Discovering Leyndell's Secret Brew | Elden Ring Archaeology Ep. 5 

What great insight, thank you!

Orchids do that too. I've seen some cut down tree trunks suddenly sprout out new leaves before it dies completely. I think the latter fits that description.

The golden seed item description supports your theory

I'm late to this, as I'm just now working my way through these videos, but it seems to me this could tie to the importance of the first burning of the Erdtree. If Erdtree burial was an important aspect of the cycle of life, maybe the reason it was burned was to cause the minor erdtrees to grow. Spreading the root system to be more accessible. Maybe the first burning fundamentally changed the structure of the root system to be broader and more robust while still being part of the same... system. This also contextualizes the conflict between the Erdtree and the Rot. They are competing biological systems. One is a tree that absorbs dead humans and grows new humans, and the other is a fungus that eats living tissue but eventually blooms explosively with the potential to spawn many humans.

So interesting, thank you for sharing!!

Wow, thanks for the extended shout out, and really glad you like the videos. It’s been a blast analyzing the real world inspirations and themes present in this game, so we hope to keep going with further videos. Also, watched your latest video. Excellent as always of course, though now we have to come up with a new intro to our next video (it was going to be the opening lines of Enuma Elis!)

Certainly worked since I'm here

Great content creators giving tribute og love. I love this community soo much.

@@tarnishedarchaeologist great to see this with all the toxic stuff happening in the elden ring community

I’m here because of your shout out. SO MUCH good stuff!!

well, isn't it said that GRRM wrote much of the history and world design? that would explain why the lore that The Tarnished Archaeologist covers is so consistent. Meanwhile, i would bet that much of the plant imagery, characters, outer gods, dynamics, vague foreign lands, and "recent occurances" (such as the Night of the Black Knives, or the slaying of the rot god) are what Miyazaki wrote. After all, those bits of lore cover just about as much ground as the lores of dark souls and bloodborne, and their somewhat lack of consistency (no offense to miyazaki) seems more true to traditional fromsoft storytelling.

@@ethanwashington6789 GRRM wrote the foundation of the lore, Marika, the demigods and the events that lead to the shattering and he may had suggested some of the imagery, but I doubt that he had any major role in the world design or a least not to the point of what we see in this game, which should had taken a lot of time and research. If I remember correctly, he said in a interview that his job with Elden Ring was done years before we even got any relevant news about the game and I think Miyazaki said in another interview that he often sent pictures to GRRM of how his characters were turned into monsters, which makes me think that he never imagined something like serpent Rykard or the monstrosity that is Godrick when he wrote the story.

@@warcoder wait GRRM wrote the demigods? I thought for sure that they were written like standard "tragic weakened hero" characters that fromsoft would make. I guess GRRM and miyazaki were a perfect match for lore-writing, if I couldn't even tell apart GRRM and miyazaki's styles (aside from the aforementioned plant imagery, which I know was miyazaki, that damn biology nerd lol)

@@warcoder GRRM said he gave them a very detailed worldbuild and a story leading to the shattering of the ring IIRC.

@@ethanwashington6789 The plant imagery was probably a GRRM idea,Miyazaki said at the start there was no erdtree but he asked George to creatw a impressive imagery for this power and he created the erdtree so From did the rest.

I always interpreted that remark to be about Radagon leaving Rennala. He severed the nuptial vow by abandoning Rennala.

It even sheds a new light Upon the name "rune of the unborn" associated with the Amber egg

I believe the cocoons in the Haligtree specifically contain albinaurics.

Specifically, when looking close at the cocoons, you can see that the bodies within are all first generation albinaurics. The Haligtree is mentioned as a promised land for the albinaurics, and this rebirthing process makes it all the more so, given that albinaurics are prone to degeneration in their natural (rather, unnatural) bodies.

They seem to get reborn into Cleanrot Knights

Interesting point!

and I fucking love it...

You should check out Quelaag she's one of the original loreites. She's similar in the sense that she helps you gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the lore by putting a spotlight on the myths and religions that inspired the souls games

Late and I'm not particularly well versed in ER lore but if I may ask, isn't Marika a Numan? And what's the difference between Numan and Empyrean?

