Summon: Ramuh

Ramuh: Recurring thunder element Summon

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

First up in our mini series on the Summons appearing specifically in Final Fantasy III is Ramuh. Why Ramuh? Honestly, I just chose him at random. As can be seen from the list above Ramuh has appeared in quite a few games since his first appearance. His appearance is that of a sage old man and governs the element of lightning. Ramuh is also one of the few summons that has had interactions with the party. In both Final Fantasy VI and IX Ramuh gives console to both Terra and Garnet in a time of need. The Summon's signature attack is Judgment Bolt.

There is no direct link between Ramuh of the Final Fantasy games and any entity that I could find in mythology.  That being said, Ramuh is probably based on Rama from Hindu mythology. Rama was an incarnation of the god Vishnu born as the first son of the King Dasharatha.One of the main texts featuring Rama's deeds is the Ramayana, a text as old as 1,500 BCE in the oral tradition with the Sanskrit version dating from around 400 BCE.

A quick summary of Rama's life: Rama was the eldest of King Dasharatha's three sons, all born to different wives. Rama was to succeed the throne but the mother of the second eldest son became fearful of Rama and forced him into exile with his wife, Sita. During their thirteen year exile the couple manage to tick of the demon king Ravana who promptly kidnaps Sita. Rama and his allies go to war against Ravana. The heroes win and they get Sita back but there are some rumors she may have had a side helping of Ravana. Despite going though a trial by fire public opinion forces Rama to exile his beloved. They don't get a happy ending together, at least in most versions of the tale.

They key links between Rama and Ramuh are their roles as judicers. In his later life Rama served as king for over 10,000 years in a time of peace and just rule. As an avatar of Vishnu Rama represented the ideal king. Though Ramuh is not a king he is regarded as a wise elder figure and counselor. 

Introduction: Summons, Espers & Eidolons

And now we get onto the summons of Final Fantasy! But first let's have a look over the various terms used for the summoned creatures.

The ability to call forth supernatural entities of great power to aid the part has been around since the third game. Over the course of the games what these creatures have been called has varied from simply 'summons' to 'aeons' or 'eidolons'.

The summon Bahamut- FFXI

Summons: FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVII, FFIX, FFXIV

The belief of being able to summon supernatural entities to aid the user appears throughout world beliefs. In Western traditions both demons or angels could be summoned using a vast array of rites and items including wands, staves and daggers- all traditional equipment for the Summoners of Final Fantasy. The history of summoning beliefs is a vast field beyond the scope of this post.

The Esper Belias- FFXII

Espers: FFVI & FFXII

Also called 'Phantom Beasts' in the Japanese version of the game.  According to in game lore the Espers were once humans but were changed into these beings upon contact with the Waring Triad- the three creator gods. This origin as humans granted supernatural powers fits with the term Esper. More often written as ESPer, and esper is a person with psychic powers. The ESP part of the name stands for 'Extra-Sensory Perception'. The term was coined by a J.B.Rhine, the lead researcher for ESP in the 1930s at Duke University, California. He, and his assistants, conducted experiments to find and quantify ESP in his subjects. His research has since been unable to be verified due mostly to poor experimental set up. ESPers are a reasonably common occurrence in anime and pop culture where abilities range from telekinesis, clairvoyance to full on magical blasts.

The Eidolon Fenrir- FFIX

Eidolons: FFIX & FFXIII (&FFIV re-release)

This term comes from Greek mythology. It is an image, phantom, apparition or ghost. It is something illusionary and insubstantial. The poet Homer uses Eidolons to convey messages from the dead to the living via dreams. For instance the goddess Athena creates an eidolon of Peneolope's dead sister to encourage her as she was despairing for her son.  In Final Fantasy IX Eidolons are created by the planet's crystal from the souls of the deceased. In Final Fantasy XIII the link to the Eidolons of mythology lies in their role of encouraging the living in their darkest hour. In FFXIII and Eidolon will appear before a L'Cie who has despaired of completing their Focus. Though these Eidolons are a little more violent than that of Peneolope's sister.

