The Seven

The Seven Archons, typically shortened to The Seven,^[1] are the seven gods who preside over the seven nations of Teyvat, established after they or their predecessors emerged as the victors of the Archon War 2,000 years ago.^{[Note 1]} Each Archon is associated with an element and an ideal, by which they formed their territories' environment and determined their method of governance over their regions.

Each Archon possesses a magic focus called a Gnosis, which allows them to resonate directly with Celestia.^[2] By comparison, Visions are "primitive" — though a Gnosis's capabilities and purpose, beyond acting as a symbol of an Archon's status, remain unknown. Each Archon is bound to a divine throne, which is composed of an elemental Authority stolen from the Seven Sovereigns, and which grants them authority over the corresponding element.^[3]

As of the Archon Quest Chapter IV: Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty, only six divine thrones remain after the Hydro Archon's throne was destroyed, returning the Authority within to the Hydro Dragon Sovereign and breaking the established order of the Seven.^[3]

History

Main article: Archon War

The Archon War began an indeterminate time in the past, and ended around 2,000 years ago. During this period of time, many gods and archons roamed the land, locked in a bitter struggle for supremacy. It appears that the battles associated with the Archon War are a multitude of local struggles that were grouped together by human history. For example, Barbatos became the first Anemo Archon among The Seven after the death of Decarabian 2,600 years ago,^[4] while Morax is implied to have already become Geo Archon by the time the last of the original Seven claimed their title and thus brought an end to the War.^[5]

The original Seven appeared to be relatively close, sharing a common duty of guiding humanity and often gathering in Liyue for drinks. However, over time, five of The Seven passed away, and some of the newer Archons no longer adhered to the duty of guiding humanity.^[5]

The Cataclysm

Main article: Cataclysm

500 years ago, the destruction of Khaenri'ah led to forbidden knowledge pollution and the rampage of Rhinedottir's creations, which held the power of the Abyss and ravaged the world of Teyvat.^[6] Among those who were perished in the ensuing conflicts were Raiden Makoto, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Egeria, and the Belyi Tsar. They were subsequently replaced by Raiden Ei, Lesser Lord Kusanali, Focalors, and the Tsaritsa, respectively. In order to enact a long-term plan to definitively purge the Abyss from Natlan, Mavuika entombed her life in the Sacred Flame so she could return 500 years in the future, effectively dying in the present.^[7]

Among the conflicts The Seven were collectively involved in included a battle at Tunigi Hollow, where Egeria died and was transformed into the Amrita by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.^[8] To preserve the water's purity and tether the god to the mortal realm, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata grew the Harvisptokhm — which serves as a seal over the dark hollow and prevents the corruption from spreading further — from the Amrita.^[9] Another battle took place within Khaenri'ah, which also involved the Four Great Rulers and saw the curse of immortality laid on pure-blooded Khaenri'ahns;^[10] Makoto died in that battle^[11] and Ei brought her realm of consciousness back to Inazuma.^[12] The Archons were also individually involved in struggles against the Abyss within their regions, which is what led to the deaths of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Mavuika (who survived her final battle, but placed her life in the Sacred Flame immediately afterwards), and the Belyi Tsar.

During this time, the Traveler and their sibling descended on Teyvat and, seeing the chaos, attempted to leave this world, only to run afoul of Asmoday. While the twins did not meet The Seven during this time, The Seven are aware of them and have been awaiting the Traveler's arrival.^[13]

Post-Cataclysm

The devastation wrought by the Cataclysm had lasting effects on the Archons who survived those battles.

