Sumeru Akademiya

The Sumeru Akademiya is Sumeru's main governing body, as well as the most prestigious institute of learning in all of Teyvat, located in the middle of the tree trunk of Sumeru City. It is particularly renowned for its corpus in arcane arts and historical records.
==Overview==
The Akademiya accepts students from all over Teyvat and often sends traveling scholars, known as Driyosh, to other nations to gather material for research. It is unknown how long the Akademiya has existed, but it was already a prestigious institute by the time of the cataclysm 500 years ago. According to Dainsleif, the Akademiya is a millennia-old institution, meaning it was founded over 1000 years ago.YouTube: Collected Miscellany - "Cyno: Path of the Lone Wolf" The Akademiya also takes a role as a governing body of Sumeru handling much of the day-to-day affairs of Sumeru.
===Virtues and Sins===
The Akademiya has three virtues and six sins. The virtues are described in Sumeru's Talent Level-Up Books, while the sins were deemed by the sages to be the sources of all crimes and banned to protect researchers from a careless pursuit of knowledge. They are the base of the Akademiya's rules, and the sages have been adding new rules and amendments ever since. Researching topics that are related to these sins will expose oneself to punishments, such as expulsion from the Akademiya or imprisonment.Mechanical Life Forms Research Data and Secret Text Interpretation Manual, 
The virtues are as follows: 
* Admonition: Admonition is the branches of the nation of wisdom. It comes from a pure heart and is to be paired with wise thinking affording humble words clarity and good deeds conferring real meaning upon what is said.
* Ingenuity: Ingenuity is the leaf-veins of the nation of wisdom. It springs forth from benevolent consideration, sets words of integrity on the right path and should be completed by harmonious conduct.
* Praxis: Praxes are the roots of the nation of wisdom. They stem from an unwavering will, validate words of honesty and bring forth the fruit of wisdom.
The sins are as follows:
* Interfering with human evolution,
* Tampering with life and death,
* Delving beyond the universe,
* Investigating the origin of words,
* Revering gods without acts of devotion, and
* Attempting the forbidden and fearing none.
===Academics===
While it boasts a university-like setting, the Akademiya admits students of all ages, and children can be enrolled in the Akademiya once they reach schooling age if they pass the entrance exams. Arina and Armin are two known current child students, with past child enrollees including Alhaitham, who enrolled at the age of seven before being homeschooled for a time, Sachin, who enrolled at the age of nine, and Kaveh, who enrolled in the Akademiya when he reached schooling age, although his age at the time of enrollment was not specified beyond him being "young". Uzayr, Shurayh, and Tanisha are also children who plan to take the Akademiya entrance exams after learning the fundamentals of architecture. Collei is expected to enroll into the Akademiya once she finishes up her studies.
Although it is implied that there is a certain age at which prospective students should attempt the entrance exams and enroll in the Akademiya, doing so is not compulsory, as only those who pass the challenging entrance exams are admitted, making it unlikely that many students are actually able to study there. Those who are unable to attend school in the Akademiya rely on the Akasha System, independent studies, or training centers to acquire knowledge.
Students in the Akademiya commonly refer to each other as seniors and juniors; however, earning the title of senior is determined by academic progress rather than age. Tighnari, for example, is younger than Abattouy, but is referred to as his senior because Tighnari completed his studies and graduated from the Akademiya before Abattouy.
Nowadays, obtaining a degree from the Akademiya is a notoriously long and stressful process; Gregor a student from Mondstadt, fears that his parents will be old by the time he graduates and returns to Mondstadt. Hosseini states that it is not uncommon for people to graduate after the age of 30, and that he himself, being less than said age, has his hair turned near-gray from his research.
Thesis defenses are by far the most difficult part of graduating; several of the Driyosh met in other nations express their anxiety over finding material for their theses and have changed their subjects due to extenuating circumstances or rejection from the review panel. Alrani downright fears the Akademiya, and mentions that Soraya — who is apparently among the top of her class — has "piles of rejected manuscripts." It is implied there is a limit to how long a student can stay at the Akademiya without being able to graduate. Hosseini mentions that if he were to become a Dastur, he could stay at the Akademiya longer instead of having to travel around Teyvat to conduct research.
