Hymmnos Theory

This contains everything about the kinds of waves, kinds of Hymmnos, and its functions. For the most basic theory, you should check the Wave Theory section.

=Kinds of Waves=

Conductor Wave
The Conductor Wave is a very simple concept, called [Energy]. Everything in the world it's organized by waves, such as the light and heat waves, and also the power of magic, and the gravity. To put it in few words, all the classes of energy are Conductor Waves.

Stationary Wave
The Stationary Wave is a little difficult concept, known generally as [Power to Continuing Existing]. For example, a pencil, to continue being a pencil, needs to have a proper kind of [Power]. And also, in this big world, to maintain the existence called pencil, there have to be some ingredients assembled through the wave motions. For the people that it’s familiar with physics, they might understand this concept more easily by calling it [Atomic Assembly]. In this world there are atom and wave assembly, and also, if a determined quantity of atoms stops moving, then only the same number of waves can stop moving too. In short, the Stationary Wave is a [Existence], and also things like the [Ego] and the [Will].

D Wave
The (Detail Wave) it's also called the matter wave. All the matter in this world is organized by waves. For example: [Iron] has to have a wave frequency that varies from 0 to ∞Ｈz, and carry a frequency vector, to be able to keep its current status, and its composition. And even if it doesn't have a shape, if it's physical phenomenon (Examples: fire, temperature, etc.), they are also caused by D Waves.

These D Waves and H Waves (mentioned below) are the [Variation Waves], but they are different from the aforementioned Stationary and Conductor Waves; these are called the [Condition Waves]. The [Variation Waves] and the [Condition Waves] are often used together, and commonly called as [Conductor D Wave] and [Stationary D Wave]. The Conductor D Wave is used for things concerning Energy, and the Stationary Ｄ Wave is used for matter, but it's a mistake to use the Conductor Ｄ Wave also for feelings or thoughts.

H Wave
The [Hymmno Wave] it's also called the wave of feelings. In the Earth there are concepts that can't be totally explained, such as the [Feelings], and mainly, the [Soul], and these concepts are this wave. The Stationary D Wave is often used as the [Soul or Will], while the Conductor D Wave is used as the [Feelings].

The H and D Waves are completely different from the existence level, but they don't intervene between each other. Still, in the present-time Sol Ciel we are not able to explain everything about the two kinds of waves, since in the immensity there must be an infinite number of known and unknown kinds of [Variation Waves].

=Kinds of Hymmnos=

Hymmnos Extract
[Hymmnos Extract] is for using the [Songs that Control the Tower], basically it's for controlling directly the power from the Tower of Ar Tonelico. However, a identification it's required for that purpose, and if a specific Reyvateil doesn't has it, she wont' be able to use anything from the Hymmnos Extract. Typically, when [Hymmnos] it's being talked about, everything point to this particular kind of Hymmnos. There is a key to be able to use the [Hymmnos Extract], and that key it's called the [Hymn Code], or Reyvateil identifier. The Hymmnos Extract is only possible to the Reyvateils that possess this identifier. The Hymn Code is written in a format similar to this: [EOLIA_ANSUL_ARTONELICO], though the Beta-Pureblooded type Reyvateils have their unique variations for their codes. The Reyvateils capable of performing the Hymmnos Extract have a great amount of power at their disposal, being able to control from the weather to the gravity, shake the earth using great magic, and even control totally the environment, among the great variety of effects that the Song Magic can cause.

Structure
EXEC_PURGER/. and similar songs, are songs that can change the operation of the Tower’s system through the [Feelings (Conductor H Waves)] of the singer. The [Hymns] are strictly songs that are downloaded (dropped) into the Reyvateil’s (girl’s) memory and sung from there.

In these occasions, it could be said that the Reyvateil is a [Programmer], though it’s also correct to say that she is like a [ROM cassette (from a gaming console)]. In this way, we could metaphorically explain that Hymmnos is like a programming language, and that in the middle of singing of the singer’s [Feelings (Conductor H Waves)], it could also be defined as the bus that connects to the CPU and the other parts of a computer, and the controller of the electric signals for the computer. Though it’s easier to understand if we see the Reyvateil as a game cassette, and the Tower as a gaming console (though in a more strictly manner of speaking, the Reyvateil could also be seen as any kind of media device (a memory card, a HDD, a DVD-RAM, etc.)) As we can see in the chart below:

Hymmnos Word
[Hymmnos Word] is what it's called in the Third Era as [Song Magic], and it's mainly magic used for battles, created from the own feelings of the Reyvateils. All the living Reyvateils are capable of using this, by just accessing their own minds, though the variations on practicing it increased rapidly. There isn’t any restriction in its use, if the mind it's abundant in feelings, then the Hymmnos Word will be very varied, and the opposite it's also true, since a Reyvateil that has a dried up mind won't be able to craft many Hymmnos Word songs.

Also, for the Reyvateil to sing the song (= to release the Conductor H Waves), they have to completely understand the thing that they want to craft the [Song] from, without omitting anything. So, for the Hymmnos Word, if a Reyvateil is able to convey her own feelings into the song without omitting anything, then, naturally, the song will always have a 100% of success when it's used. (Still, if the Reyvateil it's unsure of herself, then her feelings won't be able to be conveyed correctly to the song, and the power of the song itself won't manifest in the real world).

