The Viera
CLASSIFICATION: Spoken SUB-CLASS: Races of Man LIFESPAN: 240~360 years (ish) LOCATIONS: Othard, Dalmasca, Golmore Jungle, Xak Tural
Encyclopedia Eorzea II - Dalmasca’s Racial Distribution: Dalmascan Hyur: 40% Bangaa: 20% Seeq: 10% Viera: 5% Other: 25%
Company Tragedian: “Those Viera who have taken up residence in the cities tend to be held in high regard, their small numbers lending to their air of mystery. It is not unheard of for members of the upper class to part with great deals of their wealth simply to be seen with one of the elusive ladies.”
Encyclopedia Eorzea III - The Viera: “A leoporine race of people commonly found in southern Othard. Known in their own tongue as the ‘people of the wood,’ they have a long history of residing unseen within jungle and forest, and until recent times, few of their number had so much as made an appearance in the world at large.”
*Shadowbringers - Viera: “Of tall stature and slender frame, the Viera’s physical appearance is strikingly similar to that of the Hyur and Elezen, save for their distinctive long ears. Adhering to a strict code known as the Green Word, they are prohibited from contact with the outside world under threat of exile. Their society is purely matriarchal, and males of age are seldom, if ever, found within the bounds of any village. They instead serve as protectors of the wood from the shadows, that no evil may ever encroach on their sacred lands.”
*Wandering Dramaturge: “Ah, yes. I have learned much of the leporine folk during my travels, so let us start off with the most basic of details─there exist two distinct clans, the light-skinned Veena Viera, and the darker-skinned Rava Viera. The word Viera itself means ‘people of the wood,’ and true to that name, both the Rava and the Veena make their homes exclusively in the Golmore Jungle, or the primeval forests which line the southwestern foothills of the Skatay Range, respectively.
Until recently─perhaps the past several generations─a Viera living outside her homeland was unheard of, and those who abandoned their tribes were branded outcasts. You see, the Viera follow a strict code called the ‘Green Word’ that binds them to their land and prohibits all contact with the outside world unless absolutely necessary.”
Encyclopedia Eorzea III - Viera History: “Fiercely devoted to their traditional way of life, the Viera tribes have dwelt in the Golmore Jungle and forested foothills of the Skatay Range since the days of yore. Throughout the ages, the region has fallen under the control of various outsiders—including the Allagans, the Ivalicians, the Holy Ydoran Empire, the Dalmascans, and the Garleans—yet even such great powers thought better than to attempt direct governance of the Viera’s sacred lands. This fact alone, more than any display of strength, speaks to the indomitable nature of these reclusive warriors.”
Company Musician: “While the Empire provides the peoples she conquers with a path to citizenship, there is a definite disparity when compared to the opportunities granted trueblood Garleans. For those living in the occupied provinces, the prospect of life as a second-, or even third-class citizen is more than enough cause to kindle the flames of revolution in even the meekest of hearts… and it is these flames that ultimately feed the fires of change. This all must be especially difficult for the Viera. Despite their differences in culture and appearance, they had long been accepted by the Dalmascans─treated as equals. Now… Though we have forsaken our homes, it does not change the fact that many on the Prima Vista claim Garlean heritage. Given her recent hardships, Lady Fran has every right to be wary of us. I will allow her the time she needs to come to her own conclusions as to our intentions.”
*Encyclopedia Eorzea III - Viera Tongue: “It is almost unheard of for an outsider to visit a Viera village and return to tell the tale. The few Viera who do venture abroad are also notoriously reticent when it comes to sharing tribal lore, and thus the state of research into their linguistic history is hopelessly stagnated.”
Company Musician: “Lady Fran has agreed to introduce me to a storyteller from her former village that I may learn of her people’s history.”
*Jenomis cen Lexentale: “The Golmore Jungle is an endless swath of pristine emerald situated in the southeastern corner of Dalmasca on the Nagxian border. The hot and humid climes of the region have given rise to a nigh-impenetrable expanse of towering sentinels and noisome bogs in which all manner of flora and fauna is allowed to flourish without the interference of man.
Ah, and one cannot speak of Golmore without mention of its enigmatic inhabitants. As you know, the rain forest is also home to the Viera, self-proclaimed guardians of the wood. Though, those who claim that title count themselves fewer with each coming spring, as more and more of the leporine abandon their ancestral homes for the comforts of the cities. Still, many Viera continue their adherence to a strict code that has governed their people since ere the age of Ivalice─none may enter their jungle, and none may leave. To the Viera, Golmore is sacred ground, and they will not suffer what they view as the desecration of their sovereign domain by outsiders. This is especially true for those who would dare hunt their lands.”
