Does Paldea really have no local myths/folklore?

[Orion☆]

One negative aspect of the game I don't often see discussed is what I perceive is a lack of regional myths/folklore compared to other regions. All the Legendary Pokémon are connected more to the region's history than to mythology; after all, Koraidon/Miraidon and the Paradox Pokémon are in the region because of human intervention, and so are the Treasures of Ruin/Ruinous Quartet, who even came from a different region instead of being native to Paldea. Unlike regions like Johto, Hisui/Sinnoh or Alola, Paldea seems to have no fantastic lore of its own; finding out all of the above is all straightforward historical research. There could have been a focus on uncovering the truth behind the legends like in Galar, and yet that opportunity was missed. Heck, even Kanto had more folklore with the Legendary Birds, especially Moltres, sometimes appearing before the region's people to help them!

Given Spain's rich mythology, it's borderline offensive. I wasn't expecting Maldita Castilla levels of folklore borrowing, but it would have been nice to have Legendaries, Mythicals or even regular Pokémon based off actual Spanish myths. Then again, I admit this might be a minor problem, but I do find that it fits within the larger problem of Paldea being Spain in the maps only - that is, Paldea just barely resembling the real-life country it's based on.

Did you feel or notice that Paldea lacked in regional folklore, or did you not care? Do you think it hinders Paldea's standing as a region, or do you think it might be beneficial to not focus so much on mythology as on history? I want to hear your thoughts on this.

 

[Sweet Serenity]

I found it strange how Paldea is a region that is based on Spain, but the legendary Pokémon, the Treasures of Ruin, are based on Chinese legends and even have Chinese names. While this doesn't ruin the game for me at all, I do believe Game Freak missed the mark by not incorporating Spanish legends in a region based on Spain. Yet, I believe that it is too early to say that Paldea doesn't have its own folklore yet. The games don't even have a complete Pokédex or mythical Pokémon yet, which implies they are likely to add more content with some future DLC.

 

[Corveone]

Yeah, making the only legendaries in a Spain-based region inspired in Chinese folklore makes no sense. They also made Kingambit literally based on a shogun (I have the feeling that Kingambit just missed the Hisui train, that thing would have fit perfectly in the Galaxy Leader's team)

I found the Paldea Crater lore somewhat interesting, but it had more to do with ancient/future variants.

That said, it's no surprise that legendaries kinda went downhill and lost their meaning over time, and I doubt many players actually care much about their lore anymore. They're mostly just "collectibles" or powerful battling assets, and not much else.

 

[Sandslash Fan]

I am wondering if the Chinese legendaries were a concession so they could sell the game in China.

A bull-fighting Oricorio form would have been cool, or even for Flamigo if it was a two-stage evolution.

 

[Orion☆]

Yet, I believe that it is too early to say that Paldea doesn't have its own folklore yet. The games don't even have a complete Pokédex or mythical Pokémon yet, which implies they are likely to add more content with some future DLC.

Thing is... what has been leaked as regards Legendaries in the DLC isn't very promising. I'll put it under a cut if you don't want to be spoiled, but so far...

Spoiler:

...we have a past Paradox that resembles a fusion between Raikou, Entei and Suicune; a future Paradox that resembles a fusion between Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion, and the sphere-like entity at the bottom of Area Zero. I'm not ruling out more Legendaries or Mythicals yet, but I have very good reason to believe the DLC will focus exclusively on the Paradox Pokémon.

Yeah, making the only legendaries in a Spain-based region inspired in Chinese folklore makes no sense. They also made Kingambit literally based on a shogun (I have the feeling that Kingambit just missed the Hisui train, that thing would have fit perfectly in the Galaxy Leader's team)

Well, I didn't say that the Chinese-inspired Legendaries made no sense. In fact, Spain had extensive trade with China, so it made perfect sense to me that they had been brought to the region. What bothered me was the lack of autochtonous legends or myths - that is, Legendaries or Mythicals that originated within Paldea itself and had nothing to do with human intervention like the Paradox Pokémon.

Would you believe that I have the same theory as regards Kingambit? It took me a while to realize it, but now I find it plausible that Kingambit might have been designed for PLA but someone vetoed its inclusion. Given that the game has extensive references to Unova including one of its starter lines, a fourth member for one of its Legendary trios and Ingo, one of two of its most powerful Trainers, it's not far-fetched either.

I am wondering if the Chinese legendaries were a concession so they could sell the game in China.

Well, I dunno. It could have been, but at the same time, I have read that the Treasures of Ruin are meant to be counterparts to the Forces of Nature quartet. Perhaps they were long overdue, considering that the Forces have existed since Gen V, but Game Freak only found a chance to include them in this game.

 

[Squirtkipfan01]

I…never noticed that. That IS kinda weird as most games before gave the regions their own lore and history for world building and flavor. Not paldea, its kinda a boring region in that regard. No real substance anywhere, just kinda fun to explore but nothing to learn

 

[Nah]

It wouldn't be the first time that a region's legendaries and mythicals aren't drawn from the real-world area they're loosely based on. Unova's legendaries are based on Taoism (Zekrom/Reshiram/Kyurem), an Asian philosophy/spiritual belief. The Kami trio/Forces of Nature are based on Japanese gods like Raijin and Fujin, Cobalion/Virizion/Terrakion/Keldeo are loosely meant to be the Musketeers--a French tale. Then you have Kalos, whose main trio is based on Norse mythology, while stuff like Hoopa is based on djinns/genies--so nothing specifically French.

