The Heirs to Eternity
The region of Hoenn has had a long history of disaster since ancient times. Lorekeepers are those tasked with passing down the knowledge of these disasters and the legendary Rayquaza who saved humanity time and time again. Ever since the Great War 3000 years ago, a chosen Lorekeeper has received and passed on the history of humanity to the next generation. The significance of this task goes beyond teaching and the preservation of history, though. The Draconid people, from which Lorekeepers are chosen, foresaw a terrifying meteoroid that would destroy all of Hoenn. The chosen Lorekeeper of that generation, with the knowledge of the past, Mega Evolution and the key to Rayquaza's great power, is the only one with the ability to prevent calamity. Each generation passes down that responsibility until it reaches the one who must face destruction. As the Lorekeeper of the present generation, Zinnia bears the weight of Hoenn's history on her shoulders.
I personally found the concept of Lorekeepers to be incredibly interesting! They immediately reminded me of sages or someone similar to a tribal leader or elder. It seems that the average character doesn't know about Hoenn's long history and thus they have a level of wisdom and knowledge that most do not. Although storytellers were historically often entertainers, historians or teachers, they were also once revered for having great wisdom before taking on these roles.1 I think this is especially true in series where the stories being told are ancient, hold some sort of prophecy or warning, and/or are stories that are not common knowledge. Though I don't necessarily think Zinnia looks or acts the part because she is so young, listening to her grandmother tell Steven and the hero parts of Hoenn's history in relation to Lorekeepers really reminded me of the wise and knowledgeable character type that is often like a sage.
Perhaps another reason Zinnia's style is different than that of her grandmother's because storytellers have to consider their audience in order to be sure the story sticks with them.2 Generally speaking, Zinnia's audience is the main hero, who is just a kid. Pokémon in general is geared toward children, too. If Nintendo wanted Zinnia's story to be relevant to the average player, the story needed to be brought down to the audience's level. Therefore, if Zinnia were purely historical, or wise to the point of being over a kid's head, the chances of the story resonating with the hero wouldn't be as high. Zinnia's playful and almost entertaining way of conveying parts of the story actually might make more sense in light of the goals of storytelling. She offsets the heaviness of the story's implications with humor and a childlike demeanor and makes use of tension and timing for dramatic effect. Stories only become traditional by being retold and accepted, and historically are preserved through memory and by verbally passing them on.2 If the purpose of the Lorekeeper is to pass on the wisdom until it reaches the chosen Lorekeeper to prevent disaster, it only makes sense that they must also utilize skills to be sure the story is accepted and retold—skills to be an effective storyteller. While I do think Zinnia takes her role very seriously (as you will read in subsequent sections), it seems that she truly is an effective storyteller because she is sensitive to these factors.
So, why oral storytelling? Why not use some other medium considering the importance of what the chosen Lorekeeper needs to know? I'm guessing that storytelling made the most sense for a number of reasons. First, the tradition of the Lorekeepers started 3,000 years before the events of the game. Speech has been the longest medium of human communication, and researchers claim that humans have been telling stories since they've had the capacity to speak.2 Zinnia mentions the ancient people created the murals on Sky Pillar as tribute to Rayquaza, which probably alludes to the fact that they didn't have a writing system in place yet. They used pictures to record their experiences. Secondly, consider what the purpose of stories is. They generally serve to teach a lesson, set an example, mark an event and/or warn listeners.2 I'd argue the information that the Lorekeepers want the chosen one to have resonates with all of these things. The history of humanity teaches the lesson of coexistence, sets an example for how the bond between people and Pokémon releases Rayquaza's true power, marks when historical events happened as well as warns the future generation of impending disaster. But, written records could do the same thing, right?
Stories animate human life; that is their work. Stories work with people, for people, and always stories work on people, affecting what people are able to see as real, as possible, and as worth doing or best avoided. — Arthur Frank, Letting Stories Breathe (2010)The thing about oral storytelling is that it helps both the storyteller and listener make meaning. Symbolic interaction theory posits that as humans, we create meaning through conversations and experiences in social interactions.1 Humans are social creatures and we look to each other in order to make sense of experience and new information. Telling and receiving the story orally lets people have a conversation about it. They can see the reactions and hear the opinions of others. They can discuss implications. Plus, talking about something verbally requires a better understanding than simply reading it. Oral storytelling forces the Lorekeeper to truly own the history. Therefore, by passing the information on verbally, each Lorekeeper has to consider the implications of the history of humanity and make meaning of it within the context of their own life. This, I would think, is key for the chosen Lorekeeper in light of the quote by Arthur Frank above. The Lorekeeper needs to truly believe that not only summoning Rayquaza is possible, but is also worth doing within their capacity and context. The Lorekeeper needs to make the story a part of their identity and truly understand the weight of what they carry. Reading it in a storybook is not likely to have the same effect.
We become who we are through telling stories about our lives and living the stories we tell. — Molly Andrews, Lines of Narrative: Psychosocial Perspectives (2000)Lastly, because it is a social interaction in which symbols and understandings are shared, oral storytelling forms a bond between the teller and the listener.1 This, too, is key. The story being passed down by the Lorekeepers is weighted. The Lorekeeper also must inherit a sense of personal responsibility for preventing disaster. I'd argue that this is not something that would happen without the social interaction, without the bond that is produced through the experience of receiving the history and wisdom verbally. It's likely that the next generation's Lorekeeper is familiar with the present Lorekeeper. The present Lorekeeper seems to be revered by the rest of the Draconid tribe and thus also likely has authority and weight when they speak. This, in combination with the formation of shared meaning through the inheritance of the history of humanity, is arguably another factor in ensuring that the Lorekeeper owns their fate, and why the process of oral storytelling makes a lot of sense for Lorekeepers.
