Kanon may refer to:
A canon is a structured hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services. It consists of nine odes, sometimes called canticles or songs depending on the translation, based on the Biblical canticles. Most of these are found in the Old Testament, but the final ode is taken from the Magnificat and Song of Zechariah from the New Testament. For clarity, this article will use the term "canticle" to refer to the original biblical text, and "ode" to refer to the composed liturgical hymns.
The canon dates from the 7th century and was either devised or introduced into the Greek language by St. Andrew of Crete, whose penitential Great Canon is still used on certain occasions during Great Lent. It was further developed in the 8th century by Sts. John of Damascus and Cosmas of Jerusalem, and in the 9th century by Sts. Joseph the Hymnographer and Theophanes the Branded.
Over time the canon came to replace the kontakion, a vestigal form of which is still used on several occasions and which has been incorporated into the performance of the canon. Each canon develops a specific theme, such as repentance or honouring a particular saint. Sometimes more than one canon can be chanted together, as frequently happens at Matins.
The following list comprises the characters that form the three ranks of the army of the Greek goddess Athena, in the Japanese manga Saint Seiya and the sequel Saint Seiya Next Dimension, written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada.
The Saints (聖闘士(セイント), Seinto, lit. "Saintly Fighter") are the warriors that form Athena's army, clad in special battle armors known as Cloths, who during millennia have battled to protect Athena, love and justice. It is the main warring faction presented by Kurumada in his work. Although the three ranks swore allegiance to Athena, Kurumada presented some of the characters at first in an antagonic role, later revealing their true nature.
The Bronze Saints (青銅聖闘士(ブロンズセイント), Buronzu Seinto) are the lowest ranking Saints in Athena's army. As their mastery over the Cosmo essence is at the basic level, the Bronze Saints wield superhuman strength, among other abilities, and a maximum speed of mach 1. Aside from the five protagonist Bronze Saints, Kurumada presents six more in his work, described as follows.