Elden Ring's OTHER Most Mysterious Enemy (and Its Lore) 

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Do you think there's a possible connection between shade head crabs controlling hosts through the head, and the mausoleum knights cutting theirs off? Perhaps as a form of inoculation to being warped by the same demigod they're protecting?

It was a missed opportunity to not make them a night time enemies that spawn in graveyards, they have a cool design and moveset, but there's just a few of them and they die so quickly that you cannot appreciate most of their attacks.

they aren't just weak to holy damage, they also take special bonus damage from a few weapons and spells that specifically target Those Who Live In Death (notably golden epitaph and Litany of Proper Death) which is about as unambiguous as one could reasonably expect

It’s also interesting to note that the 2 jellyfish used to be, presumably, human before they died and took their jellyfish shapes. Adding on to the death/aquatic theme. And also giving some reference to what the jellyfish might be. The undying souls of children.

I like the idea that the Cemetary Shade parasite and the Kindred of Rot are perhaps the same creature, just influenced by different forces. It also gives a very reasonable explanation of their origins that fits in with the rest of the game: they were natural lifeforms that were influenced by some outer god or supernatural force, just like the trees, people, creatures, dragons, etc. Your video gave me the idea that maybe the Kindred were granted intelligence and 5-fingered hands similarly to the beasts, as described in the Cinquedea weapon.

a connection that can also be brought to the table with the fact Cemetary Shades hold weapons based on mantises, mantises commonly are infected with puppeteer parasites called horsehair worms, similar to how Cemetary Shades are also puppeted by the crab things

Here's a little interesting info that I haven't seen covered anywhere. Many seem to think that the Basilisks are formed from Godwyn's deathblight, but I don't quite think so. From the Crucible knights, it seems like the aspect of the crucible takes forms of various animals and entities, Namely we see Wings (of say, stormhawks, but really any bird) Tail (Likely from dragons) Horn (Omen horns) and then we have Breath (With a Pouch?!) The odd things is that the Pouch is likely not that of a dragon, we don't see them having one, and the tail aspect seems closer to them. My theory is that the Pouch is originally from the Basilisks. we see a large swarm of them near the nameless eternal city, a place many suggest is close to where the Crucible of life may be. and them being animals, it's not unreasonable to think that they followed the streams and caves there to end up in different locations such as the lake of rot and other underground areas. they also may have crawled along the roots of the Erdtree to reach the catacombs they're found in Basically, the Basilisks may have originally spewed flame from their throat pouch, but Godwyn's deathroot caused them to become infected and currupted, and as animals with such a connection to the crucible of life (and with deathblight being resisted by vitality) they may have survived and adapted to their infliction. causing them to spew out deathblight instead of their flame breath Whether the big eyes (false or not) is a result of the deathroot is unclear, as it has color and looks oddly "alive", unlike the godwyn's images that show up in deathroot. but it may be an adaptation to basically warn others/keep enemies away, boasting that they have this horrid curse as a weapon, though that may be reaching a bit.

ref. Zullie the witch's video on the death animation for death buildup, the subject becomes riddled with insects. I wonder if the holes in the cemetery shade resemble someone impaled by deathroot?

I like Baphomet moths. I like Shades. Nice twist on the bug infested zombie enemy type, where we're not quite sure if the bug is controlling the zombie or is a part of it

I feel like the naming of the mantis blade may be less of an allusion to insect origins, and more of a reference to how the blade is shaped like the front legs/pincers of a praying mantis

It's interesting because people used to think that maggots and flies we're spontaneously generated on rotting meat. It's not surprising to have insects represent those who live in death when that's what they do. Same with rot

It's interesting that the mausoleum knights all submit to decapitation - something that the female preying mantis specializes in :) Perhaps the Shades and their Mantis blades were part of a ritual to inaugurate mausoleum knights? I don't think the game ever gives us specifics on _how_ these guys were decapitated...

You also find legless or maybe larval forms of the kindred in a basement of the Caelid Waypoint Ruins filled with graves. Sorta indicating to me at least these things are born from corpses or perhaps it's a conversion process. There were probably a lot of dead bodies where Melina unleashed it, which explains why they all rose from the lake

They're somewhat similar to the spiritcaller snails. Both are weak by themselves, but they compensate for their frailty through other beings. The spiritcaller snails summon the spirits of nearby deceased, while the crab seemingly found a dead body in the catacombs and started puppeteering it. Speaking of which, it seems the spiritcaller snails are also a very obscure enemy, at least I couldn't find anything on them whatsoever. Might be something worth looking into.

