Quote Originally Posted by ArcaviusGreyashe View Post
This primal won't be Rhalgr, it will be the idea of Rhalgr Ilberd has.
My question then would be, "What is Rhalgr, to make Ilberd's concept of him not be Rhalgr?"

Quote Originally Posted by Belhi View Post
Well in a sense. Garuda was an Allagan commander that was in charge of the Ixali. Their image of her the result of her story progressing into Myth. In that regard she is actually quite a lot like Moogle Mog since the Moogle's of the Twelveswood weren't factual in their understanding of the true story. Regardless, all primals, regardless of their origin, are shaped by the belief of their followers. Even Shiva was Iceheart's imagination of the real Shiva, if in a rather more powerful form.
Yeah, sure, but Shiva and Moggle Mog (and Bahamut) aren't really the same as Garuda, surely? The former were all summoned by people off the (admittedly idealized) idea of people they knew to exist; Garuda isn't being summoned as her Allagan incarnation, but instead as a deity that happened to have its origins in a living person from the ancient past. That's not what's being invoked by the Ixali, so it's different from the others.

My point is, when the Primal being summoned is based off a historical figure, it can be said to be Not Really Them, but a deity is a different matter. If Ilberd summons Rhalgr, it can't be said to not really be Rhalgr, because it is - for all intents and purposes - the only Rhalgr to actually exist. When there's no concrete form (and there isn't - just the myriad of different beliefs people have of him), there's no way for him to not be Rhalgr. The representation IS the "real Rhalgr."

Maybe we're just arguing semantics here - all Rhalgrs are Real Rhalgrs, no Rhalgr could be the Real Rhalgr, it's all the same - but I don't see why the distinction is being brought up. The other Beast Tribe Primals could conceivably be summoned to be different from the versions we've seen, but nobody ever argues that Ifrit isn't the Real Ifrit.