Maenad

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November 15, 2012

Maenad
(マイナス, Mainasu?)
Enemy appearances	Boss
Biographical information
Home	True Moon
Physical description
Race	Maenad
Gender	Female
Gameplay details
Type	Guest character
Job class	Summoner
Skill	Black Magic, Summon
Weapons	Whips, rods, daggers
Armor	Clothes, robes, hats
Type	Boss
Behind the scenes information
Designer	Akira Oguro

For a specimen of an inferior species, you seem to have some measure of good judgement... But you fail to realize the gap between your power and mine.

A Maenad, to Palom

Maenad refers collectively to a group of villains from Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. At first their identities are unknown, and they go by the name of Mysterious Girl (謎の少女, Nazo no Shojō?). They have come to Earth from the True Moon to seize the Crystals, and move swiftly in gathering them. The Maenads resemble Summoner Rydia, and share her power to summon Eidolons.

Profile

Appearance

A Maenad's CG render from The Complete Collection.

The Maenads are said to physically resemble Rydia, and in Final Fantasy IV -Interlude- a Maenad disguises herself as Rydia, but Edge can see through her guise, so the resemblance is not exact. Unlike Rydia, their hair is teal rather than green and they wear full-length featureless white dresses with a red necklace, and walk barefoot. They wear purple in their map sprites.

Personality

The Maenads are detached and cold and have a habit of remarking how they find things "incomprehensible." They are candid and rude, referring to other party members as inferior species who do not deserve to have powers such as the Eidolons or the Crystals, often claiming they have no need to answer their questions. Many of them show a robotic personality, as they talk about their mission and how they allow no obstacles. The Maenads do not recognize the party as a serious threat, incapacitating them only to seize a Crystal and leaving them alive. They warn the party and instruct them to hand over the Crystal(s) they have or otherwise to not obstruct them, only resorting to violence when the party does not listen—in Edge's Tale, the Maenad Gekkou spies on is aware of his presence, but mentions waiting to see if he would confront her before acknowledging him, and leaves without harming him if he does not.

While most of them are hostile toward opposition, the Maenads are pragmatic when it comes to achieving their goals: they recognize Cecil's use to aid in their gathering of the Crystals, and agree to allow Kain to duel with Cecil on the condition he retrieve the remaining Crystals for them. In the Depths, while some Maenads are fought as random encounters, others speak to the party without hostility, showing they only attack when ordered.

Abilities

The Maenads are powerful sorceresses able to teleport, use telekinesis, cast high-level Black Magic, including Meteor, and summon Eidolons by petrifying their material forms and corrupting the Eidolon's mind. Fusoya says this is not simply petrification, but a casting of the Eidolon's spirit into another dimension. This process can be disrupted by evoking an emotional response from the Eidolon. When this "awakening" occurs the Maenads lose the ability to summon that Eidolon.

The Maenads indicate awareness of each other's actions, implying that they possess a hivemind that allows them to share thoughts. The non-hostile Maenads in the Depths support this idea, as they speak in the plural "we," and one says "our will is as one."

The Maenads are implied to travel to the Moon and Earth via meteorites. This same method of travel was used in Final Fantasy V.

Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-

Maenad created by the Crystal.

At some point before the celebration of Damcyan's reconstruction, the first Maenad came into existence in the Crystal Chamber in the Sealed Cave, using data that the Creator's Dark Crystal had obtained on Rydia and her powers. This is how the Creator summons shadows of other bosses from the Final Fantasy series by using the Crystals.

When the party arrives in the Sealed Cave to rescue her, they find the Maenad and believed her to be Rydia despite her strange behavior. The party takes her back to the airship, where they notice a light radiate from the Tower of Babil. As they climb the tower, the Maenad absorbs the power to summon some of her Eidolons from monsters they encounter. When they get to the Cannon Control room, the Maenad enters it and the party is attacked by the Deus Ex Machina.

