He changed Tiwat

"You said you would make me happy. I'm so happy."

"...But I still can't let go of Aying. After all, I am also her kin. The happiness of the gods is also the happiness of their kin, isn't it?"

"So, let's change that sentence to 'Give us happiness,' okay?"

Han Fulai silently pulled Shenzi into his arms and pressed his lips to hers.

"Yes, Divine Child."

A Study of Yuanxia Palace Culture

This is the research on the Yuanxia Palace culture that I mentioned before.

In the recently concluded Inazuma arc, we covered a lot of content related to Fuchishita-no-miya, basically mentioning all the Greek and Japanese cultural elements that could be touched upon in our story.

However, since Xiao Han didn't actually visit Yuanxia Palace, there are many obscure and inconspicuous places that he missed due to space limitations, which is quite a pity.

Mihoyo really put a lot of thought into the Yuanxia Palace map, burying many little Easter eggs, so we're adding a special chapter here to research and introduce things not mentioned in the main text.

I. Dainichi Miko

The first thing to introduce is the "artificial sun" in Fukushita Palace, the "Dairi Mikoto".

As we mentioned in the article, the official name of the "Great Sun Imperial Carriage" in the White Night Kingdom is "Hyperion".

The related quest in the game is called "Hyperion's Lament." Hyperion was one of the twelve Titans in Greek mythology, the father of the sun and dawn. He married Thea, the goddess of light and also a Titan, and they had Helios, the sun god; Selene, the moon goddess; and Eos, the dawn goddess.

The builder of the "Dainichi Mikoto" privately named it "Helios," the son of Hyperion.

In Greek mythology, Helios rides his sun chariot across the sky every day, from east to west, rising at dawn and setting at dusk, illuminating the world with his light. Judging from the degree of alignment with the legend, the name "Helios" is clearly more fitting for "the Great Sun Chariot."

Mihoyo also subtly incorporated some clever ideas into these two names.

Although both names refer to the "sun god" in the same mythological system, the difference between "father" and "son" is likely intended to highlight the arrogance and conceit of the nobles of the White Night Kingdom.

Abe no Yoshihisa's technique for building the "Great Sun Chariot" was taught by the Sky Isles. The prototype technology is the sun on the "False Sky," which is the sun that Teyvats are currently looking up at. It was the "Sun Chariot" that was once smashed into a giant rocky abyss in Liyue.

The "Great Sun Chariot" is merely a small replica of the "Yang Bridle Chariot," so Abe no Yoshihisa is well aware that the "Great Sun Chariot" is of the "son generation," while the real "Hyperion" resides on Earth. The arrogant nobles of the White Night Kingdom, failing to recognize their place, elevated the "Great Sun Chariot's" status, and consequently promoted themselves as well—whoever can control the Hyperion must be a higher-level deity, after all.

It can be said that the foreshadowing of the White Night Kingdom's downfall and the subsequent dark rule of its rulers was already evident in this very name.

Also, I should mention the name "Dainichi Mikoto" here.

The name change from "Hyperion" to "Dainichi Mikoto" occurred after the serpent god Orobas ruled the Fuchishita Palace. In order to bring the people of the White Night Kingdom back to the "Seven Orders," Orobas initiated the "Narukami-kaku" movement—in other words, to make a bunch of white Greeks abandon their own history and writing, learn Japanese and write Japanese, and even change their mythological system from the Greek pantheon to the Japanese pantheon.

The Japanese spelling of "Dainichi Mikoshi" is "だいにちみこし" (Dainichi Mikoshi). Among them, "Great Sun" (だいにち) is the "Great Sun" of "Great Sun Tathagata" in Buddhism.

The native Japanese pantheon is Shintoism, a polytheistic religion that claims to have "eight million gods" and asserts that "all things have spirits" (for example, "tsukumogami" appear in games, and badminton rackets can turn into monsters).

Shintoism is a very loose religion. It does not have a strict doctrinal system or organization. Different regions have their own myths and beliefs. Among them, the most common belief is that the deity revered as the "chief god" is "Amaterasu," which is the "sun god" of Japan.

(The prototype of Raiden General is "Takemikazuchi," who is also a deity in Shintoism, and is the Japanese god of thunder, war, and weapons.)

After Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the 6th century AD, the loosely organized Shinto religion was easily defeated by Buddhism, which had complete doctrines and a strict organization, and became its appendage. Then, Japanese Buddhism put forward a theory of "Buddha as master and gods as followers" called "original manifestations," claiming that Buddha and Bodhisattvas are the "original essence" and the gods in Shintoism are the "manifestations" (incarnations) of Buddha and Bodhisattvas. As a result, all the native Japanese gods became guardian deities of Buddhism.

