Divinity in Final Fantasy

Throughout the Final Fantasy series there have been instances of Gods, Goddesses and other Divine Beings. Divine beings often play an active part in the storyline, often in form of villain, but on other occasions, the Gods and Goddesses are only part of the game's mythology and background.

Final Fantasy
Chaos was an Archdemon created by the four fiends who brought Garland 2000 years into the past, where Garland sent the Four Fiends into the future, made a stable time loop and an endless circle to keep Garland's soul from dying. In Melmond, there was a temple of religion of some sort, but was destroyed by The Vampire.

Final Fantasy II
The Emperor of Palamecia was originally a normal person, but when he died, he was powerful enough for his soul to split into a lightside and darkside, and conquered both Heaven and Hell. In Hell, he was defeated by the party of Firion, Maria, Guy, and Leon; in Heaven he was defeated by the party of Josef, Scott, Minwu, and Ricard Highwind.

In Final Fantasy II, there are buildings in every town called Sanctuaries, indicating that there was a religion in place. A statue of an unnamed goddess can be found at Mysidia.

Final Fantasy III
The Cloud of Darkness is the entity that returns universes into nothingness.

Final Fantasy IV
The summoned beasts are all said to be spirits, with Bahamut being the god of all summons.

Final Fantasy VI
The Warring Triad were a trio of Divine beings, the source of all magic in the world and the beings who created the Espers. The trio are named Demon, Fiend, and Goddess. In ancient times the Warring Triad began to fear each other's power and started the War of the Magi. During the war they enslaved humans turning some of them to Espers. Eventually, the war ended and the gods turned themselves stone, becoming known as the Statues. The gods' final act was to give the Espers their free will and asked them to protect the Statues. The Espers fashioned a new realm where they fled with the Warring Triad's petrified figures. With Espers and the Triad gone magic faded into legend. The Triad were placed in a delicate balance, and it was said catastrophe would occur if they were moved out of position.

One thousand years later, Emperor Gestahl rediscovered the secrets of magic and invaded the Esper world and raised the Floating Continent with the Warring Triad's power. However, Kefka seized the Triad's power for himself and moved the Statues out of alignment shifting the face of the world. Kefka then used the power of the Triad to send a ray of energy called the "Light of Judgment" to burn anyone who opposed him, or even entire towns. When the player party enters Kefka's Tower in hopes of defeating him, they must destroy the Triad first to rid Kefka of his power source. However, by this point, Kefka had drained most of the Triad's power into himself and thus, he had become the source of all magic, and in effect, a god himself. After the party defeat him, all magic disappears from the world.

Final Fantasy VII
Minerva is the considered as the Planet's goddess, or its consciousness, and a powerful being created by the Lifestream to protect itself. Genesis Rhapsodos believes the "Goddess" mentioned in the poem LOVELESS can cure him of his degradation with her gift, and eventually encounters what appears to be a vision of Minerva in the Lifestream. A female goddess statue (which, however, bears little resemblance to the vision of Minerva Genesis encounters in the Lifestream in Crisis Core) can be seen in Banora Underground in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and in Midgar in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

It appears the world of Final Fantasy VII has little in the way of practised religions, although the nation of Wutai is noted to worship the Water Dragon deity Leviathan, and, also, an old church exists in the slums of Midgar. The church is an important location to the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII with many events taking place within its walls. It is also the only place in Midgar where flowers bloom.

Final Fantasy VIII
Hyne is the name of a god in the world's legends, said to be the origin of the Sorceress Power. Final Fantasy VIII, again, appears to have no practised religion and the stories of Hyne appear more as legends and myths told to children. The story of Hyne recited in the game of a god who created the world and created the humans to help him build it while he would sleep. However, as Hyne woke up he realised people had populated the planet in great numbers. Hyne considered there to be too many people and attempted to reduce their numbers, but the people rebelled and waged war against their creator, and eventually managed to corner him. Hyne managed to trick the people by promising them a part of his power. However, it turned out the part Hyne had given the people was nothing more than his cast-off skin. Furious, the people searched for the god, but no trace of him could be found.

