The Seven

The Seven Archons, typically shortened to The Seven,^[1] are the seven gods who preside over the seven regions of Teyvat, established after seven gods emerged as the victors of the Archon War 2,000 years ago. Each Archon is associated with an element and an ideal, by which they formed their territories' environment and determined their method of governance over their regions.

Each Archon possesses a magic focus called a Gnosis, which allows them to resonate directly with Celestia.^[2] By comparison, Visions are "primitive" — though a Gnosis's capabilities and purpose, beyond acting as a symbol of an Archon's status, remain unknown. Each Archon is bound to a Divine Throne, which is composed of a portion of the authority of one of the Seven Sovereigns, and which grants them authority over the corresponding element.^[3]

As of Archon Quest Chapter IV: Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty, only six Divine Thrones remain. The Hydro Archon's Divine Throne was destroyed, returning the authority within to the Hydro Dragon Sovereign and breaking the established order of the Seven.^[4]

History

The Archon War began an indeterminate time in the past, and ended around 2,000 years ago. During this period of time, many gods and archons roamed the land, locked in a bitter struggle for supremacy. It appears that the battles associated with the Archon War are a multitude of local struggles that were grouped together by human history. For example, Barbatos became the first Anemo Archon among The Seven after the death of Decarabian 2,600 years ago,^[5] while Morax is implied to have already become Geo Archon by the time the last of the original Seven claimed their title and thus brought an end to the War.^[6]

The original Seven appeared to be relatively close, sharing a common duty of guiding humanity and often gathering in Liyue for drinks. However, over time, five of The Seven passed away, and some of the newer Archons no longer adhered to the duty of guiding humanity.^[6]

A thousand years ago, Barbatos awakened from slumber in response to Vennessa and her people's plight.^[7] He recognized them as the "children of Murata," identifying her with the same epithets Dainsleif uses for the Pyro Archon in Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview: Travail.^{[Note 1]} However, considering Vennessa's tribe had departed from Natlan so long ago that they no longer remembered their heritage, much less Murata's name, Murata's status has been left unclear.

The Cataclysm

500 years ago, the destruction of Khaenri'ah led to forbidden knowledge pollution and the rampage of Rhinedottir's creations, which held the power of the Abyss and ravaged the world of Teyvat.^[8] Among those who were perished in the ensuing conflicts were Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Raiden Makoto, and Egeria. They were subsequently replaced by Lesser Lord Kusanali, Raiden Ei, and Focalors, respectively. The Tsaritsa was also greatly affected by the cataclysm, resulting in a drastic change in her personality.

The Seven were summoned to Tunigi Hollow, where the worst outpouring of forbidden knowledge and monsters was occurring. During the battle, Egeria was killed and her body turned into the pool of water known as the Amrita.^[9] To preserve the water's purity and tether the god to the mortal realm, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata grew the Harvisptokhm — which serves as a seal over the dark hollow and prevents the corruption from spreading further — from the Amrita.^[10] The Oceanids, who served the former Hydro Archon but did not get along with Focalors,^[11] made their way to the Harvisptokhm in search of their master. Seeing that her current state was not what they had hoped for,^[12] they spread all over the continent and world itself.^[13]

During this time, the Traveler and their sibling descended on Teyvat and, seeing the chaos, attempted to leave this world, only to run afoul of the Unknown God. While the twins did not meet The Seven during this time, The Seven are aware of them and have been awaiting the Traveler's arrival.^[14]

Around 400 years ago,^[15] Ei completed her research into creating a lifelike puppet, the Shogun, to enforce her vision of Eternity over Inazuma while she retreated to the Plane of Euthymia.^[16] Ever since then, the Shogun has been ruling Inazuma in her stead. Though Ei failed to make her puppets compatible with the Gnosis and thus gave it to Yae Miko instead, the Shogun is capable of tremendous feats even without it.

Powers and Abilities

An Archon's source of power has been attributed to three sources: the first is through presiding over their respective region,^[1] the second is from their people's faith in them and the third being a fragment of the Elemental Authority stolen by the Primordial One from the Seven Sovereign.^[17] Barbatos, who refuses to govern Mondstadt directly and has left Mondstadt for extended periods of time in the past, claims to be the weakest of The Seven as a result; Lesser Lord Kusanali, who was imprisoned in the Sanctuary of Surasthana and shunned by the sages since she was born 500 years ago, explains that her fighting skills are inferior to the Traveler's because she does not hold her people's faith.

The Seven appear to be privy to information that mortals are generally unaware of or deem to be merely fictional. Both Venti and Zhongli are aware of the existences of other worlds, as well as the fact that the Traveler had the power to travel between different worlds.

Elemental Control

Each Archon presides over their respective element and have used it to shape the landscape and climate of their respective territories. This ability seems to be held by any god and not only The Seven, but ever since the end of the Archon War, there have only been seven Archons at a time.

