We were living in the 'post-eclipse' world this entire time, Griffith already became a god and ruled for an eternity in this version of berserk. Quite horrifying.
I am 240 hours in. I knew it was influenced by Berserk, but I had no idea it was to such an extent. You have made a very strong and convincing case. This is incredible.
I watched a ton of lore channels tiptoe around what the golden strands Marika retrieves from the corpse of the previous god might be and YOU are the first to finally say it's the Elden Ring. I mean, what else would it be? The theme plays under it, the strands look the same, and it is literally removed from the belly/womb of the slain/betrayed predecessor. Fantastic work, as always.
@@Ytargentinathe Elden ring are the laws of the universe and whoever “bears” it can manipulate it and remove concepts such as death itself which is what Marika did.
Super cool theory! Here's a possible addition to it -- curious what you think of it. What is Miquella's motivation to go to the land of shadow now? Why didn't he go before? I think it might be because he just found out about his mother's betrayal, who had kept it hidden even from her children. How might he have discovered this? Because he was trapped by Mogh, in communion with the Formless Mother, who is also known as the 'Mother of Truth.' I don't think that name is a coincidence. Perhaps this Outer God revealed the truth of the Erdtree to Miquella, while still in the cocoon, which would give us a glimpse into Miquella's intentions. We hear that Miquella cares for the meek and downtrodden (similar to Jesus). If he suddenly discovered the truth that his mother and Messmer were slaughtering so many Crucible-beings to support her illusion, it might enrage him enough to take matters into his own hands and go put a stop to his older brother (Messmer) and mother. After all, "he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying," which could mean that his love for the outcasts may prompt him towards vengeance. Perhaps then, Miquella does need our help, after all. I'd love that storyline, personally. What do you think of that?
I think he learned of this before mohg took kim and that learning of the origin of the golden order is what pushed him to formulate this plan and go to the shadowland . Let's not forget miquella has good knowledge of the golden order from his father radagon and only left it because of its limitation and it being unable to cure his sister , i feel miquella reached a similar conculsion to gold mask about the ficklness of the gods of the order but instead of making a mending rune or something like that , he had a more far reaching plan that would be more similar to what marika did at the begenning ( although maybe this time with less sacrifices )
This gave me the chills bro! Man, the idea of a legit HERO in a fromsoft game is kinda wild but I am so here for it if Miquella really is the Ultimate Chad.
@@galaxsija4591 , @timpeterson175 , yeah I'm leaning into this one more and more. I do believe now that Miquella's goal is to re-unite the gold with the shadow. The 'graceful' from the Lands Between with the 'ungraceful' from Land of Shadow. Like one big happy/dysfunctional family. In cut content from the main game, Miquella is quoted as saying to the tarnished, '“If thou covetest the throne, Impress my vision upon thine heart. In the new world of thy making, all things will flourish, whether graceful, or malign.” That's his vision, to unite all the mofos everywhere, no matter how many hearts he needs to shrive clean to do it (with our help) :P Let's gooooooooo!
Definitely the clearest and, imo, most accurate comparison between Elden Ring and Berserker. By far the best Shadow of the Erd Tree theory/explanation. This guy knows his stuff.
All of this video especially the Golden Item section is brilliant. Of all analysis Ive seen, I think youve cracked the code for what is happening in that intro scene and with Miquella. EXCELLENT VIDEO.
In Schuon's Perennialism, the Logos is identified in both Jesus *and* Mary - Marika is like a symbolic superposition of the two. Marika isn't just named after Maria; Malika is Arabic for Queen, and the anagram Kalima is Arabic for Logos (Word). (Compare this with Kalameet being a transposition of Kalimat (Words [plural])
I think that Miquella also seeks to follow in these same footsteps, all so that he'll finally have a solution to Malenia's Scarlet Rot. The Golden Order has no solution to the Scarlet Rot, Miquella discovered this when his Haligtree fell to the Scarlet Rot itself, despite receiving his blood. However, to separate himself from the control of the Greater Will, he had to divest himself of his Empyrean flesh much like Ranni. He did this by letting Mohg steal him away and kill him through his corruption. I don't think Miquella is an "evil" character, he simply has a goal to achieve and is willing to scheme and manipulate those that love him to achieve this goal. His Church of the Eclipse in Castle Sol is far too suspicious for me to think that Miquella is completely innocent.
I know Miyazaki has always been a huge fan of Berserk but so many years after, gosh, we can still see so many traces and similarities of Berserk in his new project😂. This is true love.
Your theory seems to also get some meaning to what Miyazaki said to IGN: "First of all, the setting of Shadow of the Erdtree is a brand new land. It's a brand new map separate from the Lands Between. It is a land that is overshadowed by the particular Shadow of the Erdtree as opposed to the Erdtree in the Lands Between. And it takes place, again, on an entirely separate, physically separate map. So it will involve a warp of sorts to get there. In terms of setting and themes, it technically occupies the same space as the Lands Between, the same universe. But due to something story related that we won't reveal today, this has become physically disconnected, and you'll travel to the Shadow of the Erdtree land as a separate place."
The whole reference to seduction, betrayal, and “affair… gold arose” seems very much about Godfrey. I think this story trailer might be showing Marika pulling Godfrey’s great rune out of him. Godfrey is part of the “golden lineage”, so the idea that taking his rune somehow related to gold arising kinda makes sense. Per Melina, Marika sends Godfrey away to be killed (sacrificed and fed to Erdtree). Sacrificing Godfrey and all his army would be as f’d up as Griffith sacrificing the band of the hawk. Enough to finish the process of breaking barrier between living and astral worlds (like you said). Marika also said (per Melina) that she would give back what she once claimed. I think Marika gives Godfrey back his great rune some time during our main playthrough, which why we were able to fight him in the end and claim it for ourselves.
