Spira (Final Fantasy X)
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The fictional events of the Square Enix computer role-playing games Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 take place in a world called . 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.Maechen: "Ahem! The Farplane is the place where pyreflies born from a sending gather. They appear in the shape of people who've died and gone to the Farplane. Quite the phenomenon: how I wish I understood it more fully! The Al Bhed have a theory, you know. They say the pyreflies are just reacting to visitors' thoughts and dreams. But only the dead appear on the Farplane. No image of the living has ever been seen."(Final Fantasy X)
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. For a list of locations within Spira, see list of locations in Spira.
- 1 Design
- 2 Geography
- 3 Demography
- 4 History
- 4.1 Destruction of Zanarkand
- 4.2 Legacy of Yevon
- 4.3 Spira in ''Final Fantasy X''
- 4.4 Spira in ''Final Fantasy X-2'': The fall of the temples and a new beginning
- 5 Mythology of Spira
- 5.1 Pyreflies
- 5.2 Spheres
- 5.3 Death and afterlife
- 5.4 Unsent
- 5.5 Aeons and fayth
- 5.6 Pyreflies as an energy source
- 6 Yevon
- 7 See also
- 8 References
- 9 External links
Design
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
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 Sin 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.
Demography
Although it is predominantly populated by humans, Spira features a variety of races. Among them are the Al Bhed, a technologically-advanced but disenfranchised sub-group of humans with spiral-green eyes. The Guado are somewhat less human in appearance, with elongated fingers and other subtle differences. They also have a natural propensity for magic and conjuring monsters. Still less human in appearance are the large, lion-like, one-horned Ronso, the frog-like Hypello and the cactus-like Cactuars. The population of Spira is largely urbanized, with the majority of its inhabitants living in major town centers.
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, amphibious shoopuf and the emu-like 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 pasttime 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. Yevon, Zanarkand's ruler, could see that his city's summoners were no match for Bevelle's machina (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.Fayth: "Long ago, there was a war.... A war between Zanarkand and Bevelle. Bevelle's machina assured their victory from the start. Spira had never seen such power. The summoners of Zanarkand didn't stand a chance. Zanarkand was doomed to oblivion. That's why we tried to save it – if only in a memory.... The remaining summoners and the townspeople that survived the war... They all became fayth – fayth for the summoning."(Final Fantasy X)Destruction of Zanarkand
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 .
In order 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 .Mika: "Spira has lost its only hope. Destruction is inevitable. Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die...." / Rikku: "Wait, gramps! Who's Yu Yevon?" / Mika: "He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor. An armor called Sin."(Final Fantasy X) This armor would not only 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 lay 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.Fayth: "If you defeat Yu Yevon, it will end. Tell me, what do you know about Yu Yevon?..." / Yuna: "Sin is his armor. It protects him." / Fayth: "Yu Yevon was once a summoner, long ago. He was peerless. Yet now he lives for one purpose: only to summon. He is neither good, nor evil. He is awake, yet he dreams. But... maybe not forever."(Final Fantasy X) 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.
Legacy of Yevon
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.Maechen: "Rumors flew in Bevelle about Sin's sudden appearance. They said that the people of Zanarkand became the fayth, that they had called Sin. And that the man responsible... was none other than the summoner Yevon, ruler of Zanarkand! Yes, the lord father of Lady Yunalesca. On the eve of Zanarkand's destruction, Lady Yunalesca... had fled to safety with her husband, Zaon. Later, the two used the Final Summoning to defeat Sin. Yet the people of Bevelle still feared Yu Yevon. It was to quell his wrath that they revered him, and first spread his teachings. And so were born the temples of Yevon. I suppose it's possible Yunalesca had planned it that way from the start! A fair trade, she defeats Sin in exchange for her lord father's honor. Of course, there's no proof. No, the facts are lost in the mists of time. And who'd admit Yevon was an enemy of Bevelle? You can bet the temples had a hand in covering that one up!"(Final Fantasy X) 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 .Tidus: "What's the calm?" / Lulu: "The Calm is a time of peace. It comes after a summoner defeats Sin, and lasts until Sin reappears."(Final Fantasy X)
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.Fayth: "Even if you defeat Sin with the Final Summoning, Yu Yevon will live. Yu Yevon will join with the Final Aeon. He will transform it into a new Sin.... Then, protected by this new Sin he has created, Yu Yevon continues the summoning."(Final Fantasy X) Further still, Yu Yevon merging with a Final Aeon would sever the psychic bond between the summoner and the aeon, resulting in a psychic backlash that would kill the Summoner who had just defeated Sin. 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.
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."Tidus: "Why is it... everything in Spira seems to revolve around people dying?" / Auron: "Ah, the spiral of death." / Tidus: "Huh?" / Auron: "Summoners challenge the bringer of death, Sin, and die doing so. Guardians give their lives to protect their summoner. The fayth are the souls of the dead. Even the maesters of Yevon are unsent. Spira is full of death. Only Sin is reborn, and then only to bring more death. It is a cycle of death, spiraling endlessly."(Final Fantasy X) The spiral of death had repeated itself five timesA boy in Final Fantasy X-2: "The priests taught me all about the high summoners. There were... um, five that came here!" 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.Tidus: "I thought every town was little--you know, like Besaid and Kilika." / Yuna: "Towns don't usually get bigger than that. Because when a lot of people start to gather..." / Tidus: "Sin...?"(Final Fantasy X) 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 .Spira in Final Fantasy X-2: The fall of the temples and a new beginning
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 sacreligious. 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 mythos 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. However, it still employs its own distinct artificial mythology.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.
