#darksouls2 #lore #fromsoftware a little video about the mysterious unseen land of Jugo, from which Benhart, The Desert Pyromancers, and The corrosive ants all hail from
An interesting fact about the Scottish accent in Dark Souls is that all the giants across all the games that speak have them. I would suggest that's a pattern, but Benhart does throw a spanner into the works of that theory, but maybe he has partial ties with the giant clans, either through blood or marriage? This probably explains why you can find him in the giant's memory if there really is a connection. Also I have some interesting internal info about Benhart. He's internal name is 'The Father of the Avenging Warrior'. This 'Avenging Warrior' is none other than Creighton of Mirrah. The relation might just be a left over from a scrapped idea, but interesting none the less. The internal name for Dark Lurker is the really interesting one because its name is Agdayne's Stand. Now the blue skin makes the connection even stronger, as well as angel symbolism being associated with the dead really gets the noggin joggin.
What speaking giants are there in the series with a Scottish accent? Just listened to the Giant Blacksmith and Hawkeye Gough's dialogue from 1, and neither of them sound particularly Scottish... I don't remember the giant archer from 3 (the only other one who speaks that I can think of) being Scottish either... Can't pinpoint a particular accent for them, especially due to the filters and pitching of the voice, but it just seems a fairly generic English accent to me - is there something I'm missing?
First off I’m not sure you’re right about all giants being Scottish, and second off just another example of ds2 developers not understanding the mission they were given 😅
almost feel bad for benheardt (however you spell his name) dude had to eat ants his whole life and walked around with a great value moonlight greatsword bro had it rough 😂
Indeed, pretty sure his crown states he brought multiple kingdoms down, plus also he has the grave warden pyromancies which maybe derived from the Jugo ones after conquering them
Love the delivery and conversational style, vid’s always feels like a friend educating me on the lore instead of some professor type beat. Keep up the good work man look forward to future videos especially the Pursuer one!
For real man, feels like a cool chat with a homie, plus the way he speculates about very minor details somehow gets me more involved and immersed in the lore rather than some other youtubers that only cover the big stuff
You might call this guy Benhard Dayne from Northern Dorne, whielding the famous Lightbringer...or, in his case, the Sword of the Evening, if you will :)
2:40 It could very well be that the acid only effects "metals" (Even though some weapons and staffs are wood, and some armor is just cloth.) But there are plenty of acids out there which only react with certain metals. Diluting or weakening the acid could be a result of forcing the ant queen to produce too much. Maybe that's why she spews a mist instead of a liquid, she's all out and can't properly make any more.
Whoever forged the Bluemoon likely didn't do it in the name of Seath; as Benhart states, the power of the moon is said to " ward off evil". They symbolism seems to follow the Way Of Blue, and possibly indicates some knowledge about the existence of Gwyndolin himself as a deity of the Moon, punisher of sinners, and protector of the faithful. Contrary to common belief, the name of the Desert Sorceresses is no mistranslation; despite using pyromancy as well, the sorceresses are practitioners of fire sorcery; their mirrors serve as catalysts. As astonishing as this is to note, we can deduct they developed this form of fire sorcery on their own, as it differs from the sorceries cast by the Witch Of Izalith. They also still use pyromancies; their fire kiss does not come from the mirror catalyst. They also possess something else: Dragon Charms. "A rare, ancient charm that is said to be endowed with the power of dragons. It is not clear whether it is a man-made creation, or of some other nature." Grave Wardens, Desert Sorceresses and Amana Priestesses drop Dragon Charms on a semi-regular basis; so much so, I accidentally obtained a whole stash of it by killing them so much. Other enemies do so as well, but not as frequently; Dragon Shrine and Iron Keep coming to mind. This forms a partial pattern; at least two of the concerned parties are sorcerers, and yet hold religious significance in both the objects they carry and the roles they play to those around them. Indeed, what one would call " hypocrisy" within Lindelt was once a common attribute of faith. The practice of both sorcery and miracles; the practice of sorcery in a religious context. Indeed, sorceries like fire sorceries, along with pyromancy itself, specifically