Sinnoh myths

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There are many myths in the Sinnoh region. Below are several from the library in Canalave City and other sources in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl.

Sinnoh Myth

Sinnoh Myth (Japanese: シンオウしんわ Sinnoh Myth)

Betray not your anger, lest ??? will come.
Weep not with sorrow, or ??? will draw near.
When joy and enjoyment come natural as the very air, that is happiness.
Let such be blessed by the hand of Master ???.
Those words were spoken often as customary.

Notes

"Offer only friendship to those around you.
Angering ??? in turn confounds you.
Sorrowing ??? will in woe drown you.
A land, once riven, cannot become new.
Let only peace and amity surround you."
Give not into sorrow. Give not into anger. Offer only friendship to those around you.
Give not into sorrow. Give not into anger. Bring not almighty Sinnoh to sorrow. For that is when time's flow will cease.

Sinnoh Region's Mythology

Sinnoh Region's Mythology (Japanese: シンオウちほうの しんわ Sinnoh Region's Myth) is an explanation why wild Pokémon appear in tall grass.

Long ago, when Sinnoh had just been made, Pokémon and humans led separate lives.
That is not to say they did not help each other. No, indeed they did.
They supplied each other with goods, and supported each other.
A Pokémon proposed to the others to always be ready to help humans.
It asked that Pokémon be ready to appear before humans always.
Thus, to this day, Pokémon appear to us if we venture into tall grass.

Notes

"When first this land was formed,
man and 'mon lived happily,
sharing all that they could see,
by kind acts born and warmed.
One Pokémon then proposed
that they should always ready be
to help humans should they need,
and let their presence be disclosed.
And that is why, to this day,
not all Pokémon do flee
when a human they do see—
they leap out where tall grasses sway."

Sinnoh's Myth

The lake guardians

Sinnoh's Myth (Japanese: シンオウの しんわ Sinnoh's Myth) is about the lake guardians.

Three Pokémon there were.
Into the lakes they dove.
Deep, deep, drawing no breath.
Deeper, deeper they dove.
Into suffocating depths they dove.
Deeper, then deepest they alight.
From the lake floor they rise.
Bearing with them the power to make vast lands, they rise again.

Notes

  • In Uncrushing Defeat!, Nurse Joy tells Ash, Dawn, and Brock about the lake guardians. Reading from a book, she says that the three Pokémon are believed to have come from the same Pokémon Egg. She also explains to them that from Uxie, who is referred to as the Being of Knowledge, comes the wisdom to solve problems; from Mesprit, called the Being of Emotion, comes the joys and pain of life; and from Azelf, the Being of Willpower, comes the resolve to accomplish whatever task may be in hand.

Veilstone's Myth

Veilstone's Myth (Japanese: トバリの しんわ Tobari's Myth) is about a young swordsman regretting his actions after an encounter with a Pokémon.

A young man, callow and foolish in innocence, came to own a sword.
With it, he smote Pokémon, which gave sustenance, with carefree abandon.
Those not taken as food, he discarded, with no afterthought.
The following year, no Pokémon appeared. Larders grew bare.
The young man, seeking the missing Pokémon, journeyed afar.
Long did he search. And far and wide, too, until one he did find.
Asked he, "Why do you hide?" To which the Pokémon replied...
"If you bear your sword to bring harm upon us, with claws and fangs, we will exact a toll."
"From your kind we will take our toll, for it must be done."
"Done it must be to guard ourselves and for it, I apologize."
To the skies, the young man shouted his dismay.
"In having found the sword, I have lost so much."
"Gorged with power, I grew blind to Pokémon being alive."
"I will never fall savage again. This sword I denounce and forsake."
"I plead for forgiveness, for I was but a fool."
So saying, the young man hurled the sword to the ground, snapping it.
Seeing this, the Pokémon disappeared to a place beyond seeing...

Notes

The Original Story

The Original Story (Japanese: はじまりの はなし Original Story) describes how the Pokémon world was created.

In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos.
At the heart of chaos, where all things became one, appeared an Egg.
Having tumbled from the vortex, the Egg gave rise to the Original One.
From itself, two beings the Original One did make.
Time started to spin. Space began to expand.
From itself again, three living things the Original One did make.
The two beings wished, and from them, matter came to be.
The three living things wished, and from them, spirit came to be.
The world created, the Original One took to unyielding sleep...

