The ENTIRE History of Caria - Elden Ring Lore 

This video was drafted and recorded before the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer. Please excuse the Preceptor if he missed any details from the trailer or otherwise, the Shattering has caused us all to forget some things...

This will be the ONLY time in life you will ever find me being excited to attend a 3hr+ lecture

Jesus Christ, a 4 hours long video essay about a game i never played??? Sign me in!

I don't comment a lot on RU-vid but I really wanted to say keep doing what you're doing - your work is really fun, engaging and, in a space that has many creators, incredibly unique and exciting. I'm loving the videos you're putting out - thank you!

"Jesus was a tarnished" you got me sobbing at work and suddenly make me laugh

You're the only other person I've found who's come to the conclusion that the Carians are the descendants of the Nox! The other video essays I've listened to claim that they discovered it long after the Nox were banished but that didn't make sense to me! You presented all the clues in a way I've been trying to articulate for a year now!

JACKIVUS! big cat here What do you say to my proposal that we pronounce the name Eiglay like "Egg Lay" ??? Because of the theory that the different factions of Elden Ring have different methods of reproduction. Erdtree faction grows people on the tree, Demi humans reproduce sexually, etc. So why wouldn't Rykard's serpentine birthing rituals involve Laying Eggs? That's how snakes do it! We know Miyazaki loves names that use wordplay. And I guess Miquella is in an egg too, but probably unrelated. My biggest takeaways from this lesson: -Rennala is a lot like Helen of Troy, as a continent-spanning war was fought so Radagon could marry her. -Rykard is a lot like the OG Kratos! Trying to kill the entire Pantheon of gods (My new favorite character! I wish for a Kill All Gods ending) -Jack you're like Gandalf in the beginning of Fellowship, returning from his studies on the Ring to save the world with information LOL I spent at least ten hours watching and rewinding to rewatch this video, & I'll probably do the same with all your vids! Your commitment to the bit, to the character, and to Fun is top notch! This was the perfect 2yr anniversary event for E.R. and you outdid the DLC trailer in my opinion.

I lost my child last week. My sweet Arya. Now she weaves her night into being, eternally. 💜😭

I was looking forward to this. Loving this style of presentation. Not just because it is comical, but also because it actually works.

3 hour video on a day I have to drive all day for work? Blessing me🙏🏽

The fact that glintstone can hold souls and life essence makes me wonder if the giant deposit of glintstone above the Lake of Rot was the prison that the flowing swordsman used to seal the God of Rot away. Could glintstone be used to contain the soul of a God or an aspect of the natural world order? Only 45 mins into the video. So far, great production quality, great topics, and interesting discussion, as always. Update: Those have been some big cat yells. Sounds like a happy cat.

Let me first say, my guy, your style for cinematic storytelling and your ability to weave a compelling narrative from the game's environmental set pieces and item descriptions are impeccable. I thoroughly enjoyed this video and those made prior, major kudos to you! I really appreciate that you'll be branching out into viewer collaborative content as originally with your Miquella video it inspired me to write a document properly penning my thoughts on 2 topics I find interesting in the game. Then, when you announced the making of this video it reignited the fire under me to more cohesively meld my thoughts before sharing it as one of the crack theories I have involves the Carian family. Can't wait for the DLC to release and I hope to see your channel flourish this year and beyond. Will be waiting for more content from you and will definitely send an email about my crackpot theories. All the Best!

Wow can I say how refreshing and unique your content is as someone that loves the lore of Elden Ring?! You got me crying too when you were talking about Rennala losing Ranni. 😭Love your content.

