When I entered this village, I saw everyone just dance there without attacking me. I were quite troubled, but just move on due to how happy it seem. Then I rode Torrent and accidently broke a wooden carriage on the road to the top of the hill, and everyone just red-eye me. That day I commited genocide, and was like “Damn, they must really liked that wooden carriage”.
@@23Butanedione Almost every living creatures in the Lands Between want to have a taste of your butt the moment they see you, so either you run away, or commite warcrime. So it is very out of place when you entered a place that does not want to shank you.
Yeah, Dominula was definitely an area that creeped me out the first time, along with the finger creepers in Caria Manor. Of course, knowing the kind of villagers they were, I make it a point to find every celebrant and kill every single one of them. I do Millicent's questline often in my playthroughs, so that is alot of genocide on my part.
There are at least 13 unnamed dead demigods that were killed before we as the player enter the story. Bernahl killed at least 1, Vyke killed at least 2 more, and Sir Gideon had to have killed at least 1 other. Plus each of the 8 wandering mausoleums have the body of a dead demigod inside them. They also seem to have been built long before the Tarnished came to the lands between meaning all 8 of them had to have died before Vyke, Bernahl, and Gideon defeated their own shardbearer demigods.
But then that would mean that the demigods inside the Wandering Mausoleums couldn't have been the same as the ones who were skinned at Dominula, because they seem to be mostly intact... and nobody would've been able to access them. But then I also recall that most of those dead demigods seem to be missing a head, which would've been removed as part of the skinning ritual. That's odd, and interesting!
Where did you learn about them killing Demigods? Damn, Vyke and Gideon i can understand, they're great, but Bernahl? Didn't know he was that strong, i respect him even more now
@@LSgaming201 But We have to kill Morgot to get to firetop. You know a guy who is still alive when we get to him. So Vyke couldnt kill him which means his journey had to be completly different
Dominula was the place that really revealed just how ominous the reign of Queen Marika truly was. Playing souls games mostly has desensitized me to grotesqueness and decay but Elden Ring is different. In this game, there’s no such thing as hollowing so enemies that look like your typical zombie aren’t just decayed…they could be skinned alive. Dominula is a location where the culture is clearly present. This is made further evident since most of the daggers in the game aren’t designed to stab…but to “peel”, especially when you look closer at the designs of the black knives and Melina’s very own Blade of Calling, which bears a striking similarity to the Godskin Peeler. The skinning is most notably seen in the underground enemies, the crucifixions, the trolls, and even maybe….Godwyn….with his flesh residing under Stormveil… Going back to Dominula, I always wondered what the purpose of these windmills are and then it dawned on me. There is an item in the game called the Bewitching Branch. The description of the Branch reveals that Miquella learned how to “compel” love and affection. The secret to this is revealed when you look at the crafting materials needed to craft the item…blood… This brings me to my theory. There is a flower in the game that has a similar purpose, the “Arteria Leaf”. The description reads it “stirs the blood” and has an “enlivening effect” and if we look close, we can see Dominula’s most sinister secret….they grow all over the windmills…to drift the scent….tempting anyone passing by to come….closer…. “Please, don’t take my skin.”
That's interesting but where does Marika fits into this? The Godskin were against the Golden Order and the villagers of Dominula butchered Marika's nobility.
This theory makes sense. I always figured why the Arteria plant showed up at certain spots, and even with knowing it’s blood red color, this solidified my belief. Must be the places where demigods died, or people were just mutilated in general, and the substance that seeped into the ground birthed a special plant made from the vigor of people.
What many dont tell you is that midsummer here in sweden is made to not just celebrate summer. But to skin and dispose of intruders bodies wich we do every year
I've seen a theory elsewhere that suggests a Raya Lucaria mage you find nearby these villages may have cursed these ladies to dance as a way to hamper their skinning rituals, which seems like a funny and fitting solution to the problem. Seeing them out here dancing was indeed a bit creepy though.
You should check out the lyrics and meaning of "Hårgalåten", an old Swedish folktale. The devil comes down to a village and plays a fiddle, making all the villagers dance until they die. It's also the inspiration to the movie Midsommar.
What’s really strange is how close the village of apparent godkillers is to Leyndell, the seat of a godly royal family. It’s bizarre that the forces of the Royal Capital would allow an obviously heretical festival to happen right on their doorstep, especially one led by a Godskin Apostle, an avowed enemy of the Golden Order.
@@higaiwokeru then in the case, surely someone amongst the Leyndell forces must have realized at some point, "hang on, that doesn't look right. That village of dancing women wasn't there last week" xD
@@Laesis Take a look at the road to Volcano Manor. It’s absolutely littered with the corpses and frenzied remains of a sizable Lyndell assault force. After that massacre, I’m willing to bet that their commanders don’t want don’t want to risk attacking Dominula in case such an event happens again. We’ve seen how strong Godskin devotees can be…
Elden ring is the first Fromsoft game I played and was super weary of every new NPC as I had no idea who will kill me next. This village was so weird to me as it was the first place no one was actively trying to kill me, as soon as they set their sights on me. I didn't know what to do with myself. So just that fact freaked me out. Never knowing when the first hit would come...
