Understanding the Black Goat - A Night in the Woods Theory
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- A thorough examination of the Black Goat, the mysterious entity worshiped by the Cult, with a specific focus on its likely identity, inspiration, and impact on those it comes into contact with. This video will set the ground work for my next theory, where I'll be taking a deep dive into its origins and tying its past to the history of Possum Springs itself.
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Huge shout out to my Night in the Woods collaborators Wolf.Godwin and Jordi Jaen Morales Moreno!
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I'm glad someone covered the goat. A lot of the early interpretations from when the game first came out all tried to brush the cult stuff and the cosmic aspects under the rug for the reasons of either skepticism or seemingly the lack of wanting this to be a cosmic horror experience. I feel as thought everything about the world of Night in the Woods is connected on this cosmic level as a lot of historical characters have powers that could all seemingly come from "The Glimmer". Whatever the goat truly is it is not of the dimension the game takes place in too as the Sky Cat says it came from a deserted world of sand and it was using it's hooves to claw at the sky in order to cross over to another from what I remember. I feel it being stuck in the hole might be the failure of fully crossing over, might explain why it wants sacrifices to gain strength. There's a lot of cool story potential about the goat and it's connections to Possum Springs or possibly the entire world of the game . Here's a scary though, What if there were more creatures just like it, all doing the same thing all over. I think it creates interesting implications on Free Will vs Fate & Destiny which ads a whole new layer to the game and story!
Thanks for the awesome comment! Yeah, I agree, I've always interpreted the Black Goat as something real in the world of the game. Sure, it does allow them to set up some metaphors, but that doesn't stop it from being real. I definitely think there are some big connections between the cosmology, Possum Springs, and the events of the game, and I do indeed think that the Glimmer is part of what ties all of that together! I'll be doing a deep dive into all of that in my next two videos!
@@owlbatross9187 Sick, I can't wait for those. The cosmic aspect was another one of the things that made NITW one of my favorite games. Something I forgot to put in my original comment was that it was bold of the Cultists to assume that The Gang would assimilate into their ranks eventually even if they were truly trapped in Possum Springs. Not everyone in town is a member even if there were sympathizers in the townies, and it's odd to think that they wouldn't reach out to other parts of deep hollow county or get the state authorities involved in some way unless the conspiracy ran deeper or something. It's a lot of speculation and I could see a few interesting alternate bad ending scenarios come out of it. Either way if they ever make a new game in the future I hope the cosmological aspects and horror stay
I believe the filename for one of the sounds Mae hears during her walk through the mine includes the name "Ibon". I vaguely remember finding this one night while searching through the game's sound files, but cannot find it anymore. This was after the weird autumn update.
That's really interesting! Thanks for sharing, that definitely helps support my theory!
I'll have to take a closer look at the game files - I've been meaning to do a video about cut content and things of that nature at some point down the line!
"The painting in the Shreigeist House looks very similar to the constellation "Ibon" in The Longest Night, and could be an easter egg or a hint to Black Goat's identity."
Nitw wiki page for the black goat
I've heard people try to explain away The Black Goat as just being in the imaginations of the cult members, but I've never bought that. Eide definitely has supernatural powers and he had to get them from somewhere. Besides, eldritch beings hiding in/influencing small towns is such a staple of horror writing I highly doubt the devs weren't intending it to be canon in the game. If the main characters were still in middle/high school I'd be tempted to make comparisons between NitW and Stephen King's IT, which is itself very Lovecraftian towards the end of the book.
Same here, I've always felt that the Black Goat was supposed to be real, and the point you bring up about Eide is one of the biggest reasons why. We see him pretty much teleport up to the elevator, so it's clear to me that supernatural abilities definitely do exist in the world of NITW.
You bring up a good point about eldritch beings hiding in small towns, that sure is a calling card of Lovecraftian horror! I also like the comparison between IT and NITW. There are definitely some similarities there!
I think that the most damning evidence that sacrifices to the goat are pointless is the mine itself. They came there to start mining again, sacrificed someone accidentally yet still the mines dead.
I wish I could give you thousands of more views and subscribers. It is so nice having someone still talking about my all time favorite game, and you seem to be passionate about the games you play
Thank you so much my friend, I appreciate it! Absolutely - I'm very passionate about all the games I cover, especially NITW. I have a great time talking about it and I have a ton more videos on the way!
Can't wait till next month! I'm super excited, also can totally see the Lovecraft connection.
Me too! I'm really looking forward to the next theory video. It's going to be pretty groundbreaking!
