Rare Game: Rageclaw, Biding Mantis, Wood Toad, Tarasque

Onwards with Final Fantasy XII's rare game. I may have had a bit of stuff over the last couple of weeks but these entries will persist. Today we cover the mantis and toad type rare game.


Rageclaw:

"Scythe Mantis born with naught in its heart but rage"- from the in game bestiary entry. I think that sums up why this guy is called the Rageclaw quite nicely.

Biding Mantis:

An appropriate name for a preying mantis like enemy. Mantis are quite happy to bide their time waiting for prey to wander into range.

Wood Toad:

As a denizen of the Salikawood  this creature's name is quite apt. The Japanese name for it, the Sneak Frog, is also appropriate given this rare game's spawning conditions. The Wood Toad spawns 20% of the time and spawns with the invisible status making it rather sneaky indeed.



Tarasque:

 

Statue of the Tarasque near King Rene's castle, Tarascon

This is our first creature who has it's origins in France. The Tarasque is a turtle like dragon that terrorized the Provence region in southern France sometime around the 1100s. The creature features in one of the stories around St Martha. In her wanderings she came across the town of Nerluc which the Tarasque had been bothering. The villagers' attempts at quelling the monster had met with little success- their bolts and blades simply rebounding of the creatures tough hide. St Martha went to the beast and through prayer and piety tamed it. Thence they returned to the city with the Tarasque meekly following. The villagers, still frightened, took up arms against it as they drew near. The Tarasque placidly took their blows and, despite it's tough hide, eventually succumbed to the wounds. Martha then told the villagers of their folly and converted them to Christianity. In honor of the beast they changed the name of their town to Tarascon. Even today the town honours the Tarasque with statues and festivals.

There is also a Dungeons and Dragons creature called the Tarasque which ranks among the toughest of foes. A species of therapod dinosaur discovered in Pourcieux, France, is named Tarascosaurus, after the beast of legend.

Rare Game: Rain Dancer, Razorfin, Apsara

Rare game: A collection of fish

Rain Dancer

The Rain Dancer of Giza Plains

 Rain Dancing is a traditional form of weather manipulation that appears in cultures around the world. The most famous of the rain dancers would be those in various Native American tribes. Rain Dancers also appeared among Slavic people and ancient Chinese Wu Shamans.

The rain dancing aspect fits well with this rare game as it only spawns during the rainy season of the Giza plains.

Razorfin

The Razorfin

Pretty straight forward with this one. The Razorfin sports a set of sharp blade like fins. This creature, encountered in the Garamsythe waterway, bears a physical resemblance to an orca or killer whale.



Apsara

An Apsara Dancer

Apsaras are female spirits of clouds and water from Hindu and Bhuddist mythology. They are often equated with western Nymphs. The epic tales Rigveda and Mahabarata include various Apsara in supporting roles. They are elegant dancers and attendants in the court of Indra.

There is also a Cambodian traditional dance inspired by these creatures called the Robam Tep Apsara (Dancce of the Apsara Divinities).

The Apsara

Weapon: Caladbolg

Caladbolg: Recurring ultimate weapon

Appearances: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XI

Tidus with the Caladbolg, Final Fantasy X

The Caladbolg is best known as Tidus' Celestial Weapon from Final Fantasy X. And not so fondly remembered for how difficult it was to acquire with the catcher chocobo race. The version of the sword that appears in FFXI is a again a high tier weapon. The Caladbolg grants the use of the 'Torcleaver' skill which actually ties in with the weapon's mythology.

First thing is first, how to actually pronounce the name? The Caladbolg appears mainly in Irish mythology. You can go here to hear the word pronounced. So now onto where this weapon appears in mythology. The Caladbolg belonged to the Irish king Fergus mac Róich. Well Fergus at least started off as a king. He appears in a few tales including the Táin Bó Cúalnge - Cattle Raid of Cooley where his various affairs lead to his undoing. In the Cattle Raid of Cooley Fergus gets caught having sex with Queen Medb. Medb's husband, Ailill, steals the Caladbolg off Fergus replacing it with a wooden dummy. Fergus is then forced to cede in is fight against the mighty hero Cúchulainn. Ailill eventually gives back the sword (probably when he realists his side is loosing). Fergus draws on the magic of the sword to cleave a great gap in his foe's ranks. He reaches the Ulster King, reading the final stroke. But, at the last minute is swayed and instead sends the blow aside, cleaving the tops of the three bald hills of Meath. This is where the skill 'Torcleaver' from FFXI gets it's name. A tor is type of hill.