Some have said that these dancers are reminiscent of the witches from Hemwick charnel lane, dancing iland cackling in an almost euphoric ritual in Bloodborne. Others have compared it to the dancing plague of 1518, an unusual result of mass hysteria that remains unexplained to this day. Regardless of the memory this evokes, i feel that both plus berzerk have had a hand in its unholy creation. It is one of my favorite places because it evokes memories of all these things plus RE 4.
@@Yo.Schwifty trash is a strong word as a lot of people get a lot of value out of it. But much like you, most A24 movies dont do it for me at all. The green knight was the first movie that made me consider walking out of a theater 😂
Dominula actually made me wanna play elden ring more when it was shown in trailers because it captivated me how the women were dancing so innocently in this world and I wanted to know. Now I know lmao
Burning the bodies and using the bones in the windmills to grind bonemeal would be a perfect opportunity for fertilizing the fields. The char from flesh as well.
When resting at a site of grace closer to Leyndell, Melina did say Marika let all her children be free to become anything they wanted but if they failed, there would be sacrifices. So I think all her "failed" children were probably brought to that village to be harvested. Makes me also wonder if Melina was sacrificed at some point since she mentioned she has no "flesh", only soul.
Aw jeez guys Im sitting watching this on a nice Tuesday morning and now Im seeing Hannible Lecter out of the corner of my eye.... Key-ripes man! And that music you got playin in the background?? Friggin nopesville lol
The interesting thing about the village windmill pasture is, that the humans there are all man. They are hold hostage by the demi human, who clearly hijacked the windmill and are now digging there for something (maybe for victims of the festival?). But they are the only man aside from the Godskin Apostle in the village. And they are not red-eyed and crazy they are cowards and will not fight anyone. Maybe once they were part of the village but then something changed and the eternal festival happend, but somehow effected only the women of the village. Forcing the men to flee but still be not too far away. I also think the battle mage in that area has something to do with all of that, but I don't find a proof for that
Don’t forget that the primary purpose of medieval windmills was to grind grain for bread, and there are references in past Fromsoft games to characters like Smough who ate their enemies baked into their bread. I think the rakes were probably being used to scratch up lines in the topsoil for planting wheat as well. Add that to the fertility aspect and it becomes a macabre fertility ritual.
I wish too share this for anyone who might have seen this for yourself but if you stand still for a very long time especially near your site of grace you may find that the dancers are slowing moving ever closer too you as you wait. I fell asleep while at the grace and woke up hearing laughing and seeing that I was being surrounded by them. Im making more test on this as im writing this too see what else might happen. Added note this is on Xbox One so results may vary.
A chill shivered its way down my spine the first time I entered Dominula. Here I am in this decaying world where nearly everyone is in pain and misery and I manage to find myself in a village where people are laughing and dancing. That's not ominous _at all_ ! /s Because of my fear of the villagers, I managed to cheese the Godskin Apostle and kill him in one go. When the women at the top of the village started to aggro on me, I summoned Torrent and took off to the top of the hill, where the Apostle spawned in. I ran in circles around him, smacking him with my Bloodhound's Fang and managed to kill him before he could do his phase change. Hell, I didn't even get a proper look at his character model and had to Google him to see what he looked like 😬
I was going through A Plague Tale: Requiem recently and was surprised at how one location and event calls back this village. Windmills, flower wearing dancers celebrating a festival, rats…
Stuff like this shows GRRM's influence on this game's lore. He did amazing work imho. So much Elden Ring lore has relations to Game of Thrones. Radagon and Marika being the same person (like Cersei wanted to be with Jamie), and the Bolton flaying (Bolt-On theory) and the Godskinners and their methods of skinning the Gods. Unsure who Dominula could be related, maybe the houses that supported the Boltons, like the Freys? idk for sure though Alt Shift X's videos did help by providing a lot of concise information.
ngl the most unsettling part about the village was that it's way too welcome for visitors to come like it doesn't feel like a refresher at all that there aint no enemies tryna kill you (yet / when provoked) since you're kinda used to dead silence as your friend (and the site of grace) in tough times
dominula was one of my favorite areas in game. it was so different from what i had been experiencing prior. it was really nice and i really liked the women's clothes. it was amazing and i love the scary atmosphere.
First thing I immediately thought of when I heard the Chants and had seen the Maidens was Midsommar. One of my Favorite Movies. This Village and The Movie gets more eerie and intense as you progress and realize everything that is happening and has happened.
I applaud you for not giving away any spoilers for anything past this village. You easily could've mentioned other bosses and their flaws at the end, but choose to keep it within the confines of bosses that would be defeated upon reaching this village.
Always loved the windmill village just by entering it, felt like stumbling into an old school horror movie about withces and occult stuff. This video just made me appreciate the place even more. Personally though I like those crazy hags too much to be disturbed by them lol. Wish I could join in their festivities and dance and sing with them.
