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World of Vana'diel is filled with Gods. Let me introduce some of them to You.
Cynocephalus [from Latin canus dog + cephalus head] The dog-headed ape (Simia hamadryas) which in Egyptian mythology was called Amemet (eater of the dead) whose master was Thoth or Tehuti. In the Judgment scene in The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Amemet is represented as seated by Thoth, ready to inform his master when the pointer marks the middle of the beam on the balance, when the heart is being weighed in the scales. After Thoth makes his announcement to the gods concerning the result of the weighing of the heart, the company of the gods decree that Amemet shall not be permitted to prevail over the successful candidate. http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/ci-cz.htm FFXI info about Amemet Aquarius (Latin) Pertaining to water; the water-bearer, the 11th sign of the zodiac. In astrology an airy, fixed, masculine sign, the principal house of Saturn, though sometimes said to by ruled by Uranus. In about 1898, the equinoctial point passed from Pisces to Aquarius of the stellar (movable) zodiac, thus initiating a new Messianic cycle succeeding that of Pisces -- the fish-man, associated with Jesus Christ. The Gnostic sun god is depicted as a man covered with breasts, having a fish on his head and a sea monster at his feet, which plainly indicates the group of three signs -- Pisces, Aquarius, and Capricorn -- and points to a fourfold division of the zodiac, each division embracing three signs; Taurus perhaps represented by the Egyptian bull Apis, standing for the triad of signs which preceded Aquarius. The Brahmanical equivalent to Aquarius, presided over by the sky god Indra, is Kumbha, which Subba Row states is equivalent in its numerical value to 14, a number intended to represent the 14 lokas or chaturdasa-bhuvana (Theos, Nov 1881). Assigning the twelve sons of Jacob in the Hebrew system to the signs of the zodiac, Reuben is ascribed to Aquarius, who is "unstable as water"; also associated with Rimmon, the god of storms and rain (SD 2:353), and equated with Ganymede. http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/anj-arc.htm FFXI info about Aquarius A giant with a hundred eyes, who was also called Panoptes (all-seeing). Hera put him to guard Zeus mistress Io, but Zeus sent Hermes to kill the giant. Argus was then transformed into a peacock. Odysseus dog, who was the only one to recognize him on his return to Ithaca, was also called Argus. The builder of Jason's ship Argo also had the same name, and was one of the Argonauts. http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/mythology/names/argus.htm FFXI info about Argus (also spelled Aspidochelone)--a sea-monster, much like a whale, but having a turtle-shell and a snake-like head. Cf. Leviathan. In various translations, rendered cethegrande (Middle English) Cetus (Latin for whale), a grande (literally a "large"), and even a "sea-pig" by one homilist. http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/monster_list.html FFXI info about Aspidoceleon From Arabic Mythology Bahamut is known as the King of the Dragons but in Mythology he is in fact a giant fish that swims in an endless sea that supported Kjata on his back, while Kjata did the same to the Earth. http://www.ffward.net/ff8myth.php
In the Old Testament (book of Job, verse 40:10), behemoth is the name for a very large animal, like the hippopotamus or crocodile. They both play a part in the Apocalyptic, as monsters that must be killed. In later Christian religion, the behemoth is identified with Satan. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/b/behemoth.html FFXI info about Bahamut In demonology Bune is a Great Duke of Hell, mighty and strong, who has thirty legions of demons under his command. He changes the place of the dead and makes their demons that are under his power to gather together upon those sepulchres. Bune makes men eloquent and wise, and gives true answers to their demands and also richness. He speaks with a comely high voice. Bune is depicted as a three-headed dragon, being his heads like those of a dog, a griffin, and a man (although according to some grimoires he has two heads like a dragon and the third like a man). Other spellings: Bime, Bimé. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bune FFXI info about Bune The Four Beast Gods The heavenly king divided the sky into four groups of 7 constellations, with each quadrant controlled by a beast god. These deities are know as the Four Gods. Each god guarded their respective region of the Earth(north, south, east, or west) and each region had its own set of 7 constellations which the god ruled over. In addition, each god was associated with a specific season, element, and planet as well as its own important traits and significance to the planet.