I think the black goat is roughly a great old one discovered by the cultists and is worshipped and fed young flesh in return for keeping possum springs from going bankrupt. And I think the Black goat has found great interest in Mea and it probably favours her personality in someway. Even though the Great old one speaks no english it is hard to understand what the Old one spoke to Mea about. If the Black Goat does have interest in Mea I hope the dark god allowed her to live her life in peace even though it spared her life. I also think the repair guy who mea met at the start of the game is also either a God or a ancient saint who still walks among mortals as a layed back dude that fixes stuff
Definitely a possibility - the Black Goat sure does have a lot in common with the Great Old Ones! It's funny you mention the Janitor as well - I have theory about him coming up!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the forest God and the Adina Astra game
It's funny you mention that - I'll be talking about the forest god quite a bit in my next two videos! As for Adina Astra, I'll definitely be covering her more down the line, she's a really interesting character!
Absolute amazing video as always personally I think that the black goat is an ancient god of destruction that has existed since the beginning of time and was eventually stopped by ancient sorcerer, and trapped down in the hole that would become the mines and its feeding on people to grow stronger so it can one day escape and cause nothing but death and destruction to not only possum springs but also the whole universe and multivere as well but hay that’s just what I think can’t freaking wait for your next few videos your seriously the best thank you so much for keeping this incredible game alive 😁
Ibon could be anything. Ibon could be like a deadric prince or a old god who just does not intervene in the lives of mortals unless it has too. I'm curious I wonder did Meas grandfather knew of the black goat or did he even fight off its singing so he would not be drawn in like the others were?
@@JaythePandaren ya your right hmm that’s an interesting idea
Thank you my friend! As always, I appreciate the support and I'm glad you're enjoying the videos! My next one is going to be HUGE! Can't wait to do a deep dive into the history of Possum Springs!
I like the comparison of him to a Daedric prince! Big Elder Scrolls fan! I think Mea's grandfather did know about the Black Goat - I covered it a bit in my video about him, but I'll be diving into it even more in my next theory video!
A theory that I think would be a fun one to dive into is the deal about the three teens. What are they all about?
That's a great suggestion! I'll definitely be diving into them down the line once I'm finished with all of the cult-related stuff! Thanks for the idea!
Hey Owlbatross! I had a huge final today and I think I did well! I’m very happy! My birthday is on the 21st too so it’s a busy week. I still have 2 more finals due this week though on the 22nd
Hey JJ! Hope the final turned out well! What was the final on? Happy birthday, hope you have a great day tomorrow! Good luck on the other finals, you got this!
@@owlbatross9187 thank you! It was a 90 question history test, I think I did ok though lol!
My theory about the Black Goat is that they DO actually grant the boons to the town. As well as the blights (such as the flood mentioned by the cult. It's implied that they might've been too late with the sacrifice or skipped them).
There's also some textual evidence that perhaps "holes in the sky" are also "holes in the ground" so to speak.
So things established by the Sky Cat:
The Black Goat (Ibon) tore a hole in the sky with his hooves to enter the realm of Earth. Goat now exists in the hole in the ground below a poisoned spring that was cursed by a witch. Perhaps the witch was among the first to entertain the Goat.
We are also told that Adina Astra met the end of her story by delving into depths and never returning. However, we see her represented in a dusk star. Perhaps, she actually made it into the sky by finding a hole in the depths.
This is further supported by the Frozen Lake in Lost Constellation. Which talks about the lake being so deep that the dead can come back, and it being so dark that you can see the stars in its reflection, so the gods froze it. Perhaps it is instead, that the Frozen Lake was a hole in the sky, a portal of sorts between the heavens and earth.
It is also mentioned in Mae's Sharkle experience, that it is believed that the dead rest among the stars, further supporting the interpretation that the depths of the earth connect to the sky.
Now the question to ask is "why did Ibon tear a hole in the sky and appear on Earth?"
Probably to escape the hole at the centre of everything, but it's also possibly implied by the Skycat that the hole will consume Earth as well. So why?
I think this is related to his story in Longest Night, he made the fish cry, and taught them to sing. He brought song into the world. I think then, it is perhaps he is returning to Earth as a way to hold on to what he holds dear. Much like the people of Possum Springs, he is holding on to a doomed world. It is then a parallel that Ibon is acting like this, entertaining himself with his followers by singing to them, giving gifts, and giving punishments (he did drain the ocean to hear the cries of fish).
So I think Ibon becomes a foil to Mae. He (and the cult) represent a denial of change, a wish to the good old days. To days when Mae didn't see shapes and didn't need to worry about her house being forclosed on.
And yet, Mae understands that while she wants that, she can't have it, and instead wants to be angry and hurt for when it's lost. To grieve its loss and accept its death. Something that Ibon denies by hiding on Earth from the HatCoE. So when Mae tells him this, though she doesn't understand him, he understands her, and she is seemingly let go from his influence.
