Vol.05: Venti (Barbatos) - The Price of "Freedom". The Reason the Anemo Archon Remains Absent, and the Primordial Song He Knows

Introduction: The True Image of the Anemo Archon Barbatos and the Hidden Dimensions

Mondstadt, the pastoral nation located in the northeast of the Teyvat continent, is the City of Freedom. Its guardian deity, the Anemo Archon Barbatos, currently mingles among mortals as a bard named “Venti,” spending his days downing apple cider in exchange for trivial performances at taverns. Although he allows his likeness to be carved into the Statues of The Seven, he unhesitatingly proclaims himself to be the weakest and most irresponsible of The Seven. However, his significance in the deep world of Teyvat—namely, its hidden history and cosmological truths—is strictly concealed behind his frivolous and cheerful mask.

The purpose of this article is to unravel the entirety of the philosophy and worldview of Venti (Barbatos), one of the most crucial key figures in the lore of Genshin Impact. By integrating the flavor texts of weapons scattered throughout the game, memories engraved in artifacts, fragmentary facts revealed in World Quests, and the latest narrative developments as of 2026 (the movements in Natlan and Snezhnaya), this paper will provide a metaphysical and existentialist analysis of “what freedom is,” “why he stubbornly chooses to rule through absence,” and “what the primordial song he knows truly signifies.” The “freedom” he embodies is not an innocent liberation, but a profoundly strict existential imperative built upon a staggering price steeped in blood and sorrow.

1. The Paradox of Freedom and Existentialist Governance: The Heavy Shackle of Divine Absence

The absolute philosophy underlying Mondstadt is “freedom.” However, the freedom Venti presents to the people of Mondstadt does not merely mean laissez-faire or hedonism. Unraveling this proposition from the perspectives of theology and political philosophy brings to light a fundamental paradox: “Can freedom mandated by the God of Freedom truly be called true freedom?”

During the era of the Archon War approximately 2,600 years ago, Old Mondstadt was ruled by Decarabian, the God of Storms. To protect his people from the fierce blizzards brought by Boreas, the Wolf of the North Wind, Decarabian enclosed his capital with a massive wind barrier, establishing a perfectly controlled society. Decarabian himself firmly believed that authoritarian rule and control were the very manifestations of “love” and the best form of protection for his people. However, the people confined within the barrier were stripped of their right to look up at the sky in exchange for safety, and they began to thirst for the blue sky (freedom) beyond the wall.

At that time, a tiny wind spirit (who would later become Barbatos), merely a single thread of the thousand winds, encountered a young boy (the Nameless Bard) who had never even seen a bird in flight. Responding to the boy’s pure wish to “see the sky,” the spirit raised the flag of rebellion alongside the people and struck down Decarabian. The boy lost his life in this battle, and upon ascending to the Divine Throne, Barbatos formed his current physical vessel in the likeness of that boy.

To ensure that Decarabian’s mistake—namely, “the oppression caused by managing the destinies of others”—would never be repeated, the new Anemo Archon Barbatos refused to rule directly as a king. He granted the people of Mondstadt “the freedom to choose their own destinies” and opted for a governance of “absence,” intentionally refraining from exercising his power as an Archon.

However, this divine absence inevitably brought new tragedies to human society. As a result of losing divine protection, the people were required to be autonomous, but with the rise of the old aristocracy (such as the Lawrence Clan), Mondstadt once again plunged into a new era of oppression characterized by corruption, dictatorship, and slavery. While the Archon’s non-intervention served as the driving force for humans to forge a social contract with their own hands and establish an autonomous protective institution like the Knights of Favonius, it was also synonymous with turning a blind eye to numerous unreasonable acts of tyranny and death.

Venti only intervenes in “extinction-level crises of the nation” that are entirely beyond human control, such as the invasion of Durin or the secret maneuvers of the Abyss Order. In Venti’s existentialist governance, the price for attaining complete autonomy and freedom is nothing less than “shedding blood for one’s own mistakes and continuing to bear responsibility with one’s own hands (eternal vigilance).” Living in a world where God does not extend a helping hand is the ultimate trial of freedom that he has imposed.

2. The Epics of Artifacts and Weapons that Engrave the Price of Freedom

How much pain accompanies the philosophy of freedom through divine absence is engraved as tragic epics in the flavor texts of various in-game items. Particularly noteworthy are the lore of the 5-star bow “Elegy for the End” and the story of the artifact set “Viridescent Venerer.”

