Hymmnos Theory
This contains everything about the kinds of waves, kinds of Hymmnos, and its functions. For a more complete review about the workings of said waves in the world of Ar tonelico, you should check the Wave Theory section.
Kinds of Waves
Dynamic Wave
The Dynamic Wave is a very simple concept, called [Energy]. Everything in the world is organized by waves, such as light and heat waves, as well as the power of magic and gravity. To put it in few words, all classes of energy are Dynamic Waves.
Static Wave
The Static Wave is a little difficult concept, known generally as [Power to Continue Existing]. For example, a pencil, to continue being a pencil, needs to have a proper kind of [Power]. In addition, in this big world, to maintain the existence called pencil, there has to be some ingredients assembled through the wave motions. For people that are 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 if a determined quantity of atoms stops moving then only the same number of waves can stop moving too. In short, the Static Wave is an [Existence], as well as things like the [Ego] and the [Will].
D Wave
The D Wave (Detail Wave) is also called the Matter Wave. All matter in this world is organized by waves. For example, [Iron] has to have a wave frequency that varies from 1 to ∞Ｈz, and carry a frequency vector to be able to keep its current status and its composition. Even if something doesn't have a shape, as long as it's a 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 Static and Dynamic Waves; these are called the [Condition Waves]. The [Variation Waves] and the [Condition Waves] are often used together, and are commonly referred to as [Dynamic Detail Wave] and [Static Detail Wave]. The Dynamic D Wave is used for things concerning Energy while the Static D Wave is used for matter. However, it's a mistake to use the Dynamic D Wave to refer to feelings or thoughts.
H Wave
The H Wave (Hymmno Wave) is also called the wave of feelings. In the Earth there are concepts that can't be totally explained, such as [Feelings], and mainly, the [Soul], and these concepts are this wave. The [Static Hymmno Wave] often refers to the Soul (or Will) while the [Dynamic Hymmno Wave] refers to 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, an identification is required for that purpose and if a specific Reyvateil doesn't have it, she won't be able to use anything from the Hymmnos Extract. That identification is 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],and it identifies a β-Type Reyvateil. The Reyvateils capable of performing the Hymmnos Extract have a great amount of power at their disposal, being able to control forces from weather to the gravity, cause earthquakes, and even totally control the environment, among all its effects.
Structure
EXEC_PURGER/. and similar songs are those that can change the operation of the Tower’s system through the [Feelings (Dynamic 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 the singing of the singer’s [Feelings (Dynamic 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 such as a memory card, a HDD, a DVD-RAM, etc.) As we can see in the chart below:
| Hymn Crystal | Program | Software |
| Reyvateil | DVD-RAM, Rewritable Game Cassette, etc. | Hardware |
| Ar tonelico (Tower) | PC, Game Console | Hardware |
Hymmnos Word
A [Hymmnos Word] is the kind of Hymmnos that is known in the Third Era as [Song Magic], and it is mainly magic used for battles, created from the feelings of the Reyvateils. All living Reyvateils are capable of using this by just accessing their own minds, and it's quite versatile. There isn’t any restriction in its use, if the mind is abundant in feelings then the Hymmnos Word will be very varied, and the opposite is 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 Dynamic H Waves), they have to completely understand the thing from which they will craft the [Song]. 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% rate of success when it is used. But if the Reyvateil is unsure of herself, then her feelings won't 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 it is most like a line of character strings used to invoke a spell. Its biggest trait is that the Reyvateils aren't the only ones that can use it. The Hymmnos Spell is used mainly when humans and Reyvateils need to access the Tower to control some of its smaller functions. The grammar is mostly similar to the one that the Hymmnos Word uses, though there are differences in how the Tower registers it, and there aren't any variations for them since the Hymmnos Spell are all preset commands in the Tower's memory. That is the biggest difference with the Hymmnos Word, since it's not possible for anyone to create new Hymmnos Spell 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
The [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, in reality they are completely different. Simply put, while the Hymmnos Word is the embodiment of the Reyvateil's feelings and ideas, the Hymmnos Extract is mostly a computerized, inorganic construct.
Execution
Knowing the Hymmnos theory, you might see that the Hymmnos Extract isn't the original feelings of a Reyvateil. These [Feelings (Dynamic H Waves)] are only a signal, sending to the Tower a clear, simple message telling it to execute a function.
