Hi, friends! I spent virtually all of my spare time working on this video for the last 10 months, so I hope you enjoy it, even if I’m wrong about some of the major plot points. And, yes, I am planning to do an unspoiled playthrough of the DLC, but it will take some time for me to get around to it, so I appreciate your patience. Thanks, as always, for your kind love and support, and take care.
In light of several points raised in this video, I highly reccommend you play Chrono Trigger if you have not already done so, specifically the DS version.
absolutely incredible video, i really like the themes that you chose to focus on. one minor timeline thing feels a bit inconsistent though; one of the most divisive questions in the lore community is "was radagon always marika? or did he fuse with her at some point, possibly after leaving renalla?" i'm a bit confused on where you stand on this. ( 1:48:10 ) In general, you seem to believe that radagon fused with marika for the first time after leaving renalla. But also say that ranni was GW's primary choice for successor, and that radagon was called to fuse with marika *because* ranni gave up her flesh, and because marika shattered the ring, placing radagons union with her after both of those events. How would Ranni have been an empyrean if she was not yet related to marika in your view? Around 1:19:40 you suggest that the children of renalla did not become demigods until after radagon's union with marika, which seems to contradict the idea that ranni could have been marika's primary successor before radagon's union with marika. That dialogue with muriel that you used, after he raises the question of why radagon would have left renalla or been chosen as lord, he then mentions radagon's "secret" hidden in the leyndell statue, which is later revealed to be the fact that "radagon is marika". to me this implies that radagon was in some way connected to marika before his official marriage with her. Your lore ideas are very fresh and interesting, so i'm curious on your thoughts about this conundrum.
@@bump_versino I am personally of the belief that Radagon was always Marika, but I think some of points you raise are explainable using some of the ideas in this video: namely that Marika used the language of the Gods to discursively transform the Lands Between such that when Radagon fused with her, it wasn't just that he became a God, but he became someone who was always a God, making Ranni and co. demi-Gods. Basically a weird retrocausality thing is how I think of it, and it's a bit brain-breaking, but that feels thematically appropriate, because ofc I wouldn't be able to intuitively understand Godly powers. Maybe the potential for Ranni to be a successor was part of why Radagon ended up fusing with Marika (perhaps he was summoned to become Elden Lord) In terms of why Radagon left Rennala, it is more mysterious, so I speculate about what we know about Radagon as a character. I think some of the early info we get is that he was a champion in a war against Rennala and her dynasty, and we also later see that he tried to repair the Elden Ring, so it seems like he is someone who feels a strong sense of duty. Like I say, I personally prefer the "they started as one entity" take, but I really enjoy that there isn't decisive evidence either way. It means that sometimes the argument about a particular take comes down to what makes the most compelling story. For example, I like thinking of Radagon/Marika from a feminist angle, imagining Radagon as an aspect of Marika that emerged to wage war because the delicate femininity of Marika's public persona would've likely made it impossible (politically) for Marika to be there on the front lines, overseeing the war at the very least. Ending the war through marriage is also likely something that Radagon could do that Marika couldn't.
Champions, welcome! The stars have aligned; the festival is nigh. Aegon of Astora, mightiest scholar of FromSoftware, awaits you. Champions, prepare for viewing, claim knowledge, and grab that popcorn. A celebration 7 months in the making, the ELDEN RING VIDEO ESSAY!!!
I greatly value your interpretation of the events and characters of Elden Ring. I have heard so many distinct theories of the game’s lore that it is apparent to me that more than anything, this game’s lore is a catalyst of each individual person’s world, cultural, and political views. When you make a game that mimics society, it makes sense that a player would look at the lore of the game in a way that mimics their world views. It takes a masterful creator to make something like it.
Exactly this. It really is a masterclass. The fact that I am having arguments with people about whether the greater will is an actual big bad in the sky or just a concept/force of nature given godhood by those in the game world is testament to what they were trying to accomplish with this story. Mimic real life, just like you said.
Interesting you say this. I just watched arrival for the first time last week and couldn’t help but wonder if it had influenced Miyazaki or if the shared elements I was noticing were merely coincidence.
I always felt that Miriel's dialogue souned a bit too important. When he talks about the "Famed sculptor" and specifically The sentence "When he glimpsed the skeleton in Radagon's closet" felt like he collapsed some sort of wave function (which could explain why Radagon left Renalla - he collapsed from their duality back into Marika). An interesting idea came into my mind while watching your video from a little bit different perspective than particle-wave duality: What if Greater Will represents particles and Primordial current represents antiparticles. Radagon might be positively charged antiparticle and Renalla negatively charged one. And in golden order when you have grace, you have a negative charge and when you are stripped of it you have positive charge (and when you are living in death you have no charge). Chaos is the vacuum energy. Kinda crazy, when you couple Elden Ring's lore with semi-understanding of physics, how it all sounds so esoteric.
I think this is my actual favourite youtube video ever made. It's just perfect. The music, editing, wording. I feel like I should pay for this. Thank you for making this two and a half hours enjoyable and educational.
wow beautiful animations for the double slit experiment! loving this video. I am big big fan of Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun and Superman and just in general lore with a big old sun god in the middle of it all. Looking forward to when you share your thoughts on frenzy flame and destined death. Is it such a bad thing to burn the world and ignite a Sun? I think no. “The would be sorcerer alone has faith in the efficacy of pure knowledge; rational people know that things act of themselves or not at all.”
It's not even remotely Soulsmas and yet here is my favorite From lore explorer with an absolute compendium. I disagree with some parts of your interpretation and have some quibbles with some of the plot details as presented here, but appreciate your methodological framework being laid bare, and it has shifted the light on some of my own interpretations and understandings of the story of Elden Ring. And the especially poignant crescendo at the end had me fighting back tears. What, indeed, is our excuse.
i dont usually make comments on youtube, but i just wanted to say how thankful i am that you made a point to acknowledge the purposeful exclusion of trans, intersex, and non-straight people from what was meant to be a record of humanity, especially with the current political environment being what it is in the usa & england in particular. its not something ive heard many people acknowledge, but i feel like you gave it the recognition its due even in just that small segment of the whole video. idk if youre a part of the community or not (and you certainly dont have to tell me or anyone else), but either way, thank you.
I was equally super impressed with that little piece of history being discussed. It’s depressing reading comments people saying stuff like “you lost me when you said pronouns” or “it’s just a game, can’t you leave capitalism out of it?” Or yadda yadda yadda… as we see in just about every comment section on any platform these days. I just wanted to say it’s nice to see comments like yours between the ignorance. Knowing one isn’t alone and seeing one isn’t alone are two very different things.
Now that you have published this, I beg of you watch the lore videos of VaatiVidya or the dissection of character models and snippets of code and story discovered by Zulle the Witch or Quelaag. While parallels to the bombing and fallout of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can be made with regard to Caelid, the Scarlet Rot is the manefestation of an Outer God, and its chosen vessel, the empyrean, Malenia who had been afflicted since birth. Likewise I don't think there's a single description or dialogue that compares the Greater Will/Elden Beast to being a parasite that is sapping the resources (souls) of the Lands Between. I think you need to look into the practices of worship, burial and death that predate the Golden Order (Deathrite Birds, the Crucible, Dragonlord Placidusax) Interesting video otherwise and extremely well edited and composed, your technical skill is commendable.
Have you thought about what the Scarlet Rot represents from an outside-the-universe perspective? Because nothing you've stated disproves the theory that the Scarlet Rot is a metaphor for nuclear fallout
@@Agenta-df3gb And nothing in the game states that it is, it is such a small detail that could've been an unconscious thing the designer of Caelid included. I can also say, it can be a representation of climate change killing the nature of Caelid, I would have the same amount of subjective arguments to prove that idea. Keyword is subjective arguments, that is the biggest problem with the video analysis(not so much a problem, but the people taking it as more than a subjective view of the material aka an objective theme of the game), which is that Aegon barely engaged with what the game gave itself. The dialogue, item descriptions, architecture, enemy design...
I think my one problem is you never really address a foundational assumption and so there's something missing from your entire premise. There's a big hole just kinda hovering there the whole time. Noticeably absent from your discussion of colonialism is christianity. It at best gets alluded to. But really the two things are inextricable and extremely relevant to Elden Ring's mythology. The assumption that went unaddressed is; does the Greater Will exist at all? I understand why it goes overlooked. We're talking about a world of magic and strange creatures in a quasi medieval fantasy setting. Everything about the genre practically screams "Gods are definitively real in this world." I made that assumption for a long time too. Game says it exists so it must exist. But Elden Ring isn't just a generic fantasy setting. Elden Ring explicitly uses real life religious iconography and artifacts. It's not mere reference or inspiration. So we have to contend with the fundamental questions in Elden Ring that we do in real life when it comes to discussions of religion. The gods we've invented are not real in any sort of objective sense. They are social identity markers. They change over time as societies change and when those societies die out so too do their gods. We find this same set of principles in Elden Ring. We're only ever introduced to a handful of gods but even with that limited set we find a tendency towards change over time which follows societal changes, they define group boundaries and it's hinted at that there have been other gods in the past which no longer appear to be around. Given that the model of religious development in Elden Ring holds true to real world models (I mean, sorta, it is still just a video game) it's entirely within the realm of possibility that the gods of Elden Ring are just like the gods of real life. Complete fabrications which are nonetheless considered real within the social imaginary of the inhabitants of the Lands Between. Gods not being real doesn't prevent people from behaving as though they are real. People use those gods to maintain their social boundaries and even to hold themselves above other people groups. It's not an accident that settler colonial projects came with re-education projects which sought to erase local religions. Christianity spent its first thousand years or so wiping out local competition as it expanded around Europe before hitting the high seas and wiping out local cultures around the globe. What do we find in Elden Ring? Marika coming from outside the Lands Between and establishing her order in the name of her god and converting or destroying anyone who doesn't share her social identity. She is the bearer of what appears to have been an already highly developed mythology by the time she arrives in the Lands Between. Wherever she came from was probably dominated by belief in the Greater Will long before Marika was born. I don't think that she ever really had much agency in any of this. Her entire story is one of trying and failing to assert her own agency. Constantly finding herself shackled to the role prescribed to her seemingly from the time she was born. It can mean social and literal death to buck one's religion in real life. I imagine it to be the same in Elden Ring. The negative incentive structures of religions are mighty chains which keep people locked into all kinds of destructive systems and behaviors. This is really what I think is being manifested in the Elden Beast. It's the cosmic horror element. The area where a concept is embodied in some physical form which is nevertheless alien and unknowable. We're told that the Greater Will sent it but what does that really mean? How do we know that this is any different from ancient people seeing comets in the sky and believing that they were portents of disaster (literally, bad star) sent by their gods? If Elden Beast is the horror of social systems which perpetuate themselves with many destructive consequences then the Fingers represent the horrors of authority systems which enforce their will as though it is divinely mandated. The Fingers, Two and Three, are considered vile creatures by anyone outside of the religion. They claim to interpret the will of the Greater Will and they seem to have some authority to make people do things that are pretty contemptible. They're more than just priests. They're the embodiment of the authority represented by the priesthood. All that said, I expect no elucidation on any of this from the DLC. Miyazaki loves leaving basic cosmology as a mystery and I would be amazed if that changed here. Is the Greater Will real in an objective sense? I think there's good reason to be suspect of affirming that idea. But I don't think we'll ever know definitively. I do think that any theory which does not grapple with the question seriously can be said to be complete though. For instance, the notion that the Greater Will is a parasitic hive mind. There are other explanations available for the data points given. The Lands Between feature a root system which runs under large portions of the subterranean area. There also appears to be some sort of mycorrhizal system that gets interpreted through spirits which is connected to this root system. In other words, we've got animating spirits and a connection to trees throughout the Lands Between. Meaning the Erdtree Avatars and Tree Spirits don't need to be anything other than some sort of defense mechanism borne out of a mutual symbiotic relationship between the trees and the spirit/fungus. It may be weird, but we're talking about a place where a woman makes clonal daughters of herself, an attribute found in several species of plants, and then the clonal daughters have a fight to the death. There's a lot of wacky stuff here. Anyway, great video. It really got me thinking about the whole Greater Will thing and helped me solidify some of my recent thoughts about the way we tend to take things as given when it comes to lore and how we should always strive to check our assumptions. It is damn odd to talk about settler colonialism and Elden Ring and not talk about christianity at all though. Like, they crucified Marika and even stuck her with a spear. It's right there.
The parallels you are trying to draw between this and christianity feel pretty stretched and even forced. You have a specific and rigid view on the real life religion that you are trying to reflect upon the cultural concepts that Elden Ring portrays which draw elements from pagan Celtic culture to Nordic myths to Japanese folklore.
@@boyman7823 I'd say you're the one with the myopic view of christianity if you don't see the parallels. Like, have you even noticed that Leyendell is functionally Constantinople? What do you think you've been looking at this whole time?
@@boyman7823 Seems to me to be an excellent illustrative example. If you are yourself so close to the source you have a more difficult time seeing it from an outsider's perspective. Where "Constantinople" is not a place inhabited by people but condensed to fragments of trivia and poetic representations about its historical role as the seat of power for an empire. Either way, I attended a Catholic school with mandatory religion classes and I can confirm that there's quite a lot of Christianity in Elden Ring. It's just that it's universally portrayed in a ghoulish or sinister light through the lens of holy empires crushing the competition and forcibly converting the populace. It works in the space of the cognitive dissonance in the religion around Jesus Christ as a benevolent saviour when atrocities are regularly done in the name of the Christian god - or any god for that matter.
I gotta say, I really hate the fact I came here for Elden Ring lore and instead got a 20 minute lecture on trans and intersex. It's your UA-cam channel and you'll post what you want. Great video besides my.personal bias
i can't man. This one of those dark souls is about capitalism video from jim waaay back when. You wanna have fun, sure, but its gotta be somewhere in the game goddamn. i got pretty far in but, for instance, the dlc might, MIGHT, confirm or not that there ever was colonialism in elden ring, but that would be a somesomething with the numem, maybe way before setting of the game is happening, yet theres a colonialist theme. It's just like that ol jim video.