Lisa, who attended the Akademiya in her youth, managed to graduate in two years under "advanced study" and is considered to be their best student in 200 years. However, she is not fond of her alma mater after realizing the cost of "uninhibited erudition," having witnessed raving-mad scholars in Sumeru's forests and sages sitting in underutilized councils. She ultimately returned to Mondstadt and became a humble librarian, a decision that greatly baffles those who know how talented she is.
===Research===
On top of academics, Sumeru Akademiya conducts research into various subjects. It is typical for traveling scholars to gather material and conduct preliminary research for their supervisors' projects and areas of interest, while researchers are allowed to stay at the Akademiya to conduct their research.
After determining that no Electro Visions have been given out in the past year, scholars at the Akademiya theorized this phenomenon was related to the Electro Archon's will and in particular, the proclamation of the Vision Hunt Decree. This theory turns out to be incorrect when Ei reveals to the Traveler that she was unaware this phenomenon was occurring, and that Archons are not directly involved in the granting or denial of Visions. Due to "certain constraints," she could not say what actually caused the halt in Electro Visions.
While research at the Akademiya tends to lean towards study of ancient history, the arcane, elemental energy, and the fundamental bases of the world, it also bears research of the more scientific and practical variety. For example, Tsuyuko's education at Sumeru Akademiya has led her to believe that Watatsumi Island's Holy Soil phenomenon is not because Enkanomiya is trying to absorb the spirit of the island, which is the legendary explanation, but because seawater that touches the soil leaches its nutrients and washes them away; rather than suppress Enkanomiya, the Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri replenishes the soil's nutrients. It is later revealed that Holy Soil is the result of the expansion of the Light Realm, whose elemental currents are strong in Enkanomiya, while the Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri reverses the phenomenon by awakening the Sangacorallia, creatures that can break down the Light Realm's powerful elemental energy into something more usable by the Human Realm which Teyvat is part of.
Every year, the Akademiya chooses a recipient for the Pir Kavikavus Prize, an award given out to a young scholar under 40 years old, whose research submission is considered "groundbreaking" and "creative," and the submitter has "great potential." Past recipients of this prize have all gone on to win great renown in the Akademiya.
Research into mechanical lifeforms is banned in the Akademiya, with students caught doing so running the risk of being expelled. It was initially tolerated and popular among those of Spantamad but when overzealous researchers began to perform unregulated vivisections and other cruel experiments on animals, it was immediately banned.
===Academic Progression===
A few different honorifics and titles have been mentioned in relation to a person's progress in their research and studies at Sumeru Akademiya.
* Driyosh, commonly called traveling scholars, are students who have been granted leave from Sumeru Akademiya to wander and learn as part of their research process. Passing one thesis through the review process is enough to graduate from the Akademiya, after which they may be considered formal researchers.
** There is another subset of students who are confined within the Akademiya and do not leave until they graduate or otherwise cut their education short. So far, no honorific has been ascribed to students of this type.
* Dastur are formal researchers who have passed two theses through the review process.
* Herbad are researchers of high prestige who have immense knowledge and hold leadership positions.
* The Six Great Sages, also commonly referred to as just sages, are the scholars with the highest positions of power in the Akademiya. They are chosen based on a set of criteria to serve as leaders of the Six Great Schools, one sage per Darshan. They are granted administrative power over the Akademiya and also sit on advisory councils. Some of their duties include assigning jobs and duties to researchers; for example, the role of the Grand Conservator.
* The Grand Sage is the absolute leader of the Akademiya. This role and title are cumulative with the one of Grand Sage, but little is currently known about what specific additional functions and powers this title implies. The Grand Sage's office is located above the House of Daena.
===Governance===
The Sumeru Akademiya manages much of the day-to-day affairs of Sumeru and is responsible for managing the Akasha System, a system which manages knowledge as a resource that anyone wearing an Akasha Terminal can access. The knowledge in the Akasha is compiled from the wisdom of the populace, and the information a person receives is heavily regulated by the Akasha. Yae Miko ponders whether this system was thought up by Lesser Lord Kusanali or by the sages; however, it was revealed that the Akasha was the work of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
The Akasha is the manifestation of the God of Wisdom's power, but Lesser Lord Kusanali has little to no role in managing it. But as the First Akasha Terminal, she has always had her consciousness linked to the Akasha, giving her the ability to occupy the consciousness of anyone wearing an Akasha Terminal. However, she has only occupied the bionic puppet Katheryne's consciousness, out of respect for her people's free will.