Form: A white tiger From Spanish and Portuguese folklore. In Spanish/Portuguese Folklore a Carbuncle was a small fury creature that had an emerald on its forehead, but apparently it is in fact a lizard that was supposedly a Muslim Princess who spoke to Satan. http://www.ffward.net/ff8myth.php FFXI info about Carbuncle Daughter of POSEIDON, she got into trouble by stealing oxen from HERACLES. Well, a girl has to eat and she got fed up with seafood. HERACLES tittle-tattled to dad, ZEUS hit her with a thunderbolt and she is now a huge whirlpool. Now she staves off her hunger by swallowing whole ships. http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/greek-mythology.php?deity=CHARYBDIS FFXI info about Charybdis Slavic Mythology. A spirit that resembles a male ancestor in heavy robe and covered in fur, who resides in the household and cares for things as well as protects your home from rival spirits. Referred to as "Home Grandfather" and can sometimes cause poltergeist activity if unhappy with the home or guests. http://www.mydarkcanvas.com/slavic_path.htm FFXI info about Domovoi Slavic Mythology. A yard spirit that is cruel to animals and livestock, especially white animals. The Dvorovoi is afraid of cats and carrion birds such as magpies and ravens http://www.mydarkcanvas.com/slavic_path.htm FFXI info about Dvorovoi He was the son of HREIDMAR the wizard, together with two brothers, OTR and REGIN. Shape changers all. When OTR was in otter form, LOKI, who fancied a nice bit of otter to go with his fish, killed him by mistake. This was a big mistake since he turned up at HREIDMAR's house in the company of HONIR and ODIN bearing a strangely familiar otter skin. The wizard family thought LOKI was a rotter. Now LOKI, HONIR and ODIN were in deep trouble. LOKI, using all his considerable cunning, suggested a hefty ransom fee to repay his debt. This was agreed and the other two Gods were taken hostage until his return. Knowing where ANDVARI the Dwarf King kept his treasure, LOKI forced the dwarf to hand it all over, even down to a special gold ring he'd just forged. ANDVARI just had time to curse the ring so it would bring doom to whoever owned it. LOKI never got to own it - in fear of his life and those of his compatriots he took it straight to the wizards, who released the Gods after a quick gloat. FAFNIR gloated the most and was so inflamed with greed he turned himself into a dragon and stole the hoard, hiding it in a mountain lair where he could carry on gloating. He killed his father and exiled his brother REGIN, who by chance ran into the hero SIGURD. The curse was now working overtime. SIGURD ambushed and killed FAFNIR, taking the treasure and pocketing the ring to use for a planned engagement to BRYNHILD. Untimely ends followed shortly. If you see this ring don't faf about - get in touch with ANDVARI and see if there is any reward money for its return. http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/norse-mythology.php?deity=FAFNIR FFXI info about Fafnir Fenrir (or Fenris) is a gigantic and terrible monster in the shape of a wolf. He is the eldest child of Loki and the giantess Angrboda. The gods learned of a prophecy which stated that the wolf and his family would one day be responsible for the destruction of the world. They caught the wolf and locked him in a cage. Only the god of war, Tyr, dared to feed and take care of the wolf. When he was still a pup they had nothing to fear, but when the gods saw one day how he had grown, they decided to render him harmless. However, none of the gods had enough courage to face the gigantic wolf. Instead, they tried to trick him. They said the wolf was weak and could never break free when he was chained. Fenrir accepted the challenge and let the gods chain him. Unfortunately, he was so immensely strong that he managed to break the strongest fetters as if they were cobwebs. After that, the gods saw only one alternative left: a magic chain. They ordered the dwarves to make something so strong that it could hold the wolf. The result was a soft, thin ribbon: Gleipnir. It was incredibly strong, despite what its size and appearance might suggest. The ribbon was fashioned of six strange elements: the footstep of a cat; the roots of a mountain; a woman's beard; the breath of fishes; the sinews of a bear; and a bird's spittle. The gods tried to trick the wolf again, only this time Fenrir was less eager to show his strength. He saw how thin the chain was, and said that was no pride in breaking such a weak chain. Eventually, though, he agreed, thinking that otherwise his strength and courage would be doubted. Suspecting treachery however, he in turn asked the gods for a token of good will: one of them had to put a hand between his jaws. The gods were not overly eager to do this, knowing what they could expect. Finally, only Tyr agreed, and the gods chained the wolf with Gleipnir. No matter how hard Fenrir struggled, he could not break free from this thin ribbon. In revenge, he bit off Tyr's hand. Being very pleased with themselves, the gods carried Fenrir off and chained him to a rock (called Gioll) a mile down into the earth. They put a sword between his jaws to prevent him from biting. On the day of Ragnarok, Fenrir will break his chains and join the giants in their battle against the gods. He will seek out Odin and devour him. Vidar, Odin's son, will avenge his father by killing the wolf. