The Symbolic Geography of Frieren
In keeping with a rich tradition in high fantasy, Frieren uses symbolic geography to synchronize the internal and external journey that the characters embark upon. #frieren 1/7
The path that Frieren and company follow operates on the symbolic level in 3 key ways. First and foremost, the journey retraces the steps of the original party of heroes thus connecting the present to the past in a meaningful process of recontextualization. 2/7
Secondly, the journey represents a movement from the centre of Frieren’s fictional universe to the increasingly rugged and dangerous outskirts, a staple feature of the Kishu ryuritan structure discussed in a previous thread. 3/7
This is important as a means of portraying the reformative potential of exile. By disentangling the hero from the trappings of comfortable society, they can achieve self-knowledge. It’s a sort of stripping down of the accoutrements of identity in order to reveal the previously obfuscated central core. 4/7
Thirdly, in a very supernatural element, Frieren is heading toward a region known as Aureole, the “Land Where Souls Rest.”Frieren seeks this out in order to be reunited with Himmel – thus she is quite literally chasing his ghost. 5/7
Frieren, like all of us, is on a journey in which appreciating and understanding the past can produce self-knowledge ideally before we reach the realm of the dead. It’s a clear and cleverly articulated metaphor for our individual journeys toward death and the need to appreciate life in contrast. 6/7
In all facets, Frieren is journeying outward for the purposes of journeying inward and Yamada and Abe draw on rich fantasy traditions in order to build a world (and an infrastructure even) that can ably support that progression. 7/7