War of Funerary Flame
Last updated 2026-09-10
The war of funerary flame was a war waged between the Dragon King Nibelung and the Heavenly Principles for control of Teyvat. The year it took place in is known as the Funerary Year. It ultimately ended in Nibelung's defeat and severely damaged the Heavenly Principles' functions. The consequences of the war brought an end to the era of the unified civilization and irrevocably changed Teyvat's natural order.
Background
At some point in the past, Nibelung met Anacharsis, a voyager traversing the sea of stars. She warned him that his world was doomed to destruction and urged him to flee with her, but he refused as he did not wish to abandon his kin and instead vowed to lead them to the stars.[1] Some time after that meeting, Nibelung decided to leave Teyvat to journey through the sea of stars. He created the Three Moons and their goddesses to govern the world in his absence.[2]
At some point after his departure, in the year known as "When the Doves Held Branches," the Heavenly Principles descended upon Teyvat. They were initially received peacefully as a guest by the Moon Sisters, but soon began to display a burgeoning desire to dominate Teyvat, and imposed a set of new "rules" over the world. Intrigued by this new order, the Moon Sisters decided to observe whether it would benefit Teyvat, although Sonnet was apprehensive of it from the start.
The Heavenly Principles eventually instigated a war against the Seven Sovereigns and the dragon race for complete dominion over Teyvat and created the Four Great Rulers to do battle against them. After forty years, the sovereigns were defeated, and their Elemental Authorities were seized, paving the way for the Heavenly Principles to transform Teyvat as they pleased.[3] By this point, the moon goddesses were too weak to challenge them, and thus entered a precarious peace agreement with the Heavenly Principles, who allowed them to continue their lunar cycles under the False Sky as long as their role of maintaining the world did not conflict with the Heavenly Principles' own designs.[4]
At some point after these events, Anacharsis revisited Teyvat. She was confused as to why Nibelung was absent, but did not wish to disturb the Heavenly Principles. Therefore, she cast her consciousness into the body of a male youth in the Golden City of Hyperborea and listened to the people's debates. At the time, the people had angered the Angels by "questioning the progress of knowledge" and the priests were arguing amongst themselves on how to quell their wrath. Anacharsis snuck into the priests' chamber and successfully refuted all their arguments of heresy, pointing out the inconsistencies in their concepts of sin. Finally, the chief priest told him to plead his case directly to Koitar, the First Angel, below the nation's Irminsul tree.[1]
Anacharsis went underground and met Koitar, inquiring her about the most forbidden origins of Teyvat and revealing his own origins as a voyager from afar. Upon hearing his words, the angel's crown broke and she discovered true freedom for the first time. She fell in love with Anacharsis, telling him the secrets of creation, and he in turn swore an oath to stand by her side in rebellion against the Heavenly Principles. This act of defiance was witnessed by the Three Moon Goddesses.[5]
Anacharsis and Koitar were in charge of Hyperborea for a period of thirty years, until their experimentation with the corpse of the Cryo Dragon caused the region to be frozen.[6][7] This caught the attention of the Heavenly Principles, who responded by sending a Celestial Nail at the kingdom.[6] Hyperborea rose up in rebellion against Celestia, and they were joined by some of the Angels and even the dragons,[8] though the city was ultimately destroyed from the impact of the Nail.[6]
The Funerary Year
The dragons who participated in the Hyperborean rebellion continued fighting against Celestia, and were soon joined by Nibelung, who had returned and torn open the false sky,[9] bringing with him the perilous and corrupting power of the Abyss.[2][4] This marked the start of the war of the funerary flame as he challenged the Heavenly Principles for the right to dominion over Teyvat.[4][10] The war was one of the most brutal and devastating affairs in the history of Teyvat, which tore the heavens and earth apart, ravaged both human kingdoms and celestial domains, caused widespread Abyssal corruption, and brought the world itself to the brink of collapse. As the earth was rent asunder, the region of Enkanomiya sank deep underground and took a portion of the Unified Civilization along with it.
The surviving Dragon Sovereigns joined Nibelung as he led his assault on the Heavenly Principles. Apep used her stores of forbidden knowledge to aid Nibelung, whereas Xiuhcoatl awakened from his feigned death in the frozen lava of Tollan and restored the Sacred City to its former glory under the Thirteen Dragonlords. The dragons unleashed particular devastation over the region of Natlantea by destroying its Ley Lines and devouring its Angels, which caused the human tribes to regress into rote barbarism.[11]
The Moon Goddesses had already begun to prepare countermeasures against the Heavenly Principles' cruelty, but their plans were interrupted by Nibelung's return. They fell into dispute over whether or not they should ally with their creator, or remain neutral to prevent the world from being completely destroyed by the Abyssal disaster brought in his wake. However, Nibelung, judging them to be disloyal, imprisoned all three goddesses within a specialized lunar prison known as the Moon's Reflection, and turned their moons into weapons of destruction. Viewing the weaponization of the moons as a violation of the peace treaty, the Heavenly Principles destroyed the Eternal Moon and Iridescent Moon and flung the Frost Moon beyond the false sky.[4] The Moon Sisters remained cut off from the world within the Moon's Reflection for the duration of the war, which allowed them to survive the desolation and banishment of their moons. However, the Heavenly Principles' actions caused them to lose their rationale for existence in Teyvat; if they ever left their prison, Aria and Sonnet would die, while the world would reject Canon's presence until she disappeared altogether.
