Bismarck and Bismarck

[JeanneOrnitier]

Someone please help me remember, was a link ever established between the Bismarck we met in Shadowbringers and the Vanu Vanu's Primal? Is the implication that the fae Bismarck existed pre-sundering and so exists on all shards, thus inspired the Vanu Vanu religion?

[Cilia]

It is strongly implied that the Vanu Vanu's primal Bismarck was inspired by the fae Bismarck, but there has been no hard confirmation nor suggestion that there is a version of the fae Bismarck on the Source.

[Zohar_Lahar]

It is strongly implied that the Vanu Vanu's primal Bismarck was inspired by the fae Bismarck, but there has been no hard confirmation nor suggestion that there is a version of the fae Bismarck on the Source.

If they are sundered beings, there should have been copies of the fae on the Source.

[Gula]

If they are sundered beings, there should have been copies of the fae on the Source.

Calamities. If this holds, then they could have been wiped out. The Flood wiped out a lot of the beast tribes we know, the reverse could have happened. Or genocided via [insert empire here] conquest.

[Jandor]

If they are sundered beings, there should have been copies of the fae on the Source.

There might be, just not in any part of the world we've visited. The Fae came to the firsts version of Coerthas during the flood.

[Gula]

There might be, just not in any part of the world we've visited. The Fae came to the firsts version of Coerthas during the flood.

That's a good point. Who knows what's going on in the Viera forests, New World and all the grey areas marked on the map but we just sail right over.

[Nalien]

As I recall, there was some Vanu lore about Bismarck fighting a great serpent and eventually creating the Sea of Clouds (no doubt in a similar manner to how he created the air bubble in Tempest) as a safe haven? At the time I remember thinking there might be a link between that and Midgardsormr, given I was (and still am) desperate for any lore pertaining to his history (particularly regarding the Allagan, where he is conspicuously absent). Bismarck on the First resting in what would be Lake Silvertear certainly does add some fuel to that particular fire, granted he may have taken up residence there after the Flood, but given the overgrowth on him, and the fact that an island popping up out of no where would probably garner some attention (granted, a crystal tower magically appearing around the same time probably drew more attention), I'm incline to think he was always napping there, and when Middy came along on the Source they may have had a tussle, hence the Vanu legend of a fight with a great serpent.

[LineageRazor]

Feo Ul can travel to the Source. It's due to the bond she forged with us, but it's still possible. Given that, it's possible that Bismarck forged a similar bond with someone in the past (maybe an Ascian? Hard for any other Source native to wind up on the First), and visited the Source. There, he got in a tussle with Middy or some other dragon, and started the legend.

All speculation, of course. It's definitely the case, though, that Aetherial beings like Ascians and Pixies can travel between worlds more easily.

[ObsidianFire]

The original Bismark myth from the Lore Book is that long ago, Bismark was a white sea whale and all the other whales thought he was an abomination and eventually killed him because of it. The gods took pity on him and brought him back to life. Bismark then went and created the first clouds, specifically the Sea of Clouds, so he could have someplace to be where no one hated him. This includes raising up islands into the sky to create a haven for other persecuted people to go to. The myth is rather important as the Vanu Vanu reference it as the reason they know Primal Bismark isn't the real Bismark, so they're fine with helping the WoL kill him. The real Bismark would never go around eating the islands he himself created or go around persecuting people himself.

If it wasn't for the name, I'd think that 1st Shard Bismark and Source Bismark have nothing to do with each other. Also... given what the fae on the 1st Shard are (aether of dead people that's stuck around), Bismark is probably something similar. He's just not created out of the aether of a kid who died (pixie) or the aether of someone who drowned (fauth).

[JeanneOrnitier]

Bismark could be the aether of a dead whale that came back as a fae, to mesh with the legend.