Hi, In this history post we're going to discuss some of the history behind the Waffenträger projects in the game.
In general, all of these projects were designed towards the latter half of WW2, with the idea of having mobile anti-tank/artillery pieces on light standard platforms due to there being significant losses of towed artillery pieces in situations where the Germans were forced to retreat. The term Waffenträger simply translates to "Weapons Carrier".

Rhm-B WT

The Rheinmetall-Borsig Waffentrager was developed well... by Rheinmetall-Borsig in around Late 1942, it was intended to use Hetzer suspension on a custom chassis and was intended to carry two cannons, a 15cm sFH 18, and the 12,8cm KwK 44. There is not much that can be found on this specific variant, other than it's a predecessor to the Ardelt Rheinmetall project, which ended up going into limited production.
Ardelt-Rheinmetall using the 8,8cm PaK 43
It is unknown why the Borsig was discontinued, however it is likely because of the relative complexity of the project, the Ardelt used many components already in production or on tanks that were in service at the time. Nonetheless, I have been able to find blueprints for the original Borsig Waffenträger.
Blueprints for the Rheinmetall-Borsig Waffenträger

Steyr WT

The Steyr Waffentrager project was started around the 20th of January 1944 on the idea of mounting an 8,8cm PaK 43 anti-tank gun on a mobile chassis, and it was quickly developed, with a full-size model being finished 3 months later in March 1944. A common theme among these Waffentrager project producers, was that they would collaborate with certain parts of the design, in the case of the Steyr WT, the turret and gun were supplied by Krupp. Steyr was ordered to built two prototype vehicles, however only the one was ever finished by September 2nd 1944. It was presented alongside the Ardelt-Rheinmetall which had the same gun. I do not have much history of the Steyr WT beyond this point, however it is known that all work was halted on these projects in the 9th of October due to production shortages.
The Steyr WT prototype
Blueprints of the Steyr WT

WT Auf Pz. IV

Developed between the end of 1943 and start of 1944, it was a brief project which had two proposed variants, one using the 15cm sFH 18 L/29.5 Howitzer, and the other using the 12,8cm Kanone 81 L/55. It seems the design was scrapped because the designers were considering putting a gun on an even lighter chassis this combined with the obsolete Panzer IV could either show the desperation, or the "not very thorough" depth of the project... None were built and it only existed in blueprints. Interestingly though, the 12,8cm would end up being created as a separate artillery piece with a very similar gun shield.
The first version using the 15cm gun
The second version using the 12,8cm gun.
12,8cm Kanone 44 L/55 (it's basically the same gun)

G.W. Panther

This designation is fictional, and is correctly called the Grille 12, or Grille 15, which either mounted a 12,8cm or 15cm gun respectively. These were part of the Waffentrager Panther program.
Grille 12
Grille 15
The 15cm sFH 18 L/29.5 and 15cm sFH 43 were both proposed for design, and the Panther hull was considered because of the weight and size of the guns. Not much information can be found on the latter gun, however there is a document that proves its existence, it was likely a projected improvement of the 15cm sFH 18. None were built, and only a wooden mock-up was made
Formation model for the Grille 12

Grille 15

Well, since we've established that the Grille 15 is... the G.W. Panther, well what does the Grille 15 in game represent? Well.. it's also the Grille 12 or 15 depending on the gun it was using! This said, the gun for this is likely fictitious, I could not find anything on the 15cm PaK L/63 gun. The closest alternative would be the 15cm Kanone 18 L/55. That said, this tank in game is actually NOT based on the blueprints I showed for the G.W. Panther, instead it has its own unique blueprints that seem to share the same designation.
Likely what the Grille 15 is based on.

Skorpion

Developed as part of the Waffentrager Panther series, this was one of many put forward by Rheinmetall in 1943. This specific entry's official name is the Selbstfahrlafette für 12,8cm KwK 43 und 15cm sFH 43 under the designation Skorpion. This project was seemingly developed on the basis of a previous Waffentrager project under the same designation in January 1943.
12.8 cm Selbstfahrlafette Rheinmetall-Borsig – January 7th, 1943 Wooden Mockup
12,8cm Selbstfahrlafette Rheinmetall-Borsig - January 7th, 1943 outline
Unfortunately, I cannot find any model of the Skorpion specifically, there were only blueprints developed. This said, I'm still trying to look for actual blueprints than a reconstruction of them. Nonetheless, this project did exist.
The April outline of the Skorpion
The Skorpion project was cancelled in October 1943 for unknown reasons, and it never went beyond paper.

Honourable Mention... Waffentrager E 100...

It's very commonly known by now that this vehicle is complete fiction, however, it is likely the turret was based on the 12,8cm Flakzwilling 40/2 Anti-aircraft cannon. Interesting trivia is that this is the same thing mounted on German Flak Towers...
https://preview.redd.it/36ugfbpth70d1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=eb0f020f9641145dc2d210685515efd2b8f1dff0
Anyway, this post is now rather long (lol) so, I hope you all enjoyed reading! Let me know in the comments what you want me to go through next! Have a good day :)

DM to set up a dropoff :)

