Mocean Melvin

- MYTHOLOGY IN FFXVI #3 – We’ve known since Final Fantasy XVI’s initial trailer and logo reveal in 2020 that the Phoenix would have a prominent role in the game. It features a duel between the firebird and a demonic entity (Ifrit), both of which are represented as having bodies aglow with blazing heat. Phoenix has been a recurring creature in the series for more than 30 years, but are you familiar with the mythical origins of its iconic flames? It is generally accepted by modern scholars that the phoenix myths should be attributed to classical writers, although there is a degree of crossover with beliefs documented in ancient Egypt. According to early lore, the phoenix lived in Arabia and only returned to Heliopolis (City of Helios), Egypt once every 500 years or so to inter its parent at the Temple of Ra. Helios and Ra were generally the foremost sun gods in the Greek and Egyptian pantheons, respectively. Ancient Egyptian portrayals of Ra typically included a solar disc above the divinity’s head to symbolise rebirth, which stemmed from the observation that the Sun’s daily cycle involves its disappearance (death) at dusk and re-emergence (resurrection) at dawn. This was eventually adopted by the phoenix motif and developed into a burning nimbus or halo around the bird’s crown, with rays of brilliant sunlight shining forth. The longevity of the phoenix’s life had already been established in folklore, but it was not until much later that Roman literature proposed the creature renews itself at death rather than there being multiple generations. The fire and rejuvenation properties found in medieval heraldry and contemporary media are primarily drawn from ‘Phoenix’, a 4th century poem by Claudian, himself a Latin writer from Alexandria, Egypt. In the poem, the phoenix is attested to live in a paradise at the eastern edge of the world, where the Sun rises. According to Claudian, when the bird is ready to shed its aged body, it builds a pyre for itself. Helios, the personified Sun, answers the phoenix’s prayer, letting his radiant warmth ignite the death throne. The phoenix will be consumed by the flames and from the ashes will its renewed form emerge to live again. This is where Phoenix of the Final Fantasy series derives its “Flames of Rebirth” ability from. If you enjoyed this entry, please RT/QT to share it around.

- MYTHOLOGY IN FFXVI #1 – The Bastards are an elite unite of assassins in the service of Sanbreque, an empire heavily associated with dragons (and whose Dominant is Bahamut). The four Bastards that appear in the game’s opening use the monikers Wyvern, Tiamat, Aevis, and Biast. Each of these is based on dragons from the Final Fantasy series, some of which are derived from global myth. - Wyverns are winged, bipedal dragons common in European folklore. - Tiamat is a primordial goddess in Babylonian lore who gave birth to a brood of dragons after her consort was murdered (and is sometimes depicted as a serpent herself). - Aevis relates to a recurring category of monsters in Final Fantasy with both dragon-like and bird-like features (‘avis’ is the Latin word for ‘bird’). - Biast (more commonly known as the Piast Dragon) is a legendary creature from regional folklore in Poland which is alternatively presented as a wyvern or a giant snake. The word ‘biast’ is also a variation of ‘péist’ in Middle Irish, loosely meaning ‘beast’ or ‘pest’, and typically refers to wyrms or lake serpents in Irish mythology. If you enjoyed this entry, please RT/QT to share it around.