I wonder why nobody wants to "HeLp" (sorry, I can't- 🤣🤣🤣🤣) this poor dude. 🥺🥺🥺
Maybe because he's a entitled little bitch who thinks sex works like a medicine? Imbecel, believe me, with that shitty mentality of yours, it would take 1000% effort to touch your entitled thing without throwing up. Sex involves consent (from BOTH parties), comfort, attunement and attraction. No one is going to fuck you to help you, and nor should they.

Part 2 to the Foil Theory is here! (Here’s Part 1 for context.) Today, we’re discussing how it relates to the Commedia dell’Arte, Gnosticism, Greek mythology, historical figures, and the greater plot of Genshin Impact. Fair warning: This is long, and I can’t finish this analysis without addressing other major in-game lore, pop-culture references, and real-world history. Stop reading now if you're concerned with possible spoilers.
“Haven’t You Beaten This Topic to Death Already?!”
The first post only served as groundwork for lore & theories. The symbol attributed to Pantalone on the Harbinger’s Wheel is likely the Globus Cruciger, or the “orb and cross.”
https://preview.redd.it/fv67i4wkbhyc1.png?width=168&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd8fecd7de95272ed9df0664536fe50e2d9cf49d
It’s a Christian symbol intended to represent God’s dominion over the world. The orb and cross are sometimes seen alongside the Barmas: a Russian collacrown featuring 7 medallions.
https://preview.redd.it/w6ar7y5qbhyc1.jpg?width=287&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65698ae9ba494483e323d7acff9d70fe9396f1b9
*There’s a misconception these represent “heresy.” That was how they were treated by another videogame developer, not real-world history. Pantalone is wearing the Globus Cruciger as a ring.
https://preview.redd.it/arsekqemchyc1.jpg?width=668&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9fd05f3ad85d04d1d2e4de0e9da984463bf025c
Now can we properly discuss Pants. Let's start with Pappus:
The Attelan stock character Pappus may have played a forerunner, or Harbinger, to Pantalone. Given the way formal theatre literature framed this, I chose to investigate Pappus first.
The name Pappus likely originated from the Greek ‘Pappos,’ meaning “grandfather” or “old man.” He was typically portrayed as a fool who was easily tricked by his wife or daughter. He may have been based on Pappus of Alexandria: a Greek mathematician who wrote 8 volumes of mathematical texts featuring Euclidian geometric principles and other subjects (called “Synagoge.”)
What’s Euclidian Geometry? “Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his texts on geometry, “Elements.” Pappus’ own work on projective planes was partly influenced by “Elements.” ‘Elements’ refers to geometric mathematical principles.
The Pappus Configuration is a configuration of nine points and nine lines in the Euclidean plane, with three points per line and three lines through each point.
That’s cool, but… I’m here for the gorgeous banker? Okay, okay. As I researched Pappus, it became evident that some works and terminology associated with him and Euclid may have been repurposed along with Gnostic premises for Genshin Impact’s plot. I’m operating on the assumption Hoyoverse read some of the same formal sources I did, so it feels criminal to omit these details. Moving on…

Commedia dell’Arte Pantalone
He’s consistent in his behaviomannerisms, and his role in the plot. He’s typically an affluent Venetian merchant whose greatest fear is financial loss, and encompasses everything his (proposed) primary inspiration isn’t.
Pantalone is rich, greedy, lecherous, pompous, and prone to mismanaging business and personal affairs. He’s often partnered with Il Dottore in some capacity, sometimes married to La Signora, and often the father of one of the Innamorati. When he plays the father of one of the Innamorati alongside Dottore, they work together to keep the Lovers separated at all costs.
Some players discounted the Commedia dell’Arte influence on the Fatui Harbinger’s lore because it was comedic. However, “our” Pantalone is somewhat consistent with his Commedia dell’Arte image, and there are several Lazzos/background history that seem to have been foreshadowed already. Here’s an amazing example featuring Pulcinella:
-Lazzo of the Inside (Potential Pulcinella Spoilers)
To create the illusion of ferociousness, Pulcinella (hidden behind a door from the Captain) fakes the voices of servants being beaten by him. That’s the entire punchline of this Lazzo.
-Lazzo of Greeting (Potential Pulcinella Spoilers)
“Pulcinella greets the Captain or another character with what seems like great respect. He says, "You are the son of Jove, the new moon, and twice the last name of Alexander!" Then, Pulcinella explains, "The son of Jove refers to Bacchus, who is depicted as a goat. The new moon is represented by horns, and the last name of Alexander is Magno. When repeated twice, it becomes magno-magno. So, the entire greeting means: 'Eat it up, eat it up, you horned goat [cuckold].'"
