Hmm, must have been just over the 900 line limit on this one before.

Anyway, here it is, extensively reformatted and even updated a bit.
If you reply, please snip all nonrelevant portions.

---------------------------------------------------------------

       AA! MEGAMI-SAMA / AH! MY GODDESS / OH MY GODDESS!

                         TECHNICAL FAQ

---------------------------------------------------------------

                    Version 0.7 August 7, 2002

Welcome to the AMS/AMG/OMG Technical FAQ!

Suggestions, corrections and comments to the FAQ may be sent to me,
Brian Welch, at:

bwelchz7@yahoo.com

This FAQ wouldn't have been possible without the help of the
wonderful members of the Megami Mailing List who made suggestions and
comments.

The Megami Mailing List may be found at:

http://www.win.ne.jp/~toshi/ML/

Special thanks to Chan Wei Lik and Edward Chang. Without their
insights, suggestions and relentless nitpicking this FAQ would be a
much poorer document. Thanks, guys.

DISCLAIMER: If you use this FAQ as reference material for a web page
or article, please give appropriate credit.

-----

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1.     WHY THIS FAQ?

  1A.  NOTES

2.     WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE AMG UNIVERSE?

  2A.  WHAT IS THE UNIVERSAL SUPERSTRING?

  2B.  WHAT IS YGGDRASIL?

  2C.  HOW DOES YGGDRASIL WORK?

  2D.  WHO RUNS YGGDRASIL?

  2E.  WHAT IS THE DEMONS' COMPUTER SYSTEM?

  2F.  WHERE IS HEAVEN?

  2G.  IS HEAVEN'S UNIVERSE SIMILAR TO OUR OWN?

3.     WHAT IS THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF A GODDESS?

  3A.  HOW DOES A GODDESS GET HERE?

  3B.  WHY CAN WE SEE GODDESSES?

  3C.  CAN ANYTHING IN THIS UNIVERSE AFFECT A GODDESS?

  3D.  HOW POWERFUL IS A GODDESS?

  3E.  WHAT ARE SEALS AND HOW DO THEY WORK?

  3F.  WHAT ARE POWER LIMITERS?

  3F.  HOW LONG DO GODDESSES LIVE?

  3G.  WHERE DO GODDESSES GET THEIR ENERGY?

  3H.  DO GODDESSES EAT?

  3I.  WHERE DO ALL THOSE OUTFITS COME FROM?

  3J.  WHAT DO GODDESS CLASSIFICATIONS MEAN?

  3K.  WHAT DO GODDESS MARKINGS MEAN?

  3L.  DO ALL GODDESSES HAVE DOMAINS?

4.     WHAT ARE ANGELS?

  4A.  HOW DOES A GODDESS ACQUIRE AN ANGEL?

  4B.  WHAT LIMITATIONS DO ANGELS HAVE?

  4C.  CAN A GODDESS LOSE HER ANGEL?

  4D.  HOW MANY ANGELS CAN A GODDESS HAVE?

  4E.  DO DEMONS HAVE ANGELS?

5.     HOW DO TRANSPORT MEDIUMS WORK?

  5A.  WHAT OTHER TELEPORTATION TRICKS CAN A GODDESS DO?

6.     ARE GODS AND DEMONS RELATED?

7.     WHY DO GODS AND DEMONS NEVER KILL EACH OTHER?

  7A.  WHAT IS THE DOUBLET SYSTEM?

8.     WHAT ARE CONTRACTS?

9.     WHAT OTHER MAGICAL BEINGS ARE THERE?

-----

1.   WHY THIS FAQ?

This FAQ, like most things in overanalysis, began with a simple
question and snowballed from there. In this case, that question was
"How could Yggdrasil have emulated and reconstructed the universal
superstring?" The only scientifically plausible answer to this
question led to the realization that the true nature of Yggdrasil,
Heaven, and goddesses like Belldandy must be quite different from
what most people think. This discovery fueled the desire to discover
what other revelations were hidden among the tidbits of information
about angels, etc. scattered throughout the manga.

In the spirit of Fujishima's love for hard physics, this FAQ will
attempt to form a cohesive, scientifically rigorous (as rigorous as
possible - this is fantasy, after all) picture of the reality which
Fujishima has created for his characters. Some of the information in
this FAQ is taken directly from canon, while other information is
inferred from canon. The inferred portions represent the simplest and
most likely explanations for behavior in the manga, based upon our
current understanding of the physics of this universe. This FAQ will
attempt to remain layman friendly. In other words, ordinary people
will hopefully be able to understand most of it.

1A.  NOTES

Belldandy or simply the term "goddess" will often be used in
illustrations in this FAQ. Such references should be taken as meaning
all gods and goddesses. Also, unless stated otherwise, most of this
information will hold true for the demons (such as Mara) in the
series.

