Ancestors

Ancestors fill the role of the "mentor" in Journey, according to the Hero's Journey.

Appearance
Ancestors are Rythulians with pure-white robes, gold markings, white masks with a 'beak' on the lower half, no visible legs, and no signs that their cloaks open up like the Wayfarers' do. They have a single point on the back of their hoods, is often hard to see from the front. They are usually two and a quarter times the height of a Wayfarer, though Bob appears taller at the start of Confluence, measuring at roughly seven and a half times the height of a Wayfarer.

Ancestors appear to be Ancient Rythulians who have "ascended."

Utterance
The Utterance of the Ancestors is the sound of a cello being bowed. You can also hear this sound during key points of a History Lesson, suggesting that it was the standard utterance of Rythulians before the age of the Wayfarers.

Fan names
The languages chosen are based on the languages used in I Was Born For This, in order. The names themselves were chosen for the meaning, with a focus on concepts that are important parts of journey. The exception for both of these is Bob, which was chosen for the sake of humor.

In the case of θάρσος (Thársos), Ancient Greek was used due to the difficulty of finding a Homeric Greek dictionary. Homeric Greek was a dialect of Ancient Greek, so the hope was that the meaning would be similar. This said, the meaning appears to be the same, even in Modern Greek.

Behavior
When one of their Shrines is activated and a player enters the circle of light that's created, one of the Ancestors appears to the player in a meeting also known as Confluence. During confluence, the Ancestor in question may interact with the Wayfarer briefly before revealing a part of Rythulia's history.

At the end of Snow/beginning of Paradise, six Ancestors are seen, looking over the Wayfarer.

In general, Ancestors have a wise, caring, and 'parent-ly' sort of behavior, though there are subtle differences:


 * Lux: Stays in the shadows, possibly indicating a cautious, observant tendency before choosing whether to fully trust. (Ironically named after the light.)
 * Āstigian: Leans in close to the Wayfarer, possibly indicating a curious, and/or sweet personality.
 * Thársos: Stares briefly before starting the vision, possibly suggesting a moderately-direct, if curious personality, or possibly a somewhat-reserved one.
 * Mémoire: Looks sad before showing how Ancient Rythulians began waging war with each-other, possibly suggesting a "bleeding heart" personality.
 * Awase: Stares up at Jenova's Peak (or a spirit-world version thereof) before looking down at the Wayfarer and revealing how the Wayfarer came to be, strongly suggesting a contemplative - maybe even knowing - personality.
 * Bob: Bob appears to be the only Ancestor that shows a vision without hesitation, possibly indicating a stronger, firmer, no-nonsense sense of duty.

In the beta


Ancestors would appear in the physical world to meet with Wayfarers. They had tall Symbols, made up of six characters instead of the standard four, with the top two character being connected. These symbols could be glowing white (esp. when near a Wayfarer), or a solid bronze-gold color. The Ancestors would give their symbols to the 'Farers after Confluence, increasing the embroidery level of the 'Farer. They would then vanish while the 'Farers were distracted by their upgraded cloaks.

The Ancestors would appear in visions as taller than other Rythulians, even as mortals. At the time, they're also shown with their own unique, consistent symbols, which are the same size and format as the symbols for other life forms. During confluence, however, their symbols are taller, and shaped completely differently, even having the topmost two characters connected - something you'd never see with standard, non-ascended creatures.

Wayfarers would bow when meeting Āstigian.

One of these confluences still exists in Level 09.

Speculation
It's unknown if the six Ancestors you meet at the end of Snow are the same as the ones you meet during Confluence, or if they're another six. If they're different, then it could be that the twelve Rythulians shown in the the cave Mural in Snow are all the ones who ascended, and that you get to meet all of them. If they're the same six, then it could be that only so many made it to Jenova's Peak, or that only so many decided to remain in the spirit realm. The existence of the broken shrine could also indicate that there was a seventh ancestor at one point.

The taller symbols in beta-Confluence could represent the Ancestors having increased spiritual power. The shape beings different from in their lives could represent them having been metaphorically (or literally) reborn. The shapes resembling the area that the player(s) just traveled through could mean that they've now gained an affinity for the area that they watch over.