were thought to be mediated by faith along with intelligence. This also indicates another 3 things: 1. The Desert Sorceresses, as well as everyone else, do not follow the faith of current Lindelt and it's doctrine; they follow Shulva. This leads to the second point: 2. Jugo is old. Very old. In fact, take a look at Mytha abd around her; she's wearing a similar ( and even more risqué) outfit, and above her, you'll find the same pattern you find in Heide's Tower Of Flame. In other words, if the Desert Sorceresses are priestesses, this is the High Priestess we're looking at; before her marriage, she was likely the Queen Of Jugo herself. This leads us to the third point: 3. Jugo and Amana are connected. The Amana Priestesses drop Dragon Charms like the Desert Sorceresses; the pyromancers there protect what might be the holiest altar in the entire Shrine. Amana possesses a Tower Of Prayer and a Tower Of The Dead... As does Shulva. And the Earthen Peak itself, if we take what we discovered under consideration, might count as a Tower Of Prayer in itself. Of course, that changed when Mytha grew desperate to gain the love of her husband, but so far, the Sorceresses remain loyal to her, as do the Grave Wardens. The armour of Jugo's kings is also worn by one Rhoy The Explorer, whose " resting place" lies midway through the Shrine Of Amana. That, and the fact it's partly invisible, might connect it once again to Amana and Shulva. Moreover, as you said, the pyromancers and Sorceresses would later create a unified outfit; it would help if they were connected all along. What do I think is happening? I might copy it here, but I already made a theory on Shulva's influence in history. You might've seen it in the Dark Souks 2 video, but if you didn't, I'm ready. Jugo likely is connected to Carthus in the sense that it was where they first landed after coming from Lordran. But that is a story you kind of heard already, albeit in a different context. Edit: For those interested: Let's begin with a question: Why the ### was Shulva founded this far underground? 😕 Who was insane enough to go down there? What were they looking for, and why? _ "Long ago, I struck an accord with a human chieftain. 'Twas agreed, Humans would rule the lands lapped by the sun's rays, and rats, all that was below. But humans are liars all, schemers and cheats. Thou art from a different cloth cut. Do not disappoint me." _ The Sunken King was not a powerful man. At least, not compared to his fellows. We know this, because Sir Yorgh managed to make him a shish-kebab before turning to Sinh and trying to make him a shish-kebab, with varying degrees of success. Sure, he fought to the end, but was defeated. Does that mean he was weak? Unworthy of his crown? No; the power of the Sunken King wasn't in arm; it was, in effect, his influence. Beyond Shulva, as low as the Shrine Of Amana and as far up as Earthen Peak, Iron Keep,and Dragon Shrine, you will find Dragon Charms. Whilst the ones in the Shrine can be explained through Aldia's pilfering and experimentation, the same cannot be said of the others; the worship of Sinh, and dragonkind, utterly soaked the cultures above. There seems to be this strange impression that Shulva was an isolated, hidden place, unknown to the world above. But as you can see, the Charms trace a web of connections; a web cast by the King of the Sunken Sanctum. But how? To arrive at Shulva( and the other dominions), we must use certain shrines to transport us to and from these places, leading us to the doors embossed with the face of the Sun. All shrines share the same design; three headless serpents, poised above a pool of light. The tablets around the shrines are unlikely to be anywhere near as ancient; they speak of the more current situations of each domain, describing them as mighty trials to be overcome by the one who is to be monarch.... But this wasn't their original use. At the entrance of Shulva, lies a great vessel filled with fire, surrounded by strange patterns and summoning pools. Beyond the door, what remains of a hall can be seen, flanked by large statues, as if to welcome( or intimidate) visitors; indeed, this may be the only shrine of the three that leads to what seems to have been an entrance designed to welcome delegations, or recieve important visitors..... Or pilgrims. The Dragon Charm, it is said, holds the power of dragons, and there is doubt whether who blessed it was a human, or some other manner of being. The implication is obvious; each and every one of the Charms was blessed by a single being. The Monastery Charm is the result of attempting to imitate the rituals of creating such a charm, but without this crucial element; a weak copy. In other words, those who hold Dragon Charms have either been to Shulva themselves, or have inherited the Charms from those who have been. And judging by the