The Historical Roots Of Mario

I cannot see written anywhere about how rooted the Nintendo mascots of Mario and Luigi are in history. This is a primary example of how important history is to us. We resonate with things that are rooted in history, even if we are not consciously aware of it. Everything about this is very cleverly rooted in the history of the Mediterranean area of Europe.

Mario and Luigi are twin brothers, although not identical twins. This gives them a lot in common with Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. Romulus, or one of his followers, killed Remus so that Romulus got Rome named for him. Mario's red and Luigi's green obviously represent the two sides of the modern Italian flag. 

Mario and Luigi are plumbers by trade. This is a further link with Rome. Plumbers today are so-called because the Romans made pipes out of lead which, unlike iron, doesn't rust. The Latin word for lead was "plumbum", which is also why the chemical symbol for lead is Pb.

Mario and Luigi live in the Mushroom Kingdom. On a map, Italy is shaped like a mushroom with the two peninsulas in the south being the roots. The Mushroom Kingdom has "Warp Tubes", which can transport a person to other places, even distant worlds. This represents the era of Christopher Columbus, and also Galileo's telescope.

The palace of the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach, is built on a hill. This represents Mario and Luigi being a reconciled version of Romulus and Remus, who argued over which hill Rome should be built on. Mario regularly rescues Princess Peach, just as Romulus had once rescued his brother. The palace is white, the spires are red and, the grass is green, again the Italian flag.

Mario looks like a southern Italian, except that he has blue eyes. This is done to cleverly incorporate northern Italians in too.

There is a program about the "Odyssey" of Mario. "The Odyssey" is a vital part of the classic literature of ancient Greece, which preceded Rome. The major cities of southern Italy, although not Rome, began as Greek settlements.

The city that is now called Istanbul was actually founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine. It was named Constantinople and was to be the capital of the eastern half of the Roman Empire. In 1453 the city was conquered by the Ottomans and renamed as Istanbul.

The palace in the Mushroom Kingdom is based on the Topkapi Palace. This was the palace of the Ottoman Rulers, before they later moved to the Dolmabahce Palace on the waterfront. Image from Google Street View.

The tower of the palace in the Mushroom Kingdom was clearly based on the Galata Tower, also in Istanbul. This tower was actually built by settlers from Genoa in what was then-called Constantinople. Image from Google Street View.

This was obviously very carefully thought out by Nintendo. It shows the importance of history. Las Vegas is based on the same principle. It's emphasis on "getting rich quick" is rooted in the history of the gold rushes of America's Old West. It just forms a resonance, even if we are not consciously aware or thinking about it.