https://preview.redd.it/tnbsaefp2ywc1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=c4c9c53053dfdd008e5d364f9f369377092e16fd
It was the winter of 1976, and instead of playing with my friends outdoors, I was attending my grandpa’s funeral. I was twelve years old and I’d never been to a funeral before and I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't think it would be like this. Rows of wooden pews stretched out before me, filled with people dressed in black. Some were crying quietly, while others just sat with solemn faces.
At the front of the church, there was a big wooden casket with flowers all around it. That's where they put grandpa. It looked strange to see him lying there so still, like he was just sleeping, but I knew he wasn't going to wake up this time. Mom said he was gone forever, but it was hard to believe because just last week we were ice fishing together at Lake Meade.
There was a man up at the front, dressed in a black suit, talking softly into a microphone. He was saying things about grandpa that made people cry even more. Then there was a lady playing music on a piano, and it made me feel even sadder. Everyone seemed to know what to do except me. I just sat there, feeling lost and confused, wishing grandpa would wake up.
After the service we all gathered at my Aunt Mary’s house and had a dinner where everyone shared stories of grandpa. They asked me to share a story and I tried to talk but then I started crying and I couldn’t stop. I know that crying like that is a sign of weakness.
My mom took me into a bedroom and sat down with me, “We shouldn’t have had you talk about grandpa. I know this is hard on you.”
I didn’t say anything. This felt like the speeches she would give me whenever I did something wrong, but I didn’t think I had done anything wrong, except for the crying… but she was crying harder than me in the bedroom.
“We all loved him so much.” My mom said, hugging me.
And then there was some shouting coming from the other room. My mom got up and went out to see what was happening and I followed her.
In the living room, drunk, was Uncle Ernie. He was wearing hunter orange clothes since it was deer season in Michigan. “You all have blood on your hands!” Uncle Ernie screamed, pointing an accusing finger at everyone in the room.
Several men gathered around Uncle Ernie and they escorted him into the bedroom where I was sitting with my mom a moment ago. I could hear their raised voices, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.
That’s when Aunt Mary came and grabbed me by the hand, “Let’s go outside and get some fresh air.”
Aunt Mary was the youngest of my mom’s siblings and she didn’t have any kids, so I always thought she looked at me as a son. When I was young she used to live with us and my mom said I wasn’t sure who my mother was back then.
“Don’t worry your Uncle Ernie is just venting.” Aunt Mary said. “He’ll be okay.”
“Why did he say that?” I asked.
Mary thought for a long time. “Well, sometimes when people die it’s hard for people to accept, so they blame other people to make sense of it.”
A few minutes later Uncle Ernie came staggering out of the house and he walked up to us. “You could have saved him!” Uncle Ernie said. “You evil bitch!”
Aunt Mary stepped in front of me, and said, “Not in front of Billy.”
I think this was the first time Uncle Ernie realized I was there. He looked down at me with tears in his eyes. “At least you won’t remember any of this.”
And then the men from inside were surrounding Uncle Ernie again and this time they escorted him to a car and drove away. I hoped I’d never see Uncle Ernie again, but the pit in my stomach told me that was probably wishful thinking.
The next week things went back to normal. My mom was back to work at the factory and it was about this time I started to think about my dad. He’d died when I was two years old, and I figured he would have had some good advice.
I decided to go out to the shed where grandpa kept his things. They hadn’t decided what to do with grandpa’s belongings yet. The door was locked, but I knew where grandpa kept the key, in the bird house hanging from the eavestrough.
The shed was musty and it looked like grandpa hadn’t been in there for awhile. I rummaged through a few drawers and didn’t find anything particularly interesting. I thought about leaving and going next door and asking my friend Pat if he wanted to play basketball at the rec center.
“What are you looking for?” a voice said from behind me.
I turned around but there wasn’t anyone there. I walked outside of the shed and all around the back yard.
And then the thought hit me that I might have heard the voice of a spirit. Or worse, I was losing my mind and hearing things. I wasn’t sure which was better.
I thought about telling my mother, but I knew that she would tell me I just heard the leaves rustling. I stopped and listened and waited for the sound of leaves, hoping that my mind was playing tricks.
But no leaves rustled, not even the sounds of any birds. It was dead silent.
I looked up at the tree and laughed, it was the middle of winter and there were no leaves. I decided that I was hearing things. My mind was playing tricks on me. I had never heard a voice before so maybe it’s like growing hair on your chest, at some point you just start to hear things and need to see a doctor.
“There are no such things as ghosts.” I said out loud to reassure myself.
“What are you looking for?” the voice asked again from behind me, but much closer this time.
I felt a mixture of fear and panic. There was a split second where I thought I wouldn’t be able to run, that I would be frozen in terror with the voice behind me closing in, but then I could feel myself running for the house and I didn’t look back to see what it was that was talking to me.
“Mom!” I screamed as I flew through the back door. And then I remembered she was still at work, so I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife off the cutting board and ran into the bathroom and locked the door.
As I held the butcher knife, I wondered how I was going to use it on a spirit. And that’s when I decided to start praying. My mom had never taken me to church, but Rosie from across the street had told me about Jesus and how he loved little children. Rosie even taught me the song, “Jesus loves the little children.”
I sat in the bathroom for what seemed like an eternity until my mom came home. She found me in the bathroom with the butcher knife. I was prepared for her to laugh when I told her the story, but she didn’t laugh.
“Who was it?” she asked.
This was not the response I was expecting from my mom. She was supposed to tell me it was all my imagination.
“Do you believe in ghosts?” I asked my mom, finally putting the butcher knife on the sink basin.
“Of course, not!” my mom answered.
“Then why are you asking me who it was?”
My mom thought for a long time. “I just didn’t want you to think you’re crazy.”
I immediately thought back to what my Uncle Ernie said to Aunt Mary. Did my mom know something she wasn’t telling me?
“I don’t know who it was.” I said.
“Was it grandpa?” my mom asked.
And that’s when I stopped talking and went to my room.
As I sat on my bed, staring at the walls of my room, I started to wonder about my family. And then I wondered if the spirit was watching me. I got up and checked the closet and looked beneath my bed.
I wished I had a dog to help guard the room, but my mom said I wasn’t old enough for the responsibility of a dog. The best defense I had was a few toy soldiers that I hadn’t played with in a couple of years.
