A Gnosis, plural Gnoses, is an item resembling a chess piece[1] which embodies the Heavenly Principles' control over Teyvat and its "laws." Seven Gnoses were created, implied to each have been given to the original members of The Seven following the Archon War.[2]
Overview
Following the war of funerary flame, the Heavenly Principles defeated Nibelung but was severely injured in the process, leaving them unable to use their absolute authority to subdue the world's original order. To compensate, the Heavenly Principles and "one who came after" created the Gnoses from the remains of the Third Descender,[3]Saarelainen,[4] as part of a "new order." The gods were driven to fight each other over possession of the Gnoses,[5] with seven victors ultimately being chosen to each possess one of the elemental Gnoses.[2] While the Archons generally recognize the great importance of the Gnoses, it is unclear if they are privy to the true origins and purpose behind them — for example, both Neuvillette (before attaining full dragonhood)[3] and Nahida[6] were unaware, while the Tsaritsa and Zhongli are implied to know more than they let on.[7]
Taking on a physical appearance reminiscent of a gleaming chess piece, Gnoses typically reside within an Archon's chest.[2][8] They can either be forcefully removed[8] or willfully materialized.[1][9] It appears that Archons may retain a proprioceptive connection to a Gnosis even after giving it away, as Mavuika sensed the Pyro Gnosis' disappearance before Nahida confirmed it.[10]
It is suggested that Visions began appearing either around the same time as the Gnoses or after The Seven were established,[5] and Venti calls Visions "primitive" compared to the Gnoses.[8] Like Visions, Gnoses can hold their users' ambitions and obsessions, and losing the Gnosis can take the former owner's ambitions away.[11] Just as Visions cannot be destroyed or tampered with via mundane human methods,[12][13]Ei failed in her attempts to modify her Gnosis into an energy supply device.[14]
Skirk learned of the macabre history behind the creation of the Gnoses from her master Surtalogi, and consequently considers them to be "object[s] of 'misfortune'" which can bring disaster upon their owners, warning Neuvillette that "once a person dies, the bonds he once had with this world shall all turn to curses."[3]
Abilities
A Gnosis is a magical device that grants and enhances elemental power,[6][7][15] described as more advanced in comparison to a Vision.[8] Additionally, the Gnoses serve a crucial function in assisting the Heavenly Principles' in maintaining their control over Teyvat, though the concrete details of how they do this is unknown. They are said to represent the Heavenly Principles' laws[2] and Archons in possession of a Gnosis are directly connected to Celestia.[1][8]
Unlike humans, who are usually dependent upon a Vision to use elemental energy, Archons can use elemental abilities independently of a Gnosis and do not become powerless without it.[15] Additionally, the Archons' divine thrones in Celestia appear to exist separately from and regardless of Gnosis ownership among their occupants; Ei gave the Electro Gnosis to Yae Miko around 400 years before the Inazuma Archon Quests and is considered the Electro Archon nonetheless,[14] the Hydro Gnosis is unaffected[3] after Focalors destroys the Hydro Archon's divine throne,[16] while Nahida comes in possession of both the Electro and Pyro Gnoses at different points in time but is only ever described as the Dendro Archon.[6]
According to Dottore, Nahida had no ability to utilize the Electro Gnosis in battle against him, indicating that usage of a Gnosis by someone other than its corresponding Archon may normally be restricted.[2] In spite of this, she has nontheless demonstrated the capacity to use other Gnoses for various purposes: She needed another elemental Gnosis to access Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's realm of consciousness and uses the Electro Gnosis to do so;[2][Note 1] later on, she also uses the Pyro Gnosis to burn down Irminsul.[17] Similarly, while Scaramouche never demonstrated any elemental abilities beforehand, he was able to manipulate lightning and the weather while connected to the Electro Gnosis;[2] however, his ability to do this required extensive external modifications with the assistance of Dottore and the Sumeru Akademiya,[18] with Ei's own attempts at connecting him to the Gnosis ending in failure.[19][20]Arlecchino, despite being a human, believed she could use the powers of the Hydro Gnosis to save Fontaine from the prophecy,[21] though the opportunity to do so never came to pass.[16] Neuvillette[3] and the Traveler,[15] both of whom hold various levels of imperviousness to the laws of the Heavenly Principles via their status as Dragon Sovereign and Descender respectively,[22][2] have briefly demonstrated the ability to use a Gnosis seemingly unabated.
Uses in Infrastructure
Various Archons have used or plan to use their Gnoses for the betterment of their nations, typically as a power source for a device critical to the nation's current social and/or political infrastructure.
