The Great Beings were immensely powerful beings who, according to Matoran legend, dispatched the Great Spirit Mata Nui from paradise to care for all living things. It was believed that the Great Beings came into existence long before Mata Nui and dwarfed even him in sheer power. It was unknown how many Great Beings existed and where they resided. The Great Beings were known to have created the Matoran, the Krana, Artakha, Karzahni, the Zyglak, the Ignika, the Chamber of Life, and the Great Spirit Mata Nui.1
Notes
It was common knowledge in the Matoran universe that the Great Beings created their world.2
In the Melding alternate universe, the Great Beings knew Spherus Magna better than anyone, from the Great Sea to the Northern Frost. In this universe, the Great Beings had a vast fortress made completely of crystal and iron.2 This fortress was not the Valley of the Maze and was not in the Bara Magna or Black Spikes region of Spherus Magna.3 When the Great Beings spoke to visitors, they spoke in whispers.2
The Great Beings once ruled the world of Spherus Magna prior to the Shattering.4
Mata Nui described the Great Beings as wise men and women who had created him and his universe.5
The world of Spherus Magna was once ruled by a collection of men and women called the Great Beings. They were wise and just, and for an age, their creations helped to make life better for everyone who lived on the planet. Over time, the Great Beings wearied of the day-to-day rigor of running a world. They wished to be free to invent and experiment. Using their vast knowledge, the Great Beings created six powerful entities they called the Element Lords and delegated control to them. The Element Lords were to protect the Agori from threats, guide them through crises, and take on the responsibilities of rule so the Great Beings could live as they wished. For a long time, this new system worked.6
After the Shattering, the whereabouts of the Great Beings themselves became a mystery.6
Great Beings had been seen as figures wearing dark, hooded cloaks, standing roughly the same height as a Glatorian.7
Before the Core War, Spherus Magna was ruled by the Great Beings, brilliant scientist-kings who lived inside a fortress with no entrance which could only be accessed with their assent.8
The inhabitants of the Matoran universe often spoke of the Great Beings as deities. See List of Expressions.
The Great Beings had been avid creators since long, long before the Core War.9
The Great Beings generally lived together.10
Great Beings were not able to change shape or size.11
At the end of the story, the Great Beings were on Spherus Magna, though not in a place seen in the story.12
Great Being installations on Spherus Magna were largely hidden.13
The Great Beings' extraordinary intelligence was not caused by a particular event or external force; they were simply members of the Glatorian species who happened to be born that way.14
The fact that the Great Beings were of the same species as the Glatorian was generally known among Agori and Glatorian; it was not a secret.15
Since Great Beings were members of the Glatorian species, their children came into the world the same way Glatorian children did. Great Beings were essentially genius Glatorian, so their children were most likely to be exposed to much greater educational opportunities than other children and be more likely to follow in their parents' path someday. The Great Beings were so advanced due to natural intelligence and affinity for science. Great Beings just happened to be smarter than the other members of their species; in theory, a regular Glatorian could become a Great Being through study. It is unclear whether or not Great Beings always had children with the intelligence of a Great Being, and regular Glatorian always had children with regular intelligence. It is unlikely that Great Beings and non-Great Beings ever had children together; although the Great Beings sometimes interacted with Agori, they were not known to interact directly with Glatorian.16
The Great Beings were essentially very intelligent Glatorian. According to Greg, "it's basically like a human "think tank" staffed with Einstein, Ben Franklin, Da Vinci, etc."17
The Great Beings' native language was Agori. The Great Beings were given the title "Great Beings" by others; they did not come up with it themselves.18
The Great Beings had the technology to do gene splicing, although they had little reason to bother with it, since they focused more on the biomechanical than genetics.19
The Great Beings were not preoccupied with their tribes of origin, but rather came together to focus on their work.20
Mata Nui was physically stronger than the Great Beings, but the Great Beings were stronger mentally.21
A Great Being would likely be strong enough to defeat Teridax in battle.22
Matoran felt incapable of envisioning the Great Beings.23
The Matoran believed the Great Beings created universes.24
The Great Beings created universes.25
The Great Beings would have cared what happened to the Matoran and their universe had they known Mata Nui was dying, but they did not.26
The Great Beings didn't know what was going on in the universe because they weren't there.27
The Great Beings were too busy to manipulate Mata Nui and his decisions.28
The Matoran respected the power of the Great Beings, but did not worship them.29
The Great Beings were extremely intelligent.30
When it came to Matoran, if a Great Being wanted something, that automatically became how it was.31
Great Beings were capable of emotion, so they could do good or evil acts. No Great Being had ever been corrupted.32
The Great Beings had the ability to create, but not the ability to create perfection, as evidenced by Karzahni's failure.33
The Great Beings had physical forms.34
The Great Beings created only domed universes. They did not create Aqua Magna.35
The Great Beings were perceived as god-like by the Matoran because they created them. However, they were not truly gods; their only powers were their scientific knowledge.36
It is possible that some of the earliest creations in the Matoran universe would have known the names of some or all of the Great Beings.37
The Great Beings likely created universes because they could and because it was a creative endeavor they got satisfaction from.38
The Great Beings were generally unaware of the status of Mata Nui, even when he died.39
Other Information
- In mid-2006, Greg Farshtey implied the Great Beings were off creating new universes at that point in time.40
- The Great Beings created universes for the same reason humans built LEGO models.41