Etro



Etro 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: Final Fantasy 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 universe might be destroyed. Etro was created by the god Bhunivelze, who became the sole ruler of the living world by defeating his mother, Mwynn, and banishing her into the world of the dead. 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. 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 calls Etro and the others fal'Cie, even if all other sources know them as the gods and goddesses of Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy lore. Bhunivelze immediately regretted having created Etro, because he had unknowingly created her as the image of Mwynn. Bhunivelze feared Etro and gave her no powers to create anything of her own. Bhunivelze 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 more fal'Cie, Etro was lonely. It is revealed in Final Fantasy XIII-2 Fragments After, that desiring Bhunivelze's attention, Etro tore up her body and disappeared from the world, entering Valhalla. Lindzei used her spilled blood to create the first human: a girl named Yeul, who was made in Etro's likeness, and by extension, Mwynn.

Etro found Mwynn in Valhalla as she was almost overtaken by the chaos of the world. 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 passed on to Valhalla through the Door of Souls, Etro would greet them and give each a piece of the chaos to hold inside of them. This is what people would come to call their "heart" and was their greatest strength without them realizing it.

Personality
Etro displays through her actions a kind and compassionate personality protective of humans and l'Cie overall. While she 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 history. She also drove 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 inadvertent disasters, Etro can be seen as a 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, and according to the Gran Pulse 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.

After Fang and Vanille's Ragnarok crystallizes Cocoon and all of the l'Cie enter crystal stasis, Etro intervenes 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 the game's Eidolons are 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 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.

Fragments
''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.''
 * Yeul's Confessions

''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.''
 * —Etro's Sorrow

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 in 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 and forced to enter a deep rest.

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 it becomes a curse on the seeress's life, forcing her to see the future but being unable to change it.

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 by giving him her own heart, so he may protect Yeul until the end of time. Caius is impaled by Noel Kreiss, killing Etro as the "Heart of Chaos", the source of Caius's immortality and the 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 time and history are decimated. In the secret ending, Caius, now residing in the Void Beyond, declares 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 when chaos emerges out into the world.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
While originally supposed to have died at the end of XIII-2, in a recent interview with Toriyama at E3 2013, he simply said that Etro "lost her power", hinting that she may not be dead.

The Salvation Council, the splinter cult behind the murders in Luxerion, are apparently worshipers of Etro, existing in rebellion against the established religious group known as the Order, worshipers of Bhunivelze. Central to the Salvation Council is a surviving Oracle Drive, which holds the prophecy of the Savior trying to destroy the world, and a hero rising to defeat her.

Final Fantasy XV
Etro is mentioned by Stella Nox Fleuret at a treaty-signing party near the beginning of Final Fantasy XV when taking with Noctis Lucis Caelum about a legend from her home country of Tenebrae. The legend states that that whenever Etro opens the Unseen Gate, the souls of the dead ascend as a streak of light to the heavens and though the Gate. It is said that when those near death see the light, they are given power from the Kingdom of the Dead (although few people are able to see the light).

Stella states that she can see the light, as can Noctis. Noctis guesses both of them had a near-death experience in the past, though little else is currently known about the goddess or the power imbued on Stella and Noctis.

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

 * Etro's design in Final Fantasy XV is similar to the entity Necron from Final Fantasy IX.
 * Etro is sometimes thought to be the Maker, but they are two different characters.
 * Etro's design 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, later renamed Final Fantasy XV.
 * Sometimes when Noel refers to Etro in Final Fantasy XIII-2, he paraphrases terms from the real world; e.g.: "God's sake" for "Etro's sake", "for the love of God" for "the love of Etro".