2.1 “Elegy for the End” and the Birth of the “Crimson Witch of Flames”

The story recorded in “Elegy for the End” is set during the era of “The Cataclysm” (the overflow of monsters from The Abyss accompanying the destruction of Khaenri’ah) about 500 years ago. At that time, the venomous dragon Durin attacked Mondstadt, dyeing the sky black. In the absence of the Archon, it was Rostam, the “Wolf Pup” of the Knights of Favonius, who continued to stand on the front lines to protect the people of Mondstadt. Bearing heavy responsibilities with a perpetually stern face, Rostam’s only solace was the beautiful singing voice of a young maiden who sang in the plaza.

Rostam threw himself into this desperate battle that broke out while she was studying abroad at the Akademiya. The venomous dragon’s power was immense, far beyond what human strength could ever hope to match. It was only when the nation was on the very brink of being reduced to ashes that the Anemo Archon Barbatos awoke from his long slumber and, together with the sky dragon Dvalin, struck down Durin in Dragonspine. However, that salvation came too late. By the time divine intervention occurred, Rostam had already suffered a fatal wound at the bottom of a valley and was about to breathe his last, having bled out completely. On the verge of death, he prayed for the safety of the maiden studying abroad and closed his eyes, finding comfort in the fact that his close friends Arundolyn and Roland were safe.

Later, upon completing her studies in Sumeru and returning to Mondstadt, the maiden witnessed the death of her beloved and the devastating ruin of her homeland. Her singing voice turned from joy to the “Elegy for the End,” lamenting, “No matter what seasonal winds blow, you will never look back at me again.” After weeping until her tears ran dry, she became the “Crimson Witch of Flames,” burning away her own life force to incinerate the distortions of the world.

This maiden is the very person who would later become the Fatui Harbinger “La Signora (Rosalyne).” The intense hatred and violent behavior she displayed when she forcefully seized Venti’s Gnosis in front of the Mondstadt Cathedral in the main story were not merely the actions of a villain. It was the ultimate explosion of Ressentiment against the governance of absence by a “too-late Archon” who remained silent until her beloved was taken from her and refused to exercise the power to prevent the tragedy. For her, the nature of an Archon who, out of an overemphasis on freedom, ultimately permitted the helpless deaths of individuals, was absolutely unacceptable.

2.2 “Viridescent Venerer” and the Fall of the Hunter

Similarly, the story told by the artifact set “Viridescent Venerer” and the 4-star bow “The Viridescent Hunt” poignantly illustrates the existential tragedy of individuals and the price of freedom during the disaster.

Once, deep within the forest, there lived an uncrowned queen known as the “Viridescent Hunter,” raised by Viagara. She had forgotten human speech and lived solely according to the laws of nature, listening to the voices of the flora. Her law was to “hunt only for survival,” and she firmly believed that as long as she did not take a life out of vengeance or hatred, she could reach the “emerald hunting grounds (heaven)” after death.

However, The Cataclysm 500 years ago threw everything into madness. Shortly after the God of the Woods (Greater Lord Rukkhadevata) died and the flora fell silent, she encountered a blind boy who had wandered into the forest. The boy was searching for his “brother in white armor (Roland),” but his life was cruelly taken by monsters of The Abyss. Having witnessed the boy’s death, the Viridescent Hunter was driven by intense anger and sorrow, making the decision to abandon her creed. Inheriting the boy’s wish, she began hunting monsters not for survival, but for “vengeance.”

Having made the “free choice” to deviate from the laws of nature and surrender herself to vengeance, she was fully aware that she had permanently lost the right to go to a peaceful paradise after death. In the endless struggle, she let go of “The Viridescent Hunt” to protect it from defilement, continuously bathing in the black blood of monsters. Eventually, tormented by the curse of Erosion, she forgot her memories of the boy and even the purpose of her vengeance, transforming into a beast-like existence herself. Ultimately, she met a gruesome end, being recognized as a monster and slain by the hands of the knight Roland, the boy’s brother.

The stories of Rostam, Rosalyne (La Signora), and the Viridescent Hunter are all historical records of the victims born in the shadow of the “freedom” brought by the Anemo Archon Barbatos. The reason Venti constantly places himself in the clamor of taverns and plays the cheerful bard is none other than because he bears all these agonizing deaths and prices (survivor’s guilt) upon himself, continuing to engrave their memories into this world as songs in order to resist the irresistible force of oblivion.

3. Mythological Background: Barbatos in the Ars Goetia and Gnosticism

To gain a deeper understanding of Venti’s character design and ideological background, it is necessary to introduce the perspectives of mythology and philosophy that flow at the foundation of Teyvat, particularly the “72 Demons of Solomon” and “Gnosticism.”

