Year of the Horse 2026 + new crumbs courtesy of Yanfei = horse-girl fixation time!
step one: retranslate "金目乘黄月驹" into ENG because where the heck did the translators get "celadon" from?
Etymology of a Horse Girl
celadon is the white-person name for a light shade of green named for the jade-green colouring of yuezhou ceramics (越州窯/窑) and now used for any green-tinted asian pottery. while these wares can be light enough to appear "white" (light brown or very light green), they are literally called greenware in english AND in chinese (青瓷).
"金目乘黄月驹" (the courtesy title given for the horse lady adeptus) translates literally to:
金 = gold
目 = eye/s (chinese doesn't have separate words denoting singular or plural)
乘 = to ride or mount [a horse]/to bring truth to humanity (in buddhism)/historical records/a war chariot drawn by four horses
黄 = yellow
月 = moon
驹 = a young horse
a literary translation could be:
Golden-Eyed Lunar Foal (dodging the untranslatable "乘" entirely)
Golden-Eyed Foal Who Reveals The Moon (potentially too similar to the title given to Moon Carver)
Golden-Eyed Foal of the Lunar Chariot (awkward because she's actually related to Istaroth)
Golden-Eyed Daughter of the Lunar Chariot (obscures that she herself is a horse)
Enlightened Golden Foal of the Moon (plays on the buddhist & hindu concept of opening one's "third eye" as a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment)
(etc)
i, the-fixated-fan, know that i have had more time and more points of reference on this subject than whatever outsourced team of overworked underpaid translators working on 2025's Lantern Rite event did. "celadon mare" was likely a means of dodging "乘", retaining [yellow], and somehow implying a sense of ancient beauty.
"celadon" still isn't an accurate translation.
next in part 2: a summary on all those reference points i linkspammed earlier + a look into chinese horse mythology!
I think that Xiangjun's grandfather, the herb gatherer of Qiaoying, could be Bravais or at least be a parallel for him and the Potioneer of Dryas Woods because there's some interesting things here that are worth looking at !
To begin, the Potioneer and the Grandfather share some common points, they both live secluded (Dryas Woods and Northeast of Qiaoying), create remedies, are dead (or “dissolved”) and the apparition of blue flowers followed their disappearance. Obviously they are not the same person, only similar, should I add that the Potioneer was a young man and that the grandfather is, well…Old enough to deserve this title ?
Oncle Luo tells us that the Grandfather is from a foreign land, the closest to Qiaoying village being Fontaine. I wanted to see if Bravais could be this old man, since that's where he is from. Both of them are taking care of or protecting a plant, the old man with his Xiangjun and Bravais with the mysterious animal/plant creature he received. Oncle Luo also tells us that the herb gatherer died three years ago after being attacked by monsters while trying to get the sacred water, he was then buried by the villagers.
Close to Desnos (the coffee guy) in the Research Institute's ruins we can find documents, one mentioning that construction workers found an “undocumented human-excavated tunnel” leading to the deceased Senior Researcher Bravais’ private lab, but without any explanation about his death.It seems that nothing can really contradict the idea that they could be the same person, but then what was Bravais doing in Liyue ? He retired like Bossuet did in Petrichor ? And then where did his interest for Arkhium and research go ?An interest for plants and pharmaceutical stuff is more similar to the Potioneer’s activities before his disappearance.
Since the grandfather reminds me of Bravais, I also thought about the possible similarity shared by Xiangjun and the researcher’s “biological samples” of that strange plant. They are both similar to a plant but at the same time, like an animal (or rather human, in Xiangjun's case).
However, the grandfather acts in a different way towards his “granddaughter”, like a family, compared to Bravais when he got the “biological samples” from who knows who. After all Bravais is a scientist, only taking care and observing the growth and behavior of his subject, when he realizes that further experimentation is pointless he decides to stop feeding it at once. So he does not seem to have any attachment to the plant, he was also ready to give it to “that person” living in Dryas Woods.It still needs to be verified but as far as I remember we can only find those Xiangjun flowers in the Grandfather’s yard and around the solitary Suanni boss. Maybe there's a deeper link between these flowers and the adeptus? Like for the fact that we can find the Soulscent Bloom artifact in the yard…So, what specific thing is required for these plants to grow?
After Doing some quick research I found a real flower called “dryas octopetala” that looks kinda like the Xiangjun flowers to me, but in white ?
There's something else that I find rather interesting, the Potioneer is like another Narcisse (with Narzissenkreuz) in Genshin, the man disappeared in the waters, only leaving a flower behind. But Xiangjun seems to be a sort of opposite, or the two at once : a human flower.
