Maenad

Maenad (マイナス Mainasu) refers collectively to a group of villains from Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. During most the game there is only a few Maenad and their true identity is unknown, and they go by the name of Mysterious Girl (謎の少女, Nazo no Shojō). They resemble the Summoner Rydia and share her power to summon Eidolons. Their power for most of the game remains unmatched until the climax. They can also use the powers of mind control to great effect. The Maenads have a very detached and cold personality, and have a habit of remarking how "imcomphrensible" things are to them. However, sometimes they can be very candid and impolite, such as telling the party to get out of their face. They also often boast about their superiority and refer to others as inferior species.

Story
Two Maenads first appear on the Red Moon, which are defeated by both Golbez and Fusoya. Another is able to revive Zeromus and destroy the Crystal Palace. It then goes down to Earth and attacks Baron, defeating the Red Wings with a swarm of monsters. Using the power of Bahamut, the Maenad is able to beat King Cecil of Baron. Moving into the Feymarch, the Maenad also turns the entire Eidolon populace to stone, leaving Rydia unable to use her Summoner powers. Moving throughout the world, she is able to gather all eight Crystals, but also unifies the forces of good against her before she is defeated at Baron. They travel to the Moon to fight more Maenads. When the party finally encounters them here, one of them summons Bahamut, who later pushes her back after coming to his senses. It is soon discovered that the Maenad is just one of many mass-produced beings, which continue to antagonize the group as they work their way toward The Creator, the true mastermind of all that has happened. Several Maenad later appear to battle The Creator as well, and they appear to destroy themselves and the being with a Meteor spell.

In the aftermath, one of the mass-produced Maenads, only a child, is taken in by Rydia and named Cuore (クオレ Kuore).

Battle


The Maenads are fought several times in the game, and some are also fought under the name of the Mysterious Girl.

Music
The Maenad's theme song is a recurring track in The After Years, and is one of the few original pieces not directly taken from the DS version of Final Fantasy IV. Aside from playing whenever a Maenad is present, it also plays on one of the lowest floors in the Depths of the True Moon. It exudes a feeling of mystery, which is befitting of their unknown identity before the final tale.

The theme song's melody is also used for the Maenad's boss theme.

Etymology
In Greek mythology, the maenads were female nymphs who followed the god Dionysus, and were known to go into frenzies from losing self-control. The name maenad has also come to be associated with women both supernatural and historical that followed him.