Disneyland General
Topic: Indy - Do you look into the eyes of Mara?

#	Author	Message
41	Tiggirl Fri 4/25/2008 10:14a	According to the Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M...ddess%29) Mara is the highest goddess in Latvian mythology. I don't know if they are meant to be the same goddess but I too was always under the impression that Mara was a female... with a scary deep voice. ~Beth
42	Tiggirl Fri 4/25/2008 10:16a	P.S. Also Mara is also the Hindu Goddess of Death. No wonder you don't want to look into her eyes! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M...ddess%29 ~Beth
43	FerretAfros Fri 4/25/2008 10:30a	I once met a little girl (about 7 or 8) named Mara. It made me chuckle, because she had the prettiest blue eyes you've ever seen, and every time I look at her eyes, I heard Sallah saying "Do not look into the eyes of the idol, for that would be very dangerous." It made it easy to remember her name though! : )
44	WDWdreamin Fri 4/25/2008 10:36a	I also thought Mara was a female. I just thought her voice was deep when she was angry. I thought - goddesses don't follow those rules. I always look, I want the ride to be exciting!
45	ShivaThDestroyer Fri 4/25/2008 11:41a	Tiggirl, I found many more references on-line to Mara being male that female and have never thought of Indy's Mara as being anything but male. The voice, manner of dress and facial features all support this. As a matter of fact, Disney introduced him as male in their original promo. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=...vYWvxEUI Of course, I ended up watching this one too. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=...8sEYk0gU
46	SFH Fri 4/25/2008 3:50p	Theme Park Adventure covered this in their Temple of the Forbidden Eye issue. Mara is a goddess. The voice in the Hall of Promise is male because it is easier to hear it that way. SFH
47	indiana_jones88 Fri 4/25/2008 5:15p	i always thought Mara was a girl with a manly voice. she's a goddess, so maybe she can make he voice manly and this makes no sence so i'll just stop now
48	ShivaThDestroyer Sat 4/26/2008 1:12p	I admit to being a little puzzled. Disney definitely referred to Mara in the masculine back when we used to call the attraction "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the 4 ½ hour wait". At some point the designation "god" has all but disappeared and Mara started to be referred to as deity, guardian or idol. I wonder if somewhere along the line, possibly in the PC heyday of the late 90's that Disney either changed their minds or just decided to let the guests assume Mara's gender. I'm really curious when Mara first started to be referred to in the feminine. The earliest on-line references I could find questioning Mara's gender seem to have started around 2000. I just have a few points I'd like to make. Indian art figures tend to be very androgenous, especially the deities, it is hard to tell male from female until you get used to the style. Entrance Mural: Mara is shirtless and the chest looks flat, the shoulders are broad and the upper arms are thick. The depictions in the youth room show both male and female figures, although the manner of dress is very much alike, the women have thinner bodies and the men are more bulky and have flat chests. Original Quote from WDI: Hall of Promise: "Beyond the doorway of Future Knowledge is the "Observatory of the Future " where, surrounded by a galaxy of stars, visions of events yet to come are revealed by a mystical amulet. Promises of past youth are shown through the passage to the Fountain of Eternal Youth, as water-reflected frescoes depict visions of the native people drinking from the mythical spring, regaining their former beauty. Within the "Chamber of Earthly Riches," the great treasures from all centuries past have been stored and are now ready for the taking. At the end of each hall, explorers will notice a bright light drawing them nearer. Only as they pass by columns of snake guardians will they realize that the mesmerizing light is coming directly from eyes of the two-story idol of Mara. Having broken the one temple rule to: "Look not into the eyes of Mara," guests face the wrath of Mara as *he* rumbles to life, banishing them into the "Tunnel of Torment." Tony Baxter: The Making of Disneyland's 'Indiana Jones Adventure' 1995. Tony Baxter specifically says that Mara is male. The Indy promo video referenced in post 45 also states "god named Mara" . I'm pretty sure that the translation in Indy's journal also says "Mural of Mara-*he* is holding the three gifts" but I'll have verify that. >> Mara is a goddess. The voice in the Hall of Promise is male because it is easier to hear it that way.<< John Rhys-Davies did the voice of Mara and, even if it was determined that a deep male voice might be easier to hear, the fact the Disney originally stated that Mara was a "god" (male) and referred to him as "he" seems more logical. >>Theme Park Adventure covered this in their Temple of the Forbidden Eye issue.<< Sadly I haven't been able to find any on-line reference to that article. It a not a direct release from Disney nor from WDI, but I would be interested in their arguments. Based solely on the points I have mentioned, the most logical conclusion would be that Disney's Mara is male. Apoligies in advance. I don't mean to offend anyone. It's just that I have always considered Mara as male and that was how he was originally portrayed by Disney. If Disney changed their minds at a later date and either decided to leave Mara's gender up to the assumption of the guest or changed Mara's gender completely this is news to me.
49	Dabob2 Sat 4/26/2008 1:44p	He or she, I always look into Mara's eyes. Then I say defiantly, "yeah, what are you gonna do, CURSE me?"
50	SBSBelle22 Sat 4/26/2008 2:03p	Heehee, I never really thought that hard about whether Mara was male or female, I always assume male when I hear the voice, but inthe room with the guy excavating and the big painted ceiling, the big painted face up there looks slightly feminine... Huh, I don't know. I just wish he, she, it would stop trying to kill us and actually give me all that treasure I'm supposed to end up with!!!

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