In all these stories water plays an important part. We have the “blessed waters”/Xuanlian sacred water that the herb gatherer tried to bring back to Qiaoying. Of course it reminds me of the “pure water” invented by the Potioneer. So here we have two kinds of water with miraculous properties that can give “purity” to the plants that are watered with it or have something to do with consciousness.
But from this point there's also the Amrita that is important ! (What's going on with God's remains?) I'm not gonna retell the whole story but from this, Rukkhadevata made the Havisptokhm (the tree) grow to anchor Egeria’s consciousness to the mortal realm. Do what you want with these informations because I'm losing myself.
Anyway what tf was the meaning of that Villains Quest ? Simple references to the Narzissenkreuz ? What is Celestia doing hanging in the sky ? Who are Blanche’s parents ? Does this foreshadow something for our dear Childe ? Why is he the bus driver now?
A wise man (Tricky Bulle Fruit) once said : “Dew drops that have formed by absorbing essence... Maybe that's the truth behind the power of water?”
this post is specifically for @blu-riie bc I think you will like it <3 if you already read the first half of this on the discord no you didn't <3 <3
okay so look. everyone knows and loves Xiao and Ganyu's relationship defined as bffs/siblings, him acting as her "scary dog" and her as his connection to a social life but look at me. it's the fucking opposite. they switch on and off.
"But he's the last yaksha, but he specifically says he doesn't like social gatherings, but he can't stand to be around groups of people-" yeah, and why is that.
Xiao was a general, leading entire militias, and worked alongside four other great Yakshas AND had a close enough relationship with them that he could sleep comfortably around them. He knows what their dreams, desires, and hobbies were. He was someone who used to be around others like him all the time. Just because he currently does not work with people or engage much in social settings does not mean he was unwelcome or unfamiliar with them.
Ganyu is half adeptus, half human. Her ENTIRE thing is about not fitting in, about not being like her mentors (Cloud Retainer and Xiao) OR her coworkers that she outlives (Keqing and Ningguang specifically). There ISN'T others like her because even Yanfei is not her peer, she was born after the war and had two loving parents, she always knew what she wanted from life. Ganyu didn't have that. She was raised by Cloud Retainer and frequently asks herself what purpose is she fulfilling. Her social life was actually just professional connections that she has bc of her job, only in recent canon has she seemed to spend time off in friendly circumstances
SO !! All this leads up to just me saying sure, a modern au could still easily have that same dynamic of scary dog xiao, student body secretary ganyu, but I'd like everyone to consider:
precanon baby Ganyu with her new godkiller bow that the neighboring archon said she'll honor the reputation of and the 5 honorable general yakshas cooing over her in times of rest. Give me Baby Ganyu and General Alatus, the most recently promoted dream eater, now serving Morax.
Let's see her looking up to him as she shows him Amos' bow and tells him of how it killed a tyrant, so now she carries this legacy in her training. Let's see Alatus tell her about a jade bow that severed the head of a cruel goddess that stole the names of young adepti. Let's see them bond over this shared connection and further that development of big brother/little sister, mentor/mentee that canon suggested in Ganyu's quest
Give me Alatus who is learning how to celebrate peace and this tiny little qilin who only knows how to bare her dull teeth !!
In anticipation of the Chasm’s arrival next week, I’m doing a mini lore series of Chasm history that already exists in the game. This post will cover Azhdaha’s sealing and the Cataclysm itself.
DISCLAIMER: This post series will be spoiler and leak free. It will also be relatively free of speculation or theorizing, but I will state if and when I am making an assumption about a piece of information. Still, this is all just my interpretation of the lore - information may be incomplete, I may misunderstand something, and I also may miss some details. I have done my best to provide a starting point, but it is by no means definitive or exhaustive - and please correct me if there are mistakes :)
Order Guides You
Kun Jun: In the beginning, in order to open up new territory and increase production, the citizens of Liyue came to the mountains to mine. Overexploitation caused the Ley Lines to quake, which brought untold suffering to "us."
Following the Archon War and the departure of the meteorite that created the Chasm, an age of mining began in Liyue. Places such as Mingyun Village, the Blackcliff Forge, and the Chasm were established as centers of activity and provided jobs to the people, with their rich sources of minerals and ores.
