History Main / SymbolicBaptism

* ''{{Film}}/ThreeHundredRiseOfAnEmperor'': Xerxes seals his DealWithTheDevil by immersing himself in a natural pool within a MysticalCave, emerging physically and mentally transformed into a mad GodEmperor.

* ''Film/ThreeHundredRiseOfAnEmperor'': Xerxes seals his DealWithTheDevil by immersing himself in a natural pool within a MysticalCave, emerging physically and mentally transformed into a mad GodEmperor.

** ''AFeastForCrows'': Brienne meets the Elder Brother of a sept on the Quiet Isle, formerly a knight in service of House Targaryen who was knocked out during the battle of the Trident then floated down the river to his current location and became a septon. [[spoiler: If fan theory is correct and the limping gravedigger is in fact Sandor Clegane its possible he went through a similar experience of almost drowning in the Trident and has now retired to a quiet life.]]

* ''Film/TheGodfather'': While Michael Corleone is standing as godfather to his nephew Michael Rizzi, he's got his soldiers performing a coordinated hit against the heads of the rival Five Families. While his nephew is being sincerely baptized by the Church, Michael is being baptized symbolically in the blood of his family's enemies as a Mafia don.
* ''Film/ItChapterTwo'': The first thing the Losers do after [[spoiler:killing IT for good]] is going to the quarry and jumping into the river below, to clean themselves literally and spiritually.
* ''Film/BladeII'': After being betrayed, tortured and staked multiple times (just to make the symbolism complete), Blade plunges into a pool of blood, and emerges reinvigorated and empowered.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Theon's uncle Aeron goes from a hedonistic party animal to a grim priest after almost drowning.

-->-- '''Aeron Greyjoy''', ''Literature/AFeastForCrows''

** Near the end of the Gospel of John, there's an account of Jesus washing the discliples' [[FootBathTreatment feet]] that borders on this. They're embarrassed to death about it[[note]]as in the context of the time, performing a task as lowly as ''that'' means their master debasing himself to no end - and in one possible interpretation there definitely IS an element of outright ''trolling'' them: as they had been discussing among themselves who was the greatest of them all before Jesus just joined them, and Jesus promptly ''inverts'' the whole thing without having heard it.[[/note]] and protest; yet are answered along the lines of: "you don't quite understand what I'm doing for you now, but you will later [...] if I don't wash you, then you won't partake in me". Storywise this coincides with a point of CharacterDevelopment: from people who come off in the Gospels as having much to learn, to the fully developed characters (and teachers in their own right) of later texts.

** Near the end of the Gospel of John, there's an account of Jesus washing his discliples' feet that borders on this. They're embarrassed to death about it (as in the context of the time, it means their master debasing himself to no end) and protest; yet are answered along the lines of: "you don't quite understand what I'm doing for you now, but you will later [...] if I don't wash you, then you won't partake in me". Story-wise, this coincides with a point of CharacterDevelopment from people who come off as having much to learn in the Gospels to fully developed characters (and teachers in their own right) in later texts.

** Islam has similar, calling it ''ghusl''.

A common sacrament among strains of Christianity is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism baptism]], where a person is either immersed or washed in water as part of their initiation into the Church. The person is thus washed "clean" of their past sins, and is ready to begin a new life as a Christian. Some sects, most prominently the Baptists, view baptism ''itself'' as symbolic; not a ritual to "wash off" sin with holy water, but a picture of and public identification with Jesus's death, burial, and resurrection through which the actual forgiveness has already taken place.

* ''Film/TheBlacksheepAffair'': Keizo Mishima, the BigBad of the movie, is a [[TerroristsWithoutACause Terrorist without a Cause]] and a demented follower of Christ who commits murders, public shootings, executions and various atrocities in the name of Jesus, even praising Jesus when learning of the chaos and aftermath of his attacks. [[spoiler: His death involves him being kicked in the neck by TheHero and tackled off a tall balcony, where he falls through one glass panel after another, for three stories before landing in an underground pool of water to his death]].

* ''{{Film/Dogma}}'': Bethany, having just learned that [[spoiler: she is the descendant of Jesus Christ]], takes of running in a blind panic, falling in a creek and flailing about helplessly in the water as she [[SmiteMeOhMightySmiter screams at the heavens demanding to know why she has to carry this burden]]. The Metatron soon arrives to calm her down, [[spoiler: agree with her that it is horribly unfair to her, just as it was for Jesus to learn he was the son of the Almighty,]] and convincing her to continue her {{mission|FromGod}}.