I placed one near the window, one in the closet, and one under the bed. I also said another prayer to Jesus in case the toy soldiers didn’t work.
And then I thought about what the voice had asked me. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. And then I started to wonder if maybe I should have been looking for something, but I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for in the shed.
“What am I supposed to be looking for?” I asked out loud.
And then the lights in my room flickered on and off. And a few seconds later I was back in the bathroom downstairs holding the butcher knife.
“Billy, come out.” my mom said, outside of the door.
“No way, there is something in this house.” I said, trembling.
My plan was to sleep in the bathroom but about an hour later my Aunt Mary showed up and started to talk to me through the door. “Billy, if you don’t think it’s safe here you can come and spend the night at my house.”
That sounded like a pretty good idea, so I opened the door.
“You don’t have to worry, the voices can’t hurt you.“ Aunt Mary said hugging me.
This was the second response I wasn’t expecting. Why was she acting like the voices were real?
“But they’re not real.” I said, confused.
There was a long pause and then she smiled and said, “Of course they’re not.”
I packed up enough clothes for a week and spent the next few days at my Aunt Mary’s. I didn’t hear any voices and things seemed to be going back to normal and about that time my mom showed up and said it was time for me to come home.
I never wanted to step foot in our house again. I told my mom that I thought I would probably die if I came home. Her and my aunt Mary laughed when I suggested that my life was in danger.
“We all heard voices when we were kids.” My mom said running her fingers through my hair.
This is when I knew for sure I didn’t know my family. Nobody had ever said they heard voices as a kid. They had told me a hundred stories about their childhoods growing up but not a single one included voices.
“You heard voices?” I asked, looking at my Aunt Mary who smiled and nodded.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me this?” I asked.
“Well, we hoped you wouldn’t hear them.” My mom answered. “But maybe grandpa’s death sparked something in you.”
And that’s when I started to cry again just like at the funeral. I couldn’t stop. I cried until I was unable to cry anymore.
Normally when I cry like that I feel better. But not this time.
My mom took me home and I remember looking at the house as I got out of the car. The thought occurred to me that it couldn’t be the house since my mom didn’t grow up in that house.
This thought made me want to cry again.
“Mom, can we get a dog?” I asked through tears.
And to my surprise my mom agreed, “Of course, we’ll go to the dog pound on Monday.”
“What about me being too young?” I asked.
“Well, you’re growing up fast.” She said smiling.
Monday couldn’t arrive fast enough. The dog pound was filled with many breeds and sizes and my mom wanted a small dog that she said would be easier to house train. I wanted the biggest, meanest looking dog I could find. There was a black lab and German Shepherd mix named Thor that had been given to them a week earlier. They said the owners were too old to take care of him and that he was a gentle soul.
He looked like a black wolf.
Thor nuzzled up to me when they let him out of the cage. He was a gentle giant, but he looked ferocious. I tried to think of what a spirit might think when they first laid eyes on Thor. They wouldn’t know his backstory, so I thought Thor would be a perfect guard dog against spirits.
After a half hour of debate my mom finally relented and let me bring Thor home provided I promised to feed him and take him for walks every day. What my mom didn’t know is the one thing I wanted to do more than anything was leave our house.
I introduced Thor to the toy soldiers and instructed him not to eat them. I wasn’t sure if I should tell Thor about the spirit, but I did it anyway. Thor looked at me with a confused look.
“You have to help us.” I said pointing to the toy soldier by the window. “You’re supposed to guard me with your… life.”
I hesitated at the thought of Thor guarding me with his life. “Okay, if you’re too scared you can run, but wait until I’m gone before you run.”
I realized that I was asking Thor to have more courage than me which didn’t seem fair since I was the reason he was in this situation. “Okay, we can run away together, but make sure you bark and growl.”
For the next few months I worked with Thor teaching him how to fetch, but it looked like he already knew those tricks, but he didn’t like to let go of the stick. So, I guess I taught him how to release. I was careful to avoid the back yard. I half hoped that now that I had a dog I wouldn’t be hearing any voices.
My mom acted as if nothing had happened. And it started to seem like a bad dream that I was having trouble remembering when the thought of going back into the shed with Thor crept into my mind.
It was a terrible thought.
“Why didn’t they get rid of grandpa’s belongings?” I asked Thor who perked up his ears.
It had been months and nobody had been to visit except Aunt Mary to check on me. Before I heard the voice we had family visiting every week.
“You’re not scared of that shed, are you?” I asked Thor.
I didn’t think Thor was scared of anything. He even chased the neighbor’s cat up a tree. I was grounded for a couple of days for not keeping Thor on a leash.
“You want to go to the shed, boy?” Thor barked, but he always barked when I raised my voice like that.
I was too scared to go into the shed, but maybe if I let Thor go in ahead of me and look around I would be okay. That seemed like a good idea.
“Tomorrow, you’ll go into the shed.” I said, wondering if Thor might be scared.
“Unless you don’t want to?” I asked Thor, who sat in silence.
The next day I introduced Thor to the backyard for the first time. He didn’t seem to notice anything. We played fetch for an hour. And then I started to throw the stick near the shed.
My mom came out and checked on us and asked if I wanted to come in for lunch. I told her I had already eaten a sandwich, which was a white lie. I didn’t want to tell her I was trying to get up the courage to open the shed door again.
I walked up to the shed door with Thor by my side, “Is anyone in there?”
There was no answer, this time I could actually hear the wind rustling through the tree leaves. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders when nothing happened.
“Maybe it was just my imagination?” I said.
And that’s when the hair on Thor’s neck went up and he started to growl. And then Thor showed his teeth which I’d never seen him do before.
I looked up at the birdhouse and wished I had the courage to take out the key, but I found myself running back to the house. I didn’t even check to see if Thor was behind me.
When I reached the back door, I looked back and was surprised to see that Thor had not moved. He was still showing his teeth and looking at the shed door.
“Come on Thor!” I said.
Thor didn’t listen. He just kept staring at the shed door, growling and snarling.
“What’s wrong?” My mom asked, from the kitchen.
“Thor!” I yelled loudly, and this time he listened and came trotting up as if nothing had happened.
“I’m just playing with Thor,” I said to my mom, trying to mask the fear in my voice.
That night I laid in bed with Thor thinking about the shed, “You’re fearless.” I said to Thor who was fast asleep.