In Genshin Impact, Tartaglia speaks of Pulcinella as a concerned-grandpa-type looking out for his family, while Wanderer is convinced that Pulcinella’s real message to Tartaglia is something to the effect of “your family’s lives are in my hands.” These Lazzo tells us who’s more likely to be correct. Pulcinella being made out to be as malicious as he’s implied may be an illusion, and he may not share the loyalty/regard to the organization that other members do in spite of his cooperative front. Wanderer’s take on his behavior speaks only to affirming personal biases. (Keep in mind that Wanderer assumes the worst of everyone, and that About voicelines alone don’t necessarily speak to the full truth; only the character’s perception of the truth.)

Lazzo of Pantalone’s Story

“Pantalone begins to tell ridiculous and impossible stories about adventures he has supposedly had with well-known figures from medieval/ancient history.”
The punchline is that he talks about this at great lengths, and nobody believes him. I questioned how Hoyoverse may have used this Lazzo, and came at it from several angles that all felt equally ridiculous. It got messier when I factored in the possibilities behind other popular theories. He’s King Deshret, he’s a Vishap-person, he’s Nibelung, he’s Changsheng’s evil segment, he’s Rouran, he’s Ouroboros incarnate, he’s the one who founded the Wangshang Funeral Parlor, he’s Baizhu moonlighting as a Harbinger, he’s a priest who ventured into the Abyss, he’s an Abyss Mage/Lector, he’s the Heart of Naberius, he’s a soldier who fell into the Chasm, he’s Caribert, he’s immortal Clothar Alberich, etc.
In the end, I chose to interpret this as “Pantalone is ancient, and has likely played more than one historical role in Genshin Impact.” Why?
https://preview.redd.it/ajip2vykfhyc1.jpg?width=1432&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b059c939bf35fa24e13394f11650edc5bdedce13
1: Saint Pantaleon/Pantaleimon, Christian healer & martyr in Greek-speaking Roman City of Nicomedia:
https://preview.redd.it/tsbk2myofhyc1.jpg?width=205&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=87e95b2fe8ea409732c8ada8e5e0ed6004b29870
St. Pantaleon (meaning ‘all things like a lion,) better known as St. Pantaleimon (the all-compassionate) is commonly suggested to have inspired Commedia Pantalone, making Commedia Pantalone a traditional foil to his real-world counterpart. Born and raised with a Pagan education during Diocletian’s persecution of Christians, Pantaleon gravitated to medicine. One day, he happened upon a child who’d been killed by a viper. Saving the child was beyond his power as a mortal physician, and Pagan gods wouldn’t come through. As a test of faith, he prayed to God. The child was revived, & the viper was killed. He’s renamed Pantaleimon, usually upon converting to Christianity.
He went on to treat everyone without charge (including restoring a blind man’s sight to convert his father,) and treated prisoners freely too, many of whom were Christians. Jealous doctors who’d lost patients to Pantaleimon’s goodwill responded by reporting him to Emperor Maximian for healing Christians. Emperor Maximian ordered Pantaleimon to sacrifice to Pagan gods, but he refused and proposed a test of faith. A sick person for whom there was no hope would be brought before them, and each would pray to God/Pagan Gods to see who came through. They brought in a paralyzed man. Pagan Gods didn’t respond. Pantaleimon un-paralyzed the man using the power of God. Now playing “Big Mad,” Maximian responded by killing the unparalyzed guy, and sentencing Pantaleimon to torture. However, the power of God protected Pantaleimon from a ton of your usual Roman violence (boiling, stabbing, etc) so Maximian ordered his execution.
At the site of his execution, God called down to him. The soldier's swords softened upon their attempts to execute him. He forgave the soldiers ordered to kill him, they repented, he told them to off him anyway to protect them, and he was beheaded. However, his body refused to decay.
St. Pantaleimon is the best evidence Pantalone plays a foil to Genshin Impact’s Baizhu, and the best evidence of a potential Alberich/Khaenri’ah allegory.
Baizhu is currently following a path similar to Pantaleimon’s. Though he extorted Pantalone indirectly over the Everlasting Incense, he’s also known to treat people freely when they can’t afford him. He’s the pharmacist from Liyue we work with to cure Anna’s illness, and he used his research on Qiqi to save Jialiang's life. He’s currently in pursuit of immortality, which Pantaleimon appeared to achieve in the end, and was ultimately killed for.
The narrative similarities to Clothar’s pleas to the Statue of the Seven in saving Caribert are too flagrant to ignore. The Archons don’t answer, but the “Sinner” did, and imbued Caribert with the Loom of Fate (said to be of Primordial Creation) saving Caribert. This story may imply that the “Sinner” is some aspect of the Primordial One.
