Artwork from Devil Children Black Book and Red Book

Artwork from Devil Children White Book

Origin Christianity
Greek culture
Race(s) BeastDevil Survivor 2
Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker

VerminShin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Shin Megami Tensei Trading Card: Card Summoner

YomaDevil Children Black Book and Red Book
Devil Children White Book
Alignment(s) Dark-NeutralShin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner

NeutralShin Megami Tensei IV
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

Myrmecolion is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Origin

The myrmecoleon is a purported creature which is half-ant and half-lion. This word first appeared in the Greek translation of Job 4:11 in the Septuagint, which translates the Hebrew word לַיִשׁ layiš (a poetic word for "lion") as μυρμηκολέων myrmēkoléōn (literally "ant-lion").[a] The identification of the myrmecoleon as a literal ant-lion hybrid is first known to appear in the Physiologus, a Greek text written at some point between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD, and it later appeared in European bestiaries.[1]

The verb in Job says that the myrmecoleon perishes due to lack of prey, and this was expanded upon in the Physiologus to be because of its dual nature as ant (a herbivore) and lion (a carnivore). The entry in the Physiologus concludes with a moral lesson that so too is a double-minded person unstable in all his ways (James 1:8).[1]

The myrmecoleon is not to be confused with the actual insect known in English as the antlion.

Design

Myrmecolion appears as a creature with the head of a lion and the abdomen of an ant. It has six legs, with the front two being a lion's forelegs and the remaining four being ant legs.

Gameplay

For complete gameplay information, see Gameplay:Myrmecolion.

Compendium

Compendium Entries
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

A beast with the front of a lion and the back of an ant.

It is the result of a lion and ant mating, but because the lion part eats meat and the ant part eats vegetables, it will die of starvation. It was born from a mistranslation of the Bible.

Shin Megami Tensei IV

A monster whose front half is a lion and rear half is an ant.

It is said to be born when a male lion impregnates an ant egg. Because its father is carnivorous and its mother herbivorous, it eats nothing and dies of starvation. It was apparently a mistranslation of "old lion" in the Book of Job that gave rise to this strange creature.

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

A monster whose front half is a lion and rear half is an ant.
It is said to be born when a male lion impregnates an ant egg. Because its father is carnivorous and its mother herbivorous, it eats nothing and dies of starvation. It was apparently a mistranslation of "old lion" in the Book of Job that gave rise to this strange creature.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
(Akuma Zensho; PSP)

出身地：ギリシア

身体の前半分がライオン、後ろ半分がアリの姿をするという魔物。

雄ライオンがアリの卵に受精させることによって、ミルメコレオが生まれるといわれる。生態はアリに近いらしく、穴の中に棲むという。父が肉食、母が草食であるため、ミルメコレオは何も食えずに飢えて死ぬともいわれる。

ミルメコレオの元来の表記は聖書のヨブ記にある「老いたる獅子」だが、その誤訳によってこの奇怪な生き物が生まれた。
Translation: Place of origin: Greece

A beast said to have the front half of a lion and the back half of an ant.

A Myrmecolion is said to be born when a male lion inseminates ant eggs. It appears to have habits resembling those of an ant and lives in holes. It is carnivorous like its father, and herbivorous like its mother, so it is also said that a Myrmecolion will starve to death because it can eat nothing.

The Myrmecolion was first described in the Bible's Book of Job as an "aging lion", but due to a mistranslation, this strange creature was born.

Devil Children Black Book and Red Book GBC: ライオンのアタマ　とアリのからだを　もつデビル　スキキライが　おおくていつも　ハラペコ
PS: ライオンの頭　とアリの体を　持つデビル　好き嫌いが　多くていつも　ハラペコ
Translation: A Devil with the head of a lion and body of an ant. It has many likes and dislikes, and is always hungry.
Devil Children White Book ライオンのアタマ　とアリのからだを　もつデビル　スキキライが　おおくていつも　ハラペコ
Translation: A Devil with the head of a lion and body of an ant. It has many likes and dislikes, and is always hungry.
Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker

A monster whose front half is a lion and rear half is an ant.

It is said to be born when a male lion impregnates an ant egg. Because its father is carnivorous and its mother herbivorous, it eats nothing and dies of starvation. It was apparently a mistranslation of "old lion" in the Book of Job that gave rise to this strange creature.

Kaneko Kazuma Dennō Akuma Zukan ギリシア語で「蟻」を意味する“ミュルメクス”、「獅子」を意味する“レオ”をあわせた名を持つ、上半身がライオンで下半身が蟻の怪物。その矛盾した肉体は、蟻の下半身を持つため肉を食べられず、ライオンの上半身を持つため穀物を食べられないという結果を生み、ミルメコレオは生まれるとすぐに飢えて死んでしまうという。
Translation: Its name is a combination of the Greek words for "ant", myrmex, and "lion", leo. It is a monster with the upper half of a lion and the lower half of an ant. This contradictory body results in an inability to eat meat because of its ant half, nor can it eat grains because of its lion half, so it is said that the Myrmecolion starves and dies right after it is born.

Game Appearances

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Shin Megami Tensei IV

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner

Persona 5: The Phantom X

Main article: Shadow Shimotsuna

Myrmecolion appears in Persona 5: The Phantom X as the Shadow of Takami Shimotsuna.

Nomenclature

This nomenclature section is a stub. You can help Megami Tensei Wiki by expanding it.
Reason: Missing romanizations and meanings.
Names in Other Languages
Language Name Meaning
English Myrmecolion
Japanese ミルメコレオ Mirumekoreo Myrmecoleo; Latinized form of Myrmecoleon
Simplified Chinese 密尔美可里奥
Traditional Chinese 密爾美可里奧
Korean 미르메콜레오 Mireumekolleo Myrmecolion

Gallery

Notes

  1. ↑ This same Hebrew word is translated as σκύμνος λέοντος skýmnos léontos ("lion cub") in Proverbs 30:30 and Isaiah 30:6.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "An account of the Μυρμηκολέων or Ant-lion", George C. Druce. The Antiquaries Journal, 3(4), pp. 347-364. Published October 1923 by Cambridge University Press.
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