The Caladbolg is also linked with King Arthur. Through Welsh tales and Geoffrey of Monmouth's the Caladbolg eventually merges into the Excalibur. At first, in the Welsh tales, it is Caledfwlch, a sword not used by Arthur, but one of his Irish knights. In Monmouth's Historia Regnum Britaniae the sword's name shifts to Caliburnus, an early version of the name Excalibur.

References:

Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia. Vol. 1-3, John T Koch (ed), 2006.

Weapon: Nirvana

An Ultimate Staff

Appearances: FFIV, FFX, FFXI, FFXIII, FFXIV



In all the games this staff weapon appears in it is always the best, the pinnacle of staves.

Nirvana is Sanskrit word litterally meaning 'blown out'  or 'extinguished'. Through Bhuddism and Hinduism the term has taken on a meaning closer to 'liberation' or 'salvation'. Broadly speaking both religions regard Nirvana as a final, ultimate state of being  where the soul is freed from the constraints of the mortal world. It is a timeless state rather than an immortal one. The adoption of the 'salvation' connotation for Nirvana probably appeared sometime after the 6th or 5th century BCE. Concepts similar to Nirvana appear in the earlier, per-Bhuddist texts around the first millennium BCE. The term Nirvana became adopted as people sought to 'blow out' the fires of greed, hatred and delusion.

Nirvana appears slightly later in Hinduism than in Bhudism. The term certainly appears in the Nirvana Upanishad dating from the sometime before 300 CE. Though the texts origins could date from as early as 300 BCE (nice date range there...).

Recomended reading:

Nirvana and Other Buddist Felicities, Steven Collins

Rare Game: Dreadguard, Crypt Bunny and Spee

Rare game: Two bunnies and an owl-bear

And we're back after our week hiatus. Sorry about that but now we're back on track with some more rare game from Final Fantasy XII.

Dreadgaurd

This creature is a derivation of another standard enemy, the Mirrorknight. In the in game lore the Mirrorknights were high ranked war beast attributed the rank of knight. The Dreadguard were the elite of the Mirrorknights. More on the Mirrorknights later.


Crypt Bunny

The Crypt Bunny makes its home in the Feywood. A crypt is a vault located under a church which normally contains coffins or relics. The Crypt Bunny has a further link death as, to spawn the bunny one must defeat Tartarus and Cerberus enemies. Both these enemies are either an underworld location or the gatekeepers of the underworld.

Spee

A form of Mu bunny from the Salikawood. This one is most likely onomatopoeic, based on a cuteness sound kinda like 'squeeee!'. Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound of the object it's describing. In English we have words like 'oink', 'roar', 'hiccup' or 'jingle'.

Side character: Bhakti

Appearance: Final Fantasy XIII

Bhakti, the cute robot from Final Fantasy XIII

Bhakti is a small robot AI friend of Vanille, one of the party members from Final Fantasy XIII. He is found among the ruins of the character's home town where the party can opt to find the parts needed to fix the little trooper. Bhakti had been waiting for Vanille for countless years, never wavering in devotion to his mistress. This is behavior is sadly fitting for Bahkti as his name is a Sanskrit word literally meaning 'attachment' or 'devotion to'. In Bhuddism it also has the context of devotion or spiritual love to a personal god.


This was originally going to be a longer article on a different topic but I couldn't resist the cute little robot when I saw his name crop up in one of the other articles I was researching. So next week's weapon slot will have something somewhat related to Bhakti.

Rare Game: Wary Wolf, Kaiser Wolf & Lindbur Wolf

Appearences: Rare game from Final Fantasy XII

Today is something of a short entry. All three of the rare game wolves have fairly lite entries.

The Kaiser Wolf

Wary Wolf: 

An easy one. This wolf has a 7% spawn chance in its home region of the Mosphoren Highwaste making its appearance somewhat uncommon. Thus it's a wary wolf that stays away from people.


Kaiser Wolf:

Most people will be familiar with the term 'kaiser' being the German word for Emperor. The word ultimately comes from the historical figure of Julius Caesar. Variations on Caesar appear in quite a few European languages including Russian and Greek. Even though his name has become synonymous with 'Emperor', Julius Caesar was never actually and Emperor of Rome. True Caesar had near full control of Rome's governing body, the Senate, but his title was 'dictator perpetuo', 'dictator in perpetuity'. It was his adoptive son, Augustus (formally Octavian), who first assumed the title of Imperator.

Lindbur Wolf: 

I got stumped on this one. I haven't been able to find anything conclusive for this one. The name feels very familiar. It bears a passing resemblance to 'lindworm', a type of serpentine dragon with two legs, but I do not feel that is a very strong link. Perhaps it is simply a constructed name.

The Lindbur Wolf

Weapon: Partisan

Partisan: Recurring low to mid level spear class weapon.