Charm itself, the visits had a religious purpose. The Sunken King's dominion wasn't through the size of his territory, nor through his own power; it was through his power as a religious leader. The DLC doors, and the shrine portals leading to them, were likely of Shulvan creation. The same designs can be seen in Amana, which also has it's own Tower Of Prayer and Tower Of The Dead. The Dark Chasm of the Gutter was seemingly locked behind the same key that led to Dragon Talon, key to Shulva. The underworld, as the Rat-King says, was taken over by humans. The shrines would've been used for transportation and communication between the kingdoms; controlling both these essential methods of transportation and communication, as well as preaching his religion, the Sunken King achieved effective leverage over both his rival Kings, as well as guaranteed peace with them both. In short, in his time, the Sunken King was Drangleic's equivalent to a Pope; a priest-king of a holy city, with thousands of followers across the land. His churches were the ones that filled; his faith was the one shared as far east as Jugo. But that still doesn't answer the question; how , and why? "The deep was originally a peaceful and sacred place, but became the final rest for many abhorrent things. This tale of the Deep offers protection for those who worship amidst those horrors." The Deep, in both the physical and metaphysical sense, is a space beyond this world; the surreal realm of Ash Lake and Amana; the caverns of the Gutter and Shulva. In order to achieve this empire, both above and below ground, the Sunken King had to make war against those he promised peace; why? As we mentioned earlier, a great mural within Shulva, copied in Dragon Shrine, depicts a dragon, it's head juxtaposed with the Sun. The message is clear; worship of the Dragon and the Sun is one and the same. Velstadt, coming from a " lost land", with a headdress directly copying the ones worn by the statues at Shulva's entrance, summoned by Elana, was a Warrior Of Sunlight, wielding Sunlight Oath. Shulva was a city in which the Dark was accepted, hexes cast and chanted, but where the Sun was also worshipped. Even their supposed taboo against sorcery is yet another form of hypocrisy; the Sanctum Shield casts both sorceries and miracles. I think the message is clear, now; The Sunken King was guided by " you know who". He who must not be named. "Twould seem some sunlight-poisoned creatures are worthy of great honour." The king of Shulva, who betrayed the Rat-King, was "poisoned " by Sunlight; he was a devout follower of the Sun..... And a dragon. The Firstborn was here.
Notes: "Bolts imbued with lightning created by the giant blacksmith of the gods. However, the gods never used crossbows. These bolts are likely artifacts of the dragonless era, when the pact between gods and humans was upheld." Regarding Jugo and Mirrah, Gael wields both these bolts and a Mirrah Shield, indicating he comes from this era. His hood resembles those worn by the large slaves in the Undead Settlement, whose denizens wear the Worker Hat, also worn by specific skeletons in the Catacombs Of Carthus, indicating a position in ritual workings. Thus, Gael's hood places him in the era of Carthus as a captured slave soldier most likely from Mirrah, forced to fight, and his bolts name this era as the " dragonless era". " The dragonless era" indicates a time where the ancient dragons did not exist or threaten the world, but where nonetheless people felt the need to create and use weapons of lightning, as well as call upon the aid of the gods using a " pact". Combined together, I believe the " Dragonless Era" to be the official name for the response to Wolnir's conquest, and the subsequent fall of his empire. The Bluemoon Greatsword, and the Way Of Blue, indicates a pact between the god of the faction that would become the Blue Sentinels and the people across Mirrah, Lindelt and Jugo, all of whom are familiar with or follow this pact as a " simple prayer" for deliverance. This " simple prayer" became a call to arms, in which the people of Gael's time participated. Eventually, the gods themselves ( Irithyll) intervened and aided them against Carthus, and thus, the pact was upheld. " Shield of the Holy Knights of the Sunless Realms. Engraved with a brilliant flame crest that burns brightly within the order's customary sunset colors. This design symbolizes those who both harbor and oppose the power of flame." As a result, Mirrah and Jugo, among others, became part of the Sunless Realms; an empire of humans and gods, reunited. " But what about the lightning bolts? Don't they represent the Sun better than the moon?" Glad you asked. "The bizarre pattern featured on the shield is the mark of a mad god, revered as a god of war in remote regions." Gwyndolin was not the only one with a pact to uphold.