This FAQ is solely based upon the manga. The OVAs and movie present
somewhat different realities which will not be examined here.
However, most of the information here will apply to the OVA and movie
realities. Also, this FAQ is meant to be a "this is how things work
in AMG" document. It is not intended to provide general information
about the characters in the series. That information is readily
available on the web.

The following naming conventions will be used in this FAQ:

Mara = Marller    (Spelled "ma-ra" in katakana)

Velsper = Welsper (Spelled "ve-ru-su-pa" in katakana) Dark Horse uses
Velsper, and the V spelling encourages proper pronunciation for
english speakers.

In the case of Rind (Lind?), at this time we don't know the correct
roman spelling of her name, Therefore, this FAQ will for now use
R/Lind.

Nidheg will be used for the demons' computer system. (Spelled "ni-do-
he-gu" in katakana)

-----

2.   WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE AMG UNIVERSE?

Despite what one might assume from the light-hearted tone of "Oh My
Goddess!" and its roots in Norse mythology, the AMG universe is in
fact based upon the same laws of physics and works in the same way as
our own universe. Things like string theory and black holes, and
names like Maxwell and Schrodinger are encountered throughout the
manga. Arthur C. Clarke once said "Any sufficiently advanced
technology is indistinguishable from magic." Kosuke Fujishima has
taken this very much to heart in AMG. What appears to be magic is in
fact an application of an incredibly advanced technology, one which
still follows the rules of physics as we understand them. Besides
liking motorcycles, it seems Fujishima also has a thing for hard
physics.

To understand how a goddess like Belldandy does things in AMG, you
first have to understand what the universal superstring is and how it
works. During the Terrible Master Urd story arc, we encounter the
"universal superstring."  We are told that if the universal
superstring is cut, the universe will cease to exist. So, what is the
universal superstring and why is it so important to the existence of
the universe?

2A.  WHAT IS THE UNIVERSAL SUPERSTRING?

According to the branch of physics called string theory, the universe
is made up of lots and lots of tiny loops of string with radii of
approximately the Planck length (approx. 10e-33 cm). These strings
are, in fact, every elementary particle (quark, lepton, etc.) in the
universe, so there are zillions of them.  String theory was developed
as a way to reconcile observed behavior described by Einstein's
theories with quantum mechanics (the study of how really tiny things
like electrons work). String theory led to M theory* which in physics
circles is the currently leading candidate for developing the long
sought Theory of Everything.

*The Universal Superstring chapters came out several years before M
theory was first postulated and even before 11 dimensional
supergravity was generally accepted, so those familiar with such
things will have to make allowances.

Nobel prize winning physicist Richard Feynman put a twist on string
theory once in a lecture by supposing that, instead of zillions of
individual loops of string, there might be only ONE loop of string.
This string, in Feynman's example, would "paint" the universe like
the electron beam in a TV set paints the image on the screen,
becoming sequentially every elementary particle in the universe. Of
course, such a string would have to move, as someone once said, at a
god-like (pun intended) rate of speed. Also, since the universal
superstring would be, in fact, the entire universe, if it were cut...
you understand the problem.

If this is confusing, then picture an image on a TV screen. In
Feynman's example the universe is not the screen itself, but the
image (picture) being presented.  Now, in a standard TV that picture
is made up of little red, green, and blue dots (phosphors) which are
selectively lit up by a stream of electrons from an electron gun
located at the back of the TV's picture tube, and which together form
the image we see. In our example those dots are elementary particles,
the universe is the image, and the universal superstring is the
stream of electrons which light the phosphors to create the image.
Now, in a TV if you can control the electron stream, then you can
make the image look like anything you want. That's what Yggdrasil
does. It controls the universal superstring just like the signal from
the TV station (or VCR or DVD) tells the electron beam what picture
to paint on the screen. Therefore, everything which exists in the
universe can be affected by Yggdrasil. In fact, problems in Yggdrasil
can be reflected as problems in this universe, things such as
unexplained earthquakes, etc.

2B.  WHAT IS YGGDRASIL?

Yggdrasil is the computer system of the gods. It is located in Heaven
and runs reality, at least the reality of this universe.

2C.  HOW DOES YGGDRASIL WORK?

Yggdrasil can both emulate and reconstruct the universal superstring.
Therefore, it is likely that Yggdrasil controls our universe by
manipulating the universal superstring. Although this is stated
outright in Studio Proteus's translation for the Dark Horse manga, it
is not stated outright in the original Japanese. However, it is the
only reasonable explanation for certain events during the Terrible
Master Urd story arc.