Appearances:  FFV, FFVI, FFVII, FFIX, FFXI, FFXII, FFXIII

Freya's Partisan from FFIX

The partisan or partizan is a pole-arm weapon used from the middle ages up until the Napoleonic wars in the early 1800s. Partisans normally have a double 'axe head' protrusion at the base of the main blade use for hooking and parrying foes. These weapons normally had a 1.8-2 metre shaft but there are examples with shafts up to two metres in length. This is a bit shorter than other pole arms of the time such as pikes which could clock in at nearly 4 metres. Today the partisan is used as a ceremonial weapon. Supposedly this weapon dropped out of favour due to being less effective than other weapons and thus became more ceremonial. This video might prove otherwise and should demonstrate how scary any sort of pole-arm can be. The ceremonial aspect of partisans is referenced in the item descriptions for the weapon in Final Fantasys V, VI and IX.

Partisan from 1655

Rare Game: Greeden, Bull Croc and Gavial

Three rather wolly crocodiles

Appearance:  Final Fantasy XII

This week happens to see the three different crocodile like rare game.

Greeden, the rather woolly croc.

Greeden:

This name is possibly a corruption of the word 'greed'. The Japanese name for this monster is グリード (gurido) which works as a transliteration for 'greed'. Other than that, not too much else to add.

The Bull Croc with jaws agape.

Bull Croc:

Another one that's pretty straight forward. Bull is the term used for male crocodiles and alligators. Females are called sows. The in-game explanation for the name is that this creature is aggressive like a bull.

The Gavial appears a bit more subdued here

Gavial: 

At last, a name with a bit of background. The Gavial, also known as the Gharial- gavialis gangeticus, is species of crocodillian native to areas of the India through to Burma. Unfortunately, mostly due to habitat loss, the gavial is now listed as critically endangered.

These crocodillians prefer river habitats where they live on fish. The characteristic long slender snout of these creatures is full of small slender teeth adapted to this diet.

The name 'gharial' itself stems from the Hindi word 'ghara' meaning 'pot'. Adult gavial have a bulbous protrusion at the end of their snouts.

An actual gharial sun-basking at San Diego Zoo.

Hope's Boomerangs: Final part

Weapon: The last of Hope's second tier weapons and his ultimate

Appearance: Final Fantasy XIII

Tezcatlipoca from the Borgia Codex. Note the missing foot.

Hresvelgr

From Norse mythology. Hresvelgr is mentioned in the Vafþrúðnismál  of the Poetic Edda. In the form of a great eagle the giant Hresvelgr sits at the edge of heaven. And from his wings come the northern wings. The name itself means 'corpse-eater'

The Vathruthnismol can be found here, at Sacred-Texts.

Tezcatlipoca

From Aztec mythology. His name means 'smoking-mirror' in the Nahuatl language. Obsidian, which was used to make mirrors, was one of the items under the god's domain. Like many Aztec gods it is very difficult to pin down depictions of Texcatlipoca in art. He does seem to like dark banded face paint and wielding club and shield.

Tezcatlipoca appears in several creation myths where he is often with Quetzalcoatl, his brother at times. These two gods don't tend to see eye to eye. In one creation myth Tezcatlipoca became the first sun to light the mortal world. Unfotunately, as he was a god of the night, he didn't do a very good job of it. So his brother knocked him out of the sky and took his place as the second sun. Over time the humans of the world lost their peity and Quetzalcoatl stepped down as the sun. The rain god Thlaloc became the next sun. Tezcatlipoca stole his wife who, as a goddess of sex and flowers, was probably quite the looker. As any cheated husband might do Thlaloc wallowed in grief causing the world to flood both with water and fire. Tezcatlipoca then instated another new wife as the next sun. Apparently he makes for a lousy husband as this wife found out he never really loved her and so drowned the world in tears of blood. Quetzalcoatl eventually got another god, Huitzilopochtli to become the fith and final sun which we still know today.

Naberius

From Johann Weyer's 16th centuary demonology, Pseudomonarchia daemonum. Naberius is a marquess of hell who takes the form of a crow. He specializes in teaching men rhetoric for the price of their dignity and honor.


Caladrius

From Greek and Roman mythology. It is said to be a pure white bird that resides in royal house holds. 

Nue 

From Japanese mythology. The usual depiction of this yokai is of a chimaera like beast. It sports the face of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, tail of a snake and feet of a tiger. In the Heike Monogatari, which describes this fabulous beast, it says that this creature has the voice of a Nue bird.  The actual Nue was a 'monstrous' bird that terrorized the palace until Yorimasa shot it. A normal, if anoyying, bird isn't as memorable as a fantastical chimaera.