Some mines, however, would dry up. Mingyun Village is one such example. There’s no clear point on the timeline when the village was abandoned and its workers transferred to the Chasm, but with its mines’ closure came another influx of workers to that place. This speaks to the bounty of this place, revealed by the “heavenly jade” that fell there 4000 years prior. In addition, the Blackcliff Forge served as both a mining and forging operation in the Mt. Tianheng area, mining for the exceedingly rare blackcliff crystal, as well as jade.
“Have you heard of the origin of the Blackcliff Forge? In the past, they would mine the ore veins of Mt. Tianheng, and then replace the cavities with factory equipment. Tunnels run in all directions throughout the mountain — some even run to the ruins deep within the earth. I doubt there is a person today who could map out all the tunnels.” -More About Zhongli II
As the last post mentioned, as mining exploded in the region, particularly in the Chasm, the land was overexploited and the Ley Lines were damaged. This enraged Azhdaha, who had already been declining over the years and was beginning to pose a danger to himself and to others. As a being who was “forged of elemental crystal” and sustained by the Ley Lines, the relentless expansion of humanity and the pain they inflicted on the earth “brought untold suffering” to him. When Azhdaha attacked the Chasm, Morax called upon the adepti, including at the very least Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver, to battle with Azhdaha and seal him away, his contract with Morax now broken.
Linlang: This crane must be the adeptus Mountain Shaper, and this deer might be Moon Carver. But this last one...
Linlang: Eh? It seems like this pattern has been... intentionally ground away by someone, to the point where I can't make it out. Who was this third adeptus?
The mystery of this third adeptus aside, this battle spilled out from the Chasm into western Liyue. The earth remembers this battle well, and Azhdaha’s anguish from this time was inscribed into the land. At Tianqiu Valley, an area that was utterly ruined by this fight, Treasure Hoarders looking for the Nameless Treasure stored there reported feelings of impending doom about a “dragon-lord,” hallucinating monsters following them out of the ruins, in addition to the very real and endless swarms of monsters in the area.
Ancient Tablet: "At Tianqiu Valley the adepti's ancient trail grows cold, I fall down and weep at the ruins I see. Though defeated is mighty Azhdaha of old, there's no restoring this past land of beauty."
Another Star Approaches
Still, after Azhdaha was subdued, mining resumed in the Chasm and Mt. Tianheng. Until one fateful day, 500 years ago, another meteorite fell to the earth in the same location as that which had formed the Chasm 5500 years prior EDIT: With the newly released patch 2.6, this is now confirmed to be a misunderstanding from the vague way it is written below. In fact, there was only ever one meteorite, and it turned the land to Glazed Sand Crystal on impact. The Abyss must have come forth through some other means:
“In an age when solemn songs were sung from the clifftops, a meteorite once fell into the Chasm. Out of the depths of the boundless night sky above, the iron meteorite plummeted to the ground, turning the earth to Glazed Sand Crystal on impact. Though human life is fleeting, Rex Lapis personally ordered the Millelith to rush to the defense of the mines.
As the Abyss flooded forth, the Millelith escorted countless civilians to safety.
Miners tell tales of a small number of troops from the rearguard, who remained in the Chasm.
Together with the nameless yaksha, they fought courageously until they, too, made the ultimate sacrifice among the jagged rocks.”
-Flower of Accolades, Tenacity of the Millelith
It is not immediately clear whether the Abyss came from the meteorite itself, or whether the meteorite's impact provided an opening somehow by creating a rift for them to pass through.
It is also still a mystery who this nameless yaksha was. We have a few hints pointing to his identity as the Electro Yaksha from Xiao’s story quest, but this is also contested by some theorists.
The main supporting evidence that this was the Electro Yaksha comes from the new Vermillion Hereafter set, which features a circlet mask that resembles the Electro Yaksha’s mask from Xiao’s story quest. What’s more, we know from that story quest that the Electro Yaksha vanished without a trace. In Tenacity of the Millelith, a nameless yaksha assists the Millelith with their battle against the Abyss, though:
“the people claim that [he]...was not, in fact, under the command of Rex Lapis. Instead, they believe that it was an act of redemption from a longstanding sin…a price paid for cowardice and dereliction of duty” (Ceremonial War-Plume).
I take this to mean that the nameless yaksha was acting on his own, and that Rex Lapis had not directly commanded his presence at the Chasm the way he once did when he called on the Five to vanquish evil in Liyue. However, a conflicting account appears in the General’s Ancient Helm, where the opposite claim is written:
“At the order of Rex Lapis, the yaksha fought a bloody battle against the warped creations of the Abyss.”
While this complicates things, and may suggest there was more than one nameless yaksha at the scene, in this post I will be operating under the assumption that the nameless yaksha from TotM is the Electro one, and that there is only one.
