Genshin Impact, a fantasy anime game, loves to tell stories within stories. There are collections of books scattered around the world that players can find and unlock which tell more of the history of Teyvat, or sometimes simple, local fairy tales.
However, fans should know that the fairy tales in Genshin Impact may hold more information than first appears. For example, Nahida used a fairy tale about a monster, fox, and kitten to record information about Scaramouche's past when he tried to erase himself from Irminsul. Now that we know that a Mondstadt fairy tale, The Boar Princess, was specifically written by a member of the Hexenzirkel, it's likely that this story might also hold a deeper meaning. Here's a quick summary.
Genshin Impact - The Boar Princess summary
The Boar Princess is described in the game as "a story about friendship, love, and death." That last part comes on rather suddenly at the end. The story comes in seven volumes that can be found in Mondstadt.
In this fable, there is a Boar Kingdom in one of Mondstadt's forests. It had a Boar King and Princess, who were both considered generous, and they were loved by all the animals in their kingdom. In a dangerously freezing tundra to the north was a lone wolf pup. This pup used to be kind, but it was cursed by an evil squirrel, named Woombakwa. The pup had tried to stop the squirrel, by eating it whole, but this backfired. Woombakwa cursed the pup "using the most foul and insulting words ever uttered" from inside the pup's stomach.
The pup became a harsh and cold creature, and he was eventually ostracized by the other animals. He decided to venture to the freezing northern tundra, to be left alone.
The Boar Princess heard of the pup, and decided to try and make a friend out of it, taking two other wise animals with her, a fox and a turtle. The frozen tundra is almost impossible to travel through, but midway they encounter a wise spirit. The spirit agrees to help them reach the pup, but warns them that in return this will sap their energy, making them even more tired and hungry. The Princess quickly agrees, and the fox and turtle go along.
When they reach the pup, they find him starving. The Princess sheds warm tears for him, which begins to melt his heart. She says that she will sacrifice everything to feed his hungry belly.
This is where the story gets weird. The Princess announces that she'll sacrifice the two companions that she brought with her, the fox and the turtle, to feed the pup and warm his heart. The fox attempts to run away and the turtle hides in its shell, but to no avail. Both are eaten by the Princess and the pup, and the two animals remaining return to the forest together.
Is The Boar Princess about any Genshin Impact characters?
It's possible. It's even very likely, but we probably won't know for certain for some time. Since this is a Mondstadt fairy tale, it's more likely to be about a character from Mondstadt.
Nahida's story about Scaramouche also had a very similar allegorical style and featured animals. It's likely that this story records events of something that happened in the past. We don't know if these were events that were erased from history or not. We do know that the story was written by "M", or Andersdotter of the Hexenzirkel. The Hexenzirkel is a group of powerful women, both mortal and not. Their members also include Alice, Klee's mother, Rhinedottir, Albedo's "mother", and Barbeloth, Mona's former master, "the old hag."
Looking for more on Mondstadt lore Genshin Impact? Check out Genshin Impact: Dragonspine lore, explained here at Pro Game Guides.
Published: Mar 7, 2023 07:58 am