The Seven Hells and Seven Heavens

With all the focus on going to First world and the planetary metaphysics of XIV, I want to ask: where/what are the Seven Hells & Seven Heavens in relation to the Source, the Void, and Hydaelyn's shards? Do they refer the shards that were previously rejoined and have'nt been rejoined? A different plane? Other stars like the Dragon Star? Fictional locations that do not actually exist outside Omega potentially simulating them?

The Seven Heavens / Hells are, at least for the time being, apurely a theological concept. Just like The Twelve themselves, they're part of a religious system whose themes have been tumbling through the ages as if there's more to them than meets the eye, but with no supporting evidence.

The theologians would have you believe that the time before the First Umbral Calamity was "The Age of the Gods," and that the First Umbral Era coincided with the Twelve departing our realm for new homes in the heavens. In creating the six elemental astral heavens and the seventh to rule over them all, the umbral hells came into being as a biproduct.

This may sound like the Great Sundering, but how can the shattering also be the first rejoining? What came between? Is this where the Twelve once existed?

Some believe the constellations to be representations of the heavens in the Firmament. (You'll notice this association comes up a lot in the AST quests.) Or was it the constellations themselves that inspired the stories, rather than mis-remembered history? But then why does the tale of the SPIRE, of Byregot's clockwork tower unceasingly assailed from above by the jealous Rhalgr whose lightning only serves to fuel the tower's machinations, sound like merely a half-remembered Crystal Tower / Dalamud? Maybe all of these themes influence each other reciprocally.

The theologians would have you believe that people, by virtue of their loyalties or their strengths or their way of life or anything, really, might bring them into alignment with one god or another, and this guardian or patron may influence which heaven you go to. For example, the icy halls of the Fury's palace are thought to be the final resting place of the warriors, heroes, and knights, which fits well with Ishgard forming its religion around Halone in the first place. Likewise, the nature of your sins might also determine the hell you are sent to - the dark pit below the Fury's palace is said to be home to cowards, deserters, and adulterers.

This may sound like it flies in the face of what we know about the Lifestream, so where are we put our faith? For all we know the 14 Heavens and Hells were the 14 dimensional planes all along, and the rest is just fanciful story and song. Maybe the Twelve were beings created by Hydaelyn to guide us after the Sundering and it went awry.

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Originally Posted by Anonymoose

Maybe the Twelve were beings created by Hydaelyn to guide us after the Sundering and it went awry.

Considering that there's one Ascian overlord per world, and each we know of is named after one of the 12 Lucavi, I wonder if the myths surrounding the Twelve don't have something to do with the creation of the Ascians.