Esthar’s Exports: Para-Magic and the Odine Bangle
In the notes section of this post, @beautifulmaybe and I began to wonder how Para-Magic and Odine items spread from Esthar to other regions of the FF8 world, particularly considering Esthar’s isolation after the end of Adel’s reign. This post is a response to those comments that really got away from me. Overanalysis and speculation follow.
Judging by the fact that during Laguna’s time, both Galbadia and Esthar were training their soldiers in the use of Para-Magic, we can establish that Dr. Odine developed it a significant amount of time before the events of the game. Now, regarding how Para-Magic might have spread throughout the FF8 world, my thoughts hinge on something that’s mentioned in Issue 2 of Anarchist Monthly: the war that ended 17 years before the events in the game was the second Sorceress War.
While that piece of info is probably included to draw stronger parallels between the Esthar-Galbadia tensions and the real Cold War, it does suggest that there may have been a period of relative – if tense – peace between Esthar and Galbadia, during which the exchange of goods and technological developments was possible.
At this point, we have to wonder to what end Odine developed Para-Magic. If it was primarily for military use, perhaps its secrets were somehow leaked to other countries. However, if Odine created it simply because he could/wanted to, I don’t see him having any hesitation in sharing his accomplishment with the world.
Furthermore, in this political climate, Para-Magic could’ve been hailed as a great achievement for all, a way to make life easier, and communities more secure (consider the post-WWII love affair with nuclear energy). Taken to an optimistic extreme, it may have even been touted as instrumental to maintaining peace.
Thus robbed of its strangeness, Para-Magic would have become the acquisition of the moment for large governments and even smaller provincial communities. While most people would’ve rejoiced over their newly accessible powers and the opportunities these powers provided, there would’ve be a segment of society already plotting how they could use this power to their advantage.
So, the fragile peace was eventually shattered, and Esthar and Galbadia were back at war with one another, except this time, both countries’ soldiers were armed with magic as well as weapons. Perhaps once considered a boon, Para-Magic had levelled the field and now forced governments to research and develop ever more powerful weapons, like the Lunatic Pandora, for example.
Now, as for the Odine Bangle, according to the FF8 Info Corner, Dr. Odine developed the Odine bangle during Adel’s reign, because he became afraid of her. Since Odine was complicit in removing Adel from power, and because he witnessed firsthand the terror of a power-hungry and unchecked sorceress, it is possible he later made his invention available to other military forces to prevent the rise of another Adel, which might explain why Caraway has one lying around his mansion.
I’m not entirely satisfied with my speculation, as it still leaves a few holes, but it’s always a lot of fun wondering just how some concepts of the FF8 world might have come to be.