Unlike humans, who rely on resonance with a Vision to use the elements, the Archons seen so far were already affiliated with their elements before becoming Archons: Barbatos was originally a wind spirit who ascended to godhood, historical records regarding Morax address him as the "God of Geo" long before he became the Geo Archon, and Ei (and by proxy, Makoto) is an "incarnation of lightning."^[18] Incarnations of Irminsul, i.e. Rukkhadevata and Nahida, are appointed guardians and maintainers of the tree of Irminsul. Nahida was created using a branch of Irminsul, confirming the connection between Irminsul and Dendro. Focalors (and by extension, Furina) was an Oceanid who was transformed into a human by Egeria using the power of the Primordial Sea, though Furina has since been converted into a full human. An Oceanid legend says that Egeria herself was created by the Shade of Life to take the place of "the Primordial Sea's Heart" after the Hydro Dragon was "removed from that role."

While people on Teyvat commonly believe that the Archons grant Visions,^[19] they actually have no control over the distribution of Visions and are largely unaware of circumstances surrounding Visions.^[20] However, within her Plane of Euthymia, Ei could enact the "Vision Hunt Decree" effect to seal all characters' Elemental Skills and Elemental Bursts besides the Traveler's.^[21] Because the Plane of Euthymia is Ei's personal dimension, there is not enough information to determine how this effect works or whether Ei is capable of enacting this anywhere else.

Gnoses

Main article: Gnosis

While gnoses are described as being emblematic of an Archon's status and give them a direct connection to Celestia, their exact purpose and abilities remain a mystery. They evidently grant Archons a large power boost and the "divine ability" to defend their nations,^[22] and Zhongli attributes the ability to mint Mora as something that "requires the use of the Geo Archon's power."^[23] The use of the gnoses' power is not exclusive to its respective Archon, as Nahida also utilized the power of the Electro Gnosis to aid in the healing of Irminsul.

Divine Throne

Each Divine Throne is composed of a portion of authority stolen from the Seven Sovereigns by the Heavenly Principles, and it is the Throne that grants each Archon their authority over the corresponding element, though what exactly this entails remains yet unknown. A great amount of power is required to destroy the Throne, and its destruction, resulting in the death of the Archon bound to the Throne, appears to be the only way to return the authority contained within to the Sovereign.^[24]

Vessel Creation

On multiple occasions, Archons have fashioned humanoid vessels using their powers as an Archon, perhaps through the use of their Gnoses. Venti's vessel was his first use of his newfound divine power after ascending to godhood as the Anemo Archon.^[25] Zhongli's body was likely created through this method as well, as he states that his "structure is not the same as that of normal people."^[26] After becoming the first Electro Archon, Makoto "reforged" Ei's body after Ei gave up her bodily form so Makoto could ascend to the "heavenly citadel."^[27]

Although gods are immortal, their physical vessels — including those made with the power of an Archon — have finite lifespans and can be "killed," while their consciousness can fade away.^[28] By the time of the main story, five of the original Seven have died and been replaced. While pondering how she would overcome her physical lifespan, Ei stumbled on a method of creating synthetic puppets indistinguishable from true life, which she used to create Scaramouche and the Shogun. After giving her Gnosis to Yae Miko for safekeeping, Ei discarded her physical form, the Shogun warning her that there was no return from giving up her body.^[29] Due to no longer having a physical body, Ei is only able to manifest herself outside of her Plane of Euthymia by using the body of the puppet as her own.^[30]

Vessels created through an Archon's power have another major weakness: they are incapable of being healed through ordinary means, including a Vision-bearer's healing abilities.^[2] Venti harnesses the power of the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero twice to heal himself; first was to expunge the abyssal magic that poisoned him via Dvalin when the Traveler unintentionally interrupted them,^[31] and the second was to recover after having his Gnosis taken by Signora.^[2] The exact properties this tree holds is unclear, but it may have a connection to Celestia: according to legend, it grew from the spot where Vennessa ascended to Celestia.

It's important to note that vessels can be the Archons themselves and not different entities. This page specifically refers to a human body created by Archons to live among the people of Teyvat as vessel creation is not exclusive to the Archons, in fact most gods are capable of this feat.

Members

Nation	Image	Personal Names	Common Alias	Divine Ideal	Ascended (Years Ago)	Status[A]
Mondstadt		Venti, Barbatos	Lord Barbatos	Freedom	2,000+	Alive
Liyue		Zhongli, Morax	Rex Lapis	Contracts	2,000+[32][B]	Alive
Inazuma		Ei, Beelzebul[33][C]	Raiden Shogun	Eternity	500[D]	Alive
		Makoto, Baal[33][C]			2,000+	Deceased
Sumeru		Nahida, Buer[17]	Lesser Lord Kusanali	Wisdom	500[34] 2,000+[35][E]	Alive
		Unknown	Greater Lord Rukkhadevata		2,000+[36]	Deceased[34] Erased[35]
Fontaine[F]		Focalors[G][H]	God of Justice	Justice[I]	500[9]	Deceased
		Egeria[37]	Mistress of Many Waters[38][39]		2,000+	Deceased[11]
Natlan		Mavuika, Haborym[40]	Pyro Archon	War	500[41][J]	Alive
		Murata	Lady of Fire[7][K]		1,000+[7][K]	Deceased[42][L]
		Cochanina[43]	Pyro Archon		Unknown	Deceased[42][L]
		Xbalanque	First Pyro Archon		2,000+	Deceased[44]
Snezhnaya		Unknown	The Tsaritsa	Unknown[M]	500[N]	Alive
		Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	2,000+	Deceased

