Highdea: are MiMidgardsormr and his 7 children aliens?

[Anonymoose]

But, in a sense, he'd still be an alien, just not an extra-terrestrial alien.

In that sense, I then agree that "he's an alien" is a possibility. Ish. As a dragon, Midgardsormr is a corporeal being, and his soul manifested as living aether. Were corporeal things even things when Light and Dark were one? What would he have been in such a world? This is all a pretty big house of cards for something we have literally no information for; I'm going to refrain from taking my assumptions farther than "he came into being with earth and water" until we get any hint as to what he came into being from if it wasn't the alleged second Genesis.

Hells, that's the first thing we were ever told about Midgardsormr.

Now, when water came into being, so too did the great dragon Midgardsormr. Brother Time and Sister Fate, fearing the Falls might fall into the hands of evil, ordered Midgardsormr their protector and warden.

Please don't let the Ascians have anything to do with Dragons, please, I beg you.

UNRELATED IMAGE:
Elidibus uses the attack "Midgardsormr" in Final Fantasy Tactics.

I'm kidding, even the attack is just a reskin of Salamander. In all seriousness, it's probably all a coincidence. (Probably.)

[Morningstar1337]

Please don't let the Ascians have anything to do with Dragons, please, I beg you. I'm sick of dragons already.

I think that ship has sailed, Either with them manipulating events to set up the Calamity (Bahamut razing Eorzea) or with them teaching the Allags how to capture him (and having the Meracydian Horde summon him in the first place)

[myahele]

Lets not forget that Lahabrea was absorbed in Nidhogg's eye

[CyrilLucifer]

I think that ship has sailed, Either with them manipulating events to set up the Calamity (Bahamut razing Eorzea) or with them teaching the Allags how to capture him (and having the Meracydian Horde summon him in the first place)

I was more referring to me not wanting their patron deity to be draconic, not them having no history with dragons at all.

[Applesnap]

The dragons of FFXIV reproduce asexually (revealed by the dungeon design team when talking about Sohm Al).

Can I ask, where is the citation for this statement? I can't find it anywhere online, so is there an interview or translation in which it's specifically mentioned? I'm guessing it was a forum post or Live Letter.

About Midgardsormr, it's worth noting that there are no parthenogenetic males in nature, since it's reliant entirely on the ability to produce eggs. If they produce eggs, they're female. If only we knew the background lore and didn't have to guess. For once...

[Anonymoose]

Can I ask, where is the citation for this statement?

It's from a Dengeki interview with the dungeon design team from when they were running Heavensward PR. I made translations of such interviews, but never really decided on the best way to re-publish them and then I got swept up into a bigger project, lol. I'm sure I'll get all the info into relevant things eventually, depending on what people are most interested in me helping to puzzle out (right now, it's the bestiary). Here's what you're looking for, though:

We know that Tioman is Nidhogg's consort, but what is she other than a dungeon boss? What kind of background information exists for her?

We should start with the fact that dragons don't have a traditional concept of gender. They can reproduce alone, aesexually. After a dragon is born, and over the course of a very long life, their form changes drastically. For creatures such as these, a "mate" doesn't mean a "partner for reproduction" like it does for other organisms. It's more of a deep and spiritual bond. Even in the bond between the dragon Hraesvelgr and the human Shiva, the spiritual connection is what was emphasized. In the same vein, even though Tioman is presented as a "female dragon" that is Nidhogg's "consort," this means only that she is the most important being in his life, spiritually. It should be noted, however, that even this is still slightly different from a human concept such as "marriage". These terms will probably be explored in the game, as well, once relations between man and dragon improve.

It's still not altogether clear if that means female-only asexual reproduction, but given the direct emphasis on how dragons don't really fit established gender concepts in general, it doesn't sound like it. Dragons have very deep roots in aether and magick. For instance, an Ishgardian can't just slay a dragon and drink it's blood and be turned - it has to be magicked blood spilled by the dragons for that purpose. It wouldn't surprise me if something similar was involved even in the creation of eggs ... but we just don't know.