After defeating it with Edge's help, the group finds "Rydia" with Edge confirming her to be an imposter, as she attacks them and summons Bahamut. The real Rydia enters and talks sense into Bahamut with the impostor escaping before her true identity is revealed. Reappearing in the upper portion of the Tower of Babil, the impostor informs the Creator that "the Eidolon project is complete," and vanishes.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

A Maenad depicted in the opening FMV for The After Years in Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection.

Fifteen years later, the Maenads appear on the Red Moon, questioning Golbez and Fusoya about the Crystals' whereabouts. When the two refuse to answer the Maenad attacks them, summoning Asura, but Golbez and Fusoya slay her. Worried about the Eidolon she wielded, the two return to the Crystal Palace to find the Crystals turned dark, their light dimmed. A second Maenad appears to fight them and take the Crystals, this time using Leviathan, but she is also defeated. The Maenads' true nature is revealed when a third appears behind the fallen body of the second and declares they no longer need the Crystals. The lightless Crystals are left to shatter one-by-one, and the Maenads turn their attention to Earth.

The Maenads arrive on Earth in a meteor, then split up to take the Crystals. The first Maenad travels to Baron Castle with Bahamut and strikes Cecil down during the Battle of Baron. Recognizing his use the Maenad corrupts his mind, and through him takes control of Baron and the Red Wings. Another Maenad goes to the Feymarch to take control of the Eidolons, and another Maenad, possibly the same one, goes to the Underworld and seizes the four Dark Crystals using the Red Wings in the Second Battle of the Underworld.

Kain makes a deal with a Maenad.

When a Maenad attacks Mysidia, Kain turns their Crystal over and accompanies her back to Baron, where the two strike a deal—Kain will gather the Crystals of Fabul and Damcyan, and will hand them to her in exchange for a chance to duel Cecil. The fourth Crystal, in Troia, is seized by another Maenad, who pursues the Crystal to the Magnetic Cave in the hands of Palom and Leonora and freezes them using Shiva.

In Edge's Tale, Edge and the Eblan Four investigate the reactivated Tower of Babil. A Maenad is behind this, intending to use the tower's interdimensional elevator to return to the True Moon. She summons Ifrit to pursue Edge and the Eblan Four into the underworld, where they escape by leaping onto the Falcon as it passes by. Also in Edge's Tale, Gekkou witnesses the arrival of the Maenads as one emerges from the Impact Crater and dispatches a group of monks from Fabul.

In the final tales, the only Maenads seen are in Agart and at Baron Castle with Cecil. When her control over Cecil is broken by Odin, she engages the party but is defeated. Four more Maenads appear, announcing they have all the Crystals and have no further need of the planet. The party uses the Lunar Whale to fly to the True Moon in pursuit of them as the True Moon draws nearer, apparently to impact the planet.

Mysterious Girl summons Bahamut.

At the final floor of the Subterrane, a Maenad opens the path to the Depths telling the party she will leave it to them to choose how they wish to die. At the end of the Depths a Maenad engages the party with Bahamut, but is defeated when Bahamut regains his senses with the help of Asura and Leviathan and turns on her. Beyond this point the party finds the Maenads' home where they are produced and where they wait until needed. The party finds a young Maenad who asks them for orders, but is told to wait for them.

After the party finds the Creator, he explains the Maenads are his latest experiment, produced from the data the Crystals gathered about the evolution of Earth's species, and were sent to Earth to take the Crystals back for him. The Creator goes berserk when the chemical of his life support system overwhelm him, and pursues the party as they flee the True Moon. Along the way they retrieve the young Maenad. The other Maenads come to the party's aid, telling them to take care of the child, and destroy the Creator with a Meteor spell, sacrificing their lives.

The young Maenad moves in Mist where she lives with Rydia, who has named her Cuore, and despite her origins is growing into a normal, happy child under Rydia's care.

Spoilers end here.

Gameplay

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-

During the Final Fantasy IV -Interlude- story in the Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection, a Maenad joins the party while disguised as Rydia.

Stats

Rydia? joins the party at Level 32. Rydia? copies the Rydia from the original Final Fantasy IV, therefore, she has the same stats table and the same level up possibilities.

Rydia?