Notes

Representatives

Some members of The Seven have worked through proxies who were not Archons but appeared to be so to the people of Teyvat. These include the following characters:

Nation	Representative	Archon	Start (Years Ago)[a]	End (Years Ago)[a]
Inazuma	Ei	Makoto	2,000+[b]	500[c]
	The Shogun	Ei	400[15][16]	In service[d]
Fontaine	Furina	Focalors	500	Masquerade of the Guilty[e]

Notes

Trivia

• When casting Elemental Skills and Bursts, the ends of an Archon's hair glow brightly with their element's color.
• Though the only two remaining Archons of the original Seven are Barbatos and Morax, Beelzebul — the current Electro Archon — was also a veteran of the Archon War, with her sister Baal taking the original Electro seat. It is not yet known if any of the other current Archons were active during the Archon War.
  • During the Archon Quest Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies in Chapter III: Act V - Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is erased from Irminsul, becoming forgotten by all of Teyvat except for the Traveler. In the new history that results from this action, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's existence is replaced by that of Lesser Lord Kusanali; it is now believed that she has been the Dendro Archon since the end of the Archon War — therefore being one of the original Seven — and became imprisoned by the sages of Sumeru after losing her memories during the cataclysm.
• Currently, there is a running gag^[45] in which the Archons encountered have no Mora:
  • Barbatos, as Venti, has those listening to him buy him drinks instead of giving him Mora.^[46] He also pilfers from the Dawn Winery to eat^[47] and as soon as he has something that is spendable, he thinks of spending it on drinks.^[48] His occupation as a bard is also not lucrative in the first place.^[49]
  • Morax did not pay attention to price tags prior to beginning life as Zhongli, because he could make Mora as needed with his Gnosis.^[50] As a result, Zhongli easily spends (or agrees to spend) large amounts of Mora, generally having others pay for his expenses. He also did not think of setting aside some Mora for personal use before relinquishing his Gnosis.^[50]
  • Beelzebul has no need for Mora, as she simply asks the Tri-Commission to bring the items to her.
  • Buer has not mentioned any struggles with Mora in her dialogue, but she struggles to place a hypothetical price tag on the Sanctuary of Surasthana despite ruminating over it for a long time,^[51] implying that she struggles to comprehend values that would equate to large amounts of Mora. This is likely due to her 500-year imprisonment in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, where she received information and items for free via the Akasha and sages, respectively.^[52]
  • Although Furina is not an Archon, she partially continues the running gag, as she is considered unemployed following the Archon Quest Chapter IV: Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty.
    • While Neuvillette has made arrangements to ensure Furina will not have material issues,^[53] she decides to live alone in a small apartment, where she struggles with cooking and ends up only eating macaroni with different sauces.^[54]
    • Furina herself does have a substantial amount of Mora, as she saved the Mora she earned over the last few centuries in a "private reserve." She now uses this Mora as an ordinary Fontainian, though she tends to overspend.^[55] This may be a direct callback to Zhongli's failure to set aside some "private funds" for himself and how particularly disastrous it can be when he habitually agrees to transactions involving large amounts of Mora.

Etymology

• The term "archon" is a Greek word that refers to "A person who claims the right to rule, or to exercise power or sovereign authority over other human beings." Genshin Impact uses its Gnostic usage,^[56] in which the archons are seven supernatural beings who each rule over one of the seven planets. They are subservient to the demiurge, the creator of the material universe who is beneath the Monad, the true God. By reaching gnosis, an understanding of divine knowledge, one can transcend the confines of the material world and escape the dominion of the archons.
  • A miHoYo developer interview on the May 2021 edition of the Japanese entertainment magazine PASH states that Gnosticism was selected as the primary mythological basis for Genshin Impact, particularly in regards to how Gnosticism deals with the relationship between man and world, and how the archons influence the world.^[56]
• Several Archons have their Goetic names directly derived from one of the 72 demons found in the Ars Goetia, one of the books in The Lesser Key of Solomon. Gods who predate The Seven have varying levels of similarity to a demon name in the Ars Goetia (see Gods § Etymology).
  • Barbatos is one of the dukes of Hell.
  • Morax is a president of Hell.
  • Baal is the first king of Hell.
    • Although Beelzebul, Ei's alternate name, is not used in the Ars Goetia, it is associated with Baal. Ei herself has continued to rule under the name "Baal."
  • Buer is a Great President of Hell.
  • Haborym is another name for Aym, a Great Duke of Hell.
  • Unlike the other named Archons, Focalors is not a direct lift; instead, it is a derivation of Focalor, a Great Duke of Hell.

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References

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