Statue of Wisdom

Statue of Wisdom is one of the magical items described in Monster Girl Encyclopedia World Guide III: Sabbath Grimoire.

Guide Book Entry
A stone statue made by etching "Knowledge" into it with magical power, and it can give that knowledge to those who touch it. It was created with the goal of long term preservation of "knowledge", that is, "information" and correct conveyance of that knowledge. Among magicians, imitating the figure of an owl, the symbol of wisdom is most preferred, but in some cases there are also those in the shape of goddesses or evil fiends. The shape varies depending on who leaves behind the statue. At any rate, it resembles a normal stone statue at first glance.

The knowledge engraved in the statue will flow directly into the head of a person who touches it, and is conveyed very accurately. If it is a statue that has preserved a previous event, they will know the event clearly as though they actually saw it, and if it is a statue that preserved a magical art, a person with proper qualifications can master that magic by touching it.

The amount of knowledge that can me etched into a statue is proportional to the size of the statue. Also, because miniaturization advances alongside the advancement of magic, older statues tend to be larger. Deep inside of ruins in unexplored territory, enormous "Statue of Wisdom" like beings are enshrined in the temples of gods, that in many cases are engraved with important and valuable knowledge, such as one part of the history of ages long past, or an ancient lost magical art.

However, there are cases where the volume of information being poured directly into the head is too much, such as the knowledge of very long histories of long past eras, or extremely complex and difficult to understand magical arts. In a case where a person who cannot tolerate the volume of knowledge touches it, they are unable to acquire the knowledge naturally, and they will experience an unpleasant swirling feeling in their head, and collapse for awhile on the spot. Also, in some cases there are conditions for determining if one can acquire knowledge, in that case, excepting a predetermined specific individual, person possessing a special bloodline or certain mamono races, a similar phenomenon will occur. In this manner, even if you find a "Statue of Wisdom", there a limits to who can acquire that knowledge. For example, though the Order of the Chief God controls several "Statues of Wisdom" said to be engraved with the events of mythical times, there is no record of someone who has succeeded in attaining knowledge from those statues.

In addition, the existence of "Statues of Wisdom" has become a great source of income for those in the occupation of "Adventurer". That "knowledge" itself is of course preciously valuable, and there is an abundance of escort jobs for clergymen and scholars that seek the "Statue of Wisdom". Also, if you are able to discover a "Statue of Wisdom" that isn't known to anyone, even if the adventurer himself did not attain knowledge from the statue, it seems the very information that "The Statue of Wisdom Exists" can be exchanged for as much gold as one wants. However, where Statues of Wisdom exist, in many cases it is the dwelling of monsters aiming to obtain men seeking knowledge, and monsters who have come along worried about men fainting from the statues.

Furthermore, the "Statue of Wisdom" has a weakness, you cannot distinguish whether or not a statue is a "Statue of Wisdom" based on just appearance, together with the fact that it is impossible to discern the contents of knowledge engraved into the statue. It's a different story if there are documents indicating the contents or a stone monument remains with the statue, but if such a thing does not exist, you cannot know what kind of knowledge is engraved until the moment you actually touch it and receive the knowledge. In addition, because that knowledge is poured directly into the head, once you touch it you cannot resist "Things That are Known", and it is burned into memory to the extent that it cannot be forgotten easily. Among "Statues of Wisdom", there exist those that are engraved with inma knowledge that easily shakes the spirit and values of humans, and "Nymphomancy" techniques that, depending on one's lust, activate of their own accord. It seems there is no need to explain to the reader who has continued to read this book, what happens to those who touch it.