3.1 Characteristics of Barbatos in the Goetia (72 Demons of Solomon)

Each of The Seven in Genshin Impact bears the name of a demon recorded in the grimoire “Goetia (Lesser Key of Solomon)” as their true name. Venti’s true name, “Barbatos,” is the 8th demon in the Goetia. The primary abilities of Barbatos in demonology are as follows:

1. Knows all things past and to come in detail.

2. Understands the singing of birds, the barking of dogs, and the voices of all creatures in nature.

3. Discovers hidden treasures (or hidden truths).

4. Conciliates friends and those in power (pacifies conflicts and brings reconciliation).

These characteristics are astonishingly faithfully reflected in Venti’s abilities and behavioral principles in Teyvat. He publicly declares that he “knows all songs of the past, present, and future,” and gathers information from across the continent through the wind. Furthermore, he understood Dvalin’s (a beast’s) suffering through dialogue, and even guided the conflicting entities of the Four Winds and the people of Mondstadt toward reconciliation. The name Barbatos is not a mere symbol; it indicates that he is a “hidden sage” who oversees the very structure of Teyvat’s world and mediates conflicts.

3.2 “Pneuma (Spirit)” and the Hierarchy of Souls in Gnosticism

Furthermore, the “Anemo (Wind)” attribute that Venti presides over and his behavioral philosophy are closely tied to the concept of “Pneuma (Spirit/Breath/Wind)” in Gnosticism. In the Gnostic cosmology, this material world is a prison created by a false god (the Demiurge, equivalent to The Heavenly Principles in Genshin Impact), and human souls are classified into the following three tiers based on the depth of their awareness.

In the material world (Teyvat), Venti consciously takes on the role of a mediator attempting to bring “Pneuma (Free Will and spiritual awakening)” to the people. His figure—discarding divine majesty, living as a common bard, loving wine, and walking alongside the people—is a parody of Christian Incarnation while simultaneously carrying strong metaphors as a Gnostic savior. Despite harboring overwhelming power, he strictly avoids wielding it as authority; instead, by speaking directly to people’s hearts (Pneuma) through song, he seeks to encourage their self-transformation from Hylics to Psychics.

4. The Thousand Winds of Time and Istaroth: Branches of Memory Escaping Irminsul

When trying to understand the abyss of the Anemo Archon Barbatos, one cannot avoid his ontological relationship with “Istaroth,” one of the Four Shades of The Heavenly Principles who presides over the “authority of time.”

4.1 The Four Shades of The Heavenly Principles and the “Thousand Winds Temple”

In the creation myth of Teyvat, The Primordial One (Phanes) or The Heavenly Principles created “Four Shades” to assist them. Lore scholars speculate that these shades correspond to the five pieces of artifacts that exist in Teyvat.

In ancient Mondstadt, the Anemo Archon Barbatos and the God of Time Istaroth were worshipped together as inseparable entities. The center of their worship was the “Thousand Winds Temple,” located on a cliff facing the eastern sea of Mondstadt. According to the lore of the 4-star weapons “Sacrificial Fragments” and “Sacrificial Bow,” the early people of Mondstadt built a theater on the cliff and dedicated plays and stories to the gods under the philosophy that “the wind brings stories, and time nurtures them.”

However, due to the curse of “Erosion” that corrodes all things, the existence of Istaroth gradually faded from people’s memories. “Sacrificial Fragments” records the ruthless philosophy of time and wind in Teyvat as follows: “The wind blows for but a moment, but the ravages of time are constant, cruel, and irreversible. Even if the God of the Winds turns the pages of a book, it is the merciless God of Time who ultimately erodes the text until it becomes illegible.”

Subsequently, due to the intentional destruction of historical records by the corrupt old aristocracy of the Lawrence Clan and the burning of the library in the Great Fire of Mondstadt, knowledge regarding Istaroth was completely lost. Later generations of humans came to mistakenly believe that “the Thousand Winds Temple was a place dedicated solely to the Anemo Archon from the very beginning.”

4.2 The Inseparability of Time and Wind and the “Archive of Memory”

It is speculated that Venti and Istaroth share an ontological connection stemming from the same root, transcending the boundaries of mere allies or colleagues worshipped together in the past. The connections based on facts presented in the game are as follows:

1. Commonality of Origin: Before Barbatos became a god, he was “a single thread of the thousand winds” roaring through the northern lands. On the other hand, Istaroth’s alias in Mondstadt is “The Thousand Winds of Time.”

