Great Beings

"He, his brothers and sisters were scholars. Their theories, discoveries and inventions had transformed this world and changed the lives of the inhabitants, the Agori, in many ways. In gratitude, they had long ago been proclaimed rulers of Spherus Magna. The Agori called them the “Great Beings.” But the business of running a world – settling disputes, managing economies, dealing with defense issues, worrying about food and equipment supplies – all of this the Great Beings found a distraction. They wanted to build, study, invent, not oversee, adjudicate, and set policy."

- Narration, BIONICLE: Journey's End

The Great Beings were mysterious, godlike beings who created the Matoran Universe, the Element Lords, the Baterra and the Red Star (to name a few). One of them created the Kanohi Ignika.

Spherus Magna
The Great Beings originally lived on Spherus Magna.

At some point, the Great Beings took five warriors and a Leader Skrall from each tribe and turned them into the Element Lords. Their purpose was to govern the six villages so they wouldn't have to.

Spherus Magna was the planet from which energized protodermis originated. Although it first started out in the core of the planet, it eventually bubbled up to the surface, and the planet's inhabitants battled over it. During the Core War, the Great Beings had created creatures that came to be known as "Baterra" to end the war. They were programmed to do so by eliminating any and every combatant carrying a weapon. However, the Great Beings had figured out that the planet would be destroyed anyway, and tried to shut them down. Their failsafe hadn't worked, leaving the Baterra active to this day.

The Great Beings had created a massive robot, to see if such an action was possible. It had succeeded until the robot violently exploded, causing its separated body parts to fly across the planet. The power source was hidden in the Valley of the Maze.

Construction of a new robot began soon after. The Matoran, who would inhabit the robot to maintain it, had done most of the construction work, but the Great Beings were known to have laid the foundations of Metru Nui, created and hid the Ignika, the Mask of Life, and formed the Hand of Artakha.

As aforementioned, two known Great Beings created and hid the Mask of Life. They carved the pedestal meant to hold the mask and the staircase leading to it, and one of them recorded his voice to provide tests for those who penetrated the tunnels. However, they left the creation of guardians to the Mask itself (though they did discuss sending Umbra as a guard). Though they had immense power and could keep surrounding Matoran from noticing them, even they feared the mask's curse.

A third Great Being was known to fall victim to the curse of the Mask of Life, gaining the ability to give life to anything. However, the power was too much to control and everything began coming to life around him, from tools and furniture to even beams of light, and all this new life not only had wants and needs but were able to make such desires known. The Great Being was eventually sealed away to keep anything else from coming to life. He ended up on Bota Magna, and it is rumored he was driven mad.

Some time before their new robot was to depart, the Great Beings thought about the failure of the Baterra, which gave them concern about the Toa. Considering the possibility that something could go wrong upon the return of the robot that would result in the Toa becoming evil, Spherus Magna would stand no chance against them. They used some of the remaining time they had to construct something else, with the purpose to destroy all the Toa. After its completion, it was hidden in a vault in the Matoran Universe.

Construction of the robot had, soon after, completed, and Angonce christened the robot "Mata Nui." After it flew off on its mission, the Great Beings fled Spherus Magna. Their current location remains unknown. One Great Being, Angonce, remained on Bara Magna. Another Great Being, Velika, hid in the Matoran Universe, transferring his mind and spirit into the body of a being inside.

In an alternate universe Vezon visited, time had frozen around him, and a Great Being started communicating with him. Vezon and the Great Being then forged a deal: if Vezon were released from being frozen in time, than he would free the Great Being. Vezon was then teleported to Bota Magna, where he met the mad Great Being.

About 100,000 years later, Artahka asked Vezon to open a portal and Arthaka and a group of other beings as Lewa, Kapura, Helryx, and some others landed on Bota Magna where they also met the Ignika-cursed Great Being, who asked for them to free him.

The Yesterday Quest
After the reformation of Spherus Magna, Angonce knew the abrupt appearance of so many Toa on Spherus Magna would possibly activate Marendar. He hurried to the vault, but he arrived too late; the living weapon had already smashed its way through the metallic protodermis cage containing it and was gone. It would carry out its programming and kill any and every Toa on the planet.