* ''Film/{{Gattaca}}'': The protagonist competes routinely with his genetically superior younger brother in swimming races out to the furthest possible point. A pivotal moment in his childhood and resolving to lie about his genetic status comes when he finally wins a race against his brother, proving that he could do anything he set his mind too, genetics be damned. When the stunt is repeated late in life and he once again triumphs, he reveals his secrete to success with his brother [[spoiler: He never planned to make the return trip and was determined to swim out as far as he could, return trip be damned. He was counting on his brother calculating for the return trip.]]

** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'': [[spoiler: Bucky/The Winter Soldier dives into the Potomac and rescue an unconscious Steve, explicitly disobeying HYDRA (who ordered him to kill Steve) for the first time onscreen. When we next see him he's visiting the Howling Commando's exhibit, seemingly on the way to reclaiming his life.]]

* ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' begins with the protagonist Jack being the only survivor of a plane crash into the ocean, then swimming up to the lighthouse. He then takes the bathysphere down to [[UnderwaterCity Rapture]], [[spoiler: where he learns the truth about his birth/creation, and where his decisions to save or harvest the Little Sisters ultimately determine the kind of person he becomes when he returns to the surface.]]

** When Booker enters the lighthouse he can examine and dismiss a wash basin, [[spoiler: foreshadowing the plot twist regarding Booker's decision to reject the baptism and live with his sins]].
** Zachary Comstock's baptism after partaking in the [[UsefulNotes/NativeAmericans Wounded Knee Massacre]] marks his StartOfDarkness as he reforms into a radical with murderous zeal. After TheReveal that [[spoiler: protagonist Booker [=DeWitt=]]] is Comstock from an alternate universe who wasn't baptized, Elizabeth decides to prevent Comstock from being "born" and drown all possible versions of him at his baptism.
* In TheStinger of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' [[spoiler: Tidus, after fading away during the ending,]] is more or less literally reborn underwater.

* In the opening of ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'', [[PlayerCharacter Max]] excuses herself to the ladies room to splash water on her face. She then promptly acquires her TimeMaster powers (which make up the main game mechanic). At the end of the game [[spoiler: this moment is what she jumps back to, if the player chooses to sacrifice Chloe and CosmicRetcon away the entire game's events.]]

* ''Film/{{Justice|League 2017}} [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague League]]'': Superman's resurrection via a Mother Box involves immersing him in water (or rather, the Kryptonian Ship's genesis chamber's amniotic-like liquid).

* In ''Film/LesMeilleures'', Nedjma's romance with Zina (and self-discovery as a lesbian) starts after Zina throws her in a canal and helps her getting out of it.

* ''Film/{{Moonlight}}'': Juan taking Chiron into the ocean to teach him how to swim, marking the moment when Chiron learns how to become self-reliant. Director Barry Jenkins even described it as "a baptism".

* The TropeCodifier is the baptism of UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} in Literature/TheFourGospels, where the Messiah agrees to be submerged in water not to begin his own rebirth (he was cool with the whole perfect God thing), but to mark the redemption of all of mankind. This ritual would go on to mark the beginning of Christian life for converts mentioned in the Literature/ActsOfTheApostles and others that appeared in the two millennia after's Acts was written.

[[folder:Comics]]
* Book 5, Chapter 0, of ''ComicBook/{{Princeless}}'' features main character Adrienne and sidekick Bedelia having fun in a lake and swimming around. As they play, Adri talks about her experiences with her hair and how she was insecure about it and how it hindered her. She convinces herself to cut it all off and feels much better about herself and her journey.

Baptism is one version of a larger, cross-cultural category of purification rituals that involve literal bathing in water. Baptism was derived from an older Jewish tradition of ''mikveh''. Islam has similar, calling it ''ghusl''. Hinduism has rites around bathing in holy rivers like the Ganges. Shinto's washing rite is called ''misogi'', and involves sacred waterfalls.

* The TropeCodifier is the baptism of UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} in Literature/TheFourGospels, where the Messiah agrees to be submerged in water not to begin his own rebirth (he was cool with the whole perfect God thing), but to mark the redemption of all of mankind. This ritual would go on to mark the beginning of Christian life for converts mentioned in the Literature/ActsOfTheApostles and others that appeared in the two millennia after's Acts was written.
** Near the end of the Gospel of John, there's an account of Jesus washing his discliples' feet that borders on this. They're embarrassed to death about it (as in the context of the time, it means their master debasing himself to no end) and protest; yet are answered along the lines of: "you don't quite understand what I'm doing for you now, but you will later [...] if I don't wash you, then you won't partake in me". Story-wise, this coincides with a point of CharacterDevelopment from people who come off as having much to learn in the Gospels to fully developed characters (and teachers in their own right) in later texts.