Ishvala (spelled "ishvara" in japanese) is the Earth God, and creator deity of the Ishvalan religion. Not much is known about him or his religion, except that his teachings have been interpreted as forbidding alchemy. In the Ishvalan religion, alchemy is regarded as a practice of "perversion and arrogance," because it implies that the objects created by God can be improved upon by human hands. It is unknown whether Ishvala is credited with passing on the teachings of the Ishvalan church directly, or whether the sacred teachings are passed through prophets like Logue Lowe. With the near-extinction of the Ishvalan people, his religion has largely died out. It has also been noted that the concept of the Earth-based creator god is similar to that of the Earth Dragon in alkahestry.