One really interesting thing I caught today - from the description of the Winged Serpent Helm: *The winged serpent is the token creature of Messmer's military forces. It is a wise friend which keeps the base serpent at bay and holds its power in check* . This distinction between the winged serpent and the base serpent is fascinating, and I don't believe this is referenced anywhere else.
It makes me think of Yggdrasil. Not sure where exactly I've read it or if I'm totally accurate but Ive read that the Bird at the Top of the Yggdrasil is what keeps the Serpent Nidhogg who naws at the roots of the tree, in check.
Max, I would love more lore videos from you about the Soul series, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. You always have a different perspective and always bring something new to the Round Table. (Hehe, you get it?) I know Vaatividya, SmoughTown, and many more have covered more than enough of this type of content but I think you would be perfect to craft new theories for these stories and shine new light on references that would go unnoticed. Anyways, I am but a humble Tarnished, Praying to an Alchemic Outer God.
I just watched your first Full Metal Alchemist video and thought, "man, this guy could probably give some great insight into some Elden Ring lore", and lo and behold lol
Just a slight clarification regarding Marika and Radagon, they both inhabit the same physical body but they are two different people. Each has control over themself and not the other. We are also led to conclude that theyre at odds with each other
One other interesting connection I found with Messmer’s serpent, is it similarities to Apep, a serpent also associated with the abyss and darkness in Egyptian mythology AND, it is even stated on a stone slate on top of one of the towers that the Land of Shadow used to be where matters of death were handled in the Land’s Between making the Land of Shadow a sort of Underworld and the Abyssal Serpent dwelling there. And Messmer using the Abyssal Serpent to devour those he sees as unworthy by the Grace of Gold holds a lot of parallels to how Apep devours the souls of the unrighteous in Egyptian mythology.
@@rodrigocardona7807 In the story it was more a part of lands between but got sealed away, that is a land where Marika comes from. In the metaphorical context it is more about human mind though it isn't only about human mind and brain it also touches other aspects such as politics, astrology, consequences of unjust banishment or punishment, mistreatment of different races, alchemy etc.
About that, Apep or Apophis, the big snake, was kept in check by Set, as Apophis was that kind of raw chaos that could ruin everything. Set is a canid headed deity. Maliketh is our dread Analogue there, besides that, the whole "Wolves are the shadows of Empyreans" tradition stems from Maliketh, which to us is the big neon sign indicating that he is a threat to all of them, perhaps even Messmer as we know that as Gurranq he occupies Space & possibly Time in a very strange fashion.
That's a fantastic parallel. And I think that holds a lot of weight. I'm not disagreeing with you here. Just something to think about is Messmer invaded the Shadow Realm. He's not really FROM here. He's was sent on crusade for Marika. (To hide her original sin, a much less subtle snake reference) He took the Shadow Keep, but the Shadow Keep wasn't his his to begin with. Not that he isn't fulfilling the purpose you laid out here. I'm saying someone else was/is the true Lord of the Underworld. That being Godwyn. The Prince of Death. If we do get Godwyn. My money is on his soul being in the Scadutree like Marika is in the Erdtree, or Miquella was in the Haligtree. That's what I think the endgame is anyway.
I’m fairly sure that the winged snakes are a separate entity to the Abyssal Serpent. The winged snakes are companions, whereas the abyssal serpent is sealed by messmer’s eye, bestowed by Marika.
Maybe it has something to do with the nature of dragons in Elden Ring. I don't know who said this, but the dragons always move between the polar opposites of divine beings (winged dragons) and fallen, groundbound beings (base serpent) Don't remember who it was, Smoughtown or Hawkshaw.
So I think that the Hornsent actually succeeded in making a saint, Radagon/Marika. Otherwise how would a lowly Shaman women destined to be shoved in a jar even have the opportunity to “betray” the Hornsent, the rulers of the time?? How would she raise an army and wipe the Hornsent out when they seemed to have a pretty firm grip on the the Land of Shadow and especially the Shaman that lived there? And also this must mean that Numen = Shaman
This is what I've been thinking except for that last bit. I don't think the numen were the shaman. The numen were simply part of the stock in the pot that produced st Marika.
