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Summon of the Month - February - Leviathan
At first I thought I was doing these features for fun, but this month something completely unexplainable happened. I was sitting one morning doing my research, I heard something clatter through the letterbox. I wasn’t expecting any packages so I was very surprised. As I checked it out and opened the envelope, a large journal dropped down onto the floor. It is slightly worn and tattered. I was confused, but as I looked through it I began to understand. I’ve scanned in some images for you….
Attachment 40021 The journal belongs to a mysterious “Dr Rydrum” I assume he is some kind of professor or adventurer. I think he sent me this journal to follow his trail. So I did. I believe Rydrum is searching for the Leviathan. Surely it’s just a myth, but… when I researched further, I found it everywhere. I followed his lead and started with some common mythology.
Leviathan - a sea monster that features quite prominently in many ancient texts. In Sumerian drawings it is seen fighting against the God Ninurta of the ancient civilisation Lagash; and Leviathan is shown to have seven heads. It features not only in Sumerian scripts, but in others too. Canaanite, Babylonian (interestingly the battle is known as that of Marduk vs Tiamat) and in he also shows up in Egyptian lore.
The Leviathan features heavily in the Bible (as hinted at by Rydrum's journal), perhaps in here more than any other place I searched. In Isaiah 27:1 he is called the "wriggling serpent" that will be killed at the end of time. And even the word ‘Leviathan’ is Hebrew for ‘twisted’ or ‘coiled’.
Of course, Leviathan is a big part of Final Fantasy too. He is a summon that shows up in many of the games. Rydrum was specifically looking at the appearance of Leviathan in the games. His research starts with Final Fantasy XII.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Rydrum
Outside of Final Fantasy, Thomas Hobbes' ‘Leviathan’ is a manuscript that has a structured argument on why a strong centralized government, headed by a sovereign king is the best form of governance to ensure civil peace and social unity. We know from history that this is false, and as the maxim states absolute power corrupts absolutely.
In Final Fantasy XII, the Leviathan is the flagship of the Archadian fleet. The Archadian government is structured similarly to Hobbes’s leviathan with the house Solidor taking reigns and the Judges representing the strong arm of the centralized government. This type of government certainly assured people of unity and peace.
So although technically a physical and monsterous version of Leviathan does not appear in Final Fantasy XII, the name does. It is known as the 'Dreadnought Leviathan' and it serves as the flagship for the 8th Fleet of the Archadian Empire. Princess Ashe is taken hostage upon this ship, and it is also the ship where the mysterious Dawn Shard is found.
The Dawn Shard is of course central to the plot of the game, as it is what Ashe seeks to prove her lineage, as it was her ancestor Dynast King Raithwall who owned it. It is stolen by Judge Ghis aboard the Leviathan. The ship is eventually sunk in an explosion caused by a reaction of a nethicite fragment inside the Dawn Shard.
Rydrum discusses a man named Thomas Hobbes - I've looked into his work, and he's right. Hobbes did write about the government. He writes about the government as a commonwealth and that this commonwealth appears as a giant human form made up of the bodies of the citizens - the sovereign as the head. For Hobbes, the Leviathan was a vision of peace and unity - a prevention of civil war.
He links the Leviathan of Thomas Hobbes's work to the ruler of Final Fantasy VIII's Balamb Garden, NORG. I have another page of his journal here...
Attachment 40024As a summon, Leviathan is based on the element of Water, and his attack is 'Tidal Wave' or'Tsunami'. In Final Fantasy VIII, Leviathan is acquired during the second disc of the game when Squall and his party return to Balamb Garden to find the place in total chaos! Students are fighting against each other - either siding with the Garden Faculty or with Cid.
It turns out that a giant Shumi Master known as NORG helped Headmaster Cid to fund the cost of creating Balamb Garden. To cover the running costs, it was NORG's idea to hire out the SeeD as mercenaries. As Rydrum has written, it does resemble the Leviathan system thought up by Hobbes.
Leviathan is drawn from NORG in this battle, and he brings with him some great abilities for the party such as Auto-Potion and Recover. In terms of usefulness in battle - he is perhaps one of the most useful! Especially when trying to attain the very powerful and hard-to-take-down Jumbo Cactaur!