Hymmnos Spell
[Hymmnos Spell] isn't used in the same way as the standard songs, since its most like a line of character strings used to invoke a spell. It's biggest trait it's that the Reyvateils aren't the only ones that can recite it. The Hymmnos Spell is used mainly when humans and Reyvateils need to access to the Tower to control some of its smaller functions. The grammar it's mostly similar to the one that the Hymmnos Word uses, though it's different how the Tower registers it, and there aren't any variations for them, because the Hymmnos Spell are all preset commands in the Tower's memory. That is the biggest difference with the Hymmnos Word, since the Hymmnos Spell can't create any new functions. It's used mainly to execute the download for a Hymmnos Extract and for the security check program in the Dividing Walls.

=Basic Theory & Operation of the Hymns=

[Hymmnos Spell] has the unique advantage of not being a Song from the Reyvateils, while the [Hymmnos Extract] and [Hymmnos Word] at first glance look like the same in theory and in the practice. That is, if we see both being performed from the start we see that both do the [Sing a Song => Invoke something] process to accomplish something. However, actually they are completely different. Simply put, while the Hymmnos Word is 100% the embodiment of the Reyvateil's feelings and ideas, the Hymmnos Extract is more like a mechanical, computerized, inorganic-like part that comprises the biggest part of the songs.

Execution


So, knowing the Hymmnos theory, you might get that the Hymmnos Extract isn't the original feelings of a Reyvateil. So these [Feelings (Conductor H Wave)] it's more like an invisible kind of signal, making it clear that it is mediated by some kind of [Artificial Processing].

Examples of Hymn Execution and Effects

Hymmnos Extract it’s possibly the most difficult point in here, and it was planned that the feelings used for this kind of songs couldn’t be downloaded by any kind of Reyvateil that felt uncomfortable with them. Oneself must absorb the [Feelings] of someone else as if they were their own, but the Reyvateil can’t accept totally these artificial feelings, because doing so damages severely the compatibility between the song and the Reyvateil. So, frequently, the Hymmnos Extract is told similar to a [Story], because doing that, it acts as a Shock Absorber. This used mainly in a way that the Reyvateil can adapt to the artificial program that the Hymn Crystal contains. And a contradiction can occur if, during the making of the Hymmnos Extract, the Reyvateil refuses to perform the download, or if the download is executed and nothing happens.

Power Relationship for the Conductor H Waves
When a [Hymmnos Word] is sung, the flow of Conductor H Waves is something that the Reyvateil opts to transmit or not, since the Tower (the Server) doesn’t need it for these cases. The Reyvateil, in her own consciousness and unconsciousness, controls the flow of the Conductor H Waves (or the Power of her Feelings). So, as long as it’s allowed, it’s only under the Reyvateil’s responsibility to invoke a Song in Hymmnos Word. However, when it’s about a Hymmnos Extract, it’s not settled so easily.

Hymmnos Extract is [Another Person’s Feelings], and it’s not possible to decide by oneself how or if it’s necessary to transmit the Conductor H Waves flow. For example: in the case Aurica sings [EXEC_HYMME_LIFE_W:R:S/. (Word)], since that is a song that Aurica crafted before, the necessary Conductor H Waves flow and Spectrum are decided unconsciously by Aurica. However, in the case Aurica sings [EXEC_LINKER/. (Extract)], another person has to decide the way to sing, and she cannot decide by herself the necessary Spectrum and Conductor H Waves flow. So, it doesn’t have anything to do with the endurance capacity that Aurica has. The Hymmnos Extract it’s usually very ruthless, and in accordance with the recorded specifications, it only requires a Spectrum and a Flow.

Here is where the tragedy occurs. Namely, the Hymn Extract sometimes consumes the Reyvateil. Though in the First Era, that problem didn’t exist. With the exception of the [Origins], which possess the highest level of power between the Reyvateils, all the other Reyvateils, the [β-Pureblooded Types], had the same power level. In that time, there were only two classes of Hymmnos Extract: the [Origin Exclusive Use] and the [General Use] classes. (Though, in the Sol Ciel of the Second Era, the β-Pureblooded Type Reyvateils were exploited, in order to make them equal and even possibly superior to the Origins in their specifications). However, when the Third Generation Reyvateils arrived, this simplicity was lost. There are many individual differences between the Third Generation Reyvateils. And some of the descendants of the best β-Pureblooded Type had minimum singing power. As a result, if a Third Generation Reyvateil tries to sing a Hymmnos Extract, and her abilities aren’t enough to handle that song, she will die in the spot.

Though there is a consolation for this sadness, since it’s necessary to possess a Hymn Code to perform Hymmnos Extract, and the Third Generation Reyvateils don’t possess one, they aren’t able to download the Hymmnos Extract. Because that, during the era of the game, the [Third Era], the Third Generation Reyvateils don’t have any motives for singing a Hymmnos Extract.

Extract Specifications in Numeric Format