Phanes

The Primordial One may have been Phanes. It had wings and a crown, and was birthed from an egg, androgynous in nature. But for the world to be created, the egg's shell had to be broken. However, Phanes, the Primordial One, used the eggshell to separate the "universe" and the "microcosm of the world."Phanes is an androgynous entity with white hair, large angelic wings, and a floating crown similar to that seen on The Hero's Journey Achievement Category and the Custos Caelum Constellation. They are garbed in a long, white robe similar to that of Gavriel, with several motifs of snakes adorned by its sides. A larger snake imprint can be seen coiled around the robe from head to toe. Unlike other gods, they have a large halo of light emanating behind them.The Heavenly Principles,[Note 1] also known as Phanes,[1][Note 2] is the First Descender and the current ruler of Teyvat. They[Note 3] are the progenitor god who created humankind, waged war against the Dragon Sovereigns, and reshaped the Light Realm into the Human Realm. They also enclosed the world beneath a false sky as a means to hide the planet from the Abyss ravaging the universe. Currently, they govern the world from Celestia through a set of "laws" enforced by the Four Shades.

Resentment toward the Heavenly Principles' despotic rule drives many of the major conflicts throughout Teyvat's history, as various factions actively seek to defy or overthrow them.The Heavenly Principles is considered to be the First Descender of Teyvat. Originally hailing from the sea of stars, they descended upon Teyvat eons ago while in search of a suitable planet to establish humanity upon. After seizing control of Teyvat from the dragons and the Seven Sovereigns, they remade the world into the form it exists today. They were severely crippled by Nibelung following the War of Funerary Flame, and have lain dormant since the Cataclysm five hundred years ago.

They are a paranoid, absolutist deity who ruthlessly defends their authority against any perceived threat out of their "order" and harbors a deep aversion to the Abyss.[3] Mortals are afraid of even taking their name lest they attract their attention and ire.[4] The Celestial Nails that devastated the mortal realm at various points in Teyvat's history were cast at the command of the Heavenly Principles, who viewed these actions as necessary for Teyvat's greater good in order to destroy disobedient civilizations, purify Abyssal Corruption, or stop the Holy Soil phenomenon of the Light Realm.[5]

While the Heavenly Principles harbour a "deep love" for humanity,[6] they prefer structured destiny over the chaos of free will, to the point of obsessively controlling the fates of all living beings and destroying any civilizations that test their rules.[7] It is generally impossible for any resident of Teyvat to act against their fate even if they possess active foreknowledge of what is to come.[8] However, Descenders remain exempt as entities outside Teyvat's laws.[9] While the Heavenly Principles are wary of Descenders as unpredictable variables,[10] for unknown reasons they still place a great deal of value on them, and have explicitly ordered their servants from killing any Descender (provided they do not interfere in Teyvat's affairs).[11]

The Heavenly Principles established current laws and wield the authority to create new ones—such as the Vision system to allow mankind to wield elemental energy,[12]—or modify preexisting ones, such as altering Irminsul to anchor the fate of the world.[13] After the War of Funerary Flame, they instituted the new system of Gnoses and Seven Archons to compensate for their weakened state.[14][15] The Heavenly Principles also possess the ability to inflict irrevocable curses that affect people at the level of fate itself.[16] According to Pierro, all divine rules, including a god's innate "love for humanity" are fundamentally curses.[17] Similarly, the Four Shades and other Celestial gods have been shown to wield such abilities.[18]Thousands of years after the creation of humanity,[37] a voyager from the sea of stars known as Anacharsis revisited Teyvat.[30] Anacharsis fell in mutual love with Koitar, the first angel, and the two eventually conspired to lead the city of Hyperborea in open rebellion against the Heavenly Principles.[38] Around the same time, during the Funerary Year, the Dragon King Nibelung returned to Teyvat tainted by the otherworldly power of the Abyss, imprisoned the Moon Sisters, and started a devastating war to reconquer Teyvat.[39][40][27] The heavens and earth were torn apart, and during this period of strife, Enkanomiya dropped into the watery abyss. Despite the people's laments, the great ruler of the firmament and three of their Shades did not respond; only Istaroth did not forsake Enkanomiya.[1]

