Narzissenkreuz, Descenders and the philosophies of the Will

"This, too, is my goal, for not all that comes from beyond may be as one that "descends." That title belongs only to wills that can rival an entire world. That is what I seek, the way to become just such a will, one that can protect the world, sustain the world, destroy the world, and create the world."

With the release of Fontaine we have come to learn of a new concept in Genshin’s world which is the "will that can rival an entire world". The willpower and determination that can challenge the world, a unique ability that seemingly only Descenders possess. What, then, is this "Will"?

There is a theory by philosopher Immanuel Kant that posits the structure of our minds shapes our experience of reality.  

"If I were to take away the thinking subject, the whole material world would have to disappear, as this world is nothing but the phenomenal appearance in the sensibility of our own subject and one mode of its representations."

Humans are subjects and they can only perceive the world through their mind. Kant believed there is a real world out there, the world as it really is, but metaphysical knowledge is impossible to achieve for us because we are fundamentally limited by our subjective mind. We cannot take an objective viewpoint, therefore knowledge of the true world is impossible. We cannot ever look beyond the limits of our mind and peek behind the curtain of the material world.

This sure has some parallels to the Gnostic themes found in Genshin, huh? You could say the gods, Celestia more precisely, are capable of looking beyond the curtain, beyond the false sky. You know who else can?

Narzissenkreuz: But it seems I overlooked one nonetheless. You.

Narzissenkreuz: The witness of all, the recorder of all, the designer of all.

Narzissenkreuz: Only one who is worth a world can bear that title.

The Descenders, naturally. After all, the Heavenly Principles themselves are the first Descender according to Nahida.

Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer believed in Kant’s theory but disagreed with one thing. He believed metaphysical knowledge was actually possible. I won't go into the details of the thought process behind the development of his theories, to avoid making this too long. Instead I'll jump right into the theory which Schopenhauer presented in his work "The World as Will and Representation" a philosophical system that revolves around two central concepts which, as the title suggests, are the Will and the Representation.

The Will as the Fundamental Reality

Schopenhauer posits that at the core of the world and all existence there is an irrational and blind force he calls the “Will”. This Will is the driving, ceaseless, and unconscious force behind all phenomena in the world. It is the universal, metaphysical essence that underlies both living and non-living things.

Representation

The concept of Representation refers to the way in which the Will manifests itself in the physical world. The world as we perceive it is a product of the interaction between the Will and our sensory perceptions. Our individual experiences and the external world are a representation, a subjective interpretation, of the underlying Will.

This central idea in Schopenhauer's philosophy is often referred to as the "Will to Live" as he thought all humans, animals and so on are driven by a desire for self-preservation.

Later, Friedrich Nietzsche built upon Schopenhauer's work to suggest a new theory called "Will to Power". Similar to the previous theory, Nietzsche believed this Will is what motivates all living things, but in his view it's a desire for power, expansion, and self-enhancement. It encompasses not only physical power but also the drive for influence, achievement, and self-realization. The drive for self-preservation, found in the previous theory, is simply a result of this desire for self-enhancement; to continue expanding you must first ensure you live.

Nietzsche argued that this Will to Power is the underlying force behind human actions, ambitions, and even cultural developments. He explored the idea that individuals and societies as a whole are constantly striving to assert their power. However, it goes beyond mere power struggles or hierarchical dominance. Rather, it involves a dynamic and creative force that seeks to overcome challenges, expand and express itself. It is not limited to physical strength or domination but extends to intellectual, artistic, and spiritual realms.

The Will to Power also extends to the theories of Eternal Recurrence and Eternal Return, the infinite time loop. I won’t go over them as they lead into a different topic, but they are quite interesting and they add more fuel for the concepts of samsara and the cycles we find in Teyvat. Something for people to look into if they are interested.

I believe Genshin might have taken inspiration from these theories to use as the basis for the Descenders and their Wills. In various notes and dialogues we find throughout the Narzissenkreuz quest series we see that the Ordo believed all strength came from "will" and this "will" was what humans shared in common with the gods. Complete mastery over the body by one's will was considered the consummation of human virtue, a pinnacle that only gods and the rarest of mortals could come close to attaining. Subsequently, moral decay led to willpower withering and humans became shackled to the physical, bodily form that is detached from the divine.

In one note we can read the following:

However, the ancients' study and differentiation of the spirit reached heights that we ourselves found challenging to attain... While, for the most part, it was divided into memory, wishes, soul, and persona, a spirit's qualities still carried complex distinctions... Among these, the state that came closest to the perfect freedom that divinities possessed was named "True Will"... The detachment of human will with such meticulous research as a jumping-off point... Perhaps it was through this power that the ancients achieved transcendence from the physical realm.

I’ve already said it once, but these theories strongly parallel the Gnostic themes of the game and as we know miHoYo likes to combine different philosophies and concepts together to create a unique flavor for Teyvat.

According to Caterpillar, the Holy Blade is capable of cutting everything open and it originates from consummate human will. After we defeat Narzissenkreuz he says the Holy Blade doesn’t necessarily have to be a blade but it could even be a golden-haired outlander — the Traveler.

Are these two (Caterpillar and Narzissenkreuz) referring to the exact same thing or merely similar concepts with different origins that have similar qualities and share the same name (Holy Blade)? If it’s the former, then it might have some interesting implications about the Traveler.

Speaking of the Traveler, we can certainly see that whenever their willpower and determination is at the peak, they are capable of incredible feats like fighting against Childe very early on, later fighting Ei in her plane or Shouki no Kami in Sumeru. Of course in many cases the Traveler needed help from other external sources (Visions with Ei, collected knowledge with Shouki no Kami), for the Traveler is still lacking in raw power. But we can see how the Traveler’s Will greatly enhances their abilities. The abilities and the strength that are often absent when the Traveler is not determined (confused, lost, scared or plain uninterested).

Given enough Reason and Will, one can create or destroy a universe. Perhaps Teyvat is simply a dream created by the Primordial One within or between other worlds, and only another such Will is capable of piercing through the false sky.

A blade indwelt with great enough reason and will to create and destroy a universe or a dream.

— Holy Blade of Narzissenkreuz

Schopenhauer also believed that the world is fundamentally one Will, but we as humans can only perceive the divided multiplicity. He believed humans must show compassion because when they hurt another they hurt themselves. Schopenhauer thus saw the world as characterized by suffering because these individual "wills" hurt each other in attempt for their own self-preservation despite ultimately belonging to the same one Will.

He suggested that the ultimate goal for individuals is to attain a release from the Will. This liberation involved overcoming the incessant striving and desires that lead to suffering. This denial could be achieved through ascetic practices, aesthetic contemplation, and a renunciation of worldly desires.

Perhaps this concept was used (and twisted) by Rene to justify his actions. He had too much ego, believing that he could attain the Will of a Descender by denying the fundamental structure of the world as set by Celestia. For instance, he believed that one’s own will was an obstacle and that receiving a Vision, which further reinforced and established one’s will, was a path leading to destruction.

Schopenhauer realized his suggested solution for liberation was not achievable, but Rene and the Narzissenkreuz Ordo did not have the same realization. They went onto fuse wills together and do many other things.

Final Words

I don’t have any kind of conclusion to make. I mostly wished to bring forth these theories and ideas because I haven’t seen anyone mention them yet, unless I missed it. I hope someone else can take them and use them for further lore analysis. If not, then it can be some cool trivia. Thank you for reading!