Thoth
Last updated 2026-09-10
Thoth is a god who once served as a Moon Envoy. He was one of the gods defeated by King Deshret and brought into his service as one of the Seven Pillars. He was known as the "Ibis King",[1] and certain texts record him as a "god of deceit".[7]
Profile
Among the Seven Pillars, the Ibis King embodies the wisdom of King Deshret. Thoth is exceedingly cunning, possessed of formidable intellect and prowess for offering counsel to King Deshret. Within Sumeru's academic circles, some scholars believe that many of the desert's upheavals can be traced to this clever king. The long ages of torment have softened Thoth considerably, and his constant stream of jokes and witticisms now makes him seem notably more approachable.[7]
For what the trio described as "iniquity", he was imprisoned in Aaru along with his fellow Pillars Heryshaf and Sobek by King Deshret, who told him that he can be freed if he is given the answer to three questions. Two of those questions were answered by Goudarz and Makhaira, who were granted "rewards" by Thoth that eventually led to their downfall. The third question was answered by Nefer, but her answer didn't free Thoth, meaning that it was wrong. Nevertheless, he still gave her a gift: a chess set that can help her perceive hidden secrets.[8] Without any choice, Thoth patiently waits for the day Nefer will find the true answer to the third question and free him.
Appearance
Thoth is depicted as a humanoid figure with the head of an ibis.
Quests and Events
Archon Quests
Events
Story
During the era of Teyvat's unified civilization, Thoth served as a Moon Envoy of the Lunar Palace.[1][7][9]
When the Archon War began, Thoth was among the gods defeated by King Deshret.[7] Along with the gods Heryshaf and Sobek, were appointed as one of the Seven Pillars of King Deshret.
It's said the trio, seeing how Deshret mourned his losses, pushed Deshret to rebel against the Heavenly Principles and make use of forbidden knowledge. Twice they were rebuked, but Sobek eventually convinced Deshret to give in and seek immortality.[10]
At some point, they were banished to Aaru for self-described wickedness,[11] where Thoth would spend his time in some ruins near The Mausoleum of King Deshret. According to what he was told, Thoth would be freed if humans could give him three answers for three questions which had been given to King Deshret by Nabu Malikata. The questions in order were:
- What causes our rise and fall?
- What obliterates love and hate?
- What determines truth and falsehood?
Thoth would spend his time with Heryshaf and Sobek playing chess in Aaru, while occasionally possessing various cats that lived in the ruins, descendants of the pet cats he'd kept in the past, to greet humans who had come to visit him in the ruins.
Thoth would get two of his three answers from the humans Goudarz and Makhaira. Goudarz was asked "What causes our rise and fall?" to which he answered "Conspiracy and betrayal, for it renders the righteous and wise unable to succeed and thus nations fall." As reward, Thoth granted him the power to "deceive." Years later, Makhaira would be asked the second question of "What obliterates love and hate?", to which she replied "I have nothing left to lose. Vengeance alone can quench both love and hate.", granting her the power to "be loved" by Thoth. The powers that had been granted to Goudarz and Makhaira would eventually see them to their doom, albeit Thoth noted that it wasn't clear if it had been his gifts or the answers they had given him which led to their demise. Each visitor's events - the answer and the fallout - would be inscribed into a stone slate found within the Ruins of Aaru.
Eventually, Thoth came upon more interesting people, including Zandik, who was accompanied by a companion, and several centuries later Nefer.
While he noted Zandik was extremely intelligent, he also took note of his mistrust, arrogance and lack of moral boundaries, causing him to be unsure if he should give him a gift. To his relief, Zandik declined, stating that he didn't have need for the gift, though Thoth still recalled his contempt and disdain from his gaze. Before they left, Thoth, suspecting that Zandik would likely leave behind his companion or get him killed, deceived him: He warned him that if he left his companion to die, he would not be able to leave, stating "Only the descendants of Tulaytullah can come and go as they please. Leave him behind, and there is no escape for you."
Later, when happening upon her after her vengeance for the decimation of her tribe, Thoth gave Nefer the question "What determines truth and falsehood?" after which Nefer, realizing Thoth's deceit, gave him a seemingly false answer which he rewarded with a gift to match. He only realized she had tricked him after he had not been freed from her answer, but knew he had to wait until it aligned with Deshret's rules. At the time, Thoth had occupied a cat named Ashru. Through the body of this little creature, the king was able to have a brief meeting with her despite his circumstances. Interestingly, while indwelling Ashru's body, the Ibis King seemed to also share in the cat's physical sensations. Unfortunately, before Nefer could learn about this, the cunning king had already left Ashru's body, turning him back into an ordinary little cat. Nonetheless, Nefer decided to take Ashru with her, hoping that Thoth would one day communicate to her through him.[12]
Just like with Layla's Ancestor when tricking Zandik, Thoth was also responsible for saving both Layla and Djer when they accidentally stumbled upon his ruins and touched a device of Deshret that measured brain power, flooding them with repetitive information so their brains wouldn't overload from it. Albeit he claims that the simple sentences he used to help them were just passing whims of his mind, it can be speculated that the phrase "How many moons are there in the sky?" may have a deeper meaning, if Nefer's speculation about a possible connection between the Moon Wheel and the Ibis King holds true.
