Barbatos (2024)

This article is about the Anemo Archon. For the playable character, see Venti.

Barbatos, also known as Lord Barbatos, is the God of Freedom and The Seven's Anemo Archon, presiding over Mondstadt.

One of the original members of The Seven and its second-oldest member, the freedom-loving Barbatos refuses to take direct control over his nation, instead choosing to wander the world as Venti.

Profile[]

Still, the winds change direction.
Someday, they will blow towards a brighter future...
Take my blessings and live leisurely from this day onward.

—Barbatos, Vayuda Turquoise Gemstone

Once a mere elemental spirit who existed among the winds, the entity known as Barbatos gained power through the faith of the people of Old Mondstadt during their rebellion against Decarabian, the God of Storms and ruler of Old Mondstadt. After Decarabian's death, Barbatos ascended to godhood as the first and only Anemo Archon and reestablished Mondstadt in its current form.

Currently, Barbatos wanders the world as the bard Venti. While he usually stays around Mondstadt, he has occasionally traveled to other nations during Events. Because he refuses to take direct control over his nation, he considers himself the weakest Archon, as they draw power from the amount of control they exert over their respective nations.^[8] Nevertheless, he has many devotees in Mondstadt despite his lack of presence, although some members of his own church are doubtful of his existence.^[3]

Appearance[]

Barbatos is depicted as a male figure wearing a cape and ropes, with two wings on his back and hair tied into two braids on either side of his head. He took this appearance after becoming Anemo Archon, modeled after his friend, the late Nameless Bard who died in the battle against Decarabian.

Originally, Barbatos was a formless wind spirit. By the time of the rebellion 2,600 years ago, he gained the form of a wisp-like creature and is referred to as an "elf."^[9] As a wisp, he had a dark face with white eyes and wore something resembling a white cloak with green-and-white feathers and a green diamond on his chest.

Story[]

The Age of Kings[]

The entity now known as "Barbatos" was once a tiny elemental wisp among the Thousand Winds and held no divine power.^[10] During the Archon War, the struggle between the gods Decarabian and Boreas caused the land of Mondstadt to be engulfed by ice and snow, leading this period to be known as the Age of Kings.^[11]

According to one story, Mondstadters learned to brew wine during this era after a "wily wind spirit" took advantage of a guard's negligence to make some apples ferment. The guard later ate one of those apples, and upon discovering the joys of fermentation, he pressed the apples to extract their juice, creating wine.^[12] Though Barbatos has never been directly connected with the wind spirit of that tale, Mondstadters call their wine a "gift from the Anemo Archon."^[13]

Around 2,600 years ago,^[10] the Gunnhildr Clan decided to leave Decarabian's capital city to escape his despotic rule, but then had to contend with the relentless blizzards. The desperate prayers of the clan and its chief's daughter, Gunnhildr, became a faith which was heard and answered by the wind spirit which later became Barbatos. The spirit drew power from this faith to make a small shelter for them and bestowed Gunnhildr with the power to protect.^[14]

At some point, the wind spirit befriended the Nameless Bard, who wished to see the world outside Decarabian's closed-off capital city. When the bard decided to raise a rebellion against the god, the wind spirit chose to help,^[15] alongside the Red-Haired Warrior, Decarabian's ex-lover Amos,^[9] and Gunnhildr.^[14] They vanquished the tyrannical king after a fierce struggle, but Amos and the bard were fatally wounded in the process. Since Boreas at some point decided to relinquish his life to avoid becoming Anemo Archon,^[16] Barbatos was ascended to godhood to fill the position, immediately using his new powers to take on the Nameless Bard's appearance to honor his memory.^[15][17] While Gunnhildr was receptive to this turn of events,^[14] the Red-Haired Warrior was dissatisfied and left.^[18]

Cultivating Mondstadt[]

After becoming the Anemo Archon, Barbatos' first course of action was to make the land more hospitable for humanity. Plucking the Nameless Bard's lyre, he summoned wind to blow the ice and snow away and split the mountains, drastically changing Mondstadt's terrain. Many of Mondstadt's eastern mountains were scattered into the ocean, although certain peaks are tall enough to still be visible above water. Musk Reef (formerly Pilos Peak)^[19] and the Golden Apple Archipelago^[20] are examples of such mountains. Barbatos also used storms to flatten the cliffs and valleys., causing Mondstadt's terrain to be filled with wide plains and rolling hills.^[21]

Barbatos guided warm monsoons to the region, changing Mondstadt from a snowy wasteland to a verdant and fertile land.^[22] Ever since then, Mondstadters have never had to worry about raising crops or surviving the cold,^[23][24] and the nation's growing conditions allows it to produce the best wines across Teyvat.^[25]

According to legend, Barbatos did all the above by summoning the four winds with the original Skyward Atlas, which records the names of all the Thousand Winds.^[26] However, Venti himself does not take credit for the four winds,^[27] and the current epithet of "Four Winds" does not refer to literal winds, but rather to four key figures in Mondstadt who arose by the end of the Aristocracy era some 1,600 years after Old Mondstadt fell.

