Religion in Vana'diel

[Limecat]

We totally need these priests to take over at the cathedral in Sandy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC0IQA5OUAA

[Bearstar]

There are actually at least 4 religions that worship Altana. The Tarutaru believe that the Star Sybil is the physical incarnation of Altana, meaning she is Altana. After she dies, the nuns of Heaven's Tower search the girls born since her death to descover in whom Altana has been born again then take that child from her family and raise her within the Tower and reteach her all she has forgotten.

I assumed though process of elimination by the Winged objects (I own all 3) that the Eimert Church was a Protestant-style church native to Bastok. Can't wait to see how it funtions in a place at actually takes religion seriously.

The Elvaan Temple was originally a single Catholic-style church and the San d'Orian and Tavnazian Cathedrals only split within the last 30 years over opening "The Gate of the Gods" (See Chains of Promathia).

Island Animitism probably comes from the Mithra. Animitism is a form of nature worship. It focases more on the energies that flow through all things (Use the Force Luke) than individual spirits, and most tribal religions are some mix between the two extremes. Since the Mithra follow the "Sleeping Gods" and the Fire tribe is on the same island as Ifrit, there should be 6 major tribes, maybe 8, but the gods of light and dark have thier own religions (See Treasures of Aht Urghan and the Adventuring Fellow storyline).

My understanding of Taleskeeperism is that Altana choses who the Taleskeeper will be making him the Galkas' King and Prophet.

[Bearstar]

you could take that one step further and point out from what we learn in cop, and actually hearing memorie da stona, that what the church in san teaches is a lie, also @Zhronne its hard to call promy evil when love is a chain, and all he wanted was for Altana to remain free

I think you got that backwards. Altana refused to allow Promathia to die of suicide so she murdered the True Crystal to steal its power to resurect him. But because a god is its own power, and Promathia is Death itself, she divided him into millions of pieces so he could never collect himself into a strong enough entity to try again. Altana bound Promathia. He did not choose to be bound so she could be free.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

she murdered the True Crystal to steal its power to resurect him.

Ehhhh... not quite that simple.

She made the mothercrystal imperfect (by fracturing it) in order to make Paradise imperfect (i.e. turn it into Vana'diel). Paradise, a perfect world, would have a perfect death, while death in imperfect Vana'diel isn't total or complete (returning to Planet the crystals to be reborn, etc.).

But because a god is its own power, and Promathia is Death itself, she divided him into millions of pieces so he could never collect himself into a strong enough entity to try again.

Again, I don't feel like it can be described as so cut-and-dry.

Promathia's dispersal (as the Emptiness), was the "imperfect death" he got in imperfect Vana'diel. It's not clear to me that Altana had a "master plan" beyond "do something." So long as the Whisper of the Soul existed between the Zilart, Promathia was bound to coalesce again as the Zilart acted with one collective mind towards one collective vision of restoring Paradise.

The Kuluus' sabotage resulted in a "more better" solution, where even more imperfections were introduced to the Zillart/Kuluu, resulting in the various races, each tied to different mothercrystals and each carrying their own Catholic-style "original sin."

The Whisper of the Soul that resulted in the Zilarts' Borg-style groupthink was basically a Tower of Babel, getting everyone (and everything) just a little too close to Paradise.

[Metaking]

he did chose to kill himself to let her be free, she refused and bound him so she would never be without him aka she loved him back. Reason memori da stona's last verse is so dangerous, its a love song.....

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

While I'm not going to disagree with your main point directly (yet), I think it's important to note that...

... the more immediate danger of the song is that it awakens the Celestial Avatars (a/k/a "Sleeping Gods"). The Kindred compelled Emeline to sing it at the Dark Protocrystal, awakening Odin, and we can all see how well that worked out for everyone...

[Metaking]

Fluas nun sango senkulpa
Sur Vana'diel, vasta ter'
Tremas la tuta mond'
Pro l' plago en desper'

Preventas gin
Nenia sort'
Haltigas gin
Nenia fort'

Sed tra la nokto tempesta
Brilas jen stelo de glor'!
Kontrau brutala kri'
Fontas jen kant-sonor'!

Stelo brilanta, kanto sonanta:
Revo kaj prego por ni!

Vana'diel! Vana'diel!

Mano kaj man' kunpremitaj
Trans la eterno sen lim'
Ne dismetigos plu
Ne disligigos plu!

English translation
-----

Now flows innocent blood
On Vana'diel, a vast land
The entire world trembles
In despair from the scourge

Prevented
By no fate
Stopped
By no strength

But through the stormy night
Behold: a star of glory shines!
Against a brutal outcry
Behold: a hymn springs forth!

A shining star, a ringing song:
Dream and pray for us!

Vana'diel! Vana'diel!

Hand and hand together
Across the limitless eternity
We will no longer be put asunder
We will no longer be bound!

now assuming this song could be sung as a duet "we will no longer be put asunder" would work nicely with the ending of the concept of being eternally free of something (altana) and "we will no longer be bound" screams promy wanting to be with her instead of chained by himself.

i mean to me the whole song screams a duet between lovers. also i cant find it, but im sure something in acp said the world would be destroyed by love >.>;

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

im sure something in acp said

ACP is a fever dream that should never be mentioned again.

[Mokeil]

While I'm not going to disagree with your main point directly (yet), I think it's important to note that...

... the more immediate danger of the song is that it awakens the Celestial Avatars (a/k/a "Sleeping Gods"). The Kindred compelled Emeline to sing it at the Dark Protocrystal, awakening Odin, and we can all see how well that worked out for everyone...

As a fellow student of the Lore, with special regards as to its relation to the Avatars and all things Summoner related, I'd like to thank you for sharing this bit of insight. I understood about the danger of the Song... but somehow that very last little bit escaped my attention. It manages to very neatly solve a small mystery that has bothered me for some time - specifically, how a certain Notable had been active during that time frame whilst his fellows were not.

Please, I must know - where did you come across this information? I'd dearly love to go rewatch those cutscenes again, as more mysteries now arise from this. Any and all additional insights you could share with me would be appreciated.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

I'd dearly love to go rewatch those cutscenes again, as more mysteries now arise from this.

Relevant cutscenes are in...

Bearclaw Pinnacle, where the Dark Protocrystal was originally (explaining all the gloom and eclipses in the region). Prishe discusses with (real) Louverance the significance of the place, how what was housed there wasn't magicite, and how Promathia really isn't the "Dark Divinity."

Selbina, where "Mathilde's" memory of the Song (as the only choir member other than Ulmia able to sing it) gets tapped into by (fake) Louverance, and you're treated to a vague flashback, as seen from Emeline's perspective, of her being led to the (intact) Dark Protocrystal by her Kindred captors.

There may be more, but that's what I remember off the top of my head.