The Nue in its fantastical appearance

Monsters: Aspidochelon & Thalassinon

Aspidochelon & Thalassinon:  Two giant rare game turtles

Appearance:  FFXII

We're back after a weeks holiday. To celebrate, in the Monday Monster slot we'll be starting on some of the Rare Game monsters from Final Fantasy XII. So each week for the next while there will be one or two of the creatures covered. To start off we have two giant turtles.

The Aspidocheolon, FFXII

Aspidochelon:

The Aspidochelon appears in the 2nd to 4th Centuary bestiary Physiologus. The bestiary describes plants, animals, and certain other natural phenomenon couched in moral and spiritual lessons. The text was originally written in Greek. Aspidochelon comes from the words ἀσπίς (aspis) and  χελώνα (chelona)  meaning 'asp' and 'turtle' respectively. 

According the bestiary the Aspidochelon was a sea creature of immense size. Its rough skin mimicked a craggy island and it girt the outer edges of it's form with dunes and vegetation. Many a ship was said to land on these tempting shores. The sailors set up camp, lighting their fires and cooking their meats. Then, all of a sudden the great beast will dive to the ocean's depths dragging the men and ships alike to a watery grave. 

A translation of the Physiologus can be found here.

  

The Aspidochelone, from a 1633 manuscript in the Danish Royal Library

Thalassinon:

The English name is most likely derived from the Greek work for the sea, 'θάλασσα' (thalassa). This turtle spawns on the Phon Coast so this name makes sense. 

 The Thalassinon

Hope's Boomerangs Pt 3

Weapon: Hope's second tier boomerangs

Appearance: Final Fantasy XIII

Onto the second last entry for Hope's boomerangs. Lucked in with two different vulture kings this week from different corners of the globe. On a side note there will be no entries for next week as I will be away.

Ravana cutting off Jatayu's wings. By Raja Ravi Varma.

Skycutter:

A boomerang that cuts through the sky.  Not much to this one

Eagaltalon:

Eagle + Talon, pretty self explanatory.

Urubutsin:

An Amazonian deity from the Mamaiuran people. Urubutsin was a great vulture who was king of the birds. In the beginning there were so many birds in the sky that the world was draped in eternal darkness. The people of the land lived in fear of constant attacks from wild beasts. So it was that two brothers, Kuat and Iae, decided to take on Urubutsin. They hid themselves by an animal carcass and presently Urubustin came down to feed. The brothers captured the great vulture and 'pursuaded' him to release some of the light. Kuat became the sun while his brother Iae became the moon. 

Jatayu: 

Jatayu is another vulture king, this time he heralds from India. In the epic poem the Ramayana, an elderly Jatayu fights with Ravana the king of the Rakshasa (akin to demons). Ravana had taken Jatayu's daughter-in-law. The great vulture vowed to do everything in his power to save the girl. Though he was able to inflict many wounds on the King of Rahshasa, Ravana eventually slew Jatayu with his sword.

Monster: Lamashtu

Lamashtu: Demoness of nightmares

Appearances: Final Fantasy X

Lamashtu drake from Final Fantasy X

Another one of the drakes from Final Fantasy X today.

Lamashtu comes from Mesopotamian mythology. She was a malevolent demoness who acted on her own impulses rather than receiving instructions from the gods. The deaths of pregnant women and young infants were often attributed to Lamashtu's doing. She would drink the blood and eat the flesh of her victims. The demon could also bring disease, nightmares and wither plant-life. An incantation against Lamashtu notes that she is eternally angry and childless. Her childlessness may be what causes her to pray on infants. A common form of the demon was that of a lion headed human suckling a dog and a pig. She can also have a donkey's body.

Reference:
http://www.ancientneareast.net/mesopotamian-religion/lamastu-lamashtu/

Plaque showing Lamashtu in the center

Equipment: Hope's Weapons pt 2

Weapons: Hope's Basic Boomerangs part 2

Appearances:  Final Fantasy XIII

There were two many base level boomerangs to fit in one post last week. So this week we have the last four of Hope's basic weapons.

The demon Malphas

Vidofnir:

Vidofnir or Víðófnir is a creature that appears in a single 17th century Norse manuscript- the Fjölsvinnsmál. Vidofnir is mentioned as a cockerel. Fjolsvith says that is the only meat that will 'leap within' his hounds whilst they eat. The bird is said to live at the top of Mimameith, Mimi's Tree, which is most likely another name for Yggdrasil the World Tree. Mimi's spring was said to lie at the base of one of the tree's roots. You can find a translation here. Vidofnir is mentioned in stanza 18.

Simurgh:

The Simurgh does appear in other Final Fantasy games and I'll most likely redo this creature again with new details and in a different context. The Simurgh is primarily from Iranian mythology but can be found across several countries.

