Heremus

Heremus was one of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed., the inventor-rulers of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. who governed the planet before stepping back from public office to spend their days creating. He participated in the construction of the BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down., helped forge the only Mask of CreationThe Mask of CreationThe signature Kanohi of Ekimu the Mask Maker, the source of his creative craft. Stolen by Kulta the Skull Grinder, reclaimed at the Mask Makers' forge, and worn again in the final defence of Okoto. ever made, and gave the Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna. robot the conceptual hope that became its name. The published story does not follow him past the Shattering of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint.. (BIONICLE: Journey's End; BIONICLE: World)

Place among the Great Beings#

Heremus was one of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed., the body of inventor-scholars who served as the former rulers of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. before the planet broke apart. The order he belonged to had begun as ordinary members of the Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. tribes and over time drew apart on the strength of a shared love of creation. They became the planet's de facto rulers, but the work of ruling competed with the work of creating, and the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. eventually chose the workshop over the council chamber. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna; BIONICLE: Journey's End)

Heremus is one of the few Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. the story names, alongside AngonceAngonceThe Great Being who named Mata Nui, stayed out of the Baterra project, was said to have lingered on Bara Magna to watch the Agori, and raced too late to stop Marendar when the Toa reached Spherus Magna. and VelikaVelikaVelika is a Great Being who disguised himself as a Po-Matoran on Mata Nui, wearing a powerless Komau and bearing an affinity for Stone. Colored in golden brown, grey, and orange, he worked as an inventor and carried Power Carvers as his tools. He was last known to be located on Bota Magna.. Like the rest of his kind he had a passion for creating, and he comes across as something of an idealist. (BIONICLE: Journey's End)

The Element Lords and the desire to create#

The transition from public rule to private creation was not abstract. The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. wanted more time at the bench, and to obtain it they created the Element LordsElement LordsSeven elemental warriors transformed by the Great Beings who refused to end their war even after the world broke., one for each of the six tribes of AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and lived by the Glatorian arena system.. The LordsElement LordsSeven elemental warriors transformed by the Great Beings who refused to end their war even after the world broke. were tasked with the day-to-day rule the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. no longer wished to perform. Heremus was among the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. whose desire to spend more time creating than leading produced that arrangement. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

The arrangement failed. Energized ProtodermisEnergized ProtodermisA sentient substance that could remake or annihilate any being that touched it. One of the Matoran Universe's most lethal hazards. appeared on the surface of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. and the Element LordsElement LordsSeven elemental warriors transformed by the Great Beings who refused to end their war even after the world broke. instigated the Core WarThe Core War: the war that shattered a planetThe Core War was fought on Spherus Magna over Energized Protodermis. It ended in the Shattering, which tore the planet into three planetary fragments. over the discovery. The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. acquired a quantity of the substance for their experiments, but their diplomatic efforts to halt the war did not take hold. The conflict continued to rage in spite of every approach the order made. (BIONICLE: Journey's End; BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

Bench work: Baterra and Mask of Creation#

The reply to the Core War was twofold. First, the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. began work on a giant robot intended to fix the planet. Second, and separately, they began work on the BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down., shapeshifting robotic assassins programmed to kill any armed combatant of the war. Heremus participated in the assembly of the BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down. directly. (BIONICLE: Journey's End)

The decision split the order. AngonceAngonceThe Great Being who named Mata Nui, stayed out of the Baterra project, was said to have lingered on Bara Magna to watch the Agori, and raced too late to stop Marendar when the Toa reached Spherus Magna., who would later name the great robot, declined to work on the BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down. on the grounds that future hope mattered more than present destruction and that his time was better spent on the robot. Heremus did not take that line. He worked on the assassins. The BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down. were intended to end the war by removing every armed combatant from the field, and Heremus was one of the hands that put them together. (BIONICLE: Journey's End)

The BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down. failsafe did not work. The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. eventually realised the planet would shatter regardless of the BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down.'s success and tried to shut the assassins down. The shutdown failed. The assassins remained active. Ages later they haunted the land near the Black Spike MountainsBlack Spike MountainsThe mountain range north of the Bara Magna desert that served as the Skrall homeland after the Shattering, became Baterra hunting ground, and was destroyed when the Mata Nui robot fell upon it., where they cut down SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule. patrols, so the work of Heremus' bench was still killing long after the war it was built to end. (BIONICLE: Journey's End; Empire of the Skrall)

