FFXIV Lore: Religion: Hydaelyn and Zodiark

     Hey there, everybody! Dark here with the first of several installments covering a topic within Final Fantasy 14 lore that many may find interesting: the religion of Eorzea. Before I begin, I offer a disclaimer. Much of the backstory regarding the religion and backstory of the game is open for interpretation, as the game is still ongoing, and the story writers risk spoiling the future events of the game by unfurling its complete foundation. As such, many of the leading research by lore buffs such as myself are just theories, and may be discredited or supported in future expansions. 

     That said, I will try to give you the most accurate information available, based on what we know so far. My main source is Encyclopedia Eorzaea, a lore book put together by the developers of the game available through the Square Enix store. At $50, it's a steep price, but if you really enjoy this subject, I highly recommend it. I will also augment this information from fan theories offered by the YouTube personality Ethys Asher, one of the leading lore researchers on the channel. With all that out of the way, let us delve into the two main entities that allow the realm of Eorzea to exist: Hydaelyn and Zodiark!

     In previous posts, I covered the importance of aether to life in the realm, as well as its polarity, represented by astral (light) and umbral (dark) poles. Before the creation of the many universes spanning Final Fantasy 14, there was simply the Void, a lifeless space in which the aetherial sea flowed endlessly. At some point, this aether coalesced into two crystallized masses of pure aether at separate poles. Sitting in the Astral pole is the entity from which Eorzea's world is named: Hydaelyn. This entity represents life and pure creation.

     Now, I know that most would see Hydaelyn as representative of all that is good and right in the world, and that may be the case; however, as we find out through the appearance of the Warriors of Darkness in Heavensward, this is not necessarily a good thing for life in the universe. In a realm of pure light and holiness, those with the seeds of darkness in their hearts are not suffered to exist, creating a sort of void of its own where life can not feasibly flourish.

     As a balance to Hydaelyn's purifying nature, the entity known as Zodiark formed amidst the Umbral pole of the aetherial sea. Zodiark's purpose is to fold all of Hydaelyn's creations back into the Void and retain the natural state of the universe, in which its power is strongest. 

     For an untold amount of time, Hydaelyn and Zodiark existed in a state of perpetual warfare, their many battles ending in a stalemate that allowed a balance to continue within the aetherial sea. At some point, however, power began to tip toward the Umbral pole and allowed for Zodiark to potentially destroy Hydaelyn and the potential for creation. In an effort to prevent that from happening, Hydaelyn used her holy power to cast Zodiark from the world and into space, where it became the Moon, severely limiting his influence in the universe. The magnitude of this attack tore the dimensional fabric and fractured the universe into fourteen separate mirror universes, with that containing Eorzea being the original.

     Thus, Hydaelyn's creative force was left unchallenged, and from this force, life was allowed to flourish unchecked throughout the universe. However, the danger of all life being wiped out through her purifying light remained, and thus, the Ascians were born. 

     There is very little information regarding this mysterious group, but their goal is all too clear: to bring about an event known to them as the Ardor, or dimensional compression. By casting the mirror universes into darkness, they can cause the dimensional barriers between these universes to collapse, allowing them to return to the original universe, that of Eorzea. Each of these events greatly weakens Hydaelyn, and subsequently her power to continue imprisoning Zodiark. Each of these events is also marked in Eorzea by a Calamity that ushers in an Umbral Era to those living in the realm. Using this as a marker, we can safely assume that the Ascians have successfully plunged seven of these universes into darkness. If the Ardor is finally achieved, Zodiark will be freed from his imprisonment, allowing him to exert his influence upon the realm once more, destroying Hydaelyn and potentially fulfilling his goal of returning all life into the Void.

     To combat this eventuality, Hydaelyn has gifted certain life forms with the gift of the Echo, granting them her power in order to hinder the Ascians from their goal. These beings are known as the Warriors of Light. Unknown to these warriors, they are indirectly giving Hydaelyn too much power and threatening the balance even further. To combat this, certain individuals were gifted with the power of Zodiark to offset this shift, giving rise to the Warriors of Darkness. These warriors once fought on the side of Hydaelyn before their efforts plunged their realm into a state of pure nothingness. In order to prevent this from happening again, they team with the Ascians to hinder the Warriors of Light in their purpose. 

     And there we have it! The battle between these two entities is eternal and all-pervading, and only time will tell what happens to the world as the Ascians bring us closer to the Ardor. Who will win? What will it mean to the realm of Eorzea if they do? These questions remain to be answered as the game continues to unfold. In my next installment, I'll cover the religion of man on Eorzea and the birth of the Twelve. Until then, game on! 

- Darkmaelstrom Stewart