Spira (Final Fantasy)

Template:Final Fantasy locations The fictional events of the Square Enix role-playing video games Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 take place in a world called "Spira"Supira (スピラ). As befitting its name, Spira is characterized by cycles and repetition, such as the spiral of death that the world endures, the many spheres found in Spira, the blitzball sphere pools, the prayer to Yevon, the Sphere Grid, and Spira's cycle of life energy emerging from within the planet's core, granting life to all its living inhabitants, and then returning to the core when a life form dies.

As an invention of Square Enix, Spira is one of the first Final Fantasy worlds to feature consistent, all-encompassing spiritual and mythological influences within the planet's civilizations and their inhabitants' daily lives. The world of Spira itself is very different from the mainly European-style worlds found in previous Final Fantasy games, being much more closely modeled on southeast Asia, most notably with respect to its vegetation, topography and architecture.

Concept and creation

In speaking about the inspiration behind Spira, producer Yoshinori Kitase recounted that players had found fault with the sci-fi atmosphere of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, instead desiring a "simple fantasy world". To Kitase, the word "fantasy" did not indicate a purely medieval-European setting, so he intentionally set out with the objective of redefining the stereotype held in players' minds. Conveniently, character designer Tetsuya Nomura had expressed an interest in designing a world with a dominantly Asian theme, and thus, the world of Spira was born in the minds of its creators.

For his part, Nomura identified the South Pacific, Thailand and Japan as major influences on the cultural and geographic design of Spira, particularly in regard to the geographic locations of Besaid and Kilika. He has also said that Spira deviates from the worlds of past Final Fantasy games most notably in the level of detail incorporated, something he has expressed to have made a conscious effort to maintain during the design process.

Geography

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Realistic Map of Spira

Main article: Locations in Spira

Spira consists of one large landmass in roughly three subcontinents, surrounded by a number of small islands. It features diverse climates, ranging from the tropical Besaid and Kilika islands to the temperate Mi'ihen region to the arctic Macalania and Mount Gagazet.

The sacred city of Zanarkand is located on the northern tip of the Spiran mainland, reduced to ruins by the Machina War one thousand years before the events of Final Fantasy X. Bevelle, the spiritual center of the Yevon religion, lies on a thin strip of land slightly north of the center of the Spiran continent. The city is built as a series of layers, with the headquarters of Yevon located at the top.

Languages

The Al Bhed language is a fictional language from the role-playing video game Final Fantasy X and its sequel Final Fantasy X-2. During the game, apart from the main protagonist who may learn it, the language is spoken only by the Al Bhed people themselves. Although it seems at first like a foreign language, it is actually a simple substitution cipher, a system of transposing certain letters for others. It shares the same syntax and grammar of English.

Certain keywords are not translated into Al Bhed in the game. Most keywords are proper nouns, but some common nouns also are not translated, such as "fiend" ("Y fiend! Eh risyh teckieca!" / A fiend! In human disguise!), "magic" ("Ouin bnaleuic magic yht Aeons yna caymat" / Your precious magic and Aeons are sealed), and "airship".

In the game, Al Bhed words are differentiated from the common language of Spira by being printed in blue text (for non-translated words) or pink text (for translated words, represented here in bold). The player can learn the Al Bhed language by picking up items called Al Bhed Primers. Each Primer translates a single letter of the alphabet. This sometimes results in bizarre statements mixing English and Al Bhed in the same word. Go here for a list of where you can find all the primers.

Here is how to convert English to Al Bhed:

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For example, "you" in English is rendered as "oui" in Al Bhed:

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Here is how to convert Al Bhed to English:

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The original Japanese version of the cipher uses the syllable-based kana system of writing where each symbol represents a combination of "consonant + vowel" (or simply a vowel). In general, each symbol is mapped to another with the same vowel, but a different consonant.

For example, "sa" maps to "ra", "se" maps to "he", and "na" maps to "ha". The word "sayōnara" (goodbye) maps thus:

"sa-yo-na-ra" to "ra-mo-ha-na".

"サ-ヨ-ナ-ラ" to "ラ-モ-ハ-ナ."

As with the English version, proper nouns and game-specific concepts are not translated. Al Bhed is written in katakana.

