Lalah and Spirituality

As a newtype, Lalah has a strong spiritual side. This aspect of hers was influenced by concepts and myths from Buddhism and Hinduism. She has also been compared to the Biblical "Rose of Sharon." This page is dedicated to the religious symbolism behind her character.

But first, to correct a common misconception: Lalah is not wearing a bindi and she is not necessarily a Hindu herself. I've seen many fan wikis assume this and then make further assumptions based on that. But according to Tomino, she simply has a birthmark in her third eye area, which gives her a bodhisattva-like appearance. (More on that below.) He also portrayed her as agnostic in Secret Rendezvous: Amuro and Lalah, where she wonders if she will be reincarnated as a mouse (more of a Hindu belief) or if she will achieve nirvana (more of a Buddhist belief.) So Lalah is certainly familiar with both Hinduism and Buddhism but she isn't meant to be one or the other. Also, bindis aren't exclusive to Hindus anyway.

Lala's clear voice resonated pleasantly in his ears. She wore a pale yellow one-piece outfit with long billowing sleeves trailing in the air as she walked, and it made her tawny skin appear almost glistening black. There was something quite incongruous about the sight of her in the impersonal lobby of an agency charged with developing new fighters for the Zeon forces. Smack in the middle of her forehead, almost like the light-emitting third eye of a bodhisattva, was a beauty mark. Her real eyes were emerald-green and hinted at an ancestry more complex than that of most Asians. Her limbs moved with grace as she glided directly up to him. She lacked any natural fragrance and had an altogether ethereal quality to her.

Tomino says Lalah looks like a bodhisattva two times in Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, the first Gundam novel he wrote. Bodhisattvas are like Buddhist saints- people who have been liberated from samsara (the cycle of birth and death and rebirth) but who choose to stay in this realm to help others.

When Amuro first meets Lalah, she is watching a whooper swan. In the TV version, the swan dies and she says, "Isn't it sad to watch them grow old and perish?" In the movie version, the swan is fine, but Lalah still says, "I was thinking how sad it was that it will grow old and die someday." This scene could be understood as a reflection on samsara.

Lalah's body is destroyed, but not her spirit. Official art by Kazuhisa Kondo.

In Hinduism, the hamsa (swan or goose) is a symbol of moksha (liberation from samsara.)

Lalah is a modern representation of an ancient goddess. I'm not just saying that because I like her! Some of the other Gundam characters are also inspired by deities.

"The enormous giant was painted in a color that resembled the flowers of the bougainvillea, descending like Shiva"- this is how Char's mobile suit is perceived by Lalah in the novel Secret Rendezvous: Amuro and Lalah. Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction. It's his job to destroy the universe, so that it can be remade better than before. Hindus believe the universe goes through extremely long cycles where things may be mostly good or mostly evil. When an evil cycle ends, a good one can begin.

Now, if we look at the Zeta proposal that Tomino wrote, it says that Char "felt he had to find a way to put an end to this cancerous cycle of history" and that he "may also believe in Shakti."

Shakti is the main goddess in Hinduism. All the other goddesses are incarnations of her. Hindu gods have many different manifestations which are considered different elements of the same god, similar to the Christian concept of the trinity. Shakti has two avatars who are particularly Lalah-like.

The first is Kali. Kali is a warrior goddess of time and destruction. She also happens to be Shiva's consort. You've probably seen art of her even if you didn't know her name. She is known for having dark skin (black symbolizes infinity and the void) and for killing demons. But even though she is strongly associated with killing and death, she is also considered a mother goddess. "Kali is stated to protect and bestow liberation (moksha) to devotees who approach her with an attitude of a child towards mother." Hmm... who does that sound like?

The other Shakti goddess relevant here is Sati. Sati was Shiva's first wife, however, her father didn't approve of the marriage and this upset Sati so much that she killed herself. This caused Shiva to go mad with grief and he attempted to destroy the entire universe, even though it wasn't the proper time for that yet. In the end, he was stopped by Vishnu, the god of preservation, whose job is to maintain the universe. You can see the similarity between this and the Axis drop plot in Char's Counterattack, where Amuro plays the role of Vishnu.

I am not sure exactly when Tomino first became acquainted with Hinduism, but it clearly interested him for many years. There's a character named Shakti in Victory Gundam and another one named Krishna in Gaia Gear.

Lalah's Elmeth is known as the Rose of Sharon in Mobile Suit Gundam Gquuuuuux. This is an allusion to the Song of Songs, also called the Song of Solomon, an ancient love poem about a woman described as a "rose of sharon" and "a lily among thorns." Although the poem is erotic in nature, it is included in Jewish and Christian bibles, and has been interpreted in many different ways over the centuries.

The poem tells a story about the Rose of Sharon who searches for her missing lover. Lalah's story has many parallels with this poem. First, the woman in the poem has "dark and beautiful" skin like Lalah. Second, dreams are a significant part of the poem. This is reflected in the repeated references to "the other side" being dream-like. The Rose of Sharon searches for her lover after he disappears in a dream:

Likewise, in episode 9, Lalah is caught by an armed guard at Kabas and unable to escape with Machu.

Another connection to the Song is in the title. The Song of Songs is also called The Song of Solomon, since it was traditionally attributed to King Solomon, or at least dedicated to him; Lalah and her Elmeth are sometimes called the "Ghost of Solomon."

Lalah is called the "rose girl" but she isn't the only one playing the role of the Rose of Sharon. Many characters in this anime are chasing after missing loved ones, and the whole show is full of Song of Songs inspired imagery, like the apples Machu shares with Shuji. If you're curious about the Song, I recommend the translation by Ariel and Chana Bloch.

For more on the Rose of Sharon mobile armor, see the Elmeth page.

“What does A Baoa Qu mean anyway?” Even as the missiles and cannon fire flew
back and forth, the acting captain had the time to ask such questions.

“It’s the name of a creature sensitive to people’s shadows, from a book on
mythical beasts. It lives on the steps of the Tower of Victory, from where you can see the
most beautiful landscape in the world, and it follows the shadows of people trying to
climb to the top.”

“The Tower of Victory…did Zeon choose that name because they believed they
would be victorious?”

“I suppose so. When the person the creature is following reaches the top, they
achieve Nirvana and stop casting any shadows, and then Á Bao A Qu shines a brilliant
blue. The name must have gotten corrupted to A Baoa Qu.”

“So it’s the embodiment of an ideal?”

“Perhaps…however, it’s also said that its life cycle is short, preventing it from
reaching the top of the tower, and it’s only ever gotten there once…also that it feels like
the skin of a peach…”

When the anime was still in development, Lalah was called "Asteroid Lalah" and she was meant to have translucent blue hair, just as the Ao Bao A Qu has translucent blue tentacles. For more on this, see the design page.