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Mirras story and the frenzy flame reminds me a lot of Hollow knight and the Radiance

Eat World

Subbed. Imma research Buddhism now.

I just read NK Jemisin's *The World We Make* and...SPOILER...it's neat how the final motivation of the villain feels kinda in line with the flame of frenzy, granting a few important nuances, in returning to a primal simplicity and sloughing off all distinction and separation. In her book, this is framed as an evil thing to do, though not unsympathetically. At the same time, the primal simplicity comes across as rather controlling with regard to the universe, which seems rather the wrong way to be a Buddhist. That was neat, I think I caught hints of that in Shabriri (curiously a Jewish reference) but I hadn't put them together like that.

*Sigh* yet another "You Don't Get [Thing]" deconstruction video that only proves that I completely understood [Thing] from the start Not to say this isn't a fantastically put together video, this certainly deserves more views!! I'm just a cynic who dislikes these kinds of titles lol

SO excited for this. Miyazaki does excellent commentary involving Buddhism.

also if you think about it nanaya suffocated in the mansion. shes found untouched by the flame of the man who loved her , but she was not spared the reality of the hornsent using regular fire to just straight up torch the place. its like the fire refused to touch her

Solid vid, haven't heard anyone talk about Non-Duality yet, which is definitely here. However, it isn't really solely in Buddhism me thinks. Non-duality is first seen in Hinduism (Upanishads) and is also very prevalent in Sufism. Te themes of eyes, blindness, fire, burning away the fetters of individuality, sun, light, grapes, madness, etc. are actually very akin to themes and terms widely used in sufi poetry. I think it is a general nod to the eastern mindsets of Non-duality though, not any one religion that understands this. Other links are: the nomadic musicians, linking to Vedic Nomad cultures and Sufi musicians. In non-duality (advaita in particular), the senses, especially sight is often seen as illusory, and is to be transcended to see reality; the One. Sometimes called Isvaradhrsti (Seeing God in All) In some stories of Hinduism, Brahma (the creator God) made mistakes, suffering, deceit, etc. and so Shiva (the destroyer and transformer God), destroys and burns the universe to reset it.

Hey man loved your video and this would be confirmed for me if there was a more solid base of facts for radagon. Bro in my head only makes sense if hes a soul twin, or like D hunter and beholder, there from the beginning but it hurts my brain so much more because it means radagon Loved godfrey and his kids and renalla in fact loved Marika. Oh shit we get evidence of this! Godfrey and his warriors knew, so they had to go, renallas preceptors knew so they had their masks sown shut🤯, So godhood is very literally tangible in this world Marikas just one of many who became a god, truly just one of many, in a cycle proving the only thing special about her is in fact radagon. And none of the lore really works unless they dont start fighting until the end my guy. Marika saying shed search the depths of the golden order is likely when she sent Radagon out of her body To Claim caria to "Become whole" or Increase our grace. I think radagons children were tassidly tolerated because radagon was a leal hound. Anyway lots of rants but lines up imo pls lmk if you think im on to literally anything 🫡

Who are you to tell me what I don't get? Disliked

I think the biggest place people fall off the tracks with the frenzied flame is with Shabriri and the use of the word 'slander' as if he were some sort of evil teleporting demon made out of the frenzied flame when it seems he really is just a Diogenes-like figure shouting unkind truths indistinguishable from slander to the golden order in the way only a profound cynic with no remaining fear for himself could. His description suggests that the frenzied flame only found a home in his eyes afterwards. Despair and surrender are two endpoints of an encounter with suffering, but cynicism is another - forcing the truth onto the underlying actors no matter how much it hurts.

I love this video. Thanks

First off: Amazing effort, great video. This is literally frenzied flame propaganda. "Not inherently evil, it just wants to stop the suffering." Says the dude wearing the corpse of of recently deceased ally like a suit. Nowhere is it written that the Frenzied Flame must be truthful. Nowhere is it written that Outer Gods cannot lie. The Frenzied Flame could just as easily be said to pray upon our inherently self destructive nature and our own frustrations with the limitation not only of existence but our own ability to effect change upon that existence, as it could be said to be a great liberator which seeks a restoration of the spiritual purity which gave rise to life. This is Evangelion all over again; is the status of LCL a good status or a bad one? Well - its pretty fucking bad if you like being yourself Trying to ethically separate that cold fact, that its depriving people of the most personal thing you have (identity), from the reality of how you achieve LCL, is just obfuscation. Is death bad? Is killing bad? I mean all you're doing is returning someone to the same space as before they were born and no one says we were suffering before we existed so whats the big deal?

Perfectly explained, kudos my friend

the thing about "frenzy" is that it doesnt mean anger it could mean excitement

This was truly enlightening (haha) and I really learned a lot from this video. Thank you!

Midra might have been able to *endure* for a bit longer if a certain foul Tarnished didn't come into his room and start beating him up... I'm glad you were able to remake and re-upload this video!

Hey now, I’ve been picking up on the Buddhist subliminals in Fromsoft games since OG Demons’ Souls.

This game is based on Greek, not Japanese. For example, the lands between means mesopotamia, chapel of anticipation means chapel of elpis. And so abyss, word origin greek abyssos, means depth. Midra is Midrash in Hebrew, same as micorash bloodborne. Nanaya is mesopotamian goddess. However Midra's Manse in Japanese 館[yakata] Volcano Manor and Caria Manor in Japanese 館[yakata] Japanese translators doesn't work… Its really Japanese game?

Terrifying and beautiful, both at the same time.

i never looked at mydra that way. it make all the sence.