Now one thing that is a curious theory, is so we know that Ibon can influence people. Giving them visions and changing the state of their mind. I wonder then, when the Sky Cat wanted to close the hole in the sky, and told Mae this, what if that was the Sky Cat's way of closing the hole the Black Goat made? Influencing Mae subtly to reject the zealous nostalgia of the cult and instead lead to the mine caving in, the hole underground being filled back up with rocks, being closed.
If Ibon drained the sea to make the fish cry so it could hear their voice, it might be doing the same to the town. It sings to people in incomprehensible ways and makes them cry so that it can hear their voices through the glimmer. Mae couldn't even properly understand it when it talked to her, maybe it's the same for him, he can't hear the people's voice yet, so he keeps singing and upsetting the balance until he can teach people to sing (glimmer) on their own.. or people are just kind of yummy to it. Either way it seems like a mischievous trickster diety, which is fitting
I saw the title and thought this was a video discussing whether or not this thing is actually even real. But I guess this is fine too
Fair enough! All of my cult videos assume that these things are real, but in future theory videos, like when I dive into the gas leak, I'll be considering the possibility that all of this is in their heads. It's not my favorite interpretation, but it's definitely a possibility!
Nice to hear. I always believed more in the not real thing, mostly because it's such a weird direction for a story that up until that point was more grounded in reality and character focused, and the idea that cult were so deluded obsessed with the past that were willing to believe anything to get it back still works better for the theme.
I can't wait to hear your interpretation of things in the future. Have fun with the subs.
You know the first time I played the game I thought everything was just hallucinations caused by cass seeping into peoples homes from the old mines, due to the historic news paper document saying as much. I desided the Black Goat is suppsoed to be real after seeing the ending of the game.
That being said I still suspect the gas poisoning has something to do with contacting the Black Goat. This is because in Ancient Greek culture a number of temples were built over valcanic vents where noxious fumes that could cause hilutionations in people working at the temple.
If I remember correctly the Orical of Delphi was one such place. A number of other places assciated with chthonic gods had simulare vents.
That's a great observation! I'm pretty sure you're right that the Oracle of Delphi was over some type of gas leak, which definitely played a part in the visions people had there. Great connection, I hadn't though of that but there's definitely something there!
I also thing the Black Goat is supposed to be real but the gas leak theory is definitely pretty interesting to me. I'm planning on diving into it in a couple of videos once I wrap up my series on the cult!
But I want it now!
Fortunately Friday is just two days away! An Early Access version is up for Channel Members and over on Patreon if you're interested!
Me too
@@owlbatross9187I’m too broke…
@@owlbatross9187 I was doing the family guy joke lel, i have actually really enjoyed your deep dives into the various residents of possum springs and hope you continue making content
imo the connection between the black goat the constellation and the black goat the entity isn't so one to one. I figure the cult named it the black goat after the constellation/mythological figure to try to put a name to it or pretend they understood it. Like that old allegory about the blind men and the elephant. Like that was their attempt to make it smaller in their minds.
I like this take! Honestly, it lines up pretty well with how things go with actual mythological history - sometimes it's a chicken/egg thing, where people attribute supernatural phenomenon to existing figures because it makes it easier for them to comprehend.
I feel if there was a NITW the cult would have sacrificed a few of their own members to the Black goat in order to escape and reek havoc once again.
That's a great point - you're probably right about that! It's easy for me to imagine them sacrificing some of their members, maybe even a majority of them, so that a few could escape, get revenge on Mae, and rebuild the cult
There is a chance I might not be able to tune in while this is live.
Glad you were able to make it my friend! Always appreciate the support!
Hey man, hope that butte info helped!
Hey there! It did, actually! Helped put some of my thoughts in perspective about the Black Goat's likely inspiration, given that it seems like both Benson and the author of that work drew from the same source to a degree!
I've played one new release this year. It actually reminds me a lot of NitW. Hope it makes your list but we'll see.
Oh nice! Is it Fall of Porcupine? If so, it is indeed on my list!
@owlbatross9187 No, mine is Goodbye Volcano High. Tbh I forgot Fall of Porcupine came out this year lol.
Yoooooooohoho
Yo JJ!
???;Trust me owl you’re making a grave mistake talking about that demon and you will definitely regret it
SHAME ON ME - I thought I had you on my notifications, but I remembered wrong.
But it brings me joy to find this video on this very night 😻🦊🐊🐻🦜
It's all good my friend, no worries! Hope you enjoyed it! My next theory video drops on Friday!
@@owlbatross9187 😻😻😻