2. Transfer of Authority: It is explicitly recorded that when Barbatos was still a spirit, he encountered Istaroth at the Thousand Winds Temple and was directly entrusted with a portion of her authority and power.

3. Meta-Coincidences: Venti and Istaroth are cast with the “exact same voice actor” in all languages: Chinese, Japanese, English, and Korean (e.g., Ayumu Murase in the Japanese version). In Genshin Impact, the use of the same voice actor for important characters is often an intentional reflection of lore (different aspects or derivations of the same entity), as seen in the case of the Raiden Shogun and Makoto.

4. Exercise of the Authority of Time: Venti guided the soul of the adventurer Stanley, who died in the windless Mare Jivari. The Mare Jivari is considered a “place forsaken by time.” Furthermore, he has voice lines suggesting to the Traveler that they “have met before (though the player has no memory of it),” showing signs of perceiving time loops or multiple timelines.

According to theories by some lore scholars, it is said that “Venti is an avatar (branch) of Istaroth derived from Irminsul” or that “a fragment of Istaroth’s consciousness dispersed into the thousand winds manifested as Venti.”

This theory is extremely important when considering the nature of “history” in Teyvat. As proven when the Dendro Archon Nahida erased the existence of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, tampering with Irminsul (an Irminsul purge) can completely rewrite physical records and people’s memories, but the metaphorical information format of “fairy tales, allegories, and songs” can leave the truth for future generations without being affected by its censorship system.

The reason Venti attempts to preserve the history of Mondstadt solely as “songs” rather than in texts or stone monuments is not because he is merely an art enthusiast. To counter the “erasure of history” by The Heavenly Principles (or Irminsul), he is constructing the ultimate, absolutely tamper-proof backup archive in the form of songs.

5. The Primordial Song and Memories of Genesis: Silence Toward the False Sky

5.1 Witnessing the “Three Shades” and Knowledge of the Genesis Myth

Venti is one of the gods closest to the true history of Teyvat, namely the truth of genesis that began with the clash between “The First Throne” and “The Second Throne.”

In the official Genshin Impact manga (Prologue), when asked by Vennessa just before her ascension to Celestia about “what kind of place Celestia is,” Venti visibly clouded his expression, mumbled, and evaded the question. At that moment, “three eerie silhouettes (shades)” flashed through his mind.

These three shades are believed to be the figures of the shades of Life, Death, and Time (Naberius, Ronova, and Istaroth)—excluding the Sustainer of Space (Asmodeus), who has been missing for 500 years—holding a meeting in Celestia. The fact that Venti recognizes these shades as a visual memory suggests the possibility that he has directly touched the memories of the “old world” from before his ascension to godhood, or before the Laws of Teyvat were determined.

Furthermore, in the same manga, when asked about becoming a god, Venti mentions the primordial giants of creation myths from different cultural spheres in the real world, such as “Pangu,” “Purusha,” and “Ymir” (entities whose corpses were dismembered to create the world, becoming the sky, earth, and clouds). This implicitly points to the method used when “The Primordial One (Phanes)” recreated the world in Genshin Impact—namely, the construction of the world through the sacrifice and division of the Absolute’s divine body.

The fact that Venti possesses knowledge of the structures of these cosmological creation myths proves that he is a multiversal observer who transcends the framework of merely being the guardian deity of a single nation like Mondstadt.

5.2 The Meaning of “All Songs of the Past, Present, and Future”

Venti boasts that he “knows all songs of the past, present, and future.” If the “songs” he knows refer not only to musical meanings but also metaphorically to “the entire history of Teyvat, as well as the future algorithms spun by the Loom of Fate,” he becomes the most unfathomable entity among The Seven currently surviving.

In his promotional video “The Four Winds,” Venti is intentionally depicted reading a book titled “The History of the World.” Moreover, the names of each constellation level in his Constellation, “Carmen Dei,” and the phrases in his songs are intricately studded with keywords hinting at the primordial creator god Phanes and the Four Shades (Amun, Chronos, Kairos = Istaroth).

The true reason the Anemo Archon persists in his absence is none other than because he perceives the structure of the “False Sky” and the entirety of Teyvat’s Determinism (the absolute causality woven by the Loom of Fate orchestrated by The Heavenly Principles). Respecting human Free Will (Pneuma), he fears more than anyone that forceful physical intervention as an Archon would instead deeply entangle humans into the system of The Heavenly Principles (binding them as Hylics). Therefore, formless like the wind, he plants the “thirst for freedom and doubt toward the truth” as seeds deep within people’s unconsciousness in the form of songs, waiting for the long passage of time to nurture them.

