The Children of Eternal Titans
Returning to this segment yet again reminds me of why I have decided to title this a mostly complete history of the church. No matter how much time and research gets put into a particular topic, something new eventually rears its head and must be added to the previous scholarship. Sometimes, however, it is not only an addition, but in some regards a replacement to what our previous knowledge had been.
As a researcher, that is fantastic, since it means we are getting closer and closer to the truth. As a theologian studying specifically past truths, it is inspiring because of the implication that new discoveries, and thus new knowledge (and a means of employment), will be unending. As a student trying to get her thesis done so I can graduate without getting into debt, it is a little frustrating to constantly have to amend not only my grammar, but the content itself after it had already been approved.
That little frustration, however, is more than welcome when it comes to discerning the truth of this fascinating sunken continent.
The naming scheme adopted by the earliest iterations of the Titanian Church is woefully lacking (for more information and my argumentation regarding that, read my treatise Titanian Nomenclature: Our Divine Deserves Better Names). What is a Child of Eternal Titans? The question you might think is simple: Well, anything that is a direct descendent of an Eternal Titan. Great, good, but very many of the Eternal Titans are direct Children of other Eternal Titans (Ybela, the Great Oracle, being the daughter of Gadila and Kipala, the Embodiment of Time and Space respectively, just to name one). So why are they not called Children of Eternal Titans? Why are their children considered Eternal, as well (like Siata, the Protector, who is the child of Ybela)?
And what does it mean to be Eternal? Those called Children of Eternal Titans do not die, either, unless outside forces harm them or they interlink with a human, who themselves eventually dies (Massey, 1057). So, what makes them different from Eternal Titans?
Some have argued that Eternal Titans are “Eternal” given the fact that they will never interlink, so their Children who do interlink are inherently different (Keller, 978; Jackson, 1098; Cowart, 1201). Others have put forth that perhaps none of the approved twenty-one Eternal Titans (or their Siblings who fell to the Wall) were born After the Collapse, and thus have had thousands, possibly tens of thousands (Lee, 1010), of years to grow and evolve and become that much more powerful and brilliant (Massey, 1057; Zimm, 1121; Lee, 1010).
I am more inclined to believe the second group of thought, given how unknown the time Before the Collapse is. Anything could be possible from those earliest, ancient days and those we dub “Eternal” could have been with Mother even before she created this world. And while no Eternal Titan has yet interlinked with someone, that does not necessarily mean that they cannot, nor will not (Zimm, 1123) (also see my segment over the “Savior” for a greater understanding of Zimm’s philosophical musings regarding Eternal Titans eventually interlinking).
However, that gives us an interesting look at the Children of the Eternal Titans. They themselves, once they have grown out of adolescence, have never been known to interlink with a human (given our understanding of the hundreds we know of, have tracked, and can continue to track). Only their own children (still dubbed Children, however), have been known to interlink with a human. And always a human child, at that. Usually with kids ages three and four, though there are plenty of reports of children as old as five (and fewer as old as six) being recorded, as well.
I am not saying that an adult Child of the Eternal Titans cannot interlink, only that they have not as of yet and only child Children of Eternal Titans have done so (see again my treatise for why our Titans need a better nomenclature).
The familial structure of the Children of Eternal Titans can vary and this paragraph lists types of structures found by researchers, theologians, and even explorers. There are dynamic families similar to those of humans with a mother, father, and child or children alongside them (Marquez, 885; Fuller, 912; Garner, 956). There are those with single parents such as only a mother and child (Marquez, 885; Morrow, 1053), father and child (Rogers, 913), and even at least one with two males taking care of a single child (Hutchinson, 1143). Another more common sight in recent years is a group of adult Children of Eternal Titans taking care of a young child. Noro (1186) had found four completely different Types of Titans all taking care of a baby Child which didn’t resemble a single one of the four; Wilkinson (1163) came upon three Titans, all which looked the same, raising a baby Child which also looked just like them; and Rios (1198) found one hovel with eight different Titans! Four parents of their own respective kid, yet it appeared to Rios that all took care of the babies, regardless of whether they were the baby’s biological parent.
