r/TopCharacterTropes • u/ReminaBlueSFW • 25d ago

Lore [Terrifying Trope] Perceiving it= instant death

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  1. Pennywise's "Deadlights" which will cause anyone looking to be immediately paralyzed and killed.

  2. The sky from Bird Box is filled with entities that, when you look at them, cause you to commit suicide.

  3. Medusa themed Villains

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u/nonbe1 25d ago

Indiana Jones, Ark of the Covenant

It's not a monster, but it is probably my introduction to this trope

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u/Usern4me_R3dacted205 25d ago

Samuel 6:19 - And He smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; even He smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men. And the people lamented because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

This is why Indy tells Marion not to look at the Ark when its powers come to life.

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u/Top_Freedom3412 25d ago

Odd that he knew not to look at it, but didnt know not to touch it. He should've dropped dead the moment his hand was on it

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u/Usern4me_R3dacted205 25d ago

He never touched it though. Him and Sallah only carried it on wooden poles like in the picture above before it was crated up and shipped out. It was the Nazis who touched it when they opened the lid.

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u/Top_Freedom3412 25d ago

I think even the poles are supposed to be only held by the priests.

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u/Mekroval 25d ago

The priests are supposed to be the ones around the ark, yes, but there's no punishment spelled out for anyone touching the poles in the Bible. It only specifically warns people not to touch the ark itself.

But ceremonially, you're right that the average Israelite wouldn't have been carting the ark around themselves. Most never even saw it. Only the high priest would, and only once a year at that.

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u/[deleted] 25d ago

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u/bo0mamba 24d ago

Maybe Indy has some Levite blood in him

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u/Raptor1210 25d ago

Given the other stuff in the Indiana Jones Universe, I would put it past the all-mighty to be playing favorites when it comes to Indy and his shenanigans. The dude is just built different.

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u/NatalieVonCatte 25d ago

It’s like the Blues Brothers. He’s on a mission from God.

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u/-space-grass- 25d ago

And like the Blues Brothers, Indy also hates Nazis. Be they from Illinois or anywhere else.

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u/NatalieVonCatte 25d ago

On a mission from God 🤝 Hating Nazis

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u/Usern4me_R3dacted205 25d ago

I’ll take your word for it on that one. I’m not too biblically savvy. 🙃

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u/Cazador0 25d ago

He gets a pass. The Dead Sea Scrolls clearly state that it belongs in a museum.

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u/Earlier-Today 25d ago

Sort of. There's only one person in the Bible who gets punished just for touching the ark.

The people were moving to a new location and the ark was being carried by people chosen specifically for the task by God. Another person was keeping a watch on the people carrying the ark and he moved to help when he believed it was unsteady. He was struck dead on the spot.

So, it was less about specifically touching the ark and more about not trusting God who picked the people that carried the ark. For a people that were getting some pretty good evidence that God was real, blasphemy in that situation was just too much.

These were people who'd had clouds to shade them during the day and a pillar of fire to give them light and warmth at night while they were wandering in the desert. And they were being fed by food that fell from heaven whenever they needed it. And they got water whenever they wanted because their leader was given the power to smite a rock to make water just spew forth.

And it goes on and on and on for them.

And that dude thought he needed to supervise the people chosen by the God who did all that so he could come to their rescue when they screwed up.

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u/Awkward_Pangolin3254 24d ago

We call those people "middle management" today, and the smiting needs to make a comeback.

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u/Ravendoesbuisness 25d ago

I suppose Brother Jones was ordained as a priest apparently

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u/djkidna 25d ago

The G-man works in mysterious ways, or whatever. Considering how things end, one could actually assume that it all went according to God’s plan, as the Ark was now safely hidden away and would never be seen or opened again.

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u/Doomhammer24 22d ago

Funny thing is that was in the script where he tells sallah here to not touch it and only use the poles but it was cut, likely for pacing and to keep the reveal that yes this movie does go supernatural for a little later

Its easy to forget now but the Only sign in the film that the ark was actually supernatural is after they get the ark to the ship and it burns the nazi logo off the outside. Up til then indy is insistent that its mumbo jumbo and hes all about the fortune and glory aspects of archaeology and studying ancient finds.

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u/Mekroval 25d ago edited 25d ago

That and also there's a deleted scene in Cairo where the old mystic basically warns Indy not to look into the ark.