Once Inazuma finally returned to peace, Ei believed the only way to preserve that peace was to preserve its current state for Eternity. To preserve her physical form, she decided to create a lifelike puppet made in her likeness. After a century of research, she completed the Shogun 400 years ago.^[14] After bestowing the Shogun with her vision for Inazuma's future, Ei discarded her physical form and placed her consciousness within her blade, creating the Plane of Euthymia.^[15] Because she was never able to make the puppets compatible with the Gnosis or convert it into a power source, Ei entrusted it to Yae Miko for safekeeping.^[16]

The Tsaritsa was left deeply changed by the events of the cataclysm. Somehow coming upon a Khaenri'ahn survivor who had been cursed with immortality, she took him in. As an expression of his gratitude, he became Pierro, the first Fatui Harbinger.^[17] Since then, the Fatui have been amassing influence and military strength, with their ultimate goal being the collection of all seven Gnoses^[18] and a rebellion against Celestia.^[10]

Powers and Abilities

An Archon's power has been attributed to three sources: the first is through presiding over their respective region,^[1] the second is from their people's faith in them, and the third is through the elemental Authorities stolen from the Seven Sovereigns by the Heavenly Principles.^[19] Barbatos claims to be the weakest of The Seven as a result of refusing to govern Mondstadt directly and leaving Mondstadt for extended periods of time,^[1] but Lesser Lord Kusanali was likely even weaker, at least before her rescue — she was imprisoned for 500 years ago, Sumeru Akademiya's sages propped up Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's legacy instead, and the present-day sages attempted to suppress her remaining followers as part of their plan to turn Scaramouche into their new god. Before their confrontation against Scaramouche, Lesser Lord Kusanali admits that she can only take up a supporting role, leaving the Traveler to fight on her behalf.^[19]

While people on Teyvat commonly believe that the Archons are responsible for granting Visions,^[20] they actually have no control over the distribution of Visions and know nothing about the person receiving one; they are only obligated to give a portion of their elemental Authority when notified to do so.^[21][22]

The powers and abilities listed below are not necessarily exclusive to the Archons, and other gods from the Archon War era have displayed similar abilities (besides the Gnoses, which were exclusively awarded to The Seven); however, since the end of the Archon War, The Seven are effectively the only gods left.

Elemental Control

While humans rely on resonance with a Vision to use the elements, most of the Archons had some level of elemental ability before becoming its respective Archon: Barbatos was originally a wind spirit who ascended to godhood,^[23] historical records regarding Morax address him as the "God of Geo" long before he became the Geo Archon, and Ei (and by proxy, Makoto) is an "incarnation of lightning."^[24] The Dendro Archon Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was an incarnation of Irminsul, while her successor Lesser Lord Kusanali was born from the "purest branch of Irminsul."^[19]

Egeria was created by Naberius to become the "Primordial Sea's Heart" in place of the Hydro Dragon, and was later brought to Fontaine to become the Hydro Archon after Remus' death.^[25] Her successor, Focalors, is one of the few exceptions to this premise, having surrendered her innate Hydro abilities as an Oceanid when she became a Fontainian human; her physical form had no Hydro abilities once she separated her divinity from it, which was used as evidence in court to prove that Furina was not the real Hydro Archon.^[26]

While the circumstances around each Pyro Archon's abilities before their ascension is unclear — unlike other Archons, the Pyro Archons are mortals — Mavuika had a Pyro Vision before she became the Pyro Archon.^[27] It is assumed that she no longer needed the Vision after she ascended, considering she does not wear a Vision in the present day. This is supported by Barbatos who explains the Traveler about Gnosis when they first hear about it.^[28]

Gnoses

Main article: Gnosis

While Gnoses are described as being emblematic of an Archon's status and give them a direct connection to Celestia, their exact purpose and abilities remain a mystery. They evidently grant Archons a large power boost and the "divine ability" to defend their nations,^[29] and can be used to amass a large amount of elemental power. Beyond that, their origins and purpose are a well-kept secret that not even Lesser Lord Kusanali knows.^[30]

The ability to channel a Gnosis' power is not limited to its respective Archon; Lesser Lord Kusanali simultaneously uses the Dendro and Electro Gnoses to enter Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's realm of consciousness and heal Irminsul. However, Dottore notes that she has no way of using the Electro Gnosis in combat if they were to come to blows.^[19] Later, she uses the Pyro Gnosis to burn down Irminsul when she realized that it was no longer salvageable due to Dottore's meddling.^[31]