Trees wither during winter and lose their leaves, allowing in light from the heavens above. In the context of Elden Ring, and particularly in Erdtree and Golden Order worship, this would mean utter chaos. The various moons and stars are able to be studied in the absence of the Erdtree. The sun, whose light and warmth (or coldness, depending on which version of the sun you are looking at) was entirely replaced by the Erdtree, could once again become the norm. The sun is fiery. Leaves of a tree that grows up towards the sun could be burnt. The winter is cold, which causes trees to wither. Manipulation of both the sun and the cold would be required to maintain a tree which is bountiful and alive forever. In the lands between, cold is perpetuated by the Zamor, and by followers of the dark moon, both of which the followers of the Erdtree subjugated or eradicated. As for the sun, the main associations with it are connected to Godwyn the Golden, and the knights who bear the crest of the eclipse on their shields, as well as the Skeletal Swordsmen who live in death and drop the Sun Realm shield. Perhaps Godwyn was a demigod who heralded the return of the presence of the sun in the lands between, which could have been a major threat to the Erdtree. The description of the Sun Realm shield appears to back this claim up. "Shield of honor depicting a city crowned by the sun. It has seen better days. Much like the wear upon the shield, the Seat of the Sun is long faded away." The seat of the sun referenced, to me, only makes me think that Godwyn the Golden had a throne at the foot of the Erdtree, along with Miquella, Malenia, Ranni, Rykard, and Radahn (, and Godrick). This would make Godwyn the demigod who sat in the seat of the Sun, and he was assassinated. Alternatively, it could refer to the seat of the ruler of the realm of the sun, which would be the throne of Farum Azula following this train of thought. If the sun realm was the previous ruling power, and we know that the dragons were the previous order of the greater will, and Godwyn the Golden managed to foster peace between the dragons and the Erdtree based on gold-gold compatibility, maybe the dragons were an order of the sun, rather than the not-yet-existent Erdtree. Additionally, I'd like to attempt to reconcile the warm sun referred to by the Warming Stone's item description, and the frigid sun of Sol, but currently am not able to do so. However, we do have examples of multiple moons, so perhaps there are multiple suns. Also, we know the frigid sun of sol is associated with death. We also know that cold flame is associated with Ghostflame, in which we know death is burned. Perhaps the frigid sun is a flame where souls traveled to be burned, similarly to ghostflame. Pardon the disorganized thought process in this comment. I'm typing it quickly on a lunch break.

12:14 - haha I fear the elden ring DLC news might reduce the promotion of this great high-effort video.

Love the theming you have going on here. Professorial lecture style fits perfectly with this topic. Great work!

Respect for the commitment to the act! Again, always a pleasure to see you grind. It was very interesting puting the different fractions of star/moon/glintstone worshiping in perspective as part of the lead-up to the Carians. There is a theory that went around at some point that the sea in the middle of the Lands Between was created from a meteor - and the divine towers were built around it - only highlighting the importance of space in ER. Anyway - thank you again for the time that you took to put those stories together. Shadow of the Erdtree trailer drops apparently in a few hours - those are some exciting times!

dude i love how you break down characters and give us insight to how they were as people and what type of personalities they had especially radahn.

Been replaying Elden Ring in anticipation of the DLC and I swear it gets better the more you play and understand the lore and world - your videos are perfection

i am SAT. notebook and quill OUT. im also excited to see your thoughts about the shadow of the erdtree trailer! in the trailer it is stated by an unknown npc (referring to "that forsaken place") that "blood must spill. the blood of your fellows." which got me thinking back to when you mentioned mohg's palace being underneath radahn's battlefield, in one of the miquella lore videos. i think you hit the nail on the head with the prediction that miquella needs blood (not just his own) to nourish his tree!!

this was super interesting and also super heartwarming!

You know what Jack? Everything has a reason... You doing such an excellent work with your videos in the past 2 months just proves to me that the universe WILL bless us with a DLC on February 25th. This is no coincidence. You gave me hope!

Whew that took me a day or two to finish. But you’ve really put a great story together. I’m working on a theory that I’m really excited to share with you! I think I’m going to have to do it in your universe. It may take me a while to finish up but I hope you enjoy it!

Rykard was never the same after he started using perfumes. He just wasn't that happy kid anymore. Somber but happy.

Wow, Rennala is kinda like Helen of Troy!

3 hours of lore lets gooo

This was fantastic! It's a great way to immerse the viewer into the world, and I really enjoyed it. I will say, however, you completely missed the opportunity to play off Luna's interrupting as Lacrima, the faerie spirit-cat who exists in Raya Lucarian legends.

