Japanese FFXIV-specific terms

[Anonymoose]

Is there an official source for that particular reference? Aether (or ether) is a common concept as the "fifth element", and the name could easily be picked without any intention to have an Ancient Greek-inspired setting.

There is, indeed! Just in case all the circumstantial evidence wasn't entirely persuasive, the original director (Hiromichi Tanaka) and world lore developer (Kenichi Iwao) just flat-out admitted it back in the day, lol.

FINAL FANTASY XIV takes place in a realm known as Eorzea.

Eorzea is one of three continents that make up a giant land mass.

Eorzea consists of Aldenard and its surrounding islands.

Aldenard is connected to the land mass containing the other two continents via a land bridge.

Eorzea contains several independently governed city-states, like those found in ancient Greece.

And just like those in Greece, the ones in Eorzea have a long history of war and alliances.

The few that have lasted longest are the thalassocracy of Limsa Lominsa, the commercial sultanate of Ul'dah, and the forest city-state of Gridania, which some users have commented reminds them of an ancient Japanese polis.

However, the powerful and aggressive Garlean Empire has begun their slow advance on the city-states, making the current situation in Eorzea similar to the months before the Persian Empire marched on Greece.