Irmin

Irmin
Vinster King
Region	Khaenri'ah
Affil­i­a­tion	Eclipse Dynasty
Death	Presumably killed prior to the events of the game
Mentioned Characters

Irmin was the last Vinster King of Khaenri'ah before the cataclysm occurred 500 years ago. After Irmin became "indisposed," Schwanenritter Knight Marshal Anfortas took the post of Regent.

Profile

Under Irmin's reign, Khaenri'ah began creating machinery using "secrets from beyond the skies," which was likely related to forbidden knowledge. While this allowed them to create vastly enhanced machines which were no longer bound to this world's laws, some Khaenri'ahns distrusted such methods, but they failed to persuade Irmin to stop using it.

Ultimately, the use of forbidden knowledge had disastrous consequences. Attacks by Abyssal monsters devastated the kingdom and led the Schwanenritter to take survivors to the surface, only for them to turn into monsters. The Heavenly Principles, which greatly feared forbidden knowledge, directly intervened at Khaenri'ah and caused them to "lose everything," laying curses on those who survived.

Appearance

Little is known about Irmin's physical features besides the fact that he only had one eye.

Story

At some point before the cataclysm began, he approved using "secrets from beyond the skies" — likely related to forbidden knowledge — to enhance Khaenri'ah's machinery and allow their machines to "throw off the shackles imposed by this world's laws." An unknown writer left a letter to the Knight Marshal, Anfortas, imploring that Anfortas petition the king so some of Khaenri'ah's old machinery, created before the usage of otherworldly knowledge, would be preserved for future generations. It is unknown whether anything came out of this request. Pierro's memories about his failures to gain Irmin's favor or prevent Irmin and the sages from "tearing away the veil of sin" suggest that Irmin did not heed forbidden knowledge's detractors.

At some point Irmin would announce the Traveler's Sibling as the heir to his throne, prompting a great celebration of which a young Dainsleif was present. Irmin would later lead the Sibling down into the deepest depths of Khaenri'ah and presumably use them as a vessel with which "unlimited abyssal power" might be absorbed.

Irmin's status during the cataclysm is unclear. A bulletin left behind in the underground Khaenri'ahn ruins at Gavireh Lajavard announced that Anfortas had declared himself Regent as a result of "King Irmin's present indisposed state and the current unknown threats facing the Kingdom." This suggests that Irmin was already incapable of ruling by the time the Abyssal monsters attacked Khaenri'ah.

Legacy

Kaeya secretly kept a piece of paper regarding the family history of the Alberich Clan, which taught that "it was the Alberich Clan, who did not have royal blood, who stepped in as regents when the strength of the one-eyed king Irmin failed."

Trivia

• The statuettes dropped by Abyss Heralds, Abyss Lectors, and Shadowy Husks depict a one-eyed figure, possibly Irmin. The statuettes are described as possibly representing a holy icon and inspiring courage in those who know their significance. If they are indeed modeled after Irmin, they would indicate he was missing his left eye.
  • Alternatively, the statuettes may depict Anfortas, Irmin's successor, who lost his left eye in a fight against Schwanenritter traitor Hadura. While no link has explicitly been made between Anfortas and Chlothar Alberich, the founder of the Abyss Order, the Alberich Clan teachings which Kaeya secretly kept is enough to prove that Anfortas and Chlothar were both Alberich Clan members who lived during the cataclysm.
  • Of the few Khaenri'ahns presently depicted in human form, three significant ones — Pierro, Dainsleif, and Kaeya — are shown to cover the right sides of their face at all times, generally (though not always) including their right eyes. However, neither Halfdan nor Chlothar share this practice, leaving the face covering's purpose unclear.

Etymology

• The name "Irmin" has Germanic roots but is not clearly defined, and several different interpretations of the name exist. It is believed to mean "Great" and is often used in compound words.
  • The Irminones, named after their ancestor Ermenius, are classified as one of the tribes that inhabited the interior of Germania. Other tribes included the Ingvaeones, who lived along the coast, and the Istvaeones, who occupied the remaining areas.
  • The Viking Age Norse equivalent for Irmin is Jörmunr, which is used in the Poetic Edda as an epithet for the Norse god Odin.
  • The word "Irminsul" is a compound of Irmin (great) + sûl (pillar). In Saxon beliefs, Irminsul were sacred, pillar-like objects; in-game, "Irminsul" is the English localization's name for the silver-white trees found in domains, which are linked to the ley lines. (See Irminsul § Localization for additional information.)

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	Irmin
Chinese (Simplified)	伊尔明 Yī'ěrmíng
Chinese (Traditional)	伊爾明 Yī'ěrmíng
Japanese	エルミン Erumin
Korean	엘민 Elmin
Spanish	Irmin
French	Irmin
Russian	Ирмин Irmin
Thai	Irmin
Vietnamese	Irmin
German	Irmin
Indonesian	Irmin
Portuguese	Irmin
Turkish	Irmin
Italian	Irmin

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Introduced in Version 2.8

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