Jenomis cen Lexentale: “The Viera have ever been wary of outsiders. For centuries their many tribes have remained hidden in the jungles, content with their self-imposed solitude. Each tribe has its own strict code and will mete swift punishment to any who would defy these laws. As such, many a Viera will spend her entire life bound to the territory of her ancestors, both unwilling and unable to venture beyond its borders. And while the tribes are wholly independent, they have agreed to uphold a single standard: shun all contact with the outside world unless it is to protect the jungle. That said, with every generation there are those Viera who long for a life beyond the verdant sea of trees and abandon their tribes to start a new life in the kingdom’s cities.”
*Wandering Dramaturge: “Similar to that of the Miqo'te Keepers of the Moon, the Viera’s societal hierarchy is strictly matriarchal. You will find no males in the villages of both the Veena and the Rava, let alone in positions of rule. Yet, that does not mean they do not play an important role in Viera society. The males take up the mantle of Wood-warder─protectors of the forest─and serve their tribes by seeing no evil encroach on their tribe’s sacred demesne.
Males, for the most part, are reclusive, shunning contact with even their own kin, save for the rare occasion they return to their village of birth to sow their seed and to claim any boys who have reached adulthood…but I shall speak of that queer custom at length later. In other words, tread not the wood with hopes of finding a male Viera, for you will be met with naught but disappointment…or worse, death. This, however, is not to discredit the martial prowess of female Viera. The women of the wood are as formidable as the men, and merely choose to devote their attention to the protection of their hearth and young.
Without a supportive community, the males must constantly struggle to survive. Food, clothing, weapons, medicines─all must be procured or crafted by the individual and without the aid of another. The male lives alone and dies alone. This has gone unchanged for countless generations. I spent many a moon in the Desert Sapphire, and while I saw all manner of wondrous creatures, not once did I lay mine eyes upon a male Viera, nor did I hear of one living in the city. They simply do not exist to us.”
Encyclopedia Eorzea III - Sophie: “A native of Rabanastre, Dalmasca, this Viera of the Veena clan joined a resistance group as soon as her sex became manifest in the latter half of her teens. Alas, she was captured by the Garleans during a covert operation, and though she later managed to break free from prison, all of her kin had been put to death. Since then, the twenty-year-old has traveled with Radovan, the two having met in captivity and escaped together.”
Yasumi Matsuno Twitter Interview, translations by r/ffxiv: “[Viera] gender is determined at birth, but both Female and Male look the same so there is no way to distinguish between them. During puberty, the changes to the bodies become more apparent and only then you’re able to clearly tell their sex. After coming of age (around 20 years old), aging becomes extremely slow and they get older while keeping their young appearance.
Q: ‘There is no way to distinguish between them’ so that means we can’t tell their sex even if they were naked? Y: Yes, exactly
Q: Do the same settings apply to the Viera from Ivalice (like in FF12 or FFTA)? Or is this a FF14 original setting? A: The general settings are the same as in FF12, but I quit FF12 before we had the opportunity to publish these. So if you’re asking whether this is an official FF12 setting, I’d have to say no.
Q: If we can’t tell their sex by their appearance, but young Male Viera leave their village for their apprenticeship, does that mean there is another way to tell their sex? A: There is a misunderstanding. They will only leave the village once their sex is apparent. You are probably asking this because you read ‘young’ Viera, but because of their longevity, these ‘young’ Viera whos sex just became apparent are seen as ‘young Children’ by the other Viera
Q: What about their gender identity? Do they not have that on their mind while growing up? A: They do not think about it until puberty starts Q: So are they just accepting it after puberty? It sounds scary to me that once they are old enough, they are suddenly being told ‘You’re Male, you have to leave the village now’ A: For us a big influence while growing up is our environment, ‘As a girl/boy this is what you have to do and how you have to behave’. In that sense, Viera aren’t raised like that. Their approach to education and raising keeps this in mind. The surrounding environment is different to our present age.
Q: Are you going to play Male Viera in 6.0? A: I am playing a Female Viera right now, but I will swap to a Male Viera in 6.0
Q: How old is Fran? A: I can’t tell you that….”
