Paimon is the discarded emotion of Phanes.
(No evidence from 7.0 will be used in this post.)
Hello!
A while ago, I made a theory that Paimon is a piece of the Heavenly Principles' heart.
In short, it uses the story of the Archons, Skirk and Ineffa as analogies to make the case that Paimon is the embodiment of Phanes' emotions, severed in order to make the Heavenly Principles more "godly," remove weakness, and make them operate based purely on Reason.
That theory has not only held up tremendously, but I actually think there's more compelling evidence. So let's get into it!
1. Sandrone and the Tsaritsa - Reason versus Emotion
Summer events have always foreshadowed the next region. Idiya and the Oceanids, the Golden Apple Archipelago with Inazuma and Sumeru, and of course, Simulanka, the gift that keeps on giving...
This year, our event focused on Sandrone, and her internal conflict between Reason and Emotion.
From the moment Sandrone was created, she experienced conflicts between her cognitive and emotional modules. This led to an "anomaly" in her systems - a being representing "what happens when emotion contradicts reason."
The "anomaly" doesn't have any actual power. It's only a nagging voice inside of Sandrone's subconscious, asking her to do something "illogical" for the sake of her emotions. In other words, her conscience.
The anomaly is seen as something worthless, something that only brings pain, and something unnecessary. This anomaly has been locked away for many years, much like Nahida was. Now that she's come face to face with "Reason," she asks whether she's going to remain locked away, or if she's going to be destroyed altogether.
This is perfect foreshadowing for the conflict between Reason and Emotion within Phanes. The Tsaritsa's theme as the God of Love seems to be centered around balancing Reason with Emotion - She acts coldly out of greater love for the world. While the Tsaritsa's heart may be frozen in ice, ice is a form of preservation. Rather than cutting her emotions out entirely, she hardens them, but that does not mean they will never thaw again.
Only by embracing Paimon can the Heavenly Principles truly find peace.
2. Dainsleif and the Five Sinners
The Five Sinners correspond to the authorities of the Four Shades and Heavenly Principles: Time, Space, Life, Death, and Reason.
However, Dainsleif can be considered a sixth "sinner" that does not count as part of their group and stands opposed to them.
Skirk mentions that Surtalogi's power is enough to overturn "A sixth" of the world.
Heck, even "The Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies" acknowledges a sixth member of the Sinners. So, what power would Dainsleif wield if not one of the five Authorities? There must be a sixth.
3. Asmoday and Melancholy
Ashikai mentioned my previous theory in her video about Asmoday and the power of Space! I highly recommend giving it a watch, along with the rest of her videos - I've been a longtime fan, and I was absolutely floored to see my theory get a shoutout!
In her video, she makes the case that Paimon is actually a fragment of Asmoday, an "imaginary friend" and embodiment of childhood that helps her deal with her melancholy. I love this theory, but I think that this applies to Phanes and the Shades as a whole, not just Asmoday specifically.
Without going too far into it, I believe that the Four Shades represent the Four Temperaments associated with the alchemical elements of Earth, Water, Air and Fire. According to this framework, Ronova is Choleric, Istaroth is Sanguine, Naberius is Phlematic, and Asmoday is the "Melancholic" temperament, which would characterize her as depressive and distant (to use a Space pun) from the other Shades.
In my opinion, Paimon is in the perfect position to help Asmoday and all of the other Shades to deal with their emotions, because she represents Emotion itself. It's emotion that makes something "human," and the rejection of emotion is the Heavenly Principles rejecting its own humanity in favor of eternity.
4. Writing changes and "vibes"
I know the concept of changes in writing direction and "retcons" are a touchy subject in the fandom, so I won't go too deeply into it.
However, I will briefly note that Paimon's crown is the one present in the Genshin Impact logo. Not only that, but Paimon herself is visible behind the logo of the webtoon.
This webtoon, released before the game came out, does not focus on the domain of any of the Shades in particular. Rather, it focuses on the overall themes of the game, the Primordial nature of Celestia, and the relationship between gods and humans. I personally think this decision to feature Paimon in the webtoon -- one where Paimon does not appear, and the Traveler makes an appearance in the background of a single panel-- only makes sense if Paimon is a successor to Phanes in a significant way. Her sharing of the "crown" motif with Phanes only supports a direct connection between them.
The writers clearly knew who Paimon was before establishing anything about the Shades, the Angels, the Traveler's spaceship, or any other plot threads that complicate the story. In my opinion, the only narratively satisfying conclusion is that Paimon's role is front and center, and something that can be intuitively understood by a brand-new player. Paimon's role must be the linchpin of the game's story, and her being the discarded embodiment of Celestia's humanity is the perfect role to encapsulate the game's themes.
Throughout the entire journey, emotion has been a very important force throughout Teyvat. Emotions run through the Ley Lines. They can be communicated through the Elements across vast distances. They are contained within memories of past moments. Negative emotions, or Resentments, cause problems with souls and the Abyss. Positive emotions and relationships grant power to people to defy fate itself. Et cetera, et cetera.
Thus, Emotion can be said to be something that transcends Life, Death, Time, Space and Reason itself.
It has no authority of its own, but without it, all things lose their meaning. In many ways, "Emotion" IS the "Reason" for everything. Emotion is not a separate power from Reason, but instead, the other side of the same coin.
I believe this is why Paimon shares the imagery of the "Crown of Reason" with Phanes - because Emotion is something that is born directly from, and stands in opposition to Reason -- just like Ineffa, Sandrone and Skirk.
Thus, Paimon's role as a companion cannot be understated. Whereas Phanes is distant, Paimon is present. Phanes is untouchable, mighty and strong, and Paimon is weak, down-to-earth and vulnerable. Phanes is the god of all gods, while Paimon acts much more like a human. Paimon may be seen as a liability by Phanes, but to humanity, she is the most precious of all.
