Persona Supplementary #3: Wait wait wait... WHAT IS NYX?! And should we still be afraid of her?! · 5:08pm May 20th, 2019
In my last supplementary blog I talked a lot about Deities in Persona, and what they actually are. However, I kept hinting that the final enemy in Persona 3 wasn't a deity. I feel I need to specify what I mean first. See, Persona 3 actually has two parts to it. The main game is referred to as "The Journey", while the second part is called "The Answer". The Answer is only found in Persona 3: FES, and in that game we learn a good deal about what I'm about to tell you, but the final enemy is Erebus, who is kinda sorta a deity, but not quite.
However, the final enemy of The Journey, Nyx, isn't a deity. Sure she shares her name with a deity, but the Persona 3 Club Book makes a sharp distinction between what Nyx is and what deities are. The fact that this has NEVER been touched upon in the games is a crime to me, as this alone changes the outlook of the game entirely.
First a bit of mythology. In Greek Mythology, Nyx is the daughter of Chaos, who was the primordial being of everything. Like, Chaos is the first... thing, to ever exist. Nyx is her daughter, and thus the primordial entity of the night itself. Nyx's home was in Tartarus, which was a region in the Underworld, and was the wife to Erebus. Right off the bat we're seeing some familiar terms here for those who have played Persona 3.
Tartarus was the name of the labyrinth explored in Persona 3, which took the form of a giant tower spanning over 200 floors. Nyx is fought at the very top of Tartarus, and whil her Avatar is the thing you actually fight in the game, her true form is in THE FUCKING MOON!
I... should probably recap for those who haven't played the game and don't intend to, or who have but just don't remember. Do keep in mind however that I'm about to spoil EVERYTHING in Persona 3, so read at your own risk.
*ahem*
So the plot of Persona 3 focuses on the Dark Hour, which is a hidden hour in between one day and the next. Persona Users are the only ones who can perceive the Dark Hour. Everyone else is transmogrified into a coffin, where the Shadows more or less leave them be. However, there are people who suffer this odd illness called Apathy Syndrome, which puts them in a zombie like daze. These people have fallen into the Dark Hour and were attacked by Shadows, but it's not revealed for a while what's actually happening.
Turns out, these people have had their Shadow Selves taken away, leaving them as a husk unable to even function. See, the Shadow might be annoying and sinister, but it's actually necessary for life. A person who's Shadow is taken is left in the above state, and if someone's shadow is destroyed, they die too. More on this in a bit.
The protagonist and his group called SEES spend the entire game hunting down these special Shadows in order to stop the Dark Hour. Turns out though, this is a lie. The twelve Shadows you fight are all aspects of the thirteenth Shadow representing the Death Arcana, which is an extension of Nyx. Also, throughout the game you interact with this small boy named Pharos who seems to be connected to you in some way and only you can see. This kid refers to you as a friend, and you get pretty attached to him. He has amnesia, and hopes that as you defeat the twelve Shadows he'll get his memories back.
Turns out he was the thirteenth Shadow, sealed away within you in order to prevent something called the Fall. This is when Nyx will return and descend onto the Earth, ending all life. This is something that apparently can't be stopped, but if you kill the thirteenth Shadow in his weakened state, then at the very least you won't have to experience your end consciously. In the true ending of the game, you and your friends decide to fight Nyx in an attempt to prevent the Fall.
It doesn't go well.
Yeah... turns out that you weren't doing ANYTHING to Nyx at all, and her Avatar reveals where the real Nyx is, and well... you know...
This thing...
However, the main character ascends upward into the moon and fights Nyx in her true true form, which takes the form of a golden egg like orb within the moon, all to what is probably the BEST song in all of Persona.
Seriously, if you don't intend to play the game itself, then you owe it to yourself to at least watch this entire fight. In my opinion, it's the best climax in the series, and this song is part of the reason for that.
Azure, your getting off topic.
Right. Thanks Luna. Why are you here anyway?
