Midgarsormr

[kaynide]

A lot of this is revealed as the game progresses.

Beware spoilers, but I kept things as vague as I could.

Who or what is Midgardsormr (in game, not the real world name roots):

He is an ancient dragon from an entirely different planet. For reasons not entirely clear, he fled his home world with a clutch of eggs called the First Brood. This brood includes famous dragons you may have met such as Nidhogg.

Midgardsormr made an agreement to protect Hydaelyn in exchange for being able to live on the planet. His body was destroyed in a battle that destroyed Mor Dhona as we know it. His corpse can be seen wrapped around a massive airship in Silvertear lake.

You will learn more of his origins in the raid series for 4.0, but it’s not a lot of details.
The dragons overall story is of course in 3.0, but dragons/dragon related items are very central through the story up to the current patch.

Is Midgardsormr dead? (3.0 spoilers)

No, but it’s complicated. Elder dragons are complicated in this game. They are something akin to primals, but not primals. Their power seems to exist and persist beyond their bodies. Midgardsormr joins your group as a little guy; Nidhogg can reform using the body of another. Dragon blood itself seems to cause people to mutate.

Ascians? (Spoilers but minor)

The Ascians are major enemies in this game. The scene you are talking about with Moenbryda is a start of something bigger: team Scion has found a means to kill Ascians. The nature of the Ascians and what this means will become clearer as youmprogress. Short version: This will become a big deal.

[Yvresse]

A lot of this is revealed as the game progresses.

Beware spoilers, but I kept things as vague as I could.

Who or what is Midgardsormr (in game, not the real world name roots):

He is an ancient dragon from an entirely different planet. For reasons not entirely clear, he fled his home world with a clutch of eggs called the First Brood. This brood includes famous dragons you may have met such as Nidhogg.

Midgardsormr made an agreement to protect Hydaelyn in exchange for being able to live on the planet. His body was destroyed in a battle that destroyed Mor Dhona as we know it. His corpse can be seen wrapped around a massive airship in Silvertear lake.

You will learn more of this in the raid series for 4.0, but it’s not a lot of details.

Is Midgardsormr dead? (3.0 spoilers)

No, but it’s complicated. Elder dragons are complicated in this game. They are something akin to primals, but not primals. Their power seems to exist and persist beyond their bodies. Midgardsormr joins your group as a little guy; Nidhogg can reform using the body of another. Dragon blood itself seems to cause people to mutate.

Ascians? (Spoilers but minor)

The Ascians are major enemies in this game. The scene you are talking about with Moenbryda is a start of something bigger: team Scion has found a means to kill Ascians. The nature of the Ascians and what this means will become clearer as youmprogress. Short version: This will become a big deal.

So is he protecting Hydaelyn by stripping me of the warrior of light power?

[RicaRuin]

So is he protecting Hydaelyn by stripping me of the warrior of light power?

"Art thou a pawn, or a master of thine own fate?"
He is basically testing you, trying to judge whether you are string on your own or whether you were only able to accomplish things with Hydaelyn's help.

[Yvresse]

"Art thou a pawn, or a master of thine own fate?"
He is basically testing you, trying to judge whether you are string on your own or whether you were only able to accomplish things with Hydaelyn's help.

I see, so he thinks trading a life for death is equal.

[Iscah]

I see, so he thinks trading a life for death is equal.

Where are you getting this from? He has nothing to do with Moenbryda dying. He might not particularly care, but it's not something he chose to make happen.

And the "blade of light" is thoroughly discussed in the preceding cutscenes – collecting a vast amount of aether to channel into a blade. Not a simple task we can do whenever, and ultimately requiring Moenbryda's life-aether for us to have enough to destroy Nabriales (who is entirely the person to blame for her death). But she spent a lot of time in that story arc working on and talking about the device that would let us do it.

[Yvresse]

Where are you getting this from? He has nothing to do with Moenbryda dying. He might not particularly care, but it's not something he chose to make happen.

And the "blade of light" is thoroughly discussed in the preceding cutscenes – collecting a vast amount of aether to channel into a blade. Not a simple task we can do whenever, and ultimately requiring Moenbryda's life-aether for us to have enough to destroy Nabriales (who is entirely the person to blame for her death). But she spent a lot of time in that story arc working on and talking about the device that would let us do it.

He said so in the cutscene in the Rising Stones. I'm quoting him.

[Iscah]

He said so in the cutscene in the Rising Stones. I'm quoting him.

In comment on Moenbryda giving her life to bring about Nabriales' death? That's an observation, not a plan.

[SentioftheHoukai]

Eeeh, that is debatable. While he's not directly involved, for 'twas her own conscious decision you can't really say he didn't have a hand in it. After all, if Middy hadn't sealed the blessing Moenbryda's suicide wouldn't have been necessary. The necessity of her sacrifice is directly impacted by our lack of blessing, if we had it she wouldn't have needed to die. Considering his callous reaction at the funeral, it does feel to me at least a little bit as petty revenge. So I'll always hate him a little for that, such actions are something Nidhogg would do.

[kaynide]

So is he protecting Hydaelyn by stripping me of the warrior of light power?

Short version, yes.

Long version: he does not like you at first, and does not particularly want to help you…but he notices you are blessed by Hydaelyn, whom he swore to protect…so he seals your blessing to test your worthiness. Basically, can you be a hero and use your own powers without relying on hers.

[Enkidoh]

Beware spoilers, but I kept things as vague as I could.

Who or what is Midgardsormr (in game, not the real world name roots):

He is an ancient dragon from an entirely different planet. For reasons not entirely clear, he fled his home world with a clutch of eggs called the First Brood. This brood includes famous dragons you may have met such as Nidhogg.

Actually,

we know why Midgardsormr fled the Dragonstar, it was because Omega arrived on the planet and laid waste to it - basically Middy is the last of his kind which is why he's so powerful. Basically dragons are aliens not native to Hydaelyn. He basically arrived on the Source Hydaelyn as a intergalactic refugee, but yes he was allowed to settle on the Source by Hydaelyn if he vowed to protect the planet and the people on it - presumedly this is why he led the Dravanian Horde to protect Silvertear Lake from Gaius's invasion fleet. A lot of the specifics of Middy's pact with Hydaelyn is a big unknown though, and the whole thing is still very murky.

As for why

Middy sealed the Crystals, it was because of the very Blessing's nature - every time Hydaelyn steps in to help the WoL she's weakening herself to do so - Middy mistook the player's character as not Hydaelyn's champion but just some upstart mortal that was stealing her powers, so he thought by sealing the Blessing it would show you for what you truly were.

The joke was on him though when you successfully relight the Crystals and re-create the Blessing yourself through your struggles in HW, proving without a doubt you really are who you say you are (actions after all speak louder than words). This is why he turns himself into your mount on Azys Lla, he feels sincere guilt for what he did and wants to make amends to you for doing so - a dragon willingly submitting themself to such servitude is a major honour, and for the dragon's Primogenitor to do that....

As for Middy is meant to be a reference to the Midgard Zolom in FFVII... it is, in a way, in that Midgardsormr is a reoccuring enemy/summon/character throughout many FF games, and FFVII wasn't even the first either (he first appeared as an Esper summon in FFVI, although like his FFVII appearence his name was originally mistranslated in the original 'FFIII' US SNES version - in FFVI's case, he was mistranslated as 'Terrato').