Esper (Final Fantasy XII)
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The Espers in Final Fantasy XII are powerful beings created by the gods themselves. However, the Espers that join the player's side are those spurned by their creators; twelve for having rebelled, and a thirteenth for being too powerful. Most of the Espers were based on the Lucavi in Final Fantasy Tactics or other past bosses of previous Final Fantasy games. Some appeared as Totema in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and all reappeared in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.
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[edit] The Legend
- "In vainglory they arose, shouting challenges at the Gods. But prevail they did not. Their doom it was to walk the Mist until time’s end. A legend of the Nu Mou."
- —Fran
The scions that would become the Espers were created by the gods for varied purposes. While the exact number is never revealed, there are at least 24 scions, with each zodiac sign having a light and dark representative.
Time passed, and eventually, being proud of her power and status and believing herself to be more powerful than her creators, the highest ranking Esper, Ultima, rose up against the gods. Rallying all the scions of darkness, they attacked the very gods that had created them. However, even with the combined force of 12 Espers, they were defeated, and banished to the darkest reaches of Ivalice. Sealed in the Mist, they could only walk amongst mortals once more if called by a summoner via their glyphs. A thirteenth scion, Zodiark, was also bound by the gods for fear of his power. Unlike his brethren, he is not known to have harbored rebellious desire. It is unknown just how long the Espers have been sealed away, but since Dynast-King Raithwall was known to posses the glyph of Belias it is thought that they have been sealed away at least since the era of the Dynast King.
[edit] Scions of Light and Darkness
The following is a list of all the scions mentioned, their associated Zodiac signs and element. It is never stated if Ultima and Zodiark are the Scions of Darkness or Light, but we never see the mentioned Scions of Light regardless.
| Scion of Darkness | Scion of Light | Zodiac sign | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belias, the Gigas | Loghrif, the Transcendent | Aries, the Ram | Fire |
| Chaos, Walker of the Wheel | Mitron, the Chastiser | Taurus, the Bull | Wind |
| Zalera, the Death Seraph | Emet-Selch, Angel of Truth | Gemini, the Twins | Death |
| Zeromus, the Condemner | Pashtarot, Knight-Star | Cancer, the Crab | Gravity |
| Hashmal, Bringer of Order | Fandaniel, the Protector | Leo, the Lion | Earth |
| Ultima, the High Seraph | Virgo, the Virgin | Holy | |
| Exodus, the Judge-Sal | Halmarut, the Arbiter | Libra, the Scales | Aether |
| Cúchulainn, the Impure | Nabriales, the Majestic | Scorpio, the Scorpion | Poison |
| Shemhazai, the Whisperer | Igeyorhm, the Martyr | Sagittarius, the Archer | Soul |
| Adrammelech, the Wroth | Deudalaphon, the Benevolent | Capricorn, the Seagoat | Thunder |
| Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud | Emmerololth, Holy Queen | Aquarius, the Water Bearer | Water |
| Mateus, the Corrupt | Lahabrea, Abyssal Celebrant | Pisces, the Fish | Ice |
| Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts | Ophiuchus, the Snake Bearer | Darkness | |
[edit] List of Espers
In Final Fantasy XII, there are thirteen available Espers. However, only five of them are actually obtained in the main story; the other eight, represented in italics, are found through sidequests. Espers require Mist Charges equal to their level to summon.
[edit] Level One Espers
- Belias, the Gigas (The Tomb of Raithwall)
- Mateus, the Corrupt (The Stilshrine of Miriam)
- Adrammelech, the Wroth (Zertinan Caverns)
- Zalera, the Death Seraph (The Barheim Passage, obtain the Barheim Key in the Dalmasca Estersand)
[edit] Level Two Espers
- Shemhazai, the Whisperer (Giruvegan)
- Hashmal, Bringer of Order (Pharos at Ridorana)
- Cúchulainn, the Impure (The Garamsythe Waterway, complete "Lost in the Pudding" and use the key to reach Cúchulainn)
- Zeromus, the Condemner (The Stilshrine of Miriam, obtain the Stone of the Condemner from the Acolyte on Mt. Bur-Omisace after defeating Judge Magister Bergan)
- Exodus, the Judge-Sal (The Moshphoran Highwaste, after the Salika Gate is fixed, solve the floatweed puzzle)
[edit] Level Three Espers
- Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud (Pharos at Ridorana, fought alongside Doctor Cid)
- Chaos, Walker of the Wheel (The Necrohol of Nabudis, must defeat Fury and Humbaba Mistant)
- Ultima, the High Seraph (Giruvegan, Great Crystal)
- Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts (The Henne Mines, command at least ten other Espers, finish all Jahara based hunts and speak to Geomancer Yugelu in Jahara)
[edit] Etymology
Most of the names of the scions have something to do with angels, in both Judaism and Christianity.
A name with a hidden meaning is Emet-Shelch, the scion of light. His title is "The Angel of Truth". "Emet-shelch" in Hebrew means "Your Truth".
Nabriales, another Scion of Light, is a name of an angel in Jewish mythology. It is pronounced in Hebrew as "Nabriel".
Fandaniel matches the basic template of angel names in Judaism, as the "-el" suffix in hebrew means "god" and is usually at the end of many angel names, to mark their superior connection to God.
For the Etymology of the Scions of Darkness, see their corresponding articles.
[edit] Trivia
Most of the Espers found in Final Fantasy XII, if not all, reference a main antagonist in the main Final Fantasy Series either through name or Clan Primer story.
Chaos - Garland / Chaos Final Fantasy I
Mateus- Emperor Mateus Final Fantasy II
Famfrit- Cloud of Darkness Final Fantasy III
Zeromus- Zemus/ Zeromus (Final Fantasy IV) Final Fantasy IV
Exodus- Exdeath Final Fantasy V
Zalera - Kefka Final Fantasy VI and Sephiroth Final Fantasy VII
Shemhazai - Ultimecia Final Fantasy VIII
Ultima - Ultima (Final Fantasy Tactics) Final Fantasy Tactics
Adrammelech - Kuja Final fantasy IX
Hashmal- Jecht Final Fantasy X
[edit] Gallery of Esper Glyphs
 Adrammelech |
 Adrammelech |
 Belias |
 Belias |
 Chaos |
 Chaos |
 Cúchulainn |
 Cúchulainn |
 Exodus |
 Exodus |
 Famfrit |
 Famfrit |
 Hashmal |
 Hashmal |
 Mateus |
 Mateus |
 Shemhazai |
 Shemhazai |
 Ultima |
 Ultima |
 Zalera |
 Zalera |
 Zeromus |
 Zeromus |
 Zodiark |
 Zodiark |