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/f/fenrir.html FFXI info about Fenrir Garuda is an ancient Indian mythological creature, believed to be a devourer of serpents and the king of the birds. His body was half man and half eagle. In Hindu mythology, he is often depicted flying across the sky carrying the supreme god Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi. In some Hindu stories it is said to represent the Sun's rays. His father was one of the seven great sages, the Rishis. It is told that Garuda stole the water of life from Indra. In the battle to get it back, Indra had his thunderbolt broken by the flying creature. http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/garuda.html FFXI info about Garuda The Four Beast Gods The heavenly king divided the sky into four groups of 7 constellations, with each quadrant controlled by a beast god. These deities are know as the Four Gods. Each god guarded their respective region of the Earth(north, south, east, or west) and each region had its own set of 7 constellations which the god ruled over. In addition, each god was associated with a specific season, element, and planet as well as its own important traits and significance to the planet.
Form: A turtle with a serpent going through its shell Legendary king of Uruk and hero of the Gilgamesh Epic, one of the major sagas of the Sumerian legends, Gilgamesh was said to have been the result of the union between a goddess and a man, and was two-thirds divinity himself. He was driven by an obsessive fear of death, and it was this that spurred him to the great adventures he undertook. Gilgamesh is described as a tyrant, overbearing and prone to sexual misdemeanours. His people beseeched the goddess Aruru for help, and on the stony steppe she created a man from spittle and clay, a wild, hairy, grass-eating person called Enkidu, whom Aruru set against Gilgamesh, hoping the wild man would topple the despot king, but Enkidu was himself defeated, and the two became fast friends. The two heroes began a series of breath-taking adventures, such as the invasion of the forest of the fire-breathing giant called Huwawa, whom they killed with the assistance of the sun god, Shamash. http://www.mysticgames.com/mythology/GILGAMESH.htm FFXI info about Gilgamesh Guivre was the French equivalent of a wurm. They were completely limbless, and they inhabited woodlands, rivers, deep wells, forests, and streams. The breath of the guivre was especially toxic, and it tended to generate horrible, horrible diseases and plagues. In France, if there was a Guivre there was death and destruction. It was by chance that man discovered how to defeat the Guivre's deadly ways. You see, the Guivre are extremely bashful dragons. While they never hesitated to devour a clothed man, the creature always fled from a naked one, and the Guivre would always be blushing from the site. The Guivre seemed to have all but disappeared from France. Perhaps they died out or perhaps they migrated. http://www.blackdrago.com/species.htm FFXI info about Guivre From Indian and Arabic Mythology. In Indian Mythology, Ifrit was a fire demon but in Arabic Mythology he was a Djinn, a Genie that could grant unlimited wishes and had the ability to do what they wanted but they would still grant there master any wish. http://www.ffward.net/ff8myth.php FFXI info about Ifrit In Norse mythology, Jormungand is one of the three children of the god Loki and his wife, the giantess Angrboda. The gods were well aware that this monster was growing fast and that it would one day bring much evil upon gods and men. So Odin deemed it advisable to render it harmless. He threw the serpent in the ocean that surrounds the earth, but the monster had grown to such an enormous size that it easily spans the entire world, hence the name Midgard Serpent. It lies deep in the ocean where it bites itself in its tail, and all mankind is caught within his coils. At the destruction of the universe, Jormungand and Thor will kill each other. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/j/jormungand.html FFXI info about Jormungand The Kirin is a creature from Chinese mythology and is regarded as a symbol of benevolence, well-being and good fortune. In the past, it was said that the appearance of the kirin noted the presence of a great ruler. There is an interesting story about Confucius being the reincarnation of the kirin. The great strategist foretold his own death after sighting a kirin. The word Kirin or Qilin has a special significance. Qi symbolises the male entity while Lin embodies the female entity. According to olden scriptures, the kirin's head was shaped like that of a dragon with a single horn on its forehead. It had a body that resembled a deer's while its tail was similar to a lion's. It bore hooves of an ox and was covered in flame-like scales. The kirin materialises in many different forms. The most common are the son bestowing kirin, knowledge delivering kirin and wealth distributing kirin. http://english.wayonnet.com/eshop/kirin.asp FFXI info about Kirin Leszi or leshiy are the male woodlands elves who protect wild animals. There could also be leshachikha/leszachka, leshonky - wife and children of Leszi. In Slavic mythology he has a close bond with the wolf, and often seen in the company of bears. He is said to shape-shift to any size, animal or plant. He is the Forest Lord and carries a club to express his rulership in the wood. In some tails he appears to visitors as a large talking mushroom. If one could be friends with the Leszi, he would teach them the secrets of magic. He is akin to devil in some areas. Farmers and sheep-herders would make pacts with the Leshiy to protect their crops and sheep. http://www.arthistoryclub.com/art_history/Leszi FFXI info about Leshonki In Christian Mythology, Leviathan is a mix of a Crocodile and a Snake. He is also an Evil Sea Creature that would be destroyed at Judgement Day http://www.ffward.net/ff8myth.php
Literally, "coiled". In the Bible, and especially the Old Testament, the Leviathan is some sort of chaos animal in the shape of a crocodile or a serpent. In other bible texts it is taken to mean a whale or dolphin, because the animal is there described as living in the sea. Later the Leviathan became a symbol of evil, an anti-divine power (some sort of devil) which will be destroyed on Judgement Day. Maat was the Egyptian goddess of cosmic order and truth. She was a minor deity recognized from the middle of the third millennium, perhaps earlier, closely associated with the creator deities, and particularly the sun god. Later she was described as the "daughter of Re." Her only known sancturary was the complex of Karnak at Thebes. She was depicted either in human form wearing an ostrich plume on her head or by an ostrich feather alone. The rulers of Egypt believed that they governed under Maat's aegis and were frequently described, by order, as the "beloved of Maat." Also Maat was believed to be integral to the success of the soul passing through the Hall of the Two Truths, where the heart was weighed, to reach paradise, because as the personification of truth and justice her feather was placed in one pan of the scale used for weighing the heart. http://www.themystica.org/mythical-folk/articles/maat.html FFXI info about Maat In Norse myth, Nidhogg ("tearer of corpses") is a monstrous serpent that gnaws almost perpetually at the deepest root of the World Tree Yggdrasil, threatening to destroy it. The serpent is always bickering with the eagle that houses in the top of the tree. Nidhogg lies on Nastrond in Niflheim and eats corpses to sustain itself. It is not the only serpent whose task it is to destroy the World Tree; other serpents include Graback, Grafvolluth, Goin and Moin. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/n/nidhogg.html FFXI info about Nidhogg There are three Ramas in Hindu tradition, though the name Ramah refer more specifically to Ramacandra, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. He is an incarnation known for his chivalry, virtue and right-doing. Notably, it is possible that Ramah was a real historical figure, or simply part of the mythology. http://www.galbadiax.com/mythology/ramuh.php FFXI info about Ramuh In Arabian legends, the Roc are gigantic birds, often referred to as 'the Great', and capable of carrying off elephants for food. They are found in various stories of 'The Thousand and One Nights', and are also mentioned to by Marco Polo on his travels. Their eggs, according to Sinbad the Sailor, could measure up to 50 paces in circumference. The Rocs are probably based on the Elephant-bird, which lived on Madagascar. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/roc.html FFXI info about Roc The Four Beast Gods The heavenly king divided the sky into four groups of 7 constellations, with each quadrant controlled by a beast god. These deities are know as the Four Gods. Each god guarded their respective region of the Earth(north, south, east, or west) and each region had its own set of 7 constellations which the god ruled over. In addition, each god was associated with a specific season, element, and planet as well as its own important traits and significance to the planet.