Dude, i love that connection you made with people loving and doubting miquella across both trailers, i made that same connection myself and was giddy about it too. i think it holds some hints about the dlc like you said. now onto the other stuff... with miyazaki's games there's always a great sin to create the shining city or order. marika was always my favorite character in the game just off of wanting to know her "why?" why is she the way she is. she is truly monstrous but maybe we'll understand her pathos in the dlc. i cant say he "played me" personally because i always had the vague idea that "this world is messed up" the details of it werent apparent but Marika always seemed like a conqueror, a sinful great god and the vast variations in her children might also explain a bit about who she was as well, completely unknowable to her children so they find their own way. her sins details just weren't clear yet but i had some idea that she wasnt some christ-like figure just from the world we enter. i'd be more surprised at finding out Miquella is actually a decent dude whos trying to help you and isnt some charismatic misguided figure who wants to save the world in some way we fiercely disagree with just like every other great god or figure in the fromsoftware catalog. i think the most sane great figure we ever meet in fromsoftware is Isshin Ashina. He's a conqueror but he did it for good reasons and he was never revealed to have been corrupted by some vainglorious thing. He legit wanted Ashina to stand on its own and be proud, and he seeme like a great man to know personally too. not just from afar. also one last thing, hoping you read this especially, i saw that the architecture at the opening of the erdtree in the basegame (godfrey arena) had this flower symbol that looks similar to the flower symbol shown in the arena that you fight that big lion mane enemy. we know they represent a culture that existed before the erdtree from miyazaki's interview. i just thought that might be a curious connection. might be nothing at all if im wrong, im playing the game to get a look at the boss arena of morgott/godfrey again. ill compare and see if they are truly similar or if im misremembering
I didnt start playing until january, but since then ive done a 200+ hour playthrough where i did 90% of the content. Everyone thi ks of miquella as this griffith-like character. It completely kept me from ever thinking of marika as that character. Awesome job, love the videos.
It's natural to think there is a twist with Miq, we barely know anything about him. But I think it would be a bigger twist to find miq was a real good demigod
It makes sense that Messmer would be in charge of feeding the tree corpses because with the Rune of Death taken from the Lands Between nobody is dying and being given an Erdtree burial. Nice catch.
Another excellent video, man! You are always incredibly thoughtful and you explain things very succinctly and clearly. Special thanks for explaining more of the Berserker connections and back story for those of us who are unfamiliar. TBH I would totally watch a video from you fully explaining Berserker just for fun
that could be a cocoon similar to Miquellas that Marika pulls the gold strands from and what Mohg is doing to Miquella is offering tarnished blood instead of whatever Marika offered the other cocoon
Just what I was thinking. It was crazy to model the Launiakea supercluster after the Elden Beast. Good video, noone noticed the Ave Marika. I think it's all solid, subbed.
I just want to point out, it seems the shadow tree in the trailer has two spiraling trunks. If you zoom in on the base of the tree in the trailer there's a gap of light coming through it.
Wonder about the st trina torch depicting miquella or st trina as an adult and how its eerie. And its cool that you explained the elden beast or atleast speculated about it, cause till now, videos ive seen only talk about marika ascending, without mentioning the elden beast which was making me wonder where the beast fit in, since in that elden stars description they describe like a seed from space or something i dont really remember
I think Miquella is intentionally ambiguous because WE THE PLAYER are Miquella… we get to write the story of this crazy universe we call “reality” While playing this game you will discover your true self. Golden, shadow, beauty, omen, young, old, and everything in between. I can’t wait to play this, it will be fun af. 🔥🔥🔥
Another interesting parallel is Messmer and Marika with Guts and Griffith. Guts helped Griffith fight his battles and ascend to godhood, only to be betrayed as soon as he achieved this. Messmer seems to have been imprisoned in the shadow realm, likely by Marika, betraying him after he fought her battles for her and helped her become a god. Messmer is depicted as this super evil guy but I think it’s misdirection, and he will actually be a sort of “tragic hero” character that a lot of From’s games have, like Artorias, Ludwig, and Gael.
All I could think was Berserk when I saw the bodies piled too. I’ve thought about the whole world tree thing but could never quite connect it so clearly like you did on this video. And major props on connecting Falconia to Leyndell. Where the hell is Guts?!
LIGHTBULB! Godfrey is Guts! Shadow beast on his back and everything! Godfrey was the sword of Marika just like Guts slaughtered so many to raise Griffith to his god status and being on the golden age. Wow. And Renalla is almost like Casca in how she was left completely broken shell of her former self. Cant help but wonder now if there was a connection between Godfrey and Rennala.
This also begs the question, who TF is radagon based on? Could he also be based on Griffith since him and Marika are the same? I personally am not deep into berserk lore and need to get caught up on it, but seeing all these connections definitely piques my interest about the parallels between each world. Makes it seem like you gotta know about berserk to be able to answer some of the more mysterious questions about the in-game lore or at least get closer to the answer.
it feels like that figure is marika, post-infection by the elden beast (mid transformation into radagon), and she's triggering the transformation of the great tree into the erdtree
this is exactly what i was looking for after the story trailer dropped. I'm not 100% on board with everything in this theory just yet, but you bet i'm gonna keep it in mind with every revelation we get in the DLC
I had a thought Maliketh says Marika betrayed him He says "why shatter" It seems like our steps have been ordered by Miquella even in the base game Recieving torrent and the spirit calling bell If the player character is Miquellas shadow Maybe Miquella will betray us the same way Marika betrayed maliketh. It would explain why all trailers have the player character wearing the raging wolf armor
I saw a video on UA-cam where someone pointed out that person in the trailer holding the elden thing isnt Marika but actually Miquela. They zoomed in on the hair and theres a braid which is something Miquela usually sports.
Although Miyazaki is notorious for reproducing anything and everything he can from Berserk, we must remember that although alot of the art direction in Elden Ring is obviously heavily taken from Miuras work, George R R Martin wrote the story of Elden Ring. Everyone, invluding Martin and Miyazaki, has been clear about this, and I dont see George Martin leaning heavily on the themes of Berserk.