2: Pantaleon/Pantaleimon Sudzhaksky:
https://preview.redd.it/s5i0qz5tfhyc1.png?width=259&format=png&auto=webp&s=cf83222e16a669c9ce0caf3e7fe31236aa830985
I could only find Bulgarian Orthodox & Russian Orthodox sources mentioning this variation of St. Pantaleimon’s background. Some are conflicting on whether healing was involved. He was born into extreme poverty, sent to work in an old shoe shop and doing other odd jobs from a young age to survive. A terrible plague swept across his homeland, and he was left wandering alone, surrounded by endless death. He sought understanding/help, and ended up in a monastery on Mount Athos (an important Greek center of Eastern Orthodox Monostacism.) He inquired persistently as to the nature of life and death, and became fixated on partaking in Holy Communion, believing it to bestow eternal life. He would eventually be expelled for partaking in excess, and went on to become a religious leader whose followers lived in poverty. He believed communion to be their salvation; everlasting connection to God. He was persecuted by the Greek patriarch, and arrested under orders of the Bishop of Adrianople. However, he and his followers would go on to unite with the Catholic Church. He was later venerated in Bulgaria and Russia as Saint Pantaleimon, suggesting multiple “St. Pantaleimon” inspirations. 1 article claims he founded a religion known as Pantaleymonovsty: I can't find anything else to expand on this.
His story is similar to Baizhu’s with the loss of his parents during a plague and pursuit of immortality, but more closely resembles Pantalone’s, given his implied profound experience with destitution, and rhetoric dictated by religion & leadership. This St. Pantaleimon lends more credence to the Foil theory, as well as several Liyue and religion-oriented theories, which leads me to…
3. Holy Prophet Mani, the Zoroastrian Martyr:
https://preview.redd.it/uq4w8z0xfhyc1.png?width=419&format=png&auto=webp&s=1805da0ff16a3e8d3e1d3f60d16722992f5ee061
I generally avoid using Wikipedia summaries, but when formal sources back them up and I can’t find a better way to summarize info, they’re helpful.
“Mani was an Iranian prophet and the founder of Manichaeism, a religion most prevalent in late antiquity. The exact meaning of the name is a question still unsolved. It may have derived from Babylonian-Aramaic Mânâ [luminescence].” Mandaeans used the term mânâ rabba, which means "Enlightened Lord/King". Ancient Greek interpretations were skeuos (σκεῦος, vessel, instrument) and homilia (ὁμιλία, intercourse, company, communion, instruction.)
Here’s where the Foil theory gets interesting:
Baizhu’s birthday is April 25th. This is also the date commemorating Mani’s birth.
A prophet who blended Gnosticism with Buddhist and Zoroastrian elements, Mani was arrested and martyred by Persian authorities, not unlike St. Pantaleimon. Meanwhile, our Pantalone is looking… An awful lot like a conglomeration of a different Saint Pantaleimon, and Commedia Pantalone.
4. King Pantaleon/Panteleimon:
https://preview.redd.it/ju1w6tk9ghyc1.jpg?width=571&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3fb6167f25c69d8c69ecceea7e6fc586e6414e1
King Pantaleon was a Greek King and successor to Demetrius I Anicetus the ‘Unconquered,’ who is thought by some to have been his brother. His copper-alloy coins may be suggestive of early Bactrian trade with China. His role is consistent with the ‘ruling with the authority of God’ sentiment behind the Globus Cruciger, and involves production of personalized currency.
5: Rouran Khaganate, "Zhongli"+ "Xiao", & "Pantaleon y las Visitadoras"
https://preview.redd.it/euhe6hunc41d1.png?width=696&format=png&auto=webp&s=9da881406ffe7b2ae3bd6b8fa1ea9a2f1941c0d2
Modernization/assimilation (Alatus = Xiao, Deus Auri = Zhongli, Abrax = Aberaku, etc) is a common theme Pantalone may have followed as an ancient entity. Considering this and his connection to Baizhu lends credence to the Rouran coin-replacement-as-warfare theory discussed in the first post. Furthermore, one of the last recorded Rouran was named Furen.
There’s also some interesting misinformation that Hoyo may have been inspired by to explain the similarities to Pantalone’s pose in Winter Night’s Lazzo, and the Harbinger’s cloaks. One historian/linguistic expert claimed linguistic origins revealed ‘Rouran’ may not have been a name, but an ancient term for anyone who defected from their nation/allegiance to serve a charismatic warlord. I say ‘misinformation’ because this was disproven by another historian. (The Rouran Khaganate overall is very misunderstood.)
Thanks to user Kameshazam, the "Pantalone is Rouran" theory may have been proven! Recall from the 1st post that "Rouran" owns the Flower Boat (referencing prostitution vessels) set in the harbor opposite of Bubu Pharmacy.
