ALTHYK

Althyk (pron. Awl-thick) is one of the Twelve, and the patron deity of the students of past and future. He is known as the God of Time, surveyor of change and space, the God of Weight (though not weights and measures), and the Keeper. (1) Some traditions call Him the god of gravity, though this is not necessarily mainstream. (2)

(1) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 17
(2) Pre-release information for FFXIV

EARLY HISTORY

It is written that in the beginning, there was nothing but the Whorl. The first god, and indeed the first anything to emerge therefrom was Althyk, and His mere existence created time and space.

Soon after, the lonely god would be joined by Nymeia, whom He guided and (by some accounts) raised. Finding in one another a kindred spirit, that affinity blossomed to love, and They wed. Their joining brought forth Azeyma and Menphina. (1)

Not a great deal is written of Althyk's history, beyond that; it seems He prefers to observe while His wife takes a more direct hand in events.

(1) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 17

An artist's depiction of the Heaven of Earth. Note the great tree at its heart, the ripe fields of grain, and the gravity-defying islands of earth.

DEPICTION AND WORSHIP

Althyk is often depicted in religious art as an austere and perhaps distant man, a king or an emperor, who wields a mythril battleaxe and quietly observes time and change. His symbol is the hourglass, as befits the God of Time. (1)

Althyk's priesthood recognizes historians and diviners as touched by their god; among their saints is Coinach, formerly a novitiate of Nald'thal who abandoned his studies and spent his life seeking proof of the Allagan Empire. (3)

Althyk had a hand in creating the Heaven of Earth, alongside Nophica. She planted a sapling, which He then bent time to grow instantly into a mighty tree. Under its shade rest farmers, naturalists, historians, and archaeologists. The leaves of this tree fall into the Hell of Earth, ever burying and re-burying, crushing under their rotting weight such sinners as liars, thieves, defilers of nature, and corrupters of history (revisionists). (7)

(7) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 19

The Bole, a constellation which sometimes symbolizes the Heaven and Hell of Earth. Its card, in the hands of a Sharlayan-style Astrologian, bestows particular power upon those who use long-range weapons and magicks.

Althyk lavender is a rare variety of lavender, which grows only in the arid climate of Thanalan. Precious beyond measure, it is used in funeral rituals, and taken in trade by merchants for priceless ores and furs. (4)(5)(6)

(1) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 17
(3) Encyclopaedia Eorzea Vol. 1, p. 24
(4) Item Tooltip: Althyk Lavender
(5) Quest: The Circle of Life
(6) Curious Crop Exchange with housing district Material Suppliers and Apartment Merchants

The twelfth and final moon of the calendar is named for Althyk, who well symbolizes arriving at the end of a year, reflecting upon the moons past, and looking forward to those to come. (1)

A stone bearing the mark of Althyk stands near Amdapor Keep; before the Calamity, it was located near the Lynxpelt Patch in the East Shroud.