Hi, I'm trying to put together all we do know about the current situation/theory around serpents and the lifestream. Especially considering the revelation Halmarut gave us. But information on this seems to be very scattered...
I'm aware of the several instances of snakes and serpents being relevant, down to the painfully obvious to perhaps more obscure (several antagonists mentioning serpents giving them power, and even Zodiark potentially being based off of a real serpent as per Guardian Force: Quetzalcoatl's arena statues and its Ivalice association to the Ophiuchus constellation).
I know all this started with technically with the idea the Final Days were caused by something else alongside the Endsong (a sound coming from the Earth itself, and the last boss of Amaurot, Therion, being called a Cthonic being), and then formalized when the Golden Dhyata mentioned a serpent, an apocalyptic scenario and seven wedges to hold it off. The artifact was even specifically mentioned to be quoting something about magic able to manipulate the Lifestream.
Then people compared it with other topics.
How perhaps it's related to whatever Ultima the High Seraph is based on, which gifted Athena with the Heart of Sabik (P12S's 2nd phase is even coiled in a snake's body).
How it might have something to do with the Great Serpent of Ronka, who helped curing a disease in the First, but notably showed indifference to the Yok Huy in Xak Tural when they fell to illness despite their prayers. The Yok Huy even go further, seeing serpents overall as liminal guardians.
How it may be related to Sephirot due to his theme song making references to a snake and the state of the world. By extension, its association to the concept of the World Tree, which not only Sephirot was modeled after, but also appears in the Bole card for Astrologian, with a snake coiled around it. A snake that is notably absent in the tree's appearance in Euphrosyne's Heaven of Earth.
That in turn would connect it further to the Lifestream.
Notably, as he sinks into the Aetherial Sea at the end of Pandaemonium, Themis muses on how if the world continues down the current path bad things may happen, which are almost the same lines as Halmarut since 7.4. Which is noteworthy, because Elidibus is the representative of the Ophiuchus constellation: a snake-holder.
In fact, the last bit on the Golden Dhyata implies that the catastrophy it describes might not be related to the seven successful rejoinings, as nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Since 6 shards remain plus the Source, it might be referencing these in total.
The rest are assorted references. Ran'jit being Gukumatz, the last boss of Vanguard calling upon the Great Serpent to give him strength. As well as the several Life\Death cycle references in Shaaloani, the Ouroboros motif and the Twin Adders's symbol representing a snake of life and a snake of death.
Is there anything else I'm missing?
There are also a few things I'm not entirely sure how they fit.
I remember people talking about how the Tural Vidraal and the gash separating Yok and Xak Tural may potentially be related to it, but I'm not entirely sure how. Especially since the characters in-game believe it to be a remnant of Hydaelyn's sundering.
And while I am familiar with Norse Myths and recognize it as maybe being Evercold's inspiration (thus the significance of Snakes and World Trees), I'm struggling to understand the connection in FFXIV. Especially because we know there's a World Tree in every shard, with references to one in the Rak'tika Greatwood and the 9th's Iifa Tree. But it seems the Source has three: one in Meracydia, another in Aloalo Island and the one in Gridania...
submitted by /u/RocketRaccoonAlter
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Continue reading...
I'm aware of the several instances of snakes and serpents being relevant, down to the painfully obvious to perhaps more obscure (several antagonists mentioning serpents giving them power, and even Zodiark potentially being based off of a real serpent as per Guardian Force: Quetzalcoatl's arena statues and its Ivalice association to the Ophiuchus constellation).
I know all this started with technically with the idea the Final Days were caused by something else alongside the Endsong (a sound coming from the Earth itself, and the last boss of Amaurot, Therion, being called a Cthonic being), and then formalized when the Golden Dhyata mentioned a serpent, an apocalyptic scenario and seven wedges to hold it off. The artifact was even specifically mentioned to be quoting something about magic able to manipulate the Lifestream.
Then people compared it with other topics.
How perhaps it's related to whatever Ultima the High Seraph is based on, which gifted Athena with the Heart of Sabik (P12S's 2nd phase is even coiled in a snake's body).
How it might have something to do with the Great Serpent of Ronka, who helped curing a disease in the First, but notably showed indifference to the Yok Huy in Xak Tural when they fell to illness despite their prayers. The Yok Huy even go further, seeing serpents overall as liminal guardians.
How it may be related to Sephirot due to his theme song making references to a snake and the state of the world. By extension, its association to the concept of the World Tree, which not only Sephirot was modeled after, but also appears in the Bole card for Astrologian, with a snake coiled around it. A snake that is notably absent in the tree's appearance in Euphrosyne's Heaven of Earth.
That in turn would connect it further to the Lifestream.
Notably, as he sinks into the Aetherial Sea at the end of Pandaemonium, Themis muses on how if the world continues down the current path bad things may happen, which are almost the same lines as Halmarut since 7.4. Which is noteworthy, because Elidibus is the representative of the Ophiuchus constellation: a snake-holder.
In fact, the last bit on the Golden Dhyata implies that the catastrophy it describes might not be related to the seven successful rejoinings, as nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Since 6 shards remain plus the Source, it might be referencing these in total.
The rest are assorted references. Ran'jit being Gukumatz, the last boss of Vanguard calling upon the Great Serpent to give him strength. As well as the several Life\Death cycle references in Shaaloani, the Ouroboros motif and the Twin Adders's symbol representing a snake of life and a snake of death.
Is there anything else I'm missing?
There are also a few things I'm not entirely sure how they fit.
I remember people talking about how the Tural Vidraal and the gash separating Yok and Xak Tural may potentially be related to it, but I'm not entirely sure how. Especially since the characters in-game believe it to be a remnant of Hydaelyn's sundering.
And while I am familiar with Norse Myths and recognize it as maybe being Evercold's inspiration (thus the significance of Snakes and World Trees), I'm struggling to understand the connection in FFXIV. Especially because we know there's a World Tree in every shard, with references to one in the Rak'tika Greatwood and the 9th's Iifa Tree. But it seems the Source has three: one in Meracydia, another in Aloalo Island and the one in Gridania...
submitted by /u/RocketRaccoonAlter
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...