Another interesting thing is that at the Divine Gate, all of the ashen corpses strewn about the arena are Hornsent. It's also clear that they were all killed suddenly - all around the arena are groups of them kneeling toward the Gate, stuck in poses of anguish and fear. It actually looks strikingly like the Vesuvius victims discovered at Pompeii, and is so evocative of this that it seems deliberate. So the scenario implied is that when Marika was deified, the Hornsent were gathered there, and suddenly died in fire. Their poses and placement don't make much sense unless they were there of their own volition.
@@JudgeNicodemusI think it's even more simple. The Shaman were called Numen when they came to the Lands Between. That's my working theory right now anyway lol
@@LAK_770my working theory is that in the Shadow Realm, it kinda works like in the Lands Between, but inverted, as you'd imagine. In the lands between Marika is the God and she has a male Consort who is Elden Lord. So here they have a Male God and Female consort. You picking up what I'm throwing down? The Shamans are women getting fattened up to become the Shadow Realm Elden Queen. (Gloam Eyed Queen maybe? It's in the realm of possibility I feel) Well I think Marika is chosen, and instead of doing what she's supposed to do, to become Elden Lady or whatever she instead uses her power to light the tree on fire and it nukes everyone. So it's kinda like She did to the hornsent sort of what We did to her, if you squint at it. That's my working theory anyway But I'm still a while from 100% of the DLC so I know I'm missing info still.
A lot of folks have been pointing out the similarities to the Sumerian goddess Inanna's trip to the underworld and Miquella's descent into shadow. This was because Inanna supposedly had to leave a piece of clothing or jewelry to get past various difficulties in your trip. Eventually she was naked and was killed at the end. She was apparently resurrected after three days, and somehow redeemed everyone or something. I mentioned this because I suspected that other older religions were also referenced and I suspect that all of the stuff about eyes might be in reference to the Eyes of Horus The left and right Wedjat eyes (which were also the were the Moon and Sun respectively. Though some has suspected one might have been venus. Regardless, the two together were supposed to be a symbol of the red and white crowns of ancient Egypt. Thought you might dig that. The serpent might also be linked to Egyptian gods because the Egyptian serpent god, Apep, embodied darkness and disorder and was the opponent of light, Ra. Supposedly he was born from Ra's umbilical cord. A segment form wikipedia on the battles between Apep and Ra say this. "Tales of Apep's battles against Ra were elaborated during the New Kingdom.[8] Storytellers said that every day Apep must lie below the horizon and not persist in the mortal kingdom. This appropriately made him a part of the underworld. In some stories, Apep waited for Ra in a western mountain called Manu, where the sun set, and in others, Apep lurked just before dawn, in the Tenth region of the Night. The wide range of Apep's possible locations gained him the title World-Encircler. It was thought that his terrifying roar would cause the underworld to rumble. Myths sometimes say that Apep was trapped there, because he had been the previous chief god overthrown by Ra, or because he was evil and had been imprisoned. "
The Akkadian version of the story opens with Ishtar threatening to to smash the gate to the underworld so that she can raise up the dead that they might eat the living. In order to return to the land of the living Ishtar’s husband must stay in the realm of the dead on her behalf, but Ishtar’s sister offers to bear some of the penalty in her behalf so that they may be together; and as a side effect of this the dead are now free to leave the underworld on certain days. Considering Miquella is said to have attempted to give Godwin a true death I wonder if we are meant to make a connection between Miquella’s presence in the land of shadow and the existence of ‘those who live in death’. Another possible connection; while Ishtar is in the realm of the dead, mortal sexual activity and desire ceases in the same way that it has in the realms between.