Is "Finger creeper" The official name for those albino hand spider things? Because I don't think they're named in-game anywhere. The only "Lore" on them is that they seem to be connected to the Carian family since they show up at the Caria manor and outside the Volcano manor. That doesn't gel with them hanging out at the Mountaintop of Giants and Subterranean Shunning Grounds though.
Description of the Ringed Finger: "Bludgeon made of an enormous finger sheathed in several heavy rings. Thought to have been cut from an ancestor of the Fingercreeper." Since it looks extremely similar to a finger from the hand boys, it's implied to be the name.
the pre-release description of the ringed finger states the finger creepers are the cut off and regrown hands of rykard, which would explain their presence in Caria and Volcano manor. as for those in the shunnign grounds and mountian tops, i would assume this is why the removed that description; they wanted to use those enemies in areas not related to the carians, so the description no longer made sense and they cut it.
One thing that I'd like to point out in regards to dominula and the godskin apostles; the concept of flaying is one that GRRM often returns to. Of course there is the boltons from a song of ice and fire/game of thrones, a noble house where flaying people alive is their prefered method of torture, going back to their history where they regulalrly did this to members of House Stark and wearing their skins as cloaks. But GRRM has employed it before in his sci fi stories he wrote before ASoIaF, unfortuenately i dont remember the name of the story. I any case, in that story humanity was forced underground by nuclear disaster. There are several different groups that live relatively isolated from each other, and some of those groups developed psychic and telepathic abilities as a result of radiation induced genetic mutation and a very shallow gene pool due to small numbers of individuals. There abilities manifest as "skin changing" the ability to mentally project onto and control other creatures. In response other human groups took to skinning captured members of the skin changer group and wearing their skins as cloaks. Seem familiar? I dont have a grand thesis for this comment yet. But i do think its extremely interesting how the concept of flaying and subsequently using the skin of sentient beings to make robes seems to be a through line for the works GRRM is involved in.
When I first discovered the Celebrants, I was initially relieved to find some monsters that didn't want to kill me. I was a bit creeped out by their laughter, but I just brushed it off and kept going up the hill, then one of the rotten strays attacked me, their eyes started glowing red, and I just about shit my pants.
Another unsettling detail is just how close Dominula is to Leyndell, the royal capitol. All these ritualistic murders of potential royal family members were happening just a stone's throw away and seemingly nobody knew about it or did anything to stop it, since the Apostle is still there.
There is sort of a festival elsewhere - where you fight Redahn, or prior to it is referred to by the Quest NPC as a festival of battle, and many others attend (all those you can summon) seemingly for that reason
I feel like Dominula Village might be a reference to the Dancing Plague of 1532. Considering the style of the clothes and rats here and there, it makes the connection much more horrifying.
As someone from Sweden an familiar to Midsommar but not quite that "horrorful" as in that movie, I knew i was feeling home somehow in Dominula 😛,......and why is the dance emote not available for our Tarnished?
Awesome lore of the dancing ladies at the dominula village! From what I heard from another UA-cam video of the dominula village is that the ladies are to dance forever like that by a mage
What of the crucifixes that look alot like the ones the in limgrave with the screaming dudes? The crucifixes also look alot like the stake of Marika crucifixes. I have a theory that it represents treachery against the erdtree (more than just regular crimes, like witches being burned at the stake, perhaps the practiced sorceries?), after all there are those people who scream at night on those crucifixes and since the festives literally skin gods it would sure make sense there were a few of those crucifixes in town, it also strikes me as odd that it seems like leyndell didn't try to stop them regardless of hosting gods and demigods, maybe Marika's hand is in this or perhaps they are a recent occurrence to take advantage of the weakened state of lands between. Edit: It's also possible that they are offerings to the festives or the godskins (Maybe they are skinned on the crucifixes?) but the ones in limgrave are so far from dominula and the closest godskin is in caelid so that couldn't possibly make sense. The crown/headband of flowers they have also has an odd similarity to the guilty hood's thorns but that is a reach as the flowers don't seem to have thorns.
9:20 well exactly because if these folks serve the Godskin, it's exactly why this place feels... well... out of place. Because the Godskin are the god's destined death existing only to end them which was why Marika had to take care of the Gloam-Eyed Queen and her Rune of Death. So this place is could be seen as a symptom. A symptom that Marika has caused in her desperate attempt to contain the Godskin and preventing their Blackflame from taking her offspring.
I’m reminded of an old horror film “Dagon” where a seemingly welcoming coastal town slowly kills off cast of characters. Skinning was the favored method of dispatching visitors to the town.
I love these videos, they really help give perspective, though I don't know if I agree that the Demigods are weaker now then they use to be in the Erdtree's prime. Sure Radahn is mad but a crazed wild animal can be just as dangerous as a brilliant traction. Rennala has her kids and Ranni's illusion to bolster her strength. Godrick is arguably stronger than he has ever been before since he started Grafting, he is the runt of the litter. Melania has blossomed into a full Goddess no longer a demigod. Its more that they have changed and become dark Reflections of their former selves, not weaker.
