Final Fantasy X Remaster, 5: Mushroom Rock and Ixion.

  Welcome friends, tonight we go back to Spira, where in the aftermath of the failed Operation Mi'hen, Auron suspects foul play. To him, the operation was allowed by Yevon as a political move to consolidate it's power. Those who disobeyed the teachings were slaughtered by Sin, bringing many who had strayed back to the teachings, and thus consolidating power with Yevon.

  The horrors of the operation behind them for the moment, the guardians continued their pilgrimage up the Highroad, on their way to Djose temple.

The bridge to the temple at Djose.

   The temple at Djose was special in that it lay within the "Lightning Mushroom Rock." It was a huge stone, that exploded with lightning when a summoner addressed the fayth within. The fayth at Djose was named Ixion. It was a creature much a like a horse or zebra, but with a magnificent horn, and the ability to wield the power of lightning.

The Lightning Mushroom Rock orbiting the temple.

  Ixion, unbeknownst to me, is a figure from Greek mythology. The following is from www.pantheon.org: "He is significant in many respects, but is chiefly known as the first human to shed kindred blood. This occurred when Ixion invited his father-in-law, Deioneus, to come and collect the price that Ixion owed him for his bride. Upon his arrival, Deioneus fell into a pit filled with burning coals Ixion had camouflaged.

   Because this was a crime new to the human race, nobody could purify Ixion and he wandered an exile. Zeus took pity on him and decided not only to purify Ixion, but to invite him to Olympus as a guest. Once in Olympus though, Ixion became so enamored of Hera, and he desired to sleep with her. Zeus did not believe that Ixion would be so disrespectful as to have designs upon the wife of his host. To see if the rumors were true, Zeus made an image of Hera out of a cloud, and impregnated it. The cloud bore Ixion the monster Centaurus, who was unloved by the Graces and had no honor among men or the gods. Centaurus then mated with the mares of Mt. Pelion in Magnesia, and so from Ixion the race of centaurs was born."

Ixion's fayth.

  We can deduce that Ixion's horse like appearance was inspired by him being the ancestor of the centaurs. In another source I read, Zeus struck Ixion with a lightning bolt after he lay with Hera, which would explain the association with lightning, but really it need not get that deep I think.

  Oddly enough, the name of Ixion's overdrive attack is "Thor's Hammer", mixing in a bit of Norse mythology. I don't fault Final Fantasy for it's mythology mixing, I think the point is to invoke powerful and recognizable imagery, not to be tied together in a historical context. I, and I hope others, enjoy researching the history of these images, however.

  Thank you for joining me friends, and come back again next time... for This Bard's Tales!