Shiva (Final Fantasy IX)

Causes Ice damage to all enemies.

In-game description

Shiva is an eidolon in Final Fantasy IX who can be acquired as a summon for Dagger. She is an Ice-elemental summon who takes the form of a frost-laced woman. Shiva is one of the iconic summoned monsters in Final Fantasy, and one of the most recurring ones. Unlike some other eidolons in Final Fantasy IX, she does not have a major storyline role.

History[]

Shiva was an eidolon that manifested to protect the crystal of Gaia. The summoners have known of her for centuries, she is the first eidolon the summoner tribe discovered by documenting the world's legends,^[1] and she appeared on a mural on the Eidolon Wall in Madain Sari, the summoners' village on the Outer Continent. When Shiva was discovered, she appeared as a young girl or a snow fairy, but her current incarnation was that of a grown woman because eidolons adapted their forms to the time and culture in which they appeared. As Shiva was the first eidolon the summoners ever called forth, it can be presumed she was the best-documented and most studied, and may have helped advance the summoners' understanding of the eidolons being born from the legends, and not the other way around.

As the summoners left the Mist Continent 500 years ago, summon magic fell into legend among the Mist Continent populace.

Ten years ago, Garland ordered Kuja to destroy Madain Sari with the Invincible, killing most summoners. A young summoner girl and her mother escaped on a small boat, but the mother died during the long voyage to the Mist Continent. The boat was found near Alexandria, and the girl was adopted by the royal family as she greatly resembled the recently-perished Princess Garnet except for the horn on her head, which the king ordered removed. The girl had lost her memories during the voyage, and grew up as Garnet never learning she was adopted.

After the king passed, Queen Brahne became power-hungry and wanted to conquer the Mist Continent with the aid of eidolons extracted from Garnet and with a new army of black mages. Her eidolons stolen from her, Garnet escaped Alexandria Castle with her new friends and traveled to the Outer Continent to look for Kuja, who had supplied Brahne with the knowledge of eidolons and black mages. While on the Outer Continent, Garnet learned about her true identity and saw Shiva's as a mural on the Eidolon Wall.

Garnet became queen after Brahne perished in her battle against Kuja, and inherited the jewels into which her eidolons had been extracted. Receiving an opal from Doctor Tot, Garnet learned to summon Shiva.

Characteristics[]

Shiva is an ice goddess with a blue body clad in lingerie made out of ice. She wears a crown fashioned of ice crystals and what looks like blue silk gloves and socks, or, alternatively, body paint. A long veil extends down her back fastened with jewels or pearls at the tip. She has blue lips and eyes, an ice crystal or jewel on her forehead, white rings on her hands, and earrings the shape of snowflakes.

Gameplay[]

Summon[]

Shiva costs 96 MP to summon before Garnet/Dagger loses her eidolons, and 24 MP after learned from a piece of Opal for 20 AP. Shiva is likely the first/only eidolon Dagger can summon before she loses her eidolons, if the player grinds Dagger's levels until she has enough MP to summon. There is no benefit to do this beyond novelty, as it yields no additional dialogue.

One Opal is obtained as part of the story from Doctor Tot after the party returns to Alexandria from the Outer Continent, and more are available from synthesis in Daguerreo, Black Mage Village, and Hades in the endgame (requires 100 gil, Ore, and a Potion). Opals can be found in the Forgotten Plains chocograph treasure (x14) and Cold Lagoon chocograph treasure (x9). They drop from Cerberus, Mover (also stolen from them), and Wraith (Blue).

Shiva's attack, Diamond Dust, deals Ice damage to all enemies.

The attacks and spell power for Dagger's summons are based on item stock and length of animation, the short version being weaker. When Dagger summons during her Trance, there is a random chance the summon will reappear during the battle for zero MP cost, but the animation will always be the short version, and item stock "bonuses" will be disregarded. The summon will reappear in intervals to repeatedly damage the enemy until a new eidolon is summoned or until Dagger exits Trance, is KO'd, or ejected.

The formula used to determine the amount of damage an eidolon does during its full animation is as follows:^[2]

${\displaystyle Base = Summon Power - Target's Magic Defense}$

${\displaystyle Bonus = Magic ... [(Level + Magic) / 8] + 1}$

${\displaystyle Damage = Base * Bonus}$

If the eidolon is summoned and does its half animation, the formula changes to as follows:

${\displaystyle Damage = [((Base * Bonus) * 2) / 3]}$^[2]

Shiva's spell power for the full animation equals 36+# of Opal in stock. The spell power for the short animation is 34.

The first time a summon is called in battle the full animation plays. Afterward, there is a 33% or 10% chance to get the full animation again based on the following:

If MP < (Summon MP Cost * 2), the chance of full animation is:^[2]

Random number between 0...255 >= 170, use full animation

Otherwise, the chance of full animation is:

Random number between 0...255 >= 230, use full animation

MP in these calculations refers to the MP before the cost is subtracted. The value used for Summon MP Cost is unaffected by Half MP.

The Bonus in Diamond Dust's above damage calculation can boosted by 50% by equipping Dagger with Magus Hat, Barette, or Magician Cloak. Equipping multiple of these items at once does not stack.

The Boost ability makes the summon always do the full animation, but it costs many Magic Stones and takes a long time to learn from the Pumice Piece.

Shiva is an especially useful eidolon against enemies weak to ice and magical damage in general. Summoning Shiva earns the You're Cold as Ice achievement in the mobile and Steam versions.

Tetra Master[]

Tetra Master
#060 Location: Black Mage Village (Genome at the entrance, Black mage no.44) Treno (Card Stadium, "Straight Shooter Shak") Bell tower (Alexandria, disc 3, pull the rope).

Shiva has an eidolon-type card for Tetra Master, which can be won from "Straight Shooter Shak" and "Eidolon Master" in the card stadium in Treno, or rarely from the Genome at the Black Mage Village entrance.

Hippaul has also hidden his Tetra Master cards at the top of the steeple in Alexandria. If the player looks there at the beginning of the game, they find generic monster cards, but if they check back later (but before Alexandria is attacked), they will find eidolon cards for Shiva and Ramuh. If the player doesn't check the steeple before progressing the story to the Treno card tournament, they will be lost, but the card players in the Treno tournament in endgame, and the card phantoms in Memoria, may still play them.

Blackjack[]

Shiva is the queen card in the blackjack minigame.

Behind the scenes[]

There exists an early concept art of Shiva in a more childlike appearance, or as a fairy. On the Eidolon Wall in the endgame, the player can unveil secret inscriptions that reveal that Shiva was the first ever eidolon the summoners discovered, and back then, appeared in a childlike form.

Gallery[]

Concept artwork.

Concept artwork of an unused child form.

Early concept art of Shiva.

Shiva summoned.

Shiva summoned.

Diamond Dust.

Etymology[]

[view · edit · purge]Shiva (also spelled Śiva) is a Hindu god. The Hindu Shiva once saved the world by consuming poison, giving him blue skin around the area of the neck and throat. Shiva is a male god, but can merge with his consort Parvati to become Ardhanari, an androgynous Hindu god of duality. Shiva is the god of destruction along with Vishnu, who is the god of preservation, and Brahma, the god of creation. Together they are the three principle deities of the Trimurti (Hindu Triad). It is believed he periodically destroys the world, then recreates it.

Shiva has different human forms, males and females. When he was in his avatar form, he spent most of his times in the Himalayan snow mountain. Shiva in the Final Fantasy series is likely inspired by one of his female avatars.

The Japanese pronunciation "Shiba" could refer to the English word "shiver", which in Japanese would sound like "shi-ba" or "shi-va".

Citations[]