Bro, the game includes warring factions, changing of regimes, genocide, outer gods seeking to expand their influence, people hungry for power, is colonialism such a left turn?
@@SamSphinx yeah, everything you mentioned happened, that's the thing. Getting too into it needs a look into marika, and everything on her is a mystery because we so far can't know what she wants. Just as I can't agree that dark souls is about capitalism, I supose souls are currency, maybe it's not such a left turn.
What a wonderfully fresh and expansive take on Elden Ring - in my hundreds of hours of lore consumption I haven't seen any other content creator take such a holistic and thematic view of the whole game. I really enjoyed your blind playthrough, loved this expansion on it, and have shared it across my network of FromSoft fans. Thank you, Aegon, for this amazing contribution to the lorecraft.
I'm still early on, but I needed to pause and just be excited and grateful to hear your introduction talk about lenses and interpretations and readings of the text. One of my frustrations with a lot of lore essayist is the idea that there is a Canon story that exists and was deliberately obscure instead of the game existing as a literary work with intended ambiguity and uncertainty built in. Also as a chemist, your explanation of the two slit experiment and wave/particle duality was very well done!
As someone also in STEM I agree this is one of the more reasonable contexts that I've seen the double-slit experiment invoked in the social sciences. I appreciate that it did not linger on some profound quantum meaning, but instead as support for the point about how data is biased by the method of its collection. Although I do find that there is a canon chain of cause and effect (or critical path diagram of multiple causes and effects in parallel). Interpretation of this canon being more focussed on an act of discovery and translation rather than imagination. Like how we can craft historical fiction that becomes more accurate when new techniques are developed for archiving and processing the available data. Sometimes we can uncover new information that challenges previous assumptions. But when information sources are limited we have a tendency to take purposeful deception for fact or impose modern biases where they don't belong.
I agree with you. But Elden Ring is truly the exception to the rule. There is a definitive canon and world history built into the world in this case, courtesy of George R.R Martin. The need for interpretation is still essential, but that concrete story is part of what makes this game so much more complex and alive compared to the worlds of other Fromsoft titles in my opinion.
My issue with the argument that GRRM created a "definitive" world history is that it is still a work of fiction, and works of fiction inherently can be read in different ways. Authorial intent is only one ingredient to interpret a story, and some readings give it a lot of weight, while some give it basically none. I wouldn't read a book or watch a movie and expect to glean every detail on the author's backstory or world-building document, or even care what was on that proto-texual document. We know one of Miyazaki's primary design philosophies is to leave big missing pieces for people to fill in themselves. I'm confused by how intensely people resist the idea that there is no One True Canon, but that it's art open to a variety of contradictory and mutually exclusive readings. That's not to say all readings are equally valid, or that our understanding won't evolve over time as we piece together new info or old info in new ways. The idea that the game is more alive and complex because there is an underlying true story is undermined by the fact that fans disagree--passionately--about basic, fundamental concepts. (Did Marika orchestrate the night of black knives? Was the shattering of the Elden Ring a carefully orchestrated plot against the Fingers/EB or a mother's world shattering grief? Was Marika always Radagon? If not when did they fuse? etc.) This is just as true after getting more of the story in SotE, if not more so. The world isn't alive and complex because of camp is wrong and the other is right, but because there is compelling evidence for and against both sides. It's not history, it's poetry.
@@rosiem1526 We can certainly fill in the missing pieces however we like. But the assumptions that any given person makes for their interpretation is very revealing about the point on which they made concessions on searching for more information - either internal to the game or from an external source - and turned to pure invention. On a meta level, poetry itself reflects the historical time period that it is written in. And Elden Ring is easiest to understand as a fictionalized version of a certain history. Sure some real world events may be drawn in for aesthetic and thematic inspiration, but I mean that the overall arc of the history of the Lands Between and Shadowlands takes cues from the history of the gaming company FromSoftware. Consider the demigods as anthropomorphic videogames and Great Runes as the collective stories of various franchises - and some demigods claimed runes that were not theirs originally. It's not a simple puzzle. It requires a fair amount of research and certainly requires breaking immersion in the way of pulling something apart to inspect the inner mechanisms. But it could be done before the DLC trailers were released, and made a correct prediction that there was one red-haired and/or serpentine demigod not accounted for in the base game (i.e. I had Radagon himself in for one game but only reluctantly since his status is not the same as demigod). You can choose to believe in this way of assembling a history and try it for yourself. Or you can ignore it. I find it to be part of an overall shift in perspective that makes it easier to make educated guesses about the lingering questions. But the actual answers reduced to plain language matter less than the journey to finding them.
This video is not just one of the best Elden Ring lore speculation videos on UA-cam, but one of the best videos on UA-cam period. This is the first video I’ve ever watched from your channel, and I will now be watching as many as I can. You’re analysis of human culture and expression in comparison with Elden Ring’s excellent theming and writing transcend whatever the “correct” lore to the game may be. I hold my own opinions on events and themes of the story, but yours are incredibly thought provoking, and have changed my perspective on many elements of the story (though not all). You have made an incredible piece of art, amazing work.
I don't agree with all of your conclusions about the lore but you are 100% dead on with the themes. Imperialism, colonialism, classism. Even if the Greater Will isn't literally a parasite, the Golden Order is parasitical. You can definitely apply all this stuff to capitalism but given the influence of GRRM I think they're more meant to reflect feudalism, and specifically the Roman Empire and its successors.
The waste problem of nuclear power plants is actively being solved, if hasn't been solved already, by BN series reactors (see BN-800). Until humanity has nuclear fusion, nuclear power is the best bet for the environment.
@@aramkaizer7903 I take issue with your stance, and the way you discredit this person's words. Ignoring the propensity for humans to contradict themselves, what he's "forcing" is far from harmful. What he's a proponent of are rational things- war is bad, colonialism is bad, classism is bad, exclusion is bad, exploiting others is bad. If you do not believe any of those statements, I dunno what to tell you.
@@aramkaizer7903 Perhaps not. However, just because something was the case does not mean it has to be the same in the future. We have the power to change, or at least to try to, and that's a worthwhile endeavor in my eyes.
@@aramkaizer7903 Hierarchy is one thing, but offering people less opportunities based upon their lower status in that hierarchy is another. And anyway, I disagree with the idea the world cannot be improved. You miss all the shots you don't take, so giving up before we're started only lets the problems persist. Humanity is worse off for war's existence, and saying the sacrifice is only the soldiers'- and not the millions upon millions of dead civilians- is misleading. Not that the soldiers aren't part of the equation, but war is more than those who fight- it is everyone who is bombed, starved, and forced out of their homes.
I really appreciate the unique perspective gained not only from Aegon's personal area of study but from the fact that he made this video in isolation to the rest of the lore community. It seems like every other lore theorist is losing their head over minuscule story details that might be answered in the DLC and not really focusing on the big picture. With one exception. Quelaag actually does a very good job of doing this in her work. I watched this all in more or less one sitting because it was super engaging.
A lot of lore theorist seem to filter/parse through the lore as if it was dark souls, but man they need to use GRRM story as well. Much of the minor details can easily be explainedby the fact that the shattering was a game of thrones or a war for the Elden ring and that this war extends and includes outer gods.
Try Ceave Perspective's lore video. While I don't think everything he says is correct, he mentions really cool ideas that focus more on the philosophical and theological side of the game.
Absolutely phenomenal video essay! From start to finish I was glued to my screen, and as always just rattling off notes to myself. I really love the pacing of your videos, as your pauses leave enough time to process the information and dwell a little. Harrowing points made, and by the end my heart hurt so much - in a good way, an empathetic way. There’s much in this game (as in other fromsoft titles) that have fantastic parallels to our own world and history. You bring that out so wondrously in your analysis. Thank you so much for making it and sharing!
Can't believe I just watched through a two and a half hour video essay. A fantastic watch and thoughts to ponder on. Excited to hear your view of Miquella in the DLC after that conclusion.
Would be interesting to do a spectrum of GRRM's hiveminds specifically. He has at least a half dozen across all of his sci-fi short stories (in addition to the weirwood net of course) and some noticeably parasitic.
The video is interesting for sure. As far as yor timeline is concerned, it seems like Marika's children were all born prior to the shattering of the elden ring, meaning her marriage (rejoinging) to Radagon and the birth of Miquella and Malenia would have occured prior. I'm also in agreement with some of the other comments in that it seems like the Greater Will is more focused on creating and maintaining *an* order on thebpands between, with no real preference for what kind of order is maintained. As opposed to sucking up world energy. The colonialism angle fits well and maps on to a lot of Marika's actions. On a larger picture of the plot, I think leaning more into the competition of dominant religions makes more sense for me. Especially with the conflicts between other outer gods and the idea of the tree taking on different forms and names.
I'm so excited to see how your views here change or are affirmed in the DLC. Only recently have all these themes become clear to me. Elden Ring has a lot to parse through and I'm impressed by how well you were able to get all this with a limited scope of the wider lore community!
I find it venerable that you would make a lore video completely blind to the rest of the community’s theory’s and findings It’s a great video and one that offers a quite unique perspective on the game as a whole
Didn’t he say in the beginning that as of making the video he hadn’t consumed other lore media from folks? What do you mean he didn’t? If he had, there’d have been a lot of the same points by TarnishedArcheologist, Quelaag and so on. Everything in the video was pretty unique.
@@_neoluckyi believe they’re talking about how aegon read comments on his videos about the lore, im sure the other commenter knew exactly what you and OP meant though and are just being unnecessarily pedantic about it for the sake of being obnoxious
absolutely fantastic essay! ive always felt like a bit of a crackpot with my consideration of the greater will as a colonizing force, so im glad to see someone whos thought way more about it come to that conclusion. (also, UC santa cruz mention :D)
Your explanation with the mechanic of the runes reminds me of the power of the alphabet in the Kabbalah. i think Sufi traditions hold that thought as well but with Arabic rather than Hebrew, will need to double check on that though. Its very imformative and alot to take in, so im going through bit by bit, looking forward to Greater Will and Central Theme sections
What a fantastic essay! In this game, which takes place in a violent world with a colonial framework, you underscore the importance of kindness. Not only kindness towards each other, but kindness towards the world itself, of which we are but one small part. What a triumph, Aegon. If ever your voice truly fades from discourse surrounding FromSoft games, we as a community will be lesser. I hope things are going well for you and your family, and I hope to hear more from you in the future. I hope you are having a fantastic day, whenever you find yourself reading this. Take care!
i managed to see the whole live premiere but i just had to watch this again. This is such an interesting essay and reaches far beyond the realms of media analysis into a wonderful philosophical exploration of our relationship to the world. Thank you for the hard work you put into this, Aegon
A bit random, but the way Ranni describes the greater will/her two fingers reminds me of how the character Aizen from Bleach describes the Soul King from that series. "That thing," as a descriptor raises interesting implications in both series.
Can’t wait for this. Had a convo about linguistic relativity and the movie arrival in an ER lore sub the other day- really compelling idea, you’ve got the golden order, coded sword with golden language, golden elden beast golden tree- is it all stemming from marikas configuration of the elden ring? Did the marika impart the gold to the ring and on to the beast? Does the elden ring define the “language” of the universe and that’s how it’s like the fabric of reality? The red language on the coffin underground- previous red elden ring, red order red language?
AMAAAAAAZING video especially for all of us social science sickos. This theory was presented in such a way that it really does appeal to me and make me think you are on to some things here. Well made and fantastic work. This would also suggest that Marika DID have a hand in the Night of the Black Knives.
Thats the beauty of this game. Its open to interpretation. Its what good art is supposed to be(in my opinion), open to speculation and deriving our own meaning from it. Ive learned all kinds of new things about philosophy, alchemy and several other topics I probably would never have if not for my interest in the lore of this game.
Nice video with thoughtful interpretation of themes at the end. Good points about how language shapes reality. To connect more directly this part to Elden Ring, language and culture shapes selection bias. There is as much evidence that the game is drawing on Celtic mythology as for Norse mythology as for Tolkein's Middle Earth. A person with Celtic bias sees the name "Radagon" and things "aha, its a play on the Irish 'Reachtagain'" and thinks no deeper of it. A person with Tolkein bias thinks "aha, its almost like 'Radagast' which makes it Tolkein inspired" (and then if you're lucky actually looks up an Adunaic dictionay to find out that "Radagon" means "beastly"). And a person with Norse bias ignores the names and takes a close look at Ranni/Rykard/Radahn and concludes "so if they're Hel, Jormungandr, and Fenris Wolf that makes Radagon 'Loki'. The noted shapeshifter who would have no issues being also Marika". Or you can toss the bias and realize that "All of the above" was always an option. To make sense of the reason why the player character gains ephemeral 'runes' from defeating enemies and passively wandering the land, you may wish to consider the second definition. Runes are chapters of Finnish poetry - of which 'rune singing' was a loose type of poetry where a story would be expected to hit certain consistent beats but the particular execution varies. Kindof like how each player can choose the order of the adventure and the equipment brought to the fights, but the same bosses will be found in the same place in every instance of the game and there are still a select few mandatory bosses to overcome. Golden runes are story fragments and the player collects then in the course of their overall story experience. I also support the characterization of Scarlet Rot as having nuclear fallout as one of its meanings. It comes through in the way that the fight between Malenia and Radahn is characterized, where Radahn expected a certain type of fight and was not prepared for Malenia to change the rules of engagement and cause massive collateral damage. Made some longer comments on your Reddit post.