"Pantaleon y las Visitadoras" is a Peruvian comedic novel by Mario Vargas Llosa (allegedly based on real events) featuring a Captain Pantaleon Pantoja. Pantaleon is reluctantly sent on a mission by the Peruvian Army to... Cultivate a secret prostitution service intended to "satisfy" soldiers stationed there. Despite his misgivings, he follows orders. The services are referred to as "benefits" under an "audit" program, and the prostitutes are referred to as "visitadoras." Pantaleon becomes involved with one of the women, cheating on his wife with her. The woman is later assassinated by angry locals. In response, Pantaleon shows up to her funeral dressed in military attire, confirming to the public what was going on behind the scenes in the army. The resulting complaints ultimately end the "services," and the army sends Pantaleon to a garrison far away. Yet again, a Pantalone reference featuring leadership and conflicting morality.
6. Emperor Wang Mang:
https://preview.redd.it/4ry1lnpsghyc1.png?width=276&format=png&auto=webp&s=aa92e4d2c85750b27f29f7d1d3034604fc58c1e5
Again, because of Baizhu’s connection to Pantalone, we need to consult both Russian and Chinese history for analysis. To that end, recall Zhiyi, Pantalone’s cunning subordinate and the antagonist of Yelan’s Story Quest?
小钱币，值一 , or Xiǎo qiánbì, zhí yī, meaning ‘Small Coin, Worth One’ were introduced as the lowest denomination of a new currency system under Emperor Wang Mang’s rule of China. Wang Mang was considered China’s first Socialist. Zhiyi’s name in Yelan’s Story Quest may be a reference to this, a homonym essentially calling him low value – or as Uncle Tian puts it the EN translation, a “pawn.”
\Please note that there are multiple ways this was translated in different historical sources; if you attempt to use basic translating apps to investigate, you’re probably going to get nonsense-sounding results.*
Emperor Wang Mang was a Confucian ascetic who rose to power through his good standing. Wang Mang secured his position as Regent to the Emperor Ping by arranging a marriage between the Emperor and his own daughter. Later, it’s said that Wang Mang’s son conspired with the Emperor’s Uncles to end his regency. They were all put to death on Wang Mang’s orders for the ‘conspiracy.’ Emperor Ping would later die by unknown causes; whether it was natural, or a matter of poisoning is debated by historians. Wang Mang replaced him. He was known for his efforts to reform society through use of forward-thinking foreign policy, the imposition of taxes on slave owners, and currency replacement, though these efforts didn’t go over well. His intentions in all of this are uncertain; was he sincerely trying to help his people, or did he merely see these methods as a means of securing wealth and control? Whether he was ultimately a tyrant or a benevolent ruler is debated depending on the source.
More conflicting intentions and wealth inequality. He's easily likened to the contradictory impressions of Pantalone behaving like Commedia Pantalone (who also leveraged his child to benefit economically/politically) while wearing symbols related to the ‘all-compassionate’ Pantaleimon, like the Heart of Gold motif. That said, Emperor Wang Mang didn’t use currency replacement as a form of intercontinental warfare or defect to other countries, and other nuances to his background directly contradict Pantalone’s, which is why I concluded the Rouran Khaganate to be the other aspect to the monetary warfare/reform inspiration.
7. Commedia Pantalone
https://preview.redd.it/781xfg34hhyc1.png?width=230&format=png&auto=webp&s=30cd6d131000704f6db4ee3dd7e8433dbfe43acc
‘Our’ Pantalone and his associates encompass the extravagant and cruel nature depicted in his Commedia role so far. His subordinates are terrified of him, and they tend to operate in very underhanded ways: espionage, sabotage, monopolization of resources, even turning on one another when things get rough to come out on top.
A prime example of the company he keeps? The Rusty Rudder in Fontaine. It’s full of Pantalone’s sketchy associates, including a debt collector who hints at an imminent meeting and forcefully bribes us. You can find a correspondence between criminals in codewords, threatening to make unsuitable business partners wear “cement shoes”; in other words, threatening to tie them up, attach a weight to them, and drown them in the ocean. You can also find a bill referencing the suspicious transaction of 3 mysterious items we accidentally helped Pantalone complete with Landa when we first entered Liyue, as well as an article clipping referencing the fall of the criminal organization “Club Pantaloni di Novela” to the Spina di Rosula, further referencing the tendency of Commedia Pantalone’s plans to fail.
Arlecchino’s voiceline regarding him suggests he’s subtly temperamental; not as controlled as he believes himself to be, which tracks with Commedia Pantalone and Luoxia’s description of Rouran.
Furthermore, he purchased the pelt of an extinct legendary beast to offer as a gift to the Tsaritsa. Yelan stole it and repurposed it as a mantle as payback for Pantalone having stolen one of her Fascinating Bracelets. Both items were ancient (Yelan mentions the technology behind the bracelet is ancient,) but Pantalone seemed to have intimate knowledge to target them as he did, further implying “our” Pantalone possesses “old” knowledge related to Liyue. Traditional theatre instructions of Pantalone, Tartaglia, Dottore, and sometimes Capitano refer to them as “old men.”