As the Abyss darkened the skies above the Chasm, the Millelith relied on the Orichalceous Time-Dial to mark the passage of time during the battle, protecting each squadron from the “karma” (ahem….maybe corruption) of slaughter by establishing an “advance and repeat” rhythm to their march. As one squadron retreated, another would advance in their place to minimize their exposure. This rhythm led the Millelith into the tunnels below, where they battled it out until the Abyss retreated.
The Cataclysm decimated the Millelith. Many soldiers fell in the fighting, and though peace prevailed after their victory, the Cataclysm would spark a “martial arts renaissance” in Liyue that led to the creation of the Prototype and Blackcliff weapons.
As for the nameless yaksha, their fate appears to be lost to time. The General’s Ancient Helm proposes that:
“...when the gloom that had filled the skies above The Chasm had finally dissipated, the yaksha disappeared without a trace.”
The Ceremonial War-Plume states that:
“in the end, the brave yaksha and fearless citizenry would sink into an exhausted slumber in the dark lair of the enemy,”
and also
“whatever the truth of the matter, the yaksha that had once soared through celestial heights had now returned to a free existence amongst the clouds.”
Perhaps we will get some answers from Vermillion Hereafter and Echoes of an Offering. For now, the truth is very unclear.
In the next post, I will briefly discuss the Han family and Yun family in more detail, and cover more recent Chasm events that we the players have been able to experience through little world quests. :) Three more sleeps until the new patch!
References
Genshin Wiki Timeline for guidance (seriously y’all I nearly pulled my hair out reading the blackcliff and prototype weapons lore, thank god for this resource and its contributors).
Other Theories for Further Reading and Food for Thought
More than one nameless yaksha by Zaura and Ashikai
I'm still curious about the 3rd adeptus from Nameless Treasure quest. For them to ground away their traces from the treasure box, what happened to them?
From Linlang's dialogue, she said Rex Lapis summoned 3 adepti. Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver and 3rd nameless adepti. Could they be one of the yaksha? Or perhaps it was Azhdaha himself using the last dredge of his sanity to protect Liyue? Though the possibility of that one is too small.
Then again, there are more adepti than what we've seen so far. Yanfei's father was an illuminated beast in contract with Rex Lapis (does that count as an adeptus?), so I won't be surprised if there were more hidden behind the scene.
That 3rd adeptus could also be someone that wish to live a peaceful life in Liyue Harbor, so they make sure to erase any traces of them as an adeptus? (Suspicious glance at Madame Ping)
Honestly, Liyue's world quest still left a lot of question mark. Now that Nantianmen mystery was solved, we still have that Chi of Guyun, Bosacius, and this mystery 3rd adeptus.
Perhaps we'll learn more about Bosacius or the other Yaksha when Xiao's 2nd story quest is released. That still left Chi of Guyun and the mystery 3rd adeptus though.
On that note, why is Chi of Guyun quest located underneath the qingce waterfall? What is its connection to Guyun Stone Forest? Does it have connection to Osial?
Geh, more mysteries....
I guess this fit one of Linlang's dialogue, Liyue has such a long history, what we know right now is but a mere drop in the ocean.
Whatever the case, I am very satisfied with the way Mihoyo's team wrote the Genshin Lore. I'm waiting for more lore in the future patch.
I've talked about this in passing and never really elaborated, but here's a vaguely holistic understanding of the various beliefs about what happens to the dead in Teyvat:
Mond is familiar with death on a scale that no other nation is, not because they are always on death's door but because their Archon acts a messenger and guide to dying. Barbatos is known and recognized for his efforts in leading spirits across the border of life and death and ensuring that their souls are safe on "the other side." It's important to note that death is not sanctified, nor is it something expected to move on from quickly ( Diluc, Hans, and Alfred as examples). Otherwise, Mondstadt doesn't really speak of death, because it doesn't impact their lives on the same level it does for other nations.
Like Mondstadt, Liyue is familiar with death but that's because they remember more recently about the people and beings they have lost. Death is a constant in Liyue, who watches their adepti die and leave, their Yakshas fall, their people falling to miamisa as a result of such a death, and their God "failing a divine trial." This nation is covered in ruins of times long gone and mossy statues of holy beings who are nameless to the modern folk. Of course, the best explanation for death is Hu Tao. Tao gives the most in depth explanation for an afterlife through the most annoying story quest domain yet, as she explains there is a space meant for spirits to stay before crossing over. This place is seen as a stasis of sorts as the spirits there don't change but don't get a relief, they are there willingly as they wait for anything tying them to the living world.