6. The Future Woven by Natlan and Snezhnaya (Integration of the Latest Lore as of 2026)

The themes of “freedom and the preservation of memory” and “inheritance to the future through self-sacrifice” embodied by Venti have acquired a new context in the Natlan chapter and the introduction to Snezhnaya unfolding in 2026.

6.1 The “Incandescent Ode to Resurrection” in Natlan and the Sacrifice of the Pyro Archon

In Archon Quest Chapter V, “Incandescent Ode to Resurrection,” Natlan suffered severe erosion from The Abyss, causing the Night Kingdom—the realm of the dead—to corrupt, and Natlan’s unique system of resurrecting the dead, the “Ode to Resurrection,” was on the verge of collapse.

During The Cataclysm 500 years ago, the current Pyro Archon Mavuika voluntarily sacrificed her immense power as an Archon, burning her own body to ashes, and achieved resurrection as the foundation to save the warriors of Natlan in the future (the present). Mavuika’s choice to “sacrifice her own life and power to entrust hope to the future” beautifully yet cruelly aligns with the composition of the Nameless Bard, Venti’s former best friend, who lost his life for the unseen future of freedom.

6.2 Reflections on Snezhnaya’s Rebellion and Venti’s Atonement

Furthermore, in the Snezhnaya chapter teaser released in April 2026, there was a decisive retrospective and mention regarding The Seven and the transfer of their Gnoses. The peculiar point highlighted was that “while other gods, including Zhongli and Nahida, foresaw the future of Teyvat as a whole and somewhat approved of The Tsaritsa’s plan (rebellion against The Heavenly Principles), willingly relinquishing their Gnoses, Venti alone had his physically and violently extorted (by being kicked in the abdomen) by La Signora.”

Why did Venti alone “endure” such an unsightly and humiliating plundering, despite being in a position to know the intentions behind Snezhnaya’s grand rebellion and the true meaning of the “burning of the old world”?

The answer is considered to lie in the “survivor’s guilt” he has continued to bear for thousands of years and his profound sense of atonement toward La Signora (Rosalyne). The fundamental responsibility for failing to prevent Rostam’s death and for burdening Rosalyne with the mad and despairing fate of the “Crimson Witch of Flames” lies in the absence of the Anemo Archon. Even though Venti possessed absolute power as an Archon capable of blowing away mountains and altering terrain, he deliberately played the role of a “weak god who had lost his power” as a stage prop for her revenge tragedy, physically absorbing the kick fueled by her long-held hatred and anger. For him, that humiliating pain inflicted by La Signora was his own way of “paying” the price of freedom.

In some communities, a theory was persistently discussed that “La Signora (Rosalyne), who fell in Inazuma, might be resurrected using the mechanism of Natlan’s ‘Ode to Resurrection’.” If she were to be resurrected in some form at the end of causality and confront the Anemo Archon once again, it would surely serve as the ultimate existentialist judgment on whether one who sacrificed everything as the “price of freedom” can forgive the philosophy of divine absence.

Conclusion: Seeds of Stories, Brought by the Wind and Cultivated by Time

The entity known as Venti (Barbatos) is the most exquisitely and tragically crafted deceptive portrait in the grand narrative of Genshin Impact.

On the surface, he appears to be a lazy god who loves apple cider, sings the praises of freedom, and has irresponsibly abandoned the governance of his nation. However, his true nature is that of an extremely brilliant and solitary observer who bears the memory of all history (the primordial song) from the genesis of Teyvat to its end, continuously constructing an inviolable archive of “allegories and poetry” to escape the eyes of The Heavenly Principles (the tampering of Irminsul).

“Freedom” is the right to walk on one’s own two feet, to be hurt by one’s own choices, and to die. Barbatos stripped humans of the “safe cage named destiny” and granted them a brutally absolute right to self-determination. That is precisely why, until the very moment the world he loves stands on the brink of destruction, he will never wield his divine authority to rule over them. That is his eternal vow to the boy he once saw off.

“Seeds of stories, brought by the wind and cultivated by time.”

As this ancient saying suggests, the seeds of freedom (Pneuma) he sowed across all of Teyvat have, over thousands of years (the authority of Istaroth), steadily sprouted within the hearts of the people of Teyvat living in the present, and the Traveler (Descender) unbound by the Loom of Fate.

Eventually, when the False Sky shatters and the truth of the world hidden by The Primordial One is exposed to the light of day, the Anemo Archon who knows all songs of the past, present, and future will finally play the “final poem” he has secretly kept hidden. That will be the very moment when both gods and humans are liberated from Determinism, and true “freedom” in Teyvat is completed.