In V6 Ch39, the Ultimate Destruction Program/Lord of Terror (UDP/LoT)
says that after destroying this universe, he will construct a new
one. Contrast this with V6 Ch36, when the LoT had no idea how to
destroy the universe before Keiichi blurted out the existence of the
UDP. Yet once the LoT combined with the UDP it not only had the power
to isolate the universal superstring (so it could cut the string with
Skuld's 10 dimensional scythe), but to also create a new one. Since
the UDP is a program running on Yggdrasil*, Yggdrasil must have the
ability to isolate and construct a universal superstring. After the
universal superstring was cut, the universe did not cease to exist.
Therefore, something had to be emulating the superstring. Since
Yggdrasil can isolate and reconstruct the universal superstring, it
is probable that it was also emulating the superstring. The only
other candidate for emulator would be Kami-sama himself, but there is
no evidence to indicate that he possessed either the ability or the
intent to do such a thing.

*The UDP must have run on Yggdrasil because Yggdrasil was adversely
affected by the UDP (V6 Ch41) even though the UDP/LoT never attacked
Yggdrasil. But why didn't Heaven simply terminate the UDP? Without
Urd, Heaven doesn't have the expertise (see the Velsper story arc) to
fight a powerful program like the UDP on Yggdrasil itself and
therefore had to rely on the one-shot prepackaged vaccine, Midgard,
to kill the UDP.

2D.  WHO RUNS YGGDRASIL?

Urd is the system administrator for Yggdrasil, assisted by Skuld. As
was shown in V2 Ch14, Skuld is out of her league when it comes to
running the system by herself. However, after Skuld leaves there is
no one in Heaven who can even debug the system properly, so she and
Urd appear to be the only 2 system admins.

In addition to Urd and Skuld, there are about a dozen computer
operators (V17 Ch99) who lack goddess markings but have duties which
include monitoring the system. Belldandy and Peorth have some
experience with the system as well, and may stand in for Urd and
Skuld when they are not available or need the help. This is
illustrated in V16 Ch95 when Urd is wondering why Peorth isn't there
to help, and then is ready to chew her out for dereliction of duty in
V17 Ch101. Similarly, Urd declines Belldandy's offer of help with the
system in V16 Ch94, saying that Belldandy should stay with Keiichi
because of the contract.

On a final note, apparently Yggdrasil cannot be administered from our
universe. Urd and Skuld always return to Heaven when they need to
work on Yggdrasil.

2E.  WHAT IS THE DEMONS' COMPUTER SYSTEM?

The counterpart to Yggdrasil on the demon's side is Nidheg, first
mentioned in V22 Ch136. Although Yggdrasil and Nidheg are connected
in some way, the nature and extent of that connection is not known.
Demons are not allowed to hack Yggdrasil, and will be punished by
their own high council for doing so. The punishment for hacking is
severe. In V17 Ch101 Velsper's sentence for hacking Yggdrasil was
removal of all powers and reincarnation as a Level 4 life form (non-
sentient species of animal, in this case a cat). Usually, such
reincarnation supresses ones intelligence, but in Velsper's case he
cursed himself so he would remember (V21 Ch134).

2F.  WHERE IS HEAVEN?

Heaven and its inhabitants exist in another universe, completely
outside of this universe and all associated parallel and pocket
universes such as those postulated by the Ekpyrotic alternative to
the Big Bang theory. We know this because Yggdrasil was able to
emulate the universal superstring after the universal superstring was
cut. Therefore, Yggdrasil cannot be something which is created by the
universal superstring. After all, even Yggdrasil cannot emulate
itself. It must be created by another universal superstring, which
means it exists in a separate universe completely unrelated to this
one and its universal superstring. Yggdrasil is in Heaven, so Heaven
must also exist in that separate universe.

2G.  IS HEAVEN'S UNIVERSE SIMILAR TO OUR OWN?

Yes and no. According to string theory our universe is 10*
dimensional. However, looking around at our universe we only see 4
dimensions: length, width, height and time. Somehow, when our
universe formed the other 6 dimensions never expanded along with the
4 we can see. You can think of them as being tied up in very tiny
knots on the 10 dimensional superstring. They're still there, just
too small to see. However, since Yggdrasil was able to emulate and
reconstruct the 10 dimensional superstring it must be at least 10
dimensional itself. Moreover, those 10 dimensions must be fully
expanded, unlike in our own universe which has 6 unexpanded
dimensions. You cannot fabricate things in dimensions which you can't
access. Since Yggdrasil is in Heaven, Heaven must also exist in at
least 10 dimensional space. In other words, all of Heaven exists in a
universe in which all 10 dimensions of its superstring have
expanded.** Looking at pictures of Heaven, it's likely that forces
such as 10D gravity work a little differently from our 4D versions.
In this sense, Heaven is a very different place from our own
universe.

* Again, these chapters came out in the early 90's. Those familiar
with the 11 dimensional model and M-theory will have to make
allowances.

** Heaven's universe could have more than 10 dimensions, but this
would add unnecessary complexity. This FAQ will assume 10 dimensions,
just like our own universe.