@@leejerrett8268 Not gonna lie, I've also been finding lots of Egyptian references too, ever since watching this video. I started by looking into the Wedjet, the eye of Horus and ra. Apparently things like the tree of life and world serpent all started in Egypt. They also horsewhipped Hippopotamuses, snakes, falcons and lions; just to name a few. All are animals found in the Elden Ring. There is also just so much incest and contradiction that Egyptology really feels like trying to make sense out of a From software game. I also have a sneaking suspicion that the horns are not a sign of divinity but rather of inbreeding.
Ooohhhh my god, this explains SO MUCH! The horned animals in the dlc are notably either growing white fur/feathers, or red! That was confusing me because I wasn't thinking of it on the same terms as red and white flesh, but of course it is!
Something i've seen in DS2 that could lead to Elden Ring is the Spirit Tree Shield, and the numerous depction of a sacred tree in some places of the dranglaic castle, and other places in the game. The description tho only mentions that "The spirit tree took shape of a shield to protect a young boy" something like that. Idk, I always felt like that this spirit is some kind of lost lore no one noticed. Right before the Mirror Knight boss there are depictions of this tree
Loreheads: Hmm yes, this pillar gives us great insight into Messmer's personal trauma 🤔 Me: HOLY FUCK WHERE'S THE NEXT GRACE JESUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSS RUN RUN RUN
Very cool man, since dark souls 1 I've been pretty blown away by miyazaki's implementation of occult imagery/language. Even if it is just a superficial version of it. It's hard to say how much somebody really understands about it but you definitely know what you're talking about and it's great to hear somebody put this stuff together. I sound like a madman talking about this to people
Wow, the crimes of the Hornsents were even more horrible than what I originally thought. Not only their dungeons are full of tortured shamans in pots but the failures of such "saints" are actually buried everywhere.
Please do a video about the similarities and differences with Miquella’s age of compassion and ranni’s age of stars endgame goals and how they went about to achieve them. And please do a video on mother of fingers cause that things is both fascinating and creepy looking as hell!
Man, I love Ranni and Miquella’s duality. Both use the same wording for their respective Age’s (“A thousand year voyage, under the ____ of ___”) My take is that both Ranni AND Miquella have the exact same endgoal: removing the influence that any Godlike entity has on the Lands Between (also, both Ranni and Miquella seem to be well acquainted, with their respective knowledge of Torrent). But I think the difference lays here: both Ranni and Miquella seek to remove influence of Gods…. But Miquella wants to be the Leader of such an age, whereas Ranni wants NO ONE to be the Leader. The difference lays in “Free Will”. Miquella believes he has the right capacity to be able to lead an entire Age, without the influence of Gods, whereas Ranni simply sees that NO men are above one another. I’ve also heard a cool detail, regarding the reasoning behind Miquella and Ranni’s moral differences…. Miquella is eternally a child. He has the naivety of such. He believe everything in the world can be “fixed”. Since he’s eternally a child, he’s cursed to live with the idea that “compassion” and “love” is the *only* way for us to move forward. In everything he’s attempted such as an Erdtree, Unalloyed Gold, Godwyn’s Resurrection and Malenia’s Rot, he’s failed at every single thing he’s done. His story is one of ambition, but the ambition of a naive child who believes everything can be fixed. So now he travels the Shadows, retreading Marika’s footsteps, in hopes of Becoming a God that can finally “fix” that which he once tried to “fix” beforehand. Miquella is eternally nascent… and hence, he can never fully reach his potential. If he’s forever a child, he can never grow, physically and spiritually. This is where Ranni differs. She IS grown. She is wise. She understands the nature of the world, and that it can NEVER be fixed. Instead, she chooses a new route: throw it all away. Start a new life. Miquella’s obsession with “compassion” came from the naivety of her nascent nature… yet Ranni is different. Especially with the new revelations that the Greater Will is nothing exclusive to Marika’s order, but the cosmos itself, further reinforces Ranni’s ending. Ranni sees the Wisdom in the moon, a cosmic entity removed from the influence of the Elden Ring. Miquella is not a bad person. He’s just cursed with eternal childhood. He believes in the idea that everyone will live a better life if everyone has “compassion” and “love”. He tries to enforce these ideals, not because he’s “manipulative”, but because he has the childlike innocence. TL;DR - Ranni and Miquella have the same goals. But Miquella’s eternal naivety, and Ranni’s wisdom of experience and knowledge of the cosmos, is what separates their ideologies. Ranni = Free Will; Miquella = Mind Control (“compassion”). Long story, short: never give a child any Godlike responsibilities lol. Miquella and Ranni are FANTASTIC characters
I don't think the pinwheel is related due to the specificity of the japanese folklore around those items. The concepts would not be interchangable to a japanese person
This is so cool, to learn about the importance of white and red and what they represent in alchemy. Had no idea about any of this and it's cool to see such details in the game. So Miquella being white and having feminine energy pairs with Mohg and Radahn, who are both red and becoming one with him as consort. To become a perfect being. Great video!
