Seven Sovereigns
Last updated 2026-09-10
The Seven Sovereigns, also known as the elemental dragon sovereigns[2] or simply elemental dragons,[3][4][Note 1] are the seven most powerful elemental lifeforms of the Light Realm, Teyvat's original form of energy.[5]
The original Seven Sovereigns ruled the old world alongside Nibelung and held the seven elemental Authorities, but lost both their status and Authorities when the Heavenly Principles came to Teyvat, partially stole the Authorities, and created a new order over the world.[6][7] The stolen elemental Authorities were eventually given to the Archons' divine thrones. As a result, the living Sovereigns cannot utilize their full abilities and powers unless their corresponding Archon dies, destroys the divine throne, and returns their Authority to them.[6]
Overview
Like all vishaps, the Seven Sovereigns are creatures of the Light Realm and each harnesses one of the primordial elements. The Seven Sovereigns were the mightiest among dragon-kind[5] and ruled over the old world and its seven nations.[7]
When the Heavenly Principles appeared, it took the Sovereigns' Authorities for itself. It and its Four Great Rulers waged war against the Seven Sovereigns and, after a long struggle, vanquished them, while those who refused to yield to the Heavenly Principles fled into the ocean depths. Afterwards, the world was remade to be suitable for humanity[7] and the Human Realm was established by breaking down the raw, primordial elements.[5][8]
With the original Seven Sovereigns' power fading away, a new generation is being born.[9] However, because a Sovereign's dragonhood is intertwined with the elemental Authorities, which were used as the basis for the Archons' powers, none of the living Sovereigns can access their full abilities or memories of the old world until the Archon's divine seat is destroyed and their Authority returned.[6] As of the end of the Archon Quest Chapter IV: Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty, the Hydro Sovereign's Authority has been fully restored.[10]
Sovereigns can only be born from dragons who are elementally pure. As such, the next Hydro Sovereign was not born from the Bathysmal Vishaps, who strayed from their "pure" Hydro forms into "impure" Cryo and Electro variants. It is also possible for Sovereigns to be reborn in human form, as the current Hydro Sovereign takes on the form of Neuvillette, due to the aforementioned impurity of the Bathysmal Vishap.[11]
Story
The Old World
The Dragon King Nibelung was born alongside Teyvat,[12] and since the "dawn of time," the world belonged to the dragons.[13] The world was led by Nibelung and the Seven Sovereigns,[14][15] who each possessed one of the Seven Authorities and a portion of the world. Their respective land was attuned to their elemental affinity.[7]
At one point in the distant past, Nibelung met Anacharsis, a voyager who traversed the cosmos, who told him that Teyvat would be destroyed and he should leave with her. However, he refused to abandon his people, and instead attempted to lead the dragons to the stars.[12] Nibelung eventually left Teyvat and created Three Moons from the planet crust[16] to govern the cycle in his stead.[17]
In Liyue, Azhdaha ruled over a vast territory which included what is now Liyue.[18]
In Sumeru, Apep held the Dendro elemental Authority. She ruled over a lush, forested land while nurturing some of the most ancient and primordial beings known simply as Dendro lifeforms.[19]
The Hydro Dragon, in addition to holding the Hydro elemental Authority, also presided over the Primordial Sea and could be considered the original "God of Life." All life on the planet can trace its origins back to the Primordial Sea. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as "birthing waters" or "amniotic fluid."[20] Life within the Primordial Sea was a collective rather than made up of individuals.[21]
In Natlan, Xiuhcoatl held the Pyro elemental Authority, and presided over all light, heat, and wisdom. He was able to manipulate Phlogiston, the atomic form of the Light Realm and a basic unit of information. At the moment of his birth, he created another dragon named Kukulkan, who he named "brother."[22]
Eternal Throne of the Heavens