Establishing New Mondstadt[]

Barbatos led his people to Cider Lake, building the new Mondstadt City on an island in the middle of the lake. People established themselves in their new home, developing festivals and celebrations like Ludi Harpastum,^[28] Weinlesefest, and the Windblume Festival to commemorate the Anemo Archon and his accomplishments. With the development of Wind Gliders, people have attributed their ability to fly on Barbatos' blessings,^[29][30] though the first prototype was developed by Leonard, perhaps before Barbatos became Archon.^[19]

Over time, other clans and tribes that had lived in the once-frozen wilderness, like the Lawrence Clan and Imunlaukr Clan, joined the nation of Mondstadt.^[31][32] Venerare, the Lawrence Clan's leader in that era, led the people of Mondstadt in building a tall statue in the plaza to commemorate Barbatos' descent. At the base of this statue was an inscription of the oath taken by the leaders of Mondstadt's clans to forever protect the nation and its freedom.^[33][34] These clans eventually became the Mondstadt Aristocracy.

Around 2,000 years ago,^[35] the Archon War drew to a close as the final divine throne was claimed. Barbatos began wandering to other nations instead of attending to his duties: he first appeared Rex Lapis to deliver a bottle of wine and did so numerous times afterwards.^[36] Barbatos also attempted various pranks, including pouring wine all over the Geo Archon^[37] and trying to forge his inimitable seal.^[38] Eventually, all seven Archons and some of their close allies began attending gatherings in Liyue.^[36][39] Barbatos also became acquainted with various adepti, including Xiao and Madame Ping,^[40][41] and once saved Xiao from succumbing to his karmic debt by playing the flute throughout the night.^[42] At some point, Barbatos also became friendly with the Pyro Archon Murata, visiting Natlan on at least one occasion.^[28]

According to Venti's own tale, following the Archon War, he set about trying to heal the world's wounds by using the power of music to facilitate communication. In the story, he tried singing to "the sky, the stones, the sea and the stars," eventually getting "replies" in the forms of Dvalin, Rex Lapis, and Vind's ancestor, respectively. (The stars gave no answer.)^[37] Dvalin, a newborn Anemo Dragon, grew curious upon hearing Barbatos' music during a performance and went to investigate. Despite the history of enmity between dragons and gods, Barbatos accepted Dvalin, teaching his people not to fear the young dragon and teaching Dvalin how to communicate in human language and sing.^[1][43]

Seeing that his nation was stable, Barbatos believed that the independent people of Mondstadt should be ruled by the will of its people, and not by a god imposing his will on them. He thus disappeared from public view, leaving behind a legacy of freedom.^[8] For unknown reasons, he ended up going into a deep slumber.^[28]

End of the Aristocracy[]

After 1,600 years of history, Mondstadt's aristocracy had largely become tyrants.^[44] They were led by the Lawrence Clan, whose former pride in their ability to survive the harsh blizzards degenerated into arrogance. They enslaved outsiders, oppressed the common people, suppressed Mondstadt's history to hide their own degeneracy, and made a deal with Ursa the Drake to ensure their own safety while sacrificing others.^[32] The prayers and cries of the oppressed awakened Barbatos, who helped put an end to the aristocracy's reign of terror by supporting those who fought against it.^[28]

Barbatos personally intervened when Vennessa and her tribe, who were enslaved by the aristocracy after seeking refuge in Mondstadt, were forced into an unfair fight against Ursa the Drake. Appearing in his divine form, Barbatos lent Vennessa his power and drove away the monster before calling out Lord Lawrence to make good on his promise to free her people.^[28][45] During the rebellion that followed, he also sowed discord amongst the aristocracy's soldiers by forging a contract allegedly signed between the aristocrats and Rex Lapis, claiming that all of Mondstadt — including its people — would be sold to the Geo Archon. When the soldiers saw that the contract was held Rex Lapis' inimitable seal, fearing they would become like the very slaves they were mistreating, they turned on the aristocrats. Historians only discovered long afterwards that the so-called inimitable seal was a forgery.^[38]

The aristocracy was overthrown and several noble houses, particularly the Lawrence Clan, were exiled from Mondstadt City. Vennessa founded the Knights of Favonius and became its first Grand Master. Barbatos officially established the Four Winds, consisting of the Wolf of the North, the Lion of the South, the Dragon of the East, and the Falcon of the West; together, they built Mondstadt anew and vowed to protect Mondstadt.^[46] The people of Mondstadt worshipped the Four Winds and built temples dedicated to them.^[47]

During this time, storms still raged off the eastern coasts of Mondstadts. Vennessa appointed Vind's ancestors, who were members of the Church of Favonius, to keep watch over the coast and alert the rest of Mondstadt of any incoming storm.^[48] At some point after they were stationed there, Barbatos sang to the sea and was applauded by the Sister who listened to his song.^[37] Since then, no storms have appeared from the sea.^[48]