Upon meeting the Traveler, Cyno, Tighnari, Sethos, Alhaitham, Kaveh, Mehrak and Layla, Thoth explained his past to them before letting them out of his home. He did not reveal Nefer's identity to the group, although the Traveler recognized that he was talking about Nefer, as they had already seen her past through Nefer's chess set.[13]
When Nahida was locked out of Irminsul, her people headed to Aaru's Shut to speak with the Seven Pillars, discovering Thoth, Sobek and Heryshaf's voices there. Nefer, who was convinced by Nicole to help save her homeland, met with Thoth and revealed that the answer she had given him was for herself and not what King Deshret had intended. She then gave the answer that King Deshret had sought, "time," breaking the curse over the three and allowing them to restore their physical forms. Thoth and the others agreed to loan Aaru's Shut to the people of Sumeru and enhanced Nefer's chessboard set. Once the situation was rectified, Thoth decided to reside in the Temple of Silence for the time being.
Character Mentions
Character Stories
| Character | Stories |
|---|---|
Character Voice-Overs
| Character | Voice-Overs |
|---|---|
|
Gallery
Ruins Exploration: Fieldwise Center
Headlong Into the Sands
Trivia
- Due to the nature which both his title as "Lord of Lies" and Nefer's suggestions confer, it isn't rational to take everything the Ibis King said during Headlong Into the Sands as truthful.
- When talking about the Dendro Sovereign holding a place as one of the seven pillars, Cyno's comparison with the Dragon as a "card you never draw" causes Thoth to mention, that he always preferred chess to cards.
- Thoth preferring chess appears to be in line with his character when taking in account the volatile and semi-random nature of cards in comparison to the methodical and planning nature of chess
- Thoth was a moon envoy and used to be acquainted with Zibai.[14]
Aliases and Titles
- Thoth is known by these aliases or titles:
Etymology
- Thoth (Egyptian: ḏḥwtj lit. "[he] is like the ibis") is the Egyptian god of the Moon, wisdom, knowledge, writing, hieroglyphs, science, magic, art and judgment. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or a baboon, animals sacred to him.
Other Languages
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Thoth |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 图特 Tútè |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 圖特 Tútè |
| Japanese | トート Tooto |
| Korean | 토트 Toteu |
| Spanish | Thot |
| French | Thoth |
| Russian | Тот Tot |
| Thai | Thoth |
| Vietnamese | Thoth |
| German | Thoth |
| Indonesian | Thoth |
| Portuguese | Thoth |
| Turkish | Thoth |
| Italian | Thoth |
Change History
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Nefer's Character Story: Moon Wheel
- ↑ Event Ruins Exploration: Fieldwise Center Quest, Ruins Exploration: Act II, Part 1: Headlong Into the Sands
- ↑ NPC Dialogue: Asenath
- ↑ YouTube: Version "Luna VII" "Truth Amongst the Pages of Purana" Trailer (Video Description)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bilibili: 《原神》「空月之歌·行律」版本PV：「虚空劫灰往世书」 (Video Description)
- ↑ YouTube: 원신 | 「일곱 번째 달」 버전 PV: 「공허 겁회의 푸라나」 (Video Description)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Guiding Notes: Thoth
- ↑ Archon Quest, Song of the Welkin Moon, Act IV - An Elegy for Faded Moonlight, Part 3: Echoes of Fate
- ↑ Event A Lanternlit Ode to the Silver Moon Quest, A Lanternlit Ode to the Silver Moon: Epilogue: White Horse's Leisurely Journey
- ↑ Item: The Lay of Al-Ahmar
- ↑ Archon Quest, Song of the Welkin Moon, Act IX - As All Falls to Emptiness, Part 3: Ancient Shadows Re-Emerge
- ↑ Nefer's Character Story: Ashru
- ↑ Event Ruins Exploration: Fieldwise Center Quest, Ruins Exploration: Act II, Part 1: Headlong Into the Sands
- ↑ Event A Lanternlit Ode to the Silver Moon Quest, A Lanternlit Ode to the Silver Moon: Epilogue: White Horse's Leisurely Journey