I wondered if I would be fearless too if I had sharp teeth like Thor. And that is when I thought about the butcher knife again. Maybe if I had a weapon I would be fearless too? But then I remembered weapons wouldn’t work on spirits since they didn’t have bodies.
And that’s when I realized I had missed the most important thing. The only weapon I needed was a cross. I was praying to Jesus almost every night and I wasn’t bringing Jesus with me.
The next morning, I casually asked my mother if we had any crosses.
“Are you hearing voices again?” my mom asked.
“Nope, but I just thought it might help if I had a cross since I pray to Jesus.” I said.
A look of concern washed over my mother’s face. “Billy, you know we don’t believe in Jesus in our family. You know that we don’t pray.” She said in a very serious tone.
“What’s wrong with praying?” I asked.
“Jesus, is not welcome in this house.” My mom said sternly and walked out of the room.
I knew my family wasn’t particularly religious, but we did have grandpa’s funeral in a church. I then realized that it was the first time I had ever been in a church. If we didn’t believe in Jesus why were we having a church funeral?
I tried to think back, and I didn’t remember seeing any crosses. And the guy in the black suit … was he a pastor?
That afternoon I walked across the street to Rosie’s house. If Rosie was home, she was usually sitting on the front porch in her faded floral housecoat, silver hair pulled into a neat bun. She'd lived alone since her husband passed away a few years back. I brought Thor with me, knowing she always had dog treats handy for when her daughter visited with her dog.
I asked Rosie if she stilled believed in Jesus.
“Of course!” Rosie said smiling, feeding Thor a dog biscuit. “Why are you asking me that?”
“Well, my mom said Jesus isn’t welcome in our home.” I answered.
Rosie thought for a long time, “Well, not everyone believes in Jesus. My husband was an atheist and did not believe in God.”
I thought about asking her why her husband didn’t believe in God, but I decided to focus on things that were more important.
“Do you think I could get a cross from the Catholic Church?” I asked.
Rosie smiled and reached down into her purse and pulled out a rosary. “Here, you can have my favorite rosary.”
The beads were connected by a sturdy metal chain. At the center of the rosary was a small, intricately carved crucifix. The details of Jesus on the cross were so finely rendered I could make out the sorrowful expression on his face.
“You might want to keep that a secret.” Rosie said, nodding toward our house.
“Okay, thanks.” I said, and started back across the street but then turned back to Rosie, “Do you think this works on evil spirits?”
Rosie looked confused at first and then she replied, “It works on everything if you have faith.”
That night I lay awake with the rosary in my hands thinking about what Rosie had said to me. I needed faith. But I didn’t know what she was talking about. I knew I needed courage like Thor, but I wasn’t sure what having faith meant. It wasn’t exactly courage. It was something else.
I said another prayer to Jesus and decided that tomorrow we would go into the shed. Thor would have courage and I would need to have faith.
The next morning I woke up early. Thor didn’t appear the least bit nervous, but maybe that’s because he didn’t know what we were going to do.
My mom cooked my favorite breakfast of scrambled eggs with Malt-O-Meal. She asked if Thor and I had any plans so I made up a story about teaching Thor to dig for treasures that he could smell. It was a half-truth because I had thought about teaching Thor how to smell gold and silver.
It was Friday so my mom had to work. I half expected her to ask about the shed but she kissed me on the forehead and said goodbye like it was any other day.
I looked out the back window at the shed and then down at Thor, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
I hoped that Thor would do something to tell me not to do it. He sat down and lifted a paw.
“If you knew what we were about to do you wouldn’t be in such a good mood.” I said, pulling out my rosary and holding it in my hand.
A moment later there was a loud knock on the door which caused me and Thor to jump. A moment later, Thor was barking and running toward the living room.
“Anybody home?” I heard my Uncle Ernie yell, cupping his hands around his eyes to see inside.
I opened the door and was prepared to ask him why he was here, but he walked right past me and sat on the living room couch. Thor sat beside him and he began to stroke Thor behind the ears.”
“Billy, is your mom home?”
“No.” I said. “She’s at work.”
“Good.” Ernie said, looking around as if there might be someone watching him. “You’re the reason I’m here.”
Uncle Ernie didn’t visit often and he’d never come to talk to me. “I’m sorry for the way I acted after the funeral. I wasn’t myself.” Ernie said.
He looked at me as if searching for something. “What I said will make sense some day, but you’re too young to understand.”
There it was again. He was talking about some kind of secret. I wanted to ask him some questions, but I was too afraid.
“Before I get into the reason I’m here. I want to just say that your plan isn’t going to work.” Ernie said smiling, looking down at the dog.
“You think this dog and that rosary your holding will save you?”
I wanted to cry, but I just stood there in silence.
“Yeah, they know about your plan.” Uncle Ernie said shaking his head. “You’re just like your dad. He had lots of plans too, and none of them worked.”
Uncle Ernie had never mentioned my dad to me in my entire life.
Uncle Ernie stood up, “This is confusing. It was confusing for me too, but you have a few more years before you have to decide.”
I had no idea what he was talking about and I didn’t want to know. I wanted to run, but I wasn’t sure where to run to.
“You’re too young to save yourself kid.” Ernie said. “But in a few years, when you’re 15 you can run away.”
Could Uncle Ernie hear my thoughts?
“When you’re 16, that’s when they’ll come for you.” Ernie’s voice started to crack as he continued, “That’s when they come for all of us.”
He was going to say something else when the lights in the rooms started to flicker on and off. Thor began to growl and walked over to me, his eyes darting around the room as if something was moving.
“Looks like they’re here…” Ernie said, looking up at the flickering lights. “I might have said too much.”
I backed up against the wall, holding Thor by the collar.
“I’m here to help you,” Uncle Ernie said, crouching down to a knee. “You have to trust me.”
Uncle Ernie was the last person on Earth I would trust, but I nodded.
“What are you looking for?” he asked, pausing as if listening to someone, “What’s in the shed?”
I started to move away from him with my back against the wall, as the growls from Thor became deeper. “I- I don’t know-“
“You have to tell me what you’re looking for!” Ernie demanded, leaning closer, and stopping when Thor began showing his teeth.
Ernie smiled and lifted his head talking into the air, “He doesn’t know.” And then the laugh became diabolical, “He doesn’t even know!”
And then Uncle Ernie walked toward the back door and motioned for me and Thor to follow him, “Let’s go into the shed and you can show me where grandpa kept his things and maybe that will help you find what you’re looking for.”
I gripped the rosary in my hand and looked down at Thor and whispered, “We just need faith.”
And then we followed Uncle Ernie to the shed.