The blade might be called the mantis blade because it looks like a mantis are when folded

So I personally think there is not a connection between the kindred and the cemetery shade, but they probably do have a distant ancestor since they are both crustaceans. One thing about the cemetery shade to note is that while it looks like a spider crab it takes elements from many crustaceans, including the antenna which is more present on centipede and ticks and the parasite property to ticks. The mantis blade is probably a reference to the mantle shrimp rather than an actual mantis and that would also be a reason for the fast attacks it does to fast to see like a bullet shrimp.

i think the relationship between the crabspiders and kindred of rot might be less that they have biological common ancestor and more that they are both spontaneously generated from areas afflicted by a demigods influence. the kindred of rot are said to have "emerged from the swamp of aeonia" and cemetary shades are almost always found in close proximity to erdtree roots, imo likely spontaneously generated from those roots by godwyns corruption. id compare them to the flies generated from godwyn and the aeonian butterflies from malenia (and, speculatively, the nascent butterfly from miquella/smoldering butterflies from melina) who are more direct products of their demigods. its interesting on that note that, to my recollection, the only demigods known to spontaneously generate bugs are the empyrean twins and prince of death era godwyn. ranni doesn't seem to have any associated bugs which makes me wonder if perhaps her spontaneous generation was passed onto godwyn in the night of black knives somehow. also, it seems quite likely that if miquella wasn't interrupted the haligtree would generate its own kindred/shade equivalent bugperson race. wouldn't be surprised if we saw them in a hypothetical miquella dlc

The reference to the soulless demigod doesn’t necessarily refer to Godwyn - remember, there are more soulless demigods kept in the Walking Mausoleums, as referred to by the ghost in the Weeping Peninsula. Regardless, the Cemetery Shades are connected to Godwyn not just through death in general, but through them clearly being Those Who Live in Death (being harmed by holy damage and the anti-undead effects). I’m not sure if the crab spider has any direct connection to the Rot - the Kindred of Rot Ashes drop more because of the location than the boss, IMO. The crabs don’t inflict Rot or have any direct connection to Rot other than being insects (which can be explained by the death/insects connection that Zullie brought attention to).

The holes in the Cemetery Shade's torso are interesting to me, as they appear to me to match two motifs that appear elsewhere in the game. One design choice being where hollowing or gouging of the torso is indicative of a creature that has been enslaved or now lacks autonomy (you could think of this as the loss of the soul). The trolls for example are reduced to beasts of burden and siege craft once their torso is cut up and a tablet is placed inside. When afflicted with deathblight, a thorned vine gouges the chest of the deceased, and eventually will turn them into that which lives in death. I think this is a design choice used to link together things whose souls have died but their body lives on, thus paralleling Godwyn more. Second is that the holes resemble the upside-down, distorted eyes of Godwyn. Other than places where his face is more prominent like the crabs in the swap near Jarburg, I found that Godwyn's visage is teased elsewhere in a way that's interesting. If you look at the Commoner's Garb they have that strange Erdtree shackle worn around their neck and the game explains why they wear it as a display of fealty. However, because of how it is attached, the tree is upside-down, and the engraving resembles Godwyn's face. You might disagree but the shackle is an otherwise bizarre thing with no obvious way in which one could even wear it properly. I strongly believe it is meant to put the face of Godwyn on these characters to represent how the Two Fingers have robbed them completely of autonomy and life. They no longer have any soul but are just bodies carrying on the will of Godrick hoping one day to live in grace. Ultimately this doesn't tell us anything more about the shade, but the threads by which everything can be connected in this game is fascinating.

The head crab reminds me of the form pennywise takes from the original IT series. He uses the white light to control people's minds and even shines it from under his belly at one point towards the end like the crab does. Kinda of feel like it might be a reference to that.

So you’re saying these are really a healthy summer dinner? Elden Ring IS full of surprises. Who knew??

The Pest's Glaive idea sounds like a stretch but even if there is no direct connection to certain enemies, I think it goes to show the themes which are consistent within elden ring which we can use to discern more about it.

Makes me think of the Sunlight Maggot from DS1, the way the appendages are all spread out and how it's making the eyes glow.

The semetery shade kinda reminds me of a albaster lord with a crab on it's head

My theory is that Godwyn is slowly having his soul rebuilt from the pieces he steals from the dead in the lands between, but since the rune of death was still sealed, he was locked in a sleep (as shown by fia). Now that the rune is released, he'll be able to awaken and probably pursue revenge.

Ah I sure love kings field music as an ambient background tune.

I find it very interesting that some golden lineage folks get erdtree burial, while others get a regular burial in the overworld, and some others decapitate themselves and live in body but their minds have ceased. But why would people even die and need burial in the lands between if the rune of death is plucked and locked away

As for the flies part - I’m surprised that there is not a blightfly incantation.