They literally chant the words dominula while carrying a a girl in clothes with blue accents after she danced till all the other girls dropped around a pillar covered in flowrers so definitely not the wickerman hahah
A sidenote there is a place in Japan called Sweden town/village where as Japanese people built a sweden like village and do traditonal things like midsummer festivale. If he did not find insperation from the midsummer movie alone. That could be an insperation?
Something I think is interesting is that Marika removed death from the Lands Between and gave it to her shadow to wield. It’s possible these women were originally of the Godskinner’s ilk and were finally able to return to their original practices And for some reason, I feel this is George R R Martin’s influence. The practice had a his sort of vibe to it
This is the first video of yours I've found, but if all of them are of this level of quality in writing, editing and narration you're going to get a lot more subscribers!
Thank you! We're still a pretty young channel but I like to think you can see the improvement as we go if you start at the beginning of our playlist and watch to the newest episodes. The first few are ROUGH.
The "Festivals" are more than just Dominula! Radhan, whom you mention at the end, is literally a festival. Every piece of each person you mention is festival-like, actually!
They were probably cursed by Queen Marika or the Greater Will after the reign of the Gloam Eyed Queen was ended, which would explain the endless dancing in ragged clothes with sunken features.
imagine how cute it would be if their dance was avaible to player as emote that doesnt end untill player does something
Bravo sir.
Actually a missed opportunity
I feel like there would have been a million people that would have used it from behind that gate in liurnia during invasions 😂
@@bobjim245 The AFK farmers 🤣
@@sonoranherphaven1761 does anyone else have the option to translate this comment? I’m cracking up
Seeing as how even distant relations of Marika count as demigods, there could be a ton of unknown potential victims.
Wondering Mausoleums also contain the remains of dead Demigods in a similar vein.
When I entered this village, I saw everyone just dance there without attacking me. I were quite troubled, but just move on due to how happy it seem. Then I rode Torrent and accidently broke a wooden carriage on the road to the top of the hill, and everyone just red-eye me. That day I commited genocide, and was like “Damn, they must really liked that wooden carriage”.
"I was quite trouble"
Huh???
They must have kept their _chickens_ in that marriage.
@@23Butanedione Almost every living creatures in the Lands Between want to have a taste of your butt the moment they see you, so either you run away, or commite warcrime. So it is very out of place when you entered a place that does not want to shank you.
@@23Butanedione shut up dude
You didn’t commit Genocide, you just selectively excluded a specific race of people from existing anymore.
I like this place because it feels like a mini-Beserk filler story
Yeah, Dominula was definitely an area that creeped me out the first time, along with the finger creepers in Caria Manor. Of course, knowing the kind of villagers they were, I make it a point to find every celebrant and kill every single one of them. I do Millicent's questline often in my playthroughs, so that is alot of genocide on my part.
This is where the fun begins!
-Anakin Skywalker
There are at least 13 unnamed dead demigods that were killed before we as the player enter the story. Bernahl killed at least 1, Vyke killed at least 2 more, and Sir Gideon had to have killed at least 1 other.
Plus each of the 8 wandering mausoleums have the body of a dead demigod inside them. They also seem to have been built long before the Tarnished came to the lands between meaning all 8 of them had to have died before Vyke, Bernahl, and Gideon defeated their own shardbearer demigods.
But then that would mean that the demigods inside the Wandering Mausoleums couldn't have been the same as the ones who were skinned at Dominula, because they seem to be mostly intact... and nobody would've been able to access them. But then I also recall that most of those dead demigods seem to be missing a head, which would've been removed as part of the skinning ritual. That's odd, and interesting!
Why do you think Vyke had to kill demigod?
@@Tower-kn1dr Same reason we as the player do. To claim great runes and fix the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord.
Where did you learn about them killing Demigods? Damn, Vyke and Gideon i can understand, they're great, but Bernahl? Didn't know he was that strong, i respect him even more now
@@LSgaming201 But We have to kill Morgot to get to firetop. You know a guy who is still alive when we get to him. So Vyke couldnt kill him which means his journey had to be completly different
Dominula was the place that really revealed just how ominous the reign of Queen Marika truly was.
Playing souls games mostly has desensitized me to grotesqueness and decay but Elden Ring is different. In this game, there’s no such thing as hollowing so enemies that look like your typical zombie aren’t just decayed…they could be skinned alive. Dominula is a location where the culture is clearly present. This is made further evident since most of the daggers in the game aren’t designed to stab…but to “peel”, especially when you look closer at the designs of the black knives and Melina’s very own Blade of Calling, which bears a striking similarity to the Godskin Peeler. The skinning is most notably seen in the underground enemies, the crucifixions, the trolls, and even maybe….Godwyn….with his flesh residing under Stormveil…
Going back to Dominula, I always wondered what the purpose of these windmills are and then it dawned on me. There is an item in the game called the Bewitching Branch. The description of the Branch reveals that Miquella learned how to “compel” love and affection. The secret to this is revealed when you look at the crafting materials needed to craft the item…blood…
This brings me to my theory. There is a flower in the game that has a similar purpose, the “Arteria Leaf”. The description reads it “stirs the blood” and has an “enlivening effect” and if we look close, we can see Dominula’s most sinister secret….they grow all over the windmills…to drift the scent….tempting anyone passing by to come….closer….