I've been exploring the I Ching, Chinese history, and MiHoYo as a company and I don’t have anyone to geek out about this stuff with, so I genuinely appreciate everyone who reads this post. Unfortunately, I have to focus on other priorities and put this aside.
Fair warning this super speculative, just in case that’s not your cup of tea.
TLDR
I think the world of Teyvat takes place within a singularity that formed when a bough (main branch) of an Imaginary Tree was impacted by an “intruder”, which formed a knot. To isolate the intruder an artificial False Sky was created forming a Pearl that adds layers with each samsara. Being an imaginary world within a Tree makes sense because it’s a world of gods, dragons, and knights, which are also architypes used throughout history to depict common themes. This could also be why Teyvat is a world of different mythologies, philosophies, theologies, literary works, because they are all part of the collective body of knowledge, the collective “truth” of the Tree.
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Creators of Hoyoverse
Franz Kafka said, “The Kafka paradox: art depends on truth, but truth, being indivisible, cannot know itself: to tell the truth is to lie. Thus the writer is the truth, and yet when he speaks he lies.” Each region represents one aspect of the “truth” of the world, because no one thing can fully embody it. So, if the “truth” is lies told by the ones telling the story, then what can we learn from the creators?
We know they studied computer science and that they are fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion. NGE is an anime that creates a world where the characters “are called upon to understand the ultimate cause of events and the motives behind human action”. NGE draws inspiration from Shinto, Judaism, Christianity, Kabbalah, and Freud and Jung. Their first game FlyMe2theMoon used NGE theme song as it’s ending credit.
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Carl Jung
Carl Jung is known for his exploration of the psyche. He used the I Ching as a basis for his archetypes and argued that Alchemy is the basis for the psychoanalytical process. Jung's journey of Self is the process of individuation, where one integrates the aspects of personality. “Jung recognized many dream images as representing the Self, including a stone, the world tree...and the Christ.”
Jung is famous for his theory of the collective unconscious, which is a sea surrounding the conscious Self that houses the architypes. “Archetypes are universal organizing themes or patterns that appear regardless of space, time, or person. Appearing in all existential realms"..."they are organized as themes in the unus mundus".
Genshin: I think Teyvat is a singularity, the unus mundus, the world outside of time, a world of architypes, where our collective dreams come to life through our imagination. It’s a world like a Pearl that’s being cultivated through each generation as humanity collectively grows and learns, like a living book of stories that continues to add chapters.
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Jung’s Allegory for Truth
“Jung believed that we are ALL fragmented and divided, and knowingly or not, we’re all searching for our souls.”
Jung used an allegory for Truth as rays of light, where white light in its diversity of colors symbolized a common Truth and common property of mankind. The allegory is of a gigantic prism in front of the sun that breaks up the rays of light. A person living under the blue ray perceives the sun sends only blue light, but this is only a fragment of the truth. The same goes for other regions. “And they will all scourge and slay one another to force their fragmentary truth on the others–until, grown wiser through traveling in each other’s regions, they come to the unanimous view that the sun sends out light of different colors. That is a more comprehensive truth, but it is still not the truth. Only when a giant lens has recombined the split-up rays…will a view arise more in accordance with the truth, and men will perceive that the sun emits white light which is split up by the prism.”
Genshin: This feels very applicable with the Colors of the Rainbow achievement and our journey to find the “truth of this world”, which does appear to be a journey of the Self that is a universal process of discovery echoed in all epic tales, represented by a figurative Tree. The Traveler mentions that they are regaining their power and in FlyMe2theMoon Kiana is collecting soul stones in search of the Truth.
Makoto says to Ei that she should have “imparted these ideas to you a little at a time, to dissuade you from your pursuit of stillness”. Makoto and Ei may be foreshadowing what is happening as we walk through the worlds to the region of stillness, Snezhnaya.
“The Giant Voice Inside the Head”, the Sinner is a giant prism in the shape of a mandorla, the almond (vesica piscis), the philosopher's stone, the Pearl/Heart. The Sinner speaks to people in their mind and might force their fragment of truth on people. After bestowing the powers of the abyss to Chlothar, he returns to the Unknown Sanctuary to discover the Sinner is gone, but feels this "awesome and wondrous power flowing through his mind and body". Rhinedottir also found the Heart of Naberius and disappeared. This could mean that the Sinner is quite literally growing wiser by walking in other people’s shoes.
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Sigmund Freud
Freud’s Wolf Man dreamt of 6-7 wolves in a Tree which Freud interpreted as manifestations of a primal past trauma (fear of castration). In Greek/Roman mythology Saturn was castrated by Jupiter symbolically cut off the sky. So, wolves may represent nightmares stemming from when the Heavens were cut off. The riftwolves are described as “echoes left from the battles fought so many years ago”.
“The universe has no beginning and no end, and so it was with the land that once was. But this matters not to us, for the land that bears us no longer has anything to do with that eternity without start or ceasing." — So said the lone sage, Aberaku, to the first Sunchild (Abrax/God)
Freud also defined “delusions” as ‘applied like a patch over the place where originally a rent had appeared”. So, delusions are the minds attempts to repair gaps within itself, missing information…like about a God perhaps…maybe an Unknown one? Guizhong tells Zhongli to forget about the dumbbell and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata says “world…forget me…”. This could be the same event from two different perspectives.
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Tree of Imaginary Numbers
If Teyvat is a knot in the Tree, then what exactly is the Tree? The Tree of Life is a figurative representation of the cosmic process of creation in cultures all over world. They are directly comparable, and many have related them including Carl Jung and Aleister Crowley the beast himself.
The Confucianist Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate is one of these trees that has two paths: 1) Zhou Dunyi's Taijitu is the natural process of creation and destruction, and 2) Chen Tuan's Wujitu describes the internal alchemic process of achieving immortality (neidan).
The Tree is an archetype, so it is echoed from the microcosm to the macrocosm, meaning it’s a replicated process of creating a universe, a person, a fruit, etc. So, we as people are also universes and “Trees” of life and death, and our bodies are “cauldrons” for internal alchemy.
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Genshin: This same idea is reflected in the game when Araja gave his body to become the Tree of Dreams to continue to sustain the dream for everyone. Each of the Vasara Trees have their own Trees of Dreams inside their consciousness, like inception trees. This could also imply Teyvat requires sacrifices to maintain the world.
In the Confucianist Diagram North is at the bottom of the Tree, while South is at the top. Have you ever noticed that the map of Teyvat does not have a compass? If Mondstadt is the “Crown of the North”, then this puts the Tsaritsa in the West. Her being in the West is significant, because that’s the home of the Icy Queen Mother who is a central figure in China and the one who stole the Pearl.
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A Knot in the Tree
Knots are formed when a dead branch and new growth on a tree mix together, which reanimates the dead branch. It’s possible that Teyvat is a dead “bough” reanimated, a world between life and death, where the two are mixing together.