Interestingly, the Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania Omega contains a short story written by the game's scenario writer, which delves more into the Sorceresses' origins. It appears that Hyne, after casting off his skin, divided his being and entered his spirit inside certain human women, as he appeared to feel sympathy toward them as beings that needed protection. These women gained the power to use magic, thus becoming Sorceresses. It could thus be said that the Sorceresses in Final Fantasy VIII wield Divine power. The Power doesn't perish along with the human body, but upon the Sorceress's death will seek a new host.

Final Fantasy IX
It could be said that the crystal, the origin of all life in the universe, is a Divine being. Every planet has its own crystal residing in the planet's core that is the source of all life on the said planet. Planets' crystals can also give birth to powerful beings born of memories of myths and legends, known as Eidolons, to protect them.

At the game's end, Kuja appears to travel back in time to the Crystal World and to the beginning of all time his attempt to destroy the crystal and end the universe. The link between the crystal seen in Crystal World in the game's end, and the planets' own crystals, is unclear, although it could be speculated that the planets' crystals originate from the "mother crystal". Final Fantasy IX Ultimania Omega explains that after the planet's crystal grows old it will die and return to the cosmos, which could mean that all life eventually returns to the mother crystal, the origin of universe.

After Kuja's attempt to destroy the universe Necron appears with the intent of reducing all existence into nothingness, or "zero world". It is unclear what sort of being Necron is, whether a god of some sort or otherwise, as although Necron claims to be eternal, the aforementioned Ultimania mentions Necron having been born out of Kuja's will to destroy all existence.

Esto Gaza is a place of worship on the Lost Continent from where the Shimmering Island is visible. As a result, many travel to Esto Gaza on a religious pilgrim. It is unknown what deity the pilgrims worship, but Shimmering Island's status as the gateway between Terra and Gaia, which causes it to shine when open, is most likely the reason it has gained religious relevance.

Final Fantasy X
The world of Spira practises the religion of Yevon. The teachings of Yevon state that the monster Sin is the people's curse for having violated the teachings of Yevon and adopted the use of forbidden machina. The teachings state that through repentance the people may rid of Sin for good. Most of the world, with the exception of the Al Bhed, follow Yevon, and most towns have a temple. Within the temples lay the Chamber of the Fayth a summoner can approach to gain the power to summon the Fayth's Aeon. Summoners set out to a pilgrimage to Zanarkand where they obtain the Final Aeon, with which they can attempt to destroy Sin. Yevon teaches that if the people repent enough, Sin won't be reborn.

During the game it is revealed that Yevon is a false god and is in fact the being that keeps summoning Sin resulting in its return after each defeat. After summoner Yuna and her guardians destroy Yu Yevon, Sin disappears for good, but so do Aeons, as all dreams of the Fayth disperse.

Final Fantasy XI
Ancient lore states that Vana'diel was created as a playground for the Gods, who themselves were spawned from an enormous and sentient Crystal. For eons, the Gods joyfully played until eventually falling into a deep slumber. It was during this slumber that the children of the Gods rose and flourished in Vana'diel, extracting gold from stones, traveling through the sky, building mighty cities, and giving birth to grasslands across the world.

Eventually, the children longed to join their parents, and constructed a pathway to the Divine Entrance of Paradise. Enraged by such an insolent act, the Holy Gatekeeper smote the children, and cast their cities to the bottom of the sea.

Shortly thereafter, the Goddess Altana awoke, and saw the ruin that had once been Vana'diel. Filled with an emotion that the likes of a God had never felt before &mdash; sadness &mdash; Altana wept five divine tears. When the five tears fell upon the earth, they gave life to the five races of Vana'diel.

However, the God of Twilight, Promathia, observed this act from his place in the shadows. Promathia saw fit to condemn her weakness and the life that arose from it. Promathia cursed the five races with eternal conflict amongst themselves by bringing forth their darkest attributes. The apathy of the Humes, the arrogance of the Elvaan, the rage of the Galka, the cowardice of the Tarutaru, and the envy of the Mithra. He created terrible beasts and spread them across the world, commanding them to forever fight the people of Vana'diel and occupy their minds. Never again would anyone think to open the Gate of the Gods.

The Occuria
The Occuria are the gods in the world of Ivalice. The people of Ivalice refer to them simply as "gods", although the Occuria call themselves as either Occuria or Undying. The Occuria watch over Ivalice and attempt to manipulate history by giving power to persons they deem worthy. Among people these persons as referred to as the "Dynast King", but the Occuria themselves call them "Saints". Following the Occuria's wishes the Saints set out to wield the magickal power given to them in form of nethicite, and destroy and conquer nations as the Occuria see fit.