-----

3.   WHAT IS THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF A GODDESS?

Belldandy comes from Heaven. Since Heaven exists in a universe with
10 expanded dimensions, Belldandy is a 10 dimensional being (9
spatial dimensions, 1 time dimension) in the sense that we are 4
dimensional beings (3 spatial dimensions, one time dimension). In V5
Ch33, Belldandy explains to Keiichi that the true forms of the
goddesses have more than 3 dimensions. In V6 Ch39, Skuld creates
several 10- dimensional devices with no special equipment, indicating
she must consist of at least 10 expanded dimensions.

3A.  HOW DOES A GODDESS GET HERE?

Since Belldandy is a fully 10 dimensional being, she cannot be
constructed by our superstring which can only create 4 dimensional
beings with 6 unexpanded dimensions. However, Yggdrasil is fully 10
dimensional and can emulate our superstring. Therefore, it would be
easy for Yggdrasil to insert Belldandy into our universe and maintain
her true form here. This is supported by V6 Ch41 where Belldandy
tells Keiichi that Yggdrasil is the support system for goddesses
while in this universe. Transport mediums, the mechanisms by which
goddesses arrive from heaven, will be discussed later in this FAQ.

3B.  WHY CAN WE SEE GODDESSES?

Since Belldandy is a fully 10D being she cannot fit into our 4D
universe. Instead, she must exist in hyperspace (from our universe's
point of view) which raises the question of how Keiichi can see or
touch her at all. For this discussion, let's forget about the time
dimension and talk spatial dimensions, 9D Belldandy vs. this 3D
universe. Consider what happens when I push my 3D hand through the 2D
plane formed by a surface of water. Part of me now intersects that
plane. If there were a 2D being existing in that plane it would be
able to see the cross section of my hand which intersects its space.
Similarly, Belldandy is visible from our 3D space as long as her
hyperdimensional body intersects our space.

Now consider what happens when I remove my hand from that surface
plane of water. From the point of view of the beings in that plane I
have left their universe. My hand may in fact be hovering just above
the water's surface, but they have no way of knowing that. From their
point of view, I have left their space and entered hyperspace.
Similarly, Belldandy can still be right next to Keiichi from her
point of view but invisible, in hyperspace from Keiichi's point of
view.

But why fade at all? As long as Belldandy doesn't remove herself from
intersecting with 3D space she shouldn't disappear, right? Apparently
not. In V5 Ch33, Belldandy explains to Keiichi that it takes some
energy for her to remain visible from 3D space. If she stops
expending that energy she will fade from 3D space, though she will
still be near Keiichi. Therefore, there must be a force trying to
eject her from our space or perhaps our universe is drifting through
hyperspace relative to Belldandy.

3C.  CAN ANYTHING IN THIS UNIVERSE AFFECT A GODDESS?

Yes, though the extent of any effect is limited and somewhat
unpredictable. Returning to the surface of water analogy, if the
beings in that 2D plane were to destroy a chunk of my hand which
intersected their universe, I would feel the pain. If they were to
completely obliterate the portion of my hand in their universe, my
hand would be cut in half. However, their 2D universe and my 3D hand
are only separated by one dimension. If the difference were 2
dimensions, I would only have a hole drilled through my hand. 3
dimensions and I would only have a point affected. In Belldandy's
case the difference is 6 dimensions, meaning effects on her true form
are miniscule and at least to some extent unpredictable (a quantam-
like effect, perhaps?). For example, in V15 Ch90 Urd can only become
drunk from alcohol, while Belldandy is immune to the intoxicating
effects of alcohol but easily gets drunk from cola. While emerging
from a hot cup of tea (V5 Ch32) may be painful, neither Skuld nor Urd
take any damage from it. In V8 Ch50 jellyfish stings don't bother the
goddesses, so goddesses are immune to at least some poisons. In
general, from Urd's comments on potions throughout the manga but
particularly in V9 Ch54 it's plain that divine beings and humans can
react very differently to chemical substances, even magical ones.

Taking this to an uncomfortable extreme, it is unlikely that even a
nuclear or antimatter explosion would have much of an effect on
Belldandy. Even if she didn't take defensive measures, all particles
and energy released by such an explosion would be 4 dimensional, and
even 4D antiparticles wouldn't react in any significant way (if at
all) with Belldandy's 10D atomic structure. In short, there doesn't
seem to be much in this universe which could pose a physical threat
to Belldandy or even to a relatively powerless goddess like Skuld.

An interesting side note is that demons seem to have special
vulnerabilities. In V4 Ch29 we learn that demons are allergic to good
luck charms, though the effects can be shielded against. Half demons,
at least in Urd's case, don't seem to be affected by good luck
charms. However, listening to certain types of music can incapacitate
a demon (V4 Ch28) or a half demon in the case of Urd.

