A Cenotaph for a Monster

INTRODUCTION

A cenotaph, a monument, an empty tomb. A monster, a creature causing terror and fear, something inhuman or one could say monstrous. Yet some monsters do deserve a cenotaph and not just be a foot note at the end of a tale.

THE MONSTER

Godzilla, a radioactive, giant, mutant lizard. A creature that, when it emerges from the depth; causes untold destruction and damage. Yet there is sympathy to be had for a creature like this. Hideaki Anno’s’ interpretation of Godzilla with Shin Godzilla is a beast in constant pain from rapid unwanted evolution. Early in the film blood pours from frilled gills not designed to breathe air, its sharklike body causing it to plow along the ground rather than stand upright and walk. When it finally breathes its atomic breath, it’s not a joyous boisterous moment like in other iterations of Godzilla; instead, it is one of agony. They bend over and bear down as fire pours from its mouth before turning into a nearly uncontrolled beam that smashes through Tokyo. The attached score is solemn and orchestral with haunting lyrics to denote that this is not a moment of glory for the monster.

This iteration of Godzilla is one you feel some empathy or sympathy for. It never asked for any of this, it never asked to evolve and be in agony, it never wanted to come onto land and breathe air. And yet it does, and it is attacked every step of the way to prevent it from causing more unintentional harm. If there ever was to be a cenotaph for a monster, Shin Godzilla would deserve one.

Shin Godzilla isn’t the only monster that could be argued to deserve a cenotaph. The Minotaur locked in the maze whose only crime was being born different can be argued to deserve one as well. Theseus the great Greek hero slayed the trapped monster. Theseus goes down in history with statues and monuments and great stories, and the Minotaur is but the stepping stone, he dies alone trapped in a maze with nothing but darkness and stone.

The Minotaur cursed from its birth for a parents sin, a creature locked away in a maze by the word of oracles. A sympathetic monster if nothing else.

Not all monsters need to be sympathetic, but not all monsters need to be purposefully evil. A monster can be a monster, yet it can deserve a cenotaph to its existence, a grave beyond a foot note to the defeater.

                                                        Edward Burne Jones 1861

TABLETOP

In Tabletop games monsters tend to be something to hinder players or keep the game going. Made of teeth and stats to create a scenario that is engaging for gameplay. Some monsters like Strahd have more depth and lore, but Strahd is an evil bastard whose death brings catharsis for the players. He is not deserving of a cenotaph. There is a chance to make a monster who is something that needs to be dealt with, while at the same time being something that evokes some sympathy or pity. A creature who is not a puppy kicking, candy stealing, murderous beast. There is an opportunity to make your own Minotaur: a monster by chance and fate, a monster who does need to be defeated, yet at the same time deserves more to its death than just XP; a monster who deserves a cenotaph.