Notes

  • This has some parallels with Taoism and perhaps Shintoism. Creation in Taoism starts with a single energy, dividing into a duality (often referred to as Yin and Yang), then into three parts, and finally into the rest of creation. Compare, for example, the Korean Taeguk and Samtaeguk symbols, also seen in China and Japan which reflect this belief.
    • Similar parallels can be found in other creation myths, but not as directly. In fact, this seems to be more easily attributed to a common theme among creation myths than as a source of inspiration; several creation myths start with one being which splits or creates other beings from its body, including Hinduism and Greek mythology.
  • This myth describes how Sinnoh's first Pokémon, Arceus, also known as the Original One, came to be, from the Egg that appeared in the chaos. Also, the two beings that Arceus makes are Dialga and Palkia, creators of time and space, respectively. Arceus creates three living things as well, which are Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit, the only Pokémon which can control Dialga and Palkia. Arceus thereafter went into the Hall of Origin high above the Spear Pillar, to wait for the Azure Flute to be played.
    • According to Cynthia in Platinum, Giratina was created along with Dialga and Palkia. However, it was forgotten.
  • This story is paraphrased by Nando in A Secret Sphere of Influence!.

A Horrific Myth

A Horrific Myth (Japanese: おそろしい しんわ Terrible Myth) is about the lake guardians.

Look not into the Pokémon's eyes.
In but an instant, you'll have no recollection of who you are.
Return home, but how? When there is nothing to remember?
Dare not touch the Pokémon's body.
In but three short days, all emotions will drain away.
Above all, above all, harm not the Pokémon.
In a scant five days, the offender will grow immobile in entirety.

Notes

  • The effects caused by encountering the Pokémon can be described as the loss of knowledge, emotions, and will. These things can happen by, respectively, looking into Uxie's eyes, touching Mesprit, and hurting Azelf. This can be interpreted as the reason why Uxie keeps its eyes closed (to prevent memory loss), Mesprit flees from humans (so as to not be touched), and Azelf's ability to enter another being's body (so as to avoid harm).
  • Also, in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky, it is said that Uxie erases the memories of those that enter Fogbound Lake.

Sinnoh Folk Tales

Sinnoh Folk Tales (Japanese: シンオウ むかしばなし Sinnoh Folklore) is a book of three folk stories.

"Sinnoh Folk Story 1"
Pick clean the bones of Pokémon caught in the sea or stream.
Thank them for the meals they provide, and pick their bones clean.
When the bones are as clean as can be, set them free in the water from which they came.
The Pokémon will return, fully fleshed, and it begins anew.
"Sinnoh Folk Story 2"
There lived a Pokémon in a forest.
In the forest, the Pokémon shed its hide to sleep as a human.
Awakened, the human dons the Pokémon hide to roam villages.
"Sinnoh Folk Story 3"
There once were Pokémon that became very close to humans.
There once were humans and Pokémon that ate together at the same table.
It was a time when there existed no differences to distinguish the two.

Notes

  • The first story is another example of Pokémon being eaten as food by humans.
  • The first story goes on to bear resemblance to the Ainu belief of kamuy - the divinity within all things; by eating animals, one would give thanks to the spirit or god within, and thus uphold the balance of nature.
  • Sinnoh Folk Story 2 is reminiscent of the Scottish tales of selkies.
  • In the literal translation of Sinnoh Folk Story 3, the myth originally referred to Pokémon and people marrying each other.
  • Old Verse 9 in Pokémon Legends: Arceus makes reference to the practice in Sinnoh Folk Story 1.

Snowpoint Temple myth

A body of rock. A body of ice. A body of steel.
When gather those three together, the king will appear.

This myth is not in the Canalave Library, but rather engraved on Regigigas's body. Upon reading it, if the player has Regirock, Regice, and Registeel in their party, Regigigas awakens and battles the player.

Cynthia's version of Giratina's myth

While Cynthia was studying the Sinnoh myths, she found some information related to Giratina.

At Spear Pillar:

When this world was made, Dialga and Palkia appeared.
Apparently, there was one more Pokémon that appeared at the same time.
A Pokémon with as much power as Dialga and Palkia...
But also one whose name was never to be spoken--Giratina!
It's said to lurk in another world... A world on the opposite side of ours...

At the Distortion World:

The legend of Giratina has been all but forgotten but to a few...
The legend told of a world on the other side of ours. This world.
Why does this world exist? Why is Giratina here all alone?

This myth is not in the Canalave Library, but rather are Cynthia's conclusions of her studies about the ancient myths.

Cynthia's interpretation of Celestic Town's cave painting

When the player visits the cave painting of Celestic Town after entering the Hall of Fame in Pokémon Platinum, Cynthia will join them and discuss her interpretation of the painting.