The player does not necessarily need to decipher the Al Bhed language during the game, as the many Al Bhed primers found or given as gifts to the playable characters will do the translating. However, to decipher it without the benefit of a code book, one could use frequency analysis, the method used by Sherlock Holmes to decipher the Dancing Man code. [1].

Creatures and races

See also: Common themes of Final Fantasy

Although it is predominantly populated by humans, Spira features a variety of races. The population of Spira is largely urbanized, with the majority of its inhabitants living in major town centers.

The Al Bhed differ biologically from humans in their bright green eyes with spiral-patterned irises. As a result, they often wear goggles so they can walk among Yevonites. The Al Bhed also possess their own language. Although it seems at first to be a true foreign language, it is actually a substitution cipher and can be translated here. The Al Bhed are also the only group in Spira who openly oppose the teachings of Yevon, specifically the ban on machina and the use of the Final Summoning. For these reasons, they are often ostracized by the Yevonite majority. Despite this persecution, some Al Bhed have still managed to find acceptance, most notably Rin, who operates a chain of travel agencies throughout the world of Spira. They are also allowed to participate in the Yevon-sponsored blitzball tournaments. Rikku is an Al Bhed, and Yuna is part Al Bhed on her mother's side.

The Guado are an arboreal humanoid race. They are set apart by their long limbs and fingers, pale skin, veins visible on the temples and forehead, and wild, tangled hair. Their hair ranges in color from more normal browns, blonds, and greys to vivid greens, and blues. They are the keepers of the entryway to the Farplane, where the dead are sent. The Guado possess the unique ability to "smell the deceased". The Guado were converted to Yevon by their leader, Jyscal Guado (later appointed a Maester of Yevon), but were ironically led down the path of ruin by Lord Jyscal's own son, the megalomaniacal Seymour Guado. After Sin was destroyed, the Guado, despised by the rest of Spira for their allegiance to Seymour, abandoned their ancestral city of Guadosalam and took up residence in the dying forest of Macalania. Guado can breed with humans; Seymour was, himself, half-human, an effort on Jyscal's part to foster friendship between Humans and the Guado.

Humans do not have any overwhelming skill in magic or in fighting, but are suited to fit into whatever role they are needed in. Like most humans in fantasy fiction, they are described as an ethnically and politically diverse species.

The Hypello are a docile, amphibious race. They have blue skin and a characteristic manner of speaking which makes most of their speech sound slurred. The Hypello live primarily in and around the area of the Moonflow. Though extremely quick and agile swimmers, they are curiously the only race in Spira that does not participate in blitzball tournaments, as their "lackadaisical disposition draws them to less strenuous pastimes", or, put more simply, because of their laid-back nature. Many other people find it hard to tell Hypello apart, male and female. The male Hypello are all voiced by John DeMita.

The Ronso are a race of blue furred lion-like humanoids who live on Mt. Gagazet, which they consider sacred and guard fiercely. Ronso are formidable warriors, being very tall and amazingly strong, and are known for their strong sense of honor and loyalty, as well as their pride and quickness to anger. The long, sharp horn sported by all adult male Ronso is a symbol of esteem and a source of great pride to the wearer, and to lose this horn is considered extremely shameful. Kimahri Ronso, one of Yuna's guardians in Final Fantasy X, is something of an outsider among his people, being of comparatively small stature and having previously lost his horn in a fight with one of his peers. Near the end of Final Fantasy X, Seymour Guado ravaged through Mt. Gagazet and killed all in his path in pursuit of Yuna. He killed many Ronso in his ascent up the slope, including Maester Kelk Ronso (the current elder) as well as Biran and Yenke Ronso (Kimahri's long-time rivals). After the start of the Eternal Calm, Kimahri returned to Gagazet to help rebuild his home and restore his people's honor. He was named elder of the tribe by his kinsmen, and has been on Gagazet ever since. But the events of Seymour's destruction cause sparks of hatred and plans of revenge among the recovering Ronso tribe. Filled with hatred for the slaughter of their people, the Ronso youth despised the Guado, whom they felt were responsible for supporting Seymour as their leader.

Spira also features various animal species. Although most of these are drawn from real animals, such as cats, dogs, birds and butterflies, a few fictional species appear, such as the gigantic shoopuf and the chocobo. Both are used primarily for transport purposes. Most other unusual creatures encountered in Final Fantasy X are fiends.