The History of Humanity
The long quote below is Zinnia's version of the history of humanity. While the content of the lore that Zinnia holds onto is very important for the story of the Delta Episode and for Zinnia's character, I think it is even more important to present it in her own words. A key part of storytelling is thinking with the story rather than just thinking about it.1 In other words, analyzing the content of a story is only half of the experience. As I previously mentioned, storytellers are also impacted by the various purposes of their stories—morals, takeaway messages, etc. The storyteller is likely to consider the tale's implications on their own life and the world around them, and thus the meaning they interpret changes their frame of reference.1 The way Zinnia describes the events from the past 3,000 years gives us a clearer picture of what meaning she has made from the story she has inherited. Therefore, while you are reading the story to understand the plot, I invite you to consider how Zinnia tells it and think about her frame of reference.
Thousands of years ago, in the primal age long lost, the world was overflowing with natural energy. Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre fought over that energy in endless, furious clashes. In the face of Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre's great power, people could do nothing. The only choice was to watch as disaster upon disaster swept over them. It was in such a time that a great many meteoroids poured from the darkness of space, from a place higher even than the heavens. And the meteoroids fell in their multitude upon a waterfall that had long been home to a tribe of Dragon-type-Pokémon users...One of the things that stuck out to me almost immediately was Zinnia's descriptive language around Rayquaza. While it is clear from her story that the ancient people revered Rayquaza, and we know that the Draconid people worship it, I'd argue it's still meaning that Zinnia has made for herself, too. Otherwise, she wouldn't describe it the way she does. Again, it's hard because Pokémon isn't voiced, but I can just feel how much she believes in Rayquaza. Zinnia really sees it as the savior. She truly believes that as long as she can summon Rayquaza to Hoenn, that everything will be okay.The meteors shone with a rainbow brilliance, as if some great life was held within. That was when, as if drawn by the brilliance, a Pokémon that shone in a blazing emerald hue descended from the heavens... That Pokémon was none other than Rayquaza. Rayquaza's power overwhelmed that of the two Primal Pokémon and peace returned to the world. The people of Hoenn revered Rayquaza as a true savior. A thousand years after this time, the meteoroids once again fell. A huge meteoroid, far greater than any before, struck the planet, boring deep into the ocean and leaving behind it a crater larger than any other. The land born of this even later became known as Sootopolis.
Sootopolis was born from a great meteoroid strike. The great meteoroid was the first of many disasters to befall humanity. When it punched into the planet, the land cracked beneath it, and a great welling of natural energy poured from beneath Hoenn. Thirsting for that energy, Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon once again woke. The people had a wish—a memory from a thousand years before... They wished that the Legendary Pokémon clad in emerald light would appear again. The huge meteorite that lay at the heart of Sootopolis gave off a boundless brilliance. In its brilliance, it resembled a vast and powerful Key Stone. And once again, Rayquaza descended from whence it came in the heavens. The people fell to their knees before Rayquaza and made a wish for salvation. As they did, a great change came over the Legendary Pokémon. It was enveloped in blinding light. As the light receded, they beheld a Rayquaza beyond all knowledge—a sublime figure, incandescent with overwhelming life force. It was humanity's wish that brought about Rayquaza's transformation in the face of the rainbow stone. Yes... A wish. An intangible thing, invisible to the eye. Yet this wish bound people and Pokémon together, enabling the Legendary Pokémon to change its appearance.
Rayquaza once again confronted Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. The golden filaments that sprang from its body covered the sky. An emerald brilliance illuminated the area. A terrible wind rose. The wind and emerald light visibly sapped the power from Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. Drained of their primal powers, the two vanished into the depths of land and sea. Rayquaza watched them go, regaining its usual appearance. Then it soared back up into the heavens where it dwelled. A witness to this series of events, a tall visitor from a distant land, said, "It is the Δ (delta), born of the great disturbances in this world. By the bonds born of mankind's wish and the power of the stones, it will calm the troubles that plague the world." That was when the Draconids constructed their great tower, to hold the rainbow stone that had granted Rayquaza its power, and to try to get a little bit closer to Rayquaza in the heavens above. To record the history of their trials and the great feats of mighty Rayquaza for all to know, they left behind the murals you see here.
A thousand years of peace followed after that disastrous time. But the Draconid people, learning from their long history's cyclical nature, foretold that the meteoroids would fall on this land again. The meteoroid to come, they prophesized, would be far greater than those that had come before it. This meteoroid would be great enough to break the world forever... In order to prevent this great calamity, those who held the knowledge of the past arrived at a plan. Their plan was to invoke Rayquaza, the great savior, and summon it to this land before the meteoroid could strike.
The second thing that stuck out to me was the actual weight of the story. Zinnia prefaces it to the hero by saying, "I think I'll give you something I've been keeping," and "They're the tales that have been passed down by my ancestors, the Draconids, for thousands of years. And now... I will pass that history and lore on to you." For Zinnia, it's not just an ancient story. It's a heavy responsibility that must be taken seriously, otherwise the fate of all people and Pokémon will be death.
b a c k . c l e a r . f o r w a r d Weight of the World and its contents are © Samantha, however Zinnia and Pokémon are © Nintendo and other rightful owners. Weight of the World is a part of AFTER-DEATH.ORG.