Amaterasu was incorporated into Buddhism as a manifestation of Mahavairocana, which is why Oropas named the sun in Fukushita-no-miya "Mahavairocana".

Lei's movies feature the Dharma body of "Avalokitesvara with a Thousand Hands and a Hundred Eyes," and the "scattered soldiers" engage in "six entrances to pure light, all dharmas without form," all of which are manifestations of this "local manifestation." The reason why Inazuma has so many Buddhist-related elements lies in this. Inazuma's deity worship is actually Shintoism after it was incorporated into Buddhism.

"御舆" (mikoshi) means "divine palanquin," which is a palanquin used in Japanese festivals to carry the tablets and statues of gods during processions.

The meaning of "Dainichi Mikoto" is "a palanquin dedicated to the sun god", which is the Japanese localized "sun carriage".

II. Greek Names in the Palace of the Deep Sea

Almost all the "spirits of the world" appearing in the game, as well as the names of the characters appearing in the books within the game, have corresponding origins in Greek culture.

1. The Primordial, "Phanes"

The Book of the Sun and Moon states: "The original one may have been Phanes. It had wings, wore a crown, and was born from an egg, making it difficult to distinguish between male and female. But if the world was to be created, the eggshell had to be broken. Phanes—the original one—used the eggshell to separate the 'universe' from the 'microcosm of the world'."

The word "Phanes" comes from the primordial god of ancient Greek Orphic religion, who was born from a cosmic egg entwined with serpents, wore a wide helmet, and had a pair of golden wings.

The word “Phanes” in ancient Greek originally meant “something that shines.” His myth describes him as “tearing apart the darkness of the original world. When he appeared, everything also came into being.”

Therefore, the people of the White Night Kingdom used Phanes to refer to the "creator god" and called him "the primordial one".

2. The eternal god, "Cairos"

There is a passage like this in "The Past of the Sun and Moon":

“We call her ‘Kairos,’ or ‘the ruler and regency of the unchanging world.’ The truly secret name, we dare not speak of it directly, so we write it backwards here. ‘Rutas’—I will only mention it once.”

In ancient Greek mythology, Kairos was the youngest son of Zeus and a god who symbolized "opportunity and lucky moments".

The word "cairos" in ancient Greek originally referred to precise, short periods of time, but later came to mean "season," "time" (in general), and "opportunity, luck."

In ancient Greek, "Chronos" is usually used to mean "time." Mihoyo used "Kairos" instead of "Chronos" to refer to "the ruler of time" because "Chronos" has a very high status in mythology—he is the first moment of the universe and the father of Phanes.

Therefore, miHoYo chose the prototype of "Kairos" to serve as the "Time Ruler" under Fanes.

Istaroth corresponds to Astaroth, one of the 72 demons of Solomon, and the etymology of this name comes from Ishtar, the goddess of beauty, harvest, and war in Mesopotamian mythology, who is also the "goddess of Venus" that FGO players are very familiar with.

—Yeah, so Ishtar is the only one of the four Kage who is a little Raiinji, and she likes to go barefoot... It's all Rin Tohsaka's fault!

It's worth mentioning here that there are three exploration achievements in the game, named "Guidance of Fosphlos", "The Moments of Cailos", and "Good Things from Hesperos".

"Phosphorus" is the "morning star" god in ancient Greek mythology, who governs dawn, while "Hesperus" is the "evening star" god, who governs dusk.

In fact, both "Morning Star" and "Evening Star" are Venus, the only difference being whether they appear at dawn or dusk. The ancient Greeks believed that Venus appearing at these two times were two different stars, so they gave them different names and created different myths.

Together with "The Moments of Kairos," these three achievements all refer to Ishtar, the "Goddess of Venus"—also known as Ishtar.

3. Abe Ryōjiu

The builder of the "Dainichi Mikoto" was Abe no Yoshihisa, and the name of the White Night Kingdom was "Abrax".

The name "Abraq" comes from the name of the winged horse that pulled the chariot of Helios, the sun god, in the Iliad. Corresponding to Abe no Yoshihisa's deeds in the Land of White Night, it can indeed be said that he was the winged horse that "pulled the sun" for the Land of White Night.

4. Phaethon, the "Son of the Sun"

Phaethon was the son of Helios, the sun god. One day, when his father wasn't looking, he drove the sun chariot. However, due to his lack of ability, the sun sometimes rose too high, causing the earth to become cold, and sometimes it was too low, causing the vegetation to scorch and the earth to become dry. In the end, Zeus struck Phaethon, who was causing trouble for mankind, with a thunderbolt.

