Origins of Miqo'te?

[WyrahFhurrst]

So for the longest time, I thought Miqo'te were from Meracydia, but according to this pic (below) from the lore book, they're apparently from Ilsabard! That's a twist for what everyone thought, huh?

[TinyRedLeaf]

To be sure, I never quite understood why so many people are so convinced that the miqo'te are from Meracydia. I know the theory came up from a handful of references in the text descriptions for various items.

But, somehow, I've always imagined that the miqo'te came from somewhere in the north, rather than the south. That's probably because of the earlier references to land links arising from a historical ice age.

[Rilasha]

Wait, doesn't this say that Miqo'te are from Eorzea but were driven away by the Allagan Empire to Ilsabard?

[TarynH]

Wait, doesn't this say that Miqo'te are from Eorzea but were driven away by the Allagan Empire to Ilsabard?

That's how I read it. They originated from Eorzea, were driven out by the Allagan Empire, settled in Ilsabard, and then came back to Eorzea. I will say, it's making me want to purchase the lore book though.

[Belhi]

Well that is interesting. I wonder why the Allagan's persecuted the Miqote exactly. Im trying to remember exactly what was the source that Miqote were from Meracydia. I'm sure there is something.

[swiss_Momo]

It was from something you could gather as botanist. Can't say which item exactly though (sesame maybe?)

That said, I am for now inclined to believe that possible contradictions with in-game lore are part of the typos/'bugs' that managed to slip in

[Zorzi]

If I remember right the Miqo'te/Meracydia connection was two things:

Sesame Seeds, which have the description:
A tiny seed rich in aromatic oil, sesame is native to Meracydia, and thought to have first been brought to Eorzea by migrating Miqo'te.

And Aloe:
A thick spiny-leaved cactus indigenous to the southern continent of Meracydia. The Miqo'te are known to treat severe burns with the cool gel-like substance found inside the leaves.

...which, aside from the Miqo connection in the text, is only used to make Cordials and Forest Miq'abob (A traditional Keeper of the Moon dish consisting of freshly picked mushrooms on a stick, roasted to perfection.)

[TinyRedLeaf]

The key words in the flavour-text description for sesame seeds are "thought to have first been".

I personally never felt it to be conclusive, but given that there's not much other information to suggest otherwise (in contrast to other data that suggest Meracydian origins), there didn't seem to be strong reasons to deny the popular theory.

As for aloe, while it may be the case that miqo'te traditionally use them now as a salve for burns, there isn't actually anything in the flavour text to definitively say it was the miqo'te who brought the herb into Eorzea.

So, I would say that the lore encyclopedia isn't necesarily wrong, just that the popular theory turned out to be not so sound after all.

[Balipu]

Well maybe the Miqo'te came to Eorzea from Meracydia during the time of the Allagan Empire. The Allagans persecuted the Mi'qote cause they stuck up poeple who hated furries. The miqo'te fled to Ilsabard while the Allagans decided to purge Furry land from it's inhabitants (Dragons and tree people). Later, after the empire fell the mi'qote came back. Why they didn't go to Meracydia is anyone's guess. Although it might have something to do with the war rendering it quite inhospitable.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Sounds possible, though I'd wonder why the miqo'te apparently settled in northern Eorzea, if they supposedly came from far south of the realm, beyond the Southern Islands.

From the passage above:

Tribal legend and local folklore does, however, speak of a seemingly endless winter that brought with it bitter cold, raging snowstorms, and giant rivers of ice. Without the ability to grow crops, much of the population perished, or was forced to flee to the south and its more temperate climes.

Those lines are somewhat ambigious, though, as it's not definitively clear that the "population" they're referring to is that of the ancient miqo'te.

But the passage does make clear that the miqo'te returned to northern Eorzea from southern Ilsabard. Which seems to me to suggest that's where the miqo'te used to roam, before their exodus in the Third Astral Era.