Shade (mythology)

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In fantasy literature and games Shades are a spiritual or emotional imprint left on a person, place or thing. They often take the form of a "presence" which might only be seen out of the corner of the eye or sometimes physically felt. Shades can come in many forms, anything from a deceased or living person's or animal's imprint left on something or someone, to something invoked into the "possession" of an object or person. Shades are sometimes thought of as strange or mythological creatures with powerful abilities. Shades are non-existant in the real world, but are still a commonly used phenomenon in literature and video games, most notabally Eragon, Warcraft, Myth RuneScape, Xanth, Age of Mythology, F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate and F.E.A.R. Extraction Point.

[edit] Supernatural Abilities

In some online games and books, shades are creatures that can control shadow movement to darken a room, engulf a creature, or even sink into a shadow and appear out of another shadow. Shades are sometimes thought of as vampiric, although more commonly feeding on life force than blood. However, unlike vampires, light has little adverse effect, other than causing a mild annoyance, as they are obviously not human. Shades are sometimes presented to be virtually powerless when it's lighter. The older these creatures become, the more their power grows. Shade elders are often thought to be able to possess other living beings or possible even fly.

Shades are sometimes described as evil, and sometimes merely as misunderstood. Those that are evil soon become demon shades, or fallen shades. They have no morals or mercy, just kill for fun. Such creatures can achieve incredible power, many times greater than that of normal shades, by doing dark things their normal counterparts would never consider, but rarely retain it for long, for their strength draws the attention of many, and are often bound or imprisoned. Occasionally, when faced with powerful opponents, they are even killed, but this is no small feat and binding them is much easier. Also, although their dabbling gives them unimaginable power, it also gives them more weaknesses. Sunlight hurts them more than normal shades, and other related things.

[edit] Poetic Use

A shade can be taken to mean the (usually benevolent) spirit of a dead person. Thus the phrase 'peace to the/thy/her gentle shade' (and endless rest) is sometimes seen in epitaphs, and was used by Alexander Pope in his epitaph for Nicholas Rowe.

[edit] In Popular Culture

• In Eragon, a Shade is a very powerful sorcerer who has been possessed by the spirits they summon.
• In Warcraft, they are invisible scouts for the Undead.
• In the Myth series of computer games, shades are undead sorcerers much like liches. Another monster called the Mahir fit the description of the traditional shade. Some flavor text for shades may indicate that the Mahir are the Shade's shadows or/and souls, and might be channeled to raise a Shade.
• In RuneScape, Shades are a kind of swamp spirit that players can fight.
  
• In the Xanth mythology, as written by Piers Anthony, shades have the ability to take over a living person, given that it is still during the process, which usually takes about an hour. A Shade's abilities and power are then present in the possessed body.
• In Age of Mythology, when a player chooses Hades as his God, Hades will grant the player one Shade for every five men killed.
• In F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate and F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, shades are creatures sent by the main antagonist, Alma, to kill the player and sometimes other characters.