Form: A heavenly dragon In Egyptian mythology, Serket ("she who causes the throat to breathe") was a scorpion-goddess, patron of pharaohs, dead souls and canopic jars. She protected people against the poisonous bites and stings of animals, including snakes and scorpions. Alternative: Serket hetyt, Selket, Selkis, Selchis Serket was also the name (sometimes written as "Scorpion" or "King Scorpion") of a Predynastic king of Upper Egypt, who ruled from about 3150 to 3125 BC. It should be noted that Serket was not the basis for the 2002 movie The Scorpion King, which is entirely fictionalised. http://www.free-definition.com/Serket.html FFXI info about Serket The most violent anddangerous of the Hindu gods, Shiva was known as the Destroyer. He had four arms, fourfaces and three eyes. The third eye, in the center of his forehead, is lethally destructive. Shivawore the skin of a tiger and a snake twined around his neck, trophies of the very animals hehad defeated when they had been sent against him by jealous Rishis. Commanded by Indrato inflame the Destroyer with love for the goddess Parvati, Kama fired an arrow at thegod, who, shaken from his meditation, lashed out and destroyed Kama. http://www.mysticgames.com/mythology/SHIVA.htm FFXI info about Shiva The Simurgh is of Persian origins and is said to dwell within the mountains there, making its nest in the highest branches of the Tree of Knowledge. As with many mythical beings, it is the amalgamation on various creatures, possessing the body of a huge bird, its feathers being the colour and vibrancy of polished copper. Its head is that of a dog, while its talons are those of a vulture, and its tail that of the colourful peacock. The Simurgh is considered to be by far the most intelligent of all birds, said to be able to speak all languages, as well as knowing the events of the past, the present and the future. The legend of the Simurgh tells of how a Simurgh saved Prince Zal, the infant son of King Siam. When the prince was born, his startling white hair led the king's advisors to believe he was a demon, and so the king had him sent to the mountains and left to die. A passing Simurgh found the child while she was search for food for her own young, and carried him home with her to her nest, and raised him as her own. Due to the bird's massive array of knowledge, she was able to teach the young prince of all princely things, including history, geography, language, hunting and fighting, as well as a plethora of other subjects. Sometime later, when Zal was nearly grown, King Siam had a dream about him, and took this to mean that his son was still alive, and so began to search the mountains for him, begging forgiveness for his abandonment. Upon hearing him, the Simurgh reunited the two, and eventually Prince Zal became a great and wise ruler of his people. http://www.virtualworldlets.net/Resources/Hosted/Resource.php?Name=Simurgh FFXI info about Simurgh The Four Beast Gods The heavenly king divided the sky into four groups of 7 constellations, with each quadrant controlled by a beast god. These deities are know as the Four Gods. Each god guarded their respective region of the Earth(north, south, east, or west) and each region had its own set of 7 constellations which the god ruled over. In addition, each god was associated with a specific season, element, and planet as well as its own important traits and significance to the planet.