When the kindred of rot die they always die in the shape imitating a half wheel of death. You could attribute that to the centipede as well but if you look closely the resemblance to the rune of death is uncanny.

10:24 - 10:30 You can _clearly_ see the exact same structures coming out of the crab parasite as the one covering the backs of the Kindred of Rot. Only, on the shades there are two tiny appendages sticking out, and the Kindreds have a single massive structure covering most of their body. But it is worth noting that the Kindred version is ALSO merely an appendage growing out of the parasite, and NOT the parasite's main body as you implied earlier in the video. I'd noticed before you mentioned this particular connection that the parasite is ALSO A CRAB. It is a hermit crab, tucked into a conical spiral shell, sitting atop the head of a humanoid. In other words, they are both being ridden by crabs. Just two different types of crabs.

Also, the original meaning of mantis in ancient Greek is 'prophet' after which the insect was named. The Kindred often look to me like they are playing at being priests (I don't remember, perhaps there is more compelling evidence for this). Their conical hats seem to me to mimic religious paraphernalia, and they are often found in a pose of worship or adoration of the rot goddess. - Just thought I'd mention as another possible connection between the Kindred and the mantis.

Yo watched your last video and now this one and just wanted to say your connection finding skills in these very vague descriptions is off the charts, intelligent and entertaining :D

I love ratatoullie! Can't wait to eat them

Luthel the Headless may have earned an Erdtree burial, but she didnt get one, or we wouldn't have her ashes. Just saying.

it seems that whenever prince of death godwyn appears you are legally obligated to play king's field dark reality and i l i k e i t

I always found these enemies to be the most intriguing

It would make sense to me that just like the kindred of rot are the "children" of Malenia and the rot, that the cemetary shades are the "children" of Godwyn and death. The kindred could have been insects transformed by the rot (likely the giant dragonflies we see in the swamp) and the shades could have been crabs transformed by deathroot, and perhaps the crabs we see with Godwyn's face on their backs are in the early stages of their transformation.

I just figured they were just a chaos bug. Like the one that took over Solair in DS1

This video has the greatest thumbnail of all time

I think the kindred and crabs used to be the same race, but due to outside influences, we’re made to change, they always were parasites, but one was close to a death root, the other rot

I wonder, we see repeated use and imagery of fungus, plants, and insects. I do wonder if the lands between is a garden of sorts.

2:07 it also reminds me of certain moths who have those long, frilly antennae things

These always remind me of those crazed, long-haired mobs you find in the Chalice dungeons of BloodBorne.

they remind me of the things in bloodborne that the hemlock witches spawm. at least in appearance.

Mantis could also refer to the mantis shrimp, which is pretty crablike.

The head crab more closely resembles an amblypygi, or tailless whip scorpion. You may remember them as Mad Eye Moody’s unforgivable curse victims.

Ultimately my takeaway is the parasite crabs gravitate towards places with lots of death, cemeteries and tombs, etc, and take control over the body of whatever warden exists there. Maybe they are related to Godwyn specifically, but I'm more inclined to believe they more just tied to death and the rune of death. Which is really just my opinion based on the fact that I think the more mysterious open ended stuff in ER tends to predate the demigods. The horns on the crab also make me think of more traditional depictions of death and the afterlife/underworld and demons. I dont know the full lore of the outer gods so this is a shot in the dark, but maybe they're related to whatever outer god has sponsored Godwyn?

the missing head of the summon is likely a reference to mantises eating their mates head

Isn't Lhutel more associated with the walking mausoleums and therefore the golden order? Either way, it's neat to see all these threads come together, this game will have us combing the files for a long time yet!

I think that Cemetery Shades are just the final form of Godwin’s deathblight. Both the blighted death animation and Godwin himself have insects on/around them so it’s safe to theorize that this is just the bugs taking over the corpse. It would also explain the connects with Deathroot and Lluthel.

As you mentioned with the aquatic themes, I think its worth noting that Godwyns corpse also has a mermaid like tail.