“Please, don’t take my skin.”
This is some top tier theory crafting right here
That's interesting but where does Marika fits into this? The Godskin were against the Golden Order and the villagers of Dominula butchered Marika's nobility.
This theory makes sense. I always figured why the Arteria plant showed up at certain spots, and even with knowing it’s blood red color, this solidified my belief. Must be the places where demigods died, or people were just mutilated in general, and the substance that seeped into the ground birthed a special plant made from the vigor of people.
@@odd-eyes6363 There is a theory that Marika is also the Gloam-Eyed Queen.
@@river7874 I thought the theory was that Melina was the Gloam-Eyed Queen, especially with the Frenzied Flame ending
What many dont tell you is that midsummer here in sweden is made to not just celebrate summer. But to skin and dispose of intruders bodies wich we do every year
I like the small spelling mistake that proves this is true
Shouldnt you be disposing of those "foreign invaders/refugees" who see your womenfolk as r*pemeat and shit on your country and culture?
Is that true?
@@themorningguy906 have you ever heard of someone who went to Sweden and lived to tell the tale?
@@nickb1241 wait .... Yeah that sounds true , isn't Sweden in like Australia or something?
Hope the people living there get cured
I've seen a theory elsewhere that suggests a Raya Lucaria mage you find nearby these villages may have cursed these ladies to dance as a way to hamper their skinning rituals, which seems like a funny and fitting solution to the problem. Seeing them out here dancing was indeed a bit creepy though.
Now I really wanna see a "I will make you dance" sorcery in the DLC that works on PvP just like the Fortnite disco ball.
@@Nestorglass "May I stop dancing sire?"
*looks at 17 boogie bombs in my inventory*
"You may not."
@@Kazrel "feel the wrath of Rennala, the Giant Disco Ball Queen" *funky beats start blasting all across the lands between*
You should check out the lyrics and meaning of "Hårgalåten", an old Swedish folktale. The devil comes down to a village and plays a fiddle, making all the villagers dance until they die.
It's also the inspiration to the movie Midsommar.
What’s really strange is how close the village of apparent godkillers is to Leyndell, the seat of a godly royal family. It’s bizarre that the forces of the Royal Capital would allow an obviously heretical festival to happen right on their doorstep, especially one led by a Godskin Apostle, an avowed enemy of the Golden Order.
Perhaps they moved there after/during the shattering
@@higaiwokeru then in the case, surely someone amongst the Leyndell forces must have realized at some point, "hang on, that doesn't look right. That village of dancing women wasn't there last week" xD
Shows how far the powers that be have fallen
@@colossaltitan3546 To be fair, if they moved in during that time, I'm sure they had more pressing matters to deal with.
@@Laesis Take a look at the road to Volcano Manor. It’s absolutely littered with the corpses and frenzied remains of a sizable Lyndell assault force. After that massacre, I’m willing to bet that their commanders don’t want don’t want to risk attacking Dominula in case such an event happens again. We’ve seen how strong Godskin devotees can be…
I can’t believe this is the happiest place in elden ring.
If From Software made happy places, their games would be easier.
Elden ring is the first Fromsoft game I played and was super weary of every new NPC as I had no idea who will kill me next. This village was so weird to me as it was the first place no one was actively trying to kill me, as soon as they set their sights on me. I didn't know what to do with myself. So just that fact freaked me out. Never knowing when the first hit would come...
That’s when you hit first. Let THEM fear you!
"Not the beeeeeeeees!!!" sure as hell came to mind when I first stumbled upon this village!
Some have said that these dancers are reminiscent of the witches from Hemwick charnel lane, dancing iland cackling in an almost euphoric ritual in Bloodborne. Others have compared it to the dancing plague of 1518, an unusual result of mass hysteria that remains unexplained to this day. Regardless of the memory this evokes, i feel that both plus berzerk have had a hand in its unholy creation. It is one of my favorite places because it evokes memories of all these things plus RE 4.
No, its cleary a midsommar reference
@@DumbseekerFrampt no its not... midsommer is a trash horror film lol
@@Yo.Schwifty yes, if you are a 12yo kid
@@Yo.Schwifty trash is a strong word as a lot of people get a lot of value out of it. But much like you, most A24 movies dont do it for me at all. The green knight was the first movie that made me consider walking out of a theater 😂
Thought they figured out it was that hallucinogenic mold growing on the rye?
Dominula actually made me wanna play elden ring more when it was shown in trailers because it captivated me how the women were dancing so innocently in this world and I wanted to know. Now I know lmao
Dead women bro...
He he he he
Burning the bodies and using the bones in the windmills to grind bonemeal would be a perfect opportunity for fertilizing the fields. The char from flesh as well.
