The Final Fantasy series has mainly recurring themes, elements, and creatures and one of those staple features is the summonable monsters. Known by various different names, such as aeon and guardian force among others, these powerful creatures are summoned during a battle to provide offensive, defensive, or curative actions.
Many of the same summonable creatures feature throughout the game series, though they often undergo some varied physical changes depending on the title. Many of the summons are based on mythological creatures from all around the world. With the recent release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, where we get a new look at some old favorites, though some summons are DLC only, we've decided to examine ten different summons and the real world lore behind their origins.
10 Quetzalcoatl
This lightning-based summon first appeared in Final Fantasy 8, where its name was shortened to Quezacotl due to constraints of name sizes within the game. It's also appeared in a few other Final Fantasy titles but is not used as often as some of the more common summonable monsters within the franchise.
Quetzalcoatl is a deity from Mesoamerican culture whose name translates to "feathered serpent" in the Nahuatl language. He was known as the god of wisdom and wind, which may explain why Square Enix chose for him to have a lightning affinity in the game and appear with a storm.
9 Cait Sith
Cait Sith, also known as Stray, has appeared in multiple Final Fantasy titles with it first arriving in Final Fantasy 6. This summon has also appeared as a playable character rather than a summon in Final Fantasy 7.
Cat Sìth is a fairy creature from Celtic folklore, described as a large black cat with a white spot on its chest. Legend says that it haunts the Scottish highlands, though other legends claim Cat Sìth is not actually a fairy, but a witch that is able to transform its shape. It's clear from its physical design that the Final Fantasy Cait Sith is heavily inspired by this Celtic legend.
8 Shiva
Shiva is one of the most common summons within the Final Fantasy franchise, first appearing in Final Fantasy 3, and has an elemental affinity for ice. She is one of only three summons that is in every main Final Fantasy title, though she appeared only as an airship in Final Fantasy 12.
Shiva is one of the main deities of Hinduism, also known as The Destroyer. He once drank poison churned up from the Samudra Manthan in order to save the world. The deity Parvati squeezed his neck to prevent the poison spreading, however, the poison left him with a blue-colored neck. This is likely where Final Fantasy's Shiva gets her coloring from.
7 Carbuncle
Carbuncle first appeared in Final Fantasy 5 and its signature move is Ruby Light, which casts reflect on the entire party. Because of its small, cute appearance, Carbuncle is a fan-favorite, despite not being a particularly strong summon.
In South American mining folklore, a carbuncle is a legendary small animal that is said to contain riches, generally considered to be a precious stone of some kind that grants luck to the owner. It's clear that Final Fantasy draws heavily on this, making the summon a small creature with a ruby stone on its forehead.
6 Leviathan
The summon Leviathan is presented as a giant sea serpent and first appeared in Final Fantasy 2. This summon is sometimes referred to as the Sea King or Lord of Waters and has appeared as both female and male creatures in different Final Fantasy titles. It has an affinity for water and its trademark move is Tidal Wave/Tsunami.
Leviathan is a biblical creature, considered to be a sea serpent in Jewish belief, though later the term came to be used in describing any large sea creature or monster. The Final Fantasy summon could be based on the mythical creature, or simply called "Leviathan" as it is a large sea monster.
5 Kujata
Kujata first appeared as a summon in Final Fantasy 7, but in later games was sometimes downgraded to nothing more than an enemy monster. Kujata is considered to be one of the least memorable summons within the franchise. Kujata is special in that he is one of only a couple of summons that uses more than one elemental affinity; using a move called Tetra-Disaster that uses lightning, ice, fire, and earth.
In medieval Islamic cosmography, Kujata is known as the cosmic bull and is part of the support system that holds up the earth, alongside Bahamut. It's clear to see where the franchise took its inspiration from.
4 Ifrit
Ifrit first appeared in Final Fantasy 3 and is considered to be a fire-elemental jinn. He is known to be a rival of Shiva, naturally, as their two elemental forces are the opposites of one another. He is one of only three summons to have appeared in every main Final Fantasy title and his signature move is Hellfire.
Ifrit is a powerful demon/jinn from Islamic mythology, often associated with the dead and the underworld and considered to be formed out of smoke and fire. This could explain the hellish appearance of Final Fantasy's version of Ifrit.
3 Ixion
Ixion is a lightning-based summon that first appeared in Final Fantasy 10, though like Quetzacoatl it is one of the more under-used creatures. This could be because the more prevalent lightning summon within the series is Ramuh. Unlike some of the other entries on this list, Ixion is not based on a mythological creature, but a mythological man.
In Greek mythology, Ixion was married to Dia, but he did not pay the bridal price that he had promised his father-in-law, so the father stole Ixion's horses in retaliation. This could be what inspired the physical design of this horse-like summon. Ixion eventually killed his father-in-law and then went mad, but Zeus took pity on him and took him to Olympus. However, Ixion lusted after Hera, ultimately getting him blasted by one of Zeus's thunderbolts and cast out of Olympus. Likely the reason behind Ixion's lightning affinity within the game.
2 Siren
Siren first appeared in Final Fantasy 6 and has appeared in several titles since as a recurring summon. She is presented as a beautiful woman with a harp and her attacks generally inflict silence on enemies.
In Greek mythology, a siren was a dangerous creature that would lure sailors to their deaths with their enchanting singing voices or music. By modern standards, many would commonly associate sirens with mermaids and imagine them as half-woman and half-fish, however, originally they were believed to be part-bird and part-woman. The Final Fantasy summon must take its visual inspiration from the original Greek portrayal of the creature.
1 Bahamut
Bahamut first appeared in Final Fantasy 3 and has since gone on to become a fan favorite. Also known as The Dragon King within the franchise, Bahamut is considered to be one of the most powerful summons out there. He is one of only three summons to have appeared in every main Final Fantasy title.
In Arabian mythology, Bahamut is a giant sea monster that lives deep underground, suspended in a body of water, and is part of the support system that holds up the earth. Though Final Fantasy generally depicts him as a dragon-type being, he is considered to be either a gigantic fish, whale, or sea serpent. You'd think with this background that Bahamut would have an affinity with the earth or water, but his signature move, Megaflare, deals non-elemental damage.
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