This is a highly fascinating video, definitely made me think! This video essay really outlines a good example of conclusion you can come to within a closed group with a lack of conflicting outside ideas and a level of cultural bias. I think you did very well to create an example how personal and cultural bias can effect your thoughts on a subject matter. I'm glade you outline this before your conclusion in this video, with all the confirmation bias in it, mixing in with personal beliefs. I be very interested to see what conclusion you come to once you examining yours and others thoughts on Elden Ring, and take a step back to reflect outside of isolation. I think you'll find a few of your ideas really hold up, like the hive mind. Really insightful work.
I wonder if since working on this video you’ve come across The Tarnished Archaeologist’s stuff. It’s really amazing work and will definitely help a lot with your interpretations of the story
Thank you. I never comment. I don’t have much to contribute outside of superficial musings. But I do want to express my sincere gratitude for this video. I had watched the blind playthrough videos when they were coming out, and really enjoyed the ideas you presented throughout. To see them condensed and organized into this three-part thesis has been one of the most rigorous and thought-provoking perspectives I’ve seen on this game, or any game. Elden Ring has contributed adecent amount to my views of religion, politics, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. Your well-structured essay provided much to agree with on all of those fronts, and some to disagree with. Overall, it provided a unique point of view that has opened new vistas of reflection for me. So, thank you. Thank you very much.
Holy crap my dude, this video is actually amazing. I have only watched it one time so I feel like I need a rewatch to retain more of the talking points. That being said I’m confident this may be the best look at elden ring’s lore and story design on the platform. Not only that, but I think this is by far the best video on this channel, and I have watched the ds3 and bloodborne LTL series for years. Incredible work.
I've heard lore UA-camrs make the argument that Marika+Radagon had a stillborn child that was purposefully not directly mentioned anywhere in the lore to create mystery (Miyazaki style) but when you went over the runes one by one (@ 1:18:00) only to come to the rune of the unborn and say you didn't know what to make of it! Hah! I think that's it. The rune of the unborn fits in the same location as Malenia's rune because the Unborn was Marika+Radagon's third, hidden, stillborn child. Sorry I can't remember which podcast/lorehunter video was the first to argue about a stillborn child of Marika's to credit them properly! But I believe this, since it fits so well with the readings of the runes.
So i gave this an honest shot, I did. And I was interested in where you were going with the framework section. As we reached the nuclear semiotics sections, I think you lost the thread. It is both the largest section and seems to be the least relevant to a discussion of Elden Ring. It felt more like "i've got a bone to pick with nuclear power promotion." I dont see myself having the patience to sit through this part, so I won't really understand the framework you're working with when you try to make an argument for the themes of Elden Ring. So any feedback wouldn't be productive to that end either. Applied Hermeneutics, like what you are doing here, is a worthwhile form of analysis. I believe some people will get a lot out of it. I believe this. However, the first half seems like an entire essay unto itself without a strong direction toward a conclusion, because you point at the transition to the second essay on Elden Ring. My only suggestion would be, for next time, try to develop your lens/Hermeneutics through and from the subject you are analyzing, rather than situating yourself in a variety of real subjects and then situating the subject-analyzed into that context. Or, instead, engage with the subject in a non-blind way. Actively participate in discourse around the game and keep sources along the way. That way you can offer your perspective in dialogue with the art-object and the social-imaginary forming around the art object. In either case, I feel as though an analysis of an art piece should be able to center the art piece more thoroughly throughout. I recognize the attempts in the graphics which foreshadowed what you'd present later, but in execution is seemed like dangling the carrot on a string.
I want to echo your frustration here and say that I too gave this an honest shot, but found the necessity of the framework extremely dubious by the time we arrive at Elden Ring, especially because so little of the primary text is engaged with. The direct comparison of rot to radiation for example omits the bulk of the context provided by the primary text of Elden Ring's item descriptions, and how that text describes what rot is. What we're left with is an off the cuff "Raya Lucaria dumped nuclear / magical waste" hypothesis shot from the hip, which is so close to an actual compelling theory supported by primary text (that just isn't engaged with) that it hurts. Why spend over an hour setting up a framework simply to ignore swathes of context provided by the subject of the analysis itself? Kudos to the editing and some interesting explorations of a few isolated topics, but this essay casually reaches towards the conclusions it wants to reach in spite of the evidence far too often.
Hi Aegon, I'm still working through your blind playthrough but I'll be back to watch this in full later! Hope things are improved for ya job-wise and in general! Peace, love, and harmony be with you!
Well, I had a couple paragraphs written but I left the app to check a detail and my comment went kaput. TLDR, loved the analysis and have just gone through the er play through (and looking forward to watching more of your stuff). I was making mental notes of everything I wanted to comment on for one centralized message, but most of what I had has been touched on by other commenters on the last several vids. So, my list is short: - “crow-headed hydra” is a way cooler name than “land octopus”. Unbelievably so - I’ve a watch recommendation for Aurelia of Astora if you’ve not happened upon it: “Big Block Singsongs” here on YT. Just a series of short, silly songs on various subjects like hair or dogs or the number 8. They’re colorful, catchy, fun and goofy, and I got no shortage of laughs out of ‘em myself when watching with the fam.
I think you put too much weight on the Greater Will’s attachment to the Golden Order in particular. It seems like the Greater Will is unconcerned about what kind of Order is established so long as some Order is present. The Greater Will, for instance, tolerates the Order installed by the Blessing of Despair, in which no one can return to the Erdtree. I also think it’s strange that you believe the Greater Will is draining the life from the Land’s Between when the purpose of the Golden Order is to ensure its subjects are immortal and no longer destined to die. It seems to me as though the vision of the Golden Order, an Order of Life without Death, was Marika’s own, which like a genie’s wish became a curse upon its realization, producing a stagnant death-in-life of which Those Who Live in Death are an ironic parody. The “flaw” in the Golden Order is that life without death is indistinguishable from living death. The Elden Beast brought the golden fate of the stars to earth, which is embodied in the Elden Ring, and which is made of the runes that are shaped into the order, meaning, and destiny of life. I don’t believe it cares what Order is established, as long as there is some Order.
Here we go. It’s clear that he was too focused on the oppressor/oppressed dynamic and let it color his interpretation. The Elden Beast was trapped and controlled by Marika and the new story trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree all but confirms that the Crucible was flesh and blood and that Marika subverted the natural order of things. Not all hierarchy is inherently evil.
@@thomaslamptonbickham2939An argument could be made that Marika suppresses the Elden Beast, and yet the Beast is the one in control. It is not shown that Marika wields the power of the Beast. It is instead conveyed that it is the Elden Lord who "brandishes" the ring. It is shown directly that the Beast wields the body of Marika/Radagon as a sword. Puppeteers and puppets being telegraphed.
Yeah, definitely the greater will couldn't careless if for example malenia had won the war and made the rot god the new god of this world. The silver lining to this outcome is that with the rot god now dictating the "laws" of the lands between life, death and rebirth would be re-established again, akin to the time of the early erdtree and the crucible.
>"i'd like an elden ring lore video" >"elden ring or quantum physics?" >"elden ring please" >*looks inside* >"This is called the double slit experiment"
Just completed Dlc. So good, may be the best of from software. Bosses, lore and world. Excited to see your reactions on certain reveals. I know you are busy with job but any ideas when you will start dlc😅
Great video so far 1:16:14 ,the first thing you weren't completely informed about in regarss to in game lore:the reason margott rune is burning is that omen blood is a sort of firey blood.you can see in his phase 2 he refers to his fire blood as his curse(also thats why omens cant get erd tree bruial cause they will burn down the root because their blood can erupt into fire)
This is stylistically an extremely grad-school essay, for better and for worse. Interesting ideas, but could have been expressed much more concisely for clarity.
This is why I emphasized the need to critically re-evaluate our relationship with the Earth and global patterns of consumption. It's not simply matter of choosing the best energy source, but also about rethinking the 'how' and the 'why' of energy consumption. We're unlikely to do that, however, for as long as we're caught up in a debate over the merits of energy source x vs. energy source y.
hey aegon. i dm'd you once when this site still had that function. i guess it got looped into google+ and deleted. your stance of i wont take no stinking ad money was the hardest most badass thing i ever saw. my eternal respect and graciousness!! lets stay occluded :)
I'm always saddened when someone makes rhe mistake of calling the Greater Will an 'outer' god, "it" is more or less THE God of the realm, the "inner" god so to speak. The collective will of all life, yet also the collective unconscious, the anima mundi and the entity responsible for the creation of the universe as we know it
@@copyninja8756This is Lightseeker Hyetta’s dialogue regarding why the followers of the Frenzied Flame want to consume the Erdtree: ... Thank...thank you... I have touched them. The words of the Three Fingers. As your maiden, allow me to divine them. All that there is came from the One Great. Then came fractures, and births, and souls. But the Greater Will made a mistake. Torment, despair, affliction. Every sin, every curse. Every one, born of the mistake. And so, what was borrowed must be returned. Melt it all away, with the yellow chaos flame. Until all is One again. Based on this, we can surmise that the One Great was the homogenous essence of creation, split into all that is and given distinction by ther Greater Will. Interestingly, Ragnarok concludes with the fire giant Surtr setting fire to Yggdrasil, which is then put out by flooding waters, rejuvenating and creating a new world. We already have one half of proper Ragnarok…
It's impossible for something to be the collective will of all life when things existed *before* the Greater Will arrived in the Lands Between. ESPECIALLY since other competing gods canonically exist there, and existed before the Greater Will arrived
Agreed, I think its a perfectly valid take to go as far as to say that the GW doesnt even exist. the GW is just what people call the "source" of the universe, its the original point from which all causality flows, we have no idea what it is, we will never know, and the TLB doesnt know either. Its our logic alone, based in causalty that makes us believe it must exist
This is interesting. However, after watching all 2.5 hours, I have some issues with your interpretations. I think you're using your theoretical framework beyond the limits of its applicability. Take, for instance, relationality and classism. Classism is a theme that's obviously in the game, and also obviously painted as an evil. You're using relationality to argue that classism is self-destructive, but neither does that follow, nor is that message actually anywhere to find in the game. As for not following, relationality means that I can't affect anything or anyone without being affected in turn. Yes, but there is no natural law that says the effects on me have to be commensurate in size or quality with the effect on the other. So, in short, social domination can be worth it for the dominating faction from a pragmatic point of view, and you can argue that that's the main reason social domination continues to exist. The game doesn't say that, but neither does it say the opposite. It leaves the question open whether this is strictly a moral issue or also a pragmatic one. You then qualify your statement in your summary with "at least, [it can] not [be] forever [maintainted]". Maybe, but no civilization lasts forever, so that's beside the point. Why you're doing this? I can't look into your mind, but what I see is an attempt to set up a descriptive account of reality in a way that would make certain moral viewpoints inescapable. Classism isn't just an evil, it's also stupid and based on ignorance. However, there are very few scenarios where it is methodically appropriate to draw a moral conclusion from a descriptive account, because there are almost no self-evident goods. Our continued existence, perhaps, but there are some who would argue even against that. So arguing this way, you'll get a nice big club to bludgeon the opposition, but at the price of intellectual honesty. Then there's linguistic relativity. The idea that our languages influence our worldviews (what I've heard is called weak linguistic relativity) appears very plausible to me. However, it does not change reality itself. And yes, you actually can distinguish between worldview and reality. No amount of linguistic shenanigans will make our world a deathless one. You can call a rock a pillow, but kicking it will still hurt. So, runes may be the language of the gods, but they're also magical in nature in that, unlike in our world, they actually change reality itself. As a metaphor, the fluidity of the world order in Elden Ring points to the various ways we can affect our world that alter the fundamentals of our existence. It points to technology rather than language. Environmental concerns are an obvious application, as are things like AI, the possibility of radical life extension and so on. And lastly, I'm sorry I have to say this but at times your essay feels like a self-caricature. You managed to shoehorn all stereotypical talking points of your academic/political identity group's meme cluster into this video essay, and some of them are a really bad fit. There's some wisdom in your essay - "kindness to the world" will stick with me - but it needs correctives from outside your bubble.
@@aramkaizer7903 Well, words actually do not have an intrinsic meaning. I could use any hitherto meaningless sequence of sounds, replace "rock" with it, and as long as everyone knew what I've been doing, we would still understand each other. It gets problematic, however, if you replaced "rock" with a sequence of sounds that already means something else, like, say, "pillow". That would come across as an attempt to transfer the attribute "softness" to "rock". Nobody would take it seriously since this obviously makes no sense, but in many cases it isn't that obvious. Imagine if you actually could do such a thing without everyone noticing that it makes no sense. You would get an image of reality that makes no sense superimposed on everyone's mind as the truth. In other words, a victory for a group of people adequately described as religious fundamentalists. And that's what's happening. We are not in a conflict about justice (about which we actually don't disagree all that much). We are in a war of religion.
@@aramkaizer7903 I don't think that follows from what I said, nor did I want to imply it. It's actually rather more trivial, in fact: before we can communicate, we must come to an agreement about what the words mean. They don't grow out of observed reality. There are no "true names" like in some fantasy worlds. Consider the typical imagery used to convey the idea of teaching a language: pointing to an object and saying the word for it. I put some emphasis on this usually trivial fact because the fact that words are just names means that confusion can arise when our understanding of the world is in flux, or challenged, as in this case, by a political faction. Here's an example: were you and I to talk about men and women, I think we would not talk about the same thing. And it's not that I would necessarily disagree with you if I adopted your terms, rather than I find it hilariously nonsensical to do so in the first place. And it's not a moral issue. People have the right to self-expression. I'm actually quite radical in that. Yay to nonconformity of any kind! But they don't have sole authority over which terms apply to them in a descriptive context. Because that's not their domain, but also everyone else's. So we can debate terminology. But if someone invokes moral authority to make me acquiesce, I will resist.
