Angel

Angels are creations of the Heavenly Principles who served as the divine envoys of Celestia during the era of the unified civilization.^[1] After the war of funerary flame, they were cursed by their creator, such that if they loved a single individual as opposed to all equally, they would be stripped of both their bodies and minds.^[2][3] Very few Angels remain with their minds and forms intact in the modern day, with all others being reduced to mindless spirits; many of the cursed Angels exist in the present day in their devolved form as Seelie.^[4]

Overview

To date, all known angels are female, and they are described as having "beautiful forms." They bear pale silver wings, and once wore crowns made of seven colors — perhaps an allusion to the seven elements. These crowns were so bright that humans were unable to look upon them.^[1] One angel, Nabu Malikata, is described to have a pair of beautiful horns on her head,^[6] which matches the horns seen on present Seelie, and is perhaps what the 'headdress' on murals depicting angels represents. Though murals usually depict them as being larger than humans, King Deshret created a throne in Nabu Malikata's memory which is sized appropriately for a human, while Nicole and Zibai both match the size of tall human women.

Angels were commanded from birth to love all creatures of the world equally.^[1] As "flawless arbiters of justice", their duty was to guide humanity to teach them languages and "philosophies of nature,"^[7][8] as well as bring mortals oracles to help them understand the future.^[9] In line with this, angels seem to have a limited ability to foresee the future, even hundreds or thousands of years away.^[10][11]

Angels are strongly associated with Irminsul and the Ley Lines, and humans seem to have been able to seek them out by descending into the Irminsul altars within Domains.^[9][12] Two angels are known to have been given duties to protect Irminsul trees and Ley Lines.^[13][10]

Powers

As mentioned above, angels can have visions of the future.^[10][11] They are immortal and continue to be long-lived even after losing their powers and form. Angels were powerful entities, and their remains can be used in injection treatments to prolong one's lifespan or treat Eleazar.^[14][15] However, these treatments often have negative side effects and manifest unstable powers within the receiver, such as a strange "black fire"^[16] or a tendency to attack those bearing the remains of their own kind.^[17]

Nabu Malikata composed a song that, when recited by her, has a soothing effect on the Jinn, which were her creations, and calms their aggression, though it is unknown if other angels can invoke this power or only her.^[18]

History

Angels were created to guide humanity to teach them languages and "philosophies of nature,"^[7][8] with Koitar being the first^[19] and Nicole being the last.^[20]

One day, Koitar met a voyager from beyond Teyvat, Anacharsis, who inquired her about the most forbidden origins of Teyvat and told her of his true origins.^[21] This revelation left her feeling true love and freedom for the first time and she later married him. The Three Moon Goddesses of the Lunar Palace witnessed their marriage.^[22] Their union was founded not only on love, but also a desire to rebel against the Heavenly Principles.^[22] Koitar even encouraged other Angels to join her in rebelling against the Heavenly Principles, warning them about their ultimate fates.^[23] Along with the Frost Moon, the couple created the Snowland Fae upon the bones of "great beasts,"^[2] and built a great tower.^[1] According to Vol. 4 of Records of Jueyun, thirty days after the union, a disaster struck; Koitar and her lover fled into exile, but the disaster eventually caught up with them. However, a more reliable account states that the couple ruled Hyperborea for 10 years^[24] until their golden city was laid to waste by a Celestial Nail, likely making this disaster synonymous with the war of funerary flame. The Heavenly Principles punished the couple by separating them and wiping their memories.^[7][25]

Due to the betrayal of Koitar, all angels were collectively punished with a curse should they forsake the commandments of universal love given at their birth. Those who forsook wisdom in favor of power and refused to relinquish their powers were stripped of their wisdom and became corrupted, transforming into beasts and dragons without distinct Elemental characteristics.^[26][27] Meanwhile, those who abandoned power in favor of wisdom were stripped of their form, souls, and memories, degrading into Seelie;^[5][28] now, all they can offer are small treasures to those willing to follow them.^[2] Barring some who perished prior to the punishment and later resurrected, those who retained their forms lost their status as the Angels.^[29] Nabu Malikata tried to escape the punishment by hiding beneath the Great Red Sand but, in the end, it was to no avail.^[26][30][31] Nicole sacrificed her voice and half of her wisdom and power each rather than fully sacrifice either, allowing her to retain her preferred form.^[26]