I gave up reading this because of how much scrolling I had to do, got bad eyes so I zoom YT in If you need to make a paragraph break, don't make it larger than two entire lines man. Pressing enter once is enough. straight couldn't follow this because of how you spaced it
@@alyseleem2692damn son you gotta make your own vid. You got a thesis and everything. Wish I wasn't too tired, otherwise it'd be fun to poke holes. Not to throw shade, I think this is a very cool theory, it just makes it more fun to speculate when we can push back and forth. I like the connection you're drawing, and I have literally never thought about Shulva, I played DS2 back when I was still drinking alcoholically.
@@IndieGinge Thanks! That is very kind of you. Indeed, it would be nice. Don't worry, though. My thesis does not end here. I originally wrote most of this under the Dark Souls 2 video. There is...alot I wrote there, come to think of it. I should've kept them as comments like these, but I liked writing down my thoughts and people were interested. If you want to go there later when you're better, knock yourself out. If not, I can bring them here. Copy them.
Here's something interesting. Remember the Undead Rapport spell? It's a pyromancy used to control the undead. If the desert pyromancers used this spell to enthrall the men of Jugo, this would further explain why they are hated in such a violent manner. The fact that their spells work on men of Jugo proves that the curse of hollowing is among them. Because people tend to deny the existence of the curse, they expel the pyromancers in the hopes that this will expel evidence of the undead curse. Out of sight, out of soul!
I actually really like how From used a bunch of different names for areas for different areas across time that may or may not be connected. Just as with Carthus’ namesake, Carthage somehow came to be called Tunisia
The lands and people mentioned only in item descriptions of these games have interested me much, who or what they could be, but won't ever meet or know for sure. Lindelt, Jugo, Mirrah, Courland, Thorolund, and the people like Eigyl, Arstor, etc. Nice video.
This one was a banger as usual my man! I love how you speculate on very small aspects like Benhart traveling to Mirrah and settling there for a while and that's how he acquired his armor; really makes me feel like Dark Souls' world is big and immerses me more You're a shining light in the lore content RU-vid genre, keep it coming🐐
Dude idr if we talked about this yet but im glad you like Lost. Might be a cool vid topic but anyway im loving these DS2 ones Edit: it's a nice touch detail the thrall bodyguards of Zoe have the glowing hot weapon effect. Maybe she gathered a small group of forlorn thrall (maybe their masters died or they escaped?) and she taught them the use of the molten weapon technique so they could have a better chance at self defence. Cool idea anyway
We do get Ludwig’s holy blade in Bloodborne which can be looked at symbolically as a replica of that game’s iteration. No magical power but associated with the wielder of the real one
These videos are great. I think another cool topic to dive into if you haven't already, would be the dark in dark souls 2. Characters like Darkdiver Grandal and Felkin the outcast, hexes and their relationship to the dark. Just a thought, but really another great video. Keep it up!