The Aeon Valefor- FX

Aeons: FFX

Most likely a styalisation of the ancient Greek word αἰών (pronounced similar to 'aion'). This is where we get the term 'eon' in English. In Greek the word generally meant a life, lifetime or a long span of time. There is a third meaning had the sense of 'one's destiny' or 'lot in life'. All of these meanings make sense in the context of Final Fantasy X's Aeons. The Aeons are thousand year old beings preserved as statues, thus they have been around of a long period. More poignantly it is the lot in life of the summoner's who call forth the Aeons to perish if they succeed their pilgrimages.  Interestingly a definition I found in the Lydell-Scott-Jones Greek lexicon, the best ancient Greek dictionary, αἰών could also mean 'spinal marrow', perhaps because the spine was a 'seat of life'? 

Aeons also appear in Gnosticism where they are emanations of 'god'. They can somewhat be likened to Christian angels though they are more abstract. They are linked to the formation of our physical world representing things from Silence to Thought to Man.

The GF Quezacotl- FFVIII

Guardian Forces: FFVIII

Not much to say for this one. These guys are simply powerful entities that, when 'junctioned' to a human, act as a guarding force. Phew. that was a bit longer than I thought it might be.

Starting next week I'll be going over the summons that appear in Final Fantasy III. Once they have been covered I'll break with regular monsters/equipment for a week or two then move onto the next batch of summons.

Weapon: Kikuichimonji

Kikuichimonji: Recurring katana

Appearances: FFI, FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, FFX, FFXI, FFXII

Kikuichimonji- Final Fantasy I (GBA)

Also sometimes abbreviated to Ichimonji, these swords are based on historical swords from 1208. In the Final Fantasy games these are high tier, though never top tier katana weapons.

The name kikuichimonji literally means 'chrysanthemum and one character'. These swords have the character for one, 'ichi', inscribed on the tang and may also have the Imperial chrysanthemum. As and Imperial emblem the chrysanthemum could only be used with Imperial permission.

In 1208 the former Emperor Go-Toba gathered together thirteen of the best swords smiths from across the land in order to learn to forge the perfect sword fit for the Imperial household. Each of the smiths was in attendance to Go-Toba for one lunar month of the Japanese calendar.

Go-Toba was an interesting character. He was more interested in the arts than politics, abdicating the throne at 18. He was an accomplished poet and patron to poetry but it seems his true passion was in swords. Even today his sponsorship and enthusiasm for blade working is considered responsible for Japan's Golden Age of swordsmithing.

These thirteen sword smiths that produced the kikuichimonji were not the only group to serve in attendance to the former Emperor. There was also a group of Twenty Four and and Exile group. These later groups, though slightly less famous, were equally accomplished  craftsmen.

Kikuichimonji- Final Fantasy V artwork

Boss: Angra Mainyu with Zarich and Tawrich

Angra Mainyu: Super boss

Zarich & Tawrich: The boss's lackeys

Appearance: FFX-2

 Angra Mainyu concept. Tawrich is on the left, Zarich on the right

Last week we talked about the Ahriman and learned that it is another name for Angra Mainyu. This week we'll look at the two sub-bosses that accompany the Angra Mainyu in FFX-2.

In Final Fantasy X-2 the Angra Mainyu and it's companions can be found in the Bikanel desert. It was once sealed by the Cactuar Nation but has been awoken by the Al Bhed's excavations. Seriously, all archaeological work in fiction seems to awaken sealed demons.

In Zoarastrian lore Zarich and Tawrich are both Daevas of Angra Mainyu. The Daevas were the highest servants of Angra Mainyu, personification of lies and chaos. These beings initially started as powerful spirits representing facets of the natural world. Over time they became something more akin to what we would consider demons. The eternal enemies the Daevas are the Amesha Spentas under the command of Ahura Mazda.

The female members of the Daevas, which Zarich and Tawrich both are, may also be sometimes referred to as Druj. This term means something like 'deciet/lie' and often stands in opposition of aṧa, 'truth'. Tawrich is the personification of hunger whilst Zarich embodies old age and aging.

Equipment: Pheasant Netsuke

Pheasant Netsuke: Unique accessory

Appearance: FFXII

A dragon netsuke

Hands up those of you who already knew what a netsuke was? Not too many, right? And how many more remembered this accessory from Final Fantasy XII which doubled the efficiency of healing items?

Netsuke, pronunciation here, serve the very mundane function of a toggle on a pouch. As many of you probably guessed, the word is Japanese. Japanese traditional dress is somewhat devoid of pockets but people still need to carry stuff like money or tobacco snuff around. Netsuke first appeared around the 17th century and soon developed into an elaborate art form. With the growing popularity of Western attire in the late 1800s and their accompanying pockets the need for netsuke began to wane. Netsuke are still produced today as purely works of art.

