Index Of Taboo -
First published in 1559 by Pope Paul IV, this was an official list of publications deemed heretical, anticlerical, or lascivious. Catholics were forbidden from reading these books under pain of excommunication. The list included works by monumental thinkers like Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, René Descartes, and Immanuel Kant.
The series explores the clash between "Science" (esper powers) and "Magic" (religious/mythological powers). Index herself represents the ultimate repository of forbidden knowledge.
Prominent thinkers like Galileo Galilei, René Descartes, Immanuel Kant, and Victor Hugo found their works blacklisted.
In media, "Index of Taboo" is frequently the literal translation of the Japanese light novel and anime series Toaru Majutsu no Index index of taboo
Taboos have been a part of human culture since ancient times, with evidence of their existence found in the earliest recorded civilizations. In ancient societies, taboos often revolved around issues of ritual purity, sacred objects, and the supernatural. For example, in ancient Greece, certain words and ideas were considered too sacred or too profane to be spoken aloud, while in ancient Rome, certain actions and behaviors were deemed unacceptable due to their association with pagan rituals.
The most foundational academic "index of taboo" is arguably the of the Motif-Index of Folk-Literature, a monumental work by folklorist Stith Thompson. This index serves as a comprehensive taxonomy of narrative building blocks found in myths, legends, and folktales from around the world. The "Tabu" section is a vast, detailed classification of every conceivable type of prohibition found in these stories.
The term's most direct definition in popular culture comes from the anime series Sword Art Online . In the "Alicization" arc, the is a rigid, computerized legal code that governs the virtual world of Underworld. Transgressing this index causes extreme physical and psychological pain, making it the most literal version of the concept. First published in 1559 by Pope Paul IV,
An anthropological index generally categorizes taboos into three tiers:
What is benign in one culture may be strictly forbidden in another. For example:
| Category Code | Category Name | Examples from the Index | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | C0 – C99 | Tabu connected with supernatural beings | C10. Tabu: profanely calling up spirit (devil, etc.) C30. Tabu: offending supernatural relative | | C100 – C199 | Sex tabu | C110. Tabu: sexual intercourse C130. Tabu connected with puberty | | C200 – C299 | Eating and drinking tabu | C220. Tabu: eating certain things C250. Tabu: drinking | | C300 – C399 | Looking tabu | C310. Tabu: looking at certain person or thing C320. Tabu: looking into certain receptacle | | C400 – C499 | Speaking tabu | C410. Tabu: asking questions C430. Name tabu | | C500 – C549 | Tabu: touching | C500. Tabu: touching C510. Tabu: touching tree (plant) | | C600 – C699 | Unique prohibitions | C600. Unique prohibition (e.g., "The one forbidden place") | | C700 – C799 | Miscellaneous tabus | C751.7.1. Tabu: being in certain place at sunrise C720. Tabu: attending toilet needs | | C800 – C899 | Other tabus | C868. Tabu: fighting certain person C885.2. Tabu: listening to groans of women being violated | | C900 – C999 | Punishment for breaking tabu | C900. Punishment for breaking tabu C901. Tabu imposed as punishment | The series explores the clash between "Science" (esper
Practices specific to certain societies. For example, eating beef is a strict taboo in Hindu culture, while eating pork is taboo in Islamic and Jewish cultures.
The phrase "index of taboo" sits at a fascinating crossroads of meaning. On one hand, it evokes the technical reality of a web server directory gone wrong—a raw, unfiltered list of files that someone, somewhere, has decided should not be publicly visible. On the other, it suggests an anthropological catalog of humanity’s deepest prohibitions: the acts, words, and ideas that societies have collectively agreed to push into the shadows.
It holds the names of those who were so dangerous they had to be deleted from the very grammar of their language.