I agree that Benhart's accent probably isn't typical for someone from Jugo. Nearly every other reference to "Eastern lands" in all these games including Bloodborne and Elden Ring seem to suggest some analog for Japan or perhaps East Asia in general. I like to think of Benhart's as a kind of Highlander-Sean Connery situation - You've got this immortal traveller who settles in a foreign land long enough to consider it their home, falls in love and inherits a unique sword and leaves again long after.
great video on an overlooked part of the lore would you perhaps like to make a video on the lore of Oolacile ? I feel like it is both a well known place and one that seems quite obscure at time
There is another blue moon sword and thats the Blue moon longsword that was obtainable in the Majula chest as a gift to celebrate the release of the DLCs. You can't no longer get it on console, but on pc you can easily give it to yourself if you know the weaponID.
its name is just "Longsword" though, right? That nickname is one the community gave it and the blue-colored longsword to promote the DLCs isn't lore-related at all, just like the blue murakumo isn't either.
Personally I hated how the Alonne knights were done dirty, like the entire reason I bought the DLC of the Old Iron King was to weeb out. Not to throw shade on Sir Alonne and his badass naginata, but the new enemies are undead dual axe or sword wielding generic knight. The invisible mages were pretty cool but why there was no other variation or version of the Alonne knights is baffling. Guess their armor was too good from the start, probably the sole reason I farmed them!
Sir Alonne's weapon is a (fairly) unique weapon that I can't think of a non-Japanese analogue of. He wields a nagamaki, a curved weapon that has a slightly longer grip than it has a cutting edge, or a blade equal to the length of the grip. No real standardizations for a nagamaki - super similar to a katana. The grip has two wooden pins keeping the blade to the tsuka grip, close to the hands. They weren't used for a specific application, evolved from unwieldy greatswords (odachi) where a rope was tied closer to the centre of the sword to grip, giving better control across a long blade. It's similar to how long greatswords from Europe developed a longer ricasso (unsharpened bit near the hilt), evolving into a sort of "second grip further up the blade" which is visible in all of Dark Souls/Elden Ring on the Zweihander. The Japanese did not make a ricasso, this was where rope-cord was tied to odachi. Instead, they extended the grips to where this ropeknot used to be and the grip, the tsuka, became about the same as, or longer than, the cutting edge. Japanese pre-modern warriors from almost all eras had very little issue with re-purposing weapons when the "battlefield meta" had changed, because quality blade steel required an excellent craftsman and "blade shortening" (suriage ) is a tradition some 700 years old. Many Edo-period wakizashi shortswords began their life 400 years before that, as giant tachi swords that would behead a horse. We see very, very few original Japanese nagamaki today because it was not difficult for them to be shortened and their blades were popularly believed to be excellent. They would cut the tang down a bit and put it into the fittings of a standard-length katana. Nagamaki's blades had a reputation for being "battlefield-proven" so many lords were happy to make use of repurposed nagamaki blades for their armies - there's many Japanese sayings around blades and swords, nagamaki included, and there is this idea they cut exceptionally well - perhaps born from Edo-period men of peace greatly valuing the old tools of war that they extol the virtues of in a period where many swords were forged purely for religious and decorative reasons. ok im done weebing - DS2 taught me about nagamaki exist many years ago and I'll spit this out as thanks
And here I thought it was a naginata but rather it's own special version of the odachi. I really should buy Nioh 2 as the Odachi was the weapon I heavily geared my character towards using!@@AdamOwenBrowning
Hello there brother, I just took a break from watching Lost to do some cooking, put this video on and you go a drop a Desmond reference, strange timing!
One last thing, Ive always really liked the avatar of this channel so thanks to the artist Minespatch (hope i heard it right.) I love the style of the Omen mask in your interpretation!
I always assume that Benheardt always had the real great moonlight sword and the one he gives you was just a replica of it, showing he had no desires to part ways with his blade even though he can’t harness it’s full capabilities.🤨🐱
have not played in years DS2, but i just realized something. In south slavic languages, you would pronunciate Jugo as Yugo in english (like a car). Jug means south, but also Jugo means wind blowing from the south on sea.
@@TheHonoredMadmanfairly new game, it's like blasphemous gameplay mixed with Bloodborne themes, I've only played about an hour and a half but from what I've seen it seems to have good worldbuilding so far
