Etro

Etro (エトロ, Etoro) is a goddess in the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy series.

Mythology
According to the official mythology, the universe of Fabula Nova Crystallis is divided in half: the visible world, or the world of the living, and the invisible world, or the world of the dead. The two worlds must stay in balance, or the entire universe might be destroyed. Etro was created by the god Buniberzei, who was a god who became the sole ruler of the world by defeating his mother, Muin, and banishing her into the world of the dead. However, this did not satisfy him, as Buniberzei believed all things were destined to die due to a curse laid on the world by his mother. In order to reach the realm of the dead and destroy her, Buniberzei created the three deities, Pulse, Lindzei and Etro. Etro was the second deity to be created after Pulse. The mythology at this point calls Etro a fal'Cie, even if all other sources know her as the goddess of the Fabula Nova Crystallis lore. Buniberzei immediately regretted of having created her, because he had unknowingly created Etro as the exact image of Muin. Buniberzei thus feared Etro and gave her no powers to create anything of her own. Buniberzei then crystallized himself to sleep until his creations would find the door to reach the realm of the dead. While Pulse and Lindzei were busy creating the world and creating many fal'Cie, Etro was lonely. She tore up her body and disappeared from the world, entering the realm of the dead, but from her blood the humankind was born. Unlike the fal'Cie, who are immortal, the humans who were born out of Etro's sacrifice lived only to die. Etro eventually found Muin in the realm of dead, but Muin was almost overtaken by the chaos of the world. Buniberzei, who was afraid of death and destruction and wanted to eradicate it, was only creating beings that were immortal, such as the fal'Cie, and the imbalance was in danger of collapsing the universe. Before disappearing into the chaos for good, Muin gave Etro the task of protecting world balance.

When people from the realm of the living died they passed on to the realm of the dead. Etro greeted them, and gave each a piece of the chaos to hold inside of them. This is what people would come to call "heart" and was their greatest strength without the people even realising it themselves. Because humans held the chaos so close, the world balance was once again restored.

Final Fantasy XIII
The Goddess Etro is mentioned in the game's Datalog entries, where she "sings a lament for the dead". She is but one of the deities in the Fabula Nova Crystallis mythology. According to the Pulse legends, it was Etro who stopped Ragnarok from destroying Cocoon during the War of Transgression 500 years before the game's start, by turning the l'Cie bestowed with the "burden of the beast" into crystal before they could finish carrying out their Focus. Further, the Analects section of the Datalog suggests that the game's Eidolons are in fact Goddess Etro's messengers, whom she sends to a l'Cie "to deliver hope when all was lost". The Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega further reveals that the Latin writing that appears during the Eidolons' summoning animations each mention Etro. For example, Odin's summoning animation has writing that translates to, By grace of Etro, let thunder herald your arrival. The writing on the Eidolons and the writing that appears during their summoning animations uses neither Pulse or Cocoon alphabet, but instead, uses one different from both. The script is attributed as Etro's script in the Ultimania Omega.

Her Providence
Her Providence sought nothing. Her Providence made nothing. She but looked on, silent in Her sorrow. ''The Goddess pitied mortals, destined as they were to die, and so She deigned to intervene in the hour of their greatest peril. She averted cataclysm that was to be, and put to rest the ones who would have robbed so many of what time fate had ordained.'' Her compassion did not end at this. ''The Goddess pitied also those subjected to that fate of Focus, crueler still than death. To them She sent Her messengers, to deliver hope when all was lost.''
 * -- Sermons of the seeress Paddra Nsu-Yeul

Fabula Nova Crystallis
''Children of Hallowed Pulse scour earth, searching substance for the Door. Those of Fell Lindzei harvest souls, combing ether for the same. So have I seen.'' The Door, once shut, was locked away, with despair its secret key; sacrifice, the one hope of seeing it unsealed. When the twilight of the gods at last descends upon this world, what emerges from the unseeable expanse beyond that Door will be but music, and that devoid of words: the lamentations of the Goddess Etro, as She sobs Her song of grief.
 * -- Author unknown

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Lightning promises Etro that she will protect her legacy. It is possible that the crystal building shown in trailer is her temple and/or her resting place. The Japanese review Dengeki states Etro will be a central character in the story.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII
According to Stella Nox Fleuret, a legend of Tenebrae says the Goddess Etro greets the souls of the deceased, and opens the door to the afterlife. When that door opens, the released souls burst out in a streak of light that ascends to heaven. It is said that when those near death are able to see that light, they are given power from the Kingdom of the Dead (although very few people are able to do so).

Stella states in a conversation with Noctis Lucis Caelum that she can see the light, and Noctis in turn can as well. Noctis guesses that both of them had near-death experience in the past, though little else is currently known about the goddess.

According to a piece of concept art released during the end of 2008, fal'Cie, godlike entities which also appear in Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Type-0, will be featured in the game.

Trivia

 * Her design in Final Fantasy Versus XIII is similar to the entity Necron from Final Fantasy IX.
 * She is often thought to be the Maker, despite the fact that they are two different characters.
 * Etro's design also heavily resembles Queen Eblan's chimera form.
 * It seems that even as dead she still helps humans, especially l'Cie, by granting them power of summoning.