During Final Fantasy X, life in Spira is simple, as technological advancement has come to a halt in the one thousand years since Sin's appearance and the rise of the Yevonite religion. For several hundred years the population's culture revolved around the temples of Yevon. A strict code of accepted social behaviours — such as distrust towards the Al Bhed race and their use of "machina", a perpetual fear of Sin, and atonement for past sins - were common characteristics of devout Yevonites.

Tensions between the various races exist, mainly with regards to the Al Bhed's ostracism from the rest of Spira due to religious beliefs. However, other hostilities exist. Midway through Final Fantasy X, the Ronso become hostile towards the Guado, due to the Guado leader, Seymour Guado, massacring many of the Ronso.

Blitzball, a worldwide sporting pastime in Spira, is one of the few ways that all the races in Spira can come together and find temporary escape from the hardships of the world. By the beginning of Final Fantasy X-2 however, the dismantling of the Yevon temples had resulted in each individual in Spira trying to adjust to a world without religion in their own way. The defeat of Sin also allowed the population to become more fun-loving and carefree, with many individuals now actively pursuing leisures such as blitzball, attending concerts (starring the former summoner Yuna), and taking part in a coin-collecting fad called Sphere Break.

History

One thousand years before the events of Final Fantasy X, there was a great war — called the "Machina War" — between the cities of Zanarkand and Bevelle. Yu Yevon, Zanarkand's ruler, could see that his city's summoners were no match for Bevelle's machina (Latin for machines), but he was unwilling to allow his city to be swallowed up into the pages of history. He devised a plan to preserve Zanarkand's memory for all eternity, even if he could not save the city itself.

At Yevon's order, most of the surviving common citizens and summoners of Zanarkand gave up their lives to become fayth, whom Yevon would then use to conjure a summoned form of Zanarkand, using their memories as the basis for this massive summon. This summoned replica of the city was to be an ideal paradise, removed from conflict and those who may infringe upon this city's tranquility. This summoned version of the real Zanarkand is called "Dream Zanarkand" (夢のザナルカンド, Yume no Zanarukando).

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Fayth being used to summon Dream Zanarkand

To accomplish this, Yevon manifested the city out at sea in an undisclosed location, far removed from the Spiran mainland and the warmongering Bevelle. Furthermore, to prevent technology from allowing Bevelle or anyone else to easily locate his summoned city, and to protect himself while he summoned it, he created a magic armor. Using gravity magic to surround himself with pyreflies, he used them to create an invincible armor that would grip Spira in terror for one thousand years: the monster known as "Sin" (『シン』, "Shin"). Not only would this armor protect Yevon while he summoned Dream Zanarkand, but he also "programmed" it to attack areas with high populations and advanced technology, thus bringing technological progress to a halt and keeping the people of the mainland from giving much thought to what may lie far out at sea.

Unfortunately for Yevon (now to be known as "Ebon-Ju", or "Yu Yevon" in English, meaning "the Curse of Yevon"), maintaining his summoned city and creating Sin was a greater strain on his human mind than even he — who was considered peerless amongst summoners — could handle. His humanity faded from him and all that was left was the instinct to maintain Dream Zanarkand's order, and to protect himself. Sin's first act as an instinctual beast, "programmed" to destroy advanced technology, was to decimate the original Zanarkand. Sin would then go on to bring dread to Spira's citizens for a millennium.

The teachings of Yevon — said to have been left by Yevon to his daughter, Lady Yunalesca — were implemented by Bevelle to maintain order through giving the people hope that Spira may someday be free of Sin should they atone for their "sins". In actuality, Yunalesca and Yevon are believed to have planned it this way from the start. Bevelle believed Sin to be an aeon summoned by Yevon as revenge for conquering Zanarkand's defenders. In a deal with Yunalesca to appease Yevon's wrath, she offered to provide them with a means to maintain order and hope in the common people (Yevon's teachings) in exchange for them ensuring that Yevon be praised and glorified. They agreed, and the temples of Yevon were born, teaching that machina were forbidden (another means of preventing advanced technology from revealing Dream Zanarkand's location), that Sin was a result of humanity's pride and use of machina in the first place, and that Sin could only be vanquished when humanity had attained purity and been cleansed of its past sins. Until then, it was said that only the ritual known as "the Final Summoning" would provide brief reprieves from Sin's terror, called the "Calm" (ナギ節, Nagisetsu, lit. "calm time").