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.
Pyreflies serve as the raw material for the manifestation of aeons,Maechen: "Ahem! They may be called 'pyreflies' but they aren't really 'flies,' you see. They're those lights you see whenever a fiend dies. The little fellows are responsible for a few fantastic phenomena. Visions of the past, spheres, fiends--these are all the pyreflies' doing. In fact... pyreflies have something to do with aeons, too. The dreams of the fayth reach through the spirit of the summoner... And that which is unreal becomes real for all to see!"(Final Fantasy X) fiends, and the unsent, and can be easily connected to any and all paranormal phenomena that occur in Spira.
Spheres
In addition to their spiritual affiliations, pyreflies are also associated with many commonplace technological innovations. Such innovations include sphere-shaped recording devices formed of 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. This is due to how easily pyreflies and water harmonize with one another.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 .If the sending is not performed, the body's spirit remains trapped in the physical plane. Depending on the person's personality and the circumstances of his or her death, that spirit may grow envious and then hateful of the living. Eventually, this hatred grows so strong as to cause the unsent spirit's pyreflies to coalesce once again and manifest, this time in the form of a fiend, a fully substantial and dangerous monster.Lulu: "The dead need guidance. Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. You see, they envy the living. And in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should these souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that prey on the living. Sad, isn't it? The sending takes them to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace."(Final Fantasy X) It is not known whether all of the recently deceased must be sent, or only those who have suffered a violent or untimely death.
The most notable difference between fiends and the classification of spirits known as "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.
Unsent
In rare cases, the spirits 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, their spirit can remain strong enough post mortem to manifest their pyreflies into a physical form in the image of their deceased body. Such beings as this, who may act and function for the most part as they did in life, are referred to as 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.
In addition to becoming an unsent, there is one other known method by which one may avoid becoming a fiend in the absence of being sent. It is rather unique among those deaths portrayed in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 in that it still results in one's spirit finding its way to the Farplane. One 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' motherTidus: "Mom? It's her! ... Wait. No one ever performed the sending for her." / Yuna: "She must've accepted death while she was still alive."(Final Fantasy X) and Yuna's father, High Summoner Braska, a summoner who willingly gave his life in battle with Sin.
Aeons and fayth
The 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 , powerful creatures which may be employed to aid the summoner in battle or in a time of especial need. Lulu: "The fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin. Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still-living bodies.... Now they live forever trapped in statues. But when a summoner beckons, the souls of the fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an aeon."(Final Fantasy X) 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 Latin 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 aid 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.
Eight aeons are identified in Final Fantasy X: Valefor, Ifrit, Shiva, Ixion, Bahamut, Anima, Yojimbo and the 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 ancient mythological figures through the inclusion of the aeons (see list of aeons), such as the Arab Jinn of fire Ifrit, the Hindu deity Shiva and even the Jungian figure Anima. 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 his Final 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.Yuna: "What are you looking at?" / Shinra: "Farplane data. The more I study it, the more fascinating it gets. There's limitless energy swirling around in there.... The life force that flows through our planet... I think. With a little work, we could probably extract the energy in a usable form...." / Yuna: "Think how much Spira would change if we ever got it to work! Maybe one day we could build a city full of light, one that never sleeps!"(Final Fantasy X-2) 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 ("Magic Light") and is crystallized into a solid form called "materia" (analogous to Spira's spheres). 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.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.Tidus: "Yuna, why does Sin always come back?" / Yuna: "Sin is our punishment for our vanity. And it will not go away until we've atoned." (Final Fantasy X) 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 of the temples
At the top of Yevon’s hierarchy is the 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.Below the grand maester are three positions simply referred to by the title 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 multicoloured 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 , a position that is something of a cross between a priest 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 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
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.
The Crusaders (formerly known as the "Crimson Blades") were a loosely-knit army that existed to protect towns and temples from Sin. Unlike guardians, Crusaders are directly related to the temples. No non-Yevonite is permitted to serve as a Crusader, although there are unofficial chapters comprised 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. 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.
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 surpass the 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.Paine: "Yevon created the Squad and started training members two years ago. It was supposed to be an elite fighting force. The best were to be assigned leadership of Crusader chapters across Spira..."(Final Fantasy X-2) However, only three candidates survived the 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 all of its candidates dead or in hiding, 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 their guardians and can choose non-Yevonites if they wish, though doing so is not only rare, but also looked down upon. The unofficial title of "legendary guardian" was used in reference to Auron, guardian to both High Summoner Braska and his daughter, High Summoner Yuna.
Practices
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 ""[[sample]] . 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 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.Maechen: "Let me tell you about the Hymn of the Fayth. It was once a Zanarkand song sung in defiance of Bevelle! Of course, the Yevon clergy of Bevelle forbade it. Then, as these things often go, those who disliked Yevon began to sing it. The Al Bhed, for instance. The Hymn of the Fayth became the symbol of defiance against Yevon. Yevon could do nothing but capitulate. They lifted the ban on the song and spread a new story. They said the hymn was a song sung to soothe the souls of the dead. And so saying, they took the song and made it scripture." (Final Fantasy X)
Though the Hymn's words apparently have no discernable meaning within the context of Spira, their lyricist, Kazushige Nojima, comprised a small puzzle with the lyrics, using Japanese syllables. When properly deciphered, they form sentences that translate thus:
Pray to Yu Yevon. Dream, fayth. Forever and ever, grant us prosperity.
See also
References
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
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