In the "Phaethons Dance" quest, we will meet seven "Phaethons" who are used as puppet emperors by the nobles of the White Night Kingdom. Yes, these seven are indeed "Sons of the Sun".

After the passage of time (referring to the spread of misinformation and the artistic embellishment of various playwrights), the ancient Greek mythology has been confused with Apollo, who was originally the "god of art," and Helios, the "god of the sun." Later generations have basically regarded these two as the same god.

To patch this retcon, later versions of Greek mythology included a version where Phaethon caused an accident while driving the sun chariot, leading to his father Helios's resignation and Zeus handing over the sun godship to Apollo. Later still, Phaethon was simply portrayed as "Apollo's illegitimate son"... (Poor Helios!)

The seven "Sons of the Sun" in the game are all sons of Apollo. Apollo was a very amorous god; he had about fifty lovers and nearly a hundred children, and miHoYo chose seven of the more famous ones.

The seven sons are:

Rikoru

[His name was Rikuru, and he loved crafts. He once built a small sun carriage in his courtyard, six feet tall, which was remarkably lifelike.]

The prototype of Lycoreus is Lycoreus.

Lycolius was the son of Apollo and the nymph Corycia. He was the founder of Lycoria, after which the city was named. Later, Lycolius's grandson, Delphus, renamed the city "Delphi"—the "land of the serpent's heart," the "center of the world" in ancient Greek mythology, the birthplace of Apollo worship, and the site of the Temple of Apollo.

Because the prototype built a city, Rikuru also studied civil engineering.

Isumenasu

[His name was Yixi Munasu, and on his days off, he would always take a small boat and go boating to examine the maps of the White Night Kingdom.]

The prototype of Ishimonasu is Ismenus, the child of Apollo and the water nymph Melia, who later became a river god.

Because its prototype is a river god, Ishigami Nasu likes to take a boat trip on the lake.

Surepio

[His name was Suzuhito, and he suffered from a serious illness in his youth. After recovering, he gained considerable knowledge about medicine.]

The prototype of the Ōrei-hime is Asclepius, the son of Apollo and the mortal woman Coronis. Apollo taught him medicine, which made him the ancient Greek god of medicine, and the staff entwined with snakes is his representative symbol.

Because the prototype was a doctor, Suzuhito was also a junior doctor.

Risutaiosu

[His name was Satoshi Taikosu no Mikoto. He was fond of imitating craftsmen by sculpting clay figures of court ladies, whose features were exquisite and lifelike.]

The prototype of Ritsu Taisuke is Aristaios, the son of Apollo and Cyrene, the huntress princess of Thessaly. He is a god in ancient Greek mythology known for his art and beekeeping, and Hephaistos, the god of craftsmen, even taught him pottery.

Because the prototype was an artist skilled in ceramics, Rissu Taisu also enjoys making figurines.

Ion

[His name was Ian, and he practiced divination and talismanic arts, but he repeatedly failed, except for accurately predicting his own lifespan.]

Ian's prototype is "Ion," the ancestor of the Ionians in ancient Greek mythology, the illegitimate son of Apollo and the Athenian princess Creusa. After Ion was born, he was abandoned by his mother, and Apollo asked his good brother Hermes (the "Megistus" in Mona's name) to take the child back to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, where he was raised as a priest of the sun god.

Because the prototype was a priest with the ability to hear divine pronouncements, Ian also loves fortune telling.

Piramumon

[Its name is Biluomengmenming, and it is said that there is a world beyond this heaven, but these are all mere delusions.]

The prototype of the Delphic Gate is Philammon, the son of Apollo and Chione, the goddess of ice and snow. Philammon inherited his father's artistic talents and was an outstanding musician and writer. He composed and wrote hymns to praise Apollo, which were then sung by the maidens of Delphi.

Because the prototype was a writer, Biluomengmen also likes to make up stories.

Orupesu

[His name was Miyube no Sumire. He was skilled in music from a young age, particularly the zither. His singing voice was melodious and captivating; when he sang, his voice resonated throughout the rafters.]

Orpheus, the son of Apollo and the Muse Calliope. Simply put, he is the Greek version of the bard Wendy, skilled in lyric poetry and playing the lyre, and able to use the lyre to cast spells, immersing all living things that hear the music in illusions.

If you spell Orpheus in Japanese katakana, you get Orpheus, the Saint of Lyra.

