God

are beings from the Human Realm with great control over elemental energy and whose lifespans are typically much longer than that of mortals. Most of Teyvat's gods are beholden to Celestia, although several gods have displayed wariness or even resentment towards the heavenly citadel.
Before the Archon War, many gods roamed the continent of Teyvat. For reasons unknown, seven divine seats opened up in Celestia, causing the continent to descend into a protracted series of conflicts that ended 2000 years ago. Over the course of the war, most gods were slain or sealed until only seven victors remained; each victor became their respective element's Archon and ruler of one of the seven nations,It is currently unclear whether the seven nations' territories were already determined before the start of the Archon War or not. using their powers to transform its terrain and governing the land according to their ideals.
==Overview==
Very little is currently known about the origins of gods. As evidenced by Boreas and Barbatos, gods can be elevated from a lower existence and given powers from another god. Morax, Makoto, and Ei's origins have been left a mystery, and have presently been referred to as gods since the start of their recorded histories.
In the past, gods were expected to have a love for humanity, and use their powers as gods to guide and protect humanity; Boreas, who held a low opinion of human society, was viewed as an oddity. However, after The Seven were established and its original members passed on, the newer archons no longer upheld the duty of guiding humanity.
Gods cannot be completely destroyed — even if a god's physical form is destroyed, their consciousness is worn away, and they are considered "dead," their emotions and power remain. Havria's relics kept their special properties thousands of years after her death and were ultimately thrown into the ocean by Zhongli so that humanity would not seek the power of a long-dead deity. Gods who place their power into the land, such as Boreas and Marchosius, may be considered "dead" but can continue manifesting in the world afterwards, although how this works is currently unclear.Boreas is explicitly stated to have died but can manifest himself at Wolvendom to answer a challenge and is fully conscious with his memories intact. Marchosius was only described as having entered a deep slumber, but he manifested at the shrine while Xiangling was asleep with the suggestion that he was not present when she entered the shrine. As a result of placing his power into the land, Marchosius also lost most of his mental faculties and is no longer capable of speech, unlike Boreas.
Upon death, a god's power flows out of their body and into the surrounding environment. The consequences of a god's death vary greatly, so what determines the result is currently unclear. Boreas was able to control the flow of power and use it to the benefit of the land when he voluntarily chose death. The power released upon Havria's death salinized her adherents and Sal Terrae was sealed off afterwards, but the region as a whole has shown no ill effects following her death. Meanwhile, a god's hatred will have negative effects on the surrounding environment and the people who reside there; for example, the Tatarigami on Yashiori Island afflicted inhabitants of the island with mysterious diseases and drove others to insanity. Wildlife that comes across the remains of a god and consumes it for a prolonged period of time will transform into a Consecrated Beast, assuming they survive the process. On the other hand, Remus's death had no apparent negative effects on the Sea of Bygone Eras; instead, his will protected the ruins of Capitolium, preserving them remarkably well over 2,000 years.While Remus sacrificed his life to unleash the power of the Symphony, it was the Symphony's power that caused the tsunami that sank Remuria, not his death.
The Seven have come up with various ways of counteracting such effects, such as the Yakshas in Liyue who fight against the power of ancient gods,HoYoLAB: Developer Insight #4: Character Stories (I) - "Vigilant Yaksha" Xiao (Part I) and the wards around Inazuma used to suppress the likes of Tatarigami and Kanna Kapatcir's power.
==Story==
===Ancient History===
Based on current knowledge, most if not all gods came into being after the establishment of the Human Realm and hold the Human Realm's power, making them incompatible with the Light Realm and Void Realm's powers under normal circumstances. Elemental dragons hold power equal to a god's.
===Archon War===
The Archon War was a prolonged conflict between gods for supremacy that began several thousand years ago and ended two thousand years ago. The war allegedly began over the seven divine thrones which opened up in Celestia, which may coincide with the creation of the Gnoses following the "great war of vengeance" which greatly weakened the Heavenly Principles.
Instead of warring, Sumeru's gods, King Deshret, Nabu Malikata, and Rukkhadevata forged an alliance in the ancient city of Ay-Khanoum. However, King Deshret still engaged in warfare against other gods in Sumeru beyond the alliance, such as Remus. Following Nabu Malikata's corruption by the Abyss, the city was destroyed by a Celestial divine nail, and Rukkhadevata left Deshret's lands, never to return.