The Golden House in Liyue, managed by the Liyue Qixing, minted Mora for the entirety of Teyvat since the Geo Archon's power was needed to create Mora. Ever since Zhongli's surrender of the Geo Gnosis and Rex Lapis' alleged demise, the Golden House has remained shut down.[9]
In Sumeru, the Akasha System — powered by the Dendro Gnosis — was created by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata to combat forbidden knowledge during the cataclysm by linking the minds of those who wear Akasha Terminals. After her death, the sages of Sumeru Akademiya repurposed it as a platform for disseminating (and controlling) information, which was how it was used until the end of Chapter III, when Nahida regains control of Sumeru and shuts it down, believing people's overreliance on it would be harmful for the nation's future.[2] The present-day sages also collaborated with Dottore to turn Scaramouche into a replacement God of Wisdom, believing that the Akademiya had stagnated academically in the centuries since Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's death and that Nahida lacked the insight expected of a God of Wisdom.[23] The project never came to fruition due to the intervention of Traveler and Nahida's allies,[2] and the sages involved in the plan were ousted from their positions as punishment.[3][24]
The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale in Fontaine, which generates a form of energy known as Indemnitium through trials conducted at the Opera Epiclese, was secretly merged with Focalors — the actual Hydro Archon, not Furina as publicly believed — and powered by the Hydro Gnosis. Only a small amount of Indemnitium was actually used to power the Court of Fontaine; the majority was accumulated so Focalors could execute herself and destroy the Hydro Archon's throne when the time was right. Following her demise, the Oratrice ceased to function.[16]
Mavuika's plan was to use Pyro Gnosis as back-up should the situation worsen during the Abyssal invasion of Natlan, which sacrificed all the souls and memories from the Night Kingdom to protect the Ley Lines against Abyssal corrosion, erasing Natlanese history and culture.[25] The Sacred Flame in Natlan was kept alive using the Pyro Gnosis during the Abyss' attack against Natlan.[26] After the events of Nod-Krai, Nahida uses the Pyro Gnosis she received from from Mavuika (who considered it a permanent transfer, though Nahida intended to return it if possible) borrowed via the Traveler to burn down the corrupted Irminsul after seeing the damage wrought by Dottore's machinations.[17]
The Geo Gnosis, obtained by Signora peacefully after fulfilling the Tsaritsa's end of the contract with Zhongli.[9]
The Electro Gnosis, obtained by Dottore after agreeing to Nahida's ultimatum that he erase his segments in exchange, lest she destroy the Gnosis and potentially awaken the Heavenly Principles.
He also wished to have the Gnosis removed from Fontaine after receiving Skirk's advice.[3]
The Pyro Gnosis, though initially pursued by Capitano during the Natlan saga, was never retrieved by the Fatui due to his fight with Mavuika during their first encounter ending inconclusively and his later decision to deviate from his original mission of obtaining the Gnosis altogether, seeking to instead merge with Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night to repair Natlan's Ley Lines following the nation's triumph over Gosoythoth. During the events of Archon QuestSong of the Welkin Moon: Act X - Truth Amongst the Pages of Purana, the Traveler obtained the Pyro Gnosis from Mavuika to assist Nahida in burning down Irminsul, but it disappeared in the aftermath and is unaccounted for, even after Nahida's attempts to find it.[10]
Trivia
Though the Archons' status as members of The Seven and their divine thrones exist independently from their Gnoses, Zhongli claimed to Azhdaha that he was no longer the Geo Archon upon their reunion. Azhdaha responded affirmatively to this statement with the claim that he could sense it, implying a relation to Zhongli's recent loss of his Gnosis.[27]
Various promotional videos about Snezhnaya had the players use Gnoses as actual pieces on the board.
In A Winter Night's Lazzo, the Anemo Gnosis is likely used as a king, as the board would then match a position from a real chess game between Deep Blue and Garry Kasparov, and if the Anemo Gnosis were used as a queen in that game instead, the resulting position would be unusual.[28] The Geo Gnosis appears to be used as a rook in the same game.
As there are two king pieces in the center of the board where the queens would be in the real world, the Anemo Gnosis might instead be the queen, with the positions of the queens and kings for each side being swapped relative to the real match. The strange positions of the kings would be explained by Pierro's statement that this version of chess does not end when checkmate happens.
In Sudden Snow, the Cryo Gnosis is possibly used as a king as well, as the board would match another position from a real chess game between Alexander Alekhine and Fred Yates. In this comparison, the Geo Gnosis would once again be used as a rook, while the other Gnoses, playing for black, had been captured by white earlier on.