He's given me some information about Leviathan in Final Fantasy VII too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Rydrum
The Leviathan Scales in Final Fantasy VII allow the player to put out the fires in the cave located in Wutai; allowing us to acquire the ‘Oritsuru’ a weapon for Yuffie. The weapon is depicted as an origami animal with a sprite that looks like a Sea Monster. The player can also get the "Steal as Well" materia in the cave, the use of which has an obvious parallel to what many see as a function of a strong government.
I looked into the links between Wutai and Leviathan some more. I found that in Wutai they have a 'Fountain of Leviathan' which can be discovered in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. The people of Wutai see Leviathan as some kind of Guardian or God, and it explains why its' scales can be found in the caves, and why Yuffie's Oritsuru bares resemblance to it. The Leviathan Materia is also only available after Yuffie has defeated Godo in Wutai.
He isn't always a summon though. In Final Fantasy II he appears as a boss - a sea serpent who swallows people whole. He is the guardian of the Seaway to the Tower of Mysidia. The party travels through his insides after being swallowed by him, they are split up but find a new party member, Ricard Highwind, to join them. Ricard helps them find their way back to the mouth of the Leviathan where they escape and continue to the tower.
He also happens to play a major role in Final Fantasy IV. Titled "The Lord of all Waters" he is also the King of the Eidolons and rules over the summoned monsters with Queen Asura. He takes Rydia of Mist and brings her to the Feymarch in order to train her. He does this because he knows that she is one of the last remaining summoners. The party can later enter the Feymarch to battle him, and earn him as a summon.
Rydia considers Leviathan and Asura to be her family, and even refers to them as her parents after she grew up with them in the Feymarch.
My views on the Leviathan are mixed. He is depicted as a strong and terrifying creature with power enough to destroy all life, but what about in Final Fantasy IV when he is strangely a mentor and father-like figure? Has time changed this beast into something entirely different? I'm not sure, and I'm not sure that Dr Rydrum is making the right choice seeking him out either. I know I have to find him and stop him before he goes too far.
I don't even know if he is alive, or if it was Rydrum who sent me the journal. This whole thing makes me nervous and I'm not sure what to do.
UPDATE: I have had more contact with Rydrum. Over the space of a week I received two more packages; the first contained what looked to be a broken piece of diamond shard. It was completely cold to the touch, and even when I opened the package, a cold mist blew from inside…
The second was a larger package. It contained a helmet. Not just any helmet, I’m certain the helmet belonged to Odin. Inside there was a note with some numbers written on it. I think they’re coordinates – they lead to a Church to the west. I understand now, I have to find Dr Rydrum and find out just what he’s up to.
To be continued...
Now as usual we have a little an interview with a member of our forum: and who better to ask about Leviathan than “The Summoner of Leviathan” himself!
What makes Leviathan such a powerful Summon?
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan
He is the ruler of the seas, the great beast of the depths. He has the power of the ocean at his beck and call which makes him a formidable summon. As long as a body of water is around, Leviathan is nigh unbeatable. Even in the absence of his home element, he can still summon tidal waves that will make the more recent tsunami looks like tiny ripples on a placid lake. He represents water, one of the most ubiquitous elements of the planet--an unrelenting and powerful force. Water not only can be strong and violent like a sea at storm but also quiet, small yet relentless smoothing away at stone. With such an element at his command, only fools would challenge him in his domain.
Which is your favourite version of Leviathan from the series?
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan
Final Fantasy Tactics. Simple yet classic art work. Sadly, he does not get showcased as much as he should.
What is it about Leviathan that you love so much?
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan
At first, it was all about water. It is my favourite element. The attraction was just natural. Then the more I got to know about Leviathan, the more it became apparent of just how awesome he is. I mean Leviathan is one of the first primordial creatures made in the Bible. He is bloody bad ass. Moreover, throughout cultures we see similar beasts--great sea-serpents--by different names, like Seiryu (the Azure Dragon) in Japan.
And that wraps it up for this month! What are your thoughts on Leviathan? Do you think he's as powerful as he is made out in mythology? Or is he just a wisened spirit like in Final Fantasy IV? Whatever your thoughts, please share them for discussion!