Heremus is also named in the chronicles as one of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. who forged the only Mask of CreationThe Mask of CreationThe signature Kanohi of Ekimu the Mask Maker, the source of his creative craft. Stolen by Kulta the Skull Grinder, reclaimed at the Mask Makers' forge, and worn again in the final defence of Okoto. ever crafted. It was among the most powerful KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. (BIONICLE: World)

The mask was not given to its eventual wearer in person. The right to wear it was settled by a physical fight between ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha is the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island where the Toa Mata came into being and the Avohkii was forged. and his brother KarzahniKarzahniBionicle used one cursed name three times, for a being, a realm and a plant, and every one of them earns it. This article untangles all three.. ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha is the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island where the Toa Mata came into being and the Avohkii was forged. won the fight and won the mask. The story preserves no further details of Heremus' part in the work beyond the fact of it. (BIONICLE: World)

The naming of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years.#

The deepest line on Heremus' record is the one that connects him to the central religious term of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. The giant robot the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had built to fix Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. needed a name. Heremus had a hope for it: that the machine would embody the spirit of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. itself. AngonceAngonceThe Great Being who named Mata Nui, stayed out of the Baterra project, was said to have lingered on Bara Magna to watch the Agori, and raced too late to stop Marendar when the Toa reached Spherus Magna. drew on that hope when he christened the completed robot. The chosen phrase was Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., rendered in the programming language the robot itself would use, and the phrase translated as "Great Spirit." (BIONICLE: Journey's End)

The naming therefore had two authors. AngonceAngonceThe Great Being who named Mata Nui, stayed out of the Baterra project, was said to have lingered on Bara Magna to watch the Agori, and raced too late to stop Marendar when the Toa reached Spherus Magna. supplied the speech act; Heremus supplied the conceptual content. The MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. of the universe within the robot would revere that name without ever knowing that the hope behind it had first belonged to a Great BeingThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. whose own name they never heard. (BIONICLE: Journey's End)

Shattering and significance#

Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. eventually shattered under the damage of the Core WarThe Core War: the war that shattered a planetThe Core War was fought on Spherus Magna over Energized Protodermis. It ended in the Shattering, which tore the planet into three planetary fragments., the failed BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down. programme, and the wider strain on the planet's structure. The published story does not say where Heremus was when it broke or what became of him afterwards. Other members of the order turn up later, such as AngonceAngonceThe Great Being who named Mata Nui, stayed out of the Baterra project, was said to have lingered on Bara Magna to watch the Agori, and raced too late to stop Marendar when the Toa reached Spherus Magna. on Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. and VelikaVelikaVelika is a Great Being who disguised himself as a Po-Matoran on Mata Nui, wearing a powerless Komau and bearing an affinity for Stone. Colored in golden brown, grey, and orange, he worked as an inventor and carried Power Carvers as his tools. He was last known to be located on Bota Magna. in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., but Heremus does not. His part in the record comes from the account of the earlier age given at the close of the Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna. saga. (BIONICLE: Journey's End)

Heremus is significant for three contributions to the Bionicle record. He participated in the assembly of the BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down., the assassins whose long survival shaped the politics of post-Shattering Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna.. He helped forge the only Mask of CreationThe Mask of CreationThe signature Kanohi of Ekimu the Mask Maker, the source of his creative craft. Stolen by Kulta the Skull Grinder, reclaimed at the Mask Makers' forge, and worn again in the final defence of Okoto. ever made. And he supplied the hope from which the name Mata NuiMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. was drawn, the religious term around which the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. ordered their entire civilisation. (BIONICLE: Journey's End; BIONICLE: World)

Each of those acts was carried forward by hands other than his own. The BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down. outlasted the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.' attempts to shut them down. The Mask of CreationThe Mask of CreationThe signature Kanohi of Ekimu the Mask Maker, the source of his creative craft. Stolen by Kulta the Skull Grinder, reclaimed at the Mask Makers' forge, and worn again in the final defence of Okoto. passed to ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha is the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island where the Toa Mata came into being and the Avohkii was forged. and from him into the wider story. The name Mata NuiMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. passed to AngonceAngonceThe Great Being who named Mata Nui, stayed out of the Baterra project, was said to have lingered on Bara Magna to watch the Agori, and raced too late to stop Marendar when the Toa reached Spherus Magna. and from him to the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.. Heremus' presence on the record is a presence at points of origin rather than at points of conclusion, and the chronicles preserve his name precisely because the things he helped begin outlived him. (BIONICLE: Journey's End; BIONICLE: World)