After the Heavenly Principles's arrival, the Seven Sovereigns were defeated and rendered unconscious, entering a deep slumber. Xiuhcoatl is known to have been frozen inside Liquid Phlogiston, and experienced a "false death."[22] Subsequently, otherworldly life forms were introduced to the planet and the creation of life no longer relied on the Primordial Sea.[7][20] However, the creation of Egeria was an exception; she was created as a replacement "heart" for the Primordial Sea using "all original matter from this world, entirely without outside elements."[21]
After the Cryo Sovereign's death, its corpse was used by the people of Hyperborea to attempt to create a Primordial Human. However, its corpse afflicted Snezhnaya with a variation of the Holy Soil phenomenon that covered the land in primordial ice. The project did not reach the desired outcome, and Hyperborea was later struck by a Celestial Nail and plunged into the Shadow Realm. However, the project did succeed in creating a lifeform, and Monomakh Snezhnyi emerged a millennium later.[23]
The New World
During the Funerary Year,[24] Nibelung returned to Teyvat, having brought Abyssal power into the world.[14] Nibelung's return with the Abyss triggered the reawakening of the slumbering Dragon Sovereigns, who were unable to resist its call, and joined him in a "great war of vengeance" against the Heavenly Principles.[25] The damage that ensued was unprecedented and pushed the world to near collapse. Apep and other dragons fought alongside Nibelung, but they were ultimately unsuccessful in taking back power.[14] To suppress the forbidden knowledge unleashed by Nibelung, as well as the Holy Soil produced by the Light Realm[22], the Heavenly Principles dropped Celestial Nails, drastically altering the environment and causing the demise of several human civilizations. In Sumeru, what had once been a lush forest turned to sand. To Apep, this heralded the end of the dragons' era.[14] However, by the war's end, the Heavenly Principles was severely weakened and could no longer single-handedly suppress the original order of the world.[25]
Because the Heavenly Principles was unable to continue suppressing the old world with its own absolute authority, it collaborated with another entity known only as "the one who came after," to use the remains of the Third Descender and steal a part of the Sovereigns' elemental Authorities to create the seven Gnoses. Subsequently, this led to the Archon War in which the many gods of Teyvat were driven to conflict against each other in order to determine the seven victors who would each win one of the seven new thrones.[25][Note 2]
During the war, Nibelung and other dragons burnt the Ley Lines of Natlan and devoured all of Natlan's Angels except Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night.[26][27] After Nibelung's defeat, Xiuhcoatl briefly regained his lucidity, and resolved to cleanse the Abyss from Natlantea at any cost. To this end, he created "artificial stars" known as Tzitzimimeh (or Astral Assemblages) which could purge the Abyss by annihilation reactions; he then created a device called Huitzilopochtli which if activated would convert everyone and everything in Natlan into pure Phlogiston, thereby becoming impervious to the Abyss at the cost of becoming ineffably altered. The creation of these devices took a long time, however, and as time passed Xiuhcoatl experienced fewer and fewer bouts of lucidity, and thus sealed himself inside the Heart of the Sacred Mountain beneath the Great Volcano of Tollan. He eventually became a shadow of his former self, unable even to recall the name of his brother Kukulkan, and feared the day he would be entirely corrupted by the Abyss.
Huitzilopochtli could only be activated by the authority over Pyro invested in one of Xiuhcoatl's eyes. However, Kukulkan was vehemently opposed to using the Huitzilopochtli at the time and schemed to find another way to save Natlan and the dragon race from destruction. To this end, Kukulkan created a human-dragon hybrid named Och-Kan who would slay Xiuhcoatl and become the new Pyro Sovereign and unite both humans and dragons; however, Och-Kan resolved to side with the human Xbalanque instead.
Xbalanque's federation of human tribes laid siege to the Sacred City, where Xbalanque seized upon Xiuhcoatl's weak point and took the Pyro Dragon down alongside himself;[28] as Xbalanque was resurrected by Ronova, the authority of Pyro was usurped, and Xbalanque became the first Pyro Archon. Even after Xiuhcoatl's death, his power occasionally manifests in Saurians directly descended from him, in the form of a unique red mark and power over flame.
