Tablet of "The Seductress"

The Tablet of "The Seductress" is one of the three tablets required in the gallows of Toluca Prison in Silent Hill 2. It is located in the third shower stall in the cell block. Official information provided by Konami confirms the tablet represents Angela Orosco, as she was sexually assaulted by her father and brother and therefore made an unwilling seductress. A common misconception is that the tablet represents Maria because of her temptation.

The tablet is used in order to atone for Angela's sin of murdering her father and brother.

Symbolism


The tablet depicts Mayahuel, a goddess associated with the maguey plant in the Aztec culture. According to Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl and Mayahuel were fleeing tzitzimime (star demons) and they tried to disguise themselves as the branches of a tree. Mayahuel was recognized, however, and the tzitzimime tore her to small pieces. Quetzalcoatl buried the pieces which in turn sprouted into the first maguey plants. These are then turned into pulque, an alcoholic drink used by the Aztecs in their religious rituals.

Mayahuel is shown with a maguey thorn in her hand that is used for ritual bloodletting (piercing of a body) ceremonies. In Aztec culture, autosacrifice was practice to the gods for forgiveness of their sins.

Connections to Angela
The maguey plant is used to make the alcoholic pulque drink, a possible allusion to Thomas Orosco's known alcoholism. The thorn is also symbolic of Angela's knife that she carries in her hand. Since the maguey thorn was used in ritual blood-shedding, it could be connected to Angela murdering her father, as well as her suicidal ideation. As Mayahuel is naked, this could be interpreted as Angela's "seduction" or sexual abuse.



The tablet is found by James inside the prison shower, symbolism of the sexual abuse Angela suffered from her father. Rape victims normally take showers soon afterwards to abolish the feelings of filth, which may mean Angela took showers after her torment.