Examples of Hymn Execution and Effects
| Song Name | Song Type | Effect | Range of Execution |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXEC_PURGER/. | Extract | Interruption of a program's execution. | Within the Tower’s Systems |
| EXEC_SUSPEND/. | Extract | Puts the entire Tower in Standby mode. | Within the Tower’s Systems |
| EXEC_LINKER/. | Extract | Performs a physical fusion between the Tower and a Reyvateil. | Within the Tower’s Systems |
| EXEC_HYMME_LIFE_W:R:S/. | Word | Corrects the order of the Static D Waves for a specific organism. | Within the singer’s field of vision |
| EXEC_HYMME_LUMINOUS_DEF/. | Word | Creates a Static D-Wave barrier around a specific area. | Within the singer’s field of vision |
| EXEC_HYMME_FATHER/. | Word | Creates a vision of a stubborn father and damages the Static D-Waves of an organism. | Within the singer’s field of vision |
The most difficult Hymmnos Extracts to use are also the most uncomfortable for the Reyvateil to accept, as the feelings with which they were designed are conveyed directly to the recipient. If the Reyvateil cannot handle the feelings, she may be entirely unable to use the Hymmnos Extract.
To overcome this, "stories" that alter the Reyvateil's emotional state may be used as a form of shock-absorber to allow her to download Hymmnos Extracts; this is often the fastest way to encourage compatibility between a Reyvateil and a foreign program. When downloading, if there is still a conflict between the Reyvateil and the Hymmnos Extract, the Reyvateil may refuse to allow the download to complete, or the downloaded program may be unusable.
Relationship between Power and H-Wave emission
When a [Hymmnos Word] is sung, the flow of Dynamic H-Waves is something that the Reyvateil opts to transmit, since the Tower (the Server) doesn’t need it in these cases. The Reyvateil, in her own consciousness and unconsciousness, controls the flow of the Dynamic H Waves (or the Power of her Feelings). However, when it’s about a Hymmnos Extract, it’s not settled so easily.
Hymmnos Extracts are the [Foreign Feelings], and it is not possible for the Reyvateil to decide by herself if it's necessary to emit the Dynamic H-Waves. For example, when Aurica sings [EXEC_HYMME_LIFE_W:R:S/. (Word)], since it's a song crafted by herself, the necessary Dynamic H-Waves Flow and Spectrum are decided unconsciously by Aurica. However, if Aurica sings [EXEC_LINKER/. (Extract)], the Wave Flow and Spectrum are already predefined, and she doesn't have any control over them. So, it doesn’t have anything to do with the endurance capacity that Aurica has. From this example, you can observe that singing a Hymmnos Extract requires a Reyvateil to be able to meet Extract-specific minimum levels of flow and spectrum.
Here is where the tragedy occurs: because of the extreme demands the Hymmnos Extract places over the Reyvateil, it sometimes can consume the singer. Though in the First Era that problem didn’t exist, as with the exception of the [Origins], which possess the highest level of power between the Reyvateils, all the other Reyvateils, the [Pureblooded β-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 Pureblooded β-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, because of them not offering any guarantees in regards to thei abilities. As a result, if a Third Generation Reyvateil tries to sing a Hymmnos Extract and her abilities aren’t sufficient to handle that song, she will die in the spot.
Though there is a consolation for this sadness, given it’s necessary to possess a Hymn Code to perform a Hymmnos Extract, and since the Third Generation Reyvateils don’t possess one, they aren’t able to download the Hymmnos Extract songs. Because of 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
| Name | Requested Flow Quantity | Average Required Spectrum | Notes |
| EXEC_PURGER/. | 2,800 SHmag/s | 2.4x10^5Hz | |
| EXEC_LINKER/. | 15,400 SHmag/s | 9.14x10^5Hz | |
| EXEC_CHRONICLE_KEY/. | 300 SHmag/s | 6.1x10^6Hz | |
| EXEC_HARMONIOUS/. | 6,400 SHmag/s | 3.8x10^8Hz | |
| EXEC_SUSPEND/. | 198,000 SHmag/s | 9.8x10^5Hz | Origin-level H-Wave Flow |
| EXEC_RE=NATION/. | 32,800 SHmag/s | 1.19x10^6Hz | |
| EXEC_PHANTASMAGORIA/. | 7,600 SHmag/s | 3.31x10^10Hz | Near the Human Frequency Limit |
| EXEC_METAFALICA/. | 13,122,800 SHmag/s | 2.98x10^18Hz | Flow and Wave Frequency beyond Human ones |