The Guili Assembly, established by Guizhong and Rex Lapis in Guili Plains in the distant past, was one civilization destroyed during the chaos of the Archon War. Shortly after the fall of the Guili Assembly 3,700 years ago, Rex Lapis and the adepti gathered the survivors and took them south of Mt. Tianheng, where Liyue Harbor was established. Some time afterwards, Havria was murdered by her own people for being weak, and the survivors of Sal Terrae were scattered across Liyue. Rex Lapis subdued countless other gods and monsters, including Osial, Chi, and Orobashi, the latter whom survived and fled to Inazuma.Orobashi narrates in Oathsworn Eye's description that it was defeated by the . The Chinese term was later used in Neuvillette's "About the Geo Archon" Voice-Over, although it was localized into English as "Deus Auri."
2600 years ago, in the midst of the Archon War, Boreas warred against the God of Storms, Decarabian. In their bitter stalemate, Barbatos challenged Decarabian for the freedom of Decarabian's people and emerged victorious. After Decarabian's death, Barbatos became the new Anemo Archon, while Boreas decided himself unfit for the position and chose to pass on instead, using his winds to nurture the new Mondstadt that Barbatos created.
In Inazuma, the twin gods Makoto and Ei emerged victorious, with Makoto assuming the position of Electro Archon and her sister sharing many of her duties while acting as her kagemusha. The only rival god known to have been slain during this period was the god of Watatsumi Island, Orobashi, though the Thunderbird of Tsurumi Island, Kanna Kapatcir, was revered as a god by her people. Notably, the duty of slaying such foes during the Archon War fell upon Ei, rather than the Electro Archon.
In Fontaine, Remus was the sole god residing in Fontaine's surface during the Archon War, due to Egeria's imprisonment beneath the waves at the behest of the Heavenly Principles. The war in Fontaine instead took the form of Remuria's expansion and subjugation of various tribes, and a resistance movement led by the mortal, Erinnyes of Aremorica, who spread the faith of Egeria. Following the death of Remus at the hands of Phobos, and the drowning of Remuria, Egeria was freed from her prison and granted rulership over Fontaine as its Archon.
In Natlan, the Archon War period instead saw repeated conflicts between the dragons and humans of Natlan. The first Pyro Archon was a human named Xbalanque who defeated the still-reigning Sovereign Xiuhcoatl, and was thus granted authority over the divine throne and ascended to godhood by the Ruler of Death, RonovaArchon Quest, Chapter V, Act II - Black Stone Under a White Stone, Part 3: Echoes of Life, as planned by the dragon Sage, Waxaklahun Ubah KanArtifact Set, Obsidian Codex. However, the god Yohualtecuhtin of the Night Kingdom had numerous relations with humans in ancient history, first helping create the Wayob for the tribes, and later helping create the "Rules" of Natlan such as the Ode of Resurrection with the help of Xbalanque and Ronova. 
Around 2000 years ago, the Archon War drew to a close as the seventh and final victor claimed their seat. These victors were thereafter known as the Seven Archons, and came to possess one of the Gnoses as well as a portion of the elemental Authority for their element. Gods who refused to live under their rule fled to islands within the Dark Sea, regions beyond the control of The Seven, where they became evil gods.
Of the seven victors of the Archon War, only two remain by the start of the game's story: Barbatos and Rex Lapis.YouTube: Version 1.1 "A New Star Approaches" Trailer description While Ei was present during the Archon War, she did not assume the position of Electro Archon until her twin sister Makoto perished during the cataclysm 500 years ago. Most of The Seven's current members replaced the original founders of Teyvat's seven nations.
===Present Day===
Among The Seven, each Archon is associated with and worshipped by one of Teyvat's seven nations. Most of a nation's elemental environment is based on its Archon's element, although areas affected by divine nails, such as Dragonspine, the Great Red Sand, the Night Kingdom, and Tsurumi Island tend to be noticeably different from their surroundings.
An Archon's power is directly tied to their level of control over their nation. As a result, Venti — who travels as a bard and refuses to directly control the people of Mondstadt — is, by his own admission, extremely weak by Archon standards. However, this is later indirectly challenged by Nahida, who states that an Archon's power is tied to how much faith their people have in them.
When a person's powerful wish reaches the heavens, Archons are obligated to give that person a Vision, which is a shard of the elemental Authorities and allows the recipient to manipulate elemental energy. Vision wielders are known as "allogenes" and are also privileged with the chance of rising to godhood. In the year that the Vision Hunt Decree was in effect in Inazuma, no new Electro Visions appeared throughout Teyvat, leading scholars to conclude that the Archons' wills play a role in Vision distribution. However, Ei is surprised to hear of this phenomenon herself and refutes the scholars' conclusion.
