NAMES;

Summons or summoned monsters have been a staple of the Final Fantasy series since the almost the beginning and they have been known by a variety of names. They are creatures with amazing magical attacks that are controlled by allies and used against the enemies during battles. The Final Fantasy V term for them is simply "summons."

In Final Fantasy VI, they were called espers, which is closely related to the French word, "esperer," to hope or to wish. This name may speak to the ability to call upon the creatures such as Shiva in battle. In Final Fantasy VIII, summons are called Guardian Forces because of their powerful attack -- force -- and their ability to protect their callers during battle by taking the damage for them during the summoning sequence -- guardians. Abbreviated as "GFs," the FFVIII version of the creature took the place of its summoner during the length of time it took for the GF to answer the call, which differentiated by their compatibility.

In the next Final Fantasy, the word used to describe summons at their pinnacle of power is eidolons. "Eidolon" is a Greek term that loosely means "shade" or "phantom" and refers to the spirits, which haunt the earth. The root for "eidolon" is the Greek word "dolon," which means a trick or ruse. In mythology, it usually is connected with the cloud which was turned into a semblance of the goddess Hera to trick an amorous mortal. In the FFX for the PS2, Shiva is described as being an aeon which is created through something which is called a fayth in English and a prayer child in the Japanese version. Aeon is the Greek word for "Age." It is also a religious term used in early Gnostic dogma to describe the levels of divine spirits in their distinct hierarchy. The term 'fayth' and 'prayer child' are derived from the aeon's place within the game's religious system.

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