My thoughts Radagon seduced gloom eyed queen Messmers is the child but worked for marika Marika betrays the gloom eyed queen during the godskin hunt using maliketh During the godskin hunt she also destroys the crucible tree using messmer Later sends godfrey and the tarnished to the badlands/shadowlands to constantly feed the tree (fight against messmer’s army) until the time is right to come back My thoughts on miquella He couldnt make the sacrifice so he tried to use his own blood to grow a tree He wanted to cure his sister of her rot He wanted to cure godwyn of deathblite Factions Messmers army Crucible native omens/numen/black knife assassins Miquella’s band of hawks
I am not a religious dude, but I try to be hopeful that the world we live in will get better and I think that can only start with individual acts. When have we ever had an actually good hearted demigod in a souls game? Idk, but when has this world ever needed one more? I think Miquella’s Jesus-like message (on the surface level) would be great to spread to anyone picking up this game
You’re the first person I’ve seen to make the connection between Messmer the Impaler and Vlad the Impaler. I think they definitely were inspired when they created Messmer, that imagery with the impaled corpses is very similar to what is shown in history books about Vlad’s atrocities. Also Fromsoftware is known to have taken inspiration in the past from Dracula, which was itself inspired by Vlad the Impaler.
Amazing analysis. The observation about the strands and the Laniakea Supercluster is so good! Definitely a visual inspiration. Also I really need to finish reading Berserk
Hello! I'm here to defend Miquella from him being completely evil. Bear in mind that Miquella might be morally grey, not black nor white. Alright let me begin. Let's begin with some *evil* parts of him (Miquella). 1. Seemingly has some mind altering abilities (Bewitching Branch item desc.) 2. DLC trailer 1 referring him to as "Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying." Now let me explain some other things for the good part of him. 1. Assisted Malenia with her Rot. (Not cured, but helped.) 2. Made the Haligtree through altruistic means. (Not sacrificing many people as fertilizer.) Above at number two I mentioned him doing it altruisticly so let me explain that. Bear in mind this'll be a rough guess. The Haligtree never grows up completely thanks to the lack of corpses so he tried to sacrifice his old form in the cocoon, to feed the Haligtree with his own essence but Mohg445 took him out somewhere through the process and disrupted it. Now I'll go over some of the objectives Miquella holds. 1. Reviving Godwyn 2. Healing Malenia 3. Finding a way to help people in Land of Shadow 4. A way to get out of his infancy (may I have missed some, please excuse me if I did.) Miquella hasn't succeeded in any of them, but we as the Tarnished did complete one of his many tools. The Unalloyed Gold Needle. After defeating Placidusax we learn how to perfect the needle and can then cure the Frenzy in our character. His whole character has been tragedy so perhaps we Tarnished are his only chance of success. That's all I will put right now, if you have any questions then please ask in the replies. Nice video man ❤
What concerns me is Ranni did the same thing: betrayed all her friends. We see the same with Rykard: a dynasty built on corpses. I had asked the question if Miquella just up and abandoned his sister. Maybe it's not that simple. After being hurt by Mogh betrayal in unspeakable ways, Miquella fears what he might become. He has seen the depravity and ugliness and now fears it.
For someone that sadly has not Seen or ready Berserk, where would i Start? Is there an Anime or something that i should start with? i am so fascinated by it. Even If i am a Bit sad that Myazaki isa Bit inspired toooo much and mit as creative as i thought 😅
Wait, haven't people been connecting the two characters (Marika and Griffith) since the beginning of Elden Ring's launch? That withstanding, great video. Can't wait for this DLC!
Did you perchance stole Miyazaki's notes or something? 😂 Your analysis feels different, a little bit "out there" BUT it connected some neurons in my brain that goes "ah shit that must be what Miyazaki is thinking" Definitely gonna check more of your vids. Cheers!
The NPC saying "his golden flesh" pretty much confirms that Miquella is a numen and is much more pure of blood than his brothers and sisters. It seems like the DLC is hinting at him being the only rightful heir to the throne.
The hair could also be wordplay; Kami is a homophone which can mean Hair or God. I think they tried something similar in DaS with Velka's Talisman and the Witch's Locks.
but it can also be deduced that miquella is sleep/asleep as same as to trina is sleep/asleep therefore miquella (maybe/maybe not) trina. man vaadi created a whole new genre of YT content creators. should we call it vaadi~esque / vit~yan~esque 😂 great theories btw cheers! subbed!
From the very beginning I've been asking myself: Why did Marika shatter the Elden Ring? It's a simple question that has further reaching implications than I realized.
It's almost like Marika possibly created her own Elden Beast by impregnating (mayb) the woman in the picture or someone, and then steals the new being to mold it into her own version? Then destroys everything of old, the gods, the people, everything......
THIS is it! Feedin the crucible with tbe bodies is why they are considered blasphemous in the lands between. The truth of the crucible must be concealed.
I'm not hating on Miyazaki, i'm a fan, but at what point do we start saying that he straight up takes huge chunks of his ideas from Beserk to the point where it's stealing, rather than "inspired"?
I get that. But you can say that he has created his own lore with George Martin, the setting world building etc is all different. The main thematic theme is the same but the story and plot points are definitely different.
@@RedactedlllllllllllllI agree. This constant whining about intellectual property is really the work of the great capitalists and corporations who indoctrinated artists into thinking this protected their work or livelihood somehow. Does someone think manga artists make up their whole universes and narratives from scratch, like a blank slate? Is OP whining about Berserk stealing from other artists on Berserk content channels' comment sections too?
The berserk inspiration is pretty clear. But also we can see tons of inspirations drawn from different places in his games. This one in particular draws also from Hayao Miyazaki, esoterism, astrology, Nordic, Japanese and tons of Celtic culture, a bit of Lovecraft (not so much as Bloodborne, but it still has it). The tropes in this story are not particular to Berserk. A hero turning villain is such a common trope in story telling. For sure it has big inspiration drawn from Berserk. But it also isn't stealing the story at all, completely different lores. Hidetaka Miyazaki is literally a scholar, he is studied in anthropology and philosophy. People who don't know any of the content he puts in his games tend to lean towards believing everything is a Berserk reference, and that's a bit annoying, when berserk is a reference to exactly Nordic, Medieval and Celtic cultures
In college one of my writing teachers said "the greatest writers steal". Miyazaki is doing exactly what a talented artist is supposed to do. Ranni's quote at the end of Elden Ring is straight out of Call of Cthulhu. Original ideas are stupid. Your ideas should be based on the ideas of great ones. You could even say From Software stole from Miyamoto with enemy lock-on. Then Miyamoto stole souls difficulty with Breath of the Wild. Stealing is just a part of the creative process, but it's how you steal that counts and Miyazaki steals in a very good way.