@@aramkaizer7903Yes, and I find this a rather weird aspect to single out for objectivity, because the perception of power in verbal communication is one of the most subjective things I can imagine. For instance, I recently read an account where someone experienced as an illegitimate imposition the fact that most of their friends expressed a preference for a more gender-conforming lifestyle. And well, yeah, that can be annoying, I get that, but in the end it's just hot air. It's not as if they could actually impose their preferences on you. They have no real power. On top if it, they have the same right to express their preferences as you have, and wouldn't it be an illegitimate imposition to deny them that right? So my reply to that reasoning is that language alone is just hot air. Conformity pressure is annoying, but without tangible consequences to back it up, it carries no real power (without going into detail, this is not just theory. I am speaking from experience). Assert your autonomy and say FU to everyone who grows too insistent, and that perceived power reveals itself to be an illusion. This is far more liberating than any political initiative could ever be.
@@aramkaizer7903 Originally, I only wanted to explain why I find the idea that language objectively communicates imposition of will implausible (to say nothing of carrying only that, but that's a different topic). But this does indeed have a moral angle, because putting too much focus on the social pressure carried by acts of communication has the potential to invalidate the notion of tolerance. If acts of communication communicate social pressure (which I think is mostly true, if not necessarily always), and the perception of illegitimate imposition is subjective, every act of communication has the potential to be perceived as an illegitimate imposition, and people being what they are, it will inevitably be so perceived by someone. Furthermore, there is always an incentive to weaponize the possibility of illegitimate imposition and use it as a method to silence the originator of any message. Taking this to the end will destroy tolerance and along with it, any freedom of expression. Since you referenced JKR in your video, I'll use that controversy as an example, because it's actually the trans lobby who is intolerant in this, seeing or claiming to see illegitimate imposition in a simple act of disagreement about the use of terms. They are the ones who claim sole authority over terms that apply to them in a descriptive context, not accepting that this isn't solely their domain. They are attempting to define reality for everyone, and call everyone who disagrees with their use of terms basically evil. If that's not an illegitimate imposition, I don't know what is. It's like imposing a religious belief.
"hmm, a blind lore breakdown of elden ring, might at least not just be retreading the same points every lore video makes then" *Segment criticising Carl Sagan for not putting transgender representation in the voyager 1 discs* "...okay, okay, we may be onto something unique here"
the "rebranding" from "red to gold" is in the DLC trailer. And it isn't "rebranding" of the greater will or marika or the erdtree but rather the shift from red crucible to the golden erdtree worship. plus when the two fingers chose miquella and malenia as empyreans they were cursed already
Interesting video, although I find it funny that in a discussion where language was so prominent you didn't mention the problematic of the inevitable distortions caused by the translation of a Japanese text to English. Also, a little feedback, it would probably be better to read the definitions, instead of just putting them on the screen. For those of us that are listening to the video while doing stuff around the house and not seating to a 2h30m video :P
Loved the editing, presentation, background music, everything. Honestly this was a lot more interesting than the more conventional lore videos we're getting at this point.
I just looked up the definition of 'material discursive relationality' and it's already changed how I think about all from games and media in general. And that's just the title.
First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. I found out about your channel quite a while ago when you were on Sinclair Lore and specifically said you wouldn't be uploading anymore because you would be too busy with college. I don't know if you're going to read this comment, but I cannot even begin to articulate how much you saved my sanity with the thumbnail of this video. Long story short, I'm really interested in metaphysical subjects like ontology, epistemology, and semiotics, but I technically only have a high school diploma. I'm not going to pretend I have an in depth understanding of those subjects, but you just quantified COUNTLESS hours of Wikipedia and UA-cam research just by acknowledging that linguistic relativity is not only a thing, it might be in my videogames. Edit: Btw I haven't even watched the video yet, and I only just now saw there's a chapter on semiotics, LETS GO!
@@Aegon_of_Astora It did not disappoint! It actually had me going back and looking at a couple of other games through a different lens, like The Witness, and (surprisingly) Fallout 76.
Can you explain more fully what is problematic or offensive about depictions of reproduction? Fertile trans people reproduce the same way that fertile cis people do. If you had a diagram of a trans woman reproducing with a trans man it would be the same. Why is the depiction of sex characteristics (independent of gender) so wrong “in 2024”?
Because this essayist has been indoctrinated to always equate heterosexuality with that which is disdainful, and reacts, predictably, in knee-jerk fashion to any semblance of heteronormative ideas.
It's in the context of the other parts of the Gold Disc. If you view people's genders being defined by their sex characteristics, and make references (IMO excessive levels of reference) to pregnancy/reproduction, it heavily implies the purpose of "women" to be making babies... which is discriminatory on multiple levels
The great rune of the unborn was once Radagon's, he left it with Rennala upon their divorce. Radagon would later make his own rune, the lattice pattern seen behind the elden ring. Somethin something, lattices are used to force plants (trees) into the shape desired by the steward of said plant (tree).
It’s also identical to the symbol “Aka” or “water well” in Latvian paganism. Which is symbolic of knowledge, experience, and unity. Three things that heavily coincide with Radagon’s “renaissance man” imagery.
Amazing video Aegon! I agree with a lot of it, especially the conceptual parts regarding Agential Realism/Reponse-ability, Linguistic Relativity, Nuclear Semiotics and the analyses of Central Themes. I do have an issue with the idea that the Greater Will is a willful/sentient entity or parasite. I belive the Greater Will is rather simply the Concept of Order. The force which pushes life and all things in the universe to distinguish itself. I believe those who inherit/usurp/earn the title of Vessel for the Elden Ring, shape what Order looks like, particularly in the Lands Between. Hyetta's dialogue, in my opinion, is alluding to both the beginnings of life in The Lands Between(Crucible where all life was blended together) as well as the very start of the universe where everything was presumably an amalgamation of Oneness before the "big bang" caused disparity. Rather than Two and Three fingers diametrically opposed there was One Hand. From there, division and disparity began and life started to become "Ordered". Everything is by and of the same origin while still intra-acting despite distictions. In my opinion, it is the inhabitants of the Lands Between, living beneath the structures of life dictated for them by the Golden Order who personify the Greater Will and other Outer Gods as sentient beings with motives rather than forces of nature that they live within and about. Of course, this view only benefits those in power as they can invoke the name of their "Outer God/Greater Will" as justifcation for their actions while shedding themselves of any responsibility. I also believe, like you, that the Item Descriptions are written from the perspective of someone who inhabits The Lands Between and as such their perceptions are colored by the prevailing systems therein. In my reading those events attributed to the Greater Will could just as much be spontaneous cosmic events(a meteor carrying the Elden Ring/Beast) or the acts of a ruler wielding its power(Marika/Any prior Gods). Your analyses regarding colonialism, classism and war would hold true while adding more to the Response-ability of those in power in-game. I say this while also believing that Marika started her age with good intentions before realizing she was just as much a slave to Order as those beneath her(Master-Slave Dialectic) ultimately attempting to break order so a new one can form in its place and she can be free of her captivity. And Radagon, a devotee to the Golden Order tries to mend her shattering. Causality and Regression at play. Regarding what you stated at the end about Godfrey and strength befitting a crown: It is actually Queen Marika who intended for the tarnished to return to brandish the Elden Ring(as well as Kill her; Hewg's dialogue on creating a godslaying weapon). At the Church of Pilgrimage Melina says, "In Marika's own words. Then, after thy death, I will give back what I once claimed. Return to the Lands Between, wage war, and brandish the Elden Ring. Grow strong in the face of death. Warriors of my lord. Lord Godfrey." It is implied that it was Marika's long laid plan to return Grace to the tarnished who would return and wage war to become Elden Lord, just like she intended to happen with her children when she shattered the ring. Marika earned her Godhood through conflict. A crucible of strife and war. It is what she knows and what she believes is necessary to enact a new Order and so that is what the Tarnished, granted grace by her, are doing by waging war on the corrupted Demigods. I think this is interesting when juxtaposed with how Miquella attempts to begin a new age. Rather than through conquest and subjugation of others he instead chose to sacrifice his own blood to water the Haligtree. He also allows those shunned by the Erdtree/Golden Order to inhabit it, perhaps trying to use compassion and empathy unlike his mother. I dont know if youve seen the newest DLC Story Trailer, but it sheds A LOT of light what Marika potentially did to begin her Golden Age. Anyway, this was a GREAT watch. I hope you continue to put out your thoughts on this game especially if you dive this in depth. NO ONE else in the communnity is using higher level concepts like this to analyze the game and we need more of it.
This is a good comment. It also makes me understand and feel a bit more sympathy for Marika. I have a feeling she had some well-meaning intentions but ultimately made the a lot of bad decisions. My theory is that she had to kill Melina to get what she wanted and the sealing of Destined Death was the rash decision of a grieving parent.
@thomaslamptonbickham2939 thanks! And yeah, I think we will find out that ultimately, Marika did all that she did for her children or because she was incapable of having healthy ones. When she finally does(Melina/Godwyn/Messmer?), she decides to take away the possibility of them dying, but by doing so, in a very Oedipal way, actually sets them on the path to do just that. I think the NoBK was actually intended and planned by Marika for Godwyn to die a full death as a way to reintroduce the concept of death to TLB once Marika realized her Forever Age wasn't working. What she didn't anticipate is that her sealing of DESTINED Death is exactly what allowed Ranni to steal a fragment of the Rune of Death and kill herself which caused Godwyn to die only a half death at the same time. Further corrupting Marika's Golden Age. Again, very much like Oedipus, Marika's actions led her down the path she wished to avoid. Also fits with part of Aegons thesis regarding intra-action. Marika pulled the strings of fate, and it came back to haunt her. She finally decides to end it all by shattering the ring and enacting her contingency plan for someone else to begin a new order.
Outstanding work! Thank you so much for this, and for the blind playthrough! Somehow despite the 'bind' nature of the playthrough and the threat of inevitable 'inaccuracies' you mention in the preface, you ended up right on the money with the central themes, and the big picture stuff is more important than immediately getting every minor detail 100% right. Superb!
Now that I’ve finished your essay (I commented half way through because I couldn’t help myself. It’s too good). Wow! Just wow. I love this game because of all the ways the story gets interpreted and yours is easily my favorite. The fact you went in blind makes it all the better. I learned SO much not just about a myriad of topics you discussed, but I learned about myself. I’ll stop before this gets any more cheesy but yeah. I can’t WAIT for your take on the dlc. Never stop.
Its 12:34AM, i just finished the last of my college work for the term, and i am getting comfortable as i type this comment. This is going to be a fun 2 hours 😁
Fantastic video. Another central theme I heard another creator talk about is that of identity. You have the visual representation with ranni and her using the moniker of Renna. You have Marika and radagon being the sane person. You have miquella and st. Trina. There are beings called shadows. Godrick is obssed with his identification as the lord of all that is golden. There are twins with forgotten and mohg, malenia and miquella. There is the D brothers. Ect.
Speaking of runes, Marika's elden rune is an overflowing up of blessings that drips from her to the rest of the world. Her crucified position reflects Lilith's from Evangelion. While Lilith is crucified so they can farm her blood, the soup of life, Marika and the marty's pose are there for farm for their runes.
Hi, friends! I spent virtually all of my spare time working on this video for the last 10 months, so I hope you enjoy it, even if I’m wrong about some of the major plot points.
And, yes, I am planning to do an unspoiled playthrough of the DLC, but it will take some time for me to get around to it, so I appreciate your patience.
Thanks, as always, for your kind love and support, and take care.
In light of several points raised in this video, I highly reccommend you play Chrono Trigger if you have not already done so, specifically the DS version.
Can’t wait to jump into the video after work.
The quality of editing is off the charts
absolutely incredible video, i really like the themes that you chose to focus on.
one minor timeline thing feels a bit inconsistent though;
one of the most divisive questions in the lore community is "was radagon always marika? or did he fuse with her at some point, possibly after leaving renalla?"
i'm a bit confused on where you stand on this. ( 1:48:10 ) In general, you seem to believe that radagon fused with marika for the first time after leaving renalla. But also say that ranni was GW's primary choice for successor, and that radagon was called to fuse with marika *because* ranni gave up her flesh, and because marika shattered the ring, placing radagons union with her after both of those events.
How would Ranni have been an empyrean if she was not yet related to marika in your view? Around 1:19:40 you suggest that the children of renalla did not become demigods until after radagon's union with marika, which seems to contradict the idea that ranni could have been marika's primary successor before radagon's union with marika.
That dialogue with muriel that you used, after he raises the question of why radagon would have left renalla or been chosen as lord, he then mentions radagon's "secret" hidden in the leyndell statue, which is later revealed to be the fact that "radagon is marika". to me this implies that radagon was in some way connected to marika before his official marriage with her.
Your lore ideas are very fresh and interesting, so i'm curious on your thoughts about this conundrum.
@@bump_versino I am personally of the belief that Radagon was always Marika, but I think some of points you raise are explainable using some of the ideas in this video: namely that Marika used the language of the Gods to discursively transform the Lands Between such that when Radagon fused with her, it wasn't just that he became a God, but he became someone who was always a God, making Ranni and co. demi-Gods. Basically a weird retrocausality thing is how I think of it, and it's a bit brain-breaking, but that feels thematically appropriate, because ofc I wouldn't be able to intuitively understand Godly powers. Maybe the potential for Ranni to be a successor was part of why Radagon ended up fusing with Marika (perhaps he was summoned to become Elden Lord)
In terms of why Radagon left Rennala, it is more mysterious, so I speculate about what we know about Radagon as a character. I think some of the early info we get is that he was a champion in a war against Rennala and her dynasty, and we also later see that he tried to repair the Elden Ring, so it seems like he is someone who feels a strong sense of duty.
