Final Fantasy: A Melting Pot of Mythology
Gods & Empires Monthly (November Issue): Flip to page 42
There has always been something irresistibly nostalgic about the Final Fantasy series, even before it became a classic and treasured piece of role-playing history. It was always such a beautiful contradiction. The majestic worlds in which the games exist are often caught in the struggle between the new and the old, technology and mythology, the knowledge needed for advancement and the wisdom required for preservation. Their lands are filled with airships, machine-operated battle suits, and awesome weapons; yet these things manage to coexist with elemental spells, ancient deities, and enchanted spaces. The most ironic contradiction of all is that countless individuals sit in front of a television and video game console in order to enter these worlds, longing for something fantastical and humming with a bit of magic. And they more than certainly get it.
While all classes of characters play an important part in each storyline, the summoners (also known as callers) take on an especially crucial role because they provide the link between two seemingly incompatible worlds. They weave an ethereal quality into the fabric of the games. Their special ability is to convene with powerful deities and call upon them for help during battle.
The deities in the world of Final Fantasy spring from all cultures of this world, and they sometimes transform into an entirely new figure once they become established within the series. For example, the deity Shiva appears in almost every single Final Fantasy, however its modified meaning in the series has little to do with the supreme god of Hinduism that shares the same name. In Final Fantasy, Shiva appears as a beautiful, frosted ice goddess who freezes opponents before shattering them to inflict damage. The Hindu Shiva was actually a male who was often depicted effeminately and sometimes had a bluish tint to his skin. The blue skin paired with his traditional home of the snowy Himalayas may have lent to his transformation into an ice deity.
Odin is another summon that appears consistently throughout the series, but this one actually resembles the Norse god of the Æsir. Odin ruled over battle, death, and victory (among other things), so it’s no surprise that his attack in the game usually annihilates an enemy in a single blow. In mythology he is connected to horses and spears, and appears with both of these in his Final Fantasy renderings. Finally, he is depicted with antler-like horns reminiscent of Viking warriors’ helmets. While the translation of this deity is more accurate, the Odin within the game becomes a unique element of the storyline and emerges as its own version of the god.
Drawing from Greek mythology, Titan is the earth-shaking summon that inflicts severe damage to all creatures that happen to be non-flying. The first generation of Titans sprung from the union between Uranus and Gaia ruled the Earth before the Olympians overthrew them. Final Fantasy’s rumbling giant seems to fit the bill fairly well.
Ramuh, the primary lightning-based summon in the series, was taken from one of the incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu. However, it’s unclear exactly what the connection is between the mythological figure and Final Fantasy’s version. In the game, Ramuh takes on the role of the old, wizened guiding force, not altogether different from a Merlin figure (or perhaps Zeus due to the thunder associations).
The main fire elemental summon comes in the form of a large, green-bodied monster known as Ifrit, who vaguely resembles Street Fighter II’s Blanka. In Arabic mythology, the Ifrit are a type of Jinn, which is a fiery supernatural being that can be found in the Qur’an. The fact that he is usually depicted with ram horns is fitting, as the sign of Aries is associated with the fire element.
While one could not give Final Fantasy a whole lot of credit for accurately portraying mythology, it has done something even more important than that. The series has successfully drawn upon the essence of the old myths in order to weave together its own mystical history. By pulling from various cultures and piecing together the bits, it has crafted one of the most powerful modern mythologies created in the last century.