During the war, the Heavenly Principles destroyed two of Teyvat's Three Moons while flinging the Frost Moon beyond the False Sky, condemning all three Moon Goddesses to eventual death. They did this to deny Nibelung the opportunity to convert them into weapons of mass destruction, and also to punish the Moon Sisters for apparently violating their peace treaty; although it is implied their imprisonment was unbeknownst to them.[41][3]

Around 6,000 years ago,[3] the Heavenly Principles slew Nibelung and emerged victorious in the war, but were severely crippled in the process.[33][40] They sent down the Celestial Nails to purify the land from Abyssal corruption, but this also wreaked havoc on the mortal world and decimated multiple human civilizations such as Sal Vindagnyr, Hyperborea, and Lang-Gan.[40][42][43] As punishment for Koitar's participation in the rebellion, the Angels were cursed to lose their minds or their powers, devolving into beasts or Seelies as a result.[42][44] Subsequently, the Heavenly Principles also banned knowledge of the history that predated this war.[1]The Archon Wars was a period of interdivine conflict in which the gods of Teyvat were driven to war with each other with the goal to claim one of the seven divine thrones in Celestia, a corresponding Sovereign's Authority over the respective element, and quite possibly a Gnosis carved later from the remains of the Third Descender. [Note 4][46]

The Archon Wars started approximately six thousand years ago and marked a period of widespread devastation and bloody conflict which ravaged human civilizations and godly domains alike, and left lingering curses borne from the spite of slain gods that plague the world till present day, such as the Tatarigami. They came to an end around 2000 years ago, when the last remaining divine throne was finally claimed.

Sometime just before the Archon War ended, the Heavenly Principles became indirectly involved in the execution of the serpent god Orobashi after it made contact with the people of Enkanomiya and obtained prohibited knowledge regarding the history of the world from the book "Before Sun and Moon"[47] A ban attributed to the Heavenly Principles had previously prevented the people of Enkanomiya from finding their way to the surface.[48][1] By the time of the Archon War, these powers of prohibition had weakened, allowing Orobashi to fall into Enkanomiya as it attempted to flee into the Dark Sea after failing to defeat two different gods.[49] The Heavenly Principles forced Orobashi to sacrifice itself by leading a doomed war against the territories of Raiden Ei in exchange for allowing the people of Enkanomiya to return to the surface.[50] The truth behind the sacrifice remained unknown to all except a few close aides, and Before Sun and Moon was subsequently banned.[51]

At some point, the Hydro Archon Egeria transformed some of her Oceanid followers into humans by pouring water from the Primordial Sea into their blood vessels, to fulfill their desires of enjoying human lives. This act did not go unnoticed by the Heavenly Principles, who then punished Egeria and her creations for the "original sin" of creating human life without permission. They set in motion the Prophecy of Fontaine, which foretold a catastrophic flood would one day wash away all Fontainians, leaving the Hydro Archon weeping alone on her throne.[52]Heavenly Principles Genshin Impact Wiki 254

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Contents 1. Profile 1.1. Appearance 2. Story 2.1. Ancient History 2.2. War of Funerary Flame 2.3. Saarelainen's Sacrifice 2.4. Archon Wars 2.5. Cataclysm 2.6. Present 3. Character Mentions 3.1. Character Stories 3.2. Character Voice-Overs 4. Trivia 4.1. Aliases and Titles 4.2. Etymology 4.3. Cultural Inspiration 5. Notes 6. Other Languages 6.1. Heavenly Principles 6.2. Primordial One 6.3. Phanes 7. Change History 8. References 9. Navigation

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Great ruler of the firmament Bio Relatives Affil­i­a­tion Celestia Additional Titles Categories First Descender Primordial One The Heavenly Principles,[Note 1] also known as Phanes,[1][Note 2] is the First Descender and the current ruler of Teyvat. They[Note 3] are the progenitor god who created humankind, waged war against the Dragon Sovereigns, and reshaped the Light Realm into the Human Realm. They also enclosed the world beneath a false sky as a means to hide the planet from the Abyss ravaging the universe. Currently, they govern the world from Celestia through a set of "laws" enforced by the Four Shades.

