| The Ancient Sky Arena Statue Mystery | |
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| Theory Information | |
| Title | The Ancient Sky Arena Statue Mystery |
| Author | SpinDizzy1 |
| Illustrator | SpinDizzy1 |
| Date of Publication | November 3, 2015 |
| Publication Order | |
| Next | Lion was a Crystal Gem |
Introduction[]
This theory talks about the Ancient Sky Arena and whether or not the statues placed within it are actually the fabled four Diamonds of the Great Diamond Authority. This theory also touches upon some aspects of ancient Gem culture, specifically dueling and chivalry.
Theory[]
Currently the Great Diamond Authority (four Diamonds ruling over the Homeworld) is a popular theory. People have often cited that the four statues inside the Ancient Sky Arena ("Sworn to the Sword") are the four Diamonds. I agree with all likelihood that the four statues that were featured in the arena were representatives of the original four Diamond factions, but they were not all who we think they are. The statues are in fact tributes to the greatest champions that ever fought within the Gem dueling circuit, which appears to be an integral part of ancient Gem culture. (In "Steven the Sword Fighter" we see Pearl's Arena, a second arena whose style closely matches the Ancient Sky Arena's so the sport/art was not limited to one venue.) Pearl has noted in "Sworn to the Sword" that the earliest battles for Earth took place in the Ancient Sky Arena and it was the place where she first understood the concept of chivalry and being a knight. As Pearls were "not made for fighting", it is highly likely that Pearl's first taste of chivalry was before the Gem Wars, watching duels/tourneys at the Ancient Sky Arena, watching Gems fight on behalf of their Diamond leaders as sport, as a medieval knight would do for their liege.
Side note: Pearl's actual obsession of chivalry may have come from watching Rose Quartz duel in the Ancient Sky Arena on behalf of Pink Diamond.
Identifying the Statues[]
The Pyramid Temple Mural (Rose and the Diamonds)
There was a mural within the Pyramid Temple ("Serious Steven"), depicting four main Gems: White Diamond, Blue Diamond, Yellow Diamond and Rose Quartz. The "tri-force" insignia of the Homeworld is also visible, a representation of the three (blue, yellow and white) Diamond factions united. It tallies quite well with the older Homeworld insignia of four diamonds (pink, blue, yellow and white) placed together - for Rose Quartz is depicted in the mural holding onto a pink, diamond-shaped object which is probably the missing Gem, Pink Diamond.
Rose Quartz and the Pyramid Temple Mural Portrayal of Her
If you look carefully at Rose Quartz herself in the mural, her star insignia, gem shape and location are an exact match to what we have seen so far of her. It can then be assumed that the gem shape and locations of the Diamonds in the mural are also accurate. A Gem's appearance can change each time they reform, but their gem shape and location always remains the same. This raises an issue: At least two of the Diamonds' gem shapes and locations depicted in the mural do not match the statues in the Ancient Arena. They are not the same Gems.
Statue #1[]
Statue #1 - Blue Diamond's Champion
The big Gem with the mace looks like a classic Quartz type as described by Peridot in "Too Far". Her Gem location (on her forehead) is different to Amethyst, Rose Quartz and Jasper, so we can rule those gem types out as our Mystery Gem type.
Statue #2[]
Statue #2 - White Diamond's Champion
The Gem with the spear is a bigger mystery, her gem location matches Jasper's, but the gem shape does not and she appears much leaner than the other intact Gem statues - she certainly does not appear to be a classic quartz type of broad shouldered and intimidating. It is possible that she is a quartz, a "defective" one whose defects actually went in her favor in the arena. It is also possible that there is another class of fighter gem that is separate from berserker-like quartzes that we have not been introduced yet to.
Statue #3[]
Statue #3 - Yellow Diamond
The third intact statue looks remarkably like the picture of Yellow Diamond shown at SDCC 2015. The gem shape and placement shown in the mural of the Pyramid Temple also matches this statue, therefore this statue is of Yellow Diamond herself. This is interesting as it shows that if the other statues in the arena are the top duelists of their factions (the one for pink has been vandalized, like the pink diamond in the Homeworld logo in the arena), Yellow Diamond was not just a Gem leader, she did not rely on a "knight" like the other Diamonds to fight for her, and she outclassed everyone within her faction with her duelist skills to earn the honor of having a statue of herself placed in the Ancient Sky Arena - unless the broken statue was Pink Diamond, no other Diamonds had been given this honor.
Statue #4[]
I agree with the theory that each of the statue's positions tallies with their Diamond's on the ancient Homeworld insignia: The mystery quartz with a mace was Blue Diamond's champion. Yellow Diamond had no need for a champion, she was the Yellow faction's top duelist. The mystery Gem with nose gem was White Diamond's champion. The vandalized Gem statue must be Pink Diamond's champion or Pink Diamond herself.
There is no evidence to say exactly who Pink Diamond's champion was, or if Pink Diamond was the Gem whose statue was broken in the Ancient Sky Arena. Rose Quartz's Pearl bears the mark of Pink Diamond whenever she wears her spacesuit or becomes Sardonyx, therefore it is safe to say that Rose Quartz once followed Pink Diamond, however she was not the only Gem to belong to Pink Diamond. It makes sense though that Pearl's obsession to become Rose's knight stemmed from watching Rose Quartz dueling in the arenas, but there is no concrete evidence to say if Rose was Pink Diamond's actual champion prior to the Gem Wars or if another Gem held that title.
Final Summary[]
The statues in the Ancient Sky Arena are not of the four Diamonds of the Great Diamond Authority, they are the champions (top duelists) of each of the four Diamond Factions prior to the Gem Wars. Two of the statues depict the champions of the Blue Diamond (an unknown Quartz) and the White Diamond (an unknown Gem type). One of the statues depicts Yellow Diamond herself as she was, and perhaps still is, the best duelist within her faction and needed no champion to win fights for her. The fourth statue, the broken one that belongs to the Pink Diamond faction still remains a mystery so far.