Form: A heavenly phoenix In Babylonian myths, Tiamat is a huge, bloated female dragon that personifies the saltwater ocean, the water of Chaos. She is also the primordial mother of all that exists, including the gods themselves. Her consort is Apsu, the personification of the freshwater abyss that lies beneath the Earth. From their union, saltwater with freshwater, the first pair of gods were born. They are Lachmu and Lachamu, parents of Ansar and Kisar, grandparents of Anu and Ea. In the creation epic Enuma elish, written around 2000 BCE, their descendants started to irritate Tiamat and Apsu so they decided to kill their offspring. Ea discovered their plans and he managed to kill Apsu while the latter was asleep. Tiamat flew into a rage when she learned about Apsu's death and wanted to avenge her husband. She created an army of monstrous creatures, which was to be led by her new consort Kingu, who is also her son. Eventually, Tiamat was defeated by the young god Marduk, who was born in the deep freshwater sea. Marduk cleaved her body in half, and from the upper half he created the sky and from the lower half he made the earth. From her water came forth the clouds and her tears became the source of the Tigris and the Euphratus. Kingu also perished, and from his blood Marduk created the first humans. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/tiamat.html FFXI info about Tiamat In Greek mythology, any of the giant children of Uranus, the primeval sky god, and Gaia, goddess of the Earth, whose six sons and six daughters included Kronos, Rhea, Themis, and Oceanus. Kronos and Rhea were in turn the parents of Zeus, who ousted his father as ruler of the world. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0010412.html FFXI info about Titan Type/Species: Cyclopes-Dragon (perhaps Wyvern) Origin: France (Alpine Region) History: Derived from the Latin word "vipera", Vouivra means viper. She was quite beautiful, and was described to have scales that looked like diamonds, wearing a crown with pearls, and having a red carbuncle on her forhead. Through this carbuncle, she saw the world, as this gem was said to be her eye. Shooting stars were thought to be her, flying through the night. This, again, due to the carbuncle, for it made her appear as if she was surrounded by fire because it glowed so brightly. (Some argue that this was the excuse for comets that people saw.)She was also said to guard a grand treasure within a rocky cavern. She was also invunerble to attack. Once a year, however, she could be killed. On this night, which was said to be either Easter or Christmas, she would fly out to a water source to bathe and drink during the mass.9 When she did this, she had to remove her jewel, thus leaving her blinded. This was the only time people could attempt to kill her or plunder her gold. However, she would only remain outside ungaurded for the duration of the mass; hence, mass-goers could never steal her treasure nor kill her. Many people said, however, that if you threw a crust of bread inside of the cavern while she was bathing, anything that the bread or its crumbs touched would belong to you; thus, people would do this in order to gain wealth. However, some thieves were not so wise in their attempts to steal her treasure. Some stayed to long to gather the treasure, and when she returned that would remained locked in her cavern all year without food nor water. Others took too much gold; thus, they couldn't move and were captured by her upon her return. Variation's in Vouivre's story occur around her life later on. Some sources say that she was killed by a cunning warrior who lured her into a bathing area filled with spikes. Others claim that she was killed by being lured into an oven to be roasted. Symbolism: She is a symbol of "draconic" beauty, perhaps. Physical Description: She was decribed as a cyclopes-dragon. She is perhaps the onle one of her kind, and very little decription has been given of her. http://www.blackdrago.com/famous_french.htm#vouivre FFXI info about Vouivre Vrtra is the Hindu (Vedic) god of chaos. He is believed to be a primordial being existing before the formation of the cosmos, and was slain by the goddess Sarasvati. In Hinduism, Vrtra (Sanskrit, "storm cloud") is a dark cloud of ignorance and sloth personified by a demon serpent that was vanquished by Indra. The story is the subject of several Vedic hymns, mentioned in the Rg Veda. A.G.H. http://www.themystica.org/mythical-folk/articles/vrtra.html FFXI info about Vrtra
Compiled by Sin (sin@wp.pl)
Xavery - Paladin from Ramuh |