Despite early in-game claims suggesting otherwise,^{[Note 2]} an Archon's position does not rely on possessing a Gnosis. Ei gave her Gnosis to Yae Miko^[16] around 400 years ago,^[14] and the Archons' divine thrones are later revealed to be derived from the Seven Sovereigns' elemental Authorities.^[32]

Divine Throne

Each Archon's divine throne is composed of one of the partial elemental Authorities stolen from the Seven Sovereigns by the Heavenly Principles, and it is the throne that grants each Archon their authority over the corresponding element.^[32] One of the Archons' known uses of this authority is to further divide that power into Visions.^[22] Destroying a divine throne requires a great amount of power and the death of the Archon seated on it; upon its destruction, the Authority contained within will return to its corresponding Sovereign.^[3]

Normally, after an Archon dies, the divine throne is given to someone else. Archons can choose their successors,^[3] and most have chosen someone related to them: Ei is Makoto's younger twin,^[33] Lesser Lord Kusanali was created by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata to become the latter's replacement,^[19] and Focalors was an Oceanid familiar of Egeria's before becoming a Fontainian human.^[3]

For Pyro Archons, who are mortals that age and die like regular humans, the position is won through the Pilgrimage. When a new Pyro Archon ascends to the divine throne, their "inner flame" will awaken, and the Sacred Flame grants them significant knowledge and memory of this land.^[34]

Note that in contexts preceding the end of the Archon War, the term "divine throne" and similar phrases do not strictly refer to the ones created with the elemental Authorities. For example, Decarabian's death is described as "the crumbling of an ancient seat of divinity."^[23]

Vessel Creation and Alteration

Several stories about the Archons involve using their divine powers to either alter their own bodies or even create another body, either for themselves or for someone else.

After simultaneously ascending to both godhood and the seat of Anemo Archon, Venti's first use of his newfound divine power was to "reconstitute" himself into the late Nameless Bard's form.^[23] The draconic Exuvia is referred to as "Rex Lapis' vessel,"^[35] which he used to present himself at the Rite of Descension instead of using his humanlike form;^[36] additionally, popular stories like Rex Incognito involve Rex Lapis taking on various human forms to wander around incognito, although Zhongli himself states that these claims are purely fictional.^[37] After becoming the first Electro Archon, Makoto "reforged" Ei's body, as Ei had given up her bodily form so Makoto could ascend.^[33]

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata originally had an adult's appearance. After she infused the divine power of life to suppress the forbidden knowledge, she shrank to child-like appearance.^[38] During the Cataclysm, the forbidden knowledge invaded Irminsul, prompting Rukkhadevata to use her divine power once again to remove forbidden knowledge from Irminsul, causing her appearance to regress to an even younger child's, identical to Nahida in stature.^[19] However, because Irminsul was contaminated by forbidden knowledge, thereby contaminating Rukkhadevata's very existence alongside it, she created Nahida to replace her in the "new samsara" by snapping off Irminsul's purest branch.^[19]

Egeria was created by Naberius as the Primordial Sea's new heart.^[39] The Oceanids were allegedly born after Egeria shed the "first tear"; one of them was Focalors.^[40] Focalors along with the Oceanids was transformed into humanoid forms by Egeria to walk on land by taking water from the Primordial Sea and inserting it into the Oceanids' "blood" vessels.^[41] When Focalors succeeded her as Hydro Archon, she separated her divinity from her body and spirit to exist separately as Focalors, while the body and spirit she left behind became Furina.^[41] After a new Pyro Archon ascends to the divine throne, they retain their body as they are mortals. They can also resurrect after entering the Sacred Flame and either return their conscious to their own body, or otherwise possess a different person, which can affect their physical limitations.^[42]