Pheasants and other animals were among the many things depicted on netsuke.

If you are interested in the different types of netsuke check out the International Netsuke Society

Monster: Ahriman

Ahriman: Recurring eye ball

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

 The Ahriman boss, FFXII

The Ahriman is ultimately from the Zoroastrian tradition. Ahriman also goes by the name Angra Mainyu (sound familiar from FFX-2?- more on him later as he has a couple of special companions)

It should be noted that in Final Fantasy's IV, VI, VII and IX this monster is known as Ahriman only in the Japanese versions of the game. In VI, IX and the PS1 version of IV the creature goes by the name 'Veteran', possibly referring to the creature's age. The SNES version of IV simply calls the creature 'Fatal Eye'. This was probably to keep to a naming convention, as the other pallet swaps for the monster are 'Float Eye' and 'Red Eye'. In VII the creature is simply mistranslated as 'Allemange'- a perplexing choice as that is French name for Germany. At least all the games seem to able to agree that Ahriman should stay a yellow floating eyeball (except for XII). See how fun translations can be?

Now that the confusion that is game translations is out of the way we can get on with who Ahriman actually is. Ahriman is the Middle Persian (c 300 BCE- 800 CE) name for Angra Mainyu who appears in Avestan- a language preserved in Zoroarstrian scripture. Ahriman represents chaos, wickedness and evil in general. His counterpart and equal (and sometimes brother) Ohrmazd represents order, balance and beauty. Ahriman presides over the deavas or demons. These two entities represent the duality of the universe that is important to Zoroastrian belief.

Among Ahriman's notable actions are his attempt to tempt the prophet Zoroaster with the power to rule the world. For good measure Ahriman sent some of his deavas to persuade Zoroaster. Unfortunately for Ahriman Zoroaster wanted nothing to do with that and put the deavas to flight. Ahriman also created the great serpent Azhi Dahaka.

For a more thorough catalogue of Ahirman/Angra Mainyu's appearances the Encyclopedia Iranica has a good entry here. 

The original Ahriman from FFIII

Equiptment: Yoichi's Bow

Yoichi's Bow: Recurring high tier bow

Appearances: FFII, FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFXI, FFXII, FFIV

Yoichi prepares to shoot the fan

The Yoichi's Bow is named after Yoichi Munetaka, a famous archer from the Heike Monogatari (The Tale of the Heike). In the Final Fantasy games this bow has always been a high tier weapon. During the earlier games it was the best bow available while in the later games it's top spot has been usurped by other bows.

The Heike Monogatari is a tale set at the fall of the Heian period and the begining of the Kamakura period in the 12th century. It is not a straight historical monograph of events but rather a dramatized retelling much like the historical dramas of today. The tale revolves around the contendings of the Heike and Genji clans. The former had become 'soft' in the eyes of the Genji, like the very courtiers that the Heike had overthrown. The Genji were far more militarily minded than the Heikie. In the end it was the Genji who won,  ushering in the Kamakura period with Samurai upperclass. 

In  the Heike Monogatari Yoichi only appears in one section during chapter V, one of the more well know sections of the tale. The Genji rebels had set up camp on the beach with a flotilla of Heike ships moored in the bay. Towards evening a lone plain vessel approaches shore. In it is a maiden who attaches a fan to a pole before raising it up high. The soldiers on the shore assume it is a challenge of skill. Yoshitsune, leader of the Genji, calls for the best archer. Yoichi is brought forward. He is young, barely twenty years of age and short of stature. So he rides into the waves to take the shot. By now the wind and the waves have picked up. The target is 450 or 70 feet distant, either one no mean feet to hit in those conditions. Yet Yoichi lets fly his arrow, it soar through the air and hit true. The fan is knocked off the pole soaring high into the air to the sound of cheering on both sides. An old man come on deck to dance in celebration of this amazing feat. One of the generals orders Yoichi to take out the old man which, not wanting to show disloyalty, he does. Many regarded this as a bit of a dick move.

There is an excellent translation and commentary of the Heike Monogatari by A.L. Saddler available on the Internet Archieve here

Yoichi's Bow, FFXII