At an unknown point in the past, the Hexenzirkel — a secret organization of extremely powerful witches — challenged the Anemo Archon himself. However, Barbatos was able to convince them to make music, not war, and to resolve conflicts through song. From then on, the mages would gather for formal tea parties to discuss their stories and secrets, resolve their differences, and vent their troubles to the wind.^[49] One place where they met for tea parties was a secret island above Falcon Coast in Mondstadt. Access to this island was by a lantern, entrusted to and kept under the care of Barbatos, and required an incantation to enter.^[50]

The Cataclysm[]

500 years ago, various decisions made in the underground kingdom of Khaenri'ah culminated into a disaster that swallowed all of Teyvat. Attacks from monsters with powers of the Abyss, created by the Khaenri'ahn alchemist "Gold" Rhinedottir,^[1] forced the people of Khaenri'ah to flee aboveground. This inadvertently let the monsters loose across Teyvat, causing chaos and darkness to spread throughout the seven nations.^[51]

The Knights of Favonius, led by Grand Master Arundolyn and Wolf Pup Rostam, launched an expedition into Khaenri'ah to combat these creatures, resulting in significant losses.^[52] While they were away,^[53] the black dragon Durin — another one of Rhinedottir's creations — appeared in Mondstadt, unwittingly releasing toxic fumes which caused deadly black rain to fall from the skies.^[54] Barbatos awoke from his slumber to answer his people's cries for help, summoning Dvalin to help battle against the dark dragon.^[55]

Barbatos designated the abandoned mountain of Dragonspine as Durin's burying site, intent on harnessing the region's inherent power to contain the toxic substances emanating from Durin's body and safeguard Mondstadt from contamination.^[56] Dvalin, empowered by Barbatos' music, took his battle against Durin to the skies over Dragonspine,^[54][57] eventually getting the upper hand and delivering a fatal bite to the other dragon's neck.^[43][58] To recover from his injuries, Dvalin retreated to a deep sleep within Decarabian's Tower, unaware that the corrupted blood he ingested from Durin would only worsen his torment.^[54]

At an unknown point during the cataclysm, all members of The Seven aside from Greater Lord Rukkhadevata were summoned to Khaenri'ah.^[59] The clash between Celestia and Khaenri'ah ended with the gods' victory. While the Eclipse Dynasty was wiped out and the citizens of Khaenri'ah were severely punished, at least three Archons died over the course of the conflict and the survivors were deeply traumatized by the Heavenly Principles' actions. The Tsaritsa also cut off all contact with Barbatos for some reason related to the cataclysm^[60] before he fell back into slumber. In the 500 years that followed, the people of Mondstadt forgot about the Four Winds^[1] and were even unaware of Barbatos' appearance during the cataclysm.^[61]

Present Day[]

Barbatos awakens several months before the start of the game, roughly around the start of the Stormterror Crisis and the Traveler's awakening. He once again takes up his guise as Venti while investigating the current situation in Mondstadt, learning that people had forgotten about Dvalin and now knew him as "Stormterror."

While making their way to Mondstadt City, Paimon and the Traveler inadvertently interrupt Barbatos' attempt to heal Dvalin of the Abyssal magic corrupting him. The Traveler's Anemo powers suddenly flare up, agitating Dvalin and making him hostile towards Barbatos. Sensing that Dvalin is no longer open to communication, and wary of an unknown threat, Barbatos disappears in a gust of wind while Dvalin flies away.^[62] Later on, Barbatos reveals that the sudden severance of their connection infected him with Abyssal magic instead of curing Dvalin of it,^[63] but he managed to purge the poison with the great oak tree at Windrise.

Alongside the Traveler, Diluc, and Jean, Venti works to save his old friend and ultimately succeeds after a showdown at Decarabian's Tower. However, despite his initial wariness of the Fatui,^[61] an organization established by the Tsaritsa after the cataclysm, he lets his guard down and is ambushed by Signora of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, who successfully takes his Gnosis for the Tsaritsa.^[60]

After coming to, Venti returns to the oak tree to recover from his injuries. When the Traveler finds him there, Venti gives a brief explanation about the Gnosis, allogenes, and answers some questions about the Fatui and the Abyss Order. He then informs the Traveler and Paimon that Liyue's Rite of Descension was soon approaching: if they missed it, they would have to wait another year for its Archon, Rex Lapis, to appear.^[60]

Character Mentions[]

Character Stories

Character Voice-Overs

Mails

Trivia[]

• Barbatos is mentioned in the descriptions of the following 4 Furnishings:
  • Northern Stone Hearth
  • Pure Spirit Banner
  • Stone Lantern: Fudoumyou's Light
  • Sub-Space Boulder: Verdant Peak

Etymology[]

• In The Lesser Key of Solomon, "Barbatos" is a Duke of Hell and the 8th demon, commanding thirty legions of demons. He grants the ability to understand the spoken language of animals, such as the singing of birds and the barking of dogs. He reveals hidden treasures that have been concealed by the enchantment of magicians, gives knowledge of past and future events, and reconciles disputes between friends and those who hold power.
• The depiction of Barbatos as a lyre-playing bard may come from the name's resemblance to the word barbitos, or barbiton, an ancient stringed instrument that was related to the lyre.

Gallery[]

Genius Invokation TCG[]

Notes[]

Other Languages[]

Change History[]

References[]