3D.  HOW POWERFUL IS A GODDESS?

The discussion here will assume Belldandy is wearing her power
limiter earring and isn't using her angel. Without her limiter, she
could accidentally destroy the planet or worse (V5 Ch36). Angels also
significantly boost power levels as well as decrease reaction times.
Power limiters and angels will be discussed later in the FAQ.

Even with their true power limited, the hyperdimensional nature of
goddesses combined with Yggdrasil's control of the universal
superstring put Belldandy's abilities on a level that is truly
god(dess)-like.

We've seen how inherently tough Belldandy is due to her
hyperdimensional nature, so now let's look at the other side of the
coin. How powerful are her attacks? Attacks come in basically 3 forms
in AMG:

(1)  The first kind of attack is a standard physical attack. A punch,
kick, whatever. Belldandy uses her power unconsciously to augment the
natural strength of her 3 dimensional form. Without this augmentation
Belldandy is as strong as a normal girl of her size, as seen in V18
Ch105. With it, the limits of her strength and endurance are unknown.
Urd and Mara have demonstrated superhero level physical strength and
resistance to physical damage, but again their limits in this regard
are unknown. For example, in V5 Ch35 Mara is uninjured after being
blown out of a cave. In V11 Ch64 Mara's body is slightly injured and
Devil Urd is uninjured by a magical explosion which completely
destroys the building they're standing in, and later Demon Urd hits
God Urd very hard (judging from God Urd's straight line trajectory)
yet her body is uninjured. In general, however, both goddesses and
demons prefer to avoid physical attacks. Goddesses from the Combat
Division are an apparent exception to this. In Ch163 R/Lind is very
physical in her fighting, using both weapons and martial arts.

(2)  The second kind of attack is the raw power energy blast.
Consider when Belldandy fires an energy blast at Mara (presumably
Mara's been threatening Keiichi again - Belldandy rarely uses attack
magic). It doesn't look like much to us, but remember that we see
only the 3D intersection of that attack. Since the energy from the
attack is making no effort to remain visible to us, that intersection
would normally be very small. In other words, most of the energy of
the attack is undetectable by us.

The hyperdimensional nature of Belldandy's attacks makes them
especially difficult for anything from our universe to defend
against. Consider the case of a device behind a force shield. Since
Belldandy's blast is hyperdimensional, it can easily bypass the
shield. To illustrate this, consider a circle drawn on a piece of
paper. The paper represents a 2D universe and the circle represents a
shield in that universe. Obviously, nothing in that 2D universe can
get inside the circle without passing through the shield. However, it
is easy for me as a 3D being to enter the circle or toss something
into the circle from above without touching the shield. It is just as
easy for Belldandy to bypass shields and other physical impediments
from this universe.

(3)  The third kind of attack is the spell. The spell of a god or
demon in AMG is actually a program running on Yggdrasil (or Nidheg
for demons). This makes Belldandy's spells incredibly powerful in
this universe. Yggdrasil controls the universal superstring and
thereby the definition of everything in this universe. Therefore a
spell, while requiring more time and effort on Belldandy's part than
a punch or energy blast, is virtually unstoppable by anything in this
universe. Returning to our original TV analogy for the universal
superstring, nothing in this universe can resist a spell from
Yggdrasil (or Nidheg, apparently) any more than the image on a TV
screen can resist becoming whatever the video signal tells it to
become. Therefore, it doesn't matter at all to Mara if the person
she's changing into a lawn ornament is Keiichi or Superman. The only
conceivable defense would be for the target to issue a counter order
to the universal superstring in order to override the instructions
from Yggdrasil. Note that souls transcend the universe so the target
retains consciousness and is aware of their changed state unless the
spell specifies otherwise. Note also that even Superman as a lawn
ornament wouldn't have any more super powers than a regular lawn
ornament.

How difficult are spells? Skuld is only now attaining the ability to
generate basic spells such as levitating small objects. The most
powerful spells must be sung and have many, sometimes hundreds of,
parts which must be sung in step with each other. They require either
a highly skilled goddess to sing all the parts, or multiple less-
skilled goddesses. They also often involve a mandala of some sort.
Mandalas are often complicated and require considerable time and
effort for your average goddess to complete.

Given their hyperdimensional nature and ability to manipulate the
universe at will, it is no wonder that even with sealed powers the
behavior of AMG's goddesses and demons is so closely monitored by
both sides. If it were not, this universe would have ceased to exist
long ago.

3E.  WHAT ARE SEALS AND HOW DO THEY WORK?

The purpose of a seal is to "bottle up" something. Seals always
appear as physical devices. They may take the form of a mirror, a
ball, etc. A seal can be designed to allow the sealed entity to
remain conscious or not, and to communicate with unsealed beings or
not. A seal can be made to remain in effect for any length of time,
or indefinitely. V10 Ch61 contains a lot of information about seals.