This cave painting... It's always been described this way.
The light in the center represents either Dialga or Palkia appearing at the Spear Pillar.
The three lights around it were thought to be Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf.
But, then, I realized that there may be another way of interpreting this.
Could this triangle of lights actually represent a different trio?
Could they be Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina instead?
And the large light in the center. Does it represent something else?
Could it be what created this world of ours?
Do you know of the ancient Plates they find all over Sinnoh?
One of them had this engraved on it.
"Two beings of time and space set free from the Original One."
I think this quote, too, points to the presence of another Pokémon.
A Pokémon even more powerful than Dialga or Palkia.
Does that sound plausible to you?
I'm not quite sure how Giratina fits into this scheme of things, but...
It's said that in the Distortion World, neither time nor space were stable.
I think that tells us something about Giratina, the only Pokémon there.
It must have been as powerful as Dialga and Palkia, the rulers of time and space.
In some way, though, Giratina has to have a power opposite of theirs.
A long time ago, I wonder what sort of person painted this?
Dialga's Roar of Time... Palkia's Spacial Rend...
To the people back then, those Pokémon really must have appeared to rule over time and space.
Seeing them must have shaken the people to their very core.
This painting represents those feelings of awe, wonder, and everything else.
It passed that memory to countless people, eventually becoming a myth...
That's what I believe as a researcher of myths.
I think I let myself get carried away and talked for far too long.
I'm sorry, and thank you. Let's meet again.

Arceus's Myth

If the player has acquired Arceus in Pokémon Platinum, a Hiker appears in Oreburgh Mine and then again in Canalave's library to relate the following myth.

At Oreburgh Mine:

If I had to explain very simply, I study how people came to be.
That could explain why I happen to be in Sinnoh.
In Sinnoh, there is a myth on how the world came into existence.
Investigating that myth may give me insight on the emergence of people.
I found something very interesting soon after arrival.
You may have it, if you'd like."
The Hiker gives the player a Flame Plate.
I'm told that Plate was created at the same time as Sinnoh.
The plate I found bears this inscription.
"The rightful bearer of a Plate draws from the Plate it holds"
The rightful bearer, I think, may point to the shaper of this world.
Oh, by the way, I'm only interested in the words and thoughts left behind. Physical artifacts like that Plate don't interest me once I've
read them.
I hope we meet again somewhere.

At Canalave City:

Well, hello! We meet again!
After we parted, I went from Oreburgh, to Hearthome, Celestic, then Eterna.
Yes, the town and cities surrounding the foot of Mt. Coronet.
Why the fascination with Mt. Coronet, you may ask?
Well Mt. Coronet happens to be called "The origin of Sinnoh."
I learned many things on my journey. Would you like to hear them?
The way I see it, our world began when the spirit within people was born.
When that spirit came to be, there followed awareness about the world.
Within the newborn spirit, time and space were intertwined as one.
People and Pokémon, too, were but the same presence.
As I understand it, people and Pokémon shared the spirit and awareness.
They should have understood and accepted each other then.
Because they shared the same spirit, people and Pokémon intermingled.
People took the place of Pokémon, and the opposite also held true.
That interpretation could give us an idea about how our world came to be.
A Pokémon is said to have shaped this world.
Could that Pokémon be the physical form of the original spirit?
Hmm... The spirit came to be, and from it, time and space were born...
That seems to point to Legendary Dialga, the Pokémon of time, and Palkia, the Pokémon of space...
And they lead back to Arceus, the Pokémon that made them arise.
Oh, there were also Plates, weren't there?
One Plate read "Three beings were born to bind time and space."
Those three beings I read to mean the three Pokémon of the lakes. It's about Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf.
The myth describes how they gave spirit to the world, shaping it.
But it all starts with Arceus, the first. It is known as the Original One.
Oh, by the way, I wrote down the words engraved on those Plates.
I summarized them in a book and donated it to this library,
There it is in that bookshelf. I'd be pleased if you'd read it.
I have to say, I'm glad I came out to Sinnoh.
I suppose I'd better be off in search of new myths in faraway lands.
It would be nice if our paths were to cross again.

"Sinnoh's Beginning as Told on Plates."

This is a collection of engravings from ancient Plates found in Sinnoh.
"The Original One breathed alone before the universe came."
"When the universe was created, its shards became this Plate."
"The power of defeated giants infuses this Plate."
"Two beings of time and space set free from the Original One."
"Three beings were born to bind time and space."
"Two make matter, and three make spirit, shaping the world."
"The powers of Plates are shared among Pokémon."
"The rightful bearer of a Plate draws from the Plate it holds."

Jewel of Life myth

Return thus to Arceus the Jewel of Life.
Placate its rage. Lest destruction visit this land.

The Sea's Legend

This book is present only in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as a hint for completing the Request of the same name in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which does not otherwise provide details on the legend.

"This book is titled "The Sea's Legend." It's a text that was only recently discovered, and its ancient letters were decoded."
"Once upon a time in the East Sea, there was a Pokémon known as the prince. A brave human asked Pokémon living in the sea to let them see the prince."
"Mantyke, Buizel, and a Qwilfish with huge spikes acknowledged the human's bravery and joined them. Together, they set off in a boat over the sunset-streaked sea, sailing through the ocean gate stretched over the waves."
"News of this reached the ears of the prince, who went to meet the brave little party at the Seaside Hollow."

See also

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