Your genuine conveying of emotion really sells this. Fantastic work.

wow, thank you, this was so much fun to watch! it really helped seeing the bigger picture! i dont have a huge knowledge of the lore but i know that there seems to be a big emphasis on yin-yang / duality... and it made me look at the elden ring family tree and look for a possible twin-sibling among the rennala+radagon kids. my first thought was that renna could be twin sister to ranni but i dont think that makes much sense. also, could messmer be the twin brother of someone? keep up the good work jack! hope your channel gets more attention soon

Vibes are immaculate, happy to see you having fun and putting out quality long-form content! With a preceptor like you at Raya Lucaria, I believe even Thops can graduate (not really that dude sucks)

Fantastic video from start to finish! I guess my only point of disagreement comes in the Marika is Radagon part. While I definitely agree that they are the same being, the personalities seems to be distinct (glad you eluded to it tho): -Radagon seemed to highly disagree with Marika when it came to destroying the Elden Ring with his desperate attempt to repair it. If their mind was one and the same he would have known all along and wouldn’t have waited until it was done to do it. - He is now preventing anyone to access the Erdtree and become Elden Lord in his stead by continuing to serve the Elden Beast instead of the punished and tortured Marika who clearly betrayed it. That’s why we are fighting him in the end and not the Eternal.

your a godsend mate

To have your comment considered for Q&A include the code phrase "big cat" in your comment, as well as a timestamp if there is a specific thing I said you are referring to. If I haven't featured a comment of yours from a previous video yet it doesn't mean I won't, as you can tell by the length of this video I have been busy.

Some ppl are just better at this RU-vid stuff than everyone else.. amazing vid & channel man

I will never stay focused all the time for a 3 and a half hour video unless it is about Elden Ring Lore. What a narration ! Jack is a mimic !! Superb video, please keep more coming. I am going to watch your video on shadow of the erdtree !

I wish I paid attention to my college lectures like I do with this.

I ain’t never had a class this dope, Preceptor is dope af

thank god, needed something to get through the work day

3 hours? YAY 🙌

Preceptor my homework is late. I will look forward to your analysis of the DLC trailer thank you for your continued dedication to the lore.

Really enjoyed this style of presentation, looking forward for more lectures from Preceptor Jackivus!

love the lecture approach & all the new insights you bring! keep it up! 🎉

Awesome video man. Keep the lectures coming. New student on board 🎉

Man, you're really good at this. I enjoy it a lot! Thank you

Hey great work. I really enjoyed the presentation, any fumbles just made it feel more authentic. Keep it up!

Great work, looking forward to your DLC vids!

i really enjoy your narrative. You keep it real and interesting. You are one cool cat.

Great job!!

Ohh 3.5 hours of well researched lore... instant sub.

Immediate like, as researching the lore of the game ALWAYS felt to me like I was an sorcerer reading books in the academy, and here you are sharing that fantasy. Taking notes, professor, thanks for the enlightenment [ erudition gesture ] [ nod gesture ].

this is by far the most fun to watch elden ring lore video

This is making me nostalgic for university lol. Good times Great video as always

This commitment to the bit of you reciting these things as if you were doing an actual lecture is admirable The berserk references are a bit much early on imo, dark souls relied on Berserk a lot more than ER did.

1:54:15 jormungandr! Why didn't I realize it before.of course The Serpent is the enemy of the tree because it will attempt to devour it. That hit me like a ton of bricks just now...

It was marvellous, you got a subscriber

Wow... incredible work! We're witnessing the advent of an all-time great Lore-tuber👌

To your point at 59:28. I feel the true question is “why couldn’t the flames be put out?” What was it that prevented Marika & Godfrey from stomping every bit of the giants flame out? I can’t quite remember the specific piece that states it but it’s said the giants flame lives in all of the giants and their descendants. The only reason I could think of is that Marika is somehow related to the giants and her putting out the flame would result in either a loss of power or life. Or of course that bit about not being able to put the flame out is a lie and she ultimately wanted to use the flame in a long term plan to usurp the Greater Will. Hard to tell without the dlc

Jackivus Mimicus is like Faramir: reflective, wise, conscientious, loyal, learned in lore.

i love the role play this video is goated exited to see more! you are a wonderful narrator

I finished the video and i gotta say i deeply enjoy the presentation and the weave of embelished lore and head canons with confirmed facts because it reminds me that the game's past and presents are supposed to be basically legends and myths (or at least they feel to me like that), also it is always fun to hear stories like these from someone "within" the world. I enjoy your interpretations a lot and i can see how ASOINF have some parallels as someone who just got into the second book. Very entertaining time to watch it several more times to digest everything haha keep it going jack.