In Mondstadt, during the age when the gods walked the land in their prime, Dvalin — the new Anemo Sovereign, was born from a convergence of elemental energy in the high heavens. Curious about the world around him, the young dragon descended from the skies to observe it. However, as an enormous and powerful dragon, humans came to fear and resent him. One day, drawn by the melody of the Holy Lyre der Himmel, he landed beside Barbatos and chose to remain by his side, forming a deep friendship with the Anemo Archon.[29] A thousand years ago, following Vennessa's rebellion, Dvalin took his place as the Dragon of the East, one of the Four Winds entrusted with protecting Mondstadt.[30][31][32]
In Liyue, the Geo Sovereign Azhdaha's awakening caused the earth to tremble with every movement he made.[33][Note 3] Morax approached him, seeking to stop the earth's shaking, and managed to befriend the dragon for some time,[34] with the dragon even participating in the Archon War on Morax's behalf. However, later on, a combination of erosion and human mining at the Chasm caused Azhdaha to forget his friends and his love for humanity. Azhdaha lashed out and attacked the Chasm, destroying the settlement at Tianqiu Valley in the process.[35] Morax chose his duty to protect humanity and personally went to the mines to subdue him. The Geo Archon's power alone was insufficient to overpower the eroding dragon, and he needed the help of Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and an unnamed adeptus to create a domain that would be able to seal Azhdaha away. Even then, Azhdaha willingly allowed himself to be sealed.[33][36]
The Cataclysm
The Khaenri'ahn alchemist Rhinedottir created one of her masterpieces, the artificial dragon Durin. 500 years ago, around the time of the cataclysm, she sent Durin to the surface world; however, he ended up unleashing havoc and destruction upon Mondstadt on his arrival. Hearing the suffering of his people, Barbatos awoke from his slumber and summoned Dvalin to aid him in ending Durin's rampage. The two eventually emerged victorious, slaying Durin over Dragonspine; however, Dvalin ended up ingesting Durin's poisonous blood and fell into a deep slumber in the ruins of Old Mondstadt to recuperate.[29][32]
Post Cataclysm
Around 500 years ago, Neuvillette — the new Hydro Sovereign, born in human form as the Enkanomiyans had prophesized — was invited by the new Hydro Archon Focalors to become the Chief Justice of Fontaine.[10] Although initially uninterested in humanity, Neuvillette agreed in order to uncover his missing memories regarding his powers.[37]
Present Day
During the events of the Archon Quest Prologue, the Abyss Order sought to weaponize Dvalin in their plans to destroy the nations of Teyvat and eventually, Celestia.[38] However, their plot was eventually foiled by the combined efforts of Venti, the Traveler, Jean, and Diluc. Freed from the poisonous blood that put him in physical agony and freed from the Abyss Order's lies, Dvalin rekindled his friendship with Venti and became Mondstadt's ally once more.