Level	HP	MP	Strength	Speed	Stamina	Intellect	Spirit
32	650	230	17	17	16	32	29

Abilities

She uses Black Magic, but doesn't learn any new spells. During the chapter she acquires the ability to summon Ifrit, Ramuh, Shiva, and Titan. She can also learn Goblin, Bomb, and Cockatrice as well.

Rydia?'s Magic Menu.

Spell Level Learned Blizzard Known Thunder Known Sleep Known Poison Known Warp Known Toad Known Stop Known

Spell Level Learned Pig Known Bio Known Osmose Known Fire Known Fira Known Blizzara Known Thundara Known

Spell Level Learned Shiva Event (Tower of Babil B13) Ramuh Event (Tower of Babil B12) Ifrit Event (Tower of Babil B11) Titan Event (Tower of Babil B10) Goblin Enemy drop Bomb Enemy drop Cockatrice Enemy drop

Equipment

Rydia? can equip what Rydia can. She comes equipped with a Blitz Whip, a Gold Hairpin, a Minerva Bustier, and a Ruby Ring.

Weapons

Bows	Arrows	Daggers	Whips	Rods
Killer Bow Yoichi Bow	Medusa Arrow Holy Arrow Fire Arrow Ice Arrow Lightning Arrow Poison Arrow Yoichi Arrow Artemis Arrow	Mythril Knife	Blitz Whip	Rod Lilith Rod Polymorph Rod Faerie Rod Stardust Rod

Armor

Head	Body	Arms
Leather Cap Feathered Cap Wizard's Hat Sage's Miter Headband Green Beret Gold Hairpin Ribbon	Leather Clothing Black Belt Gi Power Sash Minerva Bustier Luminous Robe Black Robe Sage's Surplice	Silver Armlet Diamond Armlet Power Armlet Rune Armlet Ruby Ring Cursed Ring

Boss

See also: Rydia? (boss)

In Final Fantasy IV -Interlude- a Maenad, still in the guise of Rydia, is fought as the final boss. She summons four Eidolons and then Bahamut against the party before the true Rydia returns and awakens Bahamut, allowing the Maenad herself to be fought.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

See also: Mysterious Girl (boss) or Maenad (enemy)

Maenads are fought throughout the game as bosses under the name "Mysterious Girl". In Palom's Tale, Edge's Tale and Porom's Tale the battles cannot be won—in Edge's Tale the player must flee, and in Palom's Tale and Porom's Tale the fights are scripted to end with the Maenad calling an Eidolon to defeat the party. In the Lunarian's Tale and The Crystals, there are four fights with a Maenad and all must be won.

In the Depths of the True Moon, Maenads appear as random encounters.

Musical themes

The Eidolons Shackled

The Maenads' theme is called "The Mysterious Girl" in Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection, or "Mysterious Girl ~minus~" on the Final Fantasy IV & The After Years Sounds Plus album. It is one of the few new pieces of music not from the original Final Fantasy IV. The theme plays whenever the Maenads are present, and plays in the Depths of the True Moon when the player reaches the home of the Maenads and the Creator.

The theme serves as the basis for "The Eidolons Shackled" or "The Dispossessed Eidolons ~Minudes~", the battle theme used whenever the player fights the Maenads or one of their corrupted Eidolons. The theme's tune is remixed into "Master of Creation", the theme played on floors prior to the Bottommost Depths of the True Moon, and "Planetary Core", the theme played when in battle against the Creator's shell.

Other media

Maenads and "their Creator" are mentioned in a book in Final Fantasy Dimensions.

Gallery

Akira Oguro artwork of the Maenad.

Artwork from The After Years novelization.

The Maenad's field sprites (Wii)

The Maenad's battle sprite (Wii).

The Maenad's empowered battle sprite (Wii).

The Maenad's field model (iOS/Android).

Maenad battle model.

The Creator surrounded by Maenads, from The After Years novelization.

Etymology

[view · edit · purge]In Greek mythology, the maenads were female nymphs who followed the god Dionysus, and were known to go into frenzies from losing self-control. The name maenad has come to be associated with women both supernatural and historical that followed him.