Archons in Genshin Impact are seven deities ruling the regions of Teyvat. These beings are endowed with powerful elemental powers and, as rulers, are the embodiment of the ideals of their people. In this article, we will take a closer look at the history of the appearance of the Archons and talk about the deity of each of the regions known to us.
Who are the Archons
The Archons are among the greatest deities of Teyvat, each holding the heart of a God. The Heart of God provides them with a connection with Celestia and gives them elemental powers that go far beyond the capabilities of ordinary people with the Eye of God.
The Archon of each region pursues a special policy and interacts with the people according to his ideal. Typically, the regions of Teyvat are independent of each other or cooperate through trade, but some – the Inazuma, for example – can be on the verge of war or hostile to outsiders.
Being the embodiment of elemental power, most Archons can take any form. Most choose human form to interact with their people.
Despite their divine nature, Archons in their physical form are vulnerable and can be killed. In general, the succession of power of the Archons is not something unusual – a deity can die or voluntarily leave the throne.
All Archons also have a demonic name, taken from the grimoire “Goetia”.
Who is not an Archon
In Russian and English translations you can often find other Archons in addition to the main seven. This is a mistake – there are indeed other divine forces in Teyvat, but they do not possess the heart of God and their capabilities are limited.
History of the Archons
War of the Archons
This is a historical event in Teyvat that marked the beginning of the Age of the Archons. It is unknown when and for what reasons the war began: in each region events unfolded differently. It is assumed that the impetus was the creation of the hearts of God from the remnants of the Third Descended, as a result of which the gods of Teyvat began to fight for power and divine thrones.
What is certain is that the war ended 2000 years before the events of the game, and as a result, the Seven Archons shared rule over the regions of Teyvat.
Cataclysm
The Kaenri'ah disaster, which occurred in Teyvat 500 years before the events of the game, significantly influenced the Archons. The desire to protect their world from the influence of the Abyss caused the death of Dendro, Electro and Hydro Archons, which we will discuss in more detail below.
All Archons of Teyvat
Anemo Archon
- Demonic name: Barbatos
- Titles: Lord Barbatos, bard of the winds
- Ideal: freedom
- Region: Mondstadt
Barbatos is the second oldest Archon after Morax and with him one of two Archons, ruling his region for more than 2000 years.
Due to translation errors, some players may consider Decarabian, the founder of Mondstadt, to be the first Anemo Archon and the predecessor of Barbatos. In fact, Decarabian was indeed a god, but not an Archon – he died at the hands of the inhabitants who rebelled against him more than 2000 years ago.
After the death of Decarabian, the nameless wind elemental received divine power and the status of Archon. In the game he is known to us as Venti – a vagabond bard and a drinker. His physical appearance refers to the elemental's old friend, the nameless bard who died in battle.
Barbatos takes almost no part in the life of his people and is one of the weakest Archons.
Geo Archon
- Demonic name: Morax
- Title: Lord of the Stone
- Ideal: contracts
- Region: Li Yue
Morax, ruler of Li Yue and creator of the pestilence, is the eldest of the Seven. For many centuries, the Geo Archon was closely connected with his people: once a year he appeared before the inhabitants in the guise of a dragon and gave advice on how to conduct business.
At the time of the events of the game, the Lord of the Stone left the throne, faking his death. His physical shell, Zhong Li, does not possess divine powers, and he himself works in a ritual bureau.
Electro Archon
- Demonic name: Beelzebub
- Title: Raiden Shogun
- Ideal: eternity
- Region: Inazuma
The first Electro Archon there was Raiden Makoto, who had the demonic name Baal. She ruled alongside her twin sister, Ei. The younger sister specialized in battles, while Makoto was better at being a ruler.
When the Kaenri'ah disaster occurred, Makoto went to help the region without notifying Ei, which led to her death. The younger sister gave control of Inazuma to her doll, Raiden Shogun, and locked herself in the realm of her consciousness, Euthymia.
Both sisters adhered to the same ideal – eternity, but each understood it differently. If Makoto valued every moment of life, Ei strives for absolute constancy and does not accept any changes.
Dendro Archon
- Demonic name: Buer
- Title: Lesser Lord Kusanali
- Ideal: wisdom
- Region: Sumeru
The first Dendro Archon is the Great Lady Rukhadevata, or the Lady Aranyani. She ruled Sumeru along with King Deshret and Nabu Malikata.
Rukhadevata died fighting at Kaenri'ah. Before her death, she created the Akasha system and her new incarnation – the next Dendro Archon, Nahida.
Nahida is the youngest of the Seven Archons, created from the purest branch of Irminsul. For many years she was locked away by the sages from the Academy, who actually ruled the region in her place. The Traveler and Paimon freed the Archon and restored her reputation. During the Dendro Region storyline, the remnants of Rukhadevata's consciousness ask Nahida to erase the former Archon from the records of the Great Tree. As a result, the memories of all the inhabitants and gods of Teyvat, except for the Traveler, were changed, and Nahida began to be considered the first and only Dendro Archon.
Hydro Archon
- Demonic name: Focalors
- Title: Mistress of all waters, people, clans and laws
- Ideal: justice
- Region: Fontaine
The first Hydro Archon is Egeria. She assumed the throne and founded Fontaine after the fall of Remuria. She also created the Oceanids and gave some of them human form, thereby creating the people of Fontaine.
Egeria fell in the Battle of Kaenri'ah, but thanks to Rukhadevata, the remains of her consciousness were placed in the waters of Amrita.
Egeria's successor was Focalors, one of the Oceanids. In the hope of saving Fontaine from the tragic prophecy, she separated from herself the human essence – Furina, depicting the Archon for ordinary people.
After the events of the game chapter “Masquerade” guilty” Fontaine lost his Archon – Focalors transferred her Hydro powers to the dragon Nevillet. Furina continued to live in Fontein, becoming an ordinary person.
Piro Archon
- Demonic name: Haborim
- Title: Kyongozi (an ancient name meaning “Chief”)
- Ideal: War
- Region: Natlan
In Natlana presents a unique system of power of the Archons – all of them are ordinary mortals and are exalted to the divine throne for their exploits, therefore they replace each other more often than in other regions.
The first of the Archons was Xbalanque, who received strength and power after defeating the Piro dragon Xiucoatl. Xbalanque, in collaboration with Ronova, created the Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame and the Ode of Resurrection.
After Xbalanque and before the appearance of Mavuika, Natlan saw no less than 8 Pyro Archons – mortal heroes exalted for their brave deeds. There is very little information about them.
The last one at the moment is Piro The Archon, Mavuika, placed herself in the Sacred Flame 500 years before the events of the game and traveled to the present time to save her home region from the onslaught of the Abyss. Like other Pyro Archons, Mavuika is a mere mortal from the Crown Descendants tribe, who through her own efforts has earned the divine title.
Cryo Archon
- Demonic name: unknown
- Title: Queen
- Ideal: unknown, presumably love
- Region: Snow
The first Kryo Archon was the White Tsar. Under the influence of his favorite Rautvanga, the White King sought to repel the heavenly order and create an eternal paradise. His dream did not have time to come true – the Tsar fell in the battle with the Abyss, and his place was taken by the Queen.
We talked in more detail about the new Lady Snow in a separate article. In short, she continues the ideas of her predecessor and dreams of fighting the heavenly order, for which she uses her confidants, the Harbingers. The events in Kaenri'ah greatly influenced the Archon's personality, she became withdrawn and cold. If earlier the Queen was the goddess of love, now her real ideals are unknown – most likely, they will be revealed only after the release of Snow.