In Amidst Chaos, the Rock Is Unmoved in Zhongli's Story Quest, Historia Antiqua Chapter: Act II - No Mere Stone, Azhdaha, through the artificial vessel Jiu, attempted to break Morax's seal at the Dragon-Queller by having miners chip away at the seal from outside, while Azhdaha overpowered it from within. The plan was eventually thwarted when Zhongli, the Traveler, and Kun Jun — who was unknowingly possessed by a fragment of Azhdaha's consciousness that retained his goodwill towards humanity — investigated the miners' disappearance and stumbled upon the plot. After a hard-fought battle, Azhdaha's body was resealed, while his spirit went dormant again.[33]
In Nahida's Story Quest, Sapientia Oromasdis Chapter: Act II - Homecoming, the Dendro Archon Lesser Lord Kusanali, Paimon, and the Traveler meet the Dendro Sovereign Apep. Despite Apep's initial hostility towards anyone related to the old world's usurpers, it calms down after the three successfully purge the forbidden knowledge eating away at it. While still dissatisfied with the current world order, it explains the Sovereigns' past to them and decides to simply observe humanity and the gods for the time being, as there is no point in destroying them anyway.[14]
During the events of Archon Quest Chapter IV: Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty, the second-to-last Hydro Archon Focalors is put on trial for the "original sin" that the Heavenly Principles had declared on Egeria. This trial reveals that Furina is not the real Hydro Archon, but rather the "humanity" of Focalors, who has played the role of the Archon for 500 years while Focalors orchestrates her plan to deceive the Heavenly Principles. However, a death sentence was issued, and Focalors soon reveals her plan to Neuvillette, saying that acquiring the stolen power of the Hydro Sovereign is not true to her ideal of justice. This plan becomes successful when the Indemnitium acquired through the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale forms a giant blade that proceeds to execute her, resulting in the destruction of the Hydro Archon's throne. After Focalors' death, the Hydro Sovereign's Authority is left to him, giving him absolute control over the Hydro element.[39]
Eventually, Kukulkan lost faith in humanity and decided to activate Huitzilopochtli to combat the Abyss as originally planned. Kukulkan manipulated Saurian bloodlines to produce a direct descendent of Xiuhcoatl fit to inherit the mantle of Pyro Dragon Sovereign, resulting in Little One. He manipulated countless humans to guide them to unite the two halves of Xiuhcoatl's pupil and bring one such Saurian to the Heart of the Sacred Mountain. Eventually, the Traveler and Paimon succeeded, and Little One was given the choice as to whether to activate Huitzilopochtli and inherit the Authority of Pyro. Little One refused, deciding to trust humanity and being unwilling to put his companions at risk. Huitzilopochtli was left without the power to ever activate, the Pyro Authority remained in the hands of Mavuika, and Kukulkan peacefully passed away.[22]
Alternate Present-Day
In a non-canonical outcome, Little One did choose to activate Huitzilopochtli. However, he became the sole surviving being remaining within the Primal Flame, and endured billions of years of loneliness. He never forgot Paimon or the Traveler, and always wondered whether he could have made a different choice.[22]
Known Sovereigns
| Icon | Element | Name | Region | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
✱[Note 4] | Nibelung[14][40] Dragon King |
Whole Teyvat | Killed by the Heavenly Principles prior to the game's events |
|
 |
Dvalin[Note 5] Anemo Dragon |
Mondstadt | Alive |
|
 [Note 6] |
Azhdaha[Note 3] Geo Dragon |
Liyue | Incapacitated as of Amidst Chaos, the Rock Is Unmoved |
|
 |
Apep[41] Dendro Dragon |
Sumeru | Alive |
|
 |
Neuvillette Hydro Dragon |
Fontaine | Alive |
|
|
Unknown[42] Original Anemo Dragon |
Unknown | Deceased prior to the game's events Succeeded by Dvalin |
|
|
|
Unknown Original Hydro Dragon |
Fontaine[43][44] | Deceased prior to the game's events Succeeded by Neuvillette |
|
 |
Xiuhcoatl Pyro Dragon |
Natlan | Killed by Xbalanque prior to the game's events No known successor |
|
|
 |
Unknown[45] Cryo Dragon |
Snezhnaya | Deceased, remains used to create Monomakh Snezhnyi No known successor |
Notes
- ↑ While the English localization of Three Realms Gateway Offering: The Eve implies that "elemental dragons" are a type of dragon which includes the Seven Sovereigns, the original Chinese text (「光界」的七王，则是代表蛮荒、原始元素力之顶的元素七龙。) indicates that only those seven dragons are described as "elemental." Later uses of "elemental dragon" (Chinese: 元素龙) have also been reserved for Sovereigns; the term has not been used for any dragon that is explicitly not a Sovereign, even those with elemental abilities.
