Amara

Disclaimer: While I have some background in linguistics, my focus was Old English and Latin, not Ancient Greek.

The Main Pieces

–phanes (root: φαίνω  | adj form: φανής)

In Ancient Greek cosmology, Phanes is the primordial deity born from the cosmic egg in the boundless abyss who gave birth to the universe. In Genshin, this is the story we get in Before Son and Moon.

Phanes, in Greek myth, is associated with creation, light, and the revelation of knowledge. In addition to referring to this primordial being, the root and suffix –phanes can mean:

to make known, to reveal

to make light, to shine

to come into being

Ex– (ἐξ)

The Greek prefix ἐκ– becomes ἐξ– when used in front of a vowel. This prefix typically signals the removal of something, but a secondary meaning is completion. In most cases, the prefix means:

to take from

to take out of

to take away

As an example, this prefix is found in the English word exodus or ἔξοδος, which is made up of ἐξ– (out of) and hodos or ὁδός, meaning way or path. So exodus is a departure, a way out, etc.

So the blade could be translated as:

To take from Phanes

To take out of Phanes

To take away Phanes

With the implication that to take away Phanes is to remove Fate itself.

What’s Up with the AI

The prefix ex– and the suffix –phanes are pretty straightforward, but there’s that ai in the middle of Exaiphanes that stands out. While this could be a hilarious pun if Paimon is indeed an AI, it also points us in the direction of two Greek words: Εξαφάνιση and ἐξαίφνης

Here’s where I get annoyed that Genshin doesn’t include Greek among its languages because we have no way to properly confirm what root they’re basing their own words and translations on. Grr.

Εξαφάνιση: The Blade of Extinction

Εξαφάνιση is a Greek word meaning the process of extinction. Alternatively, it can be the process of elimination or evanescence—something that fades away or vanishes.

It combines ex– with αφανής (afainis), which in turn is made up of:

the prefix a– meaning not or “the opposite of” (think how amnesia means not having memory)

φαίνω our root of phanes

So αφανής is not-phanes, the antithesis of creation, also known as destruction. In this case, the sword could be the blade that undoes the order imposed by the Heavenly Principles.

Pretty banger sword title, if true.

ἐξαίφνης: The Blade of… Suddenness?

ἐξαίφνης would give us Exaiphnés, so we get the “Exai–” at the expense of the “a” in “–phanes.” It means suddenly.

This would be a bit of a let down compared to the others, and, seeing as Phanes is central to Genshin’s narrative, I’m inclined to believe the intention is one of the other meanings that directly mentions Phanes.

Plus, if they wanted to go with sudden, there’s a much, much better word they could have chosen:

ἐπιφάνεια or Epiphany

This word is made up of ἐπί (upon) and φαίνω (Phanes). It translates literally as to come into view and can also refer to the appearance or manifestation of a divine being.

When we say we had an epiphany, it all comes back to Phanes.

Either Way, Neat Sword!

I don’t have a definitive conclusion here, but I do think the blade is signalling some sort of relationship to the Heavenly Principles. While it can imply the blade is forged from (the power of) the Heavenly Principles, the ex– prefix does a lot of heavy lifting in implying it’s taking something away. Either stripping power from Phanes or outright seeking to destroy the Heavenly Principles.