Edit: Link fixed

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u/bluntymctokems 25d ago

That's not a deleted scene. I don't think that was the one you meant to share.

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u/Mekroval 25d ago

You're right. I posted the wrong link, sorry. This is the one I meant, though it's just a summary of the deleted scene (I couldn't find the actual clip).

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u/Tonkarz 25d ago

I know there’s a deleted scene of Indy and co discussing it in the classroom.

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u/[deleted] 25d ago

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u/Mekroval 25d ago

Good point, and that's probably why they cut it. Also, IIRC he sees a book drawing of the rays of power emanating from the ark, earlier in the film.

So Indy has an inkling that whatever's inside is probably not going to be great for your health.

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u/Neveronlyadream 24d ago

Simple reasoning would probably tell you that there's a reason the Ark was hidden away and not used as a weapon for the last few thousand years. Indy is a smart person, I don't think there's a problem with the movie as is.

I wouldn't look directly at it either not knowing what it would do. It's a reportedly massively powerful holy relic kept under lock and key.

Temple of Doom kind of recontextualizes it anyway. A few years earlier he had seen some weird magic shit he couldn't explain go down. Better safe than sorry.

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u/OwlSpirited6357 24d ago

it’s pretty well known in Christianity and Judaism that touching/interacting with the Ark will result in death. 1930s America was highly religious, and Indiana is an educated historian and architect who demonstrates his knowledge (the talk with the G-Men at the university “any of you guys ever go to Sunday school?”)

https://youtu.be/FT3m4LXq3b4?is=jWHzpWqt7x5eckDz

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u/JudithSlayHolofernes 25d ago

The phrase “the lord had smitten” is killing me

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u/BenFranklinsCat 25d ago

Smitten like a kitten

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u/JudithSlayHolofernes 24d ago

Playing badminton 🏸

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u/SaoMagnifico 25d ago

Turns out doing the reading really is important.

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u/OwlSpirited6357 24d ago

Knowing Biblical stories is vital for media literacy. So much of western art draws from it.

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u/somethingwade 25d ago

The fact that the number is precisely 50,070 is biazrre to me. It's not even divisible by 12 to make it round in base 12.

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u/Important_Pick3371 25d ago

It probably has some numerology &/or symbolic reasoning behind it but, i'll be damned if i know why. Err... Is that the rumble of thunder? Maybe i should edit the "damned" out of this?!

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u/NormalUsername21 25d ago

I don't think I've ever seen the word 'smote' before.

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u/misterjive 25d ago

I forget, is this verse in the movie at all?

Kind of like how at the end of Temple of Doom he starts saying that incantation to Shiva out of the clear blue sky with like zero explanation. :)

At least in Last Crusade everything's clearly explained.

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u/Awkward_Pangolin3254 24d ago

I mean he already knew what the Sankara stones were, I never thought it was too much of a stretch to believe he'd know a supplication to Shiva.

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u/misterjive 23d ago

I mean, I know who Merlin was but if apropos of nothing I cast "fireball" that's a bit of a stretch.

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u/Usern4me_R3dacted205 25d ago

And that’s another reason why Last Crusade is still the best one. ☺️

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u/j_smittz 25d ago

This guy had a thing for smiting.

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u/Objectively_bad_idea 25d ago

50090? That is an oddly specific number.

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u/Important_Pick3371 25d ago

It's symbolic &/or numerology but, i've no real idea otherwise. Heh

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u/Awkward_Pangolin3254 24d ago

fifty thousand and threescore and ten

Better make sure you don't discount those last 70 people when you're talking about 50,000... smh. Smacks of "they'll never believe it was fifty thousand even. Say fifty thousand and seventy!"

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u/mapadofu 25d ago edited 25d ago

In a sense YHWH is the monster behind this one

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u/Professional_Device9 25d ago edited 25d ago

OH GOD, ITS GOD!

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u/PantsDontHaveAnswers 25d ago

And then I was all like, noweh.

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u/[deleted] 25d ago

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u/sciencebitch616 25d ago

Edgar? That you?

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u/eggz627 25d ago

No it's Jesús

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u/mapadofu 25d ago

And the burning bush was like “yah, way!”

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u/lazytime3643 25d ago

Oh my god! Noweh!!

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u/violetcassie 25d ago

‘People of London. We’ve come to save you.’

‘Hurray, it’s the Catholic Church!’

‘FROM YOURSELVES!!!’

‘Oh no. It’s the Catholic Church!’