When resting at a site of grace closer to Leyndell, Melina did say Marika let all her children be free to become anything they wanted but if they failed, there would be sacrifices. So I think all her "failed" children were probably brought to that village to be harvested. Makes me also wonder if Melina was sacrificed at some point since she mentioned she has no "flesh", only soul.
Aw jeez guys Im sitting watching this on a nice Tuesday morning and now Im seeing Hannible Lecter out of the corner of my eye.... Key-ripes man! And that music you got playin in the background?? Friggin nopesville lol
"Stories we find scary, disturbing or flat out disgusting"
*Cue dung eater's music*
;)
The interesting thing about the village windmill pasture is, that the humans there are all man. They are hold hostage by the demi human, who clearly hijacked the windmill and are now digging there for something (maybe for victims of the festival?). But they are the only man aside from the Godskin Apostle in the village. And they are not red-eyed and crazy they are cowards and will not fight anyone.
Maybe once they were part of the village but then something changed and the eternal festival happend, but somehow effected only the women of the village. Forcing the men to flee but still be not too far away.
I also think the battle mage in that area has something to do with all of that, but I don't find a proof for that
Don’t forget that the primary purpose of medieval windmills was to grind grain for bread, and there are references in past Fromsoft games to characters like Smough who ate their enemies baked into their bread. I think the rakes were probably being used to scratch up lines in the topsoil for planting wheat as well. Add that to the fertility aspect and it becomes a macabre fertility ritual.
I wish too share this for anyone who might have seen this for yourself but if you stand still for a very long time especially near your site of grace you may find that the dancers are slowing moving ever closer too you as you wait. I fell asleep while at the grace and woke up hearing laughing and seeing that I was being surrounded by them. Im making more test on this as im writing this too see what else might happen. Added note this is on Xbox One so results may vary.
A chill shivered its way down my spine the first time I entered Dominula. Here I am in this decaying world where nearly everyone is in pain and misery and I manage to find myself in a village where people are laughing and dancing. That's not ominous _at all_ ! /s
Because of my fear of the villagers, I managed to cheese the Godskin Apostle and kill him in one go.
When the women at the top of the village started to aggro on me, I summoned Torrent and took off to the top of the hill, where the Apostle spawned in. I ran in circles around him, smacking him with my Bloodhound's Fang and managed to kill him before he could do his phase change. Hell, I didn't even get a proper look at his character model and had to Google him to see what he looked like 😬
Just reminds me of Hemwick Charnel Lane.
That’s why I was so unerved by the odd dancing and laughter…they still creep me out whenever I go there
Someone was busy harvesting for Windmill village items lol...
Good video!
The true horror of Dominula is farming the celebrant weapons
Truth
I was going through A Plague Tale: Requiem recently and was surprised at how one location and event calls back this village. Windmills, flower wearing dancers celebrating a festival, rats…
Mad celebration during times of despair is nothing surprising. Just research the Dancing Plague of 1518.
Stuff like this shows GRRM's influence on this game's lore. He did amazing work imho. So much Elden Ring lore has relations to Game of Thrones.
Radagon and Marika being the same person (like Cersei wanted to be with Jamie), and the Bolton flaying (Bolt-On theory) and the Godskinners and their methods of skinning the Gods. Unsure who Dominula could be related, maybe the houses that supported the Boltons, like the Freys? idk for sure though
Alt Shift X's videos did help by providing a lot of concise information.
ngl the most unsettling part about the village was that it's way too welcome for visitors to come like it doesn't feel like a refresher at all that there aint no enemies tryna kill you (yet / when provoked) since you're kinda used to dead silence as your friend (and the site of grace) in tough times
I immediately recognized the myuu music in the background and started getting flashbacks
dominula was one of my favorite areas in game. it was so different from what i had been experiencing prior. it was really nice and i really liked the women's clothes. it was amazing and i love the scary atmosphere.
I heard the laughter and went into the village, I was terrified.
I’m actually more impressed that you managed to farm all their items, you even got multiples too
After I killed the Godskin apostle, I never entered that village again, just the vibe creeped me out...
Mt. Gelmir too please!
This place quickly became one of my favourites in the game. So creepy, scary, unnerving, it instantly reminded me to midsomar and wicker man. So cool
First thing I immediately thought of when I heard the Chants and had seen the Maidens was Midsommar. One of my Favorite Movies. This Village and The Movie gets more eerie and intense as you progress and realize everything that is happening and has happened.
Andrew Ryan: "No gods or kings, only man."
Godskin: "I like the cut of your jib."
I love that dance!
I applaud you for not giving away any spoilers for anything past this village. You easily could've mentioned other bosses and their flaws at the end, but choose to keep it within the confines of bosses that would be defeated upon reaching this village.
Always loved the windmill village just by entering it, felt like stumbling into an old school horror movie about withces and occult stuff. This video just made me appreciate the place even more.
Personally though I like those crazy hags too much to be disturbed by them lol. Wish I could join in their festivities and dance and sing with them.
Look at the shape the women dancing make from an eagle eye angle.