@@shira_yone No problem! I won't pretend I'm a master in ER's lore, I just enjoy making up theories. The thing is, we're not entirely sure Marika is Numan and there's no explanation in-game to what makes an Empyrean an Empyrean, but here's what I think. While we don't have direct proof that Marika is Numan, this is strongly suggested by items saying she has "ties" with the Numans. Plus, her nickname, Marika the Eternal, could possibly be due to here coming from the Eternal Cities, where Numans dwell. Therefore, while I wouldn't say for a fact that Marika is Numan, it seems to be highly possible. Empyreans, now, are a bit tricky. We know that Ranni and Miquella are Empyreans, but not their brothers and sisters. Which would mean that being an Empyrean isn't directly tied to being a god or demi-god. And since it is strongly hinted that Marika is Numan, her offspring are logically Numan as well, but not all of them are Empyrean. Therefore, there's seemingly no connection between those two. My theory is that the term "Empyrean" refers to chosen people that can be turned into great trees. That could explain why there are multiple great trees and also why Ranni burned her body, so that it wouldn't be used to make a great tree. It would also explain the figure we see in the tree when we fight against Malenia. I think "Empyrean" comes from "empire", because Empyreans can bring entire empires to life through their sacred, life-giving sap. And, finally, it might be Mohg's plan to use Miquella to grow his own grea tree, his own empire, his very own "Mohgwyn dynasty". The way I see it, Empyreans become great trees and bring life. That life must obey rules, which is enforced by the Elden Ring, its physical manifestation, which is in turn held by a Consort. Edit: there's also the fact that Melina is Marika's daughter but wonders how it feels to be born from a mother. If Marika is the Erdtree, that would explain how she's her mother without giving birth to her in the usual manner.

@@adsasfasfasfsddddddd indeed.

@@shira_yone The Numen are a race of people. You can make your Tarnished one during character creation by selecting the Numen template. They are said to be the "supposed descendants of denizens of another world", and to have long lives, although in turn very few are born. An Empyrean is an individual selected by the Two Fingers who can serve as a potential successor to the incumbent host of the Elden Ring - a role currently occupied by Queen Marika. During the events of the game, the only known Empyreans are Ranni, Malenia, and Miquella, although we are also told by item descriptions that Marika herself was once an Empyrean. The Two Fingers also assign "shadows" to the Empyreans, to serve as both companion and as a contingency assassin in case their respective Empyrean goes rogue. We only know the identity of two shadows. In Ranni's case, her shadow is Blaidd, while Marika's shadow is Maliketh.

@@colovianhastur5962 I see, thanks for the explanation

Have you literally just never reada book damn

@@humblegamer7876 Im actually prodigiously well read. That audible credit hasn't had a break in years and scribd on the side. And im usually always reading nonfiction. But i know you're just doing a bit a trolling. Don't let me get in your way.

@@andrewbenner6349You sound like such a dork

Thanks!

Thanks!

vaati makes videos for people who use youtube builds

​@@bbyponkvaatis videos are pure style while this channel is pure substance, which is waaaaay batter because vaatis likes to drag on his sentences while archeologist gets straight to the point no bs

​@@christmaldonado89Style isn't bad, TA has plenty with his video side and diction. Style just needs substance to back it up which is definitely where you're right about Vaati in that he has none compared to newer creators.

Thank you. First burn video, enjoy! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rWitEvoFRKE.html

@@tarnishedarchaeologist Already been there ^^ I was just wondering if perhaps there was more to unveil about it for example with the tying in of the candletree & it's surreptitious prophecy mentioned on the Candletree Shield, the Mark on the fire monk prelates Robe that almost looks like a burning tree or perhaps even the candletrees we see in-game In essence, i was just wondering if perhaps there is still more stuff to talk about, that'll bring creedence to the theory

@@HenningMelon Yes, so much... much more. A deep dive in the works, but only after some other prioritized topics that need a first pass. Before deep dives, we want to put out key missing elements with their bare bones supporting evidence first. We figure that way it enables a conversation going, so please keep on the conversation!

@@tarnishedarchaeologist Great! Im loving the approach btw! keep it up! Still suggesting you on the discord daily ^^

You make some excellent points. We had a section addressing the issue of lineages and bloodlines in the video, which was left on the metaphorical cutting room floor. But the forensics remain: there are two prominently situated baptismal fonts just outside Marikas chamber, at the foot of the Erdtree, and a procession of now slain finger readers leading from the bedchamber to the fonts. Undoubtedly there is room for a royal/noble birthing process distinct from the common fonts in use throughout the rest of the city. Hopefully we will have space to return to this topic in the future. In the meantime, keep digging!

And in German, "Erde" is Earth; it is literally "Earth Tree"

ERD is also an abbreviation of Entity Relationship Diagram.