A side image of Sin

Calms would come when a summoner managed to complete the summoner's pilgrimage, obtaining their Final Aeon from the unsent spirit of Yunalesca in the ruins of Zanarkand. Yunalesca herself was the first high summoner, transforming her husband Zaon into a fayth, and using him as her Final Aeon to defeat Sin. The Final Summoning requires that the bond between the summoner and the individual who becomes a fayth for the Final Summoning be a powerful, personal bond, such as that between siblings, friends, or spouses. Only then would the bond between the Final Aeon and the summoner provide enough power to shatter Sin's armor. Unfortunately, the art of the Final Summoning only ensured that Sin would return, as Yu Yevon's spirit would emerge from the cracked armor of the defeated Sin, and possess the Final Aeon that had destroyed the monstrosity, using that Final Aeon as the core for a new Sin, beginning the cycle anew. The Final Aeon, now in the control of Yu Yevon, kills the no longer needed summoner. Yunalesca herself faced this fate, but her conviction to pass on the Final Summoning kept her in Spira as an unsent. After the defeat of Sin, the Calm would then follow, providing a brief period of respite from Sin's destruction while Yu Yevon created a new Sin around the Final Aeon he had possessed.

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Auron stands high above the city of Dream Zanarkand, a summoned replica of the original city

Thus it was for one thousand years: Sin would be defeated, the summoner who achieved the feat would die, and Sin would be born anew, then defeated and born anew, again and again, leaving destruction and sorrow in its wake all across Spira. This repetition of death was known as "the spiral of death". The spiral of death had repeated itself at least five times before the beginning of Final Fantasy X.

Spira in Final Fantasy X

In the one thousand years that followed Sin's creation and the destruction of Zanarkand, Spira became a rustic land, almost completely devoid of large cities and higher civilization. Due to the actions of Sin, and the Yevon ban on machina, few territories reached larger than hamlet size, as they were destroyed by Sin and their populations decimated before they were able to develop. The only cities left larger than small villages were Luca, which houses the only blitzball stadium in Spira, and Bevelle, the center of the temples of Yevon. The people of Spira lived in constant fear of Sin, and yearned for the Calm, which daring summoners would set out to bring to Spira each time a new Sin emerged. However, the pilgrimage of Summoner Yuna at last brought this cycle to an end. The period that followed was known as the "Eternal Calm" (永遠のナギ節, Eien no Nagisetsu, lit. "calm time of eternity").

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The ruins of the real Zanarkand

During their pilgrimage in Final Fantasy X, Yuna and her guardians exposed the temple's corruption, hypocrisy and horrific internal workings. As a result, in Final Fantasy X-2 the teachings of Yevon were no longer deemed valid, and association with machina and the Al Bhed people were no longer regarded as sacrilegious. Spirans in general were faced with a positive outlook with the onset of the Eternal Calm. Young people were especially quick to abandon Yevon and embrace machina, eager to change Spira for the better, while many of the older generation felt the changes sweeping Spira were happening too quickly.

Many new groups began to appear at this time, including the Youth League, the New Yevon Party, the Machine Faction, and various sphere hunter groups. Both the Youth League and New Yevon sought High Summoner Yuna's support in the hopes of bolstering their political presence, but she chose to remain neutral, instead becoming a sphere hunter. As time went on, tensions between the Youth League and New Yevon began building toward a violent head, but Yuna managed to prevent history from repeating itself by showing the people the folly of such conflicts. The coming of the Eternal Calm also brought the discovery of ancient ruins atop Mt. Gagazet, as well as a civilization of cactuars called the "Cactuar Nation".

Mythology of Spira

In the artificial mythology of Final Fantasy X and its sequel, many supernatural elements influence events in the fictional world of Spira, defining the life of the planet's inhabitants. Magic, spiritual energy, and the power of memories are heavily intertwined, and their effects manifest in a number of situations, including sporting events, religious practices, technology, and even in some of the native wildlife of the planet. As with previous Final Fantasy titles, Final Fantasy X borrows a number of ideas and names from past and present cultures, such as Japan and Southeast Asia, with additional influences from the ancient myths of India, Arabia, Greece, and Rome.

