Does the world of Hydaelyn have a creation myth?

[synesthetic]

Creation myths cover both the formation of the world and how mankind came to be.
Does Hydaelyn have one? Or maybe several? What do her inhabitants believe?

I feel like I must've read at least one by now, but I can't remember anything.

I would assume there have to be several, since I think the average denizen believes in at least one of The Twelve (or likely variants of them) as deities, instead of Hydaelyn. If I recall, worshiping Hydaelyn as a deity is even heretical in some places, but this means that there is some worship, and I would hope there'd be associated mythology with each set of beliefs.

My curiosity stems from wondering if the people in the game believe in creation or evolution (I'm guessing the former). And also wondering if the Allagans could've had a hand in spawning any races, not just beastmen. And wondering if the Allagans themselves had any advanced predecessors.

I don't expect any definitive answers on how the world was made. I just think creation myths are colorful.

[Anonymoose]

While religions themselves are numerous, and the sects and cults thereof innumerable, the faith of the Twelve taken as a whole is nigh ubiquitous in Eorzea. However, after each calamity, mankind loses much of its history and struggles to fill in the gaps as civilization begins anew. Within Eorzea, however, cultures have been finding their way back to the Twelve over and over for thousands of years, all the way back to before the fallen Allagan Empire forsook theology. It's just that, over time, we have less to be sure of. Assumptions bridge the gaps, ever altering theology and thoughts on creation.

After the great floods of the Fifth Umbral Era receded, what cultures arose had discrepant histories and beliefs. In the the era's 233rd year, Lewphon of Sharlayan attempted to weave them all back together with a common calendar - so it's all in a bit of a neater package by the time we pick up the tale.

Because the cycle of the Astral and Umbral Eras is so deeply ingrained into all cultural memories, belief tends to hold that the cycle began when, for some reason, peace amongst the gods was broken. Some believe that we all once lived together and that the Gods left us. Some believe that Life itself was created to wage their wars. The moogles of the Twelveswood believe that they served the Twelve in the celestial realm before peace was shattered over the spilling of a single goblet of wine, at which a time they fled to the mortal world below.

What holds in each belief is that Eorzea is a land beloved by the Gods, and that [the first time / each time] mankind has settled it, the Twelve, impressed by their resilience, saw fit to keep them. Cities rise around patron Gods, and at times make war upon one another in their name and for their glory, despite being from the same pantheon. Discrete religions rise around that god in each city-state, begetting yet further discrepancies in belief.

What's interesting is that a lot of the foundation mythology holds true if one assumes that "the Gods" are Hydaelyn and Zodiark. Have their identities been swept up with "the Gods" of whimsical creation and "the gods" that save the world in times of greatest strife. The newly re-discovered Gerun Oracles imply that peace between the two was broken, they were separated, and Hydaelyn seeded Life to protect the Star from the Moon as the two entered a ne'erending conflict.

What then of the Twelve?

Each time the world survives a Calamity, history somehow remembers a group of twelve beings, [chosen by / incarnations of] the Twelve sent to save mankind. It's possible that mankind has mistakenly remembered those blessed of Hydaelyn as gods themselves, with that memory only reinforced every time warriors transcending mortal limits fight the chaos and a calamity fails to claim us all.

Even in the Sixth Astral Era, when the Archons of Sharlayan (The Circle of Knowing) came to Eorzea prophesying Calamity, there were those amongst the commonfolk that were sure that divine messengers had returned to us.

But perhaps there's more to the Twelve... Perhaps Hydaelyn didn't create Life on her own... Perhaps Life, in the beginning, had stewards...

Each player holds a different faith.

(And, keep in mind, that's to say nothing of the beast tribes, who each believe that their primal was literally the primordial force from which creation was sprung and that they are its chosen people.)

But to cap this off with an answer to your requested specific: Creation or Evolution?

Both. According to the theologians, the world began 20,000 years ago with the destruction of one existence and the sudden appearance of another - one that contained mankind. The scholars disagree, claiming that mankind couldn't have just appeared and rose from evolution after a million years or more. The latter point to fossils to prove this point, the former explain it away with the continual proliferation of petrification magicks.