The Simurgh generally takes the form of giant bird like creature strong enough to carry off an elephant. It can either appear as something akin to a phoenix or bearing a closer resemblance to a griffon. It can have a canine, leonine or human face. There is a tale that the Simurgh is comprised of a flock of thirty birds. Some say the creature's body is that of a peacock, yet others give it coppery plumage. One thing that stays the same is that the Simurgh is benevolent and female.

Malphas:

Malphas is a figure from medieval demonology. He crops up in John Weir's 1583 Pseudomonachia daemonum. There he is described a crow like demon which wears human clothing. He is apparently quite the builder of high towers.

Alicanto:

This bird comes from southern Chilean mythology. It is said to be a large nocturnal bird which subsists on precious metals. Its feathers are said to glow with a soft golden light. Because of it's ascociation with gold and silver there is a mining company that bears the bird's name.

One of the several forms that the Simurgh can take

Monster: Zaghnal

Zaghnal: A Powerful beast

Appearances:  FFIX, FFXII

Zaghnal from Final Fantasy XII

In all the appearances of the Zaghnal it is a bulky beast type monster, yet it's name is actually take from a weapon. Today's entry is a little more on the short side.

A zaghnal is a type of shafted weapon from India. They generally have one or two heavy curved blades mounted on an axe shaft. The curved blade resembles a crows beak, hence a common term of 'crow beak' or 'crow bill'. These weapons may have been used to hamstring horses though they would have been equally effective at delivering armor piercing blows. The Rajputs of northern India are noted to have used these weapons.

For a rather in depth debate about zaghnal check out this forum.

An example of a real zaghnal

Equipment: Hope's Weapons pt 1

Weapons: Hope's basic Boomerangs part 1

Appearances:  Final Fantasy XIII

Otshirvani boomerang from FFXIII

Time for a miniseries across the next few Thursdays. For this mini series we'll be looking at the various boomerangs that Hope wields in FFXIII. The naming theme for his weapons are avians. All his weapons have something to do with birds, either as a mythical bird or a character who deals with one. For this first blog we'll be looking at the first four of Hope's tier 1 weapons.

Airwing:

Air + wing. Pretty simple.  
 
An air wing is also a term used for any aircraft squadrons attached to non air-force forces such as the Navy or police forces. 

Hawkeye:

 Hawk + eye. Again pretty simple.

Also the name of a Marvel Comics character. Most famous in the recent Avengers movies.

Otshirvani:

Now we get onto something a bit more interesting. Otshirvani comes from Siberian mythology. He is a creator god of light. There is a tale of Otshirvani being sent to fight the great serpent Losy. This foul beast had covered the world with his poison, killing many humans. To kill the serpent Otshirvani took on the form of a great eagle. He thence swooped down on the beast, grasping him in his talons before dashing him on the rocks of the great world mountain. 

Ninurta:

Ninurta was an Akkadian and Sumerian war and hunting god. He commonly wields a bow or sickle sword. Ninurta himself is not nesisarily depicted as a winged creature though one of the more famous reliefs of him shows a winged Ninurta fighting the griffon like creature Anzu. The defeat of Anzu was by no means one of Ninurta's only achievements but is seems to be one of the more widespread myths. In one of the recorded tales the lion headed eagle Anzu steals the Tablet of Destinies. Ninurta is sent to get back the Tablet as it has an account of all living thing on it. Anzu uses the knowledge on the Tablet to nullify Ninurta's arrows. Eventually Ninurta is able to defeat Anzu by severing his wings and pinning them to the ground with arrows.

More on Anzu can be found here and translations of some of Ninurta's exploits can be found here.

Copy of relief from Nimrud depicting Anzu (middle) pursued by Ninurta (right)

Summon: Bahamut

Bahamut: King of the Dragons

Appearances: FFI, FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX, FFX, FFXI, FFXIII, FFXIV

Ammano concept art of Bahamut

Saved the best until last. Bahamut is one of the main stays of the Final Fantasy summons. He has been around since the very first game but only became summonable in FFIII. There he is one of the first optional bosses in the series. Defeating the Dragon King yields the most powerful summon spell in the game. In later games Bahamut's position as top dog is sometimes eclipsed by more powerful hidden summons such as the Knights of the Round from FFVII or the Magus Sisters from FFX. None can deny the power and awesomeness of the dragon's Mega Flare attack.