Pyreflies

Pyreflies are a mysterious, naturally occurring phenomenon that heavily influence the events of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, as well as the world of Spira at large. Heavily prevalent throughout Spira, these "bundles of life energy" are closely associated with death and other spiritual events and entities. As they are depicted as floating, flickering balls of light, they are possibly inspired by the Japanese culture's long-standing tradition in which fireflies are regarded as a symbol of impermanence and the human soul.

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Pyreflies

Though they have been harnessed to many uses, both good and ill, they appear to lack self-awareness and any identifiable agenda in their inert form. In this respect, they would seem to be nothing more than an aspect of nature, permeating everything and everyone in Spira. Pyreflies are usually invisible, but can be seen when a fiend is killed or when a summoner performs a sending (in which the spirits of the dead are sent back to the Farplane, Spira's core). Despite their rare appearances elsewhere, they are regularly seen around the Moonflow area of Spira or within the Farplane. The Al Bhed hold a theory that pyreflies are responsible for images of the dead that appear on the Farplane, believing that pyreflies react to a person's memories and show them images of people they knew. However, only images of the dead — and specifically the dead whose pyreflies have been sent to the Farplane — will appear.

Summoners are able to manipulate pyreflies in the formation of aeons — and in the sending of the souls of the dead — due to an inherent affinity for harnessing and channeling spiritual energy. Only a few people on Spira have "the gift" of being able to manipulate spirit energy to form aeons, although there are many humans and fiends around Spira who can harness this magical energy to perform magic spells. The Guado especially have an affinity for this, due to their race having lived in close proximity to the Farplane for generations. However, very few black mages and white mages are able to become summoners, and even fewer can withstand the hardships of a summoner's pilgrimage and become high summoners, the honorific title given to the summoners who completed their pilgrimage and defeated Sin.

Aside from X and its sequel, pyreflies have only appeared in one other Square-Enix game to date: Kingdom Hearts II. A similar concept however has been present in many earlier Final Fantasy games, most notably Mako and Materia in Final Fantasy VII. They also briefly appeared but without explanation at the death of Fickblix in Final Fantasy XI.

Spheres

In addition to their spiritual affiliations, pyreflies are also associated with many commonplace technological innovations. Such innovations include sphere-shaped recording devices formed from the crystallized mixture of pyreflies and water (simply called "spheres"), and large, suspended spherical conglomerations of congealed water (called "sphere pools") that serve as the playing field for blitzball games.

Death and afterlife

In Final Fantasy X, when a person dies, their body cannot simply be laid to rest. First, their spirit or life force (which manifests itself in the form of pyreflies) must be released from the body and given "guidance" to the Farplane, the final resting place of departed souls. As experts versed in the art of manipulating pyreflies, only summoners can provide this guidance, coaxing the spirits of the dead from their bodies in a ritual known as a "sending" (異界送り, ikai okuri, lit. "other world sending").

If the sending is not performed, the body's spirit may remain trapped in the physical plane. Depending on the circumstances of his or her death, that spirit may grow envious of the living. Eventually, this envy grows into hatred so strong as to cause the unsent spirit's pyreflies to coalesce in the form of a fiend, a fully substantial and dangerous monster. It is known, however, that someone who accepts death while still alive will travel to the Farplane after death without any assistance. This is seen in the cases of both Tidus' mother and Yuna's father, High Summoner Braska, a summoner who willingly gave his life in battle with Sin.

Unsent

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The Farplane is the final resting place of departed souls

In rare cases, a spirit of the dead may resist the transformation into a fiend, even when not sent. If a deceased individual possesses a powerful will and strong feelings regarding an unfinished purpose in the world of the living, the spirit's pyreflies form in the image of their original body. These beings, who may act and function for the most part as they did in life, are referred to as "unsent" (死人, shibito, lit. "corpse" or "dead person") and may be benign or malicious, depending upon the nature of the individual.