==List of Gods==
===Heavenly Principles===
Image	Name 	Other Titles 	Status
 	Phanes (speculated)	Heavenly Principles	Unknown
===Four Shades===
===Seven Archons===
===Other Gods===
This list contains gods that have been mentioned in the game's lore, persons that have ascended to Celestia, and gods that are currently not known to have been Archons nor the Heavenly Principles and it's Four Shades.
Image 	Name 	Other Titles 	Region 	Status
 	Al-Ahmar, Amun 	King Deshret; Lord of Deserts 	Sumeru 	Deceased
 	Boreas, Andrius 	Wolf of the North 	Mondstadt 	Deceased, yet the spirit remains extant.
 	Chi 	None known 	Liyue 	Sealed away by Morax
 	Decarabian 	God of Storms 	Mondstadt 	Deceased
 	Guizhong, Haagentus 	God of Dust 	Liyue 	Deceased
 	Havria 	God of Salt 	Liyue 	Deceased
 	Marchosius 	God of the Stove 	Liyue 	Gave his power to the land, currently in the form known as Guoba Story Teaser: Flavors of the World
 	Nabu Malikata 	Goddess of Flowers 	Sumeru 	Deceased
 	Osial 	Overlord of the Vortex 	Liyue 	Sealed
 	Orobashi 	Watatsumi Omikami 	Liyue, Inazuma, Enkanomiya 	Deceased
 	Remus 	Sebastos; Philharmonic God 	Sumeru, Fontaine 	Deceased
 	ScaramoucheAlthough Nahida states during The Kabukimono's Finale that Scaramouche "tried to achieve godhood" but "was unsuccessful" based on the Traveler's retelling of Scaramouche's story, Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies is filled with numerous indicators, including statements from Nahida herself, that Scaramouche did become a god in some form. As such, Scaramouche's godhood as shown in Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies takes precedence over Nahida's single contradictory line in The Kabukimono's Finale.	Everlasting Lord of Arcane Wisdom; Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal 	Sumeru 	Defeated and ostensibly always autonomous, yet presumed defunct
 	Tao Dou, Bune 	None known 	Liyue 	Deceased
 	YohualtecuhtinDamaged Stone Tablet, Ancestral TempleYohualtecuhtin is an invention of the English localization and other localizations derived from it, and is not used in the original Chinese text, which only uses the term translated as "Lord of the Night" 	Lord of the Night 	Natlan 	Alive
Unnamed Gods 	Unnamed Gods 	Unnamed Gods 	Unnamed Gods 	Unnamed Gods
 	Unknown 	"Unknown God"Sustainer of Heavenly Principles 	Unknown 	Unknown
 	Unknown 	Sea God 	Unknown 	Unknown
 	Unknown 	None knownThe ancient god who gave Boreas his powers. 	Mondstadt 	Deceased
 	Unknown 	God of Thieves 	Unknown 	Unknown
 	Unknown 	God of Hot Pot 	Unknown 	Unknown
 	Unknown 	None knownThe evil god to whom Shenhe was to be sacrificed. 	Liyue 	Deceased
 	Unknown 	None knownXiao's former master 	Liyue 	Deceased
 	Unknown 	None knownThe god of Chenyu Vale, Fujin and Herblord's former master 	Liyue 	Deceased
 	Unknown 	God of Fertility 	Unknown 	Unknown(possibly fictitious)
Uncertain placement 	Uncertain placement 	Uncertain placement 	Uncertain placement 	Uncertain placement
This lists entities whose godhood has not been entirely confirmed by the game's canon.	This lists entities whose godhood has not been entirely confirmed by the game's canon. 	This lists entities whose godhood has not been entirely confirmed by the game's canon.	This lists entities whose godhood has not been entirely confirmed by the game's canon.	This lists entities whose godhood has not been entirely confirmed by the game's canon.
 	Guhua 	None known 	Liyue 	Ascended to CelestiaWhether ascension to Celestia automatically equates to the attainment of godhood is still inconclusive. In Ending Note, Venti states "In truth, every wielder of a Vision is one who can attain godhood and ascend to Celestia." Of the people known to have ascended, there is still no evidence of them bearing Visions, and it is still ambiguous whether people without Visions can ascend Celestia, attain godhood, both, or neither.