Resentment toward the Heavenly Principles' despotic rule drives many of the major conflicts throughout Teyvat's history, as various factions actively seek to defy or overthrow them.

Advertisement Profile The Heavenly Principles is considered to be the First Descender of Teyvat. Originally hailing from the sea of stars, they descended upon Teyvat eons ago while in search of a suitable planet to establish humanity upon. After seizing control of Teyvat from the dragons and the Seven Sovereigns, they remade the world into the form it exists today. They were severely crippled by Nibelung following the War of Funerary Flame, and have lain dormant since the Cataclysm five hundred years ago.

They are a paranoid, absolutist deity who ruthlessly defends their authority against any perceived threat out of their "order" and harbors a deep aversion to the Abyss.[3] Mortals are afraid of even taking their name lest they attract their attention and ire.[4] The Celestial Nails that devastated the mortal realm at various points in Teyvat's history were cast at the command of the Heavenly Principles, who viewed these actions as necessary for Teyvat's greater good in order to destroy disobedient civilizations, purify Abyssal Corruption, or stop the Holy Soil phenomenon of the Light Realm.[5]

While the Heavenly Principles harbour a "deep love" for humanity,[6] they prefer structured destiny over the chaos of free will, to the point of obsessively controlling the fates of all living beings and destroying any civilizations that test their rules.[7] It is generally impossible for any resident of Teyvat to act against their fate even if they possess active foreknowledge of what is to come.[8] However, Descenders remain exempt as entities outside Teyvat's laws.[9] While the Heavenly Principles are wary of Descenders as unpredictable variables,[10] for unknown reasons they still place a great deal of value on them, and have explicitly ordered their servants from killing any Descender (provided they do not interfere in Teyvat's affairs).[11]

The Heavenly Principles established current laws and wield the authority to create new ones—such as the Vision system to allow mankind to wield elemental energy,[12]—or modify preexisting ones, such as altering Irminsul to anchor the fate of the world.[13] After the War of Funerary Flame, they instituted the new system of Gnoses and Seven Archons to compensate for their weakened state.[14][15] The Heavenly Principles also possess the ability to inflict irrevocable curses that affect people at the level of fate itself.[16] According to Pierro, all divine rules, including a god's innate "love for humanity" are fundamentally curses.[17] Similarly, the Four Shades and other Celestial gods have been shown to wield such abilities.[18]

Advertisement Appearance The Heavenly Principles has been described by numerous sources as a winged androgynous figure with a crown.[1] They are commonly referred to as the Winged One,[19][20] and Neuvillette claims that the world is presently being ruled under "a cluster of filthy feathers,"[21] which may be in reference to the Heavenly Principles's wings. Hymns of the Far North titles the Heavenly Principles as the "Father of All and Mother of the Gods" and describes them as being "of gender unknowable."[20] Alongside the Four Shades, they are described as very beautiful and dazzling.[22]

Story Ancient History The Heavenly Principles originated from the sea of stars,[23] and traveled across the universe in search for a suitable home for humankind for an untold amount of time, bearing witness to numerous stars having been destroyed by the Abyss over the course of their journey.[24] They eventually found the planet of Teyvat to be suitable for their purposes,[23] which was at that time home to a native civilization of Dragons. They first landed upon the Frost Moon, destroying the Moongazers' laboratory, and coerced Lusalim into handing over the Blackbody technology which would later be used to create the False Sky.[25] The Three Moon Goddesses, who had been entrusted by Nibelung with control over the laws of Teyvat,[26][27] did not intervene; instead, they debated among themselves the merits of whether to cooperate with the great ruler of the firmament.[3][23] Later, during the era known as "When the Doves Held Branches", they instigated a war against the dragons and their Seven Sovereigns to wrest control of Teyvat.[1] It was at this time that they created Four Shades of themself who assisted them in battle.[1]

After 40 years, the Heavenly Principles emerged victorious over the Seven Sovereigns and seized their elemental Authorities.[28] Accordingly, the Moon Goddesses ultimately chose to cooperate with Heavenly Principles;[3] they made this decision partially based on the realization that they were too powerful for them to fight against,[27] though also based on their mutual opposition against the threat of the Abyss.[24] The Heavenly Principles, for their part, allowed the Moon Goddesses a place in the new world order.[27] They then set about terraforming the planet and rewriting the laws of Teyvat, all in preparation for turning the world into a suitable habitat for humanity.[1]