[synesthetic]

But perhaps there's more to the Twelve... Perhaps Hydaelyn didn't create Life on her own... Perhaps Life, in the beginning, had stewards...

If these assistant-creators / stewards reside in some 18th heaven, I'm going to laugh and cry.

My impressions now are that there are some myths that people believe in, but very little is really unfolded to players. That figures, given how games are (bookcases containing a single-liner of knowledge, to be continued in the next bookcase), but I am a bit disappointed. I was somehow hoping that there'd be enough stories fleshed out to fill a pamphlet, or at least a page.

[RobinMalvin]

This is the only creation myth I found, regarding the giant sea serpent (not Leviathan) that appeared in Limsa Lominsa water during 1.0 story.

Legend has it that long, long ago, the world was a parched wasteland, filled with nothing but fire and rocks. Llymlaen, the Navigator, saw this and created a giant serpent to spout forth water and create Eorzea's oceans. But soon she realized that the serpent would never stop, and that all the land would one day disappear beneath the waves, so she sealed the beast away within a floating island called Swallowtail Roam. The island drifts about the sea so that those with evil intentions might never find it...

There's also Midgardsormr's myth, that after Althyk and Nymeia created Silvertear Falls, they charged the wyrm king to protect the waters.

[LineageRazor]

''It all began with a stone, Or so the legend says. In ages past, a sentient jewel, enormous and beautiful banished the darkness."

Oh, wait. Wrong game. Oddly appropriate, though... XD

One issue I see with putting too much stock in the Twelve as founding deities, though, is that they are not universally recognized as gods. Folks outside of Eorzea have never heard of them, short of their interactions with Eorzeans. The Heavensturn emissaries clearly consider them to be quaint local customs. Eorzea, while highly relevant to us as players, is just one continent among presumably many.

I think that it's possible - likely, even - that the Twelve were ordinary heroes in the distant past who were elevated to deities. Elevated either through myth and legend, or possibly literally with them being summoned as Primals at some point. Or both. While the Twelve were doubtless a very important part of Eorzea's past, I don't think we have enough info to deduce that they were an important part of the WORLD'S past.

[myahele]

We don't really know too much about the nations outside of Eorzea. But it was mentioned how Eorzea seems to be the place where life began and Silver Tear being the source of water and magic/ aether. If that were true, then its possible the the 12th spread from Eorzea and the races moved on and as time passes the myth/ names changed through time. Or simply ceased due to calamities, war, etc.

In an interview, Oda said this:

The Xaela mainly reside as nomads in an area known as the Azim Steppe (which, in relation to Doma is to the immediate northwest). Azim is the sun deity and it is believed that it is her light and blessing that allows the grass to grow that feeds their herds. Now, astute players may recognize a similarity between Azim the sun deity and Azeyma the Warden...also connected to the sun... However, the Au Ra do not worship the Twelve...nor do most other people living outside Eorzea, as belief in the Twelve is pretty much restricted to Eorzea. That is not to say however that somewhere in the past the two gods were...

I do wonder if Eorzeans believe in a Mother Crystal? The Sharlayans certainly know of Hydaelyn's existence due to Antitower and may have been the reason why they created a colony there in the 1st place. I remember in npcs saying "may you walk in the light of the crystal" or something like that.

[Zohar_Lahar]

From Meracydia, Sephirot the Fiend is described as a personification of the sacred world tree and wellspring of Life, at least, according to tribe known as the "remnants of Sephirot."

[WyrahFhurrst]

From Meracydia, Sephirot the Fiend is described as a personification of the sacred world tree and wellspring of Life, at least, according to tribe known as the "remnants of Sephirot."

His tree is also supposedly the first sacred tree, from which all others hail. At least according to the myth.

[Toranja]

A creation myth? It sure does. Ask the Ascians.

[Ametrine]

Merlwyb straight up