I saw an interesting theory about Miquella. Namely, that his curse or affliction isn't eternal youth, but rather nascency. He can never finish anything. He never fully grew up, his Haligtree is rotting, he never created the promised land for all those spurned by the Erdtree, and even his promised consort couldn't die until we came along.
Just fell in the Sethian mythology hole and yaldabaoth and Sofia sounds A LOT like messmer and marika, even the throne surrounded by fog to hide him from the rest of the world. Pretty sure Max knows a lot more about this if that's the case it would be amazing.
Came here after seeing Ziostorm's recent video about how the ER DLC strengthens the mushroom theory. He gave you a nice shoutout. I really appreciate this vid, you've got a lot of cool insight into the ER lore and did a great job of connecting it to alchemy!
Wouldn't that mean that Miquella was pretty close to being a Divine Rebus but that by removing Trina, his female aspect, he was reducing himself down to being merely male, and thus unworthy of being regarded as "divine"? Excellent video.
Maybe the reason that the godslayer great sword, sacred relic sword and miquellas crown have intertwining designs that look like the caduceus to symbolise the fact that two beings are one
Yeah, mistakenly. The healer's symbol is the Rod of Asclepius, which has only one snake around it. Mercurius has nothing at all to do with healing, I imagine it was just a marketing team that decided that a symmetrical symbol looked better.
8:46 hope you read this but in some of the messmer soldier helms they say that the snake with wings is actually messmers friend and he’s fighting the base serpent for control. So that was fact my theory is the red one with wings is that looks at you in the boss fight is the helper and in control of the base serpent bc the grace and when he rips it out the base becomes in control of the winged. That can explain why the serpent that attacked in phase 2 had no wings when he transforms for a brief second
I don't know much on the topic so this could be quite off but the union of the Red King and White Queen seem to associate the White Queen with coldness and the moon. Neither of which are traits generally associated with Marika's general assocaition with gold which itself has many in-game associations to the Sun. I wonder if the Marika/Radagon children being born with curses might then be due to the imbalance in their union. Radagon going off to marry Renalla could also be an attempt to collect more moon-ness (a point that might add to this is the two incantations, Law of Regression and Law of Causality, two key descriptors of the Golden Order, are the only two pure Int incantations in the game. Where Int is a stat that is heavily associated with sorcery and stellar bodies)
We don't even have anywhere near the full story. It will be like trying to break down the Philosophy of a 20 chapter novel after reading only chapter 7 and 18. Sure we can discuss and distill the things shown in the two chapters, as well as Infer the rest of the story from those two. But that lack of information will just give rise to the analysis being misinformation.
@@animeproblem1070 I literally said we can talk about what's there though lol. Just that trying to infer everything else from it will be a mistake. Just go back to all the pre dlc lore theories on Marika if you don't think so. Or how the miquella twist was quite obvious, but people just refuse to accept it because no way that sweet lil angel will do something so foul right?
@@jellydamgoodI thought people were “refusing” the ending because of Radahn’s involvement. Not Miquella’s choices. Oh, and our lack of choice in the matter.