8. Pappus:
https://preview.redd.it/44mz3y6ahhyc1.png?width=139&format=png&auto=webp&s=86ba93efacf20230cd59c7a7c62ac0771559ab31
The Attelan Farce refers to the Roman improvised masked comedies the Commedia dell’Arte was said to be inspired by. There’s a great deal of emphasis on Pappus’ age in the Attelan stock, with his name being the only one derived from Oscan; an extinct Italian language. (Capitano and Pulcinella are also thought to draw direct inspiration from other Attelan characters, though the details are debated.) Pappus’ foolishness is also emphasized like Commedia Pantalone’s, and real-world Pappus’ contributions to Euclidian Geometry as a skilled mathematician contrast against this starkly.
Genshin Pantalone is Baizhu’s Foil Commedia Pantalone is St. Pantaleimon’s Foil Commedia Pantalone is Commedia Il Dottore’s Comic Foil Attelan Stock Pappus is Commedia Pantalone’s Harbinger Attelan Stock Pappus is Pappus of Alexandria’s Foil
9. Enkanomiya Quests, The Legend of Zelda, Domain Murals, & Pantalone’s Design:
The ascending eyelet pattern on Pantalone’s shirt resembles the same eyelet pattern present in Domain murals, Seals, the Spiral Abyss dooportal, and certain sea entities
https://preview.redd.it/9b95b81jhhyc1.png?width=808&format=png&auto=webp&s=9afb1c92ed762af2e148a40b0436c1dee1aea0fd
Be warned that by addressing this, I might be spoiling serious plot points.
“The Pale Princess & the 6 Pygmies” The repeating pattern of 6 eyelets made this impossible for me to overlook. Lisa gives us the first volume at the very beginning of the game. We haven’t seen another since. Why? It holds weighty implications about the creation of the world & how the plot will progress. Some believed this story exclusively referenced Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and I agreed… Until I researched Pantalone, Enkanomiya, and Greek history. Then I spent a drunken evening saltily pulling it all apart again, with focus on the Night Mother. Why? Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella all took influence from older Greek or Roman mythology. (One example is the story of Chione, or ‘Snow.’ )
An Enkanomiyan Questline titled “Erebos’ Secret” had us endure 3 trials in the corners of Enkanomiya with the help of Eboshi. Finishing this questline dropped major lore. Many assumed ‘Erebos’ & ‘Eboshi’ were references to the assimilation of Enkanomiyans into Narukami culture.
However, the symbol representing the Questline and other World Quests tells a different story, (as does the history behind the name Erebos.) The symbol just so happens to resemble the brooch Pantalone is wearing, which leads us to:
https://preview.redd.it/sja95wess50d1.png?width=964&format=png&auto=webp&s=fb08ba45a084eda1c28b66e98913a3a3c0e9d46a
Yes, I’m likening Pantalone to Ganondorf in Twilight Princess, representing the Demiurge. The Odal Rune’s inversion on the brooch suggests Pants doesn’t possess the “natural” right to rule the world, which is how Phanes, the Demiurge in certain Gnostic beliefs, is regarded. Its position is akin to the position of Ganondorf’s fragment of the Triforce, and Ganondorf believes himself to be a rightful King. If you’ve never played the Zelda series, it revolves around the power of the Triforce, and the incarnations of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf fighting the same battles of good and evil in different periods/worlds. Ganondorf is a Sorcerer King born with the innate right to rule the Gerudo. Ganon covets Hyrule Kingdom for the light and peace it holds (very unlike the dry, harsh Gerudo Desert) and attacks Hyrule. He’s caught and imprisoned in the Arbiter’s Grounds, sentenced to be executed by the 6 Sages.
https://preview.redd.it/8xd1kc0vt50d1.png?width=479&format=png&auto=webp&s=fb51e744b73a5424b3c0b5f0b8ae1c84b9966030
However, by some “divine prank,” the Sages are unable to execute him. As it turns out, he possesses the Triforce of Power – equated to the power of the Demiurge, as Din’s Power was said to have “shaped” the world from existing elements in Ocarina of Time.
https://preview.redd.it/a3ws3gzyt50d1.png?width=998&format=png&auto=webp&s=a54e054cd88b7ce58927b6d4b00df4e52226ca54
Sounding anything like Pantaleimon’s execution? The difference is that Ganon is innately evil. I don’t believe Pantalone is innately evil, otherwise there wouldn’t be hints towards his being in conflict with his emotions.
Moving on, if you research Erebos in the contexts of Greek mythology & Gnosticism (also spelled as Erebus) you’ll learn that he’s a Primordial God of Darkness, often Nyx’s counterpart in Primordial creation. Nyx is a Greek Primordial Goddess born in the darkness. She has many names across different cultures, and is often likened to Gaea.