Like all gods,^[43] vessels created by an Archon have finite lifespans and can be "killed," while their consciousness can fade away; preventing this from occurring was Ei's motivation for creating the Shogun and entering the Plane of Euthymia. Because discarding her physical form was an irreversible decision,^[15] Ei can only manifest outside of her Plane of Euthymia by using the Shogun's body as her own.^[44] Venti's body possesses the currently unique weakness of being unable to be healed through ordinary means, including a Vision-bearer's healing abilities.^[2] He instead has to harness the power of the Symbol of Mondstadt's Hero to heal himself, which he has demonstrated twice; first was to expunge the abyssal magic that poisoned him via Dvalin when the Traveler unintentionally interrupted them,^[45] and the second was to recover after having his Gnosis taken by Signora.^[2] Because the Pyro Archons can die like a regular mortal, a new Pyro Archon succeeds by winning the Pilgrimage and the Sacred Flame grants them significant knowledge and memory of this land,^[34] passing the legacy from the previous Pyro Archons to another.

Known Members

Nation	Image	Personal Name	Divine Name[A]	Regnal Title	Divine Ideal	Ascended (Years Ago)	Status[B]
Mondstadt		Venti	Barbatos	None[C]	Freedom	2,600[4]	Alive
Liyue		Zhongli	Morax	Rex Lapis	Contracts	3,700–2,600[46][47][D]	Alive
Inazuma		Raiden Ei	Beelzebul[48][E]	Raiden Shogun	Eternity[F]	500[G]	Alive
		Raiden Makoto	Baal[48][E]			2,000[49][50]	Deceased
Sumeru		Nahida	Buer[19]	Lesser Lord Kusanali	Wisdom	500[51][52][H]	Alive
		Unknown	Unknown	Greater Lord Rukkhadevata		2,600–2,000[53][H]	Deceased, erased[52]
Fontaine[I]		Unknown[J][K]	Focalors[54]	Regina of All Waters, Kindreds, Peoples and Laws[55][L]	Justice[M]	500[8]	Deceased[41]
		Egeria[56]	Unknown	Mistress of Many Waters[57][58]		2,000[59]	Deceased
Natlan		Mavuika	Haborym[60]	Kiongozi[61]	War	<100[7][N]	Alive
		Isaja[62]		Unknown		<500[62][O]	Deceased
		Shulevitz[62]				<500[62][O]	Deceased
		Gloharry[62]				<500[62][O]	Deceased
		Cochanina[63]				~500[62][O]	Deceased
		Mavuika		Kiongozi[61]		500[7][P]	Entered the Sacred Flame[7][P]
		Unnamed female Pyro Archon[64][Q]		Unknown		2,000–1,600[R]	Deceased
		Xumucul[65][S]				<2,000[T]	Deceased
		Ndenge[65][S]				<2,000[T]	Deceased
		Unnamed scarlet-eyed youth[66]				2,000[67]	Deceased
		Xbalanque		Kiongozi[61][68]		2,000[67][T]	Deceased[69][U]
Snezhnaya		Anastasya Feodorovna Snezhnaya	Unknown	Tsaritsa of all Snezhnaya	Unknown[V][70]	500[71]	Alive
		Monomakh Snezhnyi	Unknown	Belyi Tsar[72]	Love[73]	2,000[59]	Deceased

Notes

Representatives

Some members of The Seven have worked through proxies who were not Archons but appeared to be so to the people of Teyvat. These include the following characters:

Nation	Representative	Archon	Start (Years Ago)[a]	End
Inazuma	Ei	Makoto	2,000+[b]	500 years ago[c]
	The Shogun	Ei	400[14][74]	In service[d]
Fontaine	Furina	Focalors	500[75]	Masquerade of the Guilty[e]