I think one thing that you should possibly consider is the relevance of George RR Martin drawing from his own writing. Many theory Crafters have noted that Weirwood trees are consistently described as serpents
This videos are so good Max... Everytime i watch one of those, you leave me flabbergasted and speechless. You are a true fellow. All i ask, is that you remain constant.
Like in the Uplifting Aromatic! This perfume buffs physical defense and attack and gives a single use damage reducing bubble. Very useful! The most important ingredients in that perfume are Arteria Leaves and Silver Tear Husks. Red and White.
This makes so much sense, and if we consider marika a saint, a sucess of a pot specimen, then I think the cardinal sin might be considered in regards to the hornest's laws and views . It very well could be a stretch but I would love to see what you think of this in a video.
11:00 Sounds like you clarified the criterion for what makes one an Empyrean! And Empyrean may be a being that manifests an ability to unite opposites! Miquella has the boy/girl duality; Malenia has the daughter of Marika/Godess of rot; The GEQ unites life and death; Ranni is less clear but perhaps Radagon's Blood + her knowledge of cold magic or perhaps her studies of the (Occult) Dark moon gave her alchemical knowledge.
I feel the serpents are the eventual outcome of the jar people. the jar shamans release a tendril very similar in shape to a snake or rykard's weird wormy two fingered hands. and messmer's snakes look like they are a fused mass of flesh (or putrescence) in the shape of a snake, with broken bones for teeth and eyes from multiple people. Messmer is just what happens after a shaman has fully merged with all the people. also the ember of messmer looks like the jar innards, down to the golden strings inside. i feel messmer fire is basically the souls of other people fused to Messmer released by him, like the jar attack where they explode body parts. that's why his fire acts like a living being. they are basically turned into vengeful souls or "red sprites" as they are called in rauh's ruins.
I feel I read somewhere that it was the female shamans that were put into the pots. Though it does make more sense that they'd put a male and female in to try create a rebis.
Messmer likely takes inspirations from Abraham Eleazar's works. In particular the difference between the winged snake, and the base serpent. In one of his illustrations, you can see the serpent on top with wings, and the serpent at the bottom (base) without. The description from the winged serpent helm pretty much confirms the allegory: "Messmer's military forces. It is a wise friend which keeps the base serpent at bay and holds its power in check"
This video alone helped answer a lot of questions. Even if it doesn't pertain exactly to the lore per say, it helps seeing some of the intentions From may have had when putting the story together. Also, saying "more occult secrets for another video" and showiing Metyr at the same time......massive 💡moment for me personally. You didn't even have to say a whole lot with that one😂
Maybe the fact Radagon and Marika always have a pair of kids means they can not unite for some reason. And as such - no rebis. Just another pair of "components". "Earthly and Divine" Red and White Messmer - Melina Malenia - Miquella
It's the abyssal serpent; Shaun of Light. Edit: [4:51] indeed, I believe the pthumerian miners were harvesting cinnabar (HgS; mercury sulphide) - mercury was considered the blood of Shiva in Rasesvara sects, and was imbibed ritualistically.
There are many comparsions to Messmer's position as the serpent of Chaos. Apep, Jörmungandr, Vritra, Bobbi-Bobbi, Echidna, Eobshin, Glycon, Illuyankas, Meretseger, Nehustan, Rod of Asclepius, Tefnut, Sheshnag, Medusa, Quetzalcoatl. The red and white colors tie to represent male and female, dark and light, semen and menstrual blood, Animus and Anima, Chaos and Cosmos. Many of these themes related to the sexes, beginning, and end of all things. Messmer's second phase might also be a reference to the Serpent forcing Eve to eat the Fruit of Knowledge to gain the same level as the Lord. It makes sense due to how Marika and Radagon were effected during the world's creation, leading to their familars being negatively influenced as well, but remain loyal to the player: the Savior who rids the dark from certain lords representing sin and anguish such as Mohg, and the aforementioned Messmer, among others. I do hope the video on Miquella arrives, so that way hidden Elden Ring lore can be discussed in hindsight than ever before.