In the end, the Heavenly Principles won the war and defeated Nibelung, but not before he managed to ruin their functions.[12] As a direct consequence, they could no longer use their absolute authority to suppress the "original order" of the world.[12][13]
Aftermath
As punishment for Koitar's role in staging the Hyperborean rebellion,[14] the Heavenly Principles expelled the Angels from Celestia and placed a curse upon them:[15] Koitar was stripped of her memories,[16] while the other Angels were given a choice to lose either their power or wisdom.[17] The Angels who lost their power were turned into Seelie,[14] while those lost their wisdom became mindless dragons.[18]
In order to purify the Abyssal corruption that had been introduced by Nibelung, the Heavenly Principles cast down Celestial Nails upon Teyvat.[15] The Nails were very effective at combating the Abyss, but destroyed most of the unified civilization, permanently changing entire landscapes, and damaged the Ley Lines of the region wherever they fell. Areas known to be effected in this manner include Sal Vindagnyr, the Chasm, and Mt. Damavand, and possibly Tsurumi Island in Inazuma and the Basin of Unnumbered Flames in Natlan.
Some of the people of that era like Istoria were carried by Asmoday and her watchers to her Temple of Space as living memory.[9]
In order to reestablish control over Teyvat in their weakened state, the Heavenly Principles collaborated with "one who came after" to create the seven Gnoses from the remains of Saarelainen, the third Descender, to control the world's loathing and resentment.[13][19] The Gnoses were used to establish a new order, becoming symbols of Celestia's authority over Teyvat and its laws. Each Gnosis was handed down to a victor god of the Archon War, which is implied to have been instigated by the Heavenly Principles solely for the purpose of choosing a suitable recipient for the Gnoses.[20]
To obscure the fate of the Three Moons, the Heavenly Principles hid away both their shattered fragments and the lifeless corpse beyond the False Sky and projected an illusory moon in the night. The surviving dragons, on the other hand, celebrated the destruction of the moons as they considered them to have betrayed the dragon race. Within their lunar prison, the Moon Sisters remained oblivious to the events and outcome of the war, but eventually learnt the truth after being visited by an aspect of Columbina from the future. After abdicating their lunar authorities to Columbina, the sisters were freed from captivity and returned in mortal forms to the main timeline of Teyvat - where Aria perished immediately, Sonnet fused herself with the Abyss to survive at the cost of a "torment worse than death", and Canon guided the Frostmoon Scions for a time before dying shortly thereafter.
A ban was placed upon the people of Enkanomiya which prevented them from ever finding their way back to the surface, although they managed to survive in depths with the help of Istaroth. They were eventually taken to surface as part of a deal that their serpent-god Orobashi made with Celestia, which required it to sacrifice itself in exchange for creating Watatsumi Island in Inazuma for its subjects to live upon.
Sal Vindagnyr, located on a mountain now known as Dragonspine, was once a lush, verdant place home to a thriving civilization. However, when the Celestial Nail struck, it destroyed the nation's local Irminsul tree, triggering a massive Ley Line disorder which reduced the entire region to a frozen landscape afflicted with chilling mists, unthawing frost and perpetual snowstorms. The people of Sal Vindagnyr did not survive their plight, even as they hoped for salvation until the very end.[21][22]
In Liyue, the nail caused the geology of the surrounding region to contort into the swirling cliffs of the Chasm while utterly destroying the city of Lang-Gan in the process. Many of its people perished in the disaster, but some managed to survive due to the intervention of Zibai and migrated to Chenyu Vale to form a new settlement.
Tsurumi Island, in Inazuma, is also implied to have been struck by a celestial nail, with the Thunderbird corroborating Sumida's hypothesis[23] regarding the island's strange weather patterns which caused it to be covered in a dense fog capable of inducing spatial and temporal anomalies.[24]
In Sumeru, the impact of the nail caused the desertification of the entire region, enshrouded Mt. Damavand in an eternal sandstorm, eliminated its once-verdant landscape and rich biodiversity, and caused all life within to be reduced to the basest instincts of survival. Even the Dendro Sovereign Apep was not spared, forcing her once emerald-green body to change to a sand-grey yellow as she and the organisms within her tried to adapt to their new environment.[25] Greater Lord Rukkhadevata raised the Wall of Samiel in an effort to halt the desertification of the rainforest,[26] a barrier that has since been maintained by the Akademiya.[27] King Deshret would later use the power of the Nail in this region to create the Eternal Oasis.