Is "Finger creeper" The official name for those albino hand spider things? Because I don't think they're named in-game anywhere. The only "Lore" on them is that they seem to be connected to the Carian family since they show up at the Caria manor and outside the Volcano manor. That doesn't gel with them hanging out at the Mountaintop of Giants and Subterranean Shunning Grounds though.
Description of the Ringed Finger:
"Bludgeon made of an enormous finger sheathed in several heavy rings. Thought to have been cut from an ancestor of the Fingercreeper."
Since it looks extremely similar to a finger from the hand boys, it's implied to be the name.
the pre-release description of the ringed finger states the finger creepers are the cut off and regrown hands of rykard, which would explain their presence in Caria and Volcano manor.
as for those in the shunnign grounds and mountian tops, i would assume this is why the removed that description; they wanted to use those enemies in areas not related to the carians, so the description no longer made sense and they cut it.
This idea could maybe be a movie
For me it was the singing and the dancing. The sounds they make are really unnerving lmao
I remember seeing a Celebrant biting a chunk of their arm off before attacking me. Scary stuff.
One thing that I'd like to point out in regards to dominula and the godskin apostles; the concept of flaying is one that GRRM often returns to. Of course there is the boltons from a song of ice and fire/game of thrones, a noble house where flaying people alive is their prefered method of torture, going back to their history where they regulalrly did this to members of House Stark and wearing their skins as cloaks.
But GRRM has employed it before in his sci fi stories he wrote before ASoIaF, unfortuenately i dont remember the name of the story.
I any case, in that story humanity was forced underground by nuclear disaster. There are several different groups that live relatively isolated from each other, and some of those groups developed psychic and telepathic abilities as a result of radiation induced genetic mutation and a very shallow gene pool due to small numbers of individuals. There abilities manifest as "skin changing" the ability to mentally project onto and control other creatures.
In response other human groups took to skinning captured members of the skin changer group and wearing their skins as cloaks. Seem familiar?
I dont have a grand thesis for this comment yet. But i do think its extremely interesting how the concept of flaying and subsequently using the skin of sentient beings to make robes seems to be a through line for the works GRRM is involved in.
george richard raymond martin moment
It all goes back to Martin's infatuation with old norse myth.
@@thederper5836George Rail Road Martin
Very cool insight. Haven’t read his earlier works. Him writing sci-fi sounds amazing though. Thanks!
When I first discovered the Celebrants, I was initially relieved to find some monsters that didn't want to kill me. I was a bit creeped out by their laughter, but I just brushed it off and kept going up the hill, then one of the rotten strays attacked me, their eyes started glowing red, and I just about shit my pants.
Another unsettling detail is just how close Dominula is to Leyndell, the royal capitol. All these ritualistic murders of potential royal family members were happening just a stone's throw away and seemingly nobody knew about it or did anything to stop it, since the Apostle is still there.
Spaceamoeba-Triangle Gateway is the perfect song for their little dance lol
There is sort of a festival elsewhere - where you fight Redahn, or prior to it is referred to by the Quest NPC as a festival of battle, and many others attend (all those you can summon) seemingly for that reason
True but the Radahn festival has no merriment or dancing. It's a festival in a different sense based around combat.
absolutely love your videos. patiently awaiting the next.
Thank you! It'll be up next Saturday
I feel like Dominula Village might be a reference to the Dancing Plague of 1532. Considering the style of the clothes and rats here and there, it makes the connection much more horrifying.
I wonder if the celebrants skull would fit on the headless demigods in the mausoleums
Woah... that's a really interesting point.
Considering the size related to the character it's certainly possible
I was so damn confused upon entering this village. Just a gaggle of lasses gettin down.
So funny when you are talking about the festival being happy and the footage is you clobbering everyone with a huge great sword 😂
Well it was happy for me
The editing, music choice, and narration. This video was absolutely amazing
I remember the first time I ran into this village... Those creepy people are freaky.. this game is really good for so much content
I stopped playing a while ago after nerding to platinum but your vids are still enjoyable to watch
just saying, the boss of the windmill village should have been a dance battle with the witches
so you want a dancing minigame like Genshin Impact?
@@prenthelloworld I want something like that room in the Lego Star Wars kamino level where all the long-necked aliens are dancing under a disco ball
The Celebrants are definitely creepy. I find the finger creepers and the demi humans to be the creepest.
I’m not even gonna lie
The first time I went there I thought they were all getting sturdy
First time on Dominula I was on my toes, got a lil dissapointed i didnt found something crazier, but it still a really cool place
The Windmills of the Barbarois come into mind.
Dominula is the Lavender Town of Elden Ring.
As someone from Sweden an familiar to Midsommar but not quite that "horrorful" as in that movie, I knew i was feeling home somehow in Dominula 😛,......and why is the dance emote not available for our Tarnished?
I remember finding this at like 1 in the morning creepy.
Awesome lore of the dancing ladies at the dominula village! From what I heard from another UA-cam video of the dominula village is that the ladies are to dance forever like that by a mage
There is a mage near the windmills but they seem to be observing. Nothing really indicates that they're responsible.
