Aerith's mind set? *SPOILERS FOR THE END!*

[Fusionist]

So, we know that Aerith sacrificed herself so that she can be the soul that prays for Holy, right? Holy being the defense against Meteor that's the imminent threat to the planet.

But at the end, we can see that Holy ended up being destructive itself aiding Meteor.

But then the lifestream comes itself and neutralizes the combo and we see the ambiguous "wtf ending".

(Although, to be honest, I just assumed everything was alright when I first played through FFVII; it never occurred to me that everything could have been destroyed )

What I'm wondering is that did Aerith die for Holy, or for the lifestream?

If it was for Holy, then I can't help but think her death was in vain, since Holy messed up in the end.

But is it possible that Aerith had faith in the lifestream and knew that it was the true hope for the planet?

Just something that I was thinking about

 

[Bambi]

Wasn't the lifesteam stopping meteor down to aerith anyway? If she hadn't died I don't thhink the lifestream would have stopped it..... I think it was her sould or w/e that caused it to happen.....I'm shit at explaining things >_>

 

[lost4life]

Aeris was ancient, didnt she have some special thing to the earth, so ... i never really got the whole ending and aeris dying thing.

 

[Blue Link]

Remember what Sephiroth said? When the Planet suffers from a wound, the Lifestream comes to mend to the wound. If the wound is large enough, it would take a lot of Lifestream to heal it.

So, what about Aerith? Well, she made sure that the Planet heard her prayers so she could activate Holy which is what the White Materia was for. Imo, Holy was meant to hold Meteor back to prevent too much damage so that the Lifestream could heal the wound...

Thats my theory...

 

[Serah]

Wasn't the lifesteam stopping meteor down to aerith anyway? If she hadn't died I don't thhink the lifestream would have stopped it..... I think it was her sould or w/e that caused it to happen.....I'm shit at explaining things >_>

That was my understanding as well. If you read MotP (Maiden of the Planet) it explains that Aerith asked for everybody's help and strength to bring the Lifestream out of the planet so it could attack Meteor and save it from being destroyed. Don't worry xD I'm shit at explaining things as well. Maybe someone more knowledgable could stop in here.

 

[Aeon Teleos]

Aeris' prayer, along with the determination and willpower of everyone else, moved the Lifestream (which also represented the collective consciousness of the entire Planet, along with everyone and everything on it -- both alive and dead) for a last-ditch effort to stop Meteor. So Aeris prayed to the Planet, not just to the White Materia.

It's true that the White Materia was the direct antithesis to the Black Materia, but Sephiroth's influence was simply too powerful for Holy to handle all by itself. Let's not forget that Sephiroth lay dormant within the Lifestream for a great amount of time, so the knowledge he acquired regarding the nature of the Planet was vast enough to overcome the will of even the Ancients themselves. That could be a reason behind why Meteor seemed stronger than Holy.

But when the entire Planet's will to survive pulsated synergistically, Meteor was finally overcome.

 

[Toxic Variations]

I was always under the impression Aerith didn't know she was going to die. She had a feeling she MIGHT - but it wasn't like: I know I'm going to die and I choose to die in order to save everyone. That's why you have the whole: Then I'll be going now, I'll come back when it's all over. She actually thought she'd be coming back. Again, I don't think she had any idea what her white materia could do or how she'd be able to protect the Planet from Sephiroth - but you have this: ' The answer is just up there. I feel it. It feels like I'm being led by something. ' She learned everything she needed to know, about praying for Holy, at the Forgotten Capital.

Now, I think she died for neither. Why? Think about it: Jenova/Sephiroth would be fairly stupid to kill the girl off - if that was what was needed to save the Planet/ thus allowing her soul to reach the Planet and bring forth Holy, now wouldn't it? He'd have to know! As he was traveller of the Lifestream for what? Five plus years? During that time he absorbed the knowledge of those who had lived and died in the past. To bring forth Holy - and this is just my understanding of the game ( Could be very wrong! Ha ha - I'm not saying it's right ) - one has to have a strong spiritual connection to the Planet. The soul, of this person, would have to reach the Planet and make a connection - does it honestly mean that one has to die? Again, I'm not quite sure about that. Aerith made that connection while she was living: As we can see - the white materia, glows a pale green, just before she closes her eyes and dies. Her prayers, her soul, reached the Planet just a moment before Jenova/Sephiroth kills her.

I believe Aerith knew one thing: She had to pray, with all of her heart, to the Planet in order for the Planet to release Holy. Imagine a spell, of that magnitude, and how much energy/strength one must have! Her mind, body, and spirit had to be completely focused on that task or else she'd fail. I believe, beyond that? She didn't know much else. As for the whole Meteor/ Holy deal - Meteor was too close for Holy to take effect properly. The Earth's gravity - along with Meteors , pulled on it in opposite directions - thus weakening the spell. Thank goodness for the Lifestream. Yeah, I'm done now. I got a little long winded!

 

[Aeon Teleos]

Actually, I think, her death can be taken more as a sacrifice. One can see similarities between her death and Jesus' crucifixion. She sacrificed herself for the salvation of the Planet.

 

[DLFlux]

But at the end, we can see that Holy ended up being destructive itself aiding Meteor.

Holy was actually trying to stop Meteor, but it wasn't strong enough, the planet felt this and the Lifestream came about to aid Holy. Holy and the Lifestream fuse together, preventing Meteor bringing about ultimate destruction.

Or so they say in DoC.

 

[The Bikini Goddess]

I was always under the impression Aerith didn't know she was going to die. She had a feeling she MIGHT - but it wasn't like: I know I'm going to die and I choose to die in order to save everyone.

I agree. I do not think that Aeris was intentionally martyring herself.

However, another member made an interesting observation concerning Aeris as a metaphor for Jesus. Dying for a greater cause, or more specifically, dying to preserve life, is relatively generic.

I do feel that this theory is relevant and plausible-- especially considering the extremely heavy religious thematic influence appearing throughout the game (The appearance of "Sephirot" as Sephiroth, NIFLHEIM as Nibelheim, etc.)

 

[natan]

from what she said, she made it sound like she would rejoin everyone once her task was finished, but she may have been saying that so as not to alarm cloud