In Natlan, the impact of a celestial nail is implied to have created the Basin of Unnumbered Flames.[28] According to Kukulkan, the celestial nail used on Natlan destroyed the phlogiston-rich properties of the soil, forcing the dragons to undergo regressive evolution in order to survive their surroundings, until most of them eventually became Saurians.[12]
Other Languages
War of Funerary Flame
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | War of Funerary Flame | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 葬火之战 Zànghuǒ zhī Zhàn | War of Funerary Flame |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 葬火之戰 Zànghuǒ zhī Zhàn | |
| Japanese | 葬火の戦い Souka no Tatakai | War of Funerary Flame |
| Korean | 불바다 전쟁 Bulbada Jeonjaeng | |
| Spanish | Guerra de la Llama Funeraria | |
| French | Guerre de la crémation | War of Cremation |
| Russian | Война Возмездия Voyna Vozmezdiya | |
| Thai | สงครามไฟมรณะ | War of the Dead Flame |
| Vietnamese | Trận Chiến Tang Hỏa | |
| German | Krieg der Totenflamme | War of the Dead Flame |
| Indonesian | Perang Api Pengabuan | |
| Portuguese | Guerra da Chama Funerária | |
| Turkish | Cenaze Alevi Savaşının | |
| Italian | Guerra delle fiamme funerarie |
Funerary Year
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Funerary Year | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 葬火之年 Zànghuǒ zhī Nián | Year of Funerary Flame |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 葬火之年 Zànghuǒ zhī Nián | |
| Japanese | 葬火の年 Souka no Toshi | Year of Funerary Flame |
| Korean | 불바다의 해 Bulbadaui Hae | |
| Spanish | El año del funeral | |
| French | L'année de la crémation | Year of Cremation |
| Russian | Год траура God traura | |
| Thai | ปีแห่งการฌาปนกิจ | |
| Vietnamese | Năm Tang Hỏa | |
| German | Aschejahr | |
| Indonesian | Tahun Pengabuan | |
| Portuguese | Ano do Funeral | |
| Turkish | Cenaze Yılına | |
| Italian | L'anno funebre |
Change History
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Artifact, Finale of the Deep Galleries: Deep Gallery's Distant Pact
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Weapon: Fractured Halo
- ↑ Book: Before Sun and Moon
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Archon Quest, Song of the Welkin Moon, Act VI - Melting Moonlight in the Morning Mist, Part 1: Where Does Her Name Rest?
- ↑ Artifact, Finale of the Deep Galleries: Deep Gallery's Echoing Song
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 World Quest, Her Palace Collapses Into the Blizzard, Part 1: An Ark That Used to Be a Soul
- ↑ Interactable, Notes by a Certain Noble Individual: Notes by a Certain Noble Individual (IV)
- ↑ Artifact, Celestial Gift: Heavensent Crown
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 World Quest, A Long Day in the Mountains: Prologue - Magic Mountain: The Wind Has Ceased
- ↑ Story Quest, Nahida, Sapientia Oromasdis Chapter: Act II - Homecoming, Part 2: What Shape Does the Self Hold
- ↑ Weapon Ascension Material: Blazing Sacrificial Heart's Hesitance
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 World Quest, A Finale Emberforged, Part 1: An Omen of Annihilation and the Final Entreaty
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Neuvillette's Character Story: Vision
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Artifact, Finale of the Deep Galleries: Deep Gallery's Moment of Oblivion
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Artifact, Flower of Paradise Lost: Amethyst Crown
- ↑ Interactable, Ancient Handwriting: Ancient Handwriting
- ↑ Character Teaser - "Nicole: The Silenced Golden Strings"
- ↑ Nicole's Voice-Over: More About Nicole: IV
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty, Part 6: Finale
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter III, Act V - Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises, Part 4: Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies
- ↑ Blessing Domain Entrance Description: Peak of Vindagnyr
- ↑ Mondstadt Hidden Exploration Objective, Quest-Like: Dragonspine's Glacial Secret § Ancient Carvings
- ↑ World Quest, Through the Mists: The Sea of Fog and the Rite of the Trees
Sumida: [...] I doubt that such a ley line disorder could occur naturally, so... Let's just say it fell from the skies? Maybe it was a fragment of Celestia, or something... - ↑ World Quest, Through the Mists: The Sun-Wheel and Mt. Kanna
Once, strange objects fell from the heavens, one of which landed upon this island, after which your sky returned to its clear state. Afterward, the fog started to emerge. - ↑ Artifact, Gilded Dreams: Shadow of the Sand King
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter III, Act I - Through Mists of Smoke and Forests Dark, Part 2: Further Observation
- ↑ NPC Dialogue: Behnam
- ↑ Area: Basin of Unnumbered Flames (Expedition Description)
Members of the Saurian Relics Association once surveyed the terrain and concluded that this basin was not a natural formation, but rather the result of a colossal object crashing down here many years ago.
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