5. Jiuliyou sold

Juliyoma is a female official who serves the "Son of the Sun" in the game, and her name in the White Night Kingdom is Clymene—the mother of Phaethon in Greek mythology and the lover of Helios (Apollo).

Phaethon grew up in a single-parent family and lacked paternal love from a young age, which is why he specifically asked Helios for the sun chariot as proof of his father's love. Feeling indebted to his child, Helios misused the chariot and gave it to his child to drive, ultimately leading to the tragedy.

Therefore, in the game, Kyuriyuma treats the "Son of the Sun" as her own child, and the "Sons of the Sun" also regard her as their mother—after all, she really is Phaethon's biological mother.

6. Ebony hat

The ancestor of Ruko, the priestess of Coral Palace, was the high priestess of Fukushita Palace. The name of the White Night Kingdom was "Erebos".

The world quest "The Secret of Erebus" is a trial arranged by Eboshi for travelers.

In ancient Greek mythology, Erebus is the god of darkness. He is the son of Chaos, the primordial god of the universe in Greek mythology, and the god of the underworld, residing in the darkest western part of the underworld.

In Greek mythology, after a person dies, they must first pass through the darkness of Erebus before entering the underworld, which represents the darkness felt by a person when they are near death.

Therefore, the character Eboshi in the game is also somewhat "cunning". At the same time, she is the person among the "Spirits of the Eternal World" of the Abyss Palace who knows the most secrets of the White Night Kingdom, such as Orobas's "Prince's Head Offering" plan, etc., in which she participated.

7. Local officials

The official title of the Ground Walker is "Special Officer Ktonio," while in the game, the Ground Walker is described as "Armed Underworld Judge."

The word Chthonios means "underground, earth-born" in Greek, and its etymology comes from the Greek word for "land" (chthon).

The Kingdom of White Night is an underground kingdom, also known as the "Kingdom of the Underworld," and the Earth Officials are actually judges in the underworld.

In addition, there is a legend in Greek mythology about the "Spartoi" (people born from the earth), which tells of the hero Cadmus killing a dragon, whose teeth were planted in the ground by Athena, and then many warriors emerged from the land.

These warriors, like the Saint Seiya warriors, engaged in a vicious cycle of mutual slaughter, until only the five strongest warriors remained (the five Bronze Saints).

The five main characters in Athena's mythology are Chthonios, Peloros, Hyperenor, Echion, and Oudaeus—Chthonios, the representative of the Saints, is also one of the origins of the title "Earthwalker."

This is why the game says that the recruitment standard for the Ground Walker is "requiring the candidate to hold one foot with both hands and stand in a circle, while the other twelve Ground Walkers start to stab him with guns. If he can walk out of the circle all night without getting injured, he is considered qualified."

The reason why Anzhen, the candidate who single-handedly tore apart a team of one-eyed Xiaobao and a relic heavy machine from the White Night Kingdom, has the fighting power to "dismantle a Gundam with his bare hands" is because he is a "Saint Seiya trainee," and might actually know the Pegasus Meteor Fist...

In addition, two of the five Greek Athena Bronze Saints also appeared in the Abyss Palace mission.

In the trials arranged by Ebu Hat, Eki, who held the banner "Micro-observation of Winter Eel," and Uda, who held the banner "Wisdom and Righteousness," corresponded to Echion and Oudaeus, respectively—those who could hold banners to assess the master were no ordinary people.

The earth-walking official who held the "Peerless in the World" banner was also a formidable character.

His kingdom of the White Nights was called "Daimon," a powerful being that was between humans and gods, a being that was half-human and half-god. Later, the "Daimon" became the demon in the Bible.

There were also several other officials who went to the countryside.

The guide to the main quest in the Abyss Palace, Aru, has a White Night Kingdom named "Argos," the same Argos who built the famous "Argo" in Greek mythology.

The Argo was home to many famous heroes from Greek mythology, such as Jason, who fell in love with the witch Medea, Heracles, who slew Medusa, and Theseus, who solved the Minotaur's labyrinth (all of them ended up in the FGO gacha pool). So later, "Argo" basically became synonymous with "hero," "hero," and "adventure."

Mihoyo arranged for Argos to be his guide, that's what it means.

The "labyrinth maniac" Date is based on the mythical figure Daedalus, who personally built the labyrinth of the Minotaur.

In his challenge, Date mentions that his father is named "Eurydates," which is an interesting name. The name is composed of Eury and dates. Eury means "generous" and Dates is Date's name, so the word actually means "generous Date," referring to his father's ability to amass wealth. This is probably how Date got the money to build the maze.