FFXIV Lore: Sophia, The Goddess (Encyclopaedia Bellatoria)

The second member of the Warring Triad encountered in Azys Lla, The Goddess of Meracydia represents the nihilistic corruption of justice and balance in the face of war and chaos.
Thanks to Viv for the title art!
/ vivyanabird
This video extensively contains my own commentary and editing and is intended for educational purposes.

[@BlazingAzureTheta]

It's funny just how far the lore rabbit hole goes in this game. I'm really enjoying how FF14 pieced together an entire history of civilization.

[@LY554YT]

It's incredible really. And Ethys' lore tours just prove that it's not only the "big bads" that get that treatment. Almost every dungeon mob is specifically designed, placed and named with a wealth of background and real and mythological history. To be honest, when I started playing this game I was skeptical about whether they could keep that legendary Final Fantasy depth in an MMO, when so many are so watered down and simple, but they really have. Although she's undeniably bad, there's something quite pragmatic and neutral about just wanting to keep "balance", without adding any emotion to it. The lyrics of the song especially show that. The father dies. The mother has to die. The daughter's grief spirals to infinite depths, ending the daughter ends the grief. Everything is balanced again.

[@BunnyHopTales]

Sorry for the stupid question but I didn't quite understood what exactly happend to/in this family? I mean why is the father dead? Why "must" the mother die? Thank you for taking the time to read my questions and possibly replying to them. PS: English is not my native language, therefore I sometimes have difficulties hearing/understanding spoken English :( My apologies.

[@BlazingAzureTheta]

I'll be using the lyrics as well as my own interpretation to answer your questions. "A torn uniform in hand, farewells unsaid" This implies that the father was some sort of soldier and that he died in battle. "The white of her silken dress stained in red" "A daughter's desperate cries, unheard pleas Forsaken, beaten, tried, on her knees" The mother lashed out against her daughter, probably in grief from losing the father. The mother's beatings could be happening all in the course of a single day, or it could be abuse happening over the course of a long period of time. Either way, the mother is being extremely severe with her abuse as the daughter is bleeding from it as the daughter's dress is now "stained in red". "Into her soul the Goddess whispers" "The heart seeketh equilibrium With balance will your worry part" Sophia offers a solution to the abused daughter to make her "worry" go away. The daughter must do some action to cause "balance" to be restored. "One last step only leaving an empty hearth down by the sea" At the end of the song we finally see what this "balance" that the daughter has caused that finally lets her leave the home. In case you weren't aware a "hearth" is the area around a fireplace in a home, but in literature the hearth symbolizes a home, usually one that is free of worry and full of familial love. In this case, leaving an "empty hearth" has an implication that there is no longer anyone around that house. My interpretation is that in Sophia's eyes, the family had become "unbalanced" with the dead father. Since the daughter obviously couldn't bring her father back to life, the only other way to "balance" the family was to kill the mother. Then, with that act done, the daughter is able to finally leave the abuse or, what I think the correct interpretation is, the daughter kills herself. The song specifically mentions "one last step" and "down by the sea". In my mind, I see that as a statement saying that the home was on a cliff and that the "one last step" was the daughter stepping off the cliff to die.

[@espional7598]

@@BunnyHopTales My understanding is that the father died in a war, and the mother committed some kind of violent act, possibly against the daughter. The judgment, or you could think of it as a 'sentencing', is for her to die as punishment. But the daughter, in killing the mother, has now also committed a sinful act, so she must also die for 'justice' to be met.

[@TrungTran-yg3uv]

it's amazing how deep the lore go. I love how you pieced together the history trickled down from Sophia's scale to Uldah's.

[@sparthyslaysstuff2405]

Civilizations build one off the other. I do like that the loremasters have woven this into dungeons as mundane as the original Sunken Temple of Qarn.

[@djennings802]

Equilibrium is one of my favorite songs because it doesn't just sound good but tells a story

[@El_Kaichou]

That part about the scales found in Qarn and the flag of Uldah had my mind blown. They really did a good job piecing everything together! This was a great video!

[@amitamaru]

So, this will probably seem out there, but part of me thinks the daughter from the song Equilibrium became Sophia's "Daughter", the floating head familiar. Perhaps by proving her faith and restoring the balance, Sophia sought fit to preserve the daughter in such a way that she would always know the harmony of her Goddess, similar to how Bahamut preserved Nael Van Darnus as Nael Deus Darnus.

[@RCDeschene]

I think that's exactly the case. If you pay attention to the things Sophia says in the battle, right before the Goddess head attacks for the first time, she addresses it by the name "Daughter". "Daughter, be the bearer of my wisdom." This got me convinced that the song also not only serves as an example of Sophia's nihilistic ways, but also as an origin story of that familiar As you suggested yourself, Sophia takes compassion on the daughter's soul after she kills herself as her eternal servant. This would fit Sophia's twisted logic of balance perfectly... "Your mother's heart is imbalanced because your father is dead, so kill her to end the imbalance and then yourself for your murderous sin, and in-doing so I will reward your act of atonement by granting you my power and wisdom as my personal tool of equilibrium." And thus "Daughter" becomes her scales, her symbol of Equilibrium.