Like I say, I personally prefer the "they started as one entity" take, but I really enjoy that there isn't decisive evidence either way. It means that sometimes the argument about a particular take comes down to what makes the most compelling story. For example, I like thinking of Radagon/Marika from a feminist angle, imagining Radagon as an aspect of Marika that emerged to wage war because the delicate femininity of Marika's public persona would've likely made it impossible (politically) for Marika to be there on the front lines, overseeing the war at the very least. Ending the war through marriage is also likely something that Radagon could do that Marika couldn't.
Champions, welcome! The stars have aligned; the festival is nigh. Aegon of Astora, mightiest scholar of FromSoftware, awaits you. Champions, prepare for viewing, claim knowledge, and grab that popcorn. A celebration 7 months in the making, the ELDEN RING VIDEO ESSAY!!!
epic comment
THE CELEBRATION OF LORE!
🙄
I greatly value your interpretation of the events and characters of Elden Ring.
I have heard so many distinct theories of the game’s lore that it is apparent to me that more than anything, this game’s lore is a catalyst of each individual person’s world, cultural, and political views.
When you make a game that mimics society, it makes sense that a player would look at the lore of the game in a way that mimics their world views. It takes a masterful creator to make something like it.
Exactly this. It really is a masterclass. The fact that I am having arguments with people about whether the greater will is an actual big bad in the sky or just a concept/force of nature given godhood by those in the game world is testament to what they were trying to accomplish with this story. Mimic real life, just like you said.
I finally caved and watched Arrival after all the times we discussed it in this playthrough.
Interesting you say this. I just watched arrival for the first time last week and couldn’t help but wonder if it had influenced Miyazaki or if the shared elements I was noticing were merely coincidence.
I always felt that Miriel's dialogue souned a bit too important. When he talks about the "Famed sculptor" and specifically The sentence "When he glimpsed the skeleton in Radagon's closet" felt like he collapsed some sort of wave function (which could explain why Radagon left Renalla - he collapsed from their duality back into Marika).
An interesting idea came into my mind while watching your video from a little bit different perspective than particle-wave duality: What if Greater Will represents particles and Primordial current represents antiparticles. Radagon might be positively charged antiparticle and Renalla negatively charged one. And in golden order when you have grace, you have a negative charge and when you are stripped of it you have positive charge (and when you are living in death you have no charge). Chaos is the vacuum energy.
Kinda crazy, when you couple Elden Ring's lore with semi-understanding of physics, how it all sounds so esoteric.
You can definitely project anything you want on to Elden ring. That's certainly something people do
I think this is my actual favourite youtube video ever made. It's just perfect. The music, editing, wording. I feel like I should pay for this.
Thank you for making this two and a half hours enjoyable and educational.
I’m glad you kept the voice for the ghosts even I this video 😂
From needs to hire him for the next game hahaha the ghost voice absolutely caught me off guard but I’m so happy he kept it!
Oh, it’s always so great to see new takes on the lore! Im so glad this pop up for me.
wow beautiful animations for the double slit experiment! loving this video. I am big big fan of Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun and Superman and just in general lore with a big old sun god in the middle of it all. Looking forward to when you share your thoughts on frenzy flame and destined death. Is it such a bad thing to burn the world and ignite a Sun? I think no.
“The would be sorcerer alone has faith in the efficacy of pure knowledge; rational people know that things act of themselves or not at all.”
oh god how you bring up gender and sagan and the GOLDEN RECORD is so masterful. well done.
It's not even remotely Soulsmas and yet here is my favorite From lore explorer with an absolute compendium. I disagree with some parts of your interpretation and have some quibbles with some of the plot details as presented here, but appreciate your methodological framework being laid bare, and it has shifted the light on some of my own interpretations and understandings of the story of Elden Ring. And the especially poignant crescendo at the end had me fighting back tears. What, indeed, is our excuse.
Thanks so much for the kind words, and for being able to look past the details I got wrong.
i dont usually make comments on youtube, but i just wanted to say how thankful i am that you made a point to acknowledge the purposeful exclusion of trans, intersex, and non-straight people from what was meant to be a record of humanity, especially with the current political environment being what it is in the usa & england in particular. its not something ive heard many people acknowledge, but i feel like you gave it the recognition its due even in just that small segment of the whole video. idk if youre a part of the community or not (and you certainly dont have to tell me or anyone else), but either way, thank you.
I was equally super impressed with that little piece of history being discussed. It’s depressing reading comments people saying stuff like “you lost me when you said pronouns” or “it’s just a game, can’t you leave capitalism out of it?” Or yadda yadda yadda… as we see in just about every comment section on any platform these days. I just wanted to say it’s nice to see comments like yours between the ignorance. Knowing one isn’t alone and seeing one isn’t alone are two very different things.
The pleasure is mine, friend!
that title has me already excited to watch this
Now that you have published this, I beg of you watch the lore videos of VaatiVidya or the dissection of character models and snippets of code and story discovered by Zulle the Witch or Quelaag. While parallels to the bombing and fallout of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can be made with regard to Caelid, the Scarlet Rot is the manefestation of an Outer God, and its chosen vessel, the empyrean, Malenia who had been afflicted since birth. Likewise I don't think there's a single description or dialogue that compares the Greater Will/Elden Beast to being a parasite that is sapping the resources (souls) of the Lands Between. I think you need to look into the practices of worship, burial and death that predate the Golden Order (Deathrite Birds, the Crucible, Dragonlord Placidusax) Interesting video otherwise and extremely well edited and composed, your technical skill is commendable.
Have you thought about what the Scarlet Rot represents from an outside-the-universe perspective? Because nothing you've stated disproves the theory that the Scarlet Rot is a metaphor for nuclear fallout
@@Agenta-df3gb And nothing in the game states that it is, it is such a small detail that could've been an unconscious thing the designer of Caelid included. I can also say, it can be a representation of climate change killing the nature of Caelid, I would have the same amount of subjective arguments to prove that idea. Keyword is subjective arguments, that is the biggest problem with the video analysis(not so much a problem, but the people taking it as more than a subjective view of the material aka an objective theme of the game), which is that Aegon barely engaged with what the game gave itself. The dialogue, item descriptions, architecture, enemy design...
I think my one problem is you never really address a foundational assumption and so there's something missing from your entire premise. There's a big hole just kinda hovering there the whole time.
Noticeably absent from your discussion of colonialism is christianity. It at best gets alluded to. But really the two things are inextricable and extremely relevant to Elden Ring's mythology.
The assumption that went unaddressed is; does the Greater Will exist at all?
I understand why it goes overlooked. We're talking about a world of magic and strange creatures in a quasi medieval fantasy setting. Everything about the genre practically screams "Gods are definitively real in this world." I made that assumption for a long time too. Game says it exists so it must exist. But Elden Ring isn't just a generic fantasy setting. Elden Ring explicitly uses real life religious iconography and artifacts. It's not mere reference or inspiration. So we have to contend with the fundamental questions in Elden Ring that we do in real life when it comes to discussions of religion.
The gods we've invented are not real in any sort of objective sense. They are social identity markers. They change over time as societies change and when those societies die out so too do their gods. We find this same set of principles in Elden Ring. We're only ever introduced to a handful of gods but even with that limited set we find a tendency towards change over time which follows societal changes, they define group boundaries and it's hinted at that there have been other gods in the past which no longer appear to be around.
Given that the model of religious development in Elden Ring holds true to real world models (I mean, sorta, it is still just a video game) it's entirely within the realm of possibility that the gods of Elden Ring are just like the gods of real life. Complete fabrications which are nonetheless considered real within the social imaginary of the inhabitants of the Lands Between.
Gods not being real doesn't prevent people from behaving as though they are real. People use those gods to maintain their social boundaries and even to hold themselves above other people groups. It's not an accident that settler colonial projects came with re-education projects which sought to erase local religions. Christianity spent its first thousand years or so wiping out local competition as it expanded around Europe before hitting the high seas and wiping out local cultures around the globe.
What do we find in Elden Ring? Marika coming from outside the Lands Between and establishing her order in the name of her god and converting or destroying anyone who doesn't share her social identity. She is the bearer of what appears to have been an already highly developed mythology by the time she arrives in the Lands Between. Wherever she came from was probably dominated by belief in the Greater Will long before Marika was born.
I don't think that she ever really had much agency in any of this. Her entire story is one of trying and failing to assert her own agency. Constantly finding herself shackled to the role prescribed to her seemingly from the time she was born. It can mean social and literal death to buck one's religion in real life. I imagine it to be the same in Elden Ring. The negative incentive structures of religions are mighty chains which keep people locked into all kinds of destructive systems and behaviors.
This is really what I think is being manifested in the Elden Beast. It's the cosmic horror element. The area where a concept is embodied in some physical form which is nevertheless alien and unknowable. We're told that the Greater Will sent it but what does that really mean? How do we know that this is any different from ancient people seeing comets in the sky and believing that they were portents of disaster (literally, bad star) sent by their gods?
If Elden Beast is the horror of social systems which perpetuate themselves with many destructive consequences then the Fingers represent the horrors of authority systems which enforce their will as though it is divinely mandated. The Fingers, Two and Three, are considered vile creatures by anyone outside of the religion. They claim to interpret the will of the Greater Will and they seem to have some authority to make people do things that are pretty contemptible. They're more than just priests. They're the embodiment of the authority represented by the priesthood.
All that said, I expect no elucidation on any of this from the DLC. Miyazaki loves leaving basic cosmology as a mystery and I would be amazed if that changed here. Is the Greater Will real in an objective sense? I think there's good reason to be suspect of affirming that idea. But I don't think we'll ever know definitively. I do think that any theory which does not grapple with the question seriously can be said to be complete though.
For instance, the notion that the Greater Will is a parasitic hive mind. There are other explanations available for the data points given. The Lands Between feature a root system which runs under large portions of the subterranean area. There also appears to be some sort of mycorrhizal system that gets interpreted through spirits which is connected to this root system. In other words, we've got animating spirits and a connection to trees throughout the Lands Between. Meaning the Erdtree Avatars and Tree Spirits don't need to be anything other than some sort of defense mechanism borne out of a mutual symbiotic relationship between the trees and the spirit/fungus. It may be weird, but we're talking about a place where a woman makes clonal daughters of herself, an attribute found in several species of plants, and then the clonal daughters have a fight to the death. There's a lot of wacky stuff here.
Anyway, great video. It really got me thinking about the whole Greater Will thing and helped me solidify some of my recent thoughts about the way we tend to take things as given when it comes to lore and how we should always strive to check our assumptions. It is damn odd to talk about settler colonialism and Elden Ring and not talk about christianity at all though. Like, they crucified Marika and even stuck her with a spear. It's right there.
The parallels you are trying to draw between this and christianity feel pretty stretched and even forced. You have a specific and rigid view on the real life religion that you are trying to reflect upon the cultural concepts that Elden Ring portrays which draw elements from pagan Celtic culture to Nordic myths to Japanese folklore.
@@boyman7823 I'd say you're the one with the myopic view of christianity if you don't see the parallels. Like, have you even noticed that Leyendell is functionally Constantinople? What do you think you've been looking at this whole time?
@@rainbowkrampus Well I was born and raised in İstanbul and I don't know what you're talking about.
@@boyman7823 Seems to me to be an excellent illustrative example. If you are yourself so close to the source you have a more difficult time seeing it from an outsider's perspective. Where "Constantinople" is not a place inhabited by people but condensed to fragments of trivia and poetic representations about its historical role as the seat of power for an empire.
Either way, I attended a Catholic school with mandatory religion classes and I can confirm that there's quite a lot of Christianity in Elden Ring. It's just that it's universally portrayed in a ghoulish or sinister light through the lens of holy empires crushing the competition and forcibly converting the populace. It works in the space of the cognitive dissonance in the religion around Jesus Christ as a benevolent saviour when atrocities are regularly done in the name of the Christian god - or any god for that matter.
@@miirshroom Cue foreigners telling a native how their (the native's) homeland really is
I gotta say, I really hate the fact I came here for Elden Ring lore and instead got a 20 minute lecture on trans and intersex. It's your UA-cam channel and you'll post what you want. Great video besides my.personal bias
i can't man. This one of those dark souls is about capitalism video from jim waaay back when. You wanna have fun, sure, but its gotta be somewhere in the game goddamn. i got pretty far in but, for instance, the dlc might, MIGHT, confirm or not that there ever was colonialism in elden ring, but that would be a somesomething with the numem, maybe way before setting of the game is happening, yet theres a colonialist theme. It's just like that ol jim video.
Bro, the game includes warring factions, changing of regimes, genocide, outer gods seeking to expand their influence, people hungry for power, is colonialism such a left turn?
@@SamSphinx yeah, everything you mentioned happened, that's the thing. Getting too into it needs a look into marika, and everything on her is a mystery because we so far can't know what she wants. Just as I can't agree that dark souls is about capitalism, I supose souls are currency, maybe it's not such a left turn.
What a wonderfully fresh and expansive take on Elden Ring - in my hundreds of hours of lore consumption I haven't seen any other content creator take such a holistic and thematic view of the whole game. I really enjoyed your blind playthrough, loved this expansion on it, and have shared it across my network of FromSoft fans. Thank you, Aegon, for this amazing contribution to the lorecraft.
Thank you so much for the kind words
I'm still early on, but I needed to pause and just be excited and grateful to hear your introduction talk about lenses and interpretations and readings of the text. One of my frustrations with a lot of lore essayist is the idea that there is a Canon story that exists and was deliberately obscure instead of the game existing as a literary work with intended ambiguity and uncertainty built in.
Also as a chemist, your explanation of the two slit experiment and wave/particle duality was very well done!
As someone also in STEM I agree this is one of the more reasonable contexts that I've seen the double-slit experiment invoked in the social sciences. I appreciate that it did not linger on some profound quantum meaning, but instead as support for the point about how data is biased by the method of its collection.