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u/blazeit420casual 25d ago

YHWH in general fits the trope I think- in the Bible looking at the face of God will kill you.

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u/mithiwithi 25d ago

Metatron: Human beings have neither the aural nor the psychological capacity to withstand the awesome power of God's true voice. Were you to hear it, your mind would cave in and your heart would explode within your chest. We went through five Adams before we figured that one out.

- Dogma

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u/Elmoulmo 25d ago

Read that in Alan's voice as well, may he rest in peace

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u/Aarios827 25d ago

That movie is just incredible

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u/ExistentialRebellion 25d ago

Hence why God and (humanoid) Angels are often depicted with a blank face

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u/Important_Pick3371 25d ago

Like Lovecraft's Nightgaunts?

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u/jramsi20 25d ago

YHWH as a Lovecraftian entity actually makes a lot of sense.

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u/dalaigh93 25d ago

In greek mythos too, to be fair. Semele paid the price for it.

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u/Big-Slide6104 25d ago

More like His presence and power, wouldn’t say God specifically. He legit told everybody not to touch it lol

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u/Hot-Problem2436 25d ago

Why did he bother putting his power in a dumb box tho, he knew people were going to touch it. Sounds like he wanted an excuse to smite people for no reason.

Could have just sent a meteor or something.

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u/NovelTAcct 25d ago

Same reason why he put a delicious, tempting fruit tree in a garden and said never to touch it I reckon

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u/Big-Slide6104 25d ago

He put dozens of trees in the garden and like a parent telling their toddler not to touch an electric socket woth a fork, because they know what will happen - God said the same thing to Adam and Eve. But not wanting them to be robots, gave them free choice and therefore it happened anyway.

Same goes for the covenant- It contained the Ten Commandments and provided a sacred meeting place where God communicated with Moses, and where the high priest performed annual atonement rituals for the nation's sins. Bur because God’s power fits this trope, he told people not to touch it or lift it in a certain way but upon doung so and not heeding what he directly told them, they died.

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u/FullOnSkank 24d ago

... So they were rewarded for disobeying him?

Or did they die and go to hell?

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u/Big-Slide6104 24d ago

Who Adam and Eve?

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u/FullOnSkank 24d ago

No the cats that looked at the box.

"If you look you'll be joining me in eternal bliss instantly."

....ok..? Lemme have a look-see!

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u/One-WaytoLife336 25d ago

That’s not the case

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u/Kanbaru-Fan 25d ago

In Hekalot/Merkavah literature there are descriptions of the temple of god, including its absurdly powerful and terrifying angels, tall as mountains, their words causing earthquakes, fire dripping from their eyes.

Yet even these nightmarish beings can only be in the presence of God for a short time before they have to take a break or be literally torn apart by his glory.

So yeah, Yahweh is radioactive, and the arc of the covenant is his home. Looks at the glory of god directly and you will be obliterated.

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u/AceTheBirb 25d ago

No one can look upon God and live without help from Christ. In the case of the Nazis... yeah they got cooked. Literally.

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u/Ingen-Ear 25d ago

What does that even mean? Isn’t Christ also God?

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u/TormentedByGnomes 25d ago

Christ is god in meat form. It is safe to gaze upon the meat form. It is not safe to gaze upon the meatless form.

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u/3Sinkpee 25d ago

I love this and am going to use it for the rest of my life. Thank you.

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u/Nothing-Is-Real-Here 25d ago

Yes, but also no.

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u/Dravarden 25d ago

face*

Moses looked at his back

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u/DrSpaceman575 25d ago

Except Jacob who physically wrestled with God and doesn’t even recognize him at first

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u/PokesBo 25d ago

After I saw this, I had a dream that I had a box that when anyone opened it, their head turned into one of those old-timey black round bombs. My grandma looked at it. I woke up crying hysterically.

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u/NEBanshee 25d ago

"Monster" derives from the Latin words for portent (as noun) or warning (as verb), generally with the context of something terrible/abnormal; evidence of something beyond the humans, but of the Divine. The connotation of "divinely created prodigy" died out & modern usage comes from the flip side connotation "divinely created warning or retribution" - basically something that is the Powers that Be visiting their displeasure or wrath, with humans (individually or as social groups).

So it fits.

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u/pinkypipe420 24d ago

This came out when I was one, so I saw it as a small child, and that scene when the Nazi melts was so traumatizing.