I thought they were cannibals. They got blood around their mouths and some bite you and others bite themselves.
Interesting, I can't recall being bitten but they do spit up their own blood at you.
Yep...midsomer was the first thing that came to mind when first walking into the windmill villages
Every time I see one of the Celebrants with gold glowing eyes in the video, I want to kill it. Give me that sweet sweet rune boost.
If anyone's wondering what specific Myuuji song is playing, it's "Lights Out."
We made sure to shout out Myuu and link in the description!
What of the crucifixes that look alot like the ones the in limgrave with the screaming dudes? The crucifixes also look alot like the stake of Marika crucifixes.
I have a theory that it represents treachery against the erdtree (more than just regular crimes, like witches being burned at the stake, perhaps the practiced sorceries?), after all there are those people who scream at night on those crucifixes and since the festives literally skin gods it would sure make sense there were a few of those crucifixes in town, it also strikes me as odd that it seems like leyndell didn't try to stop them regardless of hosting gods and demigods, maybe Marika's hand is in this or perhaps they are a recent occurrence to take advantage of the weakened state of lands between.
Edit: It's also possible that they are offerings to the festives or the godskins (Maybe they are skinned on the crucifixes?) but the ones in limgrave are so far from dominula and the closest godskin is in caelid so that couldn't possibly make sense.
The crown/headband of flowers they have also has an odd similarity to the guilty hood's thorns but that is a reach as the flowers don't seem to have thorns.
9:20 well exactly because if these folks serve the Godskin, it's exactly why this place feels... well... out of place. Because the Godskin are the god's destined death existing only to end them which was why Marika had to take care of the Gloam-Eyed Queen and her Rune of Death. So this place is could be seen as a symptom. A symptom that Marika has caused in her desperate attempt to contain the Godskin and preventing their Blackflame from taking her offspring.
I’m reminded of an old horror film “Dagon” where a seemingly welcoming coastal town slowly kills off cast of characters. Skinning was the favored method of dispatching visitors to the town.
there is singing in other parts of the lands between, dont forget the bat ladies
I think its a reference to the dancing plague of Straßburg
Here we are at 5:33am and I see S.T.G. upload another video covering Elden Ring lore. Yes I will watch b4 I sleep thank you🙏🏾🙏🏾
Creepy pasta narrator vibe, luv it
I love these videos, they really help give perspective, though
I don't know if I agree that the Demigods are weaker now then they use to be in the Erdtree's prime.
Sure Radahn is mad but a crazed wild animal can be just as dangerous as a brilliant traction.
Rennala has her kids and Ranni's illusion to bolster her strength.
Godrick is arguably stronger than he has ever been before since he started Grafting, he is the runt of the litter.
Melania has blossomed into a full Goddess no longer a demigod.
Its more that they have changed and become dark Reflections of their former selves, not weaker.
I think radahn is definitely weaker
Not a phone in sight, just ye dead, who yet live at the moment.
Just an average summer's sabbath eve in the outer hebrides.
I watched midsommar because of this video and it 100% seems inspired by it and by the way i definitely recommend that movie
They literally chant the words dominula while carrying a a girl in clothes with blue accents after she danced till all the other girls dropped around a pillar covered in flowrers so definitely not the wickerman hahah
I always thought it was something of a tribute to the dancing plague of 1512 where people danced themselves to death.
Of course the village with dancing happy old ladies is the scariest
.. Who would be happy in the lands between in.the first place?
A sidenote there is a place in Japan called Sweden town/village where as Japanese people built a sweden like village and do traditonal things like midsummer festivale.
If he did not find insperation from the midsummer movie alone. That could be an insperation?
Something I think is interesting is that Marika removed death from the Lands Between and gave it to her shadow to wield. It’s possible these women were originally of the Godskinner’s ilk and were finally able to return to their original practices And for some reason, I feel this is George R R Martin’s influence. The practice had a his sort of vibe to it
What about the meat dumplings you find? Flesh of the gods?
This is the first video of yours I've found, but if all of them are of this level of quality in writing, editing and narration you're going to get a lot more subscribers!
Thank you! We're still a pretty young channel but I like to think you can see the improvement as we go if you start at the beginning of our playlist and watch to the newest episodes. The first few are ROUGH.
Yeah I purged that town when I first saw it and it will be sure to happen every time now lol
The "Festivals" are more than just Dominula! Radhan, whom you mention at the end, is literally a festival. Every piece of each person you mention is festival-like, actually!
The First time Entering this places creeped me Out so much xD Especially because Not long ago i watched the Movie Midsummer 🤭
They were probably cursed by Queen Marika or the Greater Will after the reign of the Gloam Eyed Queen was ended, which would explain the endless dancing in ragged clothes with sunken features.
The video is amazing, the music is fire !
Wow I've enjoyed this video the new music is bravoda
Village of windmills is Finland in a nutshell
1:25 someone spent quite some time farming the Dominula village 💀
Dude, this account and your videos blow my mind
This channel is fantastic
Instant sub
Thank you! We love what we do.