 	Kanna KapatcirWas worshipped as a deity, actual godhood is uncertain.Kapatcir was given this name by Ruu, who forged a close friendship with this deity. 	Great Thunderbird 	Inazuma 	Deceased
 	Naberius
Naberius is suspected to be a god, and possibly even a former archon, based on the fact that this item's name is similar to the Chinese name for Gnoses, 神之心 "Heart of God." 	None known 	Unknown 	Deceased
 	Vennessa 	Falcon of the West 	Mondstadt 	Ascended to Celestia
;Notes
==Trivia==
* The term God is unisex, with female figures like Ei and Nahida being referred to as Gods rather than Goddesses. This is not absolute however, such as with the Goddess of Flowers.
* Each gemstone used for ascension has the words and blessings from The Seven for the reader.
* Gods can take whatever form they please; Morax has taken the form of a young man, a woman, and an elderly man, with Zhongli as his most recent vessel. Venti's vessel is based on the Nameless Bard's.
** Vessels constructed through an archon's power have different compositions from regular human bodies; for example, Venti cannot be healed normally (in story, not in gameplay), while Zhongli indicates that he cannot get sick. That said, Venti is somehow allergic to cats. These human vessels are nonetheless not untouchable, as Venti is visibly winded and knocked unconscious from La Signora's attack.
* Due to stylistic choices made by original Chinese text and the English localization, some of the terminology pertaining to gods has been the subject of debate.
** In Chinese, gods before the rise of The Seven are often distinguished by including in their titles, but the English localization does not keep this term and usually translates it as "God" or omits it entirely. For example, Decarabian's title of was localized as "God of Storms," while Guizhong's was localized as "Lord of Dust" and Osial's was localized as "Overlord of the Vortex."
** Conversely, the term "Archon" is used in the English localization to denote The Seven's members, based on the game's Gnostic inspiration. However, there is no equivalent term in their Chinese titles, which led to early localization issues where many instances of were indiscriminately translated as "archon" without taking context into account. In Version 1.3, the English localization adjusted most instances of "archon" to primarily refer to The Seven, but some instances have not been changed.
*** The Chinese name for Archon Quests is indicating that the Traveler's journey will involve the gods of old and not just The Seven.
** The original Chinese text distinguishes some of Morax's accomplishments before becoming one of The Seven with the title as seen in Heart of Glaze and Zhongli's Character Story, That Which Rises From the Sea. In both instances, the English localization opted to translate the title as "Geo Archon" anyways. While Heart of Glaze made no attempt to distinguish the phrase from typical occurrences of "Geo Archon" (which would normally be either or ), That Which Rises From the Sea added the phrase "long before he took that title" to clarify that the story occurred before Morax became one of The Seven.
===Etymology===
* The term "" is a Greek word that refers to "A person who claims the right to rule, or to exercise power or sovereign authority over other human beings." Genshin Impact uses its usage,Bilibili: PASH in which the are seven supernatural beings subservient to the , the creator of the material universe who is beneath the , the true God. Each archon presides over one of the . By reaching , an understanding of divine knowledge, one can transcend the confines of the mortal world and escape the dominion of the archons.
** In Manichaeism, a religion derived from Gnosticism, there are five archons who together make up the Prince of Darkness. Here, the Archons are seen as an undeniably evil force.
* The Chinese term for gods that predate The Seven, stems from the standard Chinese translation for the — from which a deity's name is derived — is 
** , , , , , , , and are directly lifted from the Ars Goetia.
*** Haborym is an alternate name for Aim.
*** Beelzebul is an alternate spelling of , who is associated with Baal but is not from the Ars Goetia.
** Focalors is derived from .
** Istaroth is derived from .
** Ronova is derived from ,
** Decarabian is derived from .
** Andrius may be derived from , or based on his Chinese name. (See Boreas' Etymology section for details.)
** Havria is a feminized form of Havres, a corruption/misinterpretation of .
** Osial appears to be a portmanteau of and either or , the latter based on its Chinese name. (See Osial's Etymology section for details.)
** Marchosius is derived from .
** Orobashi is derived from .
** Amun is derived from and the Egyptian deity .
** Haagentus, the other name of Guizhong, is derived from .
* The Chinese and Japanese term for "allogenes" is , the same word used in the game's title.
** In Gnosticism, "," also known as the "Stranger," is a Gnostic figure who is half-human, half-divine, and has the power to communicate with other realms. In some writings about Allogenes, he is said to have become fully divine.
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==References==
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