Love your content, so nice to attend this lecture! Want to discuss the matter of what you mentioned around 1:54:ish, that "It's wierd that the preceptors had a serpent brooch beneath their mask". It's not that strange, or rather, it's very telling that they wear this, for the same reason as you pointed out about the "serpent strangling the erdtree": The stitches symbolize their vow of silence surrounding regression; Radagon and Marika. In this context the serpent could very well symbolize a threat from Radagon/Marika. Wouldn't this tie quite well into Mesmer and his snakes, and his crest? Secrecy of what happened to these lands in shadow and perhaps of being a secret himself and thus under the threat of Marika. Tons of questions and only time will tell, but hey, love this stuff. Also, your eclipse video - Godamn guuud stuff

Moongram couldn't parry me, he's always to busy bleeding to death.

Good stuff man

Love the in-universe lecture, very unique format of lore video And putting in G.R.R.Martin ,Hidetaka Miazaki & even berserks author Kentaro Miura as other scholars was great . Thanks to you Jackavus Mimicus & also to your beast regent Luna

This is a very fascinating way to present the history and stories of the Lands Between, Preceptor! I hope your partnership with the Black Swordsman continues for a long time to come. (Did you, perchance, get inspired by The Dark Tower book series too for your story of Radahn and Ohga? 2:03:30)

Hey Jack wanted to thank you for coming up with personalities and moments for these characters from the process of writing elden ring's world we know JRR Martin contribution was the backstory and personalities so they way you presented radan and rykard relationship then how morggot took over it reminded me GOT world so iam sure you are right on the money and i 100% agree with you that rennala's sadness is due to her daughter dying(ranni isn't back till after the shattering so when Radagon leaves Rennela its after her daughters death tha's why Radagon implemented ways to protect Rennela because she was going to mania(and losing her senses trying rebirth ranni or herself)before Radagon left

OH MY GOD, Jack!! I was watching this video on my television while eating a late dinner, and I only pulled up RU-vid on my phone to recap chapter 3 of your Eclipse/Miquella video and I saw it… Shadow of the Erdtree trailer is dropping TOMORROW!!! Goddamn, I have had such an unbelievably stressful week and my birthday is this Thursday so I could not be more excited about this news. Thank you Miyazaki and everyone at Fromsoftware! The Second Great Hollowing is officially OVER, baby!!! (P.S. I promise I’ll leave a comment that’s actually related to your video here in a couple of hours when I finish it, lol)

Love this video. I've read and thought a lot about the lore of Elden Ring and it seems like you have a lot of fresh and interesting insights. (Even something as seemingly simple/obvious as the fact that the Erdtree's light conceals the night sky and makes stargazing difficult - thereby causing strife between the Golden Order and Astrologers. I've never thought of this myself and never heard anyone else bring it up either, but it really reinforces all the motifs at play!) I enjoyed learning from the Preceptor as well. He seems like a passionate educator even if he is a bit opinionated. :)

Awesome vid

"Remember students, the path to ultimate power and knowledge is uh...not the right one. You know, some things need to stay unknown," as a fellow scholar on related subjects I can say this is often hard to admit. While I do think these great powers can be attained without misery or great cost, It takes some humility and a baseline understanding of the histories, cultures, and teachings of the past to really have a well-rounded contextual framework to work with. My field is not quite as orthodox, leaning more toward the exploration of the middle path between the faithful and the scientific. I think there is a great deal of value to be found in the connecting of seemingly separate ideas, especially ones deemed opposites by we who have a tendancy to apply dualistic thinking to universal concepts. As within so without, and as below so above is an adage I am frequently reminded of when observing the conflicts between those who might benefit from a more empathetic or open minded perspective. The growing divide between the fields of sorcery and miracle-work is disheartening, but I am glad to see a professor such as yourself take the time to detail the conxtext of our shared past. Glad to see you and your familiar doing well, and look forward to future lectures or discussions especially given the recent hints toward a lifting veil in the interstice.