Although I do find that there is a canon chain of cause and effect (or critical path diagram of multiple causes and effects in parallel). Interpretation of this canon being more focussed on an act of discovery and translation rather than imagination. Like how we can craft historical fiction that becomes more accurate when new techniques are developed for archiving and processing the available data. Sometimes we can uncover new information that challenges previous assumptions. But when information sources are limited we have a tendency to take purposeful deception for fact or impose modern biases where they don't belong.
I agree with you. But Elden Ring is truly the exception to the rule. There is a definitive canon and world history built into the world in this case, courtesy of George R.R Martin. The need for interpretation is still essential, but that concrete story is part of what makes this game so much more complex and alive compared to the worlds of other Fromsoft titles in my opinion.
My issue with the argument that GRRM created a "definitive" world history is that it is still a work of fiction, and works of fiction inherently can be read in different ways. Authorial intent is only one ingredient to interpret a story, and some readings give it a lot of weight, while some give it basically none. I wouldn't read a book or watch a movie and expect to glean every detail on the author's backstory or world-building document, or even care what was on that proto-texual document. We know one of Miyazaki's primary design philosophies is to leave big missing pieces for people to fill in themselves.
I'm confused by how intensely people resist the idea that there is no One True Canon, but that it's art open to a variety of contradictory and mutually exclusive readings. That's not to say all readings are equally valid, or that our understanding won't evolve over time as we piece together new info or old info in new ways. The idea that the game is more alive and complex because there is an underlying true story is undermined by the fact that fans disagree--passionately--about basic, fundamental concepts. (Did Marika orchestrate the night of black knives? Was the shattering of the Elden Ring a carefully orchestrated plot against the Fingers/EB or a mother's world shattering grief? Was Marika always Radagon? If not when did they fuse? etc.) This is just as true after getting more of the story in SotE, if not more so. The world isn't alive and complex because of camp is wrong and the other is right, but because there is compelling evidence for and against both sides. It's not history, it's poetry.
@@rosiem1526 We can certainly fill in the missing pieces however we like. But the assumptions that any given person makes for their interpretation is very revealing about the point on which they made concessions on searching for more information - either internal to the game or from an external source - and turned to pure invention.
On a meta level, poetry itself reflects the historical time period that it is written in. And Elden Ring is easiest to understand as a fictionalized version of a certain history. Sure some real world events may be drawn in for aesthetic and thematic inspiration, but I mean that the overall arc of the history of the Lands Between and Shadowlands takes cues from the history of the gaming company FromSoftware.
Consider the demigods as anthropomorphic videogames and Great Runes as the collective stories of various franchises - and some demigods claimed runes that were not theirs originally. It's not a simple puzzle. It requires a fair amount of research and certainly requires breaking immersion in the way of pulling something apart to inspect the inner mechanisms. But it could be done before the DLC trailers were released, and made a correct prediction that there was one red-haired and/or serpentine demigod not accounted for in the base game (i.e. I had Radagon himself in for one game but only reluctantly since his status is not the same as demigod).
You can choose to believe in this way of assembling a history and try it for yourself. Or you can ignore it. I find it to be part of an overall shift in perspective that makes it easier to make educated guesses about the lingering questions. But the actual answers reduced to plain language matter less than the journey to finding them.
I heard the "gained insight" sound effect several times while watching this. Well done.
My bonfire is so kindled right now
My bonfire got kindled without even touching it
This video is not just one of the best Elden Ring lore speculation videos on UA-cam, but one of the best videos on UA-cam period.
This is the first video I’ve ever watched from your channel, and I will now be watching as many as I can. You’re analysis of human culture and expression in comparison with Elden Ring’s excellent theming and writing transcend whatever the “correct” lore to the game may be. I hold my own opinions on events and themes of the story, but yours are incredibly thought provoking, and have changed my perspective on many elements of the story (though not all).
You have made an incredible piece of art, amazing work.
Thank you so much for the kind words!
I don't agree with all of your conclusions about the lore but you are 100% dead on with the themes. Imperialism, colonialism, classism. Even if the Greater Will isn't literally a parasite, the Golden Order is parasitical. You can definitely apply all this stuff to capitalism but given the influence of GRRM I think they're more meant to reflect feudalism, and specifically the Roman Empire and its successors.
I don't think the Erdtree is the complete Greattree in itself, but a graft set upon the roots of the Greattree at the time of the Crucible.
I also believe this.
Tarnished archaeologist popularized that theory. Sounds plausible.
In hindsight, that makes more sense
The sheer amount of effort put into this is video essay insane
Thanks for noticing :)
By far the most concise and well constructed analysis of the game I've seen. Blew my mind when you brought up "Arrival"
Thank you!
The waste problem of nuclear power plants is actively being solved, if hasn't been solved already, by BN series reactors (see BN-800). Until humanity has nuclear fusion, nuclear power is the best bet for the environment.
@@aramkaizer7903 Wait, what? Well, thank you for mentioning.
Kinda takes the wind out of my sails for the excitement of this video.
@@aramkaizer7903 Oh okay! That makes sense too. Thanks for the info!
@@aramkaizer7903 I take issue with your stance, and the way you discredit this person's words. Ignoring the propensity for humans to contradict themselves, what he's "forcing" is far from harmful. What he's a proponent of are rational things- war is bad, colonialism is bad, classism is bad, exclusion is bad, exploiting others is bad. If you do not believe any of those statements, I dunno what to tell you.
@@aramkaizer7903 Perhaps not. However, just because something was the case does not mean it has to be the same in the future. We have the power to change, or at least to try to, and that's a worthwhile endeavor in my eyes.
@@aramkaizer7903 Hierarchy is one thing, but offering people less opportunities based upon their lower status in that hierarchy is another. And anyway, I disagree with the idea the world cannot be improved. You miss all the shots you don't take, so giving up before we're started only lets the problems persist. Humanity is worse off for war's existence, and saying the sacrifice is only the soldiers'- and not the millions upon millions of dead civilians- is misleading. Not that the soldiers aren't part of the equation, but war is more than those who fight- it is everyone who is bombed, starved, and forced out of their homes.
I really appreciate the unique perspective gained not only from Aegon's personal area of study but from the fact that he made this video in isolation to the rest of the lore community.
It seems like every other lore theorist is losing their head over minuscule story details that might be answered in the DLC and not really focusing on the big picture.
With one exception. Quelaag actually does a very good job of doing this in her work.
I watched this all in more or less one sitting because it was super engaging.
A lot of lore theorist seem to filter/parse through the lore as if it was dark souls, but man they need to use GRRM story as well. Much of the minor details can easily be explainedby the fact that the shattering was a game of thrones or a war for the Elden ring and that this war extends and includes outer gods.
@@ramoraid Yes there are a TON of GRRM story tropes in this game as much as there are souls tropes.
Try Ceave Perspective's lore video. While I don't think everything he says is correct, he mentions really cool ideas that focus more on the philosophical and theological side of the game.
Tarnished archeologist?
Most of this went waaay over my head but I still found it interesting, good job!
the use of quiet moments to draw the viewer into the video are incredible
Absolutely phenomenal video essay! From start to finish I was glued to my screen, and as always just rattling off notes to myself. I really love the pacing of your videos, as your pauses leave enough time to process the information and dwell a little.
Harrowing points made, and by the end my heart hurt so much - in a good way, an empathetic way. There’s much in this game (as in other fromsoft titles) that have fantastic parallels to our own world and history. You bring that out so wondrously in your analysis. Thank you so much for making it and sharing!
Thank you, as ever, for your kind and thoughtful comment. So happy to hear that you enjoyed the video.
Can't believe I just watched through a two and a half hour video essay. A fantastic watch and thoughts to ponder on. Excited to hear your view of Miquella in the DLC after that conclusion.
Would be interesting to do a spectrum of GRRM's hiveminds specifically. He has at least a half dozen across all of his sci-fi short stories (in addition to the weirwood net of course) and some noticeably parasitic.
The video is interesting for sure. As far as yor timeline is concerned, it seems like Marika's children were all born prior to the shattering of the elden ring, meaning her marriage (rejoinging) to Radagon and the birth of Miquella and Malenia would have occured prior. I'm also in agreement with some of the other comments in that it seems like the Greater Will is more focused on creating and maintaining *an* order on thebpands between, with no real preference for what kind of order is maintained. As opposed to sucking up world energy.
The colonialism angle fits well and maps on to a lot of Marika's actions. On a larger picture of the plot, I think leaning more into the competition of dominant religions makes more sense for me. Especially with the conflicts between other outer gods and the idea of the tree taking on different forms and names.
I'm so excited to see how your views here change or are affirmed in the DLC. Only recently have all these themes become clear to me. Elden Ring has a lot to parse through and I'm impressed by how well you were able to get all this with a limited scope of the wider lore community!
It's about that time for my favorite segment "fun with definitions!" Very excited and happy to have Aegon back.
I find it venerable that you would make a lore video completely blind to the rest of the community’s theory’s and findings
It’s a great video and one that offers a quite unique perspective on the game as a whole
He didn't though
Didn’t he say in the beginning that as of making the video he hadn’t consumed other lore media from folks? What do you mean he didn’t?
If he had, there’d have been a lot of the same points by TarnishedArcheologist, Quelaag and so on. Everything in the video was pretty unique.
@@_neolucky He didn't make "a lore video completely blind to the rest of the community’s theory’s and findings"
@@_neoluckyi believe they’re talking about how aegon read comments on his videos about the lore, im sure the other commenter knew exactly what you and OP meant though and are just being unnecessarily pedantic about it for the sake of being obnoxious
@@FinneousPJ1you cant just say no and not explain why. With that logic i can say that you were born with half a brain, and you cant disagree.
absolutely fantastic essay! ive always felt like a bit of a crackpot with my consideration of the greater will as a colonizing force, so im glad to see someone whos thought way more about it come to that conclusion. (also, UC santa cruz mention :D)
This was a great video. I loved seeing each Great Rune slide perfectly into place to actually create the full Elden Ring. That was so cool to see.
Came for elden ring stayed for aliens and nuclear discussions.
Your explanation with the mechanic of the runes reminds me of the power of the alphabet in the Kabbalah. i think Sufi traditions hold that thought as well but with Arabic rather than Hebrew, will need to double check on that though.
Its very imformative and alot to take in, so im going through bit by bit, looking forward to Greater Will and Central Theme sections
What a fantastic essay!
In this game, which takes place in a violent world with a colonial framework, you underscore the importance of kindness. Not only kindness towards each other, but kindness towards the world itself, of which we are but one small part.
What a triumph, Aegon. If ever your voice truly fades from discourse surrounding FromSoft games, we as a community will be lesser.
I hope things are going well for you and your family, and I hope to hear more from you in the future. I hope you are having a fantastic day, whenever you find yourself reading this.
Take care!
Thanks so much, friend
Excited to see your playthrough of the DLC when you get time!
i managed to see the whole live premiere but i just had to watch this again. This is such an interesting essay and reaches far beyond the realms of media analysis into a wonderful philosophical exploration of our relationship to the world. Thank you for the hard work you put into this, Aegon
Thank you! The pleasure is mine.
A bit random, but the way Ranni describes the greater will/her two fingers reminds me of how the character Aizen from Bleach describes the Soul King from that series.
"That thing," as a descriptor raises interesting implications in both series.
Can’t wait for this. Had a convo about linguistic relativity and the movie arrival in an ER lore sub the other day- really compelling idea, you’ve got the golden order, coded sword with golden language, golden elden beast golden tree- is it all stemming from marikas configuration of the elden ring? Did the marika impart the gold to the ring and on to the beast? Does the elden ring define the “language” of the universe and that’s how it’s like the fabric of reality? The red language on the coffin underground- previous red elden ring, red order red language?
Don't forget the coffin that teleports you up the waterfall in Nokron after the Gargoyles. It has the same language
AMAAAAAAZING video especially for all of us social science sickos. This theory was presented in such a way that it really does appeal to me and make me think you are on to some things here. Well made and fantastic work. This would also suggest that Marika DID have a hand in the Night of the Black Knives.
Thats the beauty of this game. Its open to interpretation. Its what good art is supposed to be(in my opinion), open to speculation and deriving our own meaning from it. Ive learned all kinds of new things about philosophy, alchemy and several other topics I probably would never have if not for my interest in the lore of this game.
Beautiful editing and photography reflects the sophistication and aspiration of the ideas
Thank you! I put a ton of work into this one, so I'm overjoyed to hear all that effort hasn't gone unnoticed.
Particle physics in my elden ring video? This is gonna be a banger the likes of which has never been seen before
Nice video with thoughtful interpretation of themes at the end.
Good points about how language shapes reality. To connect more directly this part to Elden Ring, language and culture shapes selection bias. There is as much evidence that the game is drawing on Celtic mythology as for Norse mythology as for Tolkein's Middle Earth. A person with Celtic bias sees the name "Radagon" and things "aha, its a play on the Irish 'Reachtagain'" and thinks no deeper of it. A person with Tolkein bias thinks "aha, its almost like 'Radagast' which makes it Tolkein inspired" (and then if you're lucky actually looks up an Adunaic dictionay to find out that "Radagon" means "beastly"). And a person with Norse bias ignores the names and takes a close look at Ranni/Rykard/Radahn and concludes "so if they're Hel, Jormungandr, and Fenris Wolf that makes Radagon 'Loki'. The noted shapeshifter who would have no issues being also Marika". Or you can toss the bias and realize that "All of the above" was always an option.
To make sense of the reason why the player character gains ephemeral 'runes' from defeating enemies and passively wandering the land, you may wish to consider the second definition. Runes are chapters of Finnish poetry - of which 'rune singing' was a loose type of poetry where a story would be expected to hit certain consistent beats but the particular execution varies. Kindof like how each player can choose the order of the adventure and the equipment brought to the fights, but the same bosses will be found in the same place in every instance of the game and there are still a select few mandatory bosses to overcome. Golden runes are story fragments and the player collects then in the course of their overall story experience.