Miquella is linked to the number 3 Miquella, Malenia, Melina/Messmer?(butterflies) Miquella, Mohg, Formless Mother Miquella and Trina’s lily has three petals Miquella, Malenia, Godwyn (afflicted) Miquellas rings of light (3 of them) Miquella is connected to the varre, Melina, and ranni (which are three npcs we meet that are related to him in some way; torrent, Mohg dynasty, wolves spirit; again 3) In the trailer is talked about: Seduction, betrayal, affair (Marika) Golden lineage, strength, fate (miquella) Wonder if there are parallels there. Seduction vs bewitching(branch) = similar It’s crazy how you think there will be three different paths or outcomes (again 3) Ranni. Malenia. Mohg (maybe) were sleeping. Maybe meeting with st trina? Godwyns dream as well? I think miquella tried to create the Haligtree and it failed. And so now bc if his st trina dream form realized there’s a shows realm and is going to try to connect both worlds that way maybe somehow godwyn and Malenia could be cured. But maybe he doesn’t know Malenia is dead. Miquellas main goal always seems to try to help his brother and sister and himself from their afflictions. There’s also this theme of birhing and other good, and divergence and convergence. I feel like miquella will combine with death root, rot, and blood flame (again 3) and be an mega hard boss. That or we help st trina. Or we help him. Those are the options I feel. As for Marika we’re going through realize she was jsut the stronger side and it’s why she won. There’s something missing though and idk what it is! But there’s more to miquella. I jsut know it!
I am still trying to figure out why did marika shatter the elden ring? If it took so much effort to build it why shatter the elden ring? Was it an attempt to avoid the same fate as miquella by the greater will? Did she want to stop turning into radagon? Or was it really because of godwyns death? Is the story we have been told of the shattering even the truth of how it happened?
People have been comparing Miquella to Griffin (I can see why) but I am glad I am not the only one who thought Marika was more Griffin like based on the Story trailer because of the surrounding corpses and a mortal who sacrificed many lives to become a god Is straight out of Berserk and the famous Eclipse Essentially showing us how far Marika was willing to go to become a God
Hey man, I tried going to your channel's homepage, but there were only 5 1-minute videos listed, so it almost looked like you had no content I could subscribe to.
The lore content isn't shown on home but on videos tab indeed, that can be a big problem. Don't know how i forgot to update home page, thanks so much for the heads up ❤️
Long time lore theory consumer, first-time lore theory contributor, responding to the call for unhinged, shizo, wacky Shadow of the Erdtree theories. I've decided to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Here be swaddling cloths, a Marika Gloam Eyed Queen affair, Rune reincarnation and more. And with it all, a new-found appreciation and respect for the great lore channels that have inspired me to put this together. Your time is valuable so I've added a trailer reaction and just a small introspective on what these games mean to me. Enjoy! ua-cam.com/video/AVGs8J-7z2M/v-deo.html
@@Rich_P_Anya why everything he said make a since if you align it with berserk which something miyazaki takes inspiration from all the time. The twisted trees in both elden ring and berserk literally same. Marika probably betrays whoever she previously aligned in order to obtain godlike power like grifith. His theory works on many levels
We were living in the 'post-eclipse' world this entire time, Griffith already became a god and ruled for an eternity in this version of berserk. Quite horrifying.
I am 300hrs into Elden ring. I can’t believe I never thought of that before. That’s a perfect analogy.
Exactly.
I am 240 hours in. I knew it was influenced by Berserk, but I had no idea it was to such an extent. You have made a very strong and convincing case. This is incredible.
I watched a ton of lore channels tiptoe around what the golden strands Marika retrieves from the corpse of the previous god might be and YOU are the first to finally say it's the Elden Ring. I mean, what else would it be? The theme plays under it, the strands look the same, and it is literally removed from the belly/womb of the slain/betrayed predecessor.
Fantastic work, as always.
Ive heard zio, vaati, nd a couple others mention it looks like part of the elden ring. The day it came out
And what is the Elden Ring exactly and what does the bearer get from it?
I'm thinking the god that got betrayed was the gloam eyed queen
@@Ytargentinathe Elden ring are the laws of the universe and whoever “bears” it can manipulate it and remove concepts such as death itself which is what Marika did.
It just looks like goo to me, I don't see the golden light everyone is talking about
Super cool theory! Here's a possible addition to it -- curious what you think of it.
What is Miquella's motivation to go to the land of shadow now? Why didn't he go before? I think it might be because he just found out about his mother's betrayal, who had kept it hidden even from her children.
How might he have discovered this? Because he was trapped by Mogh, in communion with the Formless Mother, who is also known as the 'Mother of Truth.' I don't think that name is a coincidence. Perhaps this Outer God revealed the truth of the Erdtree to Miquella, while still in the cocoon, which would give us a glimpse into Miquella's intentions.
We hear that Miquella cares for the meek and downtrodden (similar to Jesus). If he suddenly discovered the truth that his mother and Messmer were slaughtering so many Crucible-beings to support her illusion, it might enrage him enough to take matters into his own hands and go put a stop to his older brother (Messmer) and mother. After all, "he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying," which could mean that his love for the outcasts may prompt him towards vengeance.
Perhaps then, Miquella does need our help, after all. I'd love that storyline, personally. What do you think of that?
I think he learned of this before mohg took kim and that learning of the origin of the golden order is what pushed him to formulate this plan and go to the shadowland .
Let's not forget miquella has good knowledge of the golden order from his father radagon and only left it because of its limitation and it being unable to cure his sister , i feel miquella reached a similar conculsion to gold mask about the ficklness of the gods of the order but instead of making a mending rune or something like that , he had a more far reaching plan that would be more similar to what marika did at the begenning ( although maybe this time with less sacrifices )
This gave me the chills bro! Man, the idea of a legit HERO in a fromsoft game is kinda wild but I am so here for it if Miquella really is the Ultimate Chad.