Glad to see this video.

I posit, the Carians did have some effect on war with Fire Giants. We are told at some point that it was the defection of the trolls that lead to the defeat of the giants. Perhaps it is these trolls that the Carians made a pact with. -- It has always been in my mind that Marika didn’t actually have any issue against the fire giants other than wanting control of the Flame of Ruin. I imagine her to ultimately become opposed to the Erdtree and Golden Order and she needed a weapon. We are not told that Marika killed the Fell God, just that it is believed to be the case. Just like Placidusax’s god is fled, not killed. Gloam Eyed Queen defeated, not killed. Marika has an entirely different set of enemies and allies than history tells us. I mean, Godfrey and his warriors, for their service of conquering the Lands Between for Marika, were stripped of their power, exiled, and condemned to battle and grow strong and die. Only after that death would they be allowed to return to the Lands Between to, once again, battle and conquer. So I see the fire giant thing and think, she could not let her true enemy know that she was acquiring a weapon to defeat them. I don’t think Godfrey and his forces actually defeated the fire giants, they were killed with roots and vines not wind and lightning. That victory was staged and perhaps Godfrey knew.

you are incredible !! 😆

Comment not responding to the substance of the video: you should have varied the music more. Liurnia has combat and night tracks you could've used, Raya Lucaria's music, the Eternal Cities' music, the tracks associated with Rennala's children and their domains, Astel's theme, the Fallingstar Beast's theme, etc.

nice job big guy

Big Cat I guess. So yeah, Rennala is a deeply sympathetic character. This ultra powerful lady loses her lover. Not so bad since I think Rennala created the thing that left. Like, she and Marika are ultimately allies. Radagon, possibly a mimic or Marika, and Rennala completed the Numen/Nox goal of creating a lord. Turns out, grace from the Erdtree was the missing ingredient. When Radagon left he bound some grace together, formed the Rune of the Unborn, and sealed it in amber to use as fuel. This amber egg allows Rennala to avoid binding the great rune to herself, spares her from the influence of the Greater Will. But there is more. Yeah, Radagon shields her with that barrier but this lady single handedly conquered Liurnia, there is no threat to her unless… like another powerful figure, she is taking a little vacation from her body. I mean, Ranni does not want us to disturb her mothers rich slumber. Even the ranni clones sing her to sleep. What’s going on here? Well, let’s look at Miquella for a moment. He’s powerful. He can compel people even when he was sleeping inside his tree.. which we now know this sleep to be because his living soul was separated from his living body. He’s so powerful that the strength he gives his followers can cause them to explode. Miquella is just an infant compared to Rennala. Rennala, in her sleep, gathers vague information. The Night of Black Knives comes, something I think was always part of the plan. Ranni dies. At least that’s what the Cuckoo know and what they taunt the sleeping Rennala with. Sure, she knows the truth of the plan but she’s asleep and not even really in her body. Rykard has been eaten by a serpent. Radahn has lost his mind to scarlet rot. Her family is dead. But Rennala, even this slumbering heap of soulless sorrow, is exceedingly powerful and tries to bring back her not dead children. Because they are not dead and she’s not conscious, Rennala just keeps making albinaurics that look like her daughter. All this to say, Ranni doesn’t have red hair. No no no. I mean, I’d be way more afraid of Rennala waking than of Miquella, if I were Sir Gideon Ofnir.

*checks timestamp* Yeah, I got time

We need you to do a theory video on the DLC trailer, you might have been right about Miquella

A for effort, D for execution

Really prefer this presentation of the lore. I wasn't a big fan of the "Black Swordsman" story thing. Good work!

Are you gonna do a dlc trailer analysis? Also love the videos you're like the Alfred Wegener of elden ring lore.