- ↑ Neuvillette's Vision story states that "all fragments of the primordial were driven to devour each other" following the Gnoses' creation, which aligns with Soraya's line in the World Quest Treasure Lost, Treasure Found about the Archon War starting when seven divine thrones — the Archons' seats — opened up in Celestia.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The term for "Dragon Sovereign" (Chinese: 龙王 "dragon king") in the English localization is derived from the same term used for Azhdaha's title of "dragon king" (Chinese: 龙王). Additionally, the Chinese version of Azhdaha's boss title, the "Sealed Lord of Vishaps" (Chinese: 被封印的岩龙之王 "Sealed King of Geo Dragons"), matches the Chinese title for Xiuhcoatl as the Pyro Dragon Sovereign (Chinese: 火龙之王 "King of Pyro Dragons").
- ↑ The modern system of Elements is an adaptation imposed by the Heavenly Principles that split the primordial energies of the Light Realm into seven distinct forms. As the original ruler of Teyvat, Nibelung likely possessed the complete and undivided powers of the Light Realm.
- ↑ Dvalin is referred to as an elemental dragon in Breeze Amidst the Forest, and has been grouped in the same category with confirmed Sovereign Apep in various quests, including Where Lies the Path Home, The Last Day of Remuria, and The Narzissenkreuz Adventure. Additionally, Dvalin's title as the "Wind Dragon" (Chinese: 风龙) is consistent with the shortform titles of other Dragon Sovereigns; for the purpose of this article, 风龙 will be rendered as "Anemo Dragon" in line with the expected standardized localization for the titles of other Dragons Sovereigns and Archons.
- ↑ Can also absorb Cryo, Pyro, Hydro, and Electro
Other Languages
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Seven Sovereigns | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 七王 Qī Wáng | Seven Kings |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 七王 Qī Wáng | |
| Japanese | 七王 Shichiou[!] | Seven Kings |
| Korean | 일곱 왕 Ilgop Wang | Seven Kings |
| Spanish | Siete soberanos | Seven Sovereigns |
| French | Sept souverains | Seven Sovereigns |
| Russian | Семь властителей Sem' vlastiteley | Seven Rulers |
| Thai | ราชาโบราณทั้งเจ็ด Racha Boran Thang Chet | Seven Ancient Kings |
| Vietnamese | Thất Vương | Seven Kings |
| German | Sieben Herrscher | Seven Rulers |
| Indonesian | Tujuh raja | Seven Kings |
| Portuguese | Sete Soberanos | Seven Sovereigns |
| Turkish | Yedi Hükümdar | |
| Italian | Sette sovrani | Seven Sovereigns |
Change History
References
- ↑ Weapon Lore: Fractured Halo
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty, Part 6: Finale
Paimon: Focalors destroyed the divine throne of the Hydro Archon and restored your power to you, transforming you into a fully-fledged elemental dragon sovereign... - ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act I - Prelude of Blancheur and Noirceur, Part 2: The City of Rains and Remembrance
Could that Hydro Dragon be the elemental dragon of Fontaine?
