The Hypermyth of Saint Seiya

The Hypermyth is an official text approved by Kurumada, published in the data book Cosmo Special in August 1988. It constitutes the mythology of Saint Seiya, offering a clever blend of Greek mythology, legends and religions, aimed at explaining the Saint Seiya universe in detail.

As the original text is in Japanese, the information presented here is based on online research and previously published articles. The Hypermyth is considered the most important text in the "science of Saint Seiya".

In the beginning, there was only the void. From this void were born two spiritual entities, Gaia and Ouranos. From their union were born the first material deities — the Giants and the Titans — who in turn gave rise to other gods such as Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Ares, etc. Gaia then asked the Titans, particularly Cronos, to create the BIG BANG.

The immense and incalculable explosion of the Big Bang generated an extraordinary force: the Big Will (Grand Vouloir). In the form of luminous fragments, it began to travel the universe, giving birth — as it collided with fragments of space — to planets and stars.

Within this universe, three divine essences born of the Big Will gave rise to the creation of Earth: Gaia, deity of the earth; Ouranos, deity of the sky; and Pontos, deity of the sea.

When the Earth was first created, it was barren. It was Prometheus, son of the Titan Iapetus, who shaped humanity from clay, in the image of the gods. Athena then granted them a soul through the Big Will.

Humanity was endowed with five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. Over time, some developed a sixth sense — intuition. By deepening their knowledge of cosmos, certain individuals attained the seventh sense, the essence of their cosmos — then the eighth sense, known as Arayashiki, which allows them to preserve their will in the realm of the dead. The ninth sense represents the immortality of the soul: the Big Will itself.

After the creation of humanity, some gods chose to reincarnate through humans. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were among the first to become men before awakening to the Big Will. They then divided the realms: Zeus over the earth, Poseidon over the oceans, Hades over the realm of the dead.

It is at this moment that one of the greatest mysteries of the Hypermyth appears: Zeus's departure to the heavens. Athena, born fully armed from Zeus's head, became the guardian of the earth and humanity — which aroused the envy of the other gods and sparked the first Holy Wars.

Poseidon gathered seven powerful warriors from the seven oceans — the Marinas — and erected the fortress of Atlantis. Faced with this invasion, Athena sent her warriors into battle without weapons or protection. The defeat was total.

Refusing to let the young warriors suffer, Athena turned to the alchemists of the continent of Mù. To forge the armors, they used Gammanion Orichalcum and stardust. The 88 constellations, at Athena's instigation, served as their model. The hierarchy was established:

• 12 Gold Armors — the most powerful, linked to the zodiac constellations
• 24 Silver Armors
• 48 Bronze Armors
• 4 Armors of unknown origin, shrouded in mystery

These armors were made of stardust, which made them living entities, as they contained the Big Will. Thanks to them, the young warriors managed to repel the Marinas — but Poseidon, infuriated, unleashed enormous tidal waves upon the Earth. Only Noah, with his ark, managed to survive.

Athena sent her eight most powerful warriors to Atlantis to end the war against Poseidon. Poseidon's spirit was imprisoned in a sacred urn, placed under the guard of the Divine Warriors at the North Pole. There were in total seven major confrontations between Poseidon and Athena.

Later, the Sanctuary of Athena was built, its twelve houses protected by the Gold Saints. The first to attack were the giants during the Gigantomachy. Then came Ares, god of war, with his formidable berserkers divided into four armies — fire, flames, misfortune, and terror.

The 58 active Saints could not resist. Athena then authorized the Libra Saint to use his special weapons. Ares was driven back into the realm of the dead, to Hades, who had always supported him — Ares's conflicts providing his kingdom with a constant influx of souls.

On the Island of the Dead Queen, part of the ancient continent of Atlantis, a Saint discovered numerous armors, several of them black. Saints rejected from the order decided to seize them — spreading only hatred and violence. Athena then decided to seal off the island, sending her cruelest knight, Guilty, condemned to fight the Black Saints and to wear a mask that was in fact Athena's seal. Whoever broke it would claim the hidden armors on the island — including the most powerful Bronze Armor, the Phoenix.

It was in 1743 that Hades, seeking revenge, declared a new war against Athena — the most terrible for the order of Saints. Of the 79 Saints engaged, only two would survive: Dohko, Gold Saint of Libra, and Shion, Saint of Aries. Understanding that this war was merely the prelude to future conflicts, Athena entrusted Dohko with guarding the tower of the 108 Specters, and Shion with the role of Grand Pope to train a new generation of Saints.

The rest, you all know — it begins with Episode G and continues through the Sanctuary chapter, giving us the magnificent anime we all love. The Hypermyth is deeply intertwined with Greek mythology, and the many questions it raises will surely find their answers in the mind of that great man, Kurumada, who allowed us to experience this extraordinary saga.