Because.
.......Eh, I'll take it.
Anyway, this isn't too happy of a tale however, as the MC shortly dies after the fight for an unexplained reason, and it's implied that he knows it's about to happen. It isn't until you play through The Answer where you learn the shocking truth of what happened to him.
Now, I'm serious. This is a HUGE spoiler, so stop reading now if you don't want to have EVERYTHING ruined. I mean it. You're still here? *sighs* Alright then.
So turns out that Nyx wasn't malevolent at all. According to Metis (who will be explained in a later blog possibly, if I get around to doing Arcana blogs. God help me those are going to take forever...) Nyx wouldn't bring about the Fall of her own free will, so sealing her away doesn't make sense. See, we find the protagonist's soul turned into what's known as the Great Seal, which is this right here.
Yeah... that's not a statue... that's a LIVING PERSON. That's the Persona 3 MC, who now acts as the barrier between Nyx and Erebus. Erebus is the reason the Fall is scheduled to happen, because humanity itself is calling for the Fall. So essentially, the Persona 3 MC is standing between humanity's suicidal thoughts and the one who can end it all.
Okay, so we're all caught up? Alright, so... what is Nyx then? Because I imagine it sounds like she's a deity, right? Well... here's where things get weird...
First off, let's briefly go over what's known as the Giant Impact Hypothesis. This is the most common theory of where our moon came from. It states that there were two planets that collided into one another when their orbits crossed. The larger of the two planets was called "Gaia" and the smaller of the two was called "Theia", with the resulting planet called "Earth". The remains of Theia formed into our moon, and in Persona, this is the reason for EVERYTHING.
Theia... is Nyx.
So from here I'm going to refer you to the Persona 3 Club Book, which if you remember in my first blog, is a book of supplementary material that was published after the original release of Persona 3. Most of it contains character studies, art work, background information, yadda yadda yadda. But the last 30 pages are devoted to something called the "World Guide", which is an in character Q&A session that answers players questions regarding Persona 3. So naturally this is something sought after by lore sluts like myself, and a lot of the subjects here have been criminally under represented in Persona games thus far. The origin of Nyx, is the worst offender in my opinion.
Now, what follows is the section translated by the Youtuber Nenilein on her old blog. I'll let you read that first and THEN we'll discuss it, but... erm... I'll reiterate here, this is an "in character Q&A" so... ignore the incoming cringe.
Question: Could you tell me what Nyx really is, bluntly and unpoetically? (nope
)
Ikutsuki: In order to speak about this, we need to take a step back and look at our planet’s prehistory first. In ancient times, there existed a gigantic living being, the size of a celestial body, drifting through outer space in a dormant state. We call such a being a “Star Eater”. At a certain point in time, this being collided with a planet which had only just begun to develop its first forms of life - earth. The chance of this happening was merely one in several Million - no, Billion. In any case, this event can be seen as the first contact between Nyx and earth’s lifeforms.
Aigis: So, Nyx was born in extraterrestrial space? It seems miraculous that the planet was not destroyed by this kind of impact.
Ikutsuki: Of course, you are correct. The matter Nyx was composed of existed under physical laws which defy those of earth. Even the mere collision alone brought tremendous results with itself. In any case, the debris broken off in the shock of the collision entered earth’s orbit and became our moon. As Nyx’ psyche, which exists in a wave-like state, was left behind on earth, her physical body was enclosed in the moon alongside the debris. However, you see, the psyche was the far more problematic part of this being to begin with.
Ikutsuki: The waves of Nyx’s psyche, which spread across the planet, stood in harsh contradiction with the life already existing on it and threatened to eliminate said life entirely. Of course, the still very primitive, survival-instinct driven lifeforms of earth made attempts to resist these 'Waves of Death’. As a result of this, the lifeforms of earth entered a period of explosive evolution, and developed coping-strategies to resist Nyx, weapons against her. The crown of this development was a plane of shared information between all living beings on earth, the so-called “Collective Unconscious”.
