In the history of Teyvat, countless conflicts have exploded throughout the ages between forces beyond human comprehension. Yet the more the Traveler’s story progresses, the more we realize that the events of the past millennia continue to impact the present. Between these historical events in Genshin Impact, the players have met some of the Dragon Sovereigns. However, there are still many unknowns about who they are or where they came from.
[Updated on August 16, 2024 โ Clarified information and updated links]
From Where Did the Seven Sovereign Dragons Originate in Genshin Impact?
Genshin Impact has three realms, but the Light Realm is where the dragons, the Vishap, and pure elements come from. The Seven Sovereign Dragons, capable of controlling an element, and the Dragon King Nibelung were the most powerful and, therefore, ruled the world. That is until The Heavenly Principles (the Primordial One), also supposed to be the First Descender for coming from another world, descended to Teyvat with its Four Shining Shades. This started a massive war in which the Sovereign Dragons lost their power and dominance over the world. The Primordial One became the new leader of Teyvat from Celestia and established the human world over the Light Realm.
However, Nibelung sought a power outside of Teyvat that could rival Celestia, being the Forbidden Knowledge. The Sovereign Dragons returned to fight alongside Nibelung, but although, in the end, some perished or fled, they did manage to weaken Celestia’s power. The Heavenly Principles weakened and turned the Third Descender into the Gnosis, to which they imbued part of the Sovereign Dragons’ power to maintain their control over Teyvat. After the Archon War, the Primordial One chose which Gods could use the Gnosis and take control of each nation.
The power of some of the Dragon Sovereigns and themselves disappeared from Genshin Impact. However, in the missions of Enkanomiya, it is prophesied that they can be reborn, even with human appearance. This explains that in Sumeru Apep, the dragon Dendro is still alive in its dragon form, although it was contaminated. At the same time, after the death of the previous Hydro dragon, it was reborn in human form as Neuvillette, which is why he does not have all his powers. In Enkanomiya, players discover that Hydro Dragon is human because he needs a pure vessel to reincarnate as a dragon. The other Hydro dragons/Vishaps become “impure” when they acquire the Electro and Cryo powers.
So far, only Apep, Neuvillette, and Nibelung are confirmed as Dragon Sovereigns in Genshin Impact. Although Azhdaha is a dragon that has lived for a long time and is equal to the Geo Archon. Nahida compares Dvalin to Apep, pointing out that elemental beings are born the same way but become dragons by becoming a purer elemental form. There is still a need to delve deeper into the story to get more information, and Natlan will surely provide more data on the Pyro dragon.