It is revealed that the Akademiya sages are corrupt; following Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's death, the sages were disappointed with the newly born Lesser Lord Kusanali's lack of intelligence and thus sought to replace their god in an attempt to control knowledge and restore Irminsul. After Il Dottore returned to Sumeru to offer his assistance in making a new god, four of the six sages began harvesting divine knowledge from crazed scholars at a secret facility, using the Akasha to create a dream samsara to harvest energy and spreading misinformation about the King Deshret's revival. The Amurta sage Naphis and the Vahumana sage opposed the plan, only to be locked up by the other sages in response. The sages modified Scaramouche even further to create their new god.
The Akademiya under their rule was authoritarian, banning the transmission of information by non-Akademiya sources and requiring plays to be approved by the Akademiya and to focus on Akademiya-approved themes, before ultimately prohibiting public art performances altogether.
The Akademiya also has a significant influence on how the rest of Sumeru thinks, as their radical views that deemed artistic expression to have no benefits quickly caused the rest of Sumeru to adopt the same viewpoint, resulting in citizens valuing scholarly accomplishments and practicality above all else, and leading to the marginalization of those involved in the arts. The Akademiya's demeaning of the arts spread to all forms of artistic expression, whether in painting, vendor performances at Port Ormos, dancing, or even architecture, due to the value placed on practicality over aesthetics. Even after Chapter III and the exile of the Sages, the Akademiya's influence still persists in some form in Sumeru, as discussing the arts is still considered the quickest way to kill a conversation.
After Scaramouche was defeated by the Traveler and Kusanali, Azar and the other three sages that collaborated with him were removed from their posts, with Naphis and the Vahumana sage being released from their imprisonment. Four new sages are to be selected in a process personally overseen by Lesser Lord Kusanali. Alhaitham was offered the position of Grand Sage, but he refused. Nevertheless, Alhaitham became the Acting Grand Sage to manage the Akademiya's important affairs before the new sages take office. He would ultimately resign and return to being its Scribe, leaving the Akademiya without a clear leader for the time being.
It is revealed in Kaveh's Hangout Event Act I - The Pendulum of Weal and Woe that training centers have opened up across Sumeru to prep citizens who are unable to enroll into the Akademiya for certain career paths, such as in architecture. However, some of these training centers, such as Alkami's, are scams that prey on citizens' desperation. The Akademiya is revealed to be unaware of these fraudulent training centers, and Kaveh speculates that they are unlikely to take action against them even if they were to find out because they have all of the necessary permits and certifications to stay in business.
==Structure==
===The Six Darshans===
Sumeru Akademiya is currently divided into Six Darshans, each of which has a specialty and a designated color for their uniform. The first Darshans were established at the same time as the Akademiya itself by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata under the name of Six Great Schools, each representing a type of wisdom. Each school is led by a Great Sage, and the central leader among them holds the position of Grand Sage. Although additional Darshans separate from these Schools have been created throughout history, only the Six Great Schools have stood the test of time. Nowadays, the Six Darshans and the Six Great Schools are nearly synonymous.
Crest	Name 	Specialty 	Color 	Sage
 	Amurta 	Biology 	Green 	Naphis
 	Rtawahist 	Illuminationism	Blue 	Azar (exiled)
 	Spantamad 	Elementalism 	Red 	Cyrus (retired)
 	Haravatat 	Semiotics 	Black 	Khajeh (exiled)
 	Vahumana 	Aetiology 	Yellow	Iskandar (historical)
 	Kshahrewar	Technology 	White 	
===Mahamata===
The MahamataBased on the original Chinese text, the are likely a different group from the . Note that is also in the Chinese name for Sumeru Akademiya. are the civil administrative officials of Sumeru Akademiya. They are Akademiya alumni dispatched throughout Sumeru to oversee the transmission and integrity of information among the public, relay and ensure compliance with decrees implemented by the Akademiya, and regulate various Akademiya-run public services, such as trade and healthcare. They are also sent to investigate incidents which may threaten public safety.
Public opinion of the Mahamata is mixed; some consider the newer Mahamata to be inefficient in their work and believe they could be replaced by the Akasha System, though with the system's shutdown this is unlikely to change. It is also suggested that the Akademiya may forcibly assign students to become Mahamata regardless of the student's own intent. This has been criticized as subverting the Akademiya's goals of education, though others argue that the Mahamata are important because they distribute the Akademiya's knowledge to the public.