Carl Jung's The Seven Sermons to the Dead: “Man is a portal through which one enters from the outer world of the gods, demons and souls, into the inner world, from the greater world into the smaller world...In this world, man is Abraxas [God], who gives birth to and devours his own world.”
The Primordial One created four “Shining Shades” of themself and shades are undead. The lone sage has sinshades. The Archons have demon names and could be the seven Po (shen/spirits), the angels the hypostases (jing/essence). Genies and Jinn are also spirits. Seelies in Scottish ballads are wights which are undead. Foxes are also believed to be transmigrated souls of deceased human beings.
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Dragon Spirits of the Tree
Dragons are “Spirits of the Way”, the way being the Path of Tao, the Tree of Life. They are also Guardians of the Flaming Pearl, which is another description for the philosopher's stone as cold fire.
Genshin: If dragons are spirits of the Tree then this could mean Teyvat is a microcosmic world…within a person…maybe even the one we are ultimately supposed to help in the Trevail Trailer. The threads of fate may be the ley lines as the meridians in the body, and the “her” we are supposed to rescue could be actually be Teyvat itself, but as a fractured person?
“This body is the noblest and most eminent of all in this world. It should hold absolute control over this world. It once promised its people a dream: the never-changing ‘eternity.’” —Beelzebul, Vajrada Amethyst Gemstone
“My body is my power, my power is my life!” – Kiana Kaslana, FlyMe2theMoon
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A Pearl in the Sea
The Pearl is a symbol for the Philosophers Stone, the final product of alchemy, and it is also a symbol for the Divine Child, the Magnum Opus. There are many symbols for the philosopher’s stone including a grain of gold, a seed of life, a Golden Flower, the almond, the Third Eye, the hexagram, the Seal of Solomon.
Pearl creation is a unique process where “the mineral and organic parts go together like bricks and mortar.” Mollusks make pearls by putting layers of nacre around intruders, such as grains of sand or parasitic worms, to isolate and provide protection from them. So, if someone succeeded in creating the philosophers stone through internal alchemy, then it’s entirely possible that the “false sky” was created to isolate them resulting in the bottle world of Teyvat.
The trigrams mandala look like a layered Pearl and a Tree. The representation of the Taoist Tree as a toroidal process looks like a singularity between a white and a black hole, so possibly three singularities or Dantians (elixir fields). King Deshret’s Mausoleum also resembles the Torus shape and is a representation of an incomplete Merkabah. To complete the process Heaven and Earth unite to form a light body, the Merkabah. With Deshret’s Mausoleum it appears heaven and earth are not united and the process is incomplete.
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Time: Eonothem and Eon
The interesting thing about both pearls and Trees is their relation to “time”. Pearls and Tree rings both have layers of “time” captured within them. Dendrochronology for example is the science of Tree Ring dating.
This brings to mind the Artifact set with Eonothem and Eon, but both of these are in geologic time, like layers of a Pearl. The Goblet of Eonothem is the whole Pearl, or if going by Mondstadt’s analogy, it’s the library, our collective body of knowledge. The Sands of Eon are books written by previous generations, layers of history, bodies of work that nurture and inspire new dreams. The circlet of logos is the current author writing their story. The plume of death is that which is eternal, like a quill that is set down and picked back up again. The Flower of Life is the Magnum Opus, the completed work that gets added to the library, seeding life and inspiring the next generation of authors.
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What is the Process of the Tree?
Wuji (zero, void) → Taiji (one supreme ultimate) → Yin and Yang (two polarities, heaven/Shen and earth/Jing) → Gateway of the Mysterious Female (spiral portal of creation, heaven/earth/void) → Sixiang (four faces of God and Four Symbols) → Wuxing (five agents of change) → Bagua (eight trigrams, the building blocks of life) → Yin-Yang (balance, Taijitu)
I cannot explain all this well with relation to Genshin and HSR together, so I would recommend reading Mitternachts Waltz and Imbibitor Lunae’s Character Story.
Wuji (without pole, non-self) is the limitless void described as a Sea of Qi. “Wuji is synonymous with Qi” and is home to all images including the Great Mother Wujimu, the unborn ancient mother. Likely the Sea of Quanta as dreams, memories, and potential, the origin and end.
“Life that came from the primordial sea is inevitably fated to return to it. But there are infinite possibilities for humans to transcend, and even the waters of the primordial sea cannot completely dissolve them...” —Boethius, Sublimation of Pure Sacred Dewdrop
Taiji (supreme pole, highest self): “Taiji is the process between Wuji and Yin Yang. It is the hidden force (the creative energy) which is able to lead Wuji into the division of Yin Yang and also lead the divided Yin Yang back into the unity of Wuji.”
Precious Scripture of the Dragon-Flower: “After the emergence of the Ancient Awakened, heaven and earth were established; after the rise of the Eternal Venerable Mother, Former Heaven was established. The Eternal Venerable Mother [wujimu] conceives from herself and begets yin and yang. The yin is the daughter and the yang is the son. Their names are Fuxi and Nüwa respectively.”
Genshin: How does a mother begets children of herself? I think this played out with Makoto and Ei, which is why Inazuma was such a tricky story to tell.
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The Three Treasures
The analogy for understanding the three treasures is of a candle. The wax and wick are the energy of Jing that is consumed during life, the flame is Qi the life-force that animates the body, and Shen is the rainbow aura of light (mendorla) surrounding the flame.
Jing is material essence, ousia, hypostasis, seed/egg containing blueprints, DNA from the ancestors, "god's mouthpiece", one's fate/destiny, and Heaven’s command. Kanji for Jing is uncooked rice in the Dantian (cauldron).
Qi is cosmic breath, pneuma, consciousness units, stars, the divine spark, the material-energy needed for movement. Kanji for Qi is cooked rice with vapors.
Shen is the basis for all existence, it's the psyche, true self, divine spirit, mind-heart, our eyes, awareness, consciousness. Kanji for Shen has a symbol for lightning and rock. Shen has a chord connecting us to the divine and descends into the body upon birth.
Genshin: Aether is an essence medium (Jing) for consciousness units (Qi) and Lumine means to sparkle or flash brightly (Shen). Paimon is our mouthpiece, described like a star, and is “a little rainbow balloon floating in the air, and her string seems to extend upward, to somewhere above the sky itself.” Paimon may be the personification of the Pearl as a person (she is always hungry like a black hole). This makes the reference to “emergency food” make way more sense since the boy ate the pearl.
The Treasure's colors in art are blue-Qi, red-Shen, and yellow-Jing. The Unknown God uses all of these, and she separates the twins as Yin and Yang. She is also wearing White for Heaven and death. So, is the Unknown God the Mother from the Heavens, the driving force of change? She did kickstart our journey through Teyvat.
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Wuxing
The Wuxing are the five processes or agents of change, the five heavenly beasts, that generate the eight Trigrams, which are the building blocks of life. They may be associated with the five Egyptian souls, five kosha, five types of spirit Shen, Freud’s analytical theory, and the Jungian architypes.
In addition to Shen (phoenix) there are Hun and Po which are dual souls, the eyes of Yin-Yang. Hun is the dark etheric, cloud soul and Po is the light animal, corporal, instinctual soul, "dregs". There are three Hun (three treasures) of the mind and seven Po spirits that govern the body. Yi is logos and intellect. Zhi is willpower “the light of consciousness buried in darkness of the waters of the unconscious”. “Water is the turning point, the end that is also the beginning. When the water turns, the cycle begins—and without water, there is no turning.”