This is more of a wild suggestion. But as for the actual body the parasite is riding, anyone else see a resemblance to Alabaster lords? While the player character's height reaches about the Alabaster's hip and the Shade stomach/bottom of the ribcage. There's a few similarities; The long lanky limbs, the long neck, the way the Shade stands is similar to the Lord (albeit less composed) Even the "shade" part could be attributed to the Alabaster's ebony skin. Not only could the parasite be generating the black mist, maybe the skin of the corpse could be why it's so shrouded in dark. It'd make an easy host to blend in with the shadows around. If you get the Lesser Cemetary Shade near the lava, (it's very hard..) it lights a better view of it and it's why I got this theory. The body has holes but the shades have the sunken belly like the Trolls or the Alabaster Lords. While the points above are more physical appearance ties, maybe the teleportation ability the shade has could have a link to the Alabaster's appearing out of portals. The Gravity wielders seem rather honourable, duel 1v1. So they prefer not to use it, but because the Parasite has no honour or morals, it just spams the ability. This part is a lot more speculative. As for why it's always an Alabaster Lord, no idea. Maybe the crabs or an Infant Kindred mutates if they come in contact with them. Like some very specific criteria needs to be met in order for this mutation to happen. But it could also be a reason for why the Shades are so rare, it HAS to be an Alabaster Lord for the crab or infant Kindred to mutate/"evolve" in a certain way. BUT, this is just a theory I've had. I'm not even 100% sold on it. I just find the design of the body a bit too similar for it to just be a coincidence.

The Kindred of Rots head kinda gives me Hermit Crab vibes y'know

Reminds me of those scorpion like things in bloodborne in the tombs

1:43 holy shit their faces are scary as shit lol great video

I think someone at FromSoft had the idea to use a "Skultula" as inspiration and the grave keepers are what we got. ( one theory lol ) Another idea and connection I see; The black mist that conceals the gravekeeps could be magic. The history of that magic spell that does the same, might be a connection

I have over 1000 hours in this game, and if id ever come across a cemetary shade, i really don't remember it. I literally only recall seeing it in videos such as this one.

I didn't know the crab spider shade was a world class chef. That's wild, even for elden ring

Reminds me of the head crab things in ds1 that were in the chaos area and end up on solaire

The spider itself reminds me of IT's final form with the deadlight underneath

Sooooo Godwyn’s head turned into a clam?

I always just thought that the Mantis Blade is called that 'cause it looks like the fore-appendages of a praying mantis

I'm not thinking this is a crab after seeing the model design. I immediately thought of a water beetle. No seriously. They have sharp mandibles like that and they (I know this will suddenly clear up one of their attack animations) inject their prey with digestive fluids when they strike. Look up Lethocerus deyrollei (Giant Water Bug, Toe-biters and water scorpions are other names for it), and you'll see what I mean by their design. This would fit more into the "insect-ridden" side of things.

The crabs and giant lobsters also don't have much lore tied to them. There's also those magic dung beetles that carry those marionettes, no lore about what's going on there as far as I can tell. If you plan to expand this series of missing lore then I think adding these to your list can be fun. There's also the giant ants and land octopi with missing lore as well.

crab and shrimp with the red sauce aeonia yum

The deepest game, how’d they do it? There’s so much detail it’s insane.

I believe the crab having a connection to death is most likely because we have already seen crabs that take on aspects of things they feed on. The host body having two holes in its chest is telling, whatever is left of the guy below the parasite is barely a husk held thrall by the spider-like invader. At first glance I only saw one hole in the chest and assumed it was a reference to the darksign, but now I'm not sure that it is.

Welp! I now have a completely different reason to be terrified of them, thank you. XD

Isnt godwyns corpse part fish, this might part in with the aquatic theme

-Wow I wonder what kind of dish- a parasitic crab monster will cook me

4:58 haha

I wonder if the ‘mantis’ of the mantis blade refers to the humanoid rather than the infecting crab - praying mantises are often controlled to some degree by parasitic infection, potentially granting some degree of connection

Godwin. In the ground. Insects and crabs, live closest to the ground. These lore videos are becoming like balloons slowing running low on helium hehe gotta love the passion though

This guys gonna be the epic Nate of skyrim except for eldon ring

Note to self, don't get crabs in The Lands Between.

Obvious Stephen Kings's IT reference!

kindred of rot are giant silverfish, not mantis though

what song did you use for the background in this video?

I do wonder if there is more information we can get from aquatic life and how they deal with death, since it will likely give us more information on those who live in death.🤔🐱

This is a shot in the dark but has anyone considered the fuzzy protuberances on the top of the crab spider parasite is reminiscent of the pheromone producing organs called coremata that are inflated out of the abdomen of certain male moths? They waft the smell of the pheromones to attract females. Maybe this is something similar and the parasite uses the pheromones to control the grave keepers. Just struck me as an interesting idea. Even if it’s not the case I do think it would make an excellent villain design idea.

At last I found one guy that makes sense when analyzing the lore. Not like some that decide to call the Greater Will NOT an outer god but the Eru Illuvatar (or god of the Christian cosmogony, Tolkien was pretty Christian himself). We don't know that. I'd say at best he's the most influential outer god at the moment and isn't even there anymore.