I love this ❤
@@galaxsija4591 , @timpeterson175 , yeah I'm leaning into this one more and more. I do believe now that Miquella's goal is to re-unite the gold with the shadow. The 'graceful' from the Lands Between with the 'ungraceful' from Land of Shadow. Like one big happy/dysfunctional family. In cut content from the main game, Miquella is quoted as saying to the tarnished, '“If thou covetest the throne, Impress my vision upon thine heart. In the new world of thy making, all things will flourish, whether graceful, or malign.” That's his vision, to unite all the mofos everywhere, no matter how many hearts he needs to shrive clean to do it (with our help) :P Let's gooooooooo!
When I looked up the definition of shrive I had a ‘oh damn’ moment.
I think you are right on all of this, nobody else's analysis makes as much sense :)
Definitely the clearest and, imo, most accurate comparison between Elden Ring and Berserker.
By far the best Shadow of the Erd Tree theory/explanation.
This guy knows his stuff.
Thanks a lot my friend, glad you liked it ❤️
💯
The story trailer starts with "miquella said" (similar to item descriptions with "it is said"), so I definitely think it's a biased account
Possible, yes.
The narrator also keeps saying "kind Miquella" so that character is most probably biased.
@@tehardegames I mean, they're in the same group as him. It's plain
Yeah his followers are trying to reach him and they believe his intentions are good, but are they really? Man I can't wait to get to know that.
Yea the narrator is definitely one of the people we see following miquellas grace
All of this video especially the Golden Item section is brilliant. Of all analysis Ive seen, I think youve cracked the code for what is happening in that intro scene and with Miquella. EXCELLENT VIDEO.
Thanks a lot my friend, glad you liked it.
Great analysis! You actually catching the "Ave Marika" in that song is incredible, I havent seen anyone hearing this (me included)
I heard the same when i saw the trailer.
In Schuon's Perennialism, the Logos is identified in both Jesus *and* Mary - Marika is like a symbolic superposition of the two.
Marika isn't just named after Maria; Malika is Arabic for Queen, and the anagram Kalima is Arabic for Logos (Word).
(Compare this with Kalameet being a transposition of Kalimat (Words [plural])
First time i watched it i was sure i heard Marika so i used a website to split the vocal / lyrics and it becomes much more easier to hear it.
@@G4meplus Interesting!
I think that Miquella also seeks to follow in these same footsteps, all so that he'll finally have a solution to Malenia's Scarlet Rot.
The Golden Order has no solution to the Scarlet Rot, Miquella discovered this when his Haligtree fell to the Scarlet Rot itself, despite receiving his blood.
However, to separate himself from the control of the Greater Will, he had to divest himself of his Empyrean flesh much like Ranni. He did this by letting Mohg steal him away and kill him through his corruption.
I don't think Miquella is an "evil" character, he simply has a goal to achieve and is willing to scheme and manipulate those that love him to achieve this goal. His Church of the Eclipse in Castle Sol is far too suspicious for me to think that Miquella is completely innocent.
plot twist: he betrayed Malenia to archive his goal, Malenia is just the tool for him (Just like Berserk's Grifith did)
I know Miyazaki has always been a huge fan of Berserk but so many years after, gosh, we can still see so many traces and similarities of Berserk in his new project😂. This is true love.
Your theory seems to also get some meaning to what Miyazaki said to IGN:
"First of all, the setting of Shadow of the Erdtree is a brand new land. It's a brand new map separate from the Lands Between. It is a land that is overshadowed by the particular Shadow of the Erdtree as opposed to the Erdtree in the Lands Between. And it takes place, again, on an entirely separate, physically separate map. So it will involve a warp of sorts to get there.
In terms of setting and themes, it technically occupies the same space as the Lands Between, the same universe. But due to something story related that we won't reveal today, this has become physically disconnected, and you'll travel to the Shadow of the Erdtree land as a separate place."
Great work as always. 6:53 awesome connection here
The whole reference to seduction, betrayal, and “affair… gold arose” seems very much about Godfrey. I think this story trailer might be showing Marika pulling Godfrey’s great rune out of him. Godfrey is part of the “golden lineage”, so the idea that taking his rune somehow related to gold arising kinda makes sense.
Per Melina, Marika sends Godfrey away to be killed (sacrificed and fed to Erdtree). Sacrificing Godfrey and all his army would be as f’d up as Griffith sacrificing the band of the hawk. Enough to finish the process of breaking barrier between living and astral worlds (like you said).
Marika also said (per Melina) that she would give back what she once claimed. I think Marika gives Godfrey back his great rune some time during our main playthrough, which why we were able to fight him in the end and claim it for ourselves.
Was waiting for your video man 👍 don't stop
Hope you enjoy it.
Marika is reaching into a Swaddling cloth
I don’t think a single other UA-camr noticed the ave marika
Dude, i love that connection you made with people loving and doubting miquella across both trailers, i made that same connection myself and was giddy about it too. i think it holds some hints about the dlc like you said. now onto the other stuff...
with miyazaki's games there's always a great sin to create the shining city or order. marika was always my favorite character in the game just off of wanting to know her "why?" why is she the way she is. she is truly monstrous but maybe we'll understand her pathos in the dlc. i cant say he "played me" personally because i always had the vague idea that "this world is messed up" the details of it werent apparent but Marika always seemed like a conqueror, a sinful great god and the vast variations in her children might also explain a bit about who she was as well, completely unknowable to her children so they find their own way. her sins details just weren't clear yet but i had some idea that she wasnt some christ-like figure just from the world we enter.
i'd be more surprised at finding out Miquella is actually a decent dude whos trying to help you and isnt some charismatic misguided figure who wants to save the world in some way we fiercely disagree with just like every other great god or figure in the fromsoftware catalog. i think the most sane great figure we ever meet in fromsoftware is Isshin Ashina. He's a conqueror but he did it for good reasons and he was never revealed to have been corrupted by some vainglorious thing. He legit wanted Ashina to stand on its own and be proud, and he seeme like a great man to know personally too. not just from afar.
also one last thing, hoping you read this especially, i saw that the architecture at the opening of the erdtree in the basegame (godfrey arena) had this flower symbol that looks similar to the flower symbol shown in the arena that you fight that big lion mane enemy. we know they represent a culture that existed before the erdtree from miyazaki's interview. i just thought that might be a curious connection. might be nothing at all if im wrong, im playing the game to get a look at the boss arena of morgott/godfrey again. ill compare and see if they are truly similar or if im misremembering
Actually insane theories I think you are right about majority of your prediction
Literally the best theory/composition of Elden Rings world. Your brain is too big my friend, love the videos!