The “Night Mother” represents Nox/Nyx in Greek & Gnostic beliefs. Looking at Nyx’s relationships in Cosmogony alongside Erebos allows us to explore the roles they can play. Genshin suggests Chronos and Ananke play a part (by way of the Domain floors featuring 2 golden, intertwined serpents/dragons.) Chronos and Ananke are serpentine entities said to squeeze the egg Phanes was born from. So we can focus on cosmological dynamics where Chronos and Ananke (or an egg) come “first.” For example:
-Some beliefs say that Nyx and Erebos can be born of Chaos (with Chaos taking the form of an egg.) They go on to create Aether and Hemera. -Others say Chaos comes first, followed by Nyx and Erebus. Then, Aether, Eros, and Metis are born. (Metis is sometimes used as an alternate name for Phanes.) -Yet other beliefs say that Nyx and Phanes can be born of Chronos and Ananke (who squeezed the egg to allow for their births.) They can be wife/husband or daughtefather.
Erebos' role as a partner creator-God to Nyx can be conflated with Phanes' role between some belief systems (although Erebos and Phanes are never directly/officially conflated. They either both exist as distinct entities, or only 1 of them plays a part in the belief system at all.) Together, they create more primordial entities to found the universe, but Nyx goes forgotten. For the “Supernatural” fans inevitably going OH MY GOD right now… Yes, you could liken them to Chuck and Amara. The ending to "Supernatural" was also informed by Greek & Roman mythology, and some Gnostic principles: Fortuna herself grew to believe in Sam and Dean’s self-determined heroism.
https://preview.redd.it/d3acp4jzu50d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=c60050f2f3af331c26bd611e7151c660fc396b76
Furthermore, in the Book of Genesis, it’s said that in the beginning of creation, God separated the Darkness from the rest of creation to protect it.
“The Separation of Light from Darkness is, from the perspective of the Genesis chronology, the first of nine central panels that run along the center of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling and which depict scenes from the Book of Genesis. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”
So what is Erebos’ Secret?
-Eboshi’s secret regards the Unified Civilization and evolution of Vishaps
-Eboshi’s trials betray the identity of Phanes through the Legend of Zelda reference
-Erebos’ secret regards the fluidity of cosmogonies/roles between Greek and Gnostic sects, opening up a number of doors for interpretation in-game. If we keep trying to define roles in Genshin by one specific story or belief system’s canonical telling, we’ll miss a lot of nuance.
To that end, Erebos can also be “Aether’s” father. I’m referring to the Greek Aether.
Pantalone in the Commedia dell’Arte is the Father of one of the Innamorati. Before you go “but the Travelers aren’t the Innamorati,” hear me out.
https://preview.redd.it/i6thvslmv50d1.png?width=422&format=png&auto=webp&s=3ecebe2d36746c44f5e87cc159fa40008001f0b1
The Innamorati virtually never don masks in the original Commedia dell’Arte, and Genshin Impact went out of its way to make us wear a mask in Mondstadt. This drew players away from the assumption that the Twins represented the Lovers. I felt like it was a misdirection. So I also investigated the Innamorati, and their influence on later storytelling. Many popular stories are thought to have directly spun off of the dynamic between the Lovers.
The key takeaway about the Innamorati's influence ultimately wasn’t that they were lovers, but that their pursuit of one another drove the greater plot. A modern example would be Naruto and Sasuke's relationship in Naruto/Shippuden.
The Twins absolutely can be the Innamorati in modern storytelling, which means ‘Pantalone’ has the capacity to act as a ‘Father.’
It’s not a coincidence that the brooch Pantalone is wearing features the upside-down Odal rune in the same position as the ‘power’ segment of the Triforce when you consider the implications of the Globus Cruciger in godliness and authority to rule, and Genshin’s admission to having taken significant influence from Breath of the Wild. What could this make Pants, given his fixation with the natural rights of humanity? Daddy. The Father.
The ‘androgynous’ Phanes – or I should say, a part of Phanes. Which leads us to…

Cosmic Dualism, Baizhu, the Nag Hammadi, Manichaeism, and Phanes

Cosmic dualism relates to Gnostic principles of forces in opposition, similar (but not the same) to concepts like Yin-Yang. Depending on the belief system, it can regard the opposition of the material world and 'evil' God, framed against the immaterial and 'true' God. This is among the reasons why Baizhu is contrasted against Pantalone, and why they both feature black-and-white rhetoric and motifs.
'Cycles' regarding time and history are constants in-game. I suspect Phanes/his Shades ended up subject to Teyvat's ‘cycle.’ I have no idea how/when. So why would I draw this conclusion?