Aigis: A plane of information…? How exactly could such a thing act as a weapon? Does it contain a form of tremendous power, strong enough to eliminate Nyx?
(I apologize, I'm not embellishing any of this, he's actually just THIS long winded and pretentious...)
Ikutsuki: No, no, you misunderstand. You see, the life existing on earth had sealed the energy of Nyx’ psyche within this Collective Unconscious. What acted as the source of power needed to seal this energy were opposing thoughts, such as the desire not to die or the fear of death itself, which suppressed deadly effects of Nyx’ spirit. It is quite the irony of fate that Nyx, who was meant to embody the demise of all life on earth, ended up becoming the catalyst that allowed for earth’s living beings to evolve into lifeforms with complex, sentient psyches. It should be mentioned that the greek goddess “Nyx”, who our Nyx takes her name from, is portrayed as a maternal goddess, embodying a powerful Mother-Archetype. So you see, the knowledge of the truth that in a way we are all Nyx’ children has probably been with people since old times.
Aigis: It seems very profound.
Ikutsuki: If you consider it this way, my ability to make such clever jokes and puns, too, is something we must thank Nyx for.
Aigis: How unforgivable of Nyx.
Ikutsuki:
Okay... so that's a lot to unpack here, and I imagine this is hard to believe. However, a lot of the other things spoken of in the World Guide were in fact explained in later games, such as how Shadows and Personas are in fact one and the same, and what the item called Plums of Dusk are beyond just a full heal item in Persona 3's easy mode.
So as crazy as this sounds, this is an actual part of the lore in Persona. I'm serious, you guys. Nyx is a planet sized alien lifeform that collided with Earth. Her psyche merged with the life of the planet, and her body was then sealed away inside the moon. As such, Nyx isn't a Goddess. She's a living planet!
So... none of this matters now, right? I mean, let's suppose you've never played Persona 3, and have no intention of doing so ever. That means you can ignore all of this crazy existential mumbo jumbo, right?
WRONG!
I'll spare you more of Ikutsuki's ramblings here, but the book goes on to explain how Nyx is in fact responsible for everything going on in Persona. Remember how Nyx' psyche merged with humanity, and how I mentioned above how a person can't function or even survive without their Shadow? See, that's because every person in Persona is Nyx. Not just Pharos, everyone. Starlight, Trixie, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Principal Cinch, Blueblood, Fleur de Lis, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and all of the canon character from past Persona games, they're ALL displaced aspects of Nyx. That's because Nyx is an essential part of the Collective Consciousness of humanity. She is the Shadows, resulting in a species that both loves being alive and hates it all at the same time.
When one looks at it a certain way, every malevolent deity faced in Persona, Izanami, Erebus, Yaldabaoth, Chronos, and whatever I make the girls fight in the end of Persona 6 REM, are all personifications of Nyx' desperate cries for freedom, destroying the lives she's created on Earth in the process. As terrifying as it is... and as unfortunate as it is... she won't be free until either A) humanity awakens to it's full potential, or B) if the Great Seal is broken, and Erebus beckons Nyx to being about the Fall once again, thus killing all of humanity.
Something to think about the next time you read Persona 6: REM...
Pleasant dreams~
Nyx Avatar: The Aranca are the means by which all is revealed.
5061537
"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate...
Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope.
Yet, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...
Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end.
It matters not who you are...Death awaits you."
Wow, that is both creepy and deep.
Food for thought is being polite.
5061544
Right? This is my favorite part of the lore, and I hate how it's never been touched upon in Persona.
Just so you'll know, I plan on fixing that.
If you think about it All the Persona bosses represent some aspect of life. Which is why Nyx being the reason for Persona holds such a great deal of weight. Izanami's entire motivation in Persona 4 is proof of this.
Like Unicron. Except, less Chaotic Evil. Which isn't hard. He's kind of an Omnicidal Maniac. (Also, you're getting off topic, not your)
Also, if THAT song is the best song in Persona, how bad is the rest of the soundtrack? (I do not like that song one bit.)
