The Sunchildren, or Phaethons, were the puppet rulers of Enkanomiya during the period after the Dainichi Mikoshi was built before Orobashi assumed control.
Story[]
After Aberaku built the Dainichi Mikoshi and staved off the threat of the Bathysmal Vishaps, peace was established in Enkanomiya, but a cabal of corrupt nobles[1] would manipulate the people of Enkanomiya into worshipping the Dainichi Mikoshi as a god, and chose a child to be the Sunchild and rule over the land.[2] As they were children, the Sunchildren could not truly rule competently, and were instead manipulated to commit heinous deeds as the nobles who controlled them profited from their misrule. Because of this, the Sunchildren would become hated by the people of Enkanomiya, who scapegoated them and blamed them for willful ignorance even though they were aware that the Sunchildren were being manipulated.
Despite their tyranny, the Sunchildren were still children: they led lonely lives and lamented their existences, but the officials tasked with taking care of them were forbidden from saying a word to them.[3] The nobles knew that as the Sunchildren grew into adults, they would eventually realize they were being manipulated.[2] To prevent this, they established a ceremony called the Rite of Solar Return where, when a Sunchild reached a certain age, they would be taken to the inner sanctum of the Dainichi Mikoshi, where they would be incinerated by the artificial sun's high temperatures.[2][3]
During the time of Rikoru, the first Sunchild,[4] Aberaku realized the truth of the system the nobles had established and opposed them. In response, the nobles simply convinced Rikoru that Aberaku wanted to kill him and usurp his seat, had him accuse Aberaku of high treason,[2] then imprison him under house arrest in the Dainichi Mikoshi for life.[5][6] Upon his death, his clothes and body were enshrined in various places in acknowledgement of his achievements.[6]
Eventually, an Enkanomiyan child would discover Orobashi, who was hiding in a cave due to having escaped from the Archon War. The child would ask Orobashi to become their god, and he agreed, overthrowing the Sunchild's rule and becoming Enkanomiya's ruler.[5]
The Divine Bridle was the badge of the Sunchild's office.[3]
List of Sunchildren[]
There were seven Sunchildren in total, all of whom can be met as part of the Hidden Exploration Objective Sunchildren Hide and Seek.
Trivia[]
- In Greek mythology, Phaethon was the son of Helios, god of the sun. Phaethon is most known for his disastrous failure to drive his father's sun chariot, which caused several catastrophes in the heavens and on the earth and led to Zeus killing him after he went too far.
- The Sunchildren appear to each be named after a son of Apollo, often one that had a connection with the temple of Delphi:
- Ion: Ion, who was raised by a priestess of the Delphic Oracle
- Isumenasu: Ismenus
- Orupesu: Orpheus
- Piramumon: Philammon, composer of the hymns to Artemis and Apollo that were sung at Delphi
- Rikoru: Lycorus, the city Lycoreia was named in his honor, and it was later renamed Delphi in honor of his great-grandson Delphus
- Risutaiosu: Aristaeus, patron of many handicrafts (including molding clay), and who travelled to Ceos because of a Delphic prophecy
- Surepio: Asclepius, who was born in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Sunchild | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 太阳之子 Tàiyáng zhī Zǐ | Child of the Sun |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 太陽之子 Tàiyáng zhī Zǐ | |
| Japanese | 太陽の子 Taiyou no Ko[!][!] | Child of the Sun |
| Korean | 태양태양의 아이 Taeyang-ui Ai | Child of the Sun |
| Spanish | Hijo del Sol | Child of the Sun |
| French | Enfant du soleil | Child of the Sun |
| Russian | Сын Солнца Syn Solntsa | Son of the Sun |
| Thai | บุตรแห่งสุริยัน | |
| Vietnamese | Người Con Của Mặt Trời | Child of Sun |
| German | Sonnenkind | Sunchild |
| Indonesian | Sunchild | — |
| Portuguese | Filho do Sol | |
| Turkish | Güneşin Çocuğu | |
| Italian | Figlio del sole |
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ World Quest: Lotus Eater
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 World Quest, Hyperion's Dirge: Hyperion's Dirge
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 World Quest: The Phaethons' Syrtos
- ↑ Sunchildren Hide and Seek
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Item: The Serpent and Drakes of Tokoyokoku
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 World Quest, Hyperion's Dirge: Temple Inquiry
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