Neither of us is on any anime mailing lists, but we have heard that the question has been raised whether it is valid to refer to Hiei as a "Koorime" if the literal translation of the kanji makes it a feminine description. Based on Amparo's background as a linguistic anthropologist, the following is the policy we are adopting in our stories:

We agree that using "koorime" (lower case) to describe our favorite fire demon would be gender-bending, at the very least. There is no disputing that the word means "ice maiden," and we have no wish to call him that.

However, we see no problem with using "Koorime" (upper case) to add further dimension to his character. We see it as the name of a race, or ethnic group if you will--a name that was coined *long* before his birth to signify the members of a colony of ice maidens. As such, we believe it is perfectly appropriate to use this term to capture his ethnic heritage even though he's male, just as a light-skinned person may still be referred to as Black. It is not the literal meaning but the social meaning that we draw upon with this usage.

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