Barthandelus



Barthandelus [bɑɹ'tæn.dɪ.lɨs] (バルトアンデルス, Barutoanderusu, Baldanders in the Italian, Spanish, and Japanese versions) is a powerful fal'Cie from Final Fantasy XIII. He is the self-proclaimed Lord-Sovereign of the Cocoon fal'Cie, and the true form of the game's main antagonist.

Datalog
''This fal'Cie has long lived under the guise of Galenth Dysley, the Sanctum's supposedly human Primarch. Unbeknownst even to his closest aides, he has kept careful watch on the fugitive l'Cie through the eyes of his rukh, Menrva, forcing them to grow stronger while at times aiding secretly in their flight.''

Barthandelus desires only that the l’Cie complete their Focus, which he explained to be transforming into the beast Ragnarok in order to destroy Orphan and all of Cocoon.

Appearance and Personality
At first, Barthandelus appears as a burlesque, towering, bronze, god-like creature with gold lining, alien markings visible on his skin, and four face-masks grafted onto the sides of his head as adornments. He also has a snake-like throat with gills at the end. His face has pupiless eyes and an eerie grin with sharp, dagger-like teeth. In a later appearance, Barthandelus becomes white-skinned with a new adornment.

As Dysley's true identity, Barthandelus is heartless and sinister, holding a belief that killing millions of people will summon the Maker who created both fal'Cie and humans to put an end to the misery that Cocoon's populace suffers. He thinks of humans and l'Cie as nothing more than tools for the fal'Cie's manipulation, and will not hesitate to exploit their weaknesses - and in some situations, their strength - to his advantage. At the same time, however, Barthandelus also seems to genuinely mourn for the state of the world, stating numerous times that Cocoon's people suffer and that the l'Cie are only prolonging that pain by choosing not to follow their Focus. Furthermore, like Orphan, Barthandelus ultimately desires his own destruction.

In all of Barthandelus appearance as fal'Cie, his appearance continously changes. From black with gold stripes in his first encounter to white with blue streaks around his face and body in his final appearance. He is also accompanied by some sort of extra components every time he is faced, such as his "faceguard" at the start of the second battle at Oerba and his "wings" at the third battle in Orphan's Cradle. all these colour and extra "components" is unexplained but may have to do with his power over being a powerful Fal'Cie such that he can take a disguise as Galenth Dysley.

Story
Barthandelus is a Sanctum fal'Cie whose ultimate goal is to destroy his fellow fal'Cie Orphan, a being that gives life to Cocoon. He believes that killing countless Cocoon citizens as "sacrifice" would call back the Maker, the God who created the world and long since departed, and the world would be born anew. However, being a Sanctum fal'Cie himself he is unable to do anything to harm Cocoon, and thus he needs the help of Gran Pulse l'Cie. Barthandelus has a familiar, a robotic rukh named Menrva, that works as an extension of his power and, through it, he is able to spy on the goings on throughout Cocoon.

Five hundred years before the start of Final Fantasy XIII, the Pulse l'Cie Vanille and Fang were tasked with transforming into Ragnarok to destroy Cocoon. However, in the end Fang was forced to transform into Ragnarok alone, but this attempt failed, managing to only crack Cocoon's outer surface. The forces of Cocoon were able to repel the Pulsian threat and Cocoon continued to grow into a human paradise, assisted by the Cocoon fal'Cie.

Despite not fully completing their Focus Vanille and Fang crystallized and ended up with their fal'Cie Anima on Pulse. In preparation for Pulse's next attack, Barthandelus secretly moved the Pulse Vestige near the Cocoonian town of Bodhum, with Anima, Vanille, and Fang inside. He assumed the guise of Galenth Dysley and took the helm of Sanctum politics, waiting for the day when worthy l'Cie would take up Ragnarok's mantle once more.

After Vanille and Fang are revived after their five century rest, unknowingly causing a chain of events leading to Lightning, Sazh, Hope, and Snow being branded as l'Cie, Barthandelus realizes his time has come. Pulling strings behind curtains, he and the other Cocoon fal'Cie secretly ensure the protagonists safely proceed through countless obstacles, namely escaping from the grips of PSICOM. After Sazh and Vanille have been captured, he plans on using them as bait in order to get hold of the other four l'Cie and spreads news of their public execution. Lightning's group takes the bait and rushes to the airship Palamecia to save their friends. In the airship's control room the group confronts Barthandelus in his human guise and initially believe Galenth to be a l'Cie. Barthandelus, scoffing at their beliefs, absorbs Menrva and reveals his fal'Cie form. Barthandelus attacks the party and is seemingly defeated, but merely melts away and returns as Galenth Dysley, unscathed. Barthandelus gives the group an airship and sends them to the Fifth Ark resting beneath the Cocoon capital Eden in order to further strengthen their powers as l'Cie so they may grow strong enough to defeat Orphan.

Inside the Ark the party finds an old Pulsian airship that takes them to Gran Pulse where they discover the village of Oerba. They are surprised to find Serah at the end of a ruined rail-bridge, chanting a hymn about Ragnarok. Eventually, Serah's guise melts away to reveal Dysley, who tells the party he has set up Cid Raines as a puppet Primarch in order to further his goals. Barthandelus tells his plan is to coax the Cavalry, now outraged by Raines's apparent traitorous behavior, to destroy Orphan. Barthandelus assumes a more futuristic form, goading the party into fulfilling their destructive Focus. After leaving, Barthandelus leaves behind his familiar Menrva, resuming its airship form, so the group may return to Cocoon if they do not want its people to die slowly.

The party reaches Edenhall at the heart of Eden where Orphan resides, only to find the Cavalry has turned into Cie'th. Barthandelus never intended them to reach Orphan and only used them as a ploy to get the l'Cie to enter Orphan's Cradle. But when the l'Cie still refuse to fulfill their focus, Barthandelus fights them for the final time while stating that he will replace them with more ideal candidates. Defeated, Barthandelus sinks into Orphan's pool as he welcomes his demise, while his body was fused onto Orphan as a shell.

Battle
Barthandelus is fought three times, first on the bridge of the Palamecia, secondly at Oerba, and finally as the antepenultimate boss in Orphan's Cradle.

Music
"Fighting Fate" (宿命への抗い, Unmei e no Arai) is the boss theme against all three incarnations of Barthandelus. It references the intent of Galenth Dysley to bring about Ragnarok, using the l'Cie as his tools, reciting a more than full version of it while assuming Serah's form. He adds, "Make of this day a brave epoch. Deliver the Divine, Ragnarok." In Latin, it is "Creo dies tempo fortis. Vindico divinum, Ragnarok."

Lyrics
The Lyrics are a recurring element in a few other songs.

Ragnarok de Dies Irae l'Cie Pultis. Tuum fatum sequeris. Tuum sanctuarium affligeas
 * Latin

Ragnarok de Dies Irae l'Cie Pultis. Tuum fatum sequeris. Tuum sanctuarium affligeas

Per somnum aeternum Numen divinum dictus est Viator elamentabilis

Ragnarok, come Day of Wrath O Pulse l'Cie. Embrace thy fate, thine home to burn.
 * English

Ragnarok, come Day of Wrath O Pulse l'Cie. Embrace thy fate, thine home to burn.

That fallen souls might bear our plea. To hasten the Divine's return. O piteous Wanderer.

Etymology
Dysley's true form, Barthandelus, is based on the Germanic literary shape-shifter that is conceived by Hans Sachs from the Greek god Proteus as described in Homer's epic Odyssey.