Holy shit never thought I’d see a fellow sun realm truther, I am of the belief that the sun realm and the giants civilization were either extremely close allies or the same civilization. I also believe that the “fell” god of the giants may in fact be the forgotten god of the Sun (the symbol of the fell god is a depiction of the solar system with the Sun in the middle).

Love that ending

I see.... mine eyes have been opened... Jackivus Mimicus IS Jack is a mimic😂no but fr, I loved this video i want hundreds more😅

I personally think the Renala's wedding weapon is Full Moon Greatsword or it is just the Moonlight Greatsword as how strong Renala is tied to Full Moon Magic is. The Dark Moon Greatsword is likely the traditional weapon for Ranni who is tied to the dark moon. I think the tradition changed from Black moon > Full Moon (after Renala took over) > Dark Moon (Ranni only)

I don't know if there's a lot to support the Crystalians being former humans exposed to crystal. Their lore clearly states them to be creations of some ancient origin, perhaps originated from glintstone itself. They don't bleed or have any blood in them.

Still such a missed opportunity not to make the lazuli swords staves fpr practical purposes :(

man ur so funny i cant believe u r not bigger!!

Banger alert.

Lots of interesting theories, but sometimes you are reinventing the lore too much to fill the gaps. But well put together thx.

hmmm his skin is suspiciously smooth…

Someone please help me out, i'm new to the game and i like to "roleplay" to feel like my character really belongs in the world, so what race should i go for if i want my tarnished (astrologer) to be part of the Carian family? nightfolk, aristocrat or northerners?

My BIG CAT's name is Shikaiya! It means whispers in the wind. Additionally, I would like to know what you think about an idea I've been kicking around within my skull about the map. I have heard a couple of other people touch on similar speculative thought. But this has been a theory of mine for a while. I did mention it to you once before, but I think it got lost in the sauce. It's concerning both the DLC and the lands between we've already thoroughly explored. I believe it is quite possible that this section of the map with vast water and a cloud is where the shadow realm lies, literally in the shadow of the erdtree. It makes sense for many reasons. If you look just past the divine tower associated with Melania’s great rune, you’ll see a massive waterfall spilling into what is presumably a broader ocean. No ocean, no bay, no great sea has ever had a massive waterfall as a feature. No. Additionally, the position of the shadow of the erdtree tree and the town below it lines up perfectly to be considered "in the shadow of the erdtree" if you place this realm where I am suggesting you do so on the map. But, getting back to the thick of my theory, this vast body of bay like water I think is linked to Liurnia of the lakes. Liurnia isn’t very lakey, after all. Instead, it’s more like Liurnia of the marshes. Everywhere in Liurnia is either vastly elevated above the waterline or sinking down into the silt at just below the waterline of the marshes. I think whatever cataclysmic, tectonic shift occurred that pulled the shadowlands into the shadow of the erdtree also drained Liurnia of it’s vast lakes. Whenever the war between the Carians and Raya Lucaria had somewhat settled, the denizens of Raya Lucaria sought to expand upon the Academy, building the lake town. But the lakebed silt was not suitable for building on and would eventually swallow much of the town. All of this displaced water rushed into the chasm where once the land we know as the shadowlands did lie. So what was once vast plains, golden grasslands yielding a bounty of wheat and abundance of grains is now a pool of displaced water, continuously fed by the Ainsel and Siofra rivers. I would love to hear what you think about this after giving yourself some time to consider it, look over the map and explore the condition of Liurnia's infrastructure and "natural" geology.

I have found my people

I just noticed, but are those stars on your tie?

The gloam eyed queen was defeated but not killed by maliketh. It seems strange that an empyrians wolf could ever hope to match a potential god. We also never hear mention of TGEQ wolf. Where were they while TGEQ was defeated? What if marika and TGEQ had a battle of champions to settle their war of the empyreans once and for all and maliketh won? That might explain how TGEQ was defeated but not killed.

Your character work is amazing 🤩 Are you really colour blind, or is that a trait of jackus mimicus? I have to know!

1:05:00 Tenure is warranted with strength.

Epic

Yaaay!!!!