Genshin: Venti may represent Hun and the Tsaritsa Po, he arrives like a bird spirit, is deathly allergic to cats, and has his Gnosis stolen from his heart by La Signora, who may represent the Queen Mother.
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The Secret of the Golden Flower
The motto of alchemists is V.I.T.R.I.O.L. which stands for "Visit the interior of the earth and [by] purifying [yourself] you will find the hidden stone". “Outer alchemy refers to the concoction of an elixir of immortality,” while neidan, “inner alchemy…uses the energies of the human body as the ingredients.”
Through meditation inner alchemy undergoes three stages: 1) Root - Jing to Qi: Jing is the Yin that gives birth to an immortal embryo, a mysterious pearl, or golden flower. 2) Heart - Qi to Shen: Gestation of immortal embryo. 3) Third-Eye reunites Shen with Void: Through meditation Yin is transformed into a pure yang body and luminous spirit (Yuan Shen) that merges with cosmic energy.
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The Bright Pearl and The Dragon Pearl
There are two folktales: 1) the Bright Pearl made by the Dragon and the Phoenix that was stolen by the Queen Mother of the West and locked behind 9 gates, and 2) the Dragon Pearl eaten by a boy who becomes a Dragon.
I think these are dual aspects of the same story in two parts: Genshin and HSR. They may also take inspiration from Faust: A Tragedy in two parts. Part one is at a microcosmic level, the internal world with Mephisto and Faust, and Part two is the macrocosmic level and society. Both stories together are considered to be the magnum opus.
HSR may be the macrocosm where live worlds are “dead” inside (broken mirroHeart). Stellarons sound like Pearls and the Tree is an archetypal process that gets replicated, so if someone altered the architype...it might make a cancer of all worlds.
On the Jewelry Shop in Mondstadt there is what looks to be the Pearl, like the HSR loading screen, and a book representing our story. We have maybe…an inception thing, where the numbers of the clock represent the cosmic egg shell as a moon, then the sleeping/dead moon is also a seed of life with four shades, and then the three circles cut off by the hands are the three treasures within the sleeping moon, like a “dream within a dream” or an eclipse. The clock is frozen at 12:45am which may be Hexagram 12 Standstill and Hexagram 45 Gathering Together. The arrow potentially represents stopping time and a pierced heart.
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Knots: Seal of Solomon and the Ark of the Covenant
Zhongli’s meatball is Solomon’s knot, also called a lover’s knot, or the Seal of Solomon. Despite being called a knot, it is actually a link of four rings and its symbol is a hexagram. The ring gave Solomon the power to command shedim (demons) and jinn (spirits). According to Wen’s book, the Trigrams of Heaven and Earth combined are the equivalent to the Seal of Solomon (Merkabah).
Teyvat means “Ark” in Hebrew and a covenant is a written contract with God for protection of the people. The Ark of the Covenant was an acacia wood chest, maybe Egyptian in origin, said to house YHWH (demiurge). The Ark collected sins that needed to be cleansed through ritual. There were four rings fastened to four feet and two poles through them. The golden lid or mercy seat had two cherubim symbolizing the two becoming one, their wings stretched out to form a complete circle.
The Ark contained what seems like alchemical ingredients?
1) Two sacred stone tablets of the law endowed with life (betyles) and two statues of YHWH and Ashera, the Demiurge and Goddess of the tree and the almond flower.
2) A golden pot of “hidden” Manna: "A fine flaky substance"..."which became a coriander seed in size but white in color."
3) Aaron's rod, a walking stick that “miraculously sprouted blossoms and almonds" that Moses parted the Red Sea with.
Solar Pearl: “legendary orb of Liyue. It once absorbed all the light in the world, but was kept inside a wooden box for millennia…the master craftsman Kunwu once took the light of the heavenly bodies and sealed it in a wooden box. Kunwu then buried that box deep inside a dark rocky chamber, where it remained in pitch blackness"..."till finally the pearl within had absorbed the shine of the sun and moon. Just as Kunwu finished polishing the Solar Pearl, the splendor of the heavens shone down and a crimson moon filled the sky.”
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Genshin Trees
Let's look at some (not all) of the trees in Genshin and the hypostases. Apologies, I did not finish analysis here, but it paints an interesting picture along with the Trevail trailer.
Mondstadt
Mondstadt has an unnamed Tree in Windrise where Vanessa (phanes) ascended to godhood, next to a stream connecting it to the Sea. At the coast, there is a knight named “Mack” (son of) watching over two kids named “Will” (resolute protector) and “Jill” (child of the gods) who are near a crashed ship. There is a statue of seven surrounded by four pedestals, anemo crystal flies (almonds), windwheel asters (wisdom), and snapdragons (deception). Here we get the commission Leaves on the Wind, from Edith, who is the unnamed wife of Lot in Genesis who turns to salt. Vanessa may be analogous to Phanes as the Unknown God.
There’s also the Frostbearing Tree (frozen movement), “The ancient tree that should have slumbered forever under the ice and snow has sprouted scarlet sprouts anew.” We offer crimson agate (dragon’s blood) which brings life back to the dead tree.
Anemo Hypostasis: Beth, The Magician
Beth is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, but the first letter of the Hebrew bible, symbolic of man not knowing about the first principles of creation. Beth is the breath of life (Qi) as spirit (Shen). It represents paradox, creation, the vine, the universe, and a dwelling in lower reality (Jing). In tarot Beth is “The Magician” representing “man as the director of the force by which he transforms his consciousness”, symbolized by a house, yellow, Mercury, and three in one (dove, blood, water).
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Liyue
The Wangshu Inn (Moon Goddess Guest House) tree is emerging from a rock, where it is rumored to house a secret and Zhongli says is to be protected. The Dragon Queller (Hidden Dragon) had the earth dragon Azhdaha (Dragon King) imprisoned underneath where he and the tree became merged. The Chinese name for the Dragon Queller is Fúlóng-shù, which could be a reference to the idiom fú lóng fèng chú (fortune, dragon, wind/phoenix, cook) meaning “hidden genius”, but with the fèng (wind/phoenix) removed.
Geo Hypostasis: Gimel, The High Priestess (The Moon)
Gimel is the third letter representing the holy spirit (Shen), man’s free choice, and God as the redeemer of mankind. In tarot Gimel is “the High Priestess” who represents union of opposites, connecting the two pillars of light and darkness. It is symbolic of the universal substance of mental energy representing water and the stone cube representing union of wisdom and life. It is also a camel, blue, the book of knowledge, and the scroll TORA of the law.
Notes: Zhong means “rice” and “Li” means reason. Zhongli is one of the eight Drunken Immortals known for Alchemy, making gold, and shapeshifting. Rex Incognito talks about his female form. He tested humanity to see if they could make it without him and does not appear to be affected by Irminsul changes. He fights and conquers Osial, who has five heads (Wuxing). He calls a knot from the sky from the same portal wishes come from, and he made a contract to end all contracts. Sus.
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Inazuma Trees
Inazuma has the Sacred Sakura Tree which is a quaking aspen (world’s largest living organism) that was grafted to five side branches. The Sakura started as a seed of consciousness that was planted in the past from the future. The Sakura also collects filth that then has to be cleansed through ritual. The Sacred Sakura has five Thunder Sakura side branches (Wuxing) that are guarding or suppressing something under them.
Electro Hypostasis: Aleph, The Fool
Aleph is the first letter, zero, that is silent. It represents the bridge between the hidden aspect of God ein sof/void and mankind. Aleph also represents the paradoxical nature of experiencing God as both hidden and close, far and near. In tarot Aleph is “The Fool” or "bag of wind” represents the cosmic egg filled with pneuma (qi, breath) and is symbolized by the ox. It is also yellow, Uranus, white sun, a feather, and a white rose.