Now for the mythological part. The name Bahamut originates in Arab mythology. He appears to be a slightly more obscure entity. There are a few accounts of the creature in a couple of sources, the most well known source being the One Thousand and One Nights. The Bahamut is mentioned in the tale told on the 496th night and is part of the overall tale of The Queen of Serpents. On this night Scheherazade recounts how the universe is structured. First there are seven heavens below which sits our earthen plane. Beneath us lie the six hells all borne by a great angel seated upon a rock. This rock in turn lies on the back of the vast bull, Kujata. On the final level lies Bahamut, the great fish who swims though oceans of the Universe. In the story Isus (Jesus) asks God to show his this marvel. Allah obliges but Isus is unable to comprehend the scale of the creature. All he sees is Kujata whom he reckons to be the length of three days travel. God replies that this is the length of Bahamut's head. 

The Queen of Serpents tale can be read here.

So what does a giant fish have to do with the dragon we know? Well not much. The Bahamut of Final Fantasy has more to do with the Bahamut of Dungeons and Dragons. As has been mentioned before, many of the early Final Fantasy creatures are borrowed or inspired by the tabletop RPG. Within the DnD lore Bahamut bears the title 'King of Dragons', among other names. Even the description is very close to how Bahamut is depicted in the Final Fantasy games with the dragon having 'sliver scales' and 'blue eyes'.

Bahamut from the DnD Monster Manual, 1977

Summon: Odin

Odin: Slice 'n' Dice with Zantetsuken

Appearances: FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX, FFXI, FFXIII, FFXIV

Amano concept art of Odin

Like the other summons introduced in Final Fantasy III Odin has become one of the staples of the Final Fantasy series. He is a tall heavily armored warrior who rides his stead Sleipnir into battle. His most famous attack is Zantestuken which instantly dispatches all foes in the fight. Some times the attack is renamed 'Gungir' where it simple deals damage to the enemies. There will be more on Gungir, Sleipnir and Zantestuken at a later date.

Odin is one of the major deities in the Norse pantheon. He is not exclusively Norse as he appears in many of the wider Germanic traditions. Odin was a wandering deity in search of knowledge. A common depiction of the god had him in long traveling cloak with staff and hat. This depiction of Odin bears a remarkable similarity to the Lord of the Rings' Gandalf the Grey and was likely the inspiration for the character. J.R.R. Tolkein was well versed Old English and Scandinavian lore having been one of the first people to translate 'Beowulf'. This wandering aspect of Odin caused the Romans to associate him with their god Mercury, the messenger of the gods.

Odin was at the begging of the universe. He, with his two brothers, slew the giant Ymer and created Midgard from his body. They then created humans to live for all the ages in this realm. But it is foretold since the begging that the world will end Ragnarok. At this time Odin will lead einherjar, warriors slain in battle that reside in Odin's halls, in battle against Loki and his hordes. The einherjar represent the warrior aspect of Odin.

In Odin's wandering pursuit of knowledge he came upon the well of Mimir, the god of wisdom. This place was hidden at the base of one Yggdrasil's roots. In the Prose Edda it is said that Mimir drinks often from these waters and is full of wisdom. At one time Odin sought this knowledge but Mimir denied him. Mimir demanded Odin's left eye as a pledge which the god gladly gave. In other sources Odin gains wisdom through Mimir's embalmed severed head

I highly recommend reading the translation of the Prose Edda  linked above for a more thorough account of some of Odin's deeds.

'Odin the Wanderer'  by Georg von Rosen. Not Gandalf the Grey.

Summon: Chocobo

Chocobos: Those giant yellow chickens that go 'kweh' or 'wark'

Appearances (as a summon): FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVII, FFVIII, FFXI

Boko the chocobo from FFVIII

The chobobos are one of the most instantly recognizable creatures from the Final Fantasy games. They are so popular and cute that they have spawned their own slew of spin off games. Within the main series of Final Fantasy games they are best known as steadfast mounts, useful for traversing the world without fear of pesky random encounters.

Chocobos do feature in several Final Fantasy games as summons. They are generally low level summons dealing weak non-elemental damage. In FFXI the chocobo is not actually a battle summon but rather an emote that summoners can use. The summoner can call forth a chocobo chick to land on their head. I think I would spam that emote. Mog teams up with Chocobo for a combo summon in Final Fantasy VII. This isn't the last time these two paired up in the games. The Chocobo summon in FFVIII took a bit of effort to acquire and isn't one of the standard Guardian Forces. For those, like myself, who played the original PS1 version of the game getting the chocobo summon was nigh impossible. A PocketStation peripheral was required in order to access a minigame where Boko, the chocobo summon, could be found. The PocketStation saw an extremely limited release in Japan and no release in the West. Interestingly Boko has several fire based attacks. Some times when a chocobo is summoned in battle the Fat Chocobo may show up instead. This is certainly the case in V, VII and VIII. The Fat Chocobo always deals more damage than a regular chocobo and, in the case of FFVIII, is able to exceed the game's damage cap of 9,999.

