Mem Aleph

Overview

Mem Aleph lies in wait at Sector Horologium for a good portion of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. She is creator of the slowly expanding Schwarzwelt and mother to the demons that infest its boundaries.

Though initially invisible to humans, her true form is revealed when the protagonist is given "brilliance" by Gore/Jimenez. On the Law and Neutral routes the player must eliminate Mem Aleph and retrieve her exotic matter. After defeating her humanoid form she will take on a state composed entirely of raw power, resembling a large fetus encased in a translucent orb.

However for Chaotically aligned players, Mem Aleph proves to be an indispensable asset in the protagonist and Jimenez's quest to create the Radiant World of Old. Though perishing in the process, she imbues the Cosmic eggs with her power.

Origins

Mem Aleph is not a specific figure in myth but is an implication in the Sefer Yetzirah, which is a treatise on the language of creation in Jewish esoteric tradition and Kabbalah. Meaning "The Book of Formation," the Sefer Yetzirah is a commentary on YHVH's creation of the world by exclusive means of the spiritual power inherent in the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Of special note in the Sefer Yetzirah are the three "Mother Letters": Aleph, Mem, and Shin. These three letters provide the foundation for the rest of the creative process.

• Aleph (א): The first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It represents primeval air.
• Mem (מ): The thirteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It represents primeval water.
• Shin (ש): The twenty-first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It represents primeval fire.

In the order of Aleph, Mem, Shin, these three letters have masculine powers. Reversed, they have female powers. Into man YHVH breathed the letters A, M, S to give life; to woman, S, M, A.

Much of the content and meaning of the Sefer Yetzirah remains either obscure or mysterious, but it possible to glean that the character of Mem Aleph refers to this female creative concept. It is also worth noting that the letters M and A combine to form MA, a common root particle in many languages with the meaning of "mother."