Midra pulling his head off after he states that he will no long endure this agony combined with the themes of Buddhism reminds me of the taboo of Buddha statues being beheaded. It is important that Buddha is whole. It's conformation that Midra has totally given up on trying to mitigate his suffering and has instead embraced it for the worst.

Been thinking about this idea of the frenzied lord being like a dark buddha. Like life is suffering. Attachment is suffering. Suffering can be alieviated. B U R N I T A L L A W A Y. Also the ascetic angle with the frenzied lord needing to rid themselves of attachments (armor) to become a true lord of frenzy is pretty neat. Like the lord of frenzy flame just wants to alleviate all living things of suffering. Come on guys uwu

Very cool breakdown and I didn't realize that the Abyssal woods were named after Buddhist hell. One thing I'd like to also point out are the similarities between the Frenzied flame and the gods Bacchus and Odin. Both were the oldest gods of their time and both were gods of alcohol and divine madness. In the case of Bacchus he was also the god of wine and grapes. He also was kind of an outsider among the Greek gods and likely predated them. Some even say that Bacchus came from the Egyptian Osiris, another god of wine, apparently. I could go on but I think these points, combined with your description of the Buddhist ties, are consistent with Miyazaki's tradition of telling Buddhist stories with western style characters and motiefs.

I broke my tooth a couple years ago, my pain was 10, my resistance was id guess about 2 or 3... it was almost pleasant.

Brilliant and insightful as always ❤

Thanks cuh🙏

What about the extremely Buddhist imagery of finger mother during her ultimate move?

Midra is the king in yellow in his human State

I was flirting with making this exact video for literally over a year because I noticed exactly the same themes, and people misunderstanding the frenzied flame as 'edgy nihilism' were driving me crazy, but you beat me to it. It's the coolest thing in this entire game imo- it's like a dark scary dharmic religion where enlightenment is characterized as terrifying and destructive because you're letting go of worldly attachments to the point where the world itself is left behind as we all return to a giant brahmic mega-being. I think the 'madness' is the revelation of your impermanence, your ego death, your vision of a transcendant future where the material world is shed entirely as the human race ascends to a higher plane, it's all more or less exactly the same as actual Buddhism except characterized as scary and evil instead of peaceful and liberatory, because the implications of a Buddhist view of the universe CAN be terrifying. Everything you build, love, believe, and want to protect is an ephemeral blink of an eye and the path to enlightenment can only come from accepting that and letting go of your attachment to anything and everything that exists.

In a way, marika and the hornsent were essentially having a war on death (like that of the war on drugs) or other gods in different mythology’s trying to surmount their own enviable end. So even the idea of openly discussing something that’s such a threat to them lead to their extermination, sealing, and shunned.

11:30 bro thats tenuous, the one-ness happens *during* the eye-burning in psychedelics. And all the ones I’ve used are VERY much not at all perceptually similar to burning in ANY way. Its a quickening or enhancing. Anyway interesting ideas but its gotta make the distinction between detachment and the intense attachment of living only to destroy something. Frenzy is definitely related but in many ways opposite to detachment,

Great and very insightful video 😮 ! It makes me think that Melina also gave us a similar argument/encouragement to Nanaya's "Endure" against the frenzied flame. When close to the 3 fingers Melina says : "...However ruined this world has become, however mired in torment and despair, life endures 👀. Births continue. There is beauty in that, is there not?" 🫠

Buddhism does not go into scorching the world lmao. Its about reducing suffering by acknowledging. The top comment described this

I learned Buddhism from Shinzen! I also thought that the three fingers felt like a Buddhist path. Thanks for making this video, I really enjoyed it

editing is kind of weird. but so is the discussion. great video nonetheless

I am so damn happy that games like Elden Ring have ignited a deep passion in the modern youth to search for more philosophy and spirituality. It shows how hungry people are for true paths. Awesome video my friend. Keep it up.

i cant stop listening to Midra's boss fight soundtrack. i really wish i knew latin or whatever language they are speaking.

I'm pretty sure the fingers being at the manse means Midra created the Three Fingers, either unwittingly or not. The Three Fingers were more than likely present at the manse at some point considering all the swollen grapes and the presence of the Untouchables. This also explains how Marika and the Golden Order managed to get their hands on the Three Fingers too.

I like midra as a foil to gold mask. Sun for head, doesn't explain anything, wears rags.

Albinuric video request #333

Trying to keep it classy, but most frenzy spells seem very ...eruptive. I don't think it only touches buddhism. A topic that does not come up with the focus on pain as obvious suffering is sexuality, one part of the challenges buddha faced. Constant lust is regarded as suffering, and the restriction of it just as well. Hence, the middlepath exists as a gate to possible salvation, if one desires to do so. The middlepath also offers the option to not procreate (which is why I am not a follower of that path, but that is part of it as I read it at a japanese temple). The eruptive nature of the frenzy flame is ought to be kept inside on the religious side of the frenzy flame, monktraining basically. Endulging in the frenzy flame is like a left hand path contrary to it . Its going from asceticism to an orgy and finding magical energy in that path (this is a path that actually exists on our world in the occult spectrum). The middlepath seems to be the villagers who tend to themself, not going on a war, but do erupt naturally if provoced or the restrictive relationship of Nanaya with Midra, one not in an orgiastic nature, but a loving nature, enduring the restriction, which seems like the tantric way of postponing the orgasm to rechannel that energy (like a warming stone). In a way, there is no extinguishing of the flame (of sexuality or frenzy) until it dies down on its own. But if you indulge into it too much, its madness. Its like the color yellow itself. It can be a beautiful accent, warm, life, or in its pure essence, like a scream, madness, infectious, neurotic, too full of energy for life to be harmonious. Undeniably, after darkness , the world experienced an explosion, thus life came into being, but life cannot live with