Wow, so if Nyx is responsible for everything fought in Persona then it kinda makes her a Greater Scope Villain of the series, or they are her Villainous Legacy.
5061552
It's kind of an acquired taste, but keep in mind that's my personal opinion.
5061554
Well, it's kind of hard to say whether or not Nyx is a villain at all. She didn't ask to be here, and in truth she's neither good nor evil. Those are concepts made by humanity. She just is.
5061566
I strongly dislike that kind of music. Mostly because I'm forced to be exposed to it every single day in college. But, to each their own. Won't try to force you to not like it.
5061568
The song right before that one might be a bit better for you then. You know that song that plays in the Velvet Room all the time? Well, the part for the ACTUAL Nyx fight is a battle version of that song.
5061582
Huh. That's actually pretty interesting.
5061584
In case you haven't heard it yourself.
Wait...if Pharos was a Shadow representing the Death Arcana...then.....holy shit the first time the protag summons their Persona in P3 foreshadowed that, since Thanatos, the ultimate Persona of the Death Arcana, bursts out of Orpheus, almost like it was sealed inside the Protag's starting Persona.
5061588
... That's it? That's, the final boss theme, of Persona 3. That's, underwhelming. Then again, maybe I'm still running off the metaphorical high of playing Metal Gear Rising which has possibly my favorite final boss theme. Ever.
5061589
*slowly nods* Uh huh. Yeah. THAT'S what that was.
See, the P3 Protagonist has the Death Shadow inside of him, so in a way, that was Pharos bursting through Orpheus.
5061593
Remember, JRPGs have different ideas for the final fights. They don't just go for "HOLY F*CKING SHIT THAT WAS AWESOME" as much as they go for "Right in the feels..."
Hell, I've already chosen what the music for my final fight will be, and I'll tell you right now, if you're hoping for an explosive melt your face song for the final fight, then you'll be disappointed.
5061593
Hands down best song in Metal Gear Rising is Rules of Nature, IMHO.
5061596
Well, the Persona soundtrack has done nothing except disappoint me, so, I'll live. That didn't even hit me in the feels, that song was just boring. All it is a couple guitar riffs and some opera type singing. Meh.
5061598
You're goddamn right it is.
I can vouch for that. Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days is a prime example of a JRPG's final boss theme being an emotional one rather than an epic one.
...Xion.
5061779
And I can counter with 3 ones where it's really cool but not that emotional. Ansem from KH1, Xemnas from KH2 and the final boss of KH3 whose identity I won't spoil for those who want to go I need completely blind.
Oh, I agree with you that Xemnas' theme, Darkness Of The Unknown, is awesome in both Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Shadow, but I haven't fought Xemnas in either game (I have PLAYED as Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days) since I don't own Kingdom Hearts II and I haven't gotten to The World That Never Was yet in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
I did, however, fight Xion in Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, so I can tell you that Vector To The Heavens is a JRPG final boss theme that does a fantastic job at evoking emotion from the player. Xion herself is just a great final boss in general, but the reason she's a great final boss is because, like Roxas, you don't WANT to fight her, but both of you have no choice in the matter, which makes the battle an incredibly tragic one for Roxas and the player, and when it's ultimately over...well...
...Xion.
5062092
I'm aware of Xion's story, yes.
I never said you weren't aware of Xion's story. "...Xion." was my reaction to her death after I defeated her, and I do that any time I mention the fight with Xion.
5061599
Maybe check out the other songs in the soundtracks? Not just of 3
You know how, a thought occurred to me. If the Arena games are Canon, then Elizabeth succeeded in freeing Protag, who IMS was also soulless till the end, and managed to live for a fair few months
The Arena games are canon, but I'm pretty sure that sadly the P3 Protagonist is still in the Great Seal. The only way he can be freed is if Erebus dies permanently, but that won't happen until humanity stops wishing for death.