The Garif are a race of humanoids from Final Fantasy XII.
| Garif | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Original | ガリフ | ||
| Romanization | Garifu | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Humanoid | ||
| Average height | About human size | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sapience | Sapient | ||
| Aggressivity | Low | ||
| Language | Garif tongue | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Habitat | Bancour region | ||
| Diet | Omnivore | ||
| Locomotion | Bipedal | ||
| Status | Least Concern | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | Final Fantasy | ||
Appearance[]
Two garif compared to a hume.
Garif are muscular humanoid birds, physically capable of fighting and hunting and possessors of incredible hearing and sense of smell. Much of their face is covered by a horned mask, but the beaks and ears are visible, showing us they have elvish (pointy) ears, much like the Helgas race. Garif keep their claws trimmed, much like humes do with their nails.
Culture[]
The great-chief of the Jahara tribe.
Living in tribes scattered all over the Bancour region of Ivalice, the garif are generally a peace-loving people, and have no interest in material goods or money, choosing to live in harmony with nature instead. Unlike the humes to the north, the garif see no use in machinery, and, as such, choose not to utilize them. In fact, they abhor all manufactured things with the exception of their masks. Instead, their material culture is based on the usage of wood and stone. Their houses are made of grass and strips of leather and they adorn themselves with animal bones and stones. A garif adventurer is shown to be very friendly in FFXII, helping the player when they get attacked at the Greensnake and Haulo Green area of the Ozmone Plain.
A demonstration of Garif lifestyle, a house can be seen.
A bonfire at Jahara's great-chief's tent.
Many garif become herders, overlooking their livestock of creatures known as "nanna" in the garif tongue. The garif milk these creatures in order to make the nanna-cheese, which is famous throughout Ivalice. Some garif even become Geomancers and trading-merchants. They do still have warriors and even a war-chief in order to defend themselves should there ever be a need to do so. The current war-chief of the Jahara-tribe is called Supinelu, who succeeded his brother, Kadalu. In the game, Geomancer Yugelu also plays a key role in unlocking the area at Henne Mines where Zodiark is hidden.
Garif of the Jahara tribe play a board game.
The masks worn by the garif are a large part of their customs. All garif receive a mask on the day they are born, which they wear until the day they die. It should be noted that the great-chiefs of the garif tribes wear masks that look rather different. However, it may simply be a standard mask that has been decorated to show the importance of the great-chief.
Some say the masks serve to hide their faces because of the shame of having disappointed the occuria, others even say they are too scary-looking or ugly.
Religion[]
The garif have worshipped the occuria as gods for a much longer time than the humes, and were granted the deifacted nethicite. However, the garif could not wield or control the magickal stones , disappointing the occuria, who took the stones back, and gave them to the hume race instead.
Clan Primer[]
Bestiary entry.
Genus: Humanoid
Classification: Garif
Page 1: Observations[]
This race of large-framed, well-muscled humanoids have bodies covered in thick fur.
The Garif adorn themselves simply with ornaments of stone and bone, preferring natural objects over those crafted or otherwise unchanged from their original form. The one exception is their masks: each is unique, and is worn for the duration of the owner's life.
The Garif worship magicite as a sacred substance, and possess deep cultural knowledge of the stones.
Page 2: The Dragon's Game[]
Dragons.
The most feared of all creatures, yet, beyond mention in ancient tomes of their servitude to the gods in antiquity, little is known of the ecology and development of the great wyrms.
I have in my studies, come across a certain fable concerning a god and a dragon. The stone tablet upon which it was written was only recently discovered, and though there are surely some embellishments as might be found in any fable, I wonder with no little surprise at its simple elegance. Perhaps, I find myself thinking, this tale has the germ of truth in it.
- Lecluse, Exegete of Tales
Page 3: The Dragon's Game[]
In times now ancient, a Dragon was born, stronger than anything that had been before, and in time he thought himself superior to the God that had created him.
One day he said unto Him, "I am stronger than you, God."
"Very well," replied the smiling God, "then let us play a game, and we shall see which of us is the stronger."
So began the Dragon's game.
Page 4: The Dragon's Game[]
Dragon and God agreed to three tests to see who was the strongest.
"See yon mountain?" asked the God, "can you carry it here to me?"
"As easily as an ant might carry a blade of grass," the Dragon replied, and a moment later he had brought the mountain to the God's feet.
"Next," the Dragon said, "it is your turn."
"No," said the God, "I am not strong enough to move a mountain."
And so did the Dragon win the first test.
Page 5: The Dragon's Game[]
The next test was also one of strength.
"See there yon rock?" asked the God. "It is of the strongest stone in the world. Can you pierce it?"
"As easily as a sparrow might pierce an apple in search of the worm," the Dragon replied, and a moment later he had opened a gaping hole in the stone.
"Next," the Dragon said, "it is your turn."
"No," said the God, "I am not strong enough to pierce such a stone."
"And so did the Dragon win the second test.
Page 6: The Dragon's Game[]
And so they came to the final test.
"See there yon magickal ring?" asked the God. "Can you pass through it?"
"As easily as the ferret scampers through the warren-hole, in search of the hare," and a moment later, the Dragon's neck was through the ring.
Yet the ring was too narrow for the dragon to pass through entirely.
"You have tricked me," the Dragon said.
"I am cleverer than you," replied the smiling God.
Thus did the God win the final test, and thus did the Dragon become lesser than the God in all things.