The unsent are usually unwilling to enter the Farplane using the gateway in Guadosalam. This is believed to be because they may be physically unable to leave once they have done so and are wary of taking the risk. They are also vulnerable to the effects of the sending, which can banish the disembodied spirit to the Farplane and disperse their pyreflies, usually no matter how strong the will that binds them. There have, however, been two notable exceptions to the practice of permanently banishing an unsent. In the case of Maester Jyscal Guado, his spirit manifested in his living form twice after death and emerged from the Farplane, despite having been sent prior to both occasions (the first time by his son, Maester Seymour, and the second time by High Summoner Yuna). He first reemerges when seen walking directly out of the Farplane gate in Guadosalam. His second return is discovered in Final Fantasy X-2 in the Via Infinito beneath the city of Bevelle. The other case of an enduring unsent is seen in Final Fantasy X-2, as the unsent known as "Shuyin" enters the Farplane of his own volition and displays no difficulty maintaining his form there.

The most notable difference between fiends and the unsent is that, while fiends are instinctual creatures whose primary behavior is to prey on the living, unsent are in control of their own minds as well as the pyreflies that compose their forms. This level of control enables unsent not only to keep their form, but also to alter it as they see fit. Despite their differences, both powerful fiends and powerful unsent can attract fiends or instill malevolence in inert pyreflies.

Aeons and fayth

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The aeon Anima

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The fayth of the aeon Anima

The fayth (祈り子, inoriko, lit. "Child of Prayer") are humans who willingly give up their lives to have their souls sealed in statues. Their existence as a fayth allows them to commune with summoners with whom they have established a mental link. This link grants a summoner access to a fayth's dreams and enables him or her to physically realize those dreams as aeons (召喚獣, shōkanjū, lit. "summon beast"), powerful creatures which may be employed to aid the summoner in battle or in a time of especial need. Aeons bear some resemblances to their corresponding Fayth statues, suggesting that the appearances of the fayth statues themselves may be "blueprints" for each Aeon. Moreover, the game seems to build on the ancient meanings for the Greek word "aeon", such as the meaning used by Plato, who used the word "aeon" to denote the eternal world of ideas and the Gnostic who call aeons the various emanations of their gods.

During the events of Final Fantasy X, the fayth of the aeon Bahamut (housed in Bevelle) serves as the chosen representative of the fayth as a collective. The fayth aids High Summoner Yuna and her guardians in bringing the spiral of death to an end, which results in their own passing. In Final Fantasy X-2, the fayth return in their aeon forms, this time having been overcome by the despair and malice of Shuyin, rendering them his unwilling puppets of chaos. Yuna and her allies must unite to free both the fayth and Shuyin from the darkness that has consumed them.

Ten aeons are identified in Final Fantasy X: Valefor, Ifrit, Shiva, Ixion, Bahamut, Anima, Yojimbo and the three Magus Sisters. Each one of these aeons has a fayth associated with it, but there are many more fayth on Mt. Gagazet, being used by Yu Yevon to summon Dream Zanarkand. The game builds on mythological figures through the inclusion of the aeons (see list of aeons), such as the Arabic Ifrit, the Hindu deity Shiva and even the Jungian figure Anima and the demon Valefor. Although both Valefor and Anima are generally thought to be male, they are both revealed to be female (Anima, according to Carl Jung, is the feminine side of a male's unconscious mind). After obtaining the airship and re-visiting the chamber of the Fayth at Besaid Temple, Valefor's fayth, a little girl, appears. As for Anima, she was Seymour Guado's mother before sacrificing herself to become the fayth for his Aeon and can be found at Baaj Temple.

Pyreflies as an energy source

Aside from the various commonplace technological applications of pyreflies seen in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, within the latter game's story these "bundles of life energy" are used as a source of raw energy to empower the giant machina, Vegnagun. Furthermore, Shinra of the Gullwings suggests that the life energy flowing through Spira on the Farplane could possibly be harnessed for the purpose of supplying electricity to a city. This use of spiritual energy to power technology has been used in several other games of the Final Fantasy series, most notably Final Fantasy VII, where the planet's Lifestream (the massive collective of that world's spiritual energy) takes the form of tendrils of flowing green energy. Through both natural and artificial processes, the Lifestream condenses into mako (魔晄, Makō, lit. "magic light") and is crystallized into a solid form called "materia" (analogous to Spira's spheres). (It should also be noted that the producer of Mako in FF VII is a company called Shinra) Also of note are interviews with scenario writer Kazushige Nojima and producer Yoshinori Kitase in the Final Fantasy X Ultimania Ω and Final Fantasy X-2 Ultimania guidebooks, which revealed that Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X-2 share a plot-related connection, in which the Shinra corporation in Final Fantasy VII is founded by descendants of Shinra of the Gullwings in Final Fantasy X-2.

