[3.6] The Beginner's Guide to Sumeru - Genshin Impact Lore

Might be releasing this a tad early but I think a lot of people can benefit from this video right now... so I bequeath unto thee, The Beginner's Guide to Genshin Lore: Sumeru Edition!

This video is a complete (but not comprehensive) timeline of important events in Sumeru from the (presumed) beginning of Teyvat's history to the end of the Khaenri'ahn cataclysm. Again, this video is NOT comprehensive. Think of it as a highlight reel with an estimated order of events you can use as a basic framework of understanding.

Corrections and updates will be in the pinned comment below!

**CREDITS**

**CITATIONS & FURTHER READING**

[Ashikai]

**NOTES/UPDATES/CORRECTIONS**

- Folks in the comments and on discord have pointed out that the Simurgh is often featured in a Persian legend wherein the bird raises a child cast out of a royal family and the same bird is often equated with the Arabic Ghoghnus which makes it a ton more likely that Kisra/Parvez was raised by the Simurgh. It also makes sense (lore-wise) that Liloupar would want her son raised by someone connected to her mistress, the Goddess of Flowers.

- Chaffee (in the comments) pointed out that the lotus inside the tree that was grown from the remains of the hydro archon (the Gaokerena) is likely the remains Rukkadevata's physical body. This is only mentioned in the Folio of Foliage so it's likely true but we have no source for cross-referencing. It IS supported by the confirmation that Rukkhadevata went to Tunigi Hollow to drive back the abyss. The Hydro Archon likely had the same destination.

...That said, it would make MORE sense to me if the Gaokerena was the remains of the Simurgh if only because she came from the Goddess of Flowers who was associated with Lotuses (unlike Rukkhadevata) and Simurgh dove into the Amrita and died. The Simurgh being the lotus on the Amrita Pond makes more sense to me, especially when we have the description of the Rukkhashava mushrooms which refer to Rukkhadevata as a Tree... but consider that a theory for now because I can't prove or disprove this either way.

[Truck-kun]

Seriously, Liloupar's story sounds like it came straight out of Game of Thrones.
Betrayal, Schemes, Revenge, Incest, it's got it all.

[frop_]

Sumeru desert: Kingdoms rise and fall, revenge plans rage.
Sumeru rain forest: just vibing.

[_black_bird]

It's crazy to me how ham they went with Sumeru, the amount of lore related to the more ancient stuff they decided to put in the region surprised me, makes Enkanomiya look like a teaser for all of this

[Truck-kun]

Seeing Apep for the first time was terrifying, she makes Dvalin look like an ant in comparison. Makes me wonder what the other Ancestral Dragons were like.

[reksk]

I feel like rukhdevata is the most W archon, she made so many sacrifices, king deshret apocalypse, during archon war, again during catacalysm and then again removing herself from world history, never to be remembered by anyone....that is just too pure and wise.

[jsw]

I love how genshin is doing their lore. They don't treat it as background information for the main quests, they treat it like actual world history, which reminds me of Tolkien in a sense.

While many people complained about lore being "hidden" inside books and journals, I think its such a great way of showing how history works. Relevant lore are given in relevant quests (e.g. Scaramouche), and if you want to know more, you gotta dig deeper. This makes it so that the lore's not shoved down your throat if you're not interested, while lore enthusiast can always access the deep dive.

Plus, I'm also loving the occasional inconsistencies. History is not a fixed timeline, its an accumulation of historical records, with their flaws and subjectiveness. Irminsul manipulation also adds a whole layer of unreliableness to everything.

tl;dr Genshin is doing a really great job at constructing their world's history.

[Chaffee]

Regarding how Rukkhadevata died, toward the end of the Khvarena of Good and Evil world quest it's revealed that the Harvisptokhm has a giant lotus at the center of it and its name is Gaokerena. This proper noun has appeared in Genshin lore previously, specifically in The Folio of Foliage, vol 2.

"She stepped alone to that emptied earthly heart and softly touched its timeless face, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 and the earth itself. Every thread of spiritual knowledge and every sweet-smelling plant is her undying will."

It is therefore implied that the giant lotus is in fact Rukkhadevata's remains, the aftermath of her god power explosion upon death. It would seem that after she was done helping Simurgh repel the Abyss, she connected her consciousness to the Irminsul from here.

After the Sumeru Archon Quest is completed and Rukkhadevata is deleted from history so that Nahida was always the Dendro Archon who only lost her power and memories, the same text is updated to below:

"All the spirits, their envoys, humans, and the inhuman all watched as she entered the hollowed heart of the mortal world and touched its timeless face. Thus did all the goodness, peace, and 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚, indeed, become the very earth itself. This was the moment when the pure lotuses would bloom."

Which makes sense because there's no former Dendro Archon to become the Gaokerena any more, instead the power she supposedly lost has become the lotus.

Furthermore, at the center of the Gaokerena is a symbol that looks like Nahida's signature four-leaved flower stacked on top of another at 45 degrees angle, again signifying a connection with Nahida.

So, not only in death but even after being erased from history, Rukkhadevata is STILL fighting to protect Sumeru and all of Teyvat.

[Deepstab]

There was a lot of desert but Sumeru was a very interesting and lore heavy region. I can't wait for Natlan to come around

[Silor]

The information density of this video is insane. This could've easily been an hour long video but you optimized the heck out of it. Very nice, cleared a lot of things up

[StarsInSummer]

Watching this, it becomes clear why suprahuman beings in genshin (gods, archons, sentient beasts etc) dismiss human affairs as mere trifles. There are so many things happening that have spanned over centuries and have far reaching effects, who cares if you couldnt finish your akademiya thesis on time or got scammed by a treasure hoarder or something. I love how there are so many layers of history being presented in genshin and sumeru so far has been the best showcase of this complexity.

[nyxsiren]

It's so funny how most of these events could've been prevented if Deshret accepted the damn gnosis. 😂 I love my chaotic king. He carried the Sumeru lore on his back.

[petko]

Sumeru was FILLED with lore and i can’t help but get scared for Fontaine

[tooth]

I absolutely love how Sumeru’s lore sounds almost biblical, i don’t know how else to say it. It all sounds very, very religious for some strange reason and the way the gods interact almost feels like it came out of like, greek mythology or something. Like, this sounds like it would be written in a scripture that would be the sumeru bible iykwim

[Klayasae]

Sumeru has become one of if not my favorite region. I love the lore but there's just So Much, so thanks Ashikai for condensing stuff down for us!

[LanyakEquinox]

Ashikai out here turning 20 hours of side quests I to 20 minutes and had another spare time to add in a little Deshret mini theory what a legend

[efrainlagunas]

This was awesome. This gives me hope the next region will be more personal. Imagine the reason for the Hydro Archon's obsession with justice is because of what happened to the previous Hydro Archon. Oh man, there are so many ways to take the story from there, but I'll temper my expectations and see where they take us.

[sakura-ovwg]

Bruhh Liloupar is genuinely one of the most messed up characters I've seen in a while. Wiped off half a civilization for her revenge 💀

[elementalwaterangel]

The lore of Sumeru is so cool- there is so many things, so many events, connections to the underground, Fontaine.
When 3.6 dropped i was so shocked at new reveals

[cubemage]

10:29 there is an old Persian legend in a book called Shahname (literally meaning The Book of Kings) where the Simorgh (which is almost identical to a phoenix and literally means "30 birds". The naming is related to its origin story in persian mythology) raises a child cast away by the royal family because it was born with white hair "like that of an old man". The boy's name was Zal. I think that's the story they are referencing here so the bird in question was definitely Simurgh.