The Chikao family actually managed a multi-generational study all the way from 976 through 1102, where they marked the progress of a particular set of Fire type Titans in Nichugo. In this family, a mother and father over the years had three children. After each child was born, there were periods of time when the Chikao family lost track of the Titan family over the years. Once the child had reached a slightly matured state about a decade or so after birth, the Titan family remained in their home until eventually their child grew up enough to leave the nest, so to speak, presumably to create its own family. The second child was just like the first, but something strange happened after the second disappearance with the third child. The mother and father returned sooner than expected and the baby did not return at all.
According to the Chikao family, this occurred in the year 1087. Looking through records in the Wakino Prefecture of Nichugo (where the Chikao family resided), it was amazing to find that a Flame Dancer was registered in that prefecture in the same exact year! So it is entirely possible that those outings were for the little Children of Eternal Titans to find a human to interlink with. If true, then that means it could be a part of Titanian culture to find a human to merge their souls with!
It is still entirely possible, however, that those outings were akin to a family vacation and the little one finding a child was a happy accident. However, as noted by the Chikao family, the parents never moved from their general vicinity unless they had a child.
(Huge thanks and appreciation given to the Chikao family estate, which had recently found this old scholarly study of their ancestors, which had been a private affair, and had granted me access to its contents. Thanks, as well, for helping me translate some of their ancestor’s more quirky Nichugoan slang.)
We still do not know why only the youngest of Children interlink with humans (see my section on “Interlinking and Connection” for more theories), but there is some relatively recent evidence given by Wielders that could help bring light to that understanding, as well as correcting our previous misunderstanding about the relationship between parent and their child which had found a child to interlink with.
Recently (on the 8th and 9th of Treber, 1234), Children of the Eternal Titans caused havoc at a mining site near Mount Ergil in central Neirea. According to Yoularnon Bishops Jada from the Supporters and Diego from the Autonomous, the mother of a tortured and murdered baby destroyed vehicles, equipment, and eventually most of the complex where the miners were living. The mother was living with two other Titans of different Types and all seemed distraught at the loss of the little one.
Previous knowledge considered that Titans, once their children left to interlink with a human child, would simply move on and leave their children to their own devices. According to the bishops, however, that was not the case. The Land Titan, which was the mother of the poor, tortured baby, was distraught for days before she actually felt her baby die.
As horrifying as that was, the bishops report that they were able to calm her down with the help of a couple other Wielders in the area, as well as the Land Titan’s friends. Then a miracle happened, as the golden soul of the baby Titan appeared to them, then vanished to be with Mother. From everything I have heard since, the Land Titan has been helpful in the rebuilding of the mining facility, but that is only the least important outcome.
These reports also hold other incredible pieces of information! The three Titans living at Mount Ergil were guarding a site oozing with ancient religious architecture (which I have still not been granted access) and the father of the Baby Titan wasn’t one of the other two males helping to raise him, but actually one of the Eternal Titans, Kayben, the Mountain-Sprouter!
The implication of both of these facts are land-shattering. Are all Children of Eternal Titans living in particular areas because it holds ancient significance? How many other Children are genuinely born of Eternal Titans? What current Wielder exists interlinked with a full, genuine child of an Eternal Titan? How close is Tayben, the Mountain-Sprouter to Mount Ergil still? What other Eternal Titans are close by, watching over us? And where are they? (See my section of “Eternal Titans” where I ask the same questions without providing any answers.)
There are so many questions still left unanswered about Titans of all kinds and I imagine I will be going back to this section, as well as the others, for many years to come.
– Lillie Woo, University of Westalk, PhD student of Religion, in Titanian Compendium: A (Mostly) Complete History of the Titanian Church, Beliefs, and Practices