I also support the characterization of Scarlet Rot as having nuclear fallout as one of its meanings. It comes through in the way that the fight between Malenia and Radahn is characterized, where Radahn expected a certain type of fight and was not prepared for Malenia to change the rules of engagement and cause massive collateral damage.
Made some longer comments on your Reddit post.
This is a highly fascinating video, definitely made me think!
This video essay really outlines a good example of conclusion you can come to within a closed group with a lack of conflicting outside ideas and a level of cultural bias. I think you did very well to create an example how personal and cultural bias can effect your thoughts on a subject matter.
I'm glade you outline this before your conclusion in this video, with all the confirmation bias in it, mixing in with personal beliefs.
I be very interested to see what conclusion you come to once you examining yours and others thoughts on Elden Ring, and take a step back to reflect outside of isolation. I think you'll find a few of your ideas really hold up, like the hive mind.
Really insightful work.
Thank you!
I wonder if since working on this video you’ve come across The Tarnished Archaeologist’s stuff. It’s really amazing work and will definitely help a lot with your interpretations of the story
I've never hit a 'notify me' button so fast. I loved your blind playthrough, and I can't wait to hear your condensed thoughts on this game!
Thank you.
I never comment. I don’t have much to contribute outside of superficial musings. But I do want to express my sincere gratitude for this video.
I had watched the blind playthrough videos when they were coming out, and really enjoyed the ideas you presented throughout. To see them condensed and organized into this three-part thesis has been one of the most rigorous and thought-provoking perspectives I’ve seen on this game, or any game.
Elden Ring has contributed adecent amount to my views of religion, politics, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. Your well-structured essay provided much to agree with on all of those fronts, and some to disagree with. Overall, it provided a unique point of view that has opened new vistas of reflection for me.
So, thank you. Thank you very much.
Thank you so much for the kind words! I really do tremendously appreciate it.
Holy crap my dude, this video is actually amazing. I have only watched it one time so I feel like I need a rewatch to retain more of the talking points. That being said I’m confident this may be the best look at elden ring’s lore and story design on the platform. Not only that, but I think this is by far the best video on this channel, and I have watched the ds3 and bloodborne LTL series for years. Incredible work.
I've heard lore UA-camrs make the argument that Marika+Radagon had a stillborn child that was purposefully not directly mentioned anywhere in the lore to create mystery (Miyazaki style) but when you went over the runes one by one (@ 1:18:00) only to come to the rune of the unborn and say you didn't know what to make of it! Hah! I think that's it.
The rune of the unborn fits in the same location as Malenia's rune because the Unborn was Marika+Radagon's third, hidden, stillborn child.
Sorry I can't remember which podcast/lorehunter video was the first to argue about a stillborn child of Marika's to credit them properly! But I believe this, since it fits so well with the readings of the runes.
I want you to do an analysis of fear and hunger SO BAD!!!!
Oh my g o ddddd that’d be amazing. It’s been incredible to see lore folks dip into that game series lately, it’s so rich with its writing and world.
Maybe one day!
So i gave this an honest shot, I did. And I was interested in where you were going with the framework section. As we reached the nuclear semiotics sections, I think you lost the thread. It is both the largest section and seems to be the least relevant to a discussion of Elden Ring. It felt more like "i've got a bone to pick with nuclear power promotion."
I dont see myself having the patience to sit through this part, so I won't really understand the framework you're working with when you try to make an argument for the themes of Elden Ring. So any feedback wouldn't be productive to that end either.
Applied Hermeneutics, like what you are doing here, is a worthwhile form of analysis. I believe some people will get a lot out of it. I believe this. However, the first half seems like an entire essay unto itself without a strong direction toward a conclusion, because you point at the transition to the second essay on Elden Ring. My only suggestion would be, for next time, try to develop your lens/Hermeneutics through and from the subject you are analyzing, rather than situating yourself in a variety of real subjects and then situating the subject-analyzed into that context.
Or, instead, engage with the subject in a non-blind way. Actively participate in discourse around the game and keep sources along the way. That way you can offer your perspective in dialogue with the art-object and the social-imaginary forming around the art object.
In either case, I feel as though an analysis of an art piece should be able to center the art piece more thoroughly throughout. I recognize the attempts in the graphics which foreshadowed what you'd present later, but in execution is seemed like dangling the carrot on a string.
I want to echo your frustration here and say that I too gave this an honest shot, but found the necessity of the framework extremely dubious by the time we arrive at Elden Ring, especially because so little of the primary text is engaged with.
The direct comparison of rot to radiation for example omits the bulk of the context provided by the primary text of Elden Ring's item descriptions, and how that text describes what rot is. What we're left with is an off the cuff "Raya Lucaria dumped nuclear / magical waste" hypothesis shot from the hip, which is so close to an actual compelling theory supported by primary text (that just isn't engaged with) that it hurts. Why spend over an hour setting up a framework simply to ignore swathes of context provided by the subject of the analysis itself?
Kudos to the editing and some interesting explorations of a few isolated topics, but this essay casually reaches towards the conclusions it wants to reach in spite of the evidence far too often.
What a fucking masterpiece of a video.
One of the best Elden ring videos ever
Runes are tree dandruff. Think about it
This made me cry.
The legend returns and I couldn't be more ecstatic.
Hi Aegon, I'm still working through your blind playthrough but I'll be back to watch this in full later! Hope things are improved for ya job-wise and in general! Peace, love, and harmony be with you!
Well, I had a couple paragraphs written but I left the app to check a detail and my comment went kaput. TLDR, loved the analysis and have just gone through the er play through (and looking forward to watching more of your stuff).
I was making mental notes of everything I wanted to comment on for one centralized message, but most of what I had has been touched on by other commenters on the last several vids.
So, my list is short:
- “crow-headed hydra” is a way cooler name than “land octopus”. Unbelievably so
- I’ve a watch recommendation for Aurelia of Astora if you’ve not happened upon it: “Big Block Singsongs” here on YT. Just a series of short, silly songs on various subjects like hair or dogs or the number 8. They’re colorful, catchy, fun and goofy, and I got no shortage of laughs out of ‘em myself when watching with the fam.
I think you put too much weight on the Greater Will’s attachment to the Golden Order in particular. It seems like the Greater Will is unconcerned about what kind of Order is established so long as some Order is present. The Greater Will, for instance, tolerates the Order installed by the Blessing of Despair, in which no one can return to the Erdtree.
I also think it’s strange that you believe the Greater Will is draining the life from the Land’s Between when the purpose of the Golden Order is to ensure its subjects are immortal and no longer destined to die.
It seems to me as though the vision of the Golden Order, an Order of Life without Death, was Marika’s own, which like a genie’s wish became a curse upon its realization, producing a stagnant death-in-life of which Those Who Live in Death are an ironic parody.
The “flaw” in the Golden Order is that life without death is indistinguishable from living death.
The Elden Beast brought the golden fate of the stars to earth, which is embodied in the Elden Ring, and which is made of the runes that are shaped into the order, meaning, and destiny of life. I don’t believe it cares what Order is established, as long as there is some Order.
Here we go. It’s clear that he was too focused on the oppressor/oppressed dynamic and let it color his interpretation. The Elden Beast was trapped and controlled by Marika and the new story trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree all but confirms that the Crucible was flesh and blood and that Marika subverted the natural order of things. Not all hierarchy is inherently evil.
@@thomaslamptonbickham2939An argument could be made that Marika suppresses the Elden Beast, and yet the Beast is the one in control. It is not shown that Marika wields the power of the Beast. It is instead conveyed that it is the Elden Lord who "brandishes" the ring. It is shown directly that the Beast wields the body of Marika/Radagon as a sword. Puppeteers and puppets being telegraphed.
Yeah, definitely the greater will couldn't careless if for example malenia had won the war and made the rot god the new god of this world. The silver lining to this outcome is that with the rot god now dictating the "laws" of the lands between life, death and rebirth would be re-established again, akin to the time of the early erdtree and the crucible.
>"i'd like an elden ring lore video"
>"elden ring or quantum physics?"
>"elden ring please"
>*looks inside*
>"This is called the double slit experiment"
Crazy good video essay. Thank you for taking the time to bridge the metaphor to the real world, kinda made me sad
As fromsoft games are want to do
Just completed Dlc. So good, may be the best of from software. Bosses, lore and world.
Excited to see your reactions on certain reveals. I know you are busy with job but any ideas when you will start dlc😅
Great video so far 1:16:14 ,the first thing you weren't completely informed about in regarss to in game lore:the reason margott rune is burning is that omen blood is a sort of firey blood.you can see in his phase 2 he refers to his fire blood as his curse(also thats why omens cant get erd tree bruial cause they will burn down the root because their blood can erupt into fire)
This is stylistically an extremely grad-school essay, for better and for worse. Interesting ideas, but could have been expressed much more concisely for clarity.
great video, as always. thank you for the countless hours you put into making this, it was well worth the wait.
The pleasure is mine. Thanks for watching!
I'm disappointed to see you regurgitating coal industry propaganda talking points.
?
Who are you lmao
This is why I emphasized the need to critically re-evaluate our relationship with the Earth and global patterns of consumption. It's not simply matter of choosing the best energy source, but also about rethinking the 'how' and the 'why' of energy consumption. We're unlikely to do that, however, for as long as we're caught up in a debate over the merits of energy source x vs. energy source y.
hey aegon. i dm'd you once when this site still had that function. i guess it got looped into google+ and deleted. your stance of i wont take no stinking ad money was the hardest most badass thing i ever saw. my eternal respect and graciousness!! lets stay occluded :)
I'm always saddened when someone makes rhe mistake of calling the Greater Will an 'outer' god, "it" is more or less THE God of the realm, the "inner" god so to speak. The collective will of all life, yet also the collective unconscious, the anima mundi and the entity responsible for the creation of the universe as we know it
@@copyninja8756This is Lightseeker Hyetta’s dialogue regarding why the followers of the Frenzied Flame want to consume the Erdtree:
... Thank...thank you... I have touched them. The words of the Three Fingers. As your maiden, allow me to divine them. All that there is came from the One Great. Then came fractures, and births, and souls. But the Greater Will made a mistake. Torment, despair, affliction. Every sin, every curse. Every one, born of the mistake. And so, what was borrowed must be returned. Melt it all away, with the yellow chaos flame. Until all is One again.
Based on this, we can surmise that the One Great was the homogenous essence of creation, split into all that is and given distinction by ther Greater Will. Interestingly, Ragnarok concludes with the fire giant Surtr setting fire to Yggdrasil, which is then put out by flooding waters, rejuvenating and creating a new world. We already have one half of proper Ragnarok…
It's impossible for something to be the collective will of all life when things existed *before* the Greater Will arrived in the Lands Between. ESPECIALLY since other competing gods canonically exist there, and existed before the Greater Will arrived
Agreed, I think its a perfectly valid take to go as far as to say that the GW doesnt even exist. the GW is just what people call the "source" of the universe, its the original point from which all causality flows, we have no idea what it is, we will never know, and the TLB doesnt know either. Its our logic alone, based in causalty that makes us believe it must exist
This is interesting. However, after watching all 2.5 hours, I have some issues with your interpretations. I think you're using your theoretical framework beyond the limits of its applicability. Take, for instance, relationality and classism. Classism is a theme that's obviously in the game, and also obviously painted as an evil. You're using relationality to argue that classism is self-destructive, but neither does that follow, nor is that message actually anywhere to find in the game. As for not following, relationality means that I can't affect anything or anyone without being affected in turn. Yes, but there is no natural law that says the effects on me have to be commensurate in size or quality with the effect on the other. So, in short, social domination can be worth it for the dominating faction from a pragmatic point of view, and you can argue that that's the main reason social domination continues to exist. The game doesn't say that, but neither does it say the opposite. It leaves the question open whether this is strictly a moral issue or also a pragmatic one. You then qualify your statement in your summary with "at least, [it can] not [be] forever [maintainted]". Maybe, but no civilization lasts forever, so that's beside the point.
Why you're doing this? I can't look into your mind, but what I see is an attempt to set up a descriptive account of reality in a way that would make certain moral viewpoints inescapable. Classism isn't just an evil, it's also stupid and based on ignorance. However, there are very few scenarios where it is methodically appropriate to draw a moral conclusion from a descriptive account, because there are almost no self-evident goods. Our continued existence, perhaps, but there are some who would argue even against that. So arguing this way, you'll get a nice big club to bludgeon the opposition, but at the price of intellectual honesty.
Then there's linguistic relativity. The idea that our languages influence our worldviews (what I've heard is called weak linguistic relativity) appears very plausible to me. However, it does not change reality itself. And yes, you actually can distinguish between worldview and reality. No amount of linguistic shenanigans will make our world a deathless one. You can call a rock a pillow, but kicking it will still hurt. So, runes may be the language of the gods, but they're also magical in nature in that, unlike in our world, they actually change reality itself. As a metaphor, the fluidity of the world order in Elden Ring points to the various ways we can affect our world that alter the fundamentals of our existence. It points to technology rather than language. Environmental concerns are an obvious application, as are things like AI, the possibility of radical life extension and so on.
And lastly, I'm sorry I have to say this but at times your essay feels like a self-caricature. You managed to shoehorn all stereotypical talking points of your academic/political identity group's meme cluster into this video essay, and some of them are a really bad fit. There's some wisdom in your essay - "kindness to the world" will stick with me - but it needs correctives from outside your bubble.
@@aramkaizer7903 Well, words actually do not have an intrinsic meaning. I could use any hitherto meaningless sequence of sounds, replace "rock" with it, and as long as everyone knew what I've been doing, we would still understand each other. It gets problematic, however, if you replaced "rock" with a sequence of sounds that already means something else, like, say, "pillow". That would come across as an attempt to transfer the attribute "softness" to "rock". Nobody would take it seriously since this obviously makes no sense, but in many cases it isn't that obvious. Imagine if you actually could do such a thing without everyone noticing that it makes no sense. You would get an image of reality that makes no sense superimposed on everyone's mind as the truth. In other words, a victory for a group of people adequately described as religious fundamentalists. And that's what's happening. We are not in a conflict about justice (about which we actually don't disagree all that much). We are in a war of religion.