In general, a seal must be made specifically for the thing it is to
seal. For example, a seal made to restrain a goddess will not hold a
demon (at least not for long) and vice versa. In V11 Ch63 a seal made
for goddess/demon hybrid Urd held her goddess half for only a short
time before failing, even though her goddess half was unconscious and
weakened at the time, unable to fight the seal. A seal can also fail
if a powerful artifact is sealed along with the goddess. In V Ch
Belldandy reasons that she will be able to break Mara's seal because
she is holding the Gods' CD.

3F.  WHAT ARE POWER LIMITERS?

These special seals are worn as jewelry and serve to safely limit the
true power of a goddess. Without such a limiter, a goddess might
accidentally destroy the planet. They are often in the form of an
earring (V5 Ch36), hair clasp, or bracelet(V21 Ch135). Both goddesses
and demons wear power limiters.

Power limiters are a permanent part of a goddess's wardrobe and must
not be removed. It takes considerable effort to remove a limiter. In
V5 Ch36 Belldandy has to draw a mandala and enlist Skuld's help to
remove her power limiter. The penalty for removing ones power limiter
is severe. Skuld mentions that license termination would be a light
penalty. Intense emotional stress can weaken a power limiter, as we
see in V9 Ch57 when Belldandy's jealousy is so intense that it allows
some of her true power to slip through.

3F.  HOW LONG DO GODDESSES LIVE?

According to Peorth in V21 Ch132 the goddesses have always existed
and will always exist. However, given the fact that Belldandy was
born at some point, goddesses apparently go through different
incarnations during the course of their existence. The manga strongly
suggests that the goddesses' current incarnations will live for
several thousand years. For example, in V5 Ch34 Urd's license is
suspended for 50 years because she tells too many lies. In V7 Ch47
Belldandy says that Urd may not be allowed to return to Earth for
1000 years.

There is no information as to how long the goddesses have been alive
in their current incarnations.

3G.  WHERE DO GODDESSES GET THEIR ENERGY?

Goddesses are native to Heaven's universe and do not seem to require
a specialized energy source while there. However, a goddess cannot
function well on the raw energy of this universe. This is probably
due to the fact that there are no fully 10 dimensional energy sources
in this universe. While they are here, Yggdrasil works as a support
system for the goddesses (V6 Ch41), taking raw natural energy from
this universe (used by nature spirits, mortals, etc.), refining it,
and making it available to the goddesses. This is very important
since if a goddess or demon depletes her energy past a certain point,
she risks illness or even death. In V6 Ch37 Mara says she will die if
she gives all her power to Fenrir. In V9 Ch53 Belldandy almost dies
after using too much of her power (moonrock bracelet chapter) with a
high level spell. In V9 Ch54 Belldandy becomes seriously ill from the
effects of the power drain in Ch53.

If Yggdrasil crashes badly enough to affect the most basic of its
functions, this supporting energy flow ceases and the goddesses in
this universe (ones in Heaven don't seem to be affected) must rely on
their own alternate sources of energy (Belldandy = sleep, Urd = sake,
Skuld = ice cream). A temporary solution to this problem is to supply
each goddess with a moon rock, which for a limited time will refine
enough energy for a goddess to function at a basic level. A moon rock
is just what it appears to be, a rock either from the moon itself or
an artificially manufactured copy. As Keiichi finds out in V6 Ch41,
the shape of the rock doesn't matter, but the chemical composition
and method of manufacture (metamorphic process - heat and pressure)
do.

3H.  DO GODDESSES EAT?

While it's clear that Belldandy can eat and drink when she wants to,
the evidence strongly suggests she has no need to. She is often seen
with a cup of tea but never makes a meal for herself when she feeds
Keiichi, nor does he offer her any of his (actually he did once in
the early manga, but she didn't take him up on the offer). In V18
Ch106 Urd mentions that even powerless, Belldandy will be fine
without food or water for a week, but Keiichi might die. Urd enjoys
consuming alcohol and Skuld enjoys consuming ice cream, but those are
their alternate energy sources. It is understandable that they would
enjoy them and consume them even when they had no specific need.

3I.  WHERE DO ALL THOSE OUTFITS COME FROM?

A goddess dissolves her old outfit on a molecular level and assembles
a new one every time she changes clothes. Even Skuld does this,
apparently. For reasons of decorum we have never actually seen Skuld
dissolving or creating her clothes, but we have seen Belldandy, Urd
and Mara do it. In V Ch55, Urd is half way through dissolving her
outfit when she changes her mind and reassembles it. No wonder they
almost never wear the same outfit twice!

3J.  WHAT DO GODDESS CLASSIFICATIONS MEAN?

Belldandy is a Goddess First Class, Second Category Unlimited. What
does this mean?