There isn't much to say about the origins of the chocobo's name. They were created by Koichi Ishii and the name may be inspired by Kyorochan, a mascot for 'Choco-Balls' Chocolate made by Morinaga and Company. Kyorochan is a bird like creature created in 1967 as an anime character to sell the chocolates. Kyorochan's predecessor, Chappy the space squirrel, just wasn't doing a good enough job. There was another anime series featuring the bird in 1999/2000. An example of how different Kyorochan is the the Chocobos can be seen in this commercial.

Kyorochan even had is own games.

Summon: Leviathan

Leviathan: The Tidal water snake

Appearances: FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX, FFXI, FFXIV, FFXV

 Amano art of Leviathan

As a summon Leviathan's signature attack is Tsunami or Tidal Wave which calls forth a massive wave of water to wash away all foes. In Final Fantasy III he is called the 'Lord of the Seas'. Leviathan also appears in FFII as a mini dungeon and FFXII as the name of an airship. In modern English the word Leviathan is used with large aquatic creatures, particularly whales.

The Leviathan comes from the Old Testament of the Bible. Most of the references come from the book of Job. This book deals with divine justice and whether people will act righteously for selfish motives such as divine blessings. It is an attempt to explain why even an upright and good person who is dutiful may, in real life, face a life of suffering. So how does a sea serpent fit into this? The first example is when Job is lamenting his misfortunes cursing the day of his birth. Job wishes that the soothsayers had conjured Leviathan to swallow the day he was born. God mentions mentions the Leviathan and Behmoth as examples divine wisdom and power as he is able to control these fell beasts. The description of the Leviathan emphasizes the strength  and size of the beasts scales. He sports a rugged under-belly. This incarnation of Leviathan was also said to belch fire. The thrashings of the creature churn the seas so much the froth looks like the hair of the very beast himself. This second mention of the Leviathan is some times taken to be a giant crocodile.

There is another version of the Leviathan that appears in Psalm 74:14. This version has multiple heads which God had smashed open to feed the desert creatures. There are several other legends of multi headed serpents across the near East, the most famous being the Greek Hydra.

Leviathan also appears in several medieval demonologies. I've only had a chance to briefly look into the vast subject mater of demonology. But this is what I have found so far: Leviathan crops up as the Sin of Envy in the German Peter Binsfeld's 1589 work. In the later work of the Marvelous History by Michaelis Leviathan is a seraphim who tempts people into heresy. In this account he is one of the first three angels to fall from Heaven. Leviathan may be either a Prince of Hell or hold the office of Grand Admiral.

"Destruction of Leviathan". 1865 engraving by Gustave Doré

Summon: Titan

Titan: The fury of the land

Appearances: FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, FFVII, FFIX, FFXI, FFXIV, FFXV

Amano concept of Titan

Titan governs the element of earth. His signature attack is generally called 'Gaia's wrath' which normally summons earthquakes to strike the targets. His standard appearance is that of a very burly dark skinned man in a loin cloth.

The character Titan also appears in Final Fantasy I and XIII, though he is not summon-able in either game. In FFI there are two Titans that act as barriers to the party's profession requiring a Star Ruby before they move. In FFXIII Titan is one of the Pulse fal'Cie and governs the aptly named 'Titan's Trials' set of missions.

In Greek mythology the Titans were a group of primal deities. What is to come is only one version of how events unfolded. There were numerous accounts of how the world came to be and who gave birth to whom etc. The following is mostly based on Hesiods' Theogeny with help from Robert Graves' The Greek Myths. The Titans were the second generation of deities and were born to the creator deities Gaia (earth) and Uranus (heavens). In total there were seven to twelve children born (depending on the source), one of whom, Cronos, would prove to be a bit of a handful. Now the Titans were not the first children of Gaia and Uranus, a series of Hekatonkheires (hundred-handed giants) and Cyclopes. Uranus had turfed the Cyclopes into Tartarus which didn't sit well with his wife. So Gaia persuaded her other children, the Titans, to take revenge on Uranus. She gave her youngest son Cronos a flint sickle which he used to slice off his father's genitals. And so began the rule of the Titans. The irony being that Cronos would in turn be overthrown by his youngest son. But the Titanomachy is a story for another time.
    
The Titan most like Titan of Fina Fantasy is Atlas. Atlas was the son of the first generation of Titans.  Atlas is famous for bearing the weight of the heavens. As a Titan Atlas joined with his kin and lead them in the unsuccessful war against the Olympians. Zeus sparred Atlas's life but sentenced him to support the heavens on his shoulders for all time. Atlas did have one small deprive from his task. In Hercules' eleventh labor the hero convinces Atlas to let Hercules take on the weight of heaven in return for Atlas fetching the Golden Apples of Hesperides. In the later Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid, Atlas is said to have been transfigured into Mt Atlas by Perseus using the severed head of Medusa.