The Great Being who had posed as an inhabitant of the Matoran Universe exited onto Spherus Magna. At one point, he ran into Kabrua while going through Bota Magna.

Brothers in Arms
In an alternate Spherus Magna, the Great Beings discovered the Energized Protodermis was slowly spreading and damaging the planet, causing it to have the potential to shatter to pieces. As a result, they created the Toa, who were supposed to go underground and retrieve the substance, then repair the damage. They also created the Makuta to help the Toa protect the Matoran and to create new life forms.

Abilities and Traits
The Great Beings could make themselves go unseen or even completely unnoticed by beings of the Matoran Universe.

They also had incredible power, more than any other known being.

Known Creations
A list of all the known things the Great Beings made (not in chronological order):
 * The Red Star
 * Thornatus
 * Artahka
 * Karzahni
 * The Baterra
 * The Ignika
 * Mata Nui
 * The Mata Nui Robot
 * The Matoran Universe
 * Tren Krom
 * The first Toa, Turaga and Matoran
 * The Prototype Robot
 * The Element Lords
 * The Mask of Creation
 * Marendar
 * A series of secret tunnels under the Black Spike Mountains with defensive traps
 * The Spirit's Wish
 * An underground lab near Tajun
 * A number of giant, prehistoric water Rahi that lived around Metru Nui
 * Umbra
 * Krana
 * The Bahrag, the first Bohrok, and the Bohrok Va
 * Protodermis
 * Antidermis
 * Kini Nui
 * Iron Wolves
 * Skopio
 * Zyglak
 * The Golden Armor
 * The Valley of the Maze

Known Great Beings

 * Angonce - A Great Being who was rumored to have stayed on Bara Magna to study the Agori.
 * Two Great Beings that hid the Kanohi Ignika in the Matoran Universe.
 * A Great Being that touched the Kanohi Ignika and was cursed by it - Driven insane and imprisoned on Bota Magna.
 * Heremus‎ - A Great Being who helped design the Baterra.
 * Velika -A Great Being who was in the Matoran Universe for 100,000 years, posing as one of its inhabitants. Now on Spherus Magna. Revealed by Greg Farshtey.

Quotes
"At times like this he wonders if the Great Beings are truly brilliant beyond imagining, or hopelessly mad. Or if there's even any difference between the two..."

- Narration, Comic 5: Valley of Fear "It is believed that the Great Beings came into existence long before Mata Nui - and dwarf even him in sheer power."

- BIONICLE Encyclopedia: Updated

Appearances

 * All Our Sins Remembered - Mentioned only
 * Decadence
 * BIONICLE: Journey's End (book) - In flashback
 * The Exile's Tale - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno - In flashback
 * BIONICLE Adventures 5: Voyage of Fear - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE Adventures 1: Mystery of Metru Nui - Mentioned only
 * Comic 2: Deep Into Darkness - Mentioned only
 * Comic 3: Triumph of the Toa - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE Chronicles 4: Tales of the Masks - Mentioned only
 * Mata Nui Online Game II: The Final Chronicle - Mentioned only
 * Comic 1: If a Universe Ends - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost - Mentioned only
 * Into the Darkness - Mentioned only
 * Toa Nuva Blog - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets - Mentioned only
 * Federation of Fear - Mentioned only
 * Dark Mirror - Mentioned only
 * Brothers In Arms - In an alternate timeline
 * BIONICLE Legends 11: The Final Battle - Mentioned only
 * Reign of Shadows
 * Riddle of the Great Beings - Mentioned only
 * The Crossing - Mentioned only
 * Comic 5: Valley of Fear - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn (book) - Mentioned only
 * Mata Nui Saga - In flashbacks
 * Sahmad's Tale - Mentioned only
 * The Yesterday Quest
 * BIONICLE: Metru Nui - City of Legends - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE World - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE Encyclopedia - Mentioned only
 * BIONICLE Encyclopedia: Updated - Mentioned only
 * Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna - Mentioned only