Etro



Etro (エトロ) is a fal'Cie 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 Bhunivelze, who was a god who became the sole ruler of the world by defeating his mother, Mwynn, and banishing her into the world of the dead.

However, this did not satisfy him, as Bhunivelze 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, Bhunivelze created the three deities: Pulse, Lindzei and Etro.

Etro was the second deity to be created after Pulse. The mythology at this point call Etro and the others fal'Cie, even if all other sources know them as the god and goddesses of Fabula Nova Crystallis lore. Bhunivelze immediately regretted having created Etro, because he had unknowingly created her as the exact image of Mwynn. Bhunivelze thus feared Etro and gave her no powers to create anything of her own. Bhunivelze then crystallized himself to sleep until his creations found the door to reach the realm of the dead.

While Pulse and Lindzei were busy creating the world and creating many more fal'Cie, Etro was lonely. She tore up her body and disappeared from the world, entering Valhalla, but from her blood 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 Mwynn in Valhalla as she was almost overtaken by the chaos of the world. Bhunivelze's goal of immortality caused an imbalance that would collapse the universe. Before disappearing into the chaos for good, Mwynn gave Etro the task of protecting the world balance. When people from the realm of the living died and they passed on to Valhalla through the Door of Souls, 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 them ever realizing it.

Personality
Despite her relatively short and never spoken appearances, Etro does display through her actions a kind and compassionate personality that is protective of humans and l'Cie overall. She turned Fang and Vanille into crystal out of pity towards Cocoon being destroyed by Ragnarok. She saved the main party in Final Fantasy XIII from their l'Cie fate at the end of the game.

While she apparently has good intentions, many of her actions have unforeseen harmful consequences. For example, summoning Lightning to Valhalla to protect her legacy caused chaos to seep through the Unseen Gate and wrote Lightning out of the course of history, as well as turning Caius Ballad insane by giving him immortality to protect Paddra Nsu-Yeul only to see her die over and over again, prompting him to take arms against Etro.

Given the many times her actions have caused disasters (arguably not on purpose), Etro can be seen as a rather reckless, or impulsive goddess.

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 Pulsian legends, it was Etro who stopped Ragnarok from destroying Cocoon during the War of Transgression 500 years before the game's start. This was done by turning the l'Cie bestowed with the "burden of the beast" into crystal before they could finish carrying out their Focus. Etro would later intervene again in the game's ending by releasing Lightning, Snow Villiers, Serah Farron, Hope Estheim, Sazh Katzroy, and Dajh Katzroy from the burden of being l'Cie.

Further, the Analects section of the Datalog suggests that the game's Eidolons are in fact 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 nor Cocoon alphabet, but instead, uses one different from both, and translates into Latin. 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

Datalog
''In the ancient annals of Gran Pulse, Etro appears as the goddess of death and chaos. She is said to reside in the world where the souls of the dead find their rest—Valhalla.''

''The people of the lowerworld worship Pulse, the great deity from which the land takes its name. Many tales from their folklore portray Etro as the abhorrent goddess of the afterlife.''

In the city of Paddra, however, faith in the goddess was commonplace, and it was said that the seeress drew from prophetic powers directly from Etro.

''Etro granted the most selfless of gifts. Her power and strength flowed through the gate to the Unseen World, and with each passing second she grew weaker and weaker.''

''Now the goddess sleeps within the Heart of Chaos. Should she cease to exist, then the power that she granted to humanity, the power that makes their universe whole, will disappear. When the sands of time run out on the goddess, so too do they on the world of man.''

Story


Etro's act of mercy to Lightning and her group at the end of Final Fantasy XIII caused a distortion in time as the unseen chaos of Valhalla emerged into Gran Pulse and grabbed Lightning. Though the dying goddess managed to minimize the damage and subdue the chaos, Lightning was trapped in Valhalla and ended up becoming her protector as the goddess was weakened by her actions and forced to enter a deep rest.

Furthermore, the distortion caused the chain of events that led to Yeul's various incarnations dying as the result of the ripples in time. Yeul is the ancient leader of the Farseer tribe who worship Etro as their patron goddess. Etro has given Yeul the power to see the future by bestowing her the Eyes of Etro, but this ability ends up becoming a curse on the seeress's life, forcing her to see the future but being unable to change the events.

Yeul's immortal Guardian, Caius Ballad, declares war on Etro and master-plans the means to destroy her and shatter reality. Caius was made immortal by Etro herself by giving him her own heart, so he may protect Yeul until the end of time. Caius is impaled by Noel Kreiss, an event which results in the death of Etro herself as the "Heart of Chaos", the source of Caius's immortality and the actual heart of the goddess herself, is destroyed. With Etro no longer restraining the forces of chaos, the black wave of chaos enters the world by destroying Etro's Gate and all of time and history is decimated. In the secret ending, Caius, who now resides in the Void Beyond, declares that the goddess is dead and cannot be revived by any man or god.

The ability to see changes in the timeline, the "Eyes of Etro", is illustrated by a glowing glyph over the seeress's eyes whenever she has a vision. This symbol appears to be the symbol of Etro, as the symbol also appears in place of Etro's Gate in the end of the game when chaos emerges out into the world.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII
According to Stella, a legend of Tenebrae mentions that whenever Etro's Gate 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 see the light).

Stella states in a conversation with Noctis that she can see the light, and Noctis in turn can as well. Noctis guesses that both of them had a 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 are to be featured in the game.

Final Fantasy Type-0
Prior to the final battle, Cid Aulstyne refers to Etro during his tirade over how powerless Class Zero is compared to him.

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 in Final Fantasy IV and Altana from Final Fantasy XI.
 * In 2008, her name was already known in ''Final Fantasy Versus XIII'.

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