[@DHitt]

Given the fact that a tree-like race from Meracydia worshipped Sephirot, and primals tend to take some aspects from the race that summons them, it really begs the question as to who exactly summoned Sophia originally, or I suppose I should say created. As the only other race that we know of, excluding dragons, that hails from Meracydia is that of the Miqo'te, Sophia seems to be lacking any of their specific characteristics, but most notably, their most definitive feature: their ears. However, it is interesting to note that the Daughter does indeed have the same eye type, cats eye, that we would associate with Miqo'te; however, it is difficult to see if Sophia has similar eyes. This is slightly in contrast with the official description, stating that she is from a "Meracydian nation comprised of a multitude of races," which is probably the most interesting reveal, but it really just creates more questions than answers. I assume a deity of that magnitude, who was a "foundation" for this Meracydian nation, was created at some prior point.

[@sparthyslaysstuff2405]

Sophia is a local interpretation of Hydaelyn who is often referred to in the feminine. So it comes at no surprise that she'd take the female form when summon to fight against the invading Allagan armies.

[@danielhenderson8874]

I've watched a couple of your videos, but the detail and depth in this one is what got my to subscribe. Nice work.

[@auroraborealis9664]

Thanks for the great video. I'm a bit of a loreophile myself, and I always enjoy your videos. Sophia is my favorite primal so far. I seriously don't know how they will do better than her.

[@Rhomagus]

Beautifully written Ethys. I thought I would've seen some connection to Justicia, Themis, and Columbia but perhaps it was best just to stick with Sophia and Sophia alone. Can't be going down too many tributaries I'd wager.

[@Thorolund]

Very interesting. I had not before considered that Sophie is, in a way, a primal version of Hydaelyn.

[@Christopher-eq1rn]

Whoo boy, they way this comment aged lol

[@Tokkoking]

Aged like wine

[@SalutexMO]

@@Tokkoking In what way? Does sophina have a more relevant role in the story now?

[@kianasgf171]

@@SalutexMO I think it's about how they addressed hydaelyn taking what now we know from shadowbringers and endwalker

[@matthewmcknife]

This blew my fucking mind.

[@thebeattribe]

Ethys, I absolutely love your lore videos. I hadn't even connected Phlegathon and the other Crystal Tower foes to her at all. A very interesting lore video might be those four bosses (Crystal Tower) and their origin and background!

[@The_Supervillain]

Amazing. Love your analysis of these topics, Bellatoria is a really well done set of videos. Keep em comin', good sir! o/

[@beneiss2174]

Hey, i wanted to pose an idea about how the egi glamour system could work. Could SMN'rs use precious gems as a design blueprint for the aether that forms the egi to change its colors and shapes, but keep its core being the same. Much like arcanists use different gems to product different kinds of carbuncle, could SMN'rs acquire "gems" to glamour their egi's. (EX. violet levin gem - Ramuh) (EX. Frozen Star Saphire - Shiva) (EX. Magnificent Moggle Diamond - Moggle Mog [god forbid]) what do you think?

[@tostisgood]

Just watched this and your vid on Sephirot. I'd never realized how deep the lore of FFXIV was! Thanks for making these.

[@Luanakaru]

One particular primal I'm very interested in knowing about is Odin! Not many know about him and why he is around The Black Shroud, or the fact that his home is within Urth's Gift. Would you please do an episode on him?

[@spectreshadow]

Pretty much the sword is the primal.

[@telenNG]

I personally like the idea of Sophia being a warped and twisted version of the world mother it's fitting that everything the Empire touches even if it's not directly ends up being destroyed including themselves ultimate lesson of not letting hubris get the better of you I guess

[@angellopez691]

Loved her brief appereance on FF6 so when they announced the return of the warring triad for FF14 I fainted xD

[@Lordgrim1]

What a tragic story and the length of evil and desperation of summoning a primal can be. It's sad to see the daughter take up the call of killing her mother and then herself for equilibrium. Then the very same equilibrium indoctrinated into a civilization to wipe out a entire realm which includes their own demise is on the same length of insanity.

[@suredoloveya]

Thank you so much for doing what you do.

[@TheLittleMako]

Watching this video after the revelations in Shadowbringers gives me a thought - It sounds like the Mericidian civilization (at least, before they actually summoned Sophia) was getting pretty close to the enlightened, republican ideals of Amaurot, doesn't it? And the Ascians still destroyed it, by twisting their ideals against them no less. Maybe because the Mericidians were worshiping an aspect of hydaelyn, or maybe just because they considered it insulting that sundered people would even try to climb to the heights of the lost amaurotines? Either way, it highlights the Ascians' hypocrisy pretty well, IMO.