There is also the tale of Atlas, son of Poseidon, told by Plato in his philosophic dialogue Timaeus. Atlas was ruler of a vast land that lay to the west of the Pillars of Hercules (Straights of Gibraltar). The Atlantians had amassed a powerful empire encompassing not only their home continent but parts of Egypt and Libya. They were set to take over the rest of the Mediterranean but were thwarted by the organization of Athens' naval forces. Afterwards the continent sank bellow the ocean in a single night of earthquakes and floods. It was this which caused the Atlantic to become un-navigable to the ancient Greeks.

For those interested in a discussion on the philosophical themes of Timaeus check out this article.

The Farnese Atlas-Naples

Summon: Shiva

Shiva: The scantly clad Ice-Maiden.

Appearances:  FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX, FFX, FFXI, FFXIII, FFIV

Ammano concept art of Shiva

Shiva, along with Bahamut and Ifrit has the most appearances throughout the Final Fantasy games. She even appears in FFXII where she lends her name to an air ship. I wonder if her popularity has something to do with her preference to limited clothing...Shiva is typically blue skinned and haired reflecting her ice-elemental status. Her signature attack is 'Diamond Dust', referring to how ice can sparkle like diamonds.

Shiva, along with Brahma and Vishnu, is one of the main deities in Hinduism. He, like many Hindu deities, has multiple aspects. Shiva is at times a protector, a leader of evil spirits or a house keeper with his wife Parvati.

One of the attribute that Shiva can have is Nīlakaṇtha or 'blue throat'. The blue throat was caused when Parvati strangled Shiva after he drank the Halahala poison. Parvati did this to prevent the poison spreading to the world which was said to lie in Shiva's stomach. The Halahala came about because the Asura, demons, and the Devas, gods, fought in the primordial ocean to obtain the Amrita, the nectar of immortality.

There is a form of Shiva known as Ardhanārīśvara who is depicted as half man, half woman. The name roughly means 'the lord who is half woman'  according to Ellen Golberg. This form is a a fusion of Shiva and his wife Parvati. Some tales say that this union of the two created the universe. In another tale Parvati requests Shiva to let her reside within him, which the god obliges thus forming Ardhanarishvara. There are many, many additional forms of Shiva. Check out here for a introduction into Shaivism.

So what relationship does the Hindu Shiva have to ice? Well there is Amarnath Temple located in the Northan India state of Jammu and Kashmir. The temple is a sacred cave high up in the Himalayas which features a permanent ice pillar. The cave is inaccessible for most of the year due to snow but is open to pilgrims for 45 days a year during festival time. The ice pillar is worshipped as a Lingam of Shiva. A Lingam is an abstract, normally pillar like, object used to represent Shiva. It comes from the god's lopped off penis.

Shiva's Ardhanarisvara form

Summon: Ifrit

Ifrit: Also Jinn, a reccuring fire elemental

Appearances: FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX, FFX, FFXI, FFXIV

Amano concept artwork of Ifrit

Ifrit is a recurring low to mid tier summon associated with fire. In the original SNES version of FFIV he was known as Jinn. His signature attack is 'Hellfire'.

Ultimately, Ifrit comes from Middle Eastern mythology. They are cthonic spirits, spirits that live underground. Cthonic entities are not always evil like demons. Their appearances is that of a large winged creature of smoke and fire and may be either male or female. These creatures were on a level approximately that of demons but it is important to note that they could be both believers or non-believers. They are not inherently evil. Ifrit are noted for their strength and cunning, the former which is stressed in the Final Fantasy games. In the Qu'ran, on the single occasion they are mentioned, the Ifrit come from the Jinn tribe.

However, the Ifrit of Final Fantasy is highly likely to be inspired by Dungeon and Dragon's Efreet monster. Many of the early Final Fantasy monsters have their roots in DnD. Efreet appeared in the earliest version of DnD back in 1974. These creatures are a class of genie (hence the translation of Jinn in FFIV) that predominately live in the Fire Elemental Plane. The appearance of DnD Efreet bear striking resemblance to the early Ifrit of Final Fantasy. Both are tall muscular humanoids with redish or blackish burning skin. They are both often mistaken to be demonic in appearance. The Final Fantasy creature is notable for it's ostentatious horns. The Efreet of DnD are not quite so known for their large horns. Later incarnations of Ifrit, starting around FFVIII, become more bestial in design.

Ifrit's 'Inferno' sprite- FFIII