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty, Part 5: The Opera of Noirceur and Blancheur (Chinese version)
Focalors: 换句话说就是，一切都是为了将「水神」的权能归还给这个星球的水元素龙。 "In other words, this was all done to return the Hydro Archon's powers to this planet's Hydro elemental dragon." - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Event Three Realms Gateway Offering Quest, Aphotic Diffusal: Three Realms Gateway Offering: The Eve
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act IV - Cataclysm's Quickening, Part 4: Calamitous Tread
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Book: The Byakuyakoku Collection, Vol. 2 - Before Sun and Moon
- ↑ Item: Coral Butterfly
- ↑ Archive, Living Beings, Enemies and Monsters, Mystical Beasts: Bolteater Bathysmal Vishap Hatchling
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty, Part 5: The Opera of Noirceur and Blancheur
- ↑ Book: The Byakuyakoku Collection, Vol. 4 - Bathysmal Vishap Experimental Records
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Artifact, Finale of the Deep Galleries: Deep Gallery's Distant Pact
- ↑ Character Level-Up Material: Worldspan Fern
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Story Quest, Nahida, Sapientia Oromasdis Chapter: Act II - Homecoming, Part 2: What Shape Does the Self Hold
- ↑ Archive, Living Beings, Enemies and Monsters, Mystical Beasts: Primordial Bathysmal Vishap
- ↑ Archon Quest, Song of the Welkin Moon, Act VIII - True Moon, Part 1: The First Sliver of Moonlight
- ↑ Weapon Lore: Fractured Halo
- ↑ Soundtrack: Ode to Azhdaha
- ↑ Where Lies the Path Home in Nahida's Story Quest, Sapientia Oromasdis Chapter: Act II - Homecoming
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Neuvillette's Character Story: A Fontainian Nursery Rhyme
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Wind Glider: Wings of Merciful, Wrathful Waters
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 World Quest, A Finale Emberforged, Part 1: An Omen of Annihilation and the Final Entreaty
- ↑ World Quest, Her Palace Collapses Into the Blizzard, Part 1: An Ark That Used to Be a Soul
- ↑ YouTube: Song of the Welkin Moon Teaser: Moonlit Ballad of the Night
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Neuvillette's Character Story: Vision
- ↑ Weapon Ascension Material: Blazing Sacrificial Heart's Hesitance
... those envoys from the skies above, under whose guidance the earthly civilizations had thrived, were devoured by the awakened dragons ... - ↑ World Quest, Between Pledge and Forgettance: Revelations from the Past
The pitch-black flames scorch the land, and even the white tree nearly withered, and the final envoy's glow shattered and smashed, only able to subsist on the last leaves of the severed roots. - ↑ World Quest, A Finale Emberforged, Part 1: An Omen of Annihilation and the Final Entreaty
Kukulkan: And such a fantasy came true once, when Xbalanque seized upon Xiuhcoatl's weak point and slew him. - ↑ 29.0 29.1 Book: Breeze Amidst the Forest, Vol. 1 - Ballad Selection Excerpt
- ↑ Character Teaser: Venti: The Four Winds
- ↑ Book: Breeze Amidst the Forest, Vol. 2 - The Dragon
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Archon Quest, Prologue, Act II - For a Tomorrow Without Tears, Part 3: That Green Fellow
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Story Quest, Zhongli, Historia Antiqua Chapter: Act II - No Mere Stone, Part 4: Amidst Chaos, the Rock Is Unmoved
- ↑ Weapon Lore: The Unforged
- ↑ World Quest: Trails in Tianqiu
- ↑ Liyue Hidden Exploration Objective, Unordered: Hidden in Nameless Treasures
- ↑ Story Quest, Neuvillette, Diluvies Chapter: Act I - The Remains of the Past Day, Part 1: A Familiar Threat
- ↑ YouTube: Story Teaser: We Will Be Reunited
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty, Part 5: The Opera of Noirceur and Blancheur
- ↑ Item: Fractured Halo
- ↑ Event Ruins Exploration: Fieldwise Center Quest, Ruins Exploration: Act II, Part 1: Headlong Into the Sands
Thoth: Al-Ahmar would insist the Dendro Dragon Sovereign was one of us, but the dragon herself rejected that idea. - ↑ Book: Breeze Amidst the Forest, Vol. 1 - Ballad Selection Excerpt
- ↑ Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act I - Prelude of Blancheur and Noirceur, Part 2: The City of Rains and Remembrance
Freminet: It's said that a Dragon of Water once resided in Fontaine. - ↑ Artifact, Fragment of Harmonic Whimsy: The Grand Jape of the Turning of Fate
Blood and hatred pervaded beneath the High Sea, for what was the kingdom where the Dragonborn dwelled. - ↑ World Quest, Her Palace Collapses Into the Blizzard, Part 1: An Ark That Used to Be a Soul
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