What is Genshin Citlali's inspiration? Why is she called "Granny"?

Genshin Impact has many characters, but few carry the "elderly" tag. With Citlali's release, this 200-year-old "granny" magical girl becomes one of the few elders among Natlan's cast-at least for Ororon. Players versed in Genshin lore know Natlan's design excessively draws from South American civilizations. From map locales to character names, traces of Maya, Aztec, and other cultures abound. Naturally, Citlali is no exception. Let's dive into her inspirations!

1. The Design Behind Citlali's Name: "Granny Itztli"

"Citlali" derives from the Nahuatl word for "star." In Aztec mythology, a deity named Citlalicue (meaning "Star Skirt") shares this root. What was her role? Simply put, Citlalicue was the goddess who created and governed the Milky Way, stars, death, and darkness.

Yet Citlali's charm extends beyond this deity. In Chapter III of the main story, Citlali has a "drunken" episode-a nod to Indigenous myths involving pulque (agave wine) and romance tales.

2. The Quetzalcoatl Love Myth Linked to Citlali

In every love story, there's a hero and heroine. For Mesoamerican myths, none fit the male lead better than Quetzalcoatl. Here, the heroine isn't Citlali but her "granddaughter" Mayahuel. So what role does Citlali play? Let the myth unfold. The tale begins with gods bestowing crops to sustain humanity. Yet the ever-worried Quetzalcoatl believed threats lingered. He pondered day and night until stars speckled the sky like iron filings.

Gazing upward, he recalled a celestial menace: the Star Demoness Tzitzimitl. In Aztec lore, Tzitzimitl were skeletal star deities clad in skull-patterned skirts. Citlali's facial markings and twin hair buns directly mirror this imagery.

Tzitzimitl, an outlier among gods, wore floral dresses despite her bony form. From the First Sun to the current Fifth Sun, she relentlessly attacked the sun to plunge the world into darkness. To achieve this, she coerced celestial maidens into servitude. More stars in the sky signaled her latest captives-whom she called ""granddaughters"—gifting them flowery skirts. This explains Citlali's self-styled "Granny" persona.

It's noteworthy that in Aztec mythology, "Tzitzimimeh" is a plural term-they are a legion of demonesses, not a singular entity. Their leader is the goddess Itzpapalotl, who served as a day guardian in the Aztec calendar and was herself one of the Tzitzimime. This aligns with Citlali's in-game description as the "Obsidian Opalstar."

Returning to the tale: Quetzalcoatl targeted Tzitzimitl because, as a "benevolent" god dwelling among humans, he abhorred her tyranny. Her assaults on the sun directly threatened humanity. Thus, he ascended to confront her but found not Tzitzimitl, instead discovering her captive granddaughter Mayahuel, goddess of fertility and nourishment. Enraptured by Mayahuel's beauty, Quetzalcoatl freed her and fled to the mortal realm. There, they embraced as lovers and merged into an entwined tree. When Tzitzimitl discovered their escape, she rallied her dark sisterhood to scour the earth.

3. The Love Story's End and the Agave

Most love tales might end here-not a happy conclusion, yet far gentler than the Little Mermaid's tragedy. But like Citlali herself, Tzitzimitl would not relent. She dispatched starry spies who found the transformed lovers. In the ensuing chaos, Mayahuel was slain.

Quetzalcoatl buried her remains, then ascended to slay Tzitzimitl. With the dark goddess vanquished, light returned-but at the cost of eternal grief. Nightly, he wept at Mayahuel's grave until the gods intervened. From her tomb grew the agave plant, imbued by deities with soothing hallucinogenic properties to ease his sorrow. This became the Aztec origin of pulque: a balm for those mourning lost love.

Now, revisiting Citlali's role in Natlan Chapter III and the pulque myth, we grasp the "contrasting charm" of her character. Her offhand monologues immerse us deeper-for behind every grumpy "Granny" lies genuine care for her juniors. Perhaps this duality explains her revered elder status.

This concludes our exploration of Citlali's inspirations. May this deepen your appreciation of her, and stay tuned for more lore deep dives and Genshin merchandise!