The Scribe, a position currently held by Alhaitham, belongs to the Mahamata. The title of Inspector, which currently belongs to an unidentified woman, may also be part of the Mahamata.
* Alhaitham (The Scribe)
* Adel (Mahamata for Bayda Harbor)
* Barmak (Mahamata for Kalimi Exchange)
* Mahshid (Mahamata for Port Ormos)
* Nevida (Mahamata for Bimarstan)
* Panah
* Afratu
===Matra===
The Matra are administrative officials in the Akademiya that hand out disciplinary actions to researchers who have committed serious academic offenses.HoYoLab: The law is just, and there is no escape for the guilty They also inspect for illegal sources of information, such as Canned Knowledge and smuggled books.
===Navbed===
The Navbed is an administrative organization managing Sumeru's trade affairs and taxes.
* Shahbandar — The Navbed (Sumeru City)
* Halva — Trainee Tax Officier (Sumeru City)
* Reza — Port Master (Port Ormos)
* Masrur — Deputy Port Master (Port Ormos)
* Dilawar — Trade Supervisor, Wikala Funduq (Port Ormos)
* Gauhar — Trade Supervisor, Wikala Funduq (Port Ormos)
* Shajar — Port Master (Bayda Harbor)
* Rena — The Navbed (Romaritime Harbor)
===Vizier===
The Vizier is an official who oversees administrative matters in the Grand Bazaar and Treasures Street on behalf of the Akademiya, and deals with inquiries from residents.
* Nizam — Vizier
* Fariha — Secretary
===Temple of Silence===
Little is known about this body, but they are known to hold some level of authority in the Akademiya, possibly including the authority to detain researchers. In however, it is revealed that the Akademiya's Temple of Silence was in fact a front, as the real Temple of Silence departed from the rainforest back to the desert 400 years prior to the events of the game due to the sages' corruption, setting up a large compound in Thamud Oasis.
*Cyno (de facto leader)
*Sethos (appointed leader)
===Amurta===
===Rtawahist===
===Spantamad===
===Haravatat===
===Vahumana===
===Kshahrewar===
===Other Sages===
These characters are said to have held the title of sage, but their Darshan and time period are unknown unless otherwise stated.
* Sharnama, contemporary of Zandik's Trainee Dastur periodInteractable: Zandik's Legacy, Sumeru Investigation Team's Note
* Biruni, founder of the House of Purbiruni, five centuries ago
* Siman Farrokhzad, Amurta Sage, contemporary to Khayyam's retirement decisionInteractable: Medical History of Giyath Khayyam
* Zolfikar
===Other Researchers and Staff===
The following members' Darshans are unknown; those with known Darshans are listed under their corresponding Darshans' sections.
===Other Students===
The following members' Darshans are unknown; students with known Darshans are listed under their corresponding Darshans' sections.
===Other Alumni and Former Members===
The following members' Darshans are unknown; alumni with known Darshans are listed under their corresponding Darshans' sections.
==Other Institutions==
===Bimarstan===
The Bimarstan is a public hospital which provides free medical treatment from the Akademiya to residents of Sumeru. The doctors here are researchers and students from Amurta.
===House of Daena===
The House of Daena is the Akademiya's library, although it is now used much less often due to the Akademiya's recent push towards relying on the Akasha. Researchers and students can borrow books here on general knowledge. Some books are only open to higher-level researchers for use in their literature reviews. The House of Daena is run by a Grand Conservator, who is in charge of the library's collections.
The Akademiya is seeking a new Grand Conservator after the previous one declared his retirement; the current top two candidates are Rifaet and Vikram.
===Pardis Dhyai===
Pardis Dhyai is a research center for botany run by Amurta. Tighnari maintains close relations with the researchers at Pardis Dhyai, despite his avoidance of Sumeru City and the Akademiya itself.
==Affiliated Organizations==
===Corps of Thirty===
The Corps of Thirty are an Eremite mercenary brigade who are under permanent contract with the sages of Sumeru Akademiya to keep the peace in Sumeru City. Effendi is the Akademiya's liaison officer to the Corps of Thirty.