@@aramkaizer7903 I don't think that follows from what I said, nor did I want to imply it. It's actually rather more trivial, in fact: before we can communicate, we must come to an agreement about what the words mean. They don't grow out of observed reality. There are no "true names" like in some fantasy worlds. Consider the typical imagery used to convey the idea of teaching a language: pointing to an object and saying the word for it. I put some emphasis on this usually trivial fact because the fact that words are just names means that confusion can arise when our understanding of the world is in flux, or challenged, as in this case, by a political faction. Here's an example: were you and I to talk about men and women, I think we would not talk about the same thing. And it's not that I would necessarily disagree with you if I adopted your terms, rather than I find it hilariously nonsensical to do so in the first place. And it's not a moral issue. People have the right to self-expression. I'm actually quite radical in that. Yay to nonconformity of any kind! But they don't have sole authority over which terms apply to them in a descriptive context. Because that's not their domain, but also everyone else's. So we can debate terminology. But if someone invokes moral authority to make me acquiesce, I will resist.
@@aramkaizer7903Yes, and I find this a rather weird aspect to single out for objectivity, because the perception of power in verbal communication is one of the most subjective things I can imagine. For instance, I recently read an account where someone experienced as an illegitimate imposition the fact that most of their friends expressed a preference for a more gender-conforming lifestyle. And well, yeah, that can be annoying, I get that, but in the end it's just hot air. It's not as if they could actually impose their preferences on you. They have no real power. On top if it, they have the same right to express their preferences as you have, and wouldn't it be an illegitimate imposition to deny them that right?
So my reply to that reasoning is that language alone is just hot air. Conformity pressure is annoying, but without tangible consequences to back it up, it carries no real power (without going into detail, this is not just theory. I am speaking from experience). Assert your autonomy and say FU to everyone who grows too insistent, and that perceived power reveals itself to be an illusion. This is far more liberating than any political initiative could ever be.
@@aramkaizer7903 Originally, I only wanted to explain why I find the idea that language objectively communicates imposition of will implausible (to say nothing of carrying only that, but that's a different topic). But this does indeed have a moral angle, because putting too much focus on the social pressure carried by acts of communication has the potential to invalidate the notion of tolerance.
If acts of communication communicate social pressure (which I think is mostly true, if not necessarily always), and the perception of illegitimate imposition is subjective, every act of communication has the potential to be perceived as an illegitimate imposition, and people being what they are, it will inevitably be so perceived by someone. Furthermore, there is always an incentive to weaponize the possibility of illegitimate imposition and use it as a method to silence the originator of any message. Taking this to the end will destroy tolerance and along with it, any freedom of expression.
Since you referenced JKR in your video, I'll use that controversy as an example, because it's actually the trans lobby who is intolerant in this, seeing or claiming to see illegitimate imposition in a simple act of disagreement about the use of terms. They are the ones who claim sole authority over terms that apply to them in a descriptive context, not accepting that this isn't solely their domain. They are attempting to define reality for everyone, and call everyone who disagrees with their use of terms basically evil. If that's not an illegitimate imposition, I don't know what is. It's like imposing a religious belief.
"hmm, a blind lore breakdown of elden ring, might at least not just be retreading the same points every lore video makes then"
*Segment criticising Carl Sagan for not putting transgender representation in the voyager 1 discs*
"...okay, okay, we may be onto something unique here"
What an amazing piece of work. Loved this exploration
Thank you!
Commenting to appease the Greater Algorithm. Banger video!
Thanks, friend!
what I expected: Elden Ring lore
what I got: multiple existential crises
brave of u to ignore the community
the "rebranding" from "red to gold" is in the DLC trailer. And it isn't "rebranding" of the greater will or marika or the erdtree but rather the shift from red crucible to the golden erdtree worship. plus when the two fingers chose miquella and malenia as empyreans they were cursed already
Interesting video, although I find it funny that in a discussion where language was so prominent you didn't mention the problematic of the inevitable distortions caused by the translation of a Japanese text to English.
Also, a little feedback, it would probably be better to read the definitions, instead of just putting them on the screen. For those of us that are listening to the video while doing stuff around the house and not seating to a 2h30m video :P
It's a blind lore analysis and I don't speak Japanese, so I'm not sure how I would have addressed that.
Loved the editing, presentation, background music, everything. Honestly this was a lot more interesting than the more conventional lore videos we're getting at this point.
Thank you!
Aegon that title has me hyped beyond belief. I was expecting a video essay not an academic thesis. Idk why, i ought to have known better!
I just looked up the definition of 'material discursive relationality' and it's already changed how I think about all from games and media in general. And that's just the title.
The whole nuclear bit is was just meh.
First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. I found out about your channel quite a while ago when you were on Sinclair Lore and specifically said you wouldn't be uploading anymore because you would be too busy with college.
I don't know if you're going to read this comment, but I cannot even begin to articulate how much you saved my sanity with the thumbnail of this video. Long story short, I'm really interested in metaphysical subjects like ontology, epistemology, and semiotics, but I technically only have a high school diploma. I'm not going to pretend I have an in depth understanding of those subjects, but you just quantified COUNTLESS hours of Wikipedia and UA-cam research just by acknowledging that linguistic relativity is not only a thing, it might be in my videogames.
Edit: Btw I haven't even watched the video yet, and I only just now saw there's a chapter on semiotics, LETS GO!
I hope the video didn't disappoint!
@@Aegon_of_Astora It did not disappoint! It actually had me going back and looking at a couple of other games through a different lens, like The Witness, and (surprisingly) Fallout 76.
Can you explain more fully what is problematic or offensive about depictions of reproduction? Fertile trans people reproduce the same way that fertile cis people do. If you had a diagram of a trans woman reproducing with a trans man it would be the same. Why is the depiction of sex characteristics (independent of gender) so wrong “in 2024”?
Because this essayist has been indoctrinated to always equate heterosexuality with that which is disdainful, and reacts, predictably, in knee-jerk fashion to any semblance of heteronormative ideas.
It's in the context of the other parts of the Gold Disc. If you view people's genders being defined by their sex characteristics, and make references (IMO excessive levels of reference) to pregnancy/reproduction, it heavily implies the purpose of "women" to be making babies... which is discriminatory on multiple levels
The great rune of the unborn was once Radagon's, he left it with Rennala upon their divorce. Radagon would later make his own rune, the lattice pattern seen behind the elden ring. Somethin something, lattices are used to force plants (trees) into the shape desired by the steward of said plant (tree).
It’s also identical to the symbol “Aka” or “water well” in Latvian paganism. Which is symbolic of knowledge, experience, and unity. Three things that heavily coincide with Radagon’s “renaissance man” imagery.
Interesting stuff -- thanks for sharing.
This ending was so profound and beautiful
Appreciate you Aegon❤️ hope the family is well and thanks for sharing your insight.
Thanks very much, Kevin!
i must mention, Elden Ring has voice acting, but you still put the wrong emphasis on peoples names.
This drives me nuts, and seems ubiquitous in the youtubers who make elden ring content.
I mean, accents are a thing.
Amazing video Aegon! I agree with a lot of it, especially the conceptual parts regarding Agential Realism/Reponse-ability, Linguistic Relativity, Nuclear Semiotics and the analyses of Central Themes.
I do have an issue with the idea that the Greater Will is a willful/sentient entity or parasite. I belive the Greater Will is rather simply the Concept of Order. The force which pushes life and all things in the universe to distinguish itself. I believe those who inherit/usurp/earn the title of Vessel for the Elden Ring, shape what Order looks like, particularly in the Lands Between. Hyetta's dialogue, in my opinion, is alluding to both the beginnings of life in The Lands Between(Crucible where all life was blended together) as well as the very start of the universe where everything was presumably an amalgamation of Oneness before the "big bang" caused disparity. Rather than Two and Three fingers diametrically opposed there was One Hand.
From there, division and disparity began and life started to become "Ordered". Everything is by and of the same origin while still intra-acting despite distictions. In my opinion, it is the inhabitants of the Lands Between, living beneath the structures of life dictated for them by the Golden Order who personify the Greater Will and other Outer Gods as sentient beings with motives rather than forces of nature that they live within and about. Of course, this view only benefits those in power as they can invoke the name of their "Outer God/Greater Will" as justifcation for their actions while shedding themselves of any responsibility.
I also believe, like you, that the Item Descriptions are written from the perspective of someone who inhabits The Lands Between and as such their perceptions are colored by the prevailing systems therein. In my reading those events attributed to the Greater Will could just as much be spontaneous cosmic events(a meteor carrying the Elden Ring/Beast) or the acts of a ruler wielding its power(Marika/Any prior Gods). Your analyses regarding colonialism, classism and war would hold true while adding more to the Response-ability of those in power in-game. I say this while also believing that Marika started her age with good intentions before realizing she was just as much a slave to Order as those beneath her(Master-Slave Dialectic) ultimately attempting to break order so a new one can form in its place and she can be free of her captivity. And Radagon, a devotee to the Golden Order tries to mend her shattering. Causality and Regression at play.
Regarding what you stated at the end about Godfrey and strength befitting a crown: It is actually Queen Marika who intended for the tarnished to return to brandish the Elden Ring(as well as Kill her; Hewg's dialogue on creating a godslaying weapon). At the Church of Pilgrimage Melina says, "In Marika's own words. Then, after thy death, I will give back what I once claimed. Return to the Lands Between, wage war, and brandish the Elden Ring. Grow strong in the face of death. Warriors of my lord. Lord Godfrey."
It is implied that it was Marika's long laid plan to return Grace to the tarnished who would return and wage war to become Elden Lord, just like she intended to happen with her children when she shattered the ring.
Marika earned her Godhood through conflict. A crucible of strife and war. It is what she knows and what she believes is necessary to enact a new Order and so that is what the Tarnished, granted grace by her, are doing by waging war on the corrupted Demigods.
I think this is interesting when juxtaposed with how Miquella attempts to begin a new age. Rather than through conquest and subjugation of others he instead chose to sacrifice his own blood to water the Haligtree. He also allows those shunned by the Erdtree/Golden Order to inhabit it, perhaps trying to use compassion and empathy unlike his mother.
I dont know if youve seen the newest DLC Story Trailer, but it sheds A LOT of light what Marika potentially did to begin her Golden Age.
Anyway, this was a GREAT watch. I hope you continue to put out your thoughts on this game especially if you dive this in depth. NO ONE else in the communnity is using higher level concepts like this to analyze the game and we need more of it.
This is a good comment. It also makes me understand and feel a bit more sympathy for Marika. I have a feeling she had some well-meaning intentions but ultimately made the a lot of bad decisions. My theory is that she had to kill Melina to get what she wanted and the sealing of Destined Death was the rash decision of a grieving parent.
@thomaslamptonbickham2939 thanks! And yeah, I think we will find out that ultimately, Marika did all that she did for her children or because she was incapable of having healthy ones.
When she finally does(Melina/Godwyn/Messmer?), she decides to take away the possibility of them dying, but by doing so, in a very Oedipal way, actually sets them on the path to do just that. I think the NoBK was actually intended and planned by Marika for Godwyn to die a full death as a way to reintroduce the concept of death to TLB once Marika realized her Forever Age wasn't working.
What she didn't anticipate is that her sealing of DESTINED Death is exactly what allowed Ranni to steal a fragment of the Rune of Death and kill herself which caused Godwyn to die only a half death at the same time. Further corrupting Marika's Golden Age. Again, very much like Oedipus, Marika's actions led her down the path she wished to avoid. Also fits with part of Aegons thesis regarding intra-action.
Marika pulled the strings of fate, and it came back to haunt her. She finally decides to end it all by shattering the ring and enacting her contingency plan for someone else to begin a new order.
Thank you for your detailed and thoughtful comment. It's apparent that I got many of the details wrong, and so I appreciate your honest appraisal.
Outstanding work! Thank you so much for this, and for the blind playthrough! Somehow despite the 'bind' nature of the playthrough and the threat of inevitable 'inaccuracies' you mention in the preface, you ended up right on the money with the central themes, and the big picture stuff is more important than immediately getting every minor detail 100% right. Superb!
Thank you so much! Always happy to see you commenting, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it despite the inaccuracies :)
Fun With Definitions: The Motion Picture
we get it you're educated
Now that I’ve finished your essay (I commented half way through because I couldn’t help myself. It’s too good). Wow! Just wow. I love this game because of all the ways the story gets interpreted and yours is easily my favorite. The fact you went in blind makes it all the better. I learned SO much not just about a myriad of topics you discussed, but I learned about myself. I’ll stop before this gets any more cheesy but yeah. I can’t WAIT for your take on the dlc. Never stop.
Its 12:34AM, i just finished the last of my college work for the term, and i am getting comfortable as i type this comment. This is going to be a fun 2 hours 😁
Fantastic video. Another central theme I heard another creator talk about is that of identity. You have the visual representation with ranni and her using the moniker of Renna. You have Marika and radagon being the sane person. You have miquella and st. Trina. There are beings called shadows. Godrick is obssed with his identification as the lord of all that is golden. There are twins with forgotten and mohg, malenia and miquella. There is the D brothers. Ect.
Well said. I also think the game has a lot to say about transhumanism, but hadn't developed my thoughts enough to address it in this video.
Speaking of runes, Marika's elden rune is an overflowing up of blessings that drips from her to the rest of the world. Her crucified position reflects Lilith's from Evangelion. While Lilith is crucified so they can farm her blood, the soup of life, Marika and the marty's pose are there for farm for their runes.