Notes

Trivia

• When casting Elemental Skills and Bursts, the ends of an Archon's hair glow brightly with their element's color. The exception to this is Mavuika, whose entire hair lights up like glowing neon flame.
• Though the only two remaining Archons of the original Seven are Barbatos and Morax, Beelzebul — the current Electro Archon — was also a veteran of the Archon War, with her sister Baal taking the original Electro seat. It is not yet known if any of the other current Archons were active during the Archon War.
  • During the Archon Quest Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies in Chapter III: Act V - Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is erased from Irminsul, becoming forgotten by all of Teyvat except for the Traveler. In the new history that results from this action, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's existence is replaced by that of Lesser Lord Kusanali; it is now believed that she has been the Dendro Archon since the end of the Archon War — therefore being one of the original Seven — and became imprisoned by the sages of Sumeru after losing her memories during the cataclysm.
• There is a running gag^[76] in which the Archons encountered, up until Mavuika, have no Mora or anyhow spend Mora without thinking:
  • Barbatos, as Venti, has those listening to him buy him drinks instead of giving him Mora.^[77] He also pilfers from the Dawn Winery to eat^[78] and as soon as he has something that is spendable, he thinks of spending it on drinks.^[79] His occupation as a bard is also not lucrative in the first place.^[80]
  • Morax did not pay attention to price tags prior to beginning life as Zhongli, because he could make Mora as needed with his Gnosis.^[81] As a result, Zhongli easily spends (or agrees to spend) large amounts of Mora, generally having others pay for his expenses. He also did not think of setting aside some Mora for personal use before relinquishing his Gnosis.^[81]
  • Beelzebul has no need for Mora, as she simply asks the Tri-Commission to bring the items to her.
  • Buer has not mentioned any struggles with Mora in her dialogue, but she struggles to place a hypothetical price tag on the Sanctuary of Surasthana despite ruminating over it for a long time,^[82] implying that she struggles to comprehend values that would equate to large amounts of Mora. This is likely due to her 500-year imprisonment in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, where she received information and items for free via the Akasha and sages, respectively.^[83]
  • Although Furina is not an Archon, she partially continues the running gag, as she is considered unemployed following the Archon Quest Chapter IV: Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty.
    • While Neuvillette has made arrangements to ensure Furina will not have material issues,^[84] she decides to live alone in a small apartment, where she struggles with cooking and ends up only eating macaroni with different sauces.^[85]
    • Furina herself does have a substantial amount of Mora, as she saved the Mora she earned over the last few centuries in a "private reserve." She now uses this Mora as an ordinary Fontainian, though she tends to overspend.^[86] This may be a direct callback to Zhongli's failure to set aside some "private funds" for himself and how particularly disastrous it can be when he habitually agrees to transactions involving large amounts of Mora.
  • Mavuika, the current Haborym, is the first Archon to break this trend of having a poor sense on money, having a frugal mindset based on the scarce resources of her nation due to the war against the Abyss,^[87] and tactfully handling with said resources.^[88] This is most likely due to her mortal origins and being taught how to handle her finances.
• In the lore of Genshin Impact, a few of the Archons have met and interacted with each other, though in the present setting of the game, this is rather rare.
  • Barbatos is the first to have met the other current Archons the most, having met up with Morax several times, and collaborated with Mavuika on an issue dealing with the Mare Jivari.^[89]
  • It is insinuated that Mavuika and Buer have corresponded by letter at least once, after the Night Warden Wars ended. It is at least confirmed that Mavuika sent Buer a letter.^[90] After Mavuika hands over the Pyro Gnosis to the Traveler on Buer's behalf, they meet in person when Buer visits Natlan. This currently gives Mavuika an equal number of meetings with other Archons as Barbatos.^[91][92]

Etymology

• The term "archon" is a Greek word that refers to "A person who claims the right to rule, or to exercise power or sovereign authority over other human beings." Genshin Impact uses its Gnostic usage,^[93] in which the archons are seven supernatural beings who each rule over one of the seven planets. They are subservient to the demiurge, the creator of the material universe who is beneath the Monad, the true God. By reaching gnosis, an understanding of divine knowledge, one can transcend the confines of the material world and escape the dominion of the archons.
  • A miHoYo developer interview on the May 2021 edition of the Japanese entertainment magazine PASH states that Gnosticism was selected as the primary mythological basis for Genshin Impact, particularly in regards to how Gnosticism deals with the relationship between man and world, and how the archons influence the world.^[93]
• Several Archons have their divine names directly derived from one of the 72 demons found in the Ars Goetia, one of the books in The Lesser Key of Solomon. Gods who predate The Seven have varying levels of similarity to a demon name in the Ars Goetia (see Gods § Etymology).
  • Barbatos is one of the Dukes of Hell.
  • Morax is a Great Earl and a President of Hell.
  • Baal is the first king of Hell.
    • Although Beelzebul, Ei's alternate name, is not used in the Ars Goetia, it is associated with Baal. Ei herself has continued to rule under the name "Baal."
  • Buer is a Great President of Hell.
  • Haborym is another name for Aym, a Great Duke of Hell.
  • Unlike the other named Archons, Focalors is not a direct lift; instead, it is a derivation of Focalor, a Great Duke of Hell.

