The Trickstar Foxglove Witch is a card from the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game. It belongs to the Trickstar archetype, which is a group of fairy type monsters known for their versatile effects and burn damage abilities. The Trickstar Foxglove Witch is a level one monster with 600 attack and 200 defense points. Its effect allows you to special summon a Trickstar monster from your graveyard in defense position, once per turn. This effect can be quite useful, as it allows you to revive a fallen Trickstar monster and potentially make a comeback in the game. Additionally, when a Trickstar monster(s) is special summoned to your field, your opponent takes 200 points of damage for each of those monsters.
To exemplify how these supposed parallels aren’t nearly as parallel as the critics claim, let’s take a look at one particular mystery-cult myth that’s often presented as a predecessor to the New Testament, the myth of Mithras.
And the myths of miraculous births are closer to divine impregnation a mortal woman conceives a child as a result of sexual relations with a god than to the virginal conception described in the Gospel According to Matthew and Luke. Granted, both Matthew and Luke include dreams and visions of angels but the core story itself that of a man who discovers that his bride-to-be is pregnant and knows he is not the father has a realistic and thoroughly human quality to it.
Additionally, when a Trickstar monster(s) is special summoned to your field, your opponent takes 200 points of damage for each of those monsters. The burn damage effect of the Trickstar Foxglove Witch can add up quickly, especially when combined with other Trickstar monsters. This makes her an excellent choice for decks centered around burn damage strategies.
Was the Virgin Birth of Jesus Grounded in Paganism?
One argument that is often used by mythicists is the claim that other pagan deities were also born miraculously of virgins, making the birth of Jesus nothing new in the history of world religions. As the argument goes; Horus, Osiris, Mithras, Dionysus, Krishna, and others all fit this description. In fact, as it is often claimed, there are also heroes and historical figures like Ion, Romulus, Asclepius, and Alexander the Great who were believed to be the generation of gods and virgin women.
In order to evaluate these comparisons, it is helpful to first understand exactly what Catholics believe about the virginity of Mary and the birth of Jesus.
According to the Gospel accounts, Mary was betrothed to her husband Joseph but they had never been intimate, and while Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit, there was no intercourse involved (cf. Mt. 1:23-25, Lk 1:26-38). The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains:
The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess Mary’s real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man. In fact, Christ’s birth “did not diminish his mother’s virginal integrity but sanctified it.” And so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the “Ever-virgin” (499).
This is not the case for any of the pagan deities or historical figures mentioned above. Each can be classified in one of three ways:
- The pagan god is not born of a virgin mother.
- The birth of the pagan god is the result of a sexual encounter.
- The parallel exists, but the Christian tradition antedates the pagan mythology.
The pagan god is not born of a virgin mother
Some of the claimed “virgin births” are not births at all; at least not in the normal way a woman delivers a child. A closer investigation into the mythology regarding the birth of many pagan gods will reveal some other miraculous creation that neither involves a virgin woman (This alone is enough to disqualify it as a parallel to the birth of Jesus) or a goddess. In other cases there may not have been sexual intercourse, but the woman or goddess simply was not a virgin before conception.
One example is the Roman god, Mithras. The “virgin birth” claim is often encountered in this regard, much to the dismay of virtually anyone who has ever taken the time to research modern scholarship on it. Mithras falls under this classification because, according to the myth, he was not born of a woman at all.
Manfred Clauss, professor of ancient history at the Free University of Berlin, explains, “The sequence of images from the mythical account of Mithras’ life and exploits begins, so far as we can make out, with the god’s birth. The literary sources here are few but unmistakable: Mithras was known as the rock-born god” (cf. The Roman Cult of Mithras, pg 62). This is nothing at all like the birth of Christ, yet the claim is made again and again on many web sites and discussion forums.
Another god that fits this category is the Hindu deity, Krishna. According to the religious Hindu text, Vishnu Purana, Krishna was mentally transmitted from the mind of the god Vasudeva (an incarnation of Krishna himself) into the womb of the princess Devaki. This appears at first glance to be a striking parallel, but it cannot be classified a virgin birth because Devaki and Vasudeva had previously borne seven children together.
One other item of note in this regard concerns the dating of the Puranas. According to R.C Zaehner, professor of Eastern Religions at Oxford, these texts did not begin to take shape until some time in the fourth century (cf. Hinduism, pg. 126). The Christian beliefs about the virgin birth of Jesus predate this by several centuries. Even if a valid paralell exists, it is not likely that Christians borrowed from Hinduism.
The birth of the pagan god is the result of a sexual encounter.
In many cases, the birth of the pagan god will be the result of a sexual encounter between another god and a mortal woman. In other cases, the conception of the god is the result of a sexual encounter between another god and goddess. The two most often-used “virgin birth” parallels by mythicists are those of Horus and Dionysus.