Yevon

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The symbol of Yevon

Religion has remained a part of life for many of the peoples of Spira, with a large majority of the population describing themselves as "Yevonites". Though no longer in existence by the end of Final Fantasy X, the teachings of Yevon were millennium-old and heavily influential. The Yevonite clergy taught that Sin was a divine punishment set upon the people for their pride in the use of machines (known as "machina"). As a result, the temples forbade the use of modern technology, and promoted a culture of atonement for past sins in the hopes of appeasing Sin. The only other method of defeating Sin deemed acceptable by the temples was the use of the Final Aeon.

By the end of Final Fantasy X, the Yevon religion was effectively disbanded once evidence of its corruption was discovered and its remaining priests volunteered the truth. Half a year later, the moral teachings of Yevon were revitalized in the form of the New Yevon Party, later led in Final Fantasy X-2 by Praetor Baralai. Although technically a splinter group of Yevon, the New Yevon party was not a religion, but a simple philosophy, their motto and position on Spira's advancement being "One thing at a time".

Hierarchy

At the top of Yevon’s hierarchy is the grand maester (総老師, sōrōshi, lit. "complete sage") an office similar to that of a Pope. As of the events of Final Fantasy X, Grand Maester Yo Mika had held the position for fifty years. The Grand Maester is both religious and political leader of Spira, being in command of a large army of warrior monks with which Yevonite government is enforced.

Below the grand maester are three positions simply referred to by the title "maester" (老師, rōshi, lit. "sage") a station similar to that of a Cardinal. The maesters have many duties within the Yevon order including making laws, presiding over Yevon’s High Court, and overseeing Yevon's civil, military, and spiritual affairs. A representative of each of Spira's three main races serves as a maester: Maester Wen Kinoc represents the regular humans; Maester Seymour Guado represents the Guado; and Maester Kelk Ronso represents the Ronso tribe.

The next step down are the priests of Yevon. Their job is to attend to the temples throughout the land. Each temple has a high priest who presides over the temple and its staff, much like an abbot or head monk. Maester Seymour himself is the high priest of Macalania Temple. Many priests are summoners or former summoners, and tend to wear multicolored vestments of white, green and orange. Additionally, with the exception of Maester Seymour, male priests bear shaven heads while female priests retain their hair.

Below the priests are the summoners (召喚士, shōkanshi), a position that is something of a cross between a saint and a miko. Summoners are charged with the greatest responsibility of all: to journey to Zanarkand, obtain the Final Aeon and destroy Sin. Summoners also perform the sending, the ritual that guides the souls of the dead to peace on the Farplane. The title of "high summoner" (大召喚士, daishōkanshi) which was always given posthumously until High Summoner Yuna brought the Eternal Calm, refers to summoners who have defeated Sin.

Lastly, Yevon has a number of acolytes, similar to deacons or nuns. They work throughout Spira performing various duties for the temples.

Militant factions

File:Chocobo Knights.jpg

Crusader Lucil leading the Mounted Chocobo Knights squad at Operation Mi'ihen

Warrior monks serve as protectors to the maesters and the temples, stationed primarily in the city of Bevelle. Maester Wen Kinoc was once a warrior monk, as was the "legendary guardian" Auron. When the Eternal Calm became, The Chocobo Knights disbanded and joined the Youth League.

The Crusaders (formerly known as the "Crimson Blades") were a loosely-knit army that existed to protect towns and temples from Sin. The group was founded by Lord Mi'ihen, who made a journey to Bevelle 800 years ago to calm the maesters' fears that he was assembling an army to conquer them. Mi'ihen managed to win their trust, and the Crimson Blades were thereafter inducted into the Yevon clergy as the Crusaders. The road Mi'ihen had walked was renamed the "Mi'ihen Highroad" in his honor. Unlike guardians, Crusaders are directly related to the temples. No non-Yevonite is permitted to serve as a Crusader, although there are unofficial chapters composed entirely of people who have been excommunicated. All of the Crusaders were excommunicated, however, when they set up Operation Mi'ihen, a joint Crusader-Al Bhed attempt to destroy Sin with a giant machina weapon. The operation failed and the Crusaders were decimated in the process. Those that survived either joined the Youth League or the Leblanc Syndicate.