One of its moves is called spider grab so we know its a spider

The cemetery shades kinda look like humanity from dark souls 1.

they're basically the zombies in half-life

'Luthel' is the right pronounciation

Ridden is to be rode riddled is to be filled or covered

the pests are definitely shrimp

The kindred kind of remind me of Mantis Shrimp.

I wonder if something happens if you shoot the parasite with an arrow...

Everything in this world is connected to death.... it is literal purgatory ..''the Lands between''... between life and the afterlife. I perceive the ''Lands between'' to be exactly that, the world / purgatory between a certain fantasy world/universe and its afterlife. Every aspect of the lands between consist of pain, grief, turmoil ,suffering or sad desperation. All the beings in the Lands Between are sent there after death in the real realm ,to either suffer in this purgatory or to rule over/maintain the Lands Between (as a ''god, demigod or Elden lord.). Endless rebirth into a hellscape until the correct criteria is met for the being to pass on to the afterlife, heaven or hell. The Twin Bird is the representation of this. The black death bird transports them to hell or the Red Death bird transports them to ‘’heaven’’. Even with the (Tibia Marriner) ferryman of Greek mythology seen across the Lands Between , one can see that the Lands Between is the transition stage between life (in this fantasy universe) and the afterlife of this fantasy universe. The Greatsword ‘’Helphens Steeple'’ dropped by a Tibia Marriner, is in the form of a Christian Church steeple, these Churches with their elevated steeples in Medieval Europe acted as gigantic map markers for all, showing you the way to civilisation,to Life , to the Light , showing that within this building, you will find the way to heaven , to true life. And of course the way to reach God Three in One, to sit by His side within Heaven ,in the Afterlife. Mikela and the assimilated prophecy of salvation and the mercy towards the albinorics (the experiments of life / the downtrodden and oppressed / humans) and all whom would reject the evils of this purgatory might just find salvation and the ‘’Promised land ‘’ ..to get to ascend to Heaven. Melania represents the Medieval Christian knights whom fight to protect the ethos of mercy and salvation of Chritendom , most skilled warriors ..but whom are sadly, just like all people , infected by the rot of sin and whose only salvation is through the One whom they fight for. We even have the Valkyries of Norse mythology , Melania + her daughters whose sole purpose it is ,to identify great warriors that HAS FALLEN IN BATTLE and to carry them to the afterlife of this fantasy universe. No where in the ‘’Lands Between’’ do we find any food nor houses, nor any buildings/infrastructure required to sustain actual life, instead we only find catacombs, thousands upon thousands of graves and gargantuan administrative buildings .. housing only figures of power / institutes of magical learning / temples. (Means to / knowledge of how to leave purgatory..or to rule it) Prator Rykard, a symbol of Egyptian Mythology ,the serpent god Apophis , demon of chaos, who had the form of a serpent and was the foe of the sun god, Re (Foe of the current order) Apopis threatened the underworld….the lands between. The serpent devouring itself , a symbol of constant destruction and renewal… The entire realm of the ‘’Lands between’’ is a realm which depicts the transition/deliverance of the ones whom have died, to the afterlife Christian/Greek/Norse/Egyptian/Japanese kegare, thus the ‘’Lands Between’’ is the realm of transitioning from the world of a certain fantasy universe and its afterlife via purgatory. The Thrones of the NOX ‘’Night king’’ = king of darkness. These gigantic skeletons are like eldridge beings, ruling over the Eternal cities , as they sit there, they are undead, dormant, until a suitable amount of lost souls are brought in front of them. Upon which they wake and devour the essence of all the tormented peoples in front of them, sending the devoured to hell. Thus all the beings in front of them are left petrified, left in their state of anguish, screaming in torment and pain and fear , in doing so the eldridge lords gain power to rule further. The ferryman of Greek mythology seen across the Lands Between are of his kin, his servants whom serve the same purpose , to either lead the damned in purgatory to the afterlife , or to lead them to the Night king…

The thing on their head looks like a moth those that mean anything?

What's the significance of the hole in its heart?

Sticky secretion 🤤🤤

Yo gonna point it our but the background story telling backs up the theory since "those who live in death" are usually skeletons the fact those enemies fight around and along since them show cement the theory

*sighs* consider the lobster...

You sound so much like Joseph Anderson and I’m always shocked to hear his voice in a deep dive Elden Ring lore video lmao

So death seens to be represented by water related things and rot is represented by insects. What is order represented by?

mebe itsa vagrant. the crab 🦀

No no, you mean Raccacoonie..