Erinnyes was a Lochknight and the ruler of the tribe Aremorica during the final years of the Remurian Empire. She united the tribes of Fontaine to form a resistance force against Remuria.
She was the wielder of Splendor of Tranquil Waters.
Profile[]
Name[]
According to the Remurian scholar Marius Servius, the name "Erinnyes" was suspected to be the result of careless transcription, because it had no meaning in the language of her people. Her name is supposed to be written as "Errighenth of Aremorica," in which "Er" signifies "high" and "Righenth" is the feminine case for "ruler." Marius Servius hypothesized that Erinnyes was her title and not her true name. However, since many scholars already referred to her as "Erinnyes," he had no authority to revise it.[1]
Life[]
Erinnyes was a singer who came from the same tribe as Cassiodor. The two appeared to have had a close relationship, as he once adorned her ear with a butterfly wing, which represents the promise to not part until the death in the tradition of their people.[2] Her tribe was eventually slaughtered by a Remurian army, leaving her and Cassiodor as the only survivors. Cassiodor met the Harmost Boethius and joined the side of Remuria, while Erinnyes, who had been hiding amidst the bones, was taken in by the chieftain of the northern border region tribe Aremorica to "guard those pure waters not yet seized by the God King."[3]
At some point, Erinnyes became the ruler of Aremorica.[Note 1][1] She proclaimed herself to be an oracle who could hear the voice of Egeria, and raised an army that conquered and united the various warring tribes of Fontaine under one banner. Despite her claims of being blessed by a god, she had supposedly never demonstrated any abilities surpassing those of an ordinary mortal. She forced those tribes to pledge themselves to Egeria and acknowledge that the gods they originally worshipped were all aspects of the "Mistress of All Waters," but did not seem to care about the contents of their beliefs as long as they worshipped the same name.[4][1] She led her army to fight against Remuria. Erinnyes and her knights swore to never draw their swords against those who pledged themselves to Egeria, to never compromise in the face of evil, and to protect the Oceanids.[4] They would later be known as the "Lochknights."
To the Remurians, she was a madwoman who committed many atrocities against the Empire and its citizens. They believed that only the most helpless and desperate people would choose to follow a woman who claimed to hear the will of the gods. The Harmost Euergetia went as far as to state that Erinnyes believed in no god at all, because no one with faith would commit such crimes in the name of any god.[1]
Erinnyes knew of the prophecy which foretold that all Fontainians would be dissolved by the Primordial Sea because of the original sin that they were born with. An Oceanid messenger told her about the Pure Grail, which can grant any wish and wash away any sin.[5] Determined to save her people from their terrible fate, Erinnyes set out on a quest to find the Pure Grail and free Egeria from her prison. She went through many trials, but was unable to find the Grail in the end.
At some point, Cassiodor was sent to Aremorica by Remus.[6] He disguised himself as a wandering traveler and took part in a fighting tournament. As the champion, he was granted an audience with Erinnyes and tried to persuade her to end the conflict, but his identity was discovered and his artificial body ended up being cut to pieces. Erinnyes held his body as his consciousness was about to return and told him that she would save him from the golem body that his soul was placed in, and that she hadn't forgotten their oath.[2]
Eventually, Remuria sank into the sea and Celestia freed Egeria from her prison to rule over Fontaine as the new Hydro Archon. Erinnyes met with Egeria and begged her to tell her how the Fontainians could avoid their fate, as she killed the unrighteous and toppled many cities for her. Egeria, taking pity on her, told her what she had once told Remus. Her answer crushed Erinnyes' faith. She threw down her sword and stumbled from the valley, never to be seen again.[3]
Legacy[]
The story of Erinnyes has been adapted into at least one play.[7] The book La Chanson d'Erinnyes is a retelling of her life that appears to take many romantic liberties with the facts, seeing as how its depiction of Erinnyes' self-exile differs from what actually happened.
The island of Erinnyes and Erinnyes Forest were likely named after her.
Notes[]
- ↑ It is unknown when and how she took on this role, as she was not the heir of Cunoricus, the previous chieftain who had already surrendered to Remuria years prior, and Cunoricus already had a son named Caius.
Trivia[]
- Some aspects of Erinnyes' story, especially as written in La Chanson d'Erinnyes, appear to draw from the legend of King Arthur.
- She was the leader of the Lochknights, much like how Arthur was the leader of the Round Table, a group of knights.
- Her sword was given to her by Daeira, the "maiden by the lake," and eventually thrown into a lake three times before finally sinking.[8] This parallels how Arthur's sword Excalibur was given to him by the Lady of the Lake and returned to her when he was dying.
- The "historical" Erinnyes also shares some similarities with the French heroine Joan of Arc.
- Just like how Erinnyes' home was destroyed by Remuria, Joan's village was raided and burned down by the Burgundians, allied with France's enemy England at the time.
- Similarly to how Erinnyes claimed she could hear the voice of Egeria, but the Remurians called her a madwoman, many people believed Joan was hysteric due to her visions that were allegedly sent from the Archangel Michael.
Etymology[]
- Erinnyes is an alternative spelling for Erinyes, the goddesses of vengeance in Greek mythology.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Erinnyes |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 伊黎耶 Yīlíyē |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 伊黎耶 Yīlíyé |
| Japanese | エリニュス Erinyusu |
| Korean | 에리니에스 Erinieseu |
| Spanish | Erinias |
| French | Erinnyes |
| Russian | Эриния Eriniya |
| Thai | Erinnyes |
| Vietnamese | Erinnyes |
| German | Erinnyes |
| Indonesian | Erinnyes |
| Portuguese | Erinnyes |
| Turkish | Erinnyes |
| Italian | Érinnyes |
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Interactable: Investigation of the Northern Barbarians
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Artifact, Song of Days Past: Recollection of Days Past
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Weapon: Splendor of Tranquil Waters
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Artifact, Song of Days Past: Forgotten Oath of Days Past
- ↑ Artifact, Song of Days Past: Promised Dream of Days Past
- ↑ World Quest, Canticles of Harmony: Second Movement - Prisoner in Shackles, Part 1: The Last Day of Remuria
- ↑ Interactable: Thick Experimental Report
- ↑ Book: La Chanson d'Erinnyes