The Crimson Squad was formed around the time of Operation Mi'ihen. The temples of Yevon intended to create a group that would be an elite unit to replace the recently excommunicated Crusaders, and conducted a training and selection process for the Crimson Squad, of which the best candidates would be assigned leadership of Crusader chapters across Spira. However, only three candidates survived the final exercise, all of whom were targeted for execution thereafter due to what they had learned of Vegnagun, a giant machina relic of Bevelle's hidden past with power enough to destroy the whole of Spira if used improperly. With the three candidates in hiding and the rest dead, the group was never put into action. Unlike the Crusaders, non-Yevonites (such as Gippal) were allowed to train with the Crimson Squad.

Guardians are similar to bodyguards, and are the protectors of summoners, though not directly related to the temples. A summoner chooses any number of guardians to accompany him or her on the quest for the Final Aeon, and the guardians are not required to be Yevonites — although choosing non-Yevonite guardians is not only rare, but also looked down upon by some. The unofficial title of "legendary guardian" was used in reference to Auron and Jecht, both guardians to High Summoner Braska and Auron who was also a guardian to his daughter, High Summoner Yuna.

Practices

File:Ifrit's Chamber.jpg

The fayth chamber where the aeon Ifrit sings the "Hymn of the Fayth"

The gesture of prayer to Yevon is a gesticulation that begins with one holding their hands out to either side, then bringing them in front of their chest, as though holding a sphere, and bowing. This is the traditional greeting of Yevonites one to another, especially among the clergy. The gesture evolved from the blitzball sign for victory.

Additionally, summoners are obligated to perform a sending for the deceased, preventing the pyreflies of the dead from manifesting as fiends.

Aside from these two practices, the most well known practice is that of singing the "Hymn of the Fayth" (祈りの歌, Inori no Uta, lit. 'song of prayer'). During the entire millennium before the Eternal Calm, the fayth residing in the inner sanctum of each temple could be heard singing the Hymn of the Fayth. It is initially described as a gift from Yevon himself, given to soothe the hearts of the faithful and the souls of the dead. However, it is later revealed that it was in fact a song sung by the people of Zanarkand in defiance of Bevelle. After the defeat of Zanarkand and the creation of Sin, those groups of people who still stood in open defiance of Bevelle and the newly formed temples of Yevon continued to sing the song in protest. After initially placing a ban on the hymn, the temples decided — in an attempt to bury the fact that Yevon had been an enemy of Bevelle — to claim the song as their own, and it eventually became a part of Yevon's official dogma.

Though the Hymn's words apparently have no discernible meaning within the context of Spira, their lyricist and scenario writer, Kazushige Nojima, composed a small puzzle with the lyrics, using Japanese syllables. Their co-composer, Nobuo Uematsu, also composed the music while co-composer, Masashi Hamauzu, arranged the music as well. When properly deciphered, they form sentences that translates thus:

Pray to Yu Yevon. Dream, fayth. Forever and ever, grant us prosperity.

See also

• List of Final Fantasy X characters
• List of Final Fantasy X-2 characters
• Final Fantasy magic
• Other Fictional Languages
• Ciphers
• Races of Final Fantasy
• Final Fantasy bestiary

External links

• Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Plot Analysis; essay entitled "Spirit Energy and Memories: The Magic of Final Fantasy" — Detailed analysis of magic in the various Final Fantasy titles
• Meaning and Emotion in Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy X — Graduation thesis by Glen R. Spoors, Edith Cowan University - Australia
• Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 at Wikicities
• Final Fantasy X story translation
• Final Fantasy X timeline at the Final Fantasy Compendium
• The Ancient Library — A-Z dictionary of all things Final Fantasy related
• English to Al Bhed/Al Bhed to English translator (with phonetics)
• Simple substitution cipher generator preloaded with Al Bhed.
• FF Wiki Illustrated Guide to the world of Spira (FFX and FFX-2)