During the course of Final Fantasy XII, however, one Occuria takes a different route and sets out to free mankind from the Occuria's grasp by teaching people how to manufacture their own nethicite. To fight against this turn of events the Occuria choose Princess Ashe as their new Saint and ask her to destroy the Archadian Empire. Ashe, however, claims she is "no false Saint for them to use", and destroys the Sun-Cryst, the origin of all nethicite and its power, thus severing the tie between the Occuria and mankind.

The Occuria are also known as the beings who created the Espers, immortal beings who wield great magickal power. As the game's bestiary entries suggest, the Espers in time grew arrogant believing themselves the greatest force in all the world, and deeming themselves even greater than the Occuria themselves, setting out to wage war with them. The battle was led by the leader of all Espers, the Archangel Ultima. The Espers nonetheless were no match for the Occuria who banished them to the realm of mist only to manifest in the real world when a summoner would call upon them.

Despite Occuria's immense power and immortality, it is unclear whether they are truly Divine, as it appears the Occuria used to live on Ivalice, judging by the ruins of Ancient City of Giruvegan they have left behind, and also the fact that they are unable to directly influence the mortal world, and only meddle via the intermediary of nethicite.

Faram the Father, God of Light
Unlike most Final Fantasy main series game, the world of Final Fantasy XII has a practising religion, namely the the Light of Kiltia. It was founded by the prophet Kiltia 2000 years prior to the story, and is a polytheist faith system where a pantheon of gods is led by Faram the Father, God of Light. Mt. Bur-Omisace is the faith's center and those who hold to the faith are known as the Kiltias. Kiltias are known to end their prayers with the name of their deity, Faram, and do the gesture of crossing their arms across their chest. The highest among the ranks of the Light of Kiltia is the Gran Kiltias, who stays in the temple at the top of Mt. Bur-Omisace. The Gran Kiltias is known to be a man of wisdom and deep thought, with possession of powerful magick. The Gran Kiltias at the time of Final Fantasy XII is Gran Kiltias Anastasis.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
The Aegyl worship the god Feolthanos. During the game it is revealed that Feolthanos is a false god and only attained immortality by siphoning power from the Auralith. In fact, long ago Feolthanos was a regular Aegyl and the leader of the race. He had a Viera wife and had children. Feolthanos revolted against the Occuria, and took his people to Lemurés, using the Auraliths to lock the sky continent away in mist. Before sealing the Lemurés Feolthanos left behind treasures for his Viera children, in the form of Auracite and a giant airship, the Galbana, hoping that one day they would be reunited.

When the Aegyl settled in the land of Lemurés, Feolthanos wrote the Canon, a book of verse laying down the foundations and principles for the Aegyl. He still harbored a hatred toward the Occuria and used the Auracite to build a palace high in the sky where he absorbed the Auracites' power, melding with the Auralith to become a god himself. He used the other two Auraliths to steal the anima of the rest of the Aegyl to make them easier to control. Vaan and his friends managed to eventually defeat him, making him a mortal again. Feolthanos faded away and without him, Lemurés crumbled and fell from the sky.

Final Fantasy XIII
The world of Final Fantasy XIII knows three deities, Hallowed Pulse (referred to as The Maker), Fell Lindzei and the Goddess Etro, though none of them interfere directly in the events of the game, and are all stated to have departed the world long ago. It is commonly agreed that it was Hallowed Pulse who created the world of Gran Pulse, and the fal'Cie and humans to inhabit it. However, after this point things become much less clear. Pulsian legend claims that after the Maker's departure, Cocoon was created by the trickster god Fell Lindzei, who created his own brood of fal'Cie, and tasked them with the job of finishing Cocoon and luring the people of Gran Pulse to migrate to the so-called paradise. However, the Cocoon fal'Cie claim the same origin as their Gran Pulse counterparts, and insist that it was the Maker himself who instructed them to create and maintain Cocoon as a paradise for humanity. The statue within the Narthex of the Orphan's Cradle, however, is that of Lindzei, and resembles the Cocoon fal'Cie's brand they also use to brand their l'Cie.