I dno if miquella was afflicted, miquella seems like the perfect true rebis. To me a rebis has always been balancing these elements within yourself, not trying to stitch creatures together.
The Red and White color motif pops up in AC6. One might say Handler Walter's AC represents the Red king while Ayre's AC represents the white queen. I'm just rambling lol.
I literally just made a post on reddit positing this a few days ago. Seeing it all laid out here and perfectly supported makes me feel so vindicated. Great Video Max.
i waited for your video on this. Had very similar thoughts about mesmer. The symbol of messmer is a Ceadeus, with left a flame and right a braided crown. Also the crucibel was symbolised with two spirels that try to reach the heavens. At top a gate that marika used to become a god. A portal that was red of flesh and blood as marika (possible devoid of all that was radagan/male) approched, and the same portal that miquella (devoid of all that was st trina/female) was then white with ash and death. But, i think markia did something else. The two trees were part of the crucibel and marika unraveled them. splitting the lands of the dead and the living to banish death. she became the rebus to enforce immortality because she lost so much to death and the immortality the hornsent tried to create throuch merging and evolving was abhorrend to her. But this heretic way, even if it was working, created the broken offspring. Vessels for the divine, that attracted other forces.
Elden Ring is mainly inspired by norse mythology and Ragnarok (the end of the world before a new beginning). It does also feature alchemy, the occult, psychology and more, which could arguably be said to fill in untold gaps in norse mythos rather than altering it
Sorry, this is in reference to my earlier post about Ra. I wonder if the story about the journey of the sun throughout the day has any relevance to the plot and specifically to the horncent. From wikipedia. "According to Egyptian myth, when Ra became too old and weary to reign on Earth he relinquished and went to the skies.[8] As the Sun god one of his duties was to carry the Sun cross the sky on his solar barque to light the day. But when the sun set and twilight came he and his vessel passes through the akhet, the horizon, in the west, and travels to the underworld.[9] At times the horizon is described as a gate or door that leads to the Duat. There he would have to sail on the subterrestrial Nile and cross through the twelve gates and regions.[10] On the course of the underworld journey, he transformed into his Ram headed form.[11] Every night Apophis attempted to attack Ra and stop the sun-boat's journey. After defeating the snake, Ra would leave the underworld, returning emerging at dawn, lighting the day again. He was said to travel across the sky in his falcon-headed form on the Mandjet Barque through the hours of the day, and then switch to the Mesektet Barque in his ram-headed form to descend into the underworld for the hours of the night."
Anyone reminded of the quicksilver-looking balls in the underground? If the Numen, which Marika is one of, are the same as Shamans, which Marika is also one of, then the underground cities are what remains of the Shamans after the Shattering. These Numen, too, wished to create a god (the giant skeleton guys in thrones).
I'd love if you could explore the silver/gold motif of Miquella and Trina, i know this is alchemical symbolism of the coagulation phase of the alchemical process, where pure gold and pure silver are joined. There is ongoing debate on whether or not they were always the same entity. I personally believe they were not, but were to be joined at some point, or were merged at some point prior. The japanese translation indicates the word "love", which Miquella discards, is used in relation to a lover, not one's capacity for love. I feel this would not make sense if they were always merged.
One thing I want to say is I don't think the Shamans were necessarily a race. I think they were part of the Numen who came to the Lands Between on the big boats we find on the southern shore. Specifically I think the Women of the Numen had Religious significance, also I believe to do with their flesh melding abilities. The Japanese text used in the game was Miko, or "priestess", which makes me think they were women, also the statue you find Marika's braid says it was an offering to "The Grandmother", and the Minor Erdtree incantation leads me to believe the Shaman village is Marika's home.
