Final Fantasy is one of the longest running and most successful video game franchises ever made. It’s responsible for some of the most loveable heroes & most memorable villains in gaming and has developed gameplay mechanics that would go on to shape the entire JRPG genre. Although the summon mechanic wasn’t introduced until the third entry in the series, the creatures themselves have been popping up since the very beginning.
In many ways, summons are every bit as memorable as some of the series’ party members. Unlike the party members however, they’re not always entirely original creations. Many of Final Fantasy‘s most iconic summons were heavily inspired by mythology and religion. Whether it be their names, their powers or their appearances, these larger than life creatures have much more in common with mythology than many players may realize.
10 Alexander
Although he may not have been a God like some of the others that inspired summons, Alexander the Great appears in many ancient myths and religious texts. Most notably, he has a strong connection with the ancient city of Babylon and once ordered his men to rebuild a religious temple there called Etemenanki. Unfortunately, Alexander died shortly afterwards and the work was never completed.
It has been suggested that Etemenanki served as the inspiration for the biblical Tower of Babel, which looks a lot like Alexander in the Final Fantasy series. Alexander also shares visual similarities with the Giant of Babil enemy found in Final Fantasy IV and a later version of this enemy even uses Alexander’s signature attack, Divine Judgement.
9 Phoenix
The Phoenix is a large orange & red bird that appears in a number of different myths and legends. It has an unnaturally long life-span and bursts into flames when it dies. Some time after, a new phoenix rises from the ashes. It’s most common in Greek mythology, but many other cultures and religions make reference to this mythical bird.
In Chinese mythology, the Phoenix is also immortal and – along with the Dragon – is said to represent balance. Similarly, Christian writings sometimes compare the resurrection of the Phoenix with that of Christ. Together these beliefs explain why the Phoenix found in Final Fantasy has both curative & fire elemental powers and also how its down feathers can resurrect fallen party members.
8 Carbuncle
A Carbuncle is a legendary creature originating from Chilean folklore. There are numerous different descriptions of the creature, but most seem to be in agreement that it is somewhere between the size of a cat and a dog. The gemstone on its forehead is supposedly as reflective as a mirror, which would explain why Carbuncle usually grants the reflect buff.
The word carbuncle itself is also used to describe a type of red gemstone which is similar to ruby. This likely inspired Carbuncle’s signature move, Ruby Light. Carbuncles are supposed to bring great fortune to those who see them and this could also be why the summon provides buffs rather than inflicting damage to enemies.
7 Titan
In Greek mythology, the Titans were the gods before the Olympians. Cronos became their leader after killing his father, Uranus, and would eat each of his children to avoid suffering the same fate. Unfortunately for Cronos, he was tricked into sparing the life of his son Zeus and would eventually be overthrown following a great war between the Olympians and the Titans.
It’s said that Gaia, the personification of the Earth, was the mother of the Titans. This explains both Titan’s affinity with the earth element as well as his recurring move, Gaia’s Wrath. Titans were incredibly powerful creatures with Atlas supposedly being strong enough to lift the entire planet. This may have inspired the Titan found in Final Fantasy XV who is shown to be holding the weight of a giant meteor that crashed down to Eos on his back.
6 Odin
Odin’s origins can be traced back to Germanic mythology, although he is more typically associated with Norse mythology. Those who played 2018’s God of War should be fairly well versed on Odin thanks to Mimir’s tales, but for those who didn’t, Odin is the father of the Gods. He wields a mighty spear known as Gungnir and rides an eight-legged horse called Sleipnir.
Sleipnir has featured in Final Fantasy on multiple occasions, although has never been shown with eight legs. Gungnir also appears regularly and is the name of one of Odin’s attacks in some of the earlier games as well. In later titles, he instead uses the instakill move Zantetsuken. This was inspired by 20th century Japanese swordsmith Kobayashi Yasuhiro, whose blades were strong enough to slice through steel.
5 Ramuh
The North American release of Final Fantasy IV gives a pretty big hint as to the origins of Ramuh. The game sometimes refers to him as Indra, who is the Hindu God of Thunder and Lightning. This is in keeping with Ramuh’s elemental affinity in the Final Fantasy series and also explains his signature attack, Judgement Bolt.
As for Ramuh’s name and appearance, they may have been inspired by a deity from Akkadian mythology called Lahmu. Depictions of Lahmu are similar to Ramuh’s appearance throughout the games and as the Katakana for ‘La’ and ‘Ra’ are the same, it’s possible that ‘Ramuh’ was the result of a translation error. The name could also be a combination of Lahmu and the Hebrew word for thunder (rá’am).
4 Leviathan
Mentions of Leviathan can be found in both the Bible and the Tanakh, but comparisons can also be drawn to Tiamat, the Goddess of the Sea in ancient Babylonian mythology. Leviathan also bears a strong resemblance to the Jörmungandr from Norse mythology and the great sea snake Orochi from Japanese folklore.
Most of these sources seem to be in agreement that the Leviathan was a serpent like creature that inhabited the ocean. The Talmud goes on to describe it as a beast capable of devouring oceans simply by opening its mouth. This may sound familiar to those who played Final Fantasy II, wherein the party’s ship is swallowed whole by Leviathan.
3 Bahamut
The earliest mentions of Bahamut can be traced back to Middle-Eastern folktales – although many believe that the creature described is actually a reimagining of a biblical beast known as the Behemoth. The Behemoth appeared in the Book of Job and is said to be a primeval creature so powerful that only God himself can defeat it. The Bible also pairs the Behemoth with Leviathan, which is quite fitting given that Bahamut (Final Fantasy I) and Leviathan (Final Fantasy II) were the first two summons to appear in the series.
What’s not fitting, however, is the description of Bahamut that these Middle-Eastern writings provide. Rather than a dragon, they describe Bahamut as a giant fish or whale-like creature that rides atop a great ox known as Kujata (another of the series’ summonable creatures). It’s therefore likely that Bahamut’s dragon-like appearance was instead inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons series where Bahamut is considered to be the Dragon God of Justice.
2 Ifrit
Like Bahamut, Ifrit’s origins can be traced back to the Middle East. According to numerous sources, Ifrits are an incredibly powerful type of supernatural demon known as Jinn. They’re made out of smoke and fire and can sometimes be bound to a sorcerer & summoned at will. The North American release of Final Fantasy IV supports this idea as it sometimes refers to Ifrit as Jinn in the game’s menus.
Ifrits are said to inhabit the seven layers of Jahannam, which is the Islamic equivalent of Hell. This would explain the source of Ifrit’s signature move, Hellfire. That Ifrit is based on a type of demon rather than a single deity would also explain the many different versions of Ifrit that appear throughout the series.
1 Shiva
Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction and is one of the three principal deities of Hinduism. He’s often shown as having blue skin and a third eye in the middle of his forehead. Unlike the summon found in Final Fantasy, Shiva is never depicted as female nor does he have any obvious connection with ice.
While Square may have changed the gender of the summon to differentiate her from the Hindu god and added the ice connection for elemental coverage, it’s possible that Shiva’s wife, Parvati, may have also inspired the summon. Parvati is the daughter of the Hindu God of Snow, Himavan, and possesses divine powers of her own. This would explain both Shiva’s gender and her affinity with ice.
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