The Books of Zeref have played a major role inFairy Tail’spremise, serving as the source of most of the series’ villainy. Created bythe Dark Wizard Zeref, the Books of Zeref are demonic scriptures brimming with secrets to the black arts. Unlike regular books, however, these demonic scriptures also have demons sealed inside of them.
Some have based entire religions around the Books of Zeref while others have tried to decipher their contents to put an end to the evil within. However, none have been successful at unraveling the secrets behind these tattered books, as the true contents of these scriptures can only be accessed by Zeref and his creations alone. While the Books of Zeref may seem akin to evil and corruption, the purpose of their creation was quite the contrary, making their existence rather complicated.
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What are the Books of Zeref?
The Books of Zeref consist of several volumes, and the entire collection is a complete archive of Zeref’s research pertaining to the black arts. Some of the book’s infamous creations are the Etherious demons, the Eclipse Gate, and black magic spells used by Zeref’s creations. The appearance of these books remains unknown, although a few scenes do depict the book that contains E.N.D. The book has Zeref’s name etched on to it in bold letters, and the cover appears to be tattered with a few rips and tears.
The books are also entwined with their respective demons, meaning damage to either one will result in harm to the other. Since Zeref has birthed these books andthe demons sealed within them, their existence is tied to one another. If Zeref is slain and no longer among the living, his creations shall face the same fate, perishing along with their creator.
The contents within the Books of Zeref are penned in the form of Demonic Scripture, meaning mere humans cannot alter the contents of the books. Those audacious enough to attempt to rewrite the contents of the books shall suffer a dire consequence, resulting indarkness and corruption taking over. Those that attempt to rewrite the books will have their bodies overheat, coupled with unbearable pain.
Contents of the Books of Zeref
The Books of Zeref are laden with secrets to some of the most potent spells in Zeref’s arsenal. Most spells pertain to the creation and summoning of demons, with each book containing its own demon. The demons created by the books are known as Etherious, since these entities are made out of Ethernano. The members ofthe dark guild Tartaroswere all Etherious beings as their creation was linked to the Books of Zeref.
The Fairy Tail guildhas faced off many villains that have originated from these Books. Some of the earliest demons from the Books of Zeref are Deliora and Lullaby. Some of the stronger demons from the books are Mard Geer and the Nine Demon Gates of the dark guild Tartaros, Bloodman, and Larcade Dragneel. Apart from Etherious creatures, a few spells from the books have also been witnessed, such as Nemesis, a spell used by Hades to conjure demons from thin air.
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The contents of these books also include the Eclipse Gate, an ominous device capable of connecting the past and the future. While the device may not exactly be categorized as a spell, it still comes under the classification of black arts seeing how it violates the laws of nature. However, the Eclipse Gate cannot be accessed through the demonic scripture of the Books of Zeref, since having access toall 12 Zodiac Keysis a prerequisite to unlocking the gate.
Why Did Zeref Create These Books?
The Books of Zeref are demonic scripture laden with black magic and otherworldly creatures. Given the books’ vile nature, many assume that Zeref’s intentions were to spread evil and villainy throughout Ishgar. The reality, however, is quite the contrary as Zeref’s initial purpose of creating these books was tied to the emotions he held for his brother. Afterhis entire family was slainby Dragons, Zeref dabbled in the black arts to find a way to revive his dead brother.
However, he wascursed by Ankhseramwith the Curse of Contradiction, turning him into an immortal being. The curse also killed any living being that came close to Zeref, forcing him to live a life of isolation for all eternity. The Etherious demons were a result of his desire to find death, yet none of the demons were strong enough to kill him.
The demons that he created, along with the dark magic spells, were all transcribed into books in the form of Demonic Scripture. The resulting collection of books were termed ‘the Books of Zeref’ after they fell into the hands of those with wicked intentions, leading to the very same books being the cause of death and despair for many.