Gallery

As part of Genshin Impact's anniversary celebrations, HoYoverse releases media that primarily features all playable (or anticipated playable) members and representatives of The Seven as a group. This media may also include characters who are analogous to them in other major gameplay regions as well as Aether, Lumine, and Paimon. While not all characters in such material are affiliated with The Seven, this media is included here for reader convenience.

Images

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Notes

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Change History

References

Navigation

The Seven   Most Recent Members Venti Zhongli Raiden Shogun Nahida Focalors Mavuika Tsaritsa   Former Members Electro Archon Makoto Dendro Archon Greater Lord Rukkhadevata Hydro Archon Egeria Pyro Archon Xbalanque Scarlet-eyed youth Murata Cochanina Cryo Archon Belyi Tsar

Factions Transnational Adventurers' Guild Four Great Rulers Hexenzirkel Legion of Soulblazers Northern Intelligence Network Seven Sovereigns The Seven Three Moons Treasure Hoarders Wanderer's Troupe Mondstadt Church of Favonius Four Winds Knights of Favonius Mondstadt Wine Guild Noble Families Imunlaukr Clan Gunnhildr Clan Lawrence Clan Ragnvindr Clan Liyue Adepti Yakshas Feiyun Commerce Guild Guhua Clan Liyue Qixing Ministry of Civil Affairs Eight Trades Communications Office Sword and Strongbox Secure Transport Agency Huishan Hall Shenglu Hall Yinyuan Hall Millelith Mighty Mythical Beasts The Crux Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Inazuma Arataki Gang Grand Narukami Shrine Inazuma Shogunate Shogun's Army International Trade Association Komaniya Express Raiden Gokaden Kaedehara Clan Sangonomiya Shrine Sangonomiya Clan Watatsumi Army Tri-Commission Kanjou Commission Hiiragi Clan Tenryou Commission Kujou Clan Yashiro Commission Kamisato Clan Shuumatsuban Sumeru Forest Rangers Order of Skeptics Seven Pillars Sumeru Akademiya Darshans Amurta Rtawahist Spantamad Haravatat Vahumana Kshahrewar Matra Temple of Silence The Eremites Corps of Thirty Tanit Fontaine Champion Duelist Confrerie of Cabriere Court of Fontaine Maison Cardinalice Maison Gardiennage Garde Gardemek Maison Gestion Maison Ordalie Marechaussee Phantom Daydream Club Golden Troupe Fontaine Research Institute Fortress of Meropide Beret Society Mutual Aid Network Fruity Order Lochknights Narzissenkreuz Institute Narzissenkreuz Ordo Spina di Rosula Natlan Muratans Saurian Relics Association Six Tribes Children of Echoes Collective of Plenty Flower-Feather Clan Masters of the Night-Wind People of the Springs Scions of the Canopy Thirteen Sovereign Lords Snezhnaya Korolevskiy Troupe Rokot Zapolyarny Palace Druzhna Fatui Armory Palace Eleven Harbingers House of the Hearth Royal Energy Commission of Snezhnaya Snezhnaya Royal Railway Transport Bureau Snezhnograd Veche Nod-Krai Conch Gang Curatorium of Secrets Frostmoon Scions Lightkeepers Seahook Gang The Wild Hunt Voynich Guild Khaenri'ah Alberich Clan Abyss Order Court of Khaenri'ah Schwanenritter Universitas Magistrorum