" Children* of Fate "

*I use the term " Children " to translate " Liberi " , a Latin word that signifies " Sons and Daughters " . Thus, " Liberi mei " and " Liberi Fatali " mean " My sons and daughters " and " Sons and Daughters of Fate "*

Interpretation made by DFAT

Preliminary notes

Throughout the passage below the lyrics belonging to the opening theme of Final Fantasy VIII will be analysed, by considering their meaning related to the story and the characters that built it up. The one speaking in first person, actually singing this hymn ( despite the singer’ s mere voice, heard during the opening sequence of the adventure ) can be nobody but Edea - Matron -, the woman who looked after those little orphans that, later, became members of the SeeD planned and wanted by her. It’ s her, in fact, that stirs up their pupils, now teenagers, to abandon once and for all every boundary to the past, and to become aware of themselves and their mission, a duty they must fulfil. The entire song is nothing else but a sequence of imperatives turned to the children she took care of, for which the time has come to face the destiny awaiting them.

Lyrics Analysis

EXCITATE VOS E SOMNO, LIBERI MEI, CUNAE SUNT NON

Awake from your sleep, my children, there are no more cradles

Edea begins with a strong imperative turned to her little children, considered by her as their true sons and daughters for she never gave birth to any baby on her own. The first affirmation is quite clear, and it will be repeated in the next verse with minor modifications about the form but not about the meaning at all. Matron wants to shake their boys and girls out of their torpor, she dares they leave behind their path the years spent in her mansion, openly scolding them to let them understand that there are no more cradles to sleep in, the past thoughtless joys are now completely ended.

EXCITATE VOS E SOMNO, LIBERI FATALI, SOMNUS EST NON

Awake from your sleep, children of fate, the slumber does no longer exist

Now Edea repeats her dare to see " awake " the SeeD members, ready to sustain every trial that life will put towards them, because they are not only her children, but also - and mostly - children of fate, the chosen people destined to fight the past, present and future sorceresses. To them, the slumber does no longer exist, there’ s no more time to sleep and keep dreaming as they did during their childhood: now they must be ready to act the way Edea and fate want them to.

SURGITE, INVENITE HORTUM VERITATIS
( VENI IN HORTUM VERITATIS - VALE HORTUM VERITATIS )

Arise, discover the garden of truth
( Come to the garden of truth - Bid farewell to the garden of truth )

The verbal form " arise " is connected to the previous tense, if one intends arising as the awakening from a long sleep, nonetheless it can be seen as " rise " , i.e. raise yourselves over the others and acquire the incomparable glory reserved only to you. Then, it will be up to you finding the garden of truth, the place where you will know your destiny, the true meaning of being SeeDs as you are SeeDs. It is not a material location, even if the term " garden " willingly reminds the Garden, where the " seeds " were planted, grew and matured: it is rather a garden located inside them, within their consciousness, their heart, the only places where they will be able to discover the truth belonging to them, a truth that will make them understand themselves and everybody surrounding them.

ARDENTE VERITATE, URITE MALA MUNDI

With the flaming truth, burn the evils of the world

After they will have abandoned all that still enchained them to their childhood, and after becoming aware of their potentialities, the teenagers receive from Edea the first order related to their mission: burn, that’ s to say annihilate, eradicate every evils and therefore every evil men in this world, cleaning the planet from the ones who make it dirt and spread negative feelings. And what should the SeeD members use to succeed in this? Of course the truth they will have found in the proper place, the truth containing the flaming energy which will allow them to eliminate every evils from the face of the Earth.

ARDENTE VERITATE, INCENDITE TENEBRAS MUNDI

With the flaming truth, set on fire the darkness of the world

For the second time Edea gives this command, utilizing a synonymous of the verb " to burn " and changing the object in the tense: not just the evils should be set ablaze, but also the very darkness which the evil is originated from and where it lies and hides from the eyes lightened by the good. Every single mark, every evil germ must be fully extirpated, the whole world must be cleansed from the wickednesses that are still infesting it. And, as before, with the flaming truth the chosen warriors will finally defeat the darkness they will have to face.

VALETE, LIBERI, DIEBUS FATALIBUS

Take care of yourselves, oh children, in the days of fate

As a conclusion of her hymn, Edea does express a last thought to her sons and daughters, a thought belonging to her motherly feeling that makes her worried about her progeny. Aware that her children will unavoidably face many dangers from now on, she gives them the advice to be careful, to take care of themselves when the moment to fight the most terrible enemies will come, and to fulfil their duty to set ablaze the evil and the darkness on the planet. During the " days of fate " , the dates selected by the destiny for the decisive battles, Edea’ s children should show more than ever before to be wise and prove to be matured, able to undergo every adversity, and at last to win against the opponents reserved to them.

Final notes

If the entire song could be considered as Edea Kramer’ s will turned to the children raised by her in the past, Ultimecia’ s last words are so the exact opposite to what Matron desires. The future sorceress, in fact, amidst the final struggle, asks their opponents, the SeeDs, to reflect on their emotions, their sensations, the memories of a far and almost forgotten childhood. Doing so, Ultimecia wants to distract her own foes, she wants to induce them in order to remember their past weaknesses, while on the other hand Edea’ s words had the effect to strengthen the hearts and the souls of those orphans, nowadays grown up and ready to risk their life in the ultimate match against the embodiment of illness.

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