The only black pieces which are unaccounted for are a queen, a knight, a bishop, and a pawn. It is likely that the Anemo, Electro, Dendro, and Hydro Gnoses match these pieces, though it is unknown which piece matches which exactly. The Anemo Gnosis could plausibly have been used as a queen, as it may have been in the first game.
In the real chess game, it was Black's turn to move, but in the teaser, it was White (the Tsaritsa) to move. Under standard chess rules, the move would be illegal, though the king may not be subject to the same rules in a game where checkmate does not conclude the game.
Alternatively, as in the first game, as the white king is visible to the side of the board, the Cryo Gnosis may once again be the queen, with the positions of king and queen pieces being swapped relative to the real game.
Including Gnoses and pieces that have been taken, the number of pieces in the game totals 33, one more than is legal under normal chess rules.
The top/crown of the Hydro Gnosis resembles an inverted fleur-de-lys, a stylized lily design used most commonly by and associated with French heraldry.
It is currently uncertain how much the mortal people of Teyvat know about Gnoses. Venti states that his Gnosis "isn't something [he is] meant to discuss with ordinary people," while many of the rank-and-file members of the Fatui do not seem to know much about the Harbinger's operations on the Tsaritsa's behalf.
Yae Miko is aware of the power of a Gnosis and its connection to Celestia, and was responsible for guarding the Electro Archon's Gnosis. Whether this is information known to the kitsune youkai or simply because Raiden Ei briefed her on its function beforehand remains to be determined.
Beidou seems to have at least a basic understanding that the Gnoses belong to the Archons when the Traveler mentions their thefts during her Hangout Event, When the Crux Shines Bright.[29] How much she knows about their power and nature beyond this is currently unknown.
Though not explicitly mentioned, the sages involved in the god creation plan likely knew about the Electro Gnosis due to its importance to their plan.
Lyney and Lynette knew of Arlecchino's plan to use the Hydro Gnosis to break the prophecy before handing it over to the Tsaritsa.[21]
Mavuika disclosed that the Harbingers were after the Gnoses to Kinich and Iansan,[30] who are among the small group of people she has been working with to save Natlan.[31]
Before Ayizu died, he told Thrain (known later as the Fatui Harbinger "The Captain") about the secret of the Pyro Gnosis, which caused him to resent Mavuika for not fulfilling her oath and prolonging the inevitable. Ayizu also repeatedly urged Mavuika, the Pyro Archon at that time, to use the Pyro Gnosis to defeat the Abyssal force, which she refused each time for her own reasons.[32]
Etymology
In Gnosticism, gnosis is a term used for wisdom, knowledge, or insight into divine nature. Through Gnosis, one can transcend the material realms controlled by the seven archons and enter the supercelestial realm of Ogdoad.
The Chinese term for Gnosis, 神之心Shén zhī Xīn, "Heart of God," is similar to the term for Visions (Chinese: 神之眼Shén zhī Yǎn, "Eye of God"). Both of them are called 魔力器官 "magical organs," which was translated as "magical foci" in English.
During Teyvat Chapter Interlude Teaser: A Winter Night's Lazzo, after Capitano inquires about Scaramouche and the Electro Gnosis, Il Dottore replies that "Divine Knowledge cannot be rationally comprehended." The Chinese equivalent for "Divine Knowledge" is 神之灵知Shén zhī Língzhī, where 灵知Língzhī is the Chinese term for the Gnostic concept of gnosis.
Notes
↑While Nahida uses the Electro Gnosis to summon Dendro power and materialize a Divine Knowledge Capsule, both her monologue and the cutscene's Archive description state that she needed another Gnosis' power to do this.
↑Archon Quest, Chapter III, Act V - Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises, Part 4: Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies (Cutscene Summary) Having lost the Gnosis, which now houses all his strong obsessions, The Balladeer falls out of his giant mechanical shell in despair and drops to the ground.
↑Hangout Event, Hangout Event: Beidou, Act I - When the Crux Shines Bright: Life on the High Seas
↑Archon Quest, Chapter V, Act II - Black Stone Under a White Stone, Part 1: A Decision
↑Archon Quest, Chapter V, Act II - Black Stone Under a White Stone, Part 5: Past and Future
↑Archon Quest, Chapter V, Act IV - The Rainbow Destined to Burn, Part 2: As One We Watch the Setting Sun "The Captain": Together, Ayizu and I fought many battles and overcame countless hardships. However, he was unable to escape his fate, and in his final moments, told me the secret of the Gnosis. Mavuika: So, it was him... He recommended using the Gnosis on several occasions, even before the tragedy. But, I turned him down each time.
↑Archon Quest, Prologue, Act III - Song of the Dragon and Freedom, Part 8: Ending Note (Japanese Voice-Over)