Not to mention… well, everything else! Once again, a great video, I’m halfway through and already more than happy with it. I’ll comment further when I’m done, haha

Alright, a few notes of interest: As per my position on the first video, I believe that most human births are ‘typical’ - but the point about baptism is well-taken. A human may be born from a mother and still be reborn by Erdtree baptism! This also allows for the Omen as the un-baptisable. This is important because Marika herself had Omen twins, so becoming Omen cannot be simply a result of not receiving blessings, since she had blessings to spare (until the end of the age of plenty, but we know Morgott and Mohg must be older than the Twin Prodigies and likely older than the Carian demigods). I’m also surprised that Renalla’s Rune of the Unborn didn’t come up - it’s a powerful argument for your position! Rennala being given an Amber (ie crystallized sap) egg containing the Great Rune that oversees birth and rebirth is a very potent gift, and might be why she was able to bear demigod children fathered by Marika. A sly wedding gift, if Marika desired her children to be demigods from birth. The cradles in the grand library point to a continuation of birth in Raya Lucaria, at the very least, after the houses of tree and moon aligned. I would suggest also that the cocoons in Elphael are applicable to this topic as well - that is a form of rebirth different from Rennala’s or the Erdtree’s reincarnation. Would it be possible to request a full dive into Miquella’s statuary and architecture, cocoons and, well, womb imagery? I think that there’s something very interesting there, with Miquella clearly taking inspiration from the medieval iconography of the Christ Child - but never aging, forever a divine infant. There’s a single statue of what seems to be an adult Miquella on the Promenade in the Haligtree that is one of the most interesting statues in Elden Ring, from my perspective.

…someday I will learn to spell Rennala consistently.

Indeed...!

@Akadar2742 There are a few other comments giving some interesting intersections, so here is a theory combining them: If giving Rennala the Rune of Rebirth meant no rebirth of physicality, and there not being a Rune of Death so infinite life, then there is no longer a cycle. The buds would be the way to refresh and renew the Grace/soul, and the procreation would potentially yield a body to put the Grace in, as those two processes need intervention now. We see a lot of mentions of the Grace changing the body it inhabits, possibly leading to Chimeras and Abominations, thus most of royal blood might be the lines of those touched directly by the Empyreans, which may mean that because they "are of the trees" they instead are purely born of the trees in some way, and are "seeds" of new trees, potentially, in a way that 'has transcended standard physical limitations.'

Some cut content on a stamina item mentioned people have lost interest in reproducing. The Erdtree controls life and death in the lands between. No one really dies, they get recycled by the roots. Only demi humans and wildlife reproduce naturally.

Been looking for someone to comment on this it’s the only thing that doesn’t make sense to me based on the video

@@ivory867 It makes me wonder what the actual utility of gender itself is in the Lands Between. What's the point of male and female if life doesn't come from sex? Why would The Erdtree even 'birth' two different genders? Or maybe I'm looking too deeply into it...

@Jackson Benincosa I think the Erdtree is essentially an improvization, it's not natural. So it merely recycles souls and people in whatever natural form they have. It's very likely that natural birth is still possible, but many people either forgot about it, or are afraid of the Omen Curse.

@@jacksonbenincosa3759 It always seemed to me as though humans are capable of having sex, but it is considered heretical to do so by the Golden Order. Presumably, the Carians just… have sex. The Erdtree probably births souls based on their previous forms in life after they are absorbed.

​​@@jacksonbenincosa3759I think the idea is that humanity already reproduced in a traditional manner. But the greater will slowly eroded the need for sexual reproduction. Someone referenced in another video that the original text of the turtle neck meat said something about "turtle neck meat used to be an aphrodisiac" or something like that. But that description was changed. And I think it was changed because it was too on the nose for what was going on. It's supposed to be very subtle that human reproduction was made irrelevant. The greater will quite literally is a godlike entity that asserts control. So much so that it wants to control even the aspects that govern life and the reproduction of life. And humanity basically lost their collective sex drive, since there was literally no need for it anymore. Life is all twisted and persists without it.

I think it's supposed to be ambiguous like that. That's hiw symbolic language works. In the "lands between" physical/metaphorical/transcendental

A good question. A hint is in Renalla's amber egg (fossilized tree sap), which contains the rune of the unborn and is in the characteristic kidney bean shape that other embryoid items, like the larval tear, are depicted in. The allusion is that the body literally develops from inanimate substances like sap tears or larval tears in the way a person develops from an embryo.

We have some thoughts on that, but didn’t want to cram it into this video. Definitely that is the right question to ask… how is it possible that the royal couple, of all people, could produce omens? I’m sure we’ll be returning to this subject in a future video.

@@tarnishedarchaeologist Looking forward to it!

what if Godwyn is of Godfrey and Marika and Mogh and Morgott are of Godwyn and Marika which is why they came out all fucked up 🤔

Love podcasts. Thing is, so much of our approach relies on each being able to evaluate the visual evidence for themselves. Thinking pure audio might work for some future synopsis-type episodes to synthesize complete narratives out of the primary observations documented in prior episodes. That might work well as a podcast. Cheers!

This comment just made *my* day!

Glad to see you here dude. TA deserves way more subs!

@@SmoughTown yes he does!!

i mean we still dont know much. and after the dlc we probably will still have lots of questions. itll just give us more dots to connect