===Fatui===
According to consummate liar Kasim, some of the Akademiya's sages are "officially affiliated" with the Fatui. While little evidence towards this statement can currently be found, the sage Siman Farrokhzad is connected to an Eremite tribe known as the Farrokhzadan, who have previously worked for the Fatui; she has ordered the tribe to search for Aranara, which is a project Il Dottore is stated to be pursuing at present.
===Order of Skeptics===
The Order of Skeptics, named the "Nagarjunites" by the Akademiya, was once one of the Darshans. It has long since broken off and cut ties with the Akademiya, and while it still has some followers in the Girdle of the Sands region, many people in the forest region have relegated them to myth. Their ideals include "the transmission of knowledge at all cost" and that "conflict is the natural order of Teyvat," which are deemed strange by Akademiya researchers. The book An Ode to Khvarena mentions a figure named Nagarjuna, who is presumably the originator of the school.
==Trivia==
* According to Henry Morton, there are few opportunities to use Wind Gliders on Akademiya grounds.
* The Akademiya has a swimming elective.
* Students may take elective courses from Darshans they are not in, although the frequency of this occurrence is unknown.
* 
===Etymology===
* The English name uses the Ancient Greek term , a prominent school founded by the philosopher , from which a common noun "academy" was derived. This emphasizes the scientific and philosophical natures of the academy.
* The Chinese name uses a term literally meaning an , where is also used to refer to the in Catholic canon law or the in Islamic law. This emphasizes the theological and juridical natures of the academy.
** The Japanese name follows the Chinese interpretation, while the Korean name follows the English interpretation.
* The "Six Darshans" is derived from the ,Wisdom Library: Shaddarshana, Ṣaḍdarśana the six Āstika schools of Hindu philosophy.
* Several terms related to Sumeru Akademiya are derived from and the language:
** The Chinese equivalent for the Six Darshans is , which is derived from the Chinese common name for the Zoroastrian , Chinese Wikipedia: who are six divine emanations of , the creator deity in Zoroastrianism whose name translates to "Lord [of] Wisdom." They are named in the , a collection of 17 songs recorded in the .
** In both English and Chinese, the names of the Darshans are based on the deities in the Amesha Spenta: Amurta is derived from (Amerdad), Haravatat from , Kshahrewar from (Šahrewar), Spantamad from (Spandarmad), Rtawahist from (Ashawahist) and Vahumana from (Wahman). (See each Darshan's Etymology section for details.)
** The Avestan/Farsi-based honorifics within Sumeru Akademiya are notably transcribed phonetically in the original Chinese version, where foreign terms and concepts are usually translated into Chinese instead.
*** Each of the Six Darshans has two names in the Chinese version — one is based on the school's specialty while the other is a phonetic transcription of the Avestan-inspired name. For example, Spantamad is referred to as both and In the English localization, both names are typically rendered as the Avestan-inspired name.
*** , the term for traveling scholars who have not achieved Dastur status, is taken from the Middle Persian , meaning "poor" or "one who lives in holy indigence," which itself is derived from the Avestan 
**** The Middle Persian driyōš is the root of the word , learnèd ascetics who sought spiritual merit and salvation through self-imposed poverty (mendicancy).Encyclopedia Iranica: Darvīš
*** , one of Sumeru Akademiya's honorifics for researchers, is likely derived from the Zoroastrian high priest title .
*** , which ranks above Dastur in Sumeru Akademiya's hierarchy, was originally a term for Zoroastrian high priests who taught sacred texts to others, as well as translated and interpreted the Avesta. Later on, however, Herbad lost its prestigious rank and became the lowest rank of priests, with the Mobad above them and Dastur as the highest rank.
** The Kavikavus Prize may be derived from the mythological shah , a king of the . Among Kay Kāvus' legends is his invention of a flying throne propelled by ravenous eagles, which managed to transport the king to China before the eagles grew tired and dropped the throne.
* Other titles:
** "Sage" was the first title at Sumeru Akademiya to be mentioned in-game and perhaps because of that, is not a transcription of another language's terminology. In the original Chinese text, two different terms are used for this title: is the more common form, while has also been used.
** , full title Dhaṃma Mahāmātā, were "officers of morality" established by the Indian emperor and were in charge of religious affairs. In Chinese, this title is translated as instead of being phonetically transcribed from Sanskrit.
==Notes==
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
==References==
==Navigation==
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