When I was doing my Pantalone/Baizhu analysis, I kept challenging my own take because they share so much in common besides their looks. Baizhu delayed naming Bubu Pharmacy to just start treating patients, and then named Bubu Pharmacy using anti-Gods wordplay. Pantalone complained about naming the Credit Coupons as he hatched the “removing Zhongli’s authority and replacing Mora” plan, and then gave them a similarly symbolic name.
So here was my reasoning: -What would you call 2 people who share the same ‘essence’ without being the same person? -What if they share the same soul? That’s a popular concept in many cultures, especially regarding Twins

There are distinct references to this concept in the Nag Hammadi, as well as references from Mani’s belief system.

The Nag Hammadi, an ancient and badly damaged Gnostic text, is full of references to worlds where souls go to be purified. It discusses models and copies of souls being transferred from one “path” to the next. (These obscure passages may also relate to Visions, but that part’s just supposition.)
-“[Souls] are located according to the power they have in themselves, [...] lower are produced by the copies. Those who receive a model of their souls are still in the world. They came into being after the departure of the aeons, one by one, and they are removed one by one from the copy of Exile to the Exile that really exists, from the copy of Repentance to the Repentance that really exists, [and from the] copy of Autogenes to [the Autogenes] that really exists. The remainder [...] the souls [...] exist in a [...] all [...] of aeons [...]
-( …) “He said, "[Zost]rianos, listen about these [...] for the first [...] origins are three because they have appeared in a single origin [of] the Barbelo aeon, not like some origins and powers, nor like (one) from an origin and power. It is to every origin that they have appeared; they have strengthened every power; and they appeared from that which is far better than themselves. These (three) are Existence, Blessedness and Life.”
Meanwhile, Mani taught how the soul of a righteous individual returns to Paradise upon dying, but "the soul of the person who persisted in things of the flesh – fornication, procreation, possessions, cultivation, harvesting, eating of meat, drinking of wine – is condemned to rebirth in a succession of bodies."
“According to biographies preserved by ibn al-Nadim and the Persian polymath al-Biruni, Mani received a revelation as a youth from a spirit, whom he would later call his "Twin" (Imperial Aramaic: תאומא tɑʔwmɑ, from which is also derived the Greek name of Thomas the Apostle, Didymus; the "twin"), Syzygos (Koinē Greek: σύζυγος "spouse, partner", in the Cologne Mani-Codex), "Double," "Protective Angel," or "Divine Self." This spirit taught him wisdom that he then developed into a religion. It was his "Twin" who brought Mani to self-realization. Mani claimed to be the Paraclete of the Truth promised by Jesus in the New Testament." Paraclete is a Christian biblical term occurring five times in the Johannine texts of the New Testament. In Christian works, the word typically refers to the Holy Spirit, translated as 'advocate', 'counsellor' or 'helper'.”
The ‘Old men’ from the commedia are often Pantalone, Dottore, and Tartaglia – all of whom have at least 1 additional ‘version’ of themselves canonically confirmed in Genshin Impact. Dottore is almost obsessive about preserving ‘perspectives.’
We find notes on a play “Ajax” was part of as the 2nd strongest member of his alliance from hundreds of years ago, while “our” Ajax exists presently. Dottore has his whole obsession with preserving “perspectives” while taking offense to being called “young.” Baizhu therefor fits as Pantalone’s 'other self,' explaining the implied age gap; Pantalone lived into another cycle while his ‘model’ was incarnated yet again.
In other words, Baizhu isn't Pantalone in disguise: they have unique life experiences and conflicting perspectives while sharing base likenesses because they’re the same ‘essence’ on divergent paths, not unlike the Travelers. Whether or not they’ve met and influenced one another has yet to be seen.

All Roads Lead to Phanes, proposed to be the Primordial One

Here's where it becomes crack-theory territory. Please be kind in your response to these suppositions, because I spent weeks researching academic sources from JSTOR, and my fingers hurt.
https://preview.redd.it/t7vo8e3o660d1.png?width=1347&format=png&auto=webp&s=90edd813ed4d0d4e0cc8cd018801553582f9ef7e
I’m not claiming any of this is a guarantee of how Hoyo will treat this dynamic, but I’m struggling to form other conclusions:
Pantalone’s represented by the Globus Cruciger, a Christian symbol representing God’s dominion over the world. There's a ton of symbolism in the stories inspiring Baizhu and Pantalone’s rhetoric regarding religion, martyrdom, healing, economics, and inequality, suggesting they’re connected by far more than their designs. Baizhu and Pantalone’s rhetoric regard humanity’s plights.
...But Pantalone has an inhuman appearance; pointed ears somewhat similar to Neuvillette’s, and eyes hidden, presumably because they reveal something very distinct about him.
I’ve checked Baizhu’s model. His right ear appears normal; the left is concealed by his hair. As for his eyes, we’ve confirmed they were altered as a consequence of his contract with Changsheng; both the shape of his pupils and the color of the iris were swapped. So Baizhu’s natural eyes were violet-red and human; Pantalone’s may also be red, but inhuman
-The simplest explanation is that Phanes was said to be beautiful and inhuman. But given they hid Pantalone's eyes...