(This brings up curious implications for Mondstadt, as it is the only nation thus far to be without the dead staying for too long. Either the people's culture or Barbatos himself seems to encourage Mondstadters to easily move into the next life, thoughts for your local venti enthusiasts to consider.)
Inazuma is the only nation thus far to not have a set, region specific belief or even an opinion of what happens after life. This is partially because their own archon has yet to process her grief, and partially because they focus only on Eternity as a nation. I think perhaps they are tired of death. There are about two separate gods whose death negatively impacted the ecosystem/quality of life of two different islands, there are several mentions of lost arts and techniques and families, with the Traveler even being responsible for ending one of these lines by killing 5 specific Ronin. I have yet to finish the unspecific world quests that allows the Ghosts of Tsurumi to pass on the "boat," so I can only speculate on that aspect of an afterlife. These Ghosts are much like the father of Mingyun Village.
Inazuma also introduces two other aspects to people of the past through Raiden Ei's second story quest, spirits in the form of memories shown in the leylines and shades of people in Enkanomiya. These two are not really counted as spirits yet to pass as these are memories of people and not actual spirits.
Now Sumeru actually has very similar beliefs of death to Mondstadt. I have yet to see the Akademiya/Sumeru City perspective of death, so we will be recounting from the Aranara and the Eremites. The Aranara refer to death often in regards to Marana because it is the effects of the forest dying. They say that it is a result of the trees learning about their eventual end, growing so sad that they withered into the decayed state they are found in. Those in the desert, however, have Mondstadtian beliefs. They speak of the Winds carrying the departed home, and most curiously, King Deshret's Golden Slumber. This is an allusion to death as singing the prayer to the King's throne immediately kills the person, sending them in a collective conscience in the Eternal Dreamland. I digress, there are no spirits or Ghosts in Sumeru as of 3.5, especially not of any mortals.
Immortal/Divine Deaths are a tricky thing in Teyvat, but at least Xiao tells us that no matter the frustration of God's, no grudge can last longer than 1000 years. And really, there isn't any dead gods we meet besides Andrius and, hesitantly, Rukkhadevata and Makoto, so either all the other gods have been dead for longer than 1000 years or there hasn't been recently divine deaths. We know that the death of divinity brings a terrible burden on the land and people, that Harvia's people and domain turned entirely to salt, that Serai Island is unsafe for citizens and nothing grows on Watatsumi, that the negative miasma from Orabashi kinda fucks up the environment of Yashiori Island. I don't know if they get an afterlife, and I don't think anyone else really knows either
If we really want more concrete answers, I think we would have to corner both Tao and Venti down in one sitting/back-to-back to get them to cover everything.
This is interesting!! Because this line tells us that other nations not only don't believe in adepti as enlightened beings, but they don't believe in their very existence!!
The nations we have been to thus far have their own little folklore and mystical beasts such as Dvalin, Boreas, and elemental spirits in Mondstadt. Obviously the adepti and ghosts in Liyue. And the various yokai, Vishap people, and... puppets in Inazuma. Sumeru has the Aranara and the Jinn, but those are treated as children's stories and not real, as it seems to be implied with Dvorak's understanding of the adepti.
Is it possible that we started in the nations that have stronger connections and beliefs to the elemental magic and are moving towards nations who are more,,, mechanic focused? Perhaps that the nations moving forward will have less of a elemental/magical skill perspective??
Or is it just something Fountaine itself believes, as their archon drove out the Lochfolk and seems to be running on a Industrial Revolution/Steampunk vibe??
500 years ago, the godless kingdom of Khaenri'ah fell at Celestia's command
500 years ago, Durin attacked Mondstadt, the knights of favonius were in Khaenri'ah on a campaign and the Wolf Pup was killed, these two events led to Mondstadt losing two of their four winds. Dvalin to this abysmal corruption and Arundolyn stepping down and away. Barbatos was also poisoned and had to sleep in order to heal.
500 years ago, rifthounds attacked inazuma and killed Raiden Makato, Kitsune Saigu priestess, the man who held the mistspliter, and the oni maiden; Mikoshi Chiyo.
500 years ago, the beasts of Khaenri'ah attacked Liyue, killing off much of Liyue's military and Marshal Vritras aka Bosacius.
500 years ago, the original dendro archon was also killed. I believe they were the god of the woods?
500 years ago, the Tsaritsa became embittered with Venti and supposedly the other archons ? and formed the Fatui !! to combat the Abyss Order first and Celestia next.