This took the form of creating the Human Realm, fashioned by repurposing the pre-existing Light Realm of Teyvat and diluting its primordial energy into the modern system of seven distinct Elements.[29][30][31][32] In order to isolate the planet from the rest of the universe, they surrounded Teyvat under a false sky.[24][33] Together with the assistance of Naberius, they also created many new lifeforms. Among these new lifeforms were the Angels, who were tasked with a mandate to love and guide humanity as the great ruler of the firmament's divine envoys, as well as Egeria, a significant goddess entrusted with control over the powers of the Primordial Sea.[2] Furthermore, they modified Irminsul into a great tree connected to the Ley Lines meant to record and preserve all information in Teyvat while simultaneously anchoring the world's fate.[34]

400 years after their appearance, the Heavenly Principles finally created human beings, and bound them under a sacred covenant wherein the heavens would provide all the guidance and sustenance humanity could ever need as long as they did not "succumb to temptation".[1] However, the Heavenly Principles also created a secret rule of "cyclical eternity" which meant all human civilizations would undergo a period of flourishing before being eventually destroyed and remade anew.[35] This knowledge was deliberately kept hidden from humanity, and humans who inquired about these matters from the Angels received only silence in return.[36]

Advertisement War of Funerary Flame Thousands of years after the creation of humanity,[37] a voyager from the sea of stars known as Anacharsis revisited Teyvat.[30] Anacharsis fell in mutual love with Koitar, the first angel, and the two eventually conspired to lead the city of Hyperborea in open rebellion against the Heavenly Principles.[38] Around the same time, during the Funerary Year, the Dragon King Nibelung returned to Teyvat tainted by the otherworldly power of the Abyss, imprisoned the Moon Sisters, and started a devastating war to reconquer Teyvat.[39][40][27] The heavens and earth were torn apart, and during this period of strife, Enkanomiya dropped into the watery abyss. Despite the people's laments, the great ruler of the firmament and three of their Shades did not respond; only Istaroth did not forsake Enkanomiya.[1]

During the war, the Heavenly Principles destroyed two of Teyvat's Three Moons while flinging the Frost Moon beyond the False Sky, condemning all three Moon Goddesses to eventual death. They did this to deny Nibelung the opportunity to convert them into weapons of mass destruction, and also to punish the Moon Sisters for apparently violating their peace treaty; although it is implied their imprisonment was unbeknownst to them.[41][3]

Around 6,000 years ago,[3] the Heavenly Principles slew Nibelung and emerged victorious in the war, but were severely crippled in the process.[33][40] They sent down the Celestial Nails to purify the land from Abyssal corruption, but this also wreaked havoc on the mortal world and decimated multiple human civilizations such as Sal Vindagnyr, Hyperborea, and Lang-Gan.[40][42][43] As punishment for Koitar's participation in the rebellion, the Angels were cursed to lose their minds or their powers, devolving into beasts or Seelies as a result.[42][44] Subsequently, the Heavenly Principles also banned knowledge of the history that predated this war.[1]

Advertisement Saarelainen's Sacrifice Despite winning the war of funerary flame, the Heavenly Principles had many of their functions ruined and could no longer suppress the original order of Teyvat.[39] They eventually found a way to consolidate their rule by sacrificing the Third Descender, Saarelainen. About a thousand years ago, the Belyi Tsar incited Saarelainen and his lover Anastasya to open the gate of the Abyss[20], triggering a series of widespread disasters related to the Abyss across Teyvat. Treating this action as an unforgivable sin, the Heavenly Principles punished Anastasya by erasing her existence from Teyvat, although the Tsar managed to escape by fleeing into the Shadow Realm.[45]

Seeking to resurrect his lover, Saarelainen ascended to Celestia and bargained with the Heavenly Principles, offering up his own body (with its special affinity for the Human Realm) in exchange for Anastasya's life and protection for their descendants, the Khaenri'ahns. The Heavenly Principles agreed to his terms, but in return required the complete erasure of all traces of his existence, most notably from Tsaritsa's memories due to the severe threat he posed to their established "order". To ensure the Heavenly Principles would keep to their word, Saarelainen cast a profound and complex curse that would trigger if they ever broke their promise.[45] The Heavenly Principles fashioned the seven Gnoses from his corpse,[39] which were items that symbolized their dominion over Teyvat as part of a "new order."