Though half the issue here is that Paldea's current list of legendaries/mythicals are....not so legendary or mythical, and it is true that Paldea is unique in that regard. Maybe that was the point, though they could've used to like, give us more information on them so we have some sort of cool lore to play with or something.

 

[Iceshadow3317]

I also agree there is a massive lack of Spanish Lore and Myths, especially now that I finished the Pokedex ect. It isn't the first time we have had pokemon/regions with aspects of Asian Culture outside of the first four. I don't mind that. However there isn't a ton of lore about the region itself. It is very similar to Kanto that has no history at all. Maybe it was a call back for this being the first 'Open World' Game.

While I don't mind the ruinous pokemon, why are they Chinese? They talk about a war with a neighboring region, which would be Kalos and based on how the Watch Towers are more heavily focused in the north part of the region where Kalos likely is, doesn't make sense to me why they are Chinese based. I don't know if I am missing lore/story in game or not, but I remember someone saying the time between Alola and Paldea was confirmed to be three years, but I've not seen it in game.

The only pokemon I consider heavily influenced by Spanish Lore is Gholdengo. I've always associated Spain, especially during the Exploration Era of the world, with gold. But even Quaquaval is said to invoke the dance spirit of a far off region.

Hopefully when we get DLC, which we most likely will get, we will get more Legendary Pokemon, which I am certain we will. And you know we are likely going to get at least two Mythical Pokemon.

 

[Ergast]

Miraidon is actually a reference to a spanish myth, the culebre or cuélebre. It's a serpentine monster, with bat wings that is related to treasures, and its element is the lightning. And to keep it with serpentine myths, Koraidon represents the basilisk, kinda. And yeah, while that is a greek myth, the greeks had an important presence in the iberian peninsula, before the roman empire, so we do have some of their myths in our culture.

There are other references to spanish myths, too. Greavard and Houndstone are a big reference to the Santa Compaña, by example. The three forms of Tauros are references to different... eh... celebrations that are, luckily, being prohibited. Combatant form is a reference to bullfighting, Fire form is a reference to an old celebration where people put torches on the bull and had to run away from him, and the water form is a reference to another one where people had, again, to run away from bulls but using water. Charcadet's line is another reference. Armarouge may reference Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, el Cid Campeador, when he was alive, and Ceruledge almost certainly references the legend where he won a battle against the muslims in Valencia when he was already dead, as the legend says that his corpse was dressed with his armor, and they put him on his horse to scare his enemies. Cid had, in the legend, two famous swords, Tizona and Colada, that were said they terrified those who weren't worthy and I've even read that they exploded in flames, but I can't give references to this last one.

About the Treasures of Ruins, as I've read some people wondering, they are a reference to the Route of the Silk, that started in China and ended in Spain. Both countries depended a lot on the other one for trade and rare products.

And Quaquaval is a reference to the Carnaval in the Canarias' Islands. The starter that ISN'T a reference to Spain is actually Skeledirge. That one is mexican.

So yeah, there is actually more spanish lore and myths that it may look like at first.

Do you know what I, as spanish, actually dislike a bit? The lack of the Aegislash line (Spain IS famous for its great swordsmiths, specially Toledo, the city I was born), the lack of ponyta's line in the game, or even a new regional form of either rapidash or mudsdale, or even a new horse pokemon (the spanish horses are also very famous and have a great reputation, the andalusian breed in particular) and that the BIG restaurant, the one that is used to change the teratype, is actually japanese, instead of spanish.

On the other hand, I did enjoy the return to a more sci-fi background, similar to the first gen, instead of being more fantasy, as it had been since gen 2, when it comes to the big legendaries.

 

[Sweet Serenity]

It wouldn't be the first time that a region's legendaries and mythicals aren't drawn from the real-world area they're loosely based on. Unova's legendaries are based on Taoism (Zekrom/Reshiram/Kyurem), an Asian philosophy/spiritual belief. The Kami trio/Forces of Nature are based on Japanese gods like Raijin and Fujin, Cobalion/Virizion/Terrakion/Keldeo are loosely meant to be the Musketeers--a French tale. Then you have Kalos, whose main trio is based on Norse mythology, while stuff like Hoopa is based on djinns/genies--so nothing specifically French.

Though half the issue here is that Paldea's current list of legendaries/mythicals are....not so legendary or mythical, and it is true that Paldea is unique in that regard. Maybe that was the point, though they could've used to like, give us more information on them so we have some sort of cool lore to play with or something.

Yet, what makes this more baffling is that their names are also based on Chinese names as well. There are even people in the world, mainly China, that have these names as a given name. That's just really weird for a region based on Spain. Even though the legends you listed might be based on those from other cultures, they still have "regular" names you'd expect from the series. Moreover, the legends from Sun and Moon such as the Tapus and legends from Sword and Shield are based on Polynesian and English/European lore respectively.