[@JonathanJoestarJuicefest]

Shame that her plan was already doomed to failure since Bahamut got his shit kicked in way before she ever even stirred to awake.

[@WayToDawn72]

This video makes a lot more sense after Shadowbringers and Zodiark

[@BrokenRazorButterfly]

I also like how the waring triad symbolise certian aspects Sephiroth being growth Sopihe balance And zurvan conflict

[@EvanAdvent]

Sophia's version of justice is "An eye for an eye" but you know what they say, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

[@Sensiav703]

I don't think so. If it was truly "an eye for an eye," then surely she would have commanded the daughter in Equilibrium to eliminate the person who killed her father, the source of the unbalance, and maybe also make her mother endure abuse equal to that which she recieved. "An eye for an eye" is more about equivalent revenge than it is restoring balance.

[@numberc8420]

Eye for an eye in ancient times meant "punishment must fit the crime".

[@rayjinflo]

It is "balance" in the unfeeling logic that scales will need to be emptied when tipped. I think her worshipers would assert that resetting is naturally the best method that works to restore balance. An Eye for an Eye does make the whole world blind; She doesn't care. Equilibrium must be restored, so everyone dies. It's a very extreme view, but real and fantasy ideologies do be like that sometimes

[@igayparisjr]

This was beautifully done! Ty

[@osirisgem]

The song mirror's Persephone's own lore at first and the end as she is to return to the underworld.

[@clemstriker]

I really like these i hope you do more of them.

[@denatrisdescaria4421]

Excellent presentation, as always :) As important as it would seem to Sophia to achieve balance, she does not seem to have the same idea of what balance is as we might. You indicated many times in the vid that her interpretation of balance is nihilistic...it would seem that her balance is the destruction of all that would not follow her, to balance against those who would. But even those who would follow must be cautious...she does not seem to apply balance in our form, but in her own...which would be erasing everything BUT her. Would she not then see the imbalance she creates, and take her OWN life to restore the balance?

[@Sensiav703]

And that is precisely why Sophia is probably the most dangerous primal that could ever exist. She may not be as immediately destructive as the likes of Zurvan and Bahamut, but if left to her own devices and not resisted, she could very well bring about not just the destruction, but the complete annihilation of everything. From the planet Hydaelyn to Hydaelyn herself, Zodiark, and even the Void itself, which goes beyond what even the likes of Cloud of Darkness and Exdeath ever wanted. And then, once she has become the last thing to ripple the waters of existence, she would indeed annihilate herself to bring those waters to a perfect stillness. Truly, there is nothing so terrifying as a deity of equilibrium. And that's why she is also my favourite primal of them all.

[@whitestar8693]

Ah! This is so funny, we talked about the book of the dead, and the Egyptian afterlife today in class

[@dariusd2003]

Great video as always. Did you cover her moveset in another video like you did sephirot and I missed it? I found that to be interesting as well as the head her 'daughter'.

[@Rhomagus]

Mericydia Mericydia Mericdia Mericdia Mericia Mericia 'Merica!

[@flameshana9]

Illuminati confirmed.

[@UchihaDarkForce]

Mercedes

[@amitamaru]

I actually have a question for you Ethys. On the Lodestone, the writers of Sophia's announcement described her as ruling over several races with "gilded chains of harmony." I've heard one interpretation for this line, peace by means of slavery, but how would you interpret this statement?

[@robbiemuk]

Are you going to do a videos on zurvan, susano and Lakshmi?

[@thecaptaincltch]

I love the Lore videos Ethys! How much of her did you pull from the Lore Book Itself you got at Fan Fest?

[@mythicalsimorgh3307]

hmmm... still no FFXIV Lore: Zurvan :( still waiting ....

[@Monchiriluv]

Holy shit... this was amzing! :O

[@mmstistrategyguide.630]

I like to have my character s backstory as the heroic guardian sent by sphia,just as link was sent by the goddesses in zelda

[@spectreshadow]

Love these videos.

[@scottjenner554]

do you find the lore book working to your favor at all ?

[@Yokai_Yuri]

I wonder if Zurvan AKA The Demon was summoned by the Meracydian as well. If so, that would raise more question than answers like how big Meracydia was? As we know the Meracydian were mostly dragon beings, a misterious tree-like beings that summoned Sephirot and I guess a different race was the responsible for Zurvan.

[@BongSwansong]

Well, Mercydia housed a slew of races much like Eorzea does presently so I imagine it's fairly large, comparable to Eorzea speculatively. With that I give you a jest. Miqo'te are traced back to their earliest lines from Mercydia. And their population is massive.