The angels and Seelie of Natlan were nearly all killed by dragons after the great war of vengeance, leaving only one final envoy alive.^[32][33] It is implied that this envoy is Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night, who used the remaining leaves of the burned tree and leylines to create Natlan's Night Kingdom.^[13]

Zibai was appointed by Istaroth to become a Moon Envoy, meaning that her duties additionally involved bringing news between the Three Moons and the Heavenly Principles. Following the war of funerary flame, the Heavenly Principles sent a Celestial Nail to Lang-Gan. Despite Istaroth's warnings, Zibai intervened and sacrificed herself to allow her people to escape east. At the moment of her death, Zibai split herself into three forms known as the Three Deadly Selves, and Istaroth proceeded to split her soul into each shade to keep her alive.^[34]

The angels in Snezhnaya modified the Ley Lines in which The Korolevskiy Theater was built on, resulting it only being able to accept the souls of two spirits who died on that day.^[35]

Legacy

Once, we were tasked with guiding human beings, but because some of us chose a different path, our entire race was punished.

—Nicole Reeyn^[36]

While almost all angels have had their form and consciousness stripped away, certain notable angels have left a significant impact upon modern Teyvat.

The angels Nabu Malikata and Sybilla both created offspring which bear resemblance to the Seelie. Nabu Malikata created both the Jinn^[37] and Khvarena^[11], who played a major role in the history of the Great Red Sand, and in protecting Sumeru from the Cataclysm, respectively. Sybilla gave up her life to create the Symphony known as Phobos for Remus, who would help the people of Remuria escape the shackles of the Heavenly Principles. Similarly, the fae created by the artisans under the guidance of the Koitar^[2] still seem to be active in Snezhnaya.

Nabu Malikata and Yohualtecuhtin became known as gods in Sumeru and Natlan, respectively. They helped the people of their nations while most of the world was going through the Archon War. Nabu Malikata co-ruled Sumeru with King Deshret and the future Dendro Archon, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.^[38] Yohualtecuhtin helped the tribes of Natlan fertilize the land and defeat the dragons;^[39][40] she also brokered the three-way agreement between Xbalanque, Ronova, and Kukulkan, which created the Pyro Archon and "rules" of Natlan.^[13] In the modern day, Yohualtecuhtin still protects Natlan's Night Kingdom and Ley Lines, presiding over all Wayob and guiding Natlan's dead ancestors.

Following the return of the Frost Moon, Zibai's celestial prison began to degrade. The thousands of years of imprisonment had fused the shade to the false moon, meaning that while it would be momentarily released at the moon's weakest point, if nothing was done, the shade would then perish alongside the moon's destruction, and the soul within lost forever. Zhongli, aware that the Traveler played a role in the moon's return, decided to restore Zibai's full form, seeking out the other two shades. The Traveler acquired their souls in time with the cooperation of the Deadly Selves that housed them, and on the night of Lantern Rite, the souls were reunited, restoring Zibai to her full self.^[41]

Known Angels

Icon	Name Title	Region	Status
	Koitar	Snezhnaya	Unknown
	Ursa the Drake[27]	Mondstadt	Deceased
	Zibai	Liyue	Alive[42]
	Nabu Malikata	Sumeru	Deceased
	Mr. Nine	Unknown	Alive
	Sybilla	Fontaine	Deceased
	Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night	Natlan	Alive
	Nicole	Snezhnaya[29]	Alive

Trivia

• Certain survivors of the original angel race, such as Zibai,^[43] Nabu Malikata, and the Lord of the Night, are referred to as gods.^[44]
• Angels are often depicted with headpieces, such as a halo in the case of Nicole, a crown for Zibai, Yohualtecuhtin, and Koitar, or horns for Nabu Malikata.
  • All Angels seem to have unique headpieces as seen with Nicole and Zibai, along with the other angels shown in World Quest The Lost Palace in Series Beyond Silver and Fine Gold.

Gallery

A Seelie Envoy depicted in Dragonspine's Mural Room

Nicole's statue of an angel at her Witch's Lodge

Nicole's Angel wings

Nicole's Angel crown

Zibai's Angel wings

Zibai's Angel crown

A Seelie

Other Languages

Change History

References

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