Step aside Ziostorm and Ratatoskr, your analysis gave me goosebumps throughout the way
Ratatoskr is such a smarmy annoying dude
@@avalokiteshvara113
Yeah I can see that. He kinda been getting annoying lately.
@@Wizard_Pikachu Out of curiosity, how?
I didnt start playing until january, but since then ive done a 200+ hour playthrough where i did 90% of the content. Everyone thi ks of miquella as this griffith-like character. It completely kept me from ever thinking of marika as that character. Awesome job, love the videos.
this video gave me chills.. resonated with many of my assumptions too
the best trailer breakdown for this DLC
Glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Holy shit.... your right dude. Your on to something
OH MIQUELLA IS THE MOONLIGHT CHILD!!!!
It's natural to think there is a twist with Miq, we barely know anything about him. But I think it would be a bigger twist to find miq was a real good demigod
True.
I have to say radahn seemed pretty based as well as godwyn. Maybe it was a terrible parents goof children kinda deal lol.
Keeps me giggle everytime that people once again shocked that Miyazaki once again referenced Berserk
10:09
"They were never saints, they were just on the losing side of a war"
Interesting quote, depending on who that was who said it
You have the best lore breakdowns in the community. KEEP GOING
I think you’ve fucking nailed it
It makes sense that Messmer would be in charge of feeding the tree corpses because with the Rune of Death taken from the Lands Between nobody is dying and being given an Erdtree burial. Nice catch.
In SPIRE... like. In SPIRIT... something that's inspired by another thing has an element of its SPIRIT in it
Another excellent video, man! You are always incredibly thoughtful and you explain things very succinctly and clearly. Special thanks for explaining more of the Berserker connections and back story for those of us who are unfamiliar. TBH I would totally watch a video from you fully explaining Berserker just for fun
Love the fact one of my favorite anime has so many ties to Elden ring
that could be a cocoon similar to Miquellas that Marika pulls the gold strands from and what Mohg is doing to Miquella is offering tarnished blood instead of whatever Marika offered the other cocoon
Just what I was thinking. It was crazy to model the Launiakea supercluster after the Elden Beast.
Good video, noone noticed the Ave Marika.
I think it's all solid, subbed.
I just want to point out, it seems the shadow tree in the trailer has two spiraling trunks. If you zoom in on the base of the tree in the trailer there's a gap of light coming through it.
Wonder about the st trina torch depicting miquella or st trina as an adult and how its eerie. And its cool that you explained the elden beast or atleast speculated about it, cause till now, videos ive seen only talk about marika ascending, without mentioning the elden beast which was making me wonder where the beast fit in, since in that elden stars description they describe like a seed from space or something i dont really remember
Insert Gif of Leonardo DiCaprio clapping in a theater
I believe Messmer is the son of the GEQueen bc the Statue behind him reminds me of the item description that the GEQ swaddles the newborn apostels
You are amazing my friend, awesome theory , well know Miyazakis world is inspired alot by berserk, so i think what you saying makes complete sense
I think Miquella is intentionally ambiguous because WE THE PLAYER are Miquella… we get to write the story of this crazy universe we call “reality”
While playing this game you will discover your true self. Golden, shadow, beauty, omen, young, old, and everything in between.
I can’t wait to play this, it will be fun af. 🔥🔥🔥
IM SO GLAD YOU SAID IT WAS TELLING MY FREIND THIS LAST NIGHT
The DLC ends with Marika betraying us and we return to the present.
Another interesting parallel is Messmer and Marika with Guts and Griffith. Guts helped Griffith fight his battles and ascend to godhood, only to be betrayed as soon as he achieved this. Messmer seems to have been imprisoned in the shadow realm, likely by Marika, betraying him after he fought her battles for her and helped her become a god. Messmer is depicted as this super evil guy but I think it’s misdirection, and he will actually be a sort of “tragic hero” character that a lot of From’s games have, like Artorias, Ludwig, and Gael.
Bro, your content is amazing, I hope your channel explodes asap, take care
Small comment, the Laniakea Cluster doesnt "look" like that, those are visual representations of the flow of galaxies towards it over time
All I could think was Berserk when I saw the bodies piled too. I’ve thought about the whole world tree thing but could never quite connect it so clearly like you did on this video. And major props on connecting Falconia to Leyndell. Where the hell is Guts?!
LIGHTBULB! Godfrey is Guts!
Shadow beast on his back and everything! Godfrey was the sword of Marika just like Guts slaughtered so many to raise Griffith to his god status and being on the golden age. Wow.
And Renalla is almost like Casca in how she was left completely broken shell of her former self.
Cant help but wonder now if there was a connection between Godfrey and Rennala.
This also begs the question, who TF is radagon based on? Could he also be based on Griffith since him and Marika are the same? I personally am not deep into berserk lore and need to get caught up on it, but seeing all these connections definitely piques my interest about the parallels between each world. Makes it seem like you gotta know about berserk to be able to answer some of the more mysterious questions about the in-game lore or at least get closer to the answer.
Trina comes from the number three, so I think we're missing Miquella's third personality
it feels like that figure is marika, post-infection by the elden beast (mid transformation into radagon), and she's triggering the transformation of the great tree into the erdtree
back with another great vid,keep up the amazing work my dude
this is exactly what i was looking for after the story trailer dropped. I'm not 100% on board with everything in this theory just yet, but you bet i'm gonna keep it in mind with every revelation we get in the DLC
I had a thought
Maliketh says Marika betrayed him
He says "why shatter"
It seems like our steps have been ordered by Miquella even in the base game
Recieving torrent and the spirit calling bell
If the player character is Miquellas shadow
Maybe Miquella will betray us the same way Marika betrayed maliketh.
It would explain why all trailers have the player character wearing the raging wolf armor
Finally someone with a brain, been thinking about all this stuff too
I liked it when Rickert slapped Griffith.