Advertisement Archon Wars The Archon Wars was a period of interdivine conflict in which the gods of Teyvat were driven to war with each other with the goal to claim one of the seven divine thrones in Celestia, a corresponding Sovereign's Authority over the respective element, and quite possibly a Gnosis carved later from the remains of the Third Descender. [Note 4][46]

The Archon Wars started approximately six thousand years ago and marked a period of widespread devastation and bloody conflict which ravaged human civilizations and godly domains alike, and left lingering curses borne from the spite of slain gods that plague the world till present day, such as the Tatarigami. They came to an end around 2000 years ago, when the last remaining divine throne was finally claimed.

Sometime just before the Archon War ended, the Heavenly Principles became indirectly involved in the execution of the serpent god Orobashi after it made contact with the people of Enkanomiya and obtained prohibited knowledge regarding the history of the world from the book "Before Sun and Moon"[47] A ban attributed to the Heavenly Principles had previously prevented the people of Enkanomiya from finding their way to the surface.[48][1] By the time of the Archon War, these powers of prohibition had weakened, allowing Orobashi to fall into Enkanomiya as it attempted to flee into the Dark Sea after failing to defeat two different gods.[49] The Heavenly Principles forced Orobashi to sacrifice itself by leading a doomed war against the territories of Raiden Ei in exchange for allowing the people of Enkanomiya to return to the surface.[50] The truth behind the sacrifice remained unknown to all except a few close aides, and Before Sun and Moon was subsequently banned.[51]

At some point, the Hydro Archon Egeria transformed some of her Oceanid followers into humans by pouring water from the Primordial Sea into their blood vessels, to fulfill their desires of enjoying human lives. This act did not go unnoticed by the Heavenly Principles, who then punished Egeria and her creations for the "original sin" of creating human life without permission. They set in motion the Prophecy of Fontaine, which foretold a catastrophic flood would one day wash away all Fontainians, leaving the Hydro Archon weeping alone on her throne.[52]

Advertisement Cataclysm 500 years ago, King Irmin of Khaenri'ah became increasingly obsessed by the Abyss and initiated a ritual which would turn the Traveler's sibling into a vessel for unlimited Abyssal power. This culminated in a widespread disaster that wreaked havoc on both Khaenri'ah and Teyvat, causing a surge of forbidden knowledge[53] and allowing hordes of Abyssal monsters to invade Teyvat. Though the extent of the Heavenly Principles's personal involvement is unclear, it is known they sent both The Seven (except Greater Lord Rukkhadevata) as well as the Four Shades to handle the situation in Khaenri'ah,[46] and personally instructed Ronova to cast an irrevocable curse of immortality upon pureblooded Khaenri'ahns.[Note 5] Some point afterwards, the Traveler and their sibling were captured by Asmoday and forcibly separated, while the Heavenly Principles moved their spaceship to the Frost Moon in order to hide it beyond the false sky.[54]

The Heavenly Principles' involvement in harming the people of Khaenri'ah triggered the Third Descender's curse, with the result that the Heavenly Principles have been lying asleep ever since.They have lain dormant ever since the end of the Cataclysm, and several factions, such as the Fatui[55] and the Abyss Order, have emerged to take advantage of their current state in an attempt to overthrow them.[56] The inactivity concerned three of the Four Shades, with Ronova wondering if they should deal with the Tsaritsa and her Fatui as allowed by the "rules."

In spite of various events that have occurred in recent years, such as the destruction of the Hydro Throne and the return of its Authority to its rightful owner and the Dendro Archon destroying Irminsul due to its corruption by a malevolent entity, the Heavenly Principles has yet to be roused from their slumber. According to the Traveler's Sibling, the Heavenly Principles will not lie asleep forever and will definitely awaken one day. In order to stand as equals before them, the sibling seeks "the will to rival an entire world,"[57] referring to the attribute possessed by all Descenders.