Notes: Inazuma could represent the mother who begets Yin and Yang of herself. Ei tried to make a puppet and give it a Gnosis but “failed”. Makoto gave a piece of her own essence and “succeeded”.
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Sumeru Trees
Sumeru has the Divine Tree in the Avidya, or “ignorance”, forest that holds up the Sumeru Akademia. There are three levels where the hierarchy implies social status and people seek knowledge at the top. There is the Tree of Dreams which Araja gave his body to create, and of course there is Irminsul.
Sumeru Hypostasis: Zayin, The Lovers
Dendro Hypostasis is Zayin, the seventh letter meaning returning to light and understanding, or the sword of war that cuts up and separates to provide nourishment. In Tarot it is “the Lovers”, which represents discrimination, separation, and disposing intelligence between pairs of opposites (Adam and Eve) because it bears the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. It is symbolized by orange and Gemini.
Notes: Sumeru seemingly represents the Tree with three different Dantians or cinnabaelixir fields. The bottom of the Divine Tree is the market, the roots. The middle, the Heart of the city, houses knowledge. Then there is the Sanctuary of Surasthana (God) where you get the achievement “summit of wisdom” by climbing a branch near a bird.
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Fontaine
Fontaine has the Wilting Weeping Willow that is sick and it is guarded by a Vishap (dragon-like) that is unaware of others like them, whose name is spelled backwards (inverted). To cleanse the Tree we need three Pearl keys.
Hydro Hypostasis: He, the Emperor
He the fifth letter means “behold” or “look”. It represents revelation, light, the five senses, the five levels of the soul, the god within the human heart. In tarot Heh is “the Emperor” representing reason and vision, the one who oversees and controls. It is red, a window, an orb, the key of life, Aries.
Notes: I think Fontaine represents “cutting the cord” and letting go the sins of the past. This symbolically sheds the crown of thorns, which falls to the floor in the cutscene with Furina and Egeria.
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Pyro Hypostasis: Ayin, the Devil
Ayin is the sixteenth letter, representing the eye, primeval will, and means the choice of the will, or the heart. An evil eye, ayin ra, becomes a slave to the purposes of sin. In tarot “the Devil” represents bondage, mental inversion, and the delusion of outward figure that bestializes human consciousness. It is blue-violet, the black cube, Capricorn.
Cryo Hypostasis: Daleth, the Empress
Daleth is the fourth letter representing broken humanity and a door, or a choice to open ourselves up to hope and dreaming, or remaining closed off and alienated. In tarot it is “the Empress” who represents the Great Mother, divine love, and creative imagination. It is also symbolized by green, Venus, a star crown, the planets, the zodiac, wheat, and the forest.
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Journey through the Hilinigmatic Terain
Let’s walk through one of the more recent events. Another event to revisit would be the Alchemical Ascension Event. For example, Lisa says that Jean secured initial funds, Jean) (American for Jing), Albedo and Sucrose provided the ingredients and equipment. Albedo is the light reflected off a surface (Shen). Sucrose is sugar, the body’s energy (Qi). Also, Paimon says to Lisa “you’ve been doing things behind the scenes this whole time?! Paimon just thought you were slacking off.” Lisa responds saying that she’s always been here and she’s “helpful when it counts”.
The Eclipse Tribe, one rock (Eon 1)
Mask (Outer world): “Nini movo muhe yoyo!” or “Storm to move love yoyo”. The love yoyo being Yin-Yang, the eclipse tribe is celebrating, and we must get to the bottom of what’s going on (descend?). I’m assuming the Mask is akin to the Persona, the person we become in each cycle.
Two Swords (Inner world): “Mi muhe ye!” or “I love you”. The description mentions a “named master within”, but it never names them. We battle what Paimon names the Mystifying Megachurl. There are five sunsettias, five wuxing. Two swords represent in the egg because “the rules of war are woven in the womb”. Maybe the creation of the immortal embryo.
The Meaty Tribe, two rocks (Eon 2)
Mask: “Nini movo mimi tomo!” or “Storm to move we friend”. The description says we need to “find the Truth”, so we explore the terrain. Moving a we friend…birth of the Primordial One?
Two Swords: “Domu a dada!” or “Dance of Dada”. Bears similarity to the Divine Ingenuity domain; the Hilichurl must have found its way in by mistake before discovering a way to use the domain’s power. Paimon feels bad that it’s all alone with cabbages while other hilichurls revel outside. The domain drops five cabbages, one is golden. One Primordial One and four shades?
The Sleepy Tribe, three rocks (Eon 3)
Mask: “Lata movo mosi yoyo!” or “Ice moves to eat yoyo!” The sleepy camp is filled with noise and we need to determine if this poses any danger before they complete their objective. This references both the Pearl stolen by the Icy Queen Mother and the Pearl eaten by the boy.
Two Swords: “la la la”. We can’t tell how this works, but the megachurl is using wind currents. This could represent the actions of the Sinner creating the pearl. Which…how could we know how this works?
Present, four rocks (Eon 4)
Two Swords: “Muhe dada!” or “Triumph Dada!” The hilichurl is getting stronger and gained control over the Divine Ingenuity features. “It’s best if we win quick to snap it out of its delusions” Eon 4 is absent the Mask, which could indicate a world cut off from reality, outside of time where the yoyo no longer moves.
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Other Interesting Things
The creators made MiHoYo from their names, but additionally Mi means “secret” or “rice”, Ho means “phoenix”, and “yo” means “sunlight”. HoYo together also means "mother" or "hole" in Spanish (like a void mother?). So, rice, phoenix, sunlight, and secret mother. Yin-Yang: the circle surrounding the whole is the Hidden Tiger, Yin and Yang represent the wings of the phoenix, the two dots represent the triangle eyes of yin-yang, and between them is the square third-eye of Wuji.
The MiHoYo also logo looks like Wuji There is a circle representing the cosmic egg, the icy moon surrounded by a rainbow aura containing a seed of life. This is similar to the Treasure Hoarders symbol who were founded by “Reed Miller”, someone who harvests and grinds grains into flour. There’s the Sea of Quanta and the Tree of Imaginary Numbers, and in quantum physics the first empty shell (void) is called the “K shell” and Shen is also known as the force that generates numbers.
Genshin is translated as “yuan shen”, meaning “original spirit”, where yuan means "headspring; source; root” and Shen “means ‘deep thinker’, ‘deep thought’, or ‘spirit’”. Impact means “the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another”. Yuan is yuán qì, primordial or ancestral Qi, DNA, and karma of past lives, Jing. So, Jing Shen impact.
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Hexagram 30: Clarity
In the Records of Jueyin Volume 4 “At a far-flung moment in the distant past, the ancestor of the seelie met a traveler from afar, with whom they swore an oath of union witnessed by the three sisters of the Lunar Palace. Just thirty days later, a sudden disaster struck.”
Hexagram 30 “Clarity” describes what one achieves through meditation and Yi, logos. Hexagram 30 brings a message of “When you can appreciate nature’s power to break through all barriers, you will discover that this same power is inside of you.” It is accompanied by the quote “Life is a pure flame and we live by an invisible sun within us.” The Hidden Influence is Hexagram 28 “Critical Mass” and if we look at the underlying cause it’s Hexagram 29 “Abyss”. This could be interpreted as someone responding to the Abyss (death) by using their own innate power within, a critical mass, to break through all barriers (spacetime, life-death).
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Final Thoughts
I have nothing but incredible respect for Mihoyo as a company. This reads like a love letter to humanity, it’s our collective story, our history. It’s our journey, where we get to explore and adventure through time to experience different cultures and perspectives. A world within a singularity, a world of our collective architypes and memories. A world outside of time that is both a knot in the Tree and a Pearl in the Sea. And it’s absolutely a gem.