The supposed “virgin birth” of the Egyptian god Horus is the most frequently encountered parallel, but the actual details of the myth do not resemble the story of Jesus at all. According to the mythology, this falcon-headed god was the offspring of the goddess Isis. Her husband, the god Osiris, was killed by his enemy Seth, the god of the desert, and later dismembered. Isis managed to retrieve all of Osiris’s body parts except for his phallus, which was thrown into the Nile and eaten by catfish. Isis used her goddess powers to temporarily resurrect Osiris and fashion a phallus of gold. She was then impregnated, and Horus was conceived.
According to legend, Romulus and Remus, twin brothers and central characters in the city of Rome’s foundational myth, were born of the Vestal Virgin, Rhea Silvia. In one variation of the myth, the God Mars seduces and impregnates her. This also is not a virgin birth.
The Greco-Roman and Hellenistic gods and heroes born of human mothers is similar to that of Romulus and Remus; virtually all of them were conceived through sexual intercourse. Dionysus, for example, was the product of an affair between Zeus, the king of the gods, and a mortal woman named Semele.
According to the Dionysus myth, Zeus’ wife Hera learns of the affair and disguises herself as an old woman to befriend Semele. Her purpose was to cast a seed of doubt in this mortal woman’s mind, that the father of her unborn baby was not really Zeus. Semele demands Zeus reveal himself, but mere mortals could not look upon undisguised gods without dying, and so she perished in flames. Zeus rescued the fetus and sowed him into his leg. Several months later, Dionysus was born.
The parallel between the birth of Jesus and the pagan god exists, but the Christian tradition antedates the pagan mythology.
Of the pagan gods we have discussed so far, none were ever believed to be historical figures like Jesus. This is not the case with Alexander the Great, though. Alexander was born in Pella around 356 BC to Phillip II, the king of Macedon and his wife Olypias. He later became a student of Aristotle, and eventually became the king of Macedon, one of the largest empires in the ancient world.
According to the late first-century Greek biographer Plutarch, Alexander may have been the son of Zeus. This is based on his interpretation of alleged dreams that were had by Alexander’s parents. Plutarch also tells us that there was no consensus among the commentators of his day. There does not appear to be a consistent narrative either, and the only evidence we have for this is found in Plutarch’s interpretation, which he did not even write until the end of the first century, almost 70 years after the stories of Christ had been in circulation.
As we have seen, not a single one of these ancient myths bears any significant resemblance to the birth of Jesus. Most of them are the product of physical relations or by some other miraculous event. This is a far cry from the Virgin Mary who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, conceived without intercourse and gave birth to God made man.
James Tabor, a professor at University of North Carolina, doesn’t believe in the virgin conception of Jesus, and he denies that Jesus rose from the dead. Yet even he is able to see how radically Jesus’s birth in the Gospels differs from any supposed pagan parallels:
In terms of artwork, the Trickstar Foxglove Witch is depicted as a cute and mischievous fox-like creature, wearing a witch's hat. The card's artwork captures the whimsical and playful nature of the Trickstar archetype. Overall, the Trickstar Foxglove Witch is a valuable addition to any Trickstar deck. Her ability to revive fallen Trickstar monsters and inflict burn damage to your opponent makes her a versatile and strategic card. Whether you're a fan of the Trickstar archetype or just enjoy playing burn damage strategies, the Trickstar Foxglove Witch is a card worth considering..
Reviews for "Analyzing the Trickstar foxglove witch's synergy with other Trickstar cards"
1. John - 2/5
I was really excited to try out the Trickstar Foxglove Witch, but I was utterly disappointed. The flavor of the tea was overwhelmingly bitter, and no matter how much I tried to adjust the steeping time or water temperature, it just didn't improve. The taste was just too strong and unpleasant for my liking. I also found that the tea leaves were quite small and didn't expand much during brewing, resulting in a weak and lackluster cup of tea. Overall, I wouldn't recommend the Trickstar Foxglove Witch to anyone who enjoys a milder and more balanced herbal tea.
2. Emily - 3/5
Although I appreciate the unique combination of ingredients in the Trickstar Foxglove Witch, I didn't find the taste to be particularly enjoyable. The flavors were quite subtle, and the tea lacked the boldness I usually prefer. Additionally, the aroma of the tea was a bit off-putting, almost medicinal in nature. I wouldn't say that it was a terrible tea, but it simply didn't meet my expectations. If you're looking for a more robust and flavorful herbal tea, I would suggest trying something else.
3. Michael - 2/5
I had high hopes for the Trickstar Foxglove Witch, but it fell short in terms of flavor and quality. The tea has an odd aftertaste that lingers unpleasantly in the mouth, making it difficult to truly enjoy. The texture of the tea was also disappointing, as it felt grainy and didn't have a smooth mouthfeel. The price point for this tea is quite high, and I don't believe it's worth the cost considering the taste and overall experience. I would recommend looking for alternative herbal teas that offer better quality and flavor.