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A Gnosis, plural Gnoses, is an item used by The Seven to directly resonate with Celestia, and is proof of an archon's status as one of The Seven.[1] They take on the appearance of a chess piece.[2]

It is implied that the Gnoses were rewarded to the gods who emerged victorious from the Archon War.[3]

Overview[]

The Gnoses are the embodiments of the Heavenly Principles' control over Teyvat and of the "laws." Scaramouche's remarks preceding his fight against the Traveler and Lesser Lord Kusanali suggests that the Archon War was fought over possession of the seven Gnoses. It is possible, although without any known basis, that destroying a Gnosis may attract the attention of the Heavenly Principles.[3]

It was revealed in the conversation between Neuvillette and Skirk that the Gnoses were created from the remains of the Third Descender.[4] Furthermore, the "usurper" and the "one who came after" worked together to create the Gnoses in order to exert control over the world, after their battle with each other left the usurper greatly wounded.[5]

Taking on a physical appearance reminiscent of a gleaming chess piece, Gnoses typically reside within an Archon's chest.[1][3] They can either be forcefully removed through the powers of another god (as with the powers bestowed upon the Eleven Fatui Harbingers by the Tsaritsa),[1] or willfully materialized and given away by the Archon themselves.[2][6]

The Tsaritsa seeks to collect the Gnoses for unknown reasons. Currently, six of them are in Fatui's possession:

  1. The Cryo Gnosis, possessed by the Tsaritsa.
  2. The Anemo Gnosis, forcefully taken from Barbatos by La Signora.[1]
  3. The Geo Gnosis, peacefully obtained from Morax by La Signora through a contract he made with the Tsaritsa.[6]
  4. The Electro Gnosis, peacefully obtained from Lesser Lord Kusanali by Il Dottore after she extracted it from the defeated Scaramouche in exchange for Dottore erasing his segments.[3]
    • Scaramouche peacefully obtained the Gnosis after Yae Miko, who was entrusted with it, exchanged it for the Traveler's life; however, he went missing afterwards,[7] joined the experiment conducted by the Sumeru Akademiya and Il Dottore, and was eventually defeated by the Traveler and Lesser Lord Kusanali.[3]
  5. The Dendro Gnosis, peacefully obtained from Lesser Lord Kusanali by Il Dottore in exchange for information about the rumor that "the skies of Teyvat are fake."[3]
  6. The Hydro Gnosis, extracted from the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale when the prophecy was over and peacefully obtained by Arlecchino from Neuvillette as a "diplomatic" gift.[4]

Pierro played chess with the Anemo and Geo Gnoses during the Fatui Harbingers' gathering to mourn La Signora's passing, with the Geo Gnosis being a White Rook, and the Anemo Gnosis being the White Queen.[8]

Abilities[]

Little is known about the full abilities of the Gnoses. So far, they are said to resonate with Celestia directly[1] and grant their respective Archons the "divine ability" to defend their nation.[9] Nahida's understanding of the Gnoses was limited to knowing that they could be used to summon a mass of elemental power at their owner's disposal.[10] A god can use another element's Gnosis to gather their elemental power, such as when Nahida used the Electro Gnosis to summon Dendro power and unlock Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's realm of consciousness. However, it remains to be seen whether a god can use a Gnosis to control an entirely different element; Il Dottore states that Nahida had no way to use the Electro Gnosis in battle.[3]

Gnoses share some similarities with Visions, though Venti calls Visions "primitive" compared to the Gnoses.[1] Like Visions, Gnoses can hold their users' ambitions and obsessions, and losing the Gnosis can take the former owner's ambitions away.[11] Just as Visions cannot be destroyed or tampered with via mundane human methods,[12][13] Ei failed in her attempts to modify her Gnosis.[14]

Empowerment[]

Archons do not need Gnoses to control the elements, unlike mortals who can only manipulate elemental energy by harnessing a Vision. Venti, Zhongli, Ei, and Nahida use their elemental abilities in battle during their respective Story Quests, all of which occur after they lost or forfeited their Gnoses during their respective Archon Quests. In Ei's case, she gave up her Gnosis centuries before the Inazuma Archon Quests,[14][Note 1] yet was able to defeat the Traveler during their first battle and was only defeated in the second due to Yae Miko's plan.

That said, Gnoses seem to greatly enhance an Archon's abilities; Zhongli states that the "power of the Geo Archon" is required to create Mora and indicates that the Golden House would have to temporarily close since he can no longer do this.[6] He also suggests that he lost a significant portion of his power after relinquishing the Gnosis.[15] The benevolent Azhdaha could sense that Zhongli was no longer the Geo Archon.[16]

After being made into a god, Scaramouche used the Electro Gnosis to control the weather at Pardis Dhyai, striking many Fatui personnel and Tighnari with lightning.[17] It is unknown if he had any elemental abilities or was capable of utilizing the Gnosis before his apotheosis.

Gnoses have also been shown to power a God's legacy posthumously. Sumeru's Akasha System, which was created by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and required the energy of the Dendro Gnosis to work, remained in operation even after she perished in the cataclysm 500 years ago.