I saw a video on UA-cam where someone pointed out that person in the trailer holding the elden thing isnt Marika but actually Miquela. They zoomed in on the hair and theres a braid which is something Miquela usually sports.
Although Miyazaki is notorious for reproducing anything and everything he can from Berserk, we must remember that although alot of the art direction in Elden Ring is obviously heavily taken from Miuras work, George R R Martin wrote the story of Elden Ring. Everyone, invluding Martin and Miyazaki, has been clear about this, and I dont see George Martin leaning heavily on the themes of Berserk.
My thoughts
Radagon seduced gloom eyed queen
Messmers is the child but worked for marika
Marika betrays the gloom eyed queen during the godskin hunt using maliketh
During the godskin hunt she also destroys the crucible tree using messmer
Later sends godfrey and the tarnished to the badlands/shadowlands to constantly feed the tree (fight against messmer’s army) until the time is right to come back
My thoughts on miquella
He couldnt make the sacrifice so he tried to use his own blood to grow a tree
He wanted to cure his sister of her rot
He wanted to cure godwyn of deathblite
Factions
Messmers army
Crucible native omens/numen/black knife assassins
Miquella’s band of hawks
A truly top level elden ring lore video, well done!
This was a really great analysis. Keep up the great work! I’ll be looking forward to your videos once the DLC comes out.
I am not a religious dude, but I try to be hopeful that the world we live in will get better and I think that can only start with individual acts.
When have we ever had an actually good hearted demigod in a souls game? Idk, but when has this world ever needed one more? I think Miquella’s Jesus-like message (on the surface level) would be great to spread to anyone picking up this game
The best theory I’ve heard so far. Subbed!
This channel is such a gem
You’re the first person I’ve seen to make the connection between Messmer the Impaler and Vlad the Impaler. I think they definitely were inspired when they created Messmer, that imagery with the impaled corpses is very similar to what is shown in history books about Vlad’s atrocities. Also Fromsoftware is known to have taken inspiration in the past from Dracula, which was itself inspired by Vlad the Impaler.
Amazing analysis. The observation about the strands and the Laniakea Supercluster is so good! Definitely a visual inspiration. Also I really need to finish reading Berserk
Really glad that you liked it Tim, watched your analysis video yesterday and it was great ❤️
Mesmer's reward for his conquest was control over all the lands in the Land of Shadows.
Hello! I'm here to defend Miquella from him being completely evil. Bear in mind that Miquella might be morally grey, not black nor white. Alright let me begin.
Let's begin with some *evil* parts of him (Miquella).
1. Seemingly has some mind altering abilities (Bewitching Branch item desc.)
2. DLC trailer 1 referring him to as "Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying."
Now let me explain some other things for the good part of him.
1. Assisted Malenia with her Rot. (Not cured, but helped.)
2. Made the Haligtree through altruistic means. (Not sacrificing many people as fertilizer.)
Above at number two I mentioned him doing it altruisticly so let me explain that. Bear in mind this'll be a rough guess. The Haligtree never grows up completely thanks to the lack of corpses so he tried to sacrifice his old form in the cocoon, to feed the Haligtree with his own essence but Mohg445 took him out somewhere through the process and disrupted it. Now I'll go over some of the objectives Miquella holds.
1. Reviving Godwyn
2. Healing Malenia
3. Finding a way to help people in Land of Shadow
4. A way to get out of his infancy (may I have missed some, please excuse me if I did.)
Miquella hasn't succeeded in any of them, but we as the Tarnished did complete one of his many tools. The Unalloyed Gold Needle. After defeating Placidusax we learn how to perfect the needle and can then cure the Frenzy in our character. His whole character has been tragedy so perhaps we Tarnished are his only chance of success. That's all I will put right now, if you have any questions then please ask in the replies. Nice video man ❤
What concerns me is Ranni did the same thing: betrayed all her friends. We see the same with Rykard: a dynasty built on corpses.
I had asked the question if Miquella just up and abandoned his sister. Maybe it's not that simple. After being hurt by Mogh betrayal in unspeakable ways, Miquella fears what he might become. He has seen the depravity and ugliness and now fears it.
the shot of marika holding the golden stands might be cut short and she is tearing them apart
This makes too much sense 🤯
For someone that sadly has not Seen or ready Berserk, where would i Start? Is there an Anime or something that i should start with? i am so fascinated by it. Even If i am a Bit sad that Myazaki isa Bit inspired toooo much and mit as creative as i thought 😅
Wait, haven't people been connecting the two characters (Marika and Griffith) since the beginning of Elden Ring's launch? That withstanding, great video. Can't wait for this DLC!
It was Miquella and Griffith, Glad you enjoyed the video ❤️
Did you perchance stole Miyazaki's notes or something? 😂 Your analysis feels different, a little bit "out there" BUT it connected some neurons in my brain that goes "ah shit that must be what Miyazaki is thinking"
Definitely gonna check more of your vids.
Cheers!
So this dlc is a berserk reference
The whole corpus of work sinc3 demon souls is a reference😅
The NPC saying "his golden flesh" pretty much confirms that Miquella is a numen and is much more pure of blood than his brothers and sisters. It seems like the DLC is hinting at him being the only rightful heir to the throne.
The hair could also be wordplay; Kami is a homophone which can mean Hair or God.
I think they tried something similar in DaS with Velka's Talisman and the Witch's Locks.
but it can also be deduced that miquella is sleep/asleep as same as to trina is sleep/asleep therefore miquella (maybe/maybe not) trina. man vaadi created a whole new genre of YT content creators. should we call it vaadi~esque / vit~yan~esque 😂 great theories btw cheers! subbed!
Miquella is the one i think of when I hear "seduction".
An amazing story with even more incredible inspirations. How will FromSoft ever be able to out do this game?
From the very beginning I've been asking myself: Why did Marika shatter the Elden Ring?
It's a simple question that has further reaching implications than I realized.
It's almost like Marika possibly created her own Elden Beast by impregnating (mayb) the woman in the picture or someone, and then steals the new being to mold it into her own version? Then destroys everything of old, the gods, the people, everything......
I think this is a big possibility.
I used to think it couldn't get any better than Dark Souls....