I was pretty disappointed that there’s was absolutely NOTHING new on Melina or the gloam eyed queen in terms of lore. I was really looking forward to seeing more lore on her
One detail that I have to point out that I came across and landed on a realization of is that Messmer (and Melina but much later), despite having red hair, may not be a child of Radagon in the way the twins are, but may have been the first attempt at a wholely self reproduced child as Marika alone, without a father. There is some evidence that Messmer, known as "Son of Marika" in Leyndell (Serpent Crest Shield) may have come first and be the first non giant with red of hair. The evidence for this being in Messmer's orb and Kindling item descriptions, the wording heavily overlaps with wordings of items mentioning the fell god, the giants, and the never dying/ever burning flame in the base game (Fire Giant's Remembrance). The Fell God the giants worship, who is the god the Hornsent see as the devil (Furnace Visage) may have cursed Messmer, which in turn inflicted him with the Fell God's flame (the same fire Melina is able to wield in the giants forge, both siblings who bear a vision of fire, both of whose fires are used to burn a divine tree's thorns of sealing) and that cursed marked him with the red hair of the giants. Messmer got the double helping of not just having the Base Serpent's outer god's influence within him, but his unnatural blasphemous birth caught the attention of the colloquial people's devil. Radagon was not mentioned ever being around during the war of the giants, Godfrey was the main guy at the time, and that "Queen Marika" herself slew the god (One-Eyed Shield), in what now looks like revenge over part of Messmer's condition. This could also suggest why Radagon really REALLY hate his Red Hair when he finally appears. It can be seen as Marika's indirect trauma of Messmer (or the same curse) manifested as a physical trait. Pretty sure trying to side step the alchemic process in any way is what is producing the cursed selfcest children. Radagon's Carian children are all fine. Godwyn (to our knowledge) came out fine but Morgott and Mohg could be Godfrey's/Hurrah Loux's affinity with the Crucible from his barbarism. Also, the Shaman flesh properties probably are not helping their case with how easily these outside afflictions keep happening.
Its curious that im watching your aion series right now, and now im running everything through the jungian filter of ego self and shadow and trying to make sense of the shadow realm and the shadow erd tree being the shadow of the erdtree.
I think that red and white in combination is just a Shinto way of wishing good luck on everyone who plays the game. Also the Haligtree sounds more like "holy tree" but occulted. There's prolly more interpretations out there but I havent done the whole DLC yet.
What if radahn was chosen as the consort because he represents red and Goldwyn didn’t have any “red” in him because he is a child of marika nor raddagon
Theres definitely a relationship between personal alchemy (turning one's own soul to gold, the different classes of races tied to metal in yhe cycle), evolution (the crucible, prima materia), and alien interference in that natural evolution (fingers representing an evolution to modern man) . Its something we're still trying to grasp because of how it was explained to us. Oh, and did you consider that Marika and Radagan being the same person means that they succeeded in creating a saint/rebis and her crusade on the shadowlands is both revenge and her attempting to prevent them from creating another like hermself?
It's funny, just yesterday I watched a video analyzing the anime Hellsing and how it embodied the trinity of colors, the nigredo, albedo and rubedo, the black, being decomposition, spiritual death and decay, the white purification, clarity, and red, the addition of blood, of the abstract and ideal. We see all three in Messmer the same way we see all three in Alucard of Hellsing, only with Messmer the process is backward. Messmer begins, for us, bathed in red, devoid of white save for his skin and wielding a reddened flame tinged with black, and as we reach his next stage, he and his two winged caduceus serpents, which are seperate from the abyssal serpent, turn white, the inbetween stage of black and red, a middle ground of volitile purity before the black takes hold, we see the black behind his eye, when the suspension of gold is removed, and the great abyssal serpent, a mixture of all three colors emerges, melding into black each time it manifests. He is the antithesis of white and gold, purity and preservation, like his mother. Instead, he is steeped in black and red flame and a vessel for darkness, and we witness his degradation firsthand, he sacrifices his metaphorical progress just to stop us from becoming not a graceless lord, but as he explicitly puts it, one devoid of light.
