Gnosis

Gnosis
Barbatos' Anemo Gnosis
Type	Lore
Region	Teyvat

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. They take on the appearance of chess pieces.

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

Overview

The Gnoses are the embodiments of the Heavenly Principles' control over Teyvat and of the "laws," created using the remains of the Third Descender and according to Skirk, are "curses" as a result. After Nibelung's great war of vengeance left the Heavenly Principles gravely injured and unable to use its absolute authority to subdue the world's original order, the Heavenly Principles and "one who came after" created the Gnoses as part of a "new order." The gods were driven to fight each other over possession of the Gnoses, with seven victors ultimately being chosen to each possess one of the elemental Gnoses.

Taking on a physical appearance reminiscent of a gleaming chess piece, Gnoses typically reside within an Archon's chest. 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), or willfully materialized and given away by the Archon themselves.

It is suggested that Visions began appearing either around the same time as the Gnoses or after The Seven were established, and Venti calls Visions "primitive" compared to the Gnoses. Like Visions, Gnoses can hold their users' ambitions and obsessions, and losing the Gnosis can take the former owner's ambitions away. Just as Visions cannot be destroyed or tampered with via mundane human methods, Ei failed in her attempts to turn her Gnosis into an energy supply device, although others have succeeded in using Gnoses to empower other devices.

Current Ownership

The Tsaritsa seeks to collect the Gnoses for unknown reasons. As of Archon Quest Chapter V: Act V - Incandescent Ode of Resurrection, six of them are in the Fatui's possession:

1. The Cryo Gnosis, presumably still in the Tsaritsa's possession.
2. The Anemo Gnosis, obtained by La Signora forcibly taking it from Barbatos.
3. The Geo Gnosis, obtained by La Signora after fulfilling the Tsaritsa's end of the contract with Rex Lapis.
4. The Electro Gnosis, obtained by Il Dottore after agreeing to Lesser Lord Kusanali's ultimatum that he erase his segments in exchange, lest she destroy the Gnosis and potentially awaken the Heavenly Principles. Lesser Lord Kusanali was also motivated not to keep the foreign Gnosis as it would only "lead to disaster" for Sumeru.
   • Lesser Lord Kusanali obtained the Gnosis after defeating Scaramouche, with whom Yae Miko exchanged the Gnosis for the Traveler's safety, which was originally entrusted to her by Ei after she no longer had any need for it.
5. The Dendro Gnosis, obtained by Il Dottore in exchange for giving Lesser Lord Kusanali information about the rumored intel that "the skies of Teyvat are fake."
6. The Hydro Gnosis, obtained by Arlecchino as Neuvillette's "diplomatic gift" for her and Tartaglia's assistance against the prophecy.
   • Neuvillette obtained the Gnosis after Focalors executed herself via the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
7. The Pyro Gnosis is still possessed by Haborym.

Abilities

Little is known about the Gnoses' purpose or abilities. So far, they are said to:

• Allow Archons to resonate with Celestia directly
• Grant Archons the "divine ability" to defend their nation
• Allow the user to summon a mass of elemental power at their owner's disposal

Unlike humans, Archons have innate elemental abilities and do not rely on the Gnoses to wield the elements, proven by the way Venti, Zhongli, Ei, and Nahida use their elemental abilities in battle during their respective Story Quests, after having already parted with their Gnoses. That being 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. He also suggests that he lost a significant portion of his power after relinquishing the Gnosis, and Azhdaha could sense that Zhongli was no longer the Geo Archon.

A god can gather their own element's power using another element's Gnosis, as seen when Nahida uses the additional power of 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, and Il Dottore's dialogue with Nahida suggests that it is not possible.

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

As a Power Source

While Ei failed to either create a vessel capable of housing her Gnosis or modify her Gnosis into a power supply device, others have used Gnoses to empower other devices. The currently known devices are:

• The Akasha System in Sumeru, created by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata to combat forbidden knowledge during the cataclysm by linking the minds of those who wear Akasha Terminals. It required the energy of the Dendro Gnosis to work, but has since become defunct after Lesser Lord Kusanali shut it down and the Gnosis went into the Fatui's possession.
• Shouki no Kami, a mechanical shell used to turn Scaramouche into an artificial god, developed by Sumeru Akademiya's sages in collaboration with Il Dottore and the Fatui. Following Scaramouche's defeat at the hands of Lesser Lord Kusanali and the Traveler, it is now defunct.
• The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale in Fontaine contained the Hydro Gnosis after Focalors merged with it in order to generate and store enough Indemnitium to execute herself and destroy the Hydro Archon's throne. With Focalors' execution, the Oratrice has ceased to function.
• The Sacred Flame in Natlan was kept alive using the Pyro Gnosis during the Abyss' attack against Natlan.

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 to these pieces.
  • The models of the Anemo and Geo Gnoses resemble 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.
    • In A Winter Night's Lazzo, the Anemo Gnosis is likely used as a king instead, as the board would then match a position from a real chess game between Deep Blue and Garry Kasparov, and if the Anemo Gnosis were used as a queen in that game instead, the resulting position would be unusual. The Geo Gnosis appears to be used as a rook in the same game.
  • 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.
  • The Pyro Gnosis also does not strongly resemble a chess piece, and is decorated with motifs found throughout and relating to Natlan.
  • The appearance of the Dendro, Hydro and Cryo Gnoses have not yet been revealed.
• 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 youkai 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. How much she knows about their power and nature beyond this is currently unknown.
  • Though not explicitly mentioned, the sages involved in the god creation plan likely knew about the Electro Gnosis due to its importance to their plan.
  • Lyney and Lynette knew of Arlecchino's plan to use the Hydro Gnosis to break the prophecy before handing it over to the Tsaritsa.
  • Mavuika disclosed that the Harbingers were after the Gnoses to Kinich and Iansan, who are among the small group of people she has been working with to save Natlan.
  • Before Ayizu died, he told Thrain (known later as the Fatui Harbinger "The Captain") about the secret of the Pyro Gnosis, which caused him to resent Mavuika for not fulfilling her oath and prolonging the inevitable. Ayizu also repeatedly urged Mavuika, the Pyro Archon at that time, to use the Pyro Gnosis to defeat the Abyssal force, which she refused each time for her own reasons.

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 the Electro 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

The Anemo Gnosis

The Geo Gnosis

The Electro Gnosis

The Pyro Gnosis

The Anemo and Geo Gnoses on a Chessboard

Other Languages

Language	Official Name	Literal Meaning
English	Gnosis	—
Chinese (Simplified)	神之心 Shén zhī Xīn	Heart of God
Chinese (Traditional)	神之心 Shén zhī Xīn
Japanese	神の心 Kami no Kokoro	Heart of God
Korean	신신神의 심장심장心臟 Sin-ui Simjang	Heart of God
Spanish	Gnosis	—
French	Gnosis	—
Russian	Сердце Бога Serdtse Boga	Heart of God
Thai	โนซิส Nosit	—
Vietnamese	Gnosis	—
German	Göttliches Herz	Divine Heart
Indonesian	Gnosis	—
Portuguese	Gnosis	—
Turkish	Gnosis	—
Italian	Gnosi	Gnosis

Change History

Introduced in Version 1.0

[Create New History]