Trivia[]

  • In a standard Western chess game, there are only six distinct pieces: pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen and king, which would be one short for a complete set of all The Seven's Gnoses. However, each side starts with a total of seven major (2 rook and 1 queen) and minor (2 knight and 2 bishop) pieces. Upon reaching the other side of the chessboard, a pawn can also promote these pieces.
    • The Anemo Gnosis and Geo Gnosis are modeled after the queen and rook, respectively. Queens and rooks are considered major pieces, or pieces that can checkmate the opponent with only their own king for support.
    • Unlike the Anemo and Geo Gnoses, the Electro Gnosis does not strongly resemble a single chess piece. The bishop and the pawn are often suggested as the models for the Electro Gnosis. A bishop is a minor piece that may be used to checkmate but requires other pieces besides the king.
  • It is currently uncertain how much the mortal people of Teyvat know about Gnoses. Venti states that his Gnosis "isn't something [he is] meant to discuss with ordinary people," while many of the rank-and-file members of the Fatui do not seem to know much about the Harbinger's operations on the Tsaritsa's behalf.
    • Yae Miko is aware of the power of a Gnosis and its connection to Celestia, and was responsible for guarding the Electro Archon's Gnosis. Whether this is information known to the Kitsune, or simply because Raiden Ei briefed her on its function beforehand remains to be determined.
    • Beidou seems to have at least a basic understanding that the Gnoses belong to the Archons when the Traveler mentions their thefts during her Hangout Event, When the Crux Shines Bright.[18] How much she knows about their power and nature beyond this is currently unknown.
    • The House of the Hearth members under The Knave know of her plan to use the Hydro Gnosis to break the Fontaine prophecy before handing it over to the Tsaritsa.

Etymology[]

  • In Gnosticism, gnosis is a term used for wisdom, knowledge, or insight into divine nature. Through Gnosis, one can transcend the material realms controlled by the seven archons and enter the supercelestial realm of Ogdoad.
  • The Chinese term for Gnosis, 神之心 Shén zhī Xīn, "Heart of God," is similar to the term for Visions (Chinese: 神之眼 Shén zhī Yǎn, "Eye of God"). Both of them are called 魔力器官 "magical organs," which was translated as "magical foci" in English.
    • During Teyvat Chapter Interlude Teaser: A Winter Night's Lazzo, after Capitano inquires about Scaramouche and Inazuma's Gnosis, Il Dottore replies that "Divine Knowledge cannot be rationally comprehended." The Chinese equivalent for "Divine Knowledge" is 神之灵知 Shén zhī Língzhī, where 灵知 Língzhī is the Chinese term for the Gnostic concept of gnosis.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  1. During Omnipresence Over Mortals, Yae Miko says she has not seen Ei since Ei entered the Plane of Euthymia centuries ago. Because Ei personally entrusted her with the Gnosis, this means Ei has not had it for centuries.

Other Languages[]

LanguageOfficial NameLiteral Meaning
EnglishGnosis
Chinese
(Simplified)
神之心
Shén zhī Xīn
Heart of God
Chinese
(Traditional)
神之心
Shén zhī Xīn
Japaneseかみ こころ
Kami no Kokoro[19]
Heart of God
Korean 심장심장
Sin-ui Simjang
Heart of God
SpanishGnosis
FrenchGnosis
RussianСердце Бога
Serdtse Boga
Heart of God
Thaiโนซิส
Nosit
VietnameseGnosis
GermanGöttliches HerzDivine Heart
IndonesianGnosis
PortugueseGnosis
TurkishGnosis
ItalianGnosiGnosis

Change History[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Archon Quest, Prologue, Act III - Song of the Dragon and Freedom, Part 8: Ending Note
  2. 2.0 2.1 Archon Quest, Chapter II, Act III - Omnipresence Over Mortals, Part 9: Wishes
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Archon Quest, Chapter III, Act V - Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises, Part 4: Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies
  4. 4.0 4.1 Archon Quest, Chapter IV, Act V - Masquerade of the Guilty, Part 6: Finale
  5. Neuvillette's Character Story: Vision
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Archon Quest, Chapter I, Act III - A New Star Approaches, Part 6: The Fond Farewell
  7. Event Labyrinth Warriors Quest, Part 3: Away With Obsessions and Falsehood
  8. Teyvat Chapter Interlude Teaser: A Winter Night's Lazzo
  9. Zhongli's Character Story: Gnosis
  10. Nahida's Character Story: Gnosis
  11. Archon Quest, Chapter III, Act V - Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises, Part 4: Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies (Cutscene Summary)
    Having lost the Gnosis, which now houses all his strong obsessions, The Balladeer falls out of his giant mechanical shell in despair and drops to the ground.
  12. Sucrose's Character Story: Vision
  13. Keqing's Character Story: Vision
  14. 14.0 14.1 Raiden Shogun's Character Story: Gnosis
  15. Zhongli's Voice-Over: Feelings About Ascension: Conclusion
  16. Story Quest, Zhongli, Historia Antiqua Chapter: Act II - No Mere Stone, Part 4: Amidst Chaos, the Rock Is Unmoved
  17. Archon Quest, Chapter III, Act V - Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises, Part 2: As by a God's Side
  18. Hangout Event, Beidou, Act I - When the Crux Shines Bright: Life on the High Seas
  19. Archon Quest, Prologue, Act III - Song of the Dragon and Freedom, Part 8: Ending Note (Japanese Voice-Over)

Navigation[]

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