CLASS refers to the power level and skill of a goddess in performing
pure magic. Urd's skill with potions and Skuld's skill with
technology apparently don't count. A goddess first class is both
powerful and highly skilled in using that power, while a goddess
second class will have less power and/or less skill. Urd is an
interesting illustration of this, as she is much more powerful than
first class goddess Belldandy yet is a goddess second class because
of her lack of control. Goddesses first class also have more
restrictions on their behavior than goddesses second class. For
example in V1 Ch1 Belldandy says a goddess cannot lie, though this
rule may be bent slightly since Peorth tells "little white lies" on
occasion. A goddess second class can get into trouble if she tells
enough lies as Urd does in V5 Ch34, but isn't apparently held to as
high a standard as a goddess first class.

CATEGORY refers to the type of job a goddess has. First category is
administrative, while second category is commercial. Administrative
may refer to administrators of Yggdrasil, but more likely refers to
general administration in Heaven. The Commercial designation
apparently indicates goddesses such as Belldandy and Peorth who work
with customers, i.e. grant wishes. There is at least one other
category, called "Special Duty". Members of the Combat Division are
in this category.

LIMITED/UNLIMITED apparently refers to the scope of actions a goddess
is allowed to take. It doesn't seem to be related to the power level
a goddess is allowed to use, but rather to how she can use that
power. For example, in V2 Ch14 Belldandy says that Class 2, Limited
goddess Urd is not allowed to conduct surveillance.

Demons and some earth spirits also have classes, though it isn't
clear if they have categories and limitations.

3K.  WHAT DO GODDESS MARKINGS MEAN?

Goddess markings contain programs which define who they are, as
explained in V6 Ch41. The marking in the center of the forehead also
functions as an I/O device as seen in V1 Ch1, communicating with
Yggdrasil in Heaven. Goddesses are apparently always in contact with
Yggdrasil through their markings, even while in this universe.

Demon markings also define who they are, though it is unclear whether
demons share an intimate link with Nidheg the way goddesses are
linked to Yggdrasil.

There is apparently hyperdimensional information imbedded in the
markings which enables gods, demons and even some earth spirits to
recognize rank (First Class, Second Class, etc.). For example, in V7
Ch45 the Earth Spirit Third Class which guards Megumi's apartment
recognized Mara's markings as those of a demon first class even
though in Ch166 R/Lind's instructor has what appear to be the same
markings as Mara.

3L.  DO ALL GODDESSES HAVE DOMAINS?

No. Urd's domain is the past, Belldandy's is the present, and Skuld's
is the future, but no other goddesses have specific titles that label
them as "Goddess of ___". Neither Peorth nor R/Lind have domains or
titles, and neither do Mara nor Velsper. Domains don't seem to have
that much to do with the day-to-day responsibilities of Urd,
Belldandy, or Skuld. They are clearly linked with these domains as
Belldandy explains in V6 Ch41, but Belldandy isn't normally referred
to as "Goddess of the Past".

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4.   WHAT ARE ANGELS?

Angels are ethereal beings, not possessing physical flesh and bone
bodies. Nevertheless, angels can lift or push things, exerting great
physical force as in V15 Ch88. Their primary purpose, however, is to
assist in performing magic. It isn't known whether they act as a
catalyst, multiplying their goddess's power or whether they have
power of their own which supplements their goddess's power.

An angel is an extension and reflection of a goddess's soul. As
Peorth says in V17 Ch98, a goddess and her angel are one heart in two
bodies. Belldandy ways in V15 Ch89 that her angel is the closest
possible friend, a mirror reflecting her soul. An angel feels
(physically and emotionally) everything its goddess feels, and vice
versa (V12 Ch71). They are not "guardian angels" in the popular
sense, nor is their primary purpose to protect their goddess, though
they have very quick reaction times and can do so to some extent if
needed. A good example of this is in V16 Ch94 where Peorth was caught
off guard by Velsper's attack but Gorgeous Rose manifested to protect
her, so quickly that even Velsper didn't see it happen. Though they
can understand speech, angels do not appear to speak. It seems that
humans can normally see angels, but often the angel is moving so
quickly that there is only a vague impression of something having
been there, as happened to the Queen in V15 Ch88.

4A.  HOW DOES A GODDESS ACQUIRE AN ANGEL?

The goddess swallows an angel egg and shortly thereafter the angel
manifests from a spot between the shoulder blades of the goddess. If
a goddess swallows an angel egg before she has the power and self
control to manage an angel, the angel may run wild and have to be
sealed as Belldandy and Urd were prepared to do with Noble Scarlet in
V14 Ch79, presumably until the goddess is capable of controlling it.

There apparently is very little regulation of the availability and
distribution of angel eggs, as they are available through the divine
equivalent of mail order (V13 Ch75). By the way, there is a demonic
mail order system as well (V10 Ch61).