Unlike The Maker and Lindzei, the Goddess Etro did not create anything. Rather, she operates the Door of Souls, which can be said to be the gateway to Divine. She appears to be the only deity to still use her influence in the mortal world, by sending her messengers, the Eidolons to l'Cie who are involuntarily bound by a Focus, in order to "deliver salvation when all is lost". The Gran Pulse legends also recite that it was Etro who stopped Ragnarok during the War of Transgression.

The fal'Cie could be considered as lesser deities, as they are immortal and possess supernatural powers, perhaps of Divine origin. Separated from their Maker, the fal'Cie grieve and seek a way to reunite with their lost gods.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Goddess Etro is known as the Goddess of Death in Final Fantasy Versus XIII. She again operates the Door of Souls. According to legends, when a person dies, they will meet Goddess Etro at the door, which she will open to allow the soul enter the afterlife. People who have had a near-death experience appear to be in touch with the Divine and receive the ability to observe crystal energy (the power human souls are made of) which manifest as glimmering light around people who will soon die.

Final Fantasy XIV
"The Twelve" are twelve benevolent deities of Eorzea who ruled the continent and its surrounding islands until the arrival of wandering tribes. Impressed by the resilience of the primitive settlers, each of the Twelve mercifully saw fit to ensure their welfare.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Nearly a century after Final Fantasy XII, a separate Kiltia sect is created by Saint Ajora, with his claiming that Faram was the only one true deity to worship. It is revealed that Saint Ajora was in fact a human host for the Esper, or Lucavi as they are known in Final Fantasy Tactics, Ultima. Saint Ajora ended up becoming a prominent figure in the world religion. During the game's course the Lucavi attempt to resurrect their leader, the Archangel Ultima, shown in Final Fantasy XII to be lesser deities created by the Occuria.

Vagrant Story
The nation of Valendia introduces the faith of St. Iocus and a long forgotten branch of Kiltia lead by the enchantress and dancer Mullenkamp. Over two millennia ago, Mullenkamp of Kiltia established a city for her followers, known as Lea Monde, and used it as a stronghold while she wove spells into grimoires and enticed demons to learn of the powers of the Dark. The power of the Dark grants the wielder many abilities, such as the use of magic, the power to summon monsters, and the power to mind-control others.

The Church of St. Iocus is a faith not unlike St. Glabados, that has its roots in Valendia. Identified with a six-lined cross adopted from the faith of Mullenkamp, known as the Holy Rood, it establishes itself as a monotheistic faith that condemns the use of magic throughout Valendia. Although its influence has spread throughout the nation, even to the city of Lea Monde, it nonetheless uses its banishment of magical arts as covert means to gain the powers of the Dark to attain immortality for the faith's Cardinal, and possibly, to use as a potential weapon.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
The world of Dissidia Final Fantasy knows two gods, the God of Discord, Chaos, and the Goddess of Harmony, Cosmos. The two have been at war for an eternity, only to be reborn by Shinryu after every subsequent war. In the game's Cosmos Reports it is hinted Cosmos was a duplicate of Cid of the Lufaines's wife who was created as an alternate means to soothe Garland. Garland is revealed to be the one who guides Chaos to begin the war in order to perfect Chaos's power, and he will send Garland into the past to become Chaos himself. Garland also claims he did this to serve the purposes of the "Great Will", though he does not say why.

Cosmos places her power in crystals which she asks her warriors to seek out. After each crystal has been gathered the heroes return to Cosmos. However, having placed her power in the crystals Cosmos is weakened which gives Chaos the chance to destroy her. As the world begins to crumble the heroes begin fading, but the power of the crystals brings them back. Cosmos's plan all along was to give the warriors a chance to survive her destruction, giving them the chance to kill Chaos for good. After Garland is sent back into time to remain the cycle from his position, Chaos is overwhelmed as he regains the lost memories of the world's inhabitants, giving him true understanding of the cycle of war. Contacted by an unknown entity, Chaos is given the power of Shinryu to end the cycle in his victory, and purge all existence.

In a final battle, Chaos is defeated, and the warriors return to their worlds as the god is consumed in fire. In the game's secret ending it is revealed that Cosmos is alive and well, and with Chaos gone, the world's sole ruler. Even with Chaos defeated evil still persists, but Cosmos is confident to set her hopes in both her champions and the future with intent to see it through.