Pathfinder 2E Paizo drops use of the word phylactery

[cavalier973]

I also remembered that there is a character called Morda in “Taran Wanderer”, by Lloyd Alexander, who is very much a lich, though he is not called that, and the piece of bone that contains his life-force is not given a special name of any kind. This was published in 1967, prior to the publication of D&D.

 

[Greg K]

Then, we're taking that very real world thing and tying it to an evil being that uses it to torture and devour souls for all eternity.

In what way is this not offensive?

People have pointed to Horcruxes as being the same thing. But, they're not. They're the same thing as what D&D has chosen to link to someone's religion. Nothing in the real phylactery even comes anywhere remotely near it being a vessel for a damned soul that keeps a horrid monster "alive" forever. A Horcrux is a made up word for a made up concept. And, oh look, it's not offensive to anyone.

The point is, the term phylactery should never have been used in the first place. Thing is, most of us don't know what it is. In 1982 I can pretty much guarantee that most D&D gamers had zero idea what this word meant. It was just a cool sounding word. But that's the insidiousness of cultural appropriation. Sure it sounds cool. But, "I like it" and "Well, I just don't think enough people are offended by this" are not very good arguments.

I am Jewish. I have always had at least one other player that was Jewish and another one or two whom had a parent or grandparent that was Jewish. We have never taken offense at use of the the term phylactery.

 

[billd91]

Are you saying that the phrase “soul cage” fits the genre?

I thought about “magic jar”, but after looking it up, the spell “magic jar” is used differently.

I did a short bit of Wikipedia scanning for “lich”.

I assumed it was a cultural monster like vampires and werewolves, but the word itself is Old English for “corpse”. It was the pulp fantasy writers in the 1930’s that adopted the term to mean “evil sorcerer who gains a form of immortality”. AD&D 1e was the first to use the term “phylactery” in connection with liches, but does not explain how. AD&D 2e seems to be the first to say that liches store their life force in the little doo-dads.

As late as 2e, a lich's phylactery is described as any manner of object, as long as it's top quality. I'm not aware of it being described like tefillin until 3e (though there were religious magic items described in that way - lich's soul repository was not). It wouldn't surprise me if the 3e description came up in a misguided attempt to add more detail based on real uses of the term and the writer went in the direction of tefillin rather than the Greek amulet reference because of frequency of use/meaning, ironically increasing the sense of appropriation while possibly trying to alleviate some of it.

My honest guess is that the term was first picked based on digging through a thesaurus and finding a synonym for amulet. And that's probably where periapt came from as well. It's entirely possible Gygax knew quite well what it was given his interest in religion, but it's also probable that he wouldn't have considered it a big deal. The only time I believe it comes up in the Bible under the term phylactery isn't in a positive way since Jesus is chiding the Pharisees for their ostentatious hypocrisy. But then, that passage was written in Greek, so exactly what the non-Greekified locals would have called it at the time is obscured in favor of the foreign term.

So the issues of appropriation and connotation here are interesting ones to observe, at least from a poli sci perspective.

 

[Umbran]

I do not believe the phylactery is anti-Semtic.

Yeah, well, I am not of Semitic descent. My beliefs on the matter are not relevant.

When dealing with racism, for most of us, our role is not that of a referee in a boxing match, vetting whether hits were clean or dirty.

 

[Greg K]

But then, that passage was written in Greek, so exactly what the non-Greekified locals would have called it at the time is obscured in favor of the foreign term.

So the issues of appropriation and connotation here are interesting ones to observe, at least from a poli sci perspective.

I always just figured it was a Greek term being the closest equivalent to a Jewish term.

 

[Mallus]

I always just figured it was a Greek term being the closest equivalent to a Jewish term.

Because it is. And now it's mostly just a term for a magic amulet.

 

[Blue Orange]

I'm now imagining a lich with an alter kocker Yiddish accent complaining about the prices on bat guano and how his apprentices moved to New Jersey and he never sees them anymore.

FWIW, I think Gygax was a little too into his thesaurus (the guy loved obscure words, we all agree on that) and I, personally, doubt he was antisemitic. I've read through the PHB, DMG, MM, and his modules lots of times and I didn't see any antisemitic tropes. With the Scarlet Brotherhood being evil racial purists he seems to have had it in a little for the Nazis FWIW.

If Paizo decides they want to be err on the side of sensitivity in these times, that's a sensible corporate decision.

Honestly I would kind of want to see more Jewish stuff in D&D, you've got several thousand years of culture at a time contemporaneous with the Middle Ages and earlier and nobody goes there because everyone's afraid of being antisemitic. Which I get. But while I fit the genetic criteria I'm not an expert in the culture, so my fantasies about kabbalistic sorcerers animating golem armies and divining the future through gematria will stay vague and unformed. Oh well.

 

[Parmandur]

But then, that passage was written in Greek, so exactly what the non-Greekified locals would have called it at the time is obscured in favor of the foreign term.

I always just figured it was a Greek term being the closest equivalent to a Jewish term.

Yup, tefelin.

 

[S'mon]

That removes the advantage of being able to hide it and come back later though.

Yes.

 

[wicked cool]

its a slippery slope . If something offends one person then eventually other things will be removed from the game to appease or not to offend