-If I stretch, perhaps Vishap-people were a thing during the Roman-inspired empires, they eventually grew to identify with humanity, and our Pantalone may have been reborn as the human-vishap blend Enjou discussed with us in Enkanomiya to repent for what Phanes did to the Sovereigns. Vishap-people are said to be mostly indistinguishable from humans, but with altered pupils. Enjou wasn’t the most reliable narrator, but this Version mentioned the "Traitorous Dragonheirs” in Remuria’s history, Petrichor is based on Italy (and may also reference the Greek village of Pantaleimonas,) Pappus’ name in the Atellan stock implies he’s ancient Italian, Pantalone's early background closely fits St. Pantaleimon Sudzhaksky's, and Repentance is mentioned repeatedly in the Nag Hammadi.
-The alternate STRETCH is that we shouldn’t interpret the “Christian" reference literally in Pantalone's case, and he’s following the path Enjou implied by joining the Harbingers. Enjou suggested Vishaps evolved in Enkanomiya to infiltrate/sabotage human ranks. He could be Nibelung, King of Dragons himself - or someone who believes in Nibelung’s authority as the King (Pulcinella allegedly has lore-based connections to Nibelung, and he and Pantalone are cooperating on Project Stuzha.) Collection of the Gnoses would reveal the ‘true’ God, and the Sovereigns power was stolen by the Primordial One.
So, would their unity reveal Nibelung or Phanes? It’s unclear how that sentiment’s going to be defined in Genshin Impact. One possibility is that Pantalone is Nibelung’s equivalent, and Baizhu is Phanes’ equivalent.
But it gets more tedious when you read Vera’s Melancholy, which implies eyeball-eating-aliens-writing-stories-for-interdimensional-worlds vibes. One of the main characters was Ike, a black-haired boy with glasses + tendency to monologue, and they were from ‘Delphi,’ a real place in Greece. Another character in the story claimed to have "fused" with a dragon.
Teyvat's natural order is draconic. Ouroboros is a persistent theme in-game. It informs Beidou’s design/lore, and it’s also described as a natural ‘phenomenon’ discovered by Enkanomiyans, used to create the Serpent’s Heart. Ouroboros can be depicted as a snake or dragon consuming itself: as a representation of eternal creation and destruction.
You could argue Nibelung, the King of Dragons, would be the “true” God per the Orphic Gnostic belief systems. Ophites (a derogatory term from the Greek Ophis, ‘serpent,' coined by Hippolytus) venerated the Serpent in the Bible because it was seen to have enlightened humanity.
https://preview.redd.it/l25rb6vophyc1.jpg?width=294&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b42378490894e43741acb61a1555b725146c730b
Regardless of how the details are panned out, they are most likely God/Shades in some respect, and they’ve been subjected to the cyclical-incarnational nature of Teyvat. So now for residual thoughts:
On the Baizhu/Pantalone end, there’s potential foreshadowing in Baizhu’s Story Details. Genshin explains that he's in conflict with Hu Tao, but that they and Zhongli all play a part in life and death, as it’s where their empathy/concerns overlap completely.
Zhongli is popularly proposed as one of the Shades. I might agree now. If we contemplate the “Pantalone founded the Wangshang Funeral Parlor” theory I've seen floating around, he’d be double-foiled against Baizhu with Hu Tao as an allegory, and again connected to Zhongli.
I haven’t researched Capitano in depth yet, but some players allege he may have played more than one role in Genshin’s history, too. Similarly, there are some narrative consistencies to suggest that Dottore is connected to Shiruyeh, the Lord of Pestilence; if this pattern is accurate, then Shiruyeh could be a wronged past “self” of Dottore’s. Dottore seems more than intelligent enough to have noticed these patterns himself, given all of “Zandik’s” research across Sumeru. Accordingly, he may be creating segments as a way to ensure he never forgets the truth while he resists the cycle.
Ei & the Raiden Shogun may foreshadow what the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles is: a puppet acting on orders independent of its leader, because its leadeShades have been absent and/or ignorant to their own identities. This may be why Celestia is decaying, and why Baizhu/Pantalone would be related while suffering the very consequences of the cycle of incarnation.

The Takeaway?

Pantalone and Baizhu are a HUGE DEAL in Genshin Impact’s greater plot, the Foil theory is absolutely spot-on, and some popular theories as to Pantalone’s identity are probably simultaneously true for one reason or another. We can’t rule out many theories from this info, as some of it is conflicting. That’s why I came to the conclusion that they were inspired by numerous historical figures, with 'Godliness' being the main consistency.
As before, thanks for reading, share your thoughts, and have a day!

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