Amazing research work, well done !
THIS is it! Feedin the crucible with tbe bodies is why they are considered blasphemous in the lands between. The truth of the crucible must be concealed.
I'm not hating on Miyazaki, i'm a fan, but at what point do we start saying that he straight up takes huge chunks of his ideas from Beserk to the point where it's stealing, rather than "inspired"?
I get that. But you can say that he has created his own lore with George Martin, the setting world building etc is all different. The main thematic theme is the same but the story and plot points are definitely different.
This is a constant thing in all art.
@@RedactedlllllllllllllI agree. This constant whining about intellectual property is really the work of the great capitalists and corporations who indoctrinated artists into thinking this protected their work or livelihood somehow. Does someone think manga artists make up their whole universes and narratives from scratch, like a blank slate? Is OP whining about Berserk stealing from other artists on Berserk content channels' comment sections too?
The berserk inspiration is pretty clear. But also we can see tons of inspirations drawn from different places in his games. This one in particular draws also from Hayao Miyazaki, esoterism, astrology, Nordic, Japanese and tons of Celtic culture, a bit of Lovecraft (not so much as Bloodborne, but it still has it). The tropes in this story are not particular to Berserk. A hero turning villain is such a common trope in story telling. For sure it has big inspiration drawn from Berserk. But it also isn't stealing the story at all, completely different lores. Hidetaka Miyazaki is literally a scholar, he is studied in anthropology and philosophy. People who don't know any of the content he puts in his games tend to lean towards believing everything is a Berserk reference, and that's a bit annoying, when berserk is a reference to exactly Nordic, Medieval and Celtic cultures
In college one of my writing teachers said "the greatest writers steal".
Miyazaki is doing exactly what a talented artist is supposed to do.
Ranni's quote at the end of Elden Ring is straight out of Call of Cthulhu.
Original ideas are stupid. Your ideas should be based on the ideas of great ones.
You could even say From Software stole from Miyamoto with enemy lock-on. Then Miyamoto stole souls difficulty with Breath of the Wild.
Stealing is just a part of the creative process, but it's how you steal that counts and Miyazaki steals in a very good way.
I'll be so disappointed if Miquella betrays me. Not surprised, lol, but can't we at least have one good ending?
Loved the analysis.
The get the answer 90% of the time in Fromsoft games, you just gotta ask yourself "What would Miura have done?".
Also subscribed, your other videos are well thought out as well, wowzers
Welcome aboard, glad you enjoyed.
Miquella is linked to the number 3
Miquella, Malenia, Melina/Messmer?(butterflies)
Miquella, Mohg, Formless Mother
Miquella and Trina’s lily has three petals
Miquella, Malenia, Godwyn (afflicted)
Miquellas rings of light (3 of them)
Miquella is connected to the varre, Melina, and ranni (which are three npcs we meet that are related to him in some way; torrent, Mohg dynasty, wolves spirit; again 3)
In the trailer is talked about:
Seduction, betrayal, affair (Marika)
Golden lineage, strength, fate (miquella)
Wonder if there are parallels there.
Seduction vs bewitching(branch) = similar
It’s crazy how you think there will be three different paths or outcomes
(again 3)
Ranni. Malenia. Mohg (maybe) were sleeping. Maybe meeting with st trina?
Godwyns dream as well?
I think miquella tried to create the Haligtree and it failed. And so now bc if his st trina dream form realized there’s a shows realm and is going to try to connect both worlds that way maybe somehow godwyn and Malenia could be cured. But maybe he doesn’t know Malenia is dead.
Miquellas main goal always seems to try to help his brother and sister and himself from their afflictions.
There’s also this theme of birhing and other good, and divergence and convergence.
I feel like miquella will combine with death root, rot, and blood flame (again 3) and be an mega hard boss.
That or we help st trina. Or we help him. Those are the options I feel.
As for Marika we’re going through realize she was jsut the stronger side and it’s why she won.
There’s something missing though and idk what it is! But there’s more to miquella. I jsut know it!
Yeah, we gotta slap him at the end of the DLC
Awesome Video
I am still trying to figure out why did marika shatter the elden ring? If it took so much effort to build it why shatter the elden ring? Was it an attempt to avoid the same fate as miquella by the greater will? Did she want to stop turning into radagon? Or was it really because of godwyns death? Is the story we have been told of the shattering even the truth of how it happened?
People have been comparing Miquella to Griffin (I can see why) but I am glad I am not the only one who thought Marika was more Griffin like based on the Story trailer because of the surrounding corpses and a mortal who sacrificed many lives to become a god
Is straight out of Berserk and the famous Eclipse
Essentially showing us how far Marika was willing to go to become a God
Hey man, I tried going to your channel's homepage, but there were only 5 1-minute videos listed, so it almost looked like you had no content I could subscribe to.
The lore content isn't shown on home but on videos tab indeed, that can be a big problem.
Don't know how i forgot to update home page, thanks so much for the heads up ❤️
liked, sub'd, that bezerk griffith body pile reference
This is fantastic analysis. I'm hoping we get covenants again so i hope you are right!
Long time lore theory consumer, first-time lore theory contributor, responding to the call for unhinged, shizo, wacky Shadow of the Erdtree theories. I've decided to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Here be swaddling cloths, a Marika Gloam Eyed Queen affair, Rune reincarnation and more. And with it all, a new-found appreciation and respect for the great lore channels that have inspired me to put this together. Your time is valuable so I've added a trailer reaction and just a small introspective on what these games mean to me. Enjoy!
ua-cam.com/video/AVGs8J-7z2M/v-deo.html
bro i think u just cracked it
@@Rich_P_Anya why everything he said make a since if you align it with berserk which something miyazaki takes inspiration from all the time. The twisted trees in both elden ring and berserk literally same. Marika probably betrays whoever she previously aligned in order to obtain godlike power like grifith. His theory works on many levels
very insightful! great video man
Thanks a lot my friend, glad you liked it.
Messmer reminds me of a combination of grumbeld and Irvine
dude you read my mind. Berserk fans i feel have more insight into stuff like this purely based on how much of a fanboy Miyazaki is for Muira' work.
It actually says "Ave Marika Eternal"