Category:The Twelve
(Redirected from Twelve)Men are wont to suffer And forget wherein they've sinned Ne'er hearkening back on tragedies past Lest the Twelve might humble them |
Thralls are they to sadness As were their bygone kin With bonds of woe athwart their breasts And that which dwells within |
Yet loved they are withal No thoughts to wrath portend For men are treasured by the Twelve Whose mercy knows no end |
— Unknown |
The Twelve are a pantheon of deities revered by the majority of Eorzea's populace. They are said to have ruled the continent and its surrounding islands until the arrival of wandering tribes. Impressed by the resilience of the primitive settlers, each of the Twelve mercifully saw fit to ensure their welfare.
Each deity is strongly associated with certain particulars, such as locations, races, behavioral traits, times of the year, and abstract concepts. These associations are explored in-depth on each of The Twelve's individual pages, and the most useful collectives are below.
Titles and Elements[edit]
Elemental associations are the basis for many Eorzean systems, and this is especially evident in the pantheon. Each of the six elements is represented by two deities, one aligned with the astral polarity and the other with the umbral. Each element is also represented by one male and one female, with the exception of the middle-astral (lightning) and middle-umbral (ice) poles of the wheel, which are represented by two men and two women, respectively. As in most concepts associated with elements, the cycle starts at ice and rotates clockwise back unto itself. Polarities have been assumed due to the way that cycle is reflected in the measurement of time, specifically the moons of the year.
Astral | Umbral | |
---|---|---|
Halone, the Fury | Menphina, the Lover | |
Thaliak, the Scholar | Nymeia, the Spinner | |
Llymlaen, the Navigator | Oschon, the Wanderer | |
Byregot, the Builder | Rhalgr, the Destroyer | |
Azeyma, the Warden | Nald'thal, the Traders | |
Nophica, the Matron | Althyk, the Keeper |
Relationships[edit]
Notes[edit]
It was stated in the Pre-live Report that Eorzea was heavily based on the ancient city-states of Greece when facing invasion from the Persian Empire. The Twelve are thus analogous in some ways to the Olympians of the Greek Pantheon. To be clear, though, in-game, the Empire in question is based on the Roman empire, not the Persian.