Encyclopedia Eorzea III - Viera Identity: “Viera live up to three times longer than the average Hyur, their lifespans often stretching well beyond two centuries. The span of a few decades is considered ‘short term,’ and unless the effects encroach upon their woodland sanctuaries, the rise and fall of other nations is unworthy of concern. Furthermore, a Viera’s sex is indeterminate until the body fully develops during adolescence, which begins around thirteen to fifteen years of age, and 70-80 percent develop as female. As such, the societal structure is predominantly matriarchal—it is customary for young males to depart the village for its outskirts, whereupon older males of the clan will train them in the skills required to defend the wood and its people.”
Wandering Dramaturge: “For the Viera, the hands of time move at a far more leisurely pace than they do for the rest of us. Whereas a Hyur might consider themselves fortunate to see, say, eighty winters before her return to the Lifestream, a Viera can endure up to twelve score or more. It is estimated that upwards of eight in ten Viera are born female, though it is not until at least the thirteenth nameday─when the individual moves from adolescence into adulthood─that the individual’s gender becomes apparent. Then, for the next two centuries will the Viera maintain its physical youth, rendering it nigh impossible to discern one’s age simply from outward appearances.
When it is revealed that a Viera kit is a male, it will be given into the care of another, that it may learn the ways of the Wood-warder─protectors of the forest. Once every three to five summers, male Viera will descend from the trees to a nearby village to mate. It is at this time, if there are any recently discovered jacks still living amongst the females, that the older male will make them his wards and teach them how to survive without the crutch of companionship.
Only following countless seasons of training and strict adherence to the Word of the Wood will the students themselves earn the title of master, and be allowed to seek solitude. More than few will perish during this brutal rite of passage, further thinning the tribe’s males, until only those with the strongest seed remain.
As I explained before, the duty of a male Viera─a Wood-warder─is to see that their tribe’s demesne remain untouched by the destructive whims of outsiders. Yet, they do so from the shadows, oft choosing to shoot first, and not even bother with questions. The females, on the other hand, are much more open in their relationship with the wood, though I use the term ‘open’ in its most loosest of senses. More than simply defend the forest, they seek also to nurture it─clearing undergrowth, removing fallen trees, planting seeds, eradicating vermin. Efforts by past kings to bring Viera lands under Dalmascan rule have been met with either indifference or violence. As of late, Rabanastre has suffered the Viera their self-governance, with the promise the villages will not take up their bows against the throne.”
Wandering Dramaturge: “When I was younger and far more the fool than I am now, I asked a Viera if she did not find her tribe’s ways awkward. Was it not within the natural order for males and females of a species to coexist? The woman answered me thus: ‘The value of coexistence will not be found ‘neath a loincloth. Long has our kind endured understanding that the distance 'twixt two bodies does not dictate the distance 'twixt two souls.’”
Shunye: “Among the Shetona─and the Viera where you hail from, I wager─it’s not an uncommon circumstance. The gender of my people becomes apparent as we grow. The large majority are women, with men being somewhat of a rarity. Thus we generally do not marry a single partner, as is common with other peoples. Most of us have siblings from different fathers or mothers.”
Lanille: “We were never a particularly fecund people. Now it is nigh impossible to sustain our numbers.”
Thiuna: “I’ve finished the restoration, and the instrument looks exactly like it should. Knowing that the slightest warp in the panel can affect timbre, I went to great pains to ensure that the shape is perfect. But in spite of this, the sound is all wrong. It’s not because we Viis have superior hearing, either. No, the difference will be apparent to any who’ve heard the lute─and definitely to Owell. I can only assume it’s due to the material, but I don’t know what else we can use…”
Company Belle: “The Viera possess a beauty that cannot be matched by other races. Yet how they stalk the jungle in those stilettos, perhaps we will never know.”
Encyclopedia Eorzea III - Viera Dress: “As a race of hunter-gatherers, the Viera dress for ease of movement. As such, the most common tribal garb consists of formfitting outfits, further tailored to permit limbs their full range of motion. The height of their traditional heels would seem to undermine this philosophy, but it is said that the style was developed to instill a habit of keeping on one’s toes—poised and ready to spring in any direction.”
This post has been updated and reformatted to include new information from EE3 and 7.0 quests. More lore on the known Viera clans, naming conventions, as well as a brief section on why there’s so many quotes here marked with an asterisk can all be found in the Read More below!
Lore on Ronka and the Viis can be found here! Lore on Dalmasca’s imperial occupation can be found here, here, and here!
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