4B.  WHAT LIMITATIONS DO ANGELS HAVE?

An angel MUST obey its goddess, even if the goddess is not powerful
enough to control the angel otherwise. If a goddess tells her angel
"I don't want to ever see you again!" it will disappear forever, or
at least until the goddess has a very great, true need for the angel
and calls it back. In V15 Ch89 Belldandy explains to Urd that even
though Urd's angel had to obey Urd's words to never appear again, it
even more must obey the wish of Urd's soul.

Angels also make a goddess vulnerable to attack through the angel,
which is discussed below.

4C.  CAN A GODDESS LOSE HER ANGEL?

Yes. However, we see in V24 Ch155-157 that when an angel is removed
from its goddess the process is so physically and psychologically
painful that the goddess is rendered comatose until the angel is
returned or replaced.  Note that the only known thing capable of
forcibly removing an angel against its goddess's will is a magical
creature called an Angel Eater, of which apparently only one exists.
The Angel Eater is so dangerous to goddesses and Hild was so willing
to use it that it seems unlikely that more than the one exists, or
Heaven would have encountered them before and the goddesses would
have known from the beginning what its capabilities and weaknesses
were.

It is possible for a goddess to lend her angel to another host.
Lending ones angel does not carry as great a penalty as having it
removed. Apparently, when an angel is lent the goddess retains
consciousness as well as some level of contact and ultimate control.
After lending Cool Mint to Keiichi in Ch161, R/Lind is incapacitated
to the point of being unable to stand until she recalls the angel. In
a lending situation, the receiving host may even be a mortal if that
mortal is sufficiently loved by goddesses. For example, R/Lind
explains in Ch161 that because so many goddesses love Keiichi, Cool
Mint can exist within him, supported by that love. In Ch162 she
explains that Keiichi's high level of trust for goddesses enables him
to use Cool Mint to launch a powerful magical attack. When Cool Mint
is recalled in Ch162 Keiichi is surprised at the feeling of loss.

4D.  HOW MANY ANGELS CAN A GODDESS HAVE?

The answer is unclear. So far, there are only two known cases in
which a goddess has 2 angels. In one case the angels are twins
(Ch167), while in the other case the second angel is a purified
"servant demon" implanted against the will of the goddess. Apparently
no goddess willingly possesses more than one angel. The only goddess
we know who has ever sought a second angel is Urd, and only because
she thought she had lost World of Elegance forever (V15 Ch89).

It apparently requires considerable self discipline and a true need
from the depths of ones soul to manifest 2 angels simultaneously, at
least the first time. By Ch166 R/Lind seems able to manifest both of
her angels at will, though she says it isn't easy living with 2 of
them.

4E.  DO DEMONS HAVE ANGELS?

Apparently not. There is an organism called a "servant demon" which
can be implanted into an unconscious goddess whose angel has been
removed, to take the place of the angel in order to swing the goddess
to the "dark side" (Ch158). However, demons do not appear to use
these servant demons themselves. As a final note, a goddess can
resist the influence of an implanted "servant demon", even to the
point of converting it into an angel, though still with demon blood
(Ch162).

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5.   HOW DO TRANSPORT MEDIUMS WORK?

Transport mediums make it easier for a goddess to teleport from one
place to another. They are primarily used when moving between Heaven
and this universe, but can be used at any time. They seem to be the
perferred means of transport when teleporting into an adversary's
territory (V5 Ch36 and V8 Ch48). However, a goddess is not limited to
teleporting only through her personal medium. A reasonably powerful
goddess can use any medium she chooses, or simply disappear into thin
air in a conventional teleport. Peorth has even teleported back to
Heaven without using a medium (V12 Ch72). Belldandy is the only
goddess besides Skuld who uses only her medium for teleportation. In
Skuld's case it's because she doesn't have the ability to use
anything else (V5 Ch32), but in Belldandy's case it seems to be
simply personal preference.

5A.  WHAT OTHER TELEPORTATION TRICKS CAN A GODDESS DO?

A goddess can bring someone with her through a teleport, as Mara does
in V16 Ch62 or teleport someone away from them as Urd, Skuld and
Peorth do in V11 Ch67. Of course, Skuld uses a machine to do this. A
goddess can be forcibly sent through her own medium, even sent back
to Heaven. This is apparently only possible if the sender is much
more powerful than the sendee. Urd throws Skuld through a pond and
back to Heaven in V16 Ch94. A recent teleport can also be traced by
another goddess, though perhaps only if the second goddess is in
close proximity of the teleport when it happens. Urd followed Skuld
through a cup of tea in V5 Ch32.  A goddess can also phase through
objects, as well as hiding inside them (V2 Ch14) or performing tricks
such as sticking her head into a wall and having it appear out of
another surface (V13 Ch75).