[@Flashbatninja]

Turns out he was summoned. I've recently gotten the lore book and here is part of the passage in regards to the Allagan's invasion. Still in beginning though so I'm afraid I don't know a whole lot more about the Meracydians. "With the dragons all but defeated, the Meracydians turned to their gods for salvation, invoking terrible beings knows as 'eikons' in one final attempt to rid their lands of the Allagans." ... "Of these eikons, three - Sephirot the Fiend, Sophia the Godess, and Zurvan the Demon - or the 'Warring Triad' would prove the most problematic for the invaders from the north, temporarily driving the Allagans back to the Meracydian coast."

[@Yokai_Yuri]

Flashbatninja That's a pretty interesting thing you've got there, thanks. So these beings were summoned at the same time? It kinda makes no sense, because remember how the summonings really powerful primals that are just a tier bellow Eikons were said to drain Hydalein of its aether super fast? Like Bahamut or Alexander, yet here we have 3 eikons summoned and Hydalein didn't became a wasteland? That's weird.

[@Flashbatninja]

Yeah apparently multiple tribes were able to simultaneously summon their eikons where before the imperial invasion there had been no records of any primal summoning occurring alluding to the fact that a third party, mostly likely the Ascians, were involved. Also later on after Bahamut's demise his mate Tiamat summoned him as an eikon in the same way that the Meracydian's had summoned theirs, and as time went on he grew weaker due to a lack of crystals from over-harvesting. So they were using crystals as well, though I don't remember if using them lessens the strain on Hydaelyn or if thats just standard practice. At the end of the war the Crystal Tower was swallowed due to the surrounding land not being able to withstand the force of it and that lead to a chain reaction of tremblors that tore the realm apart, so maybe all that aether being used up did weaken things?

[@mikaelrivacov5705]

Mi kramp got really hard with this video.

[@ryanhorton9594]

Are your more eloquent statements such as the one at the start of the video from in-game flavor text or hand-crafted?

[@GG-yy4yx]

Love the Channel.

[@gamefreakffxify]

please more more more!

[@suitrBJ]

How does bahamuts power /strength actually compare to his brothers and sisters. Was it just because he was summoned as a primal that he was ridiculous strong or was he as a dragon always substantially stronger than nidhogg?

[@TrungTran-yg3uv]

the strength of a primal depends on the prayers by which it was summoned. the more fervent, the more desperate its subjects are, the stronger the primal. considering that the allagan empire was threatening subjugation on an entire nation / continent, it would not be surprising that the primals summoned possessed such strength. contrast this to the primals summoned by the beast tribes, who not only lack in numbers, also lack in resources. furthermore, it was dragons that summoned bahamut, and lorewise, dragons are much stronger than the average human (or the warrior of light himself). thus explains the strength of bahamut

[@suitrBJ]

But what was bahamuts strength when he was just a dragon was he substantially stronger than nidhogg?

[@Unyubaby]

As Bahamut and Nidhogg are of the first brood along with Hraesvelgr and Tiamat, it's likely they were similar in power. However, the primal Bahamut is greater in power than Nidhogg and its brood-siblings. Primal Bahamut's power was also increased due to its imprisonment by the Allagan, and it's hatred for them fueled its monstrous power. As for original Bahamut, like I said, his power was probably equal. Though Hraesvelgr became weaker over time due to his pacifism nature and Nidhogg grew stronger from countless battles. So as of the end of the Dragonsong War, Nidhogg would be stronger than Original Bahamut.

[@rwuh89]

suitrBJ in one of the HW cutscenes, either Hraesvalgr or Tiamat (i forgot), they mention that Bahamut was a king amongst wyrms. So maybe Bahamut was the strongest of the brood.

[@Unyubaby]

rwuh89 It's mentioned several times by the dragonkin and even Sophia with her followers. Though being king doesn't necessarily mean he's stronger than his brood siblings, it could also mean he had more of a commanding nature, unlike Nidhogg and Hraesvelgr. Though at the time, Bahamut certainly would be the strongest. But we don't know how Bahamut of old would compare to Nidhogg's new power when we face him at the Final Steps.

[@agilemaverick537]

XD It's just 1 of the 3 godesses statues in Final Fantasy 6 LOLLLLL

[@wyrmshogun5245]

0:28 that sounded like a yugioh summoning chant

[@RyuNoZero]

3:34 O.O that's in german language, funny

[@danielmora9781]

ugh I hate when people make lore videos on FF that use the real world and not ONLY strictly the game's lore.....I cant subscribe sorry but appreciate the video tho

[@rucellex]

Daniel Mora umm , mostly the primals are based on mythological creatures , gods and goddesses and we already know that . Sophia in the game is not like the only person that is all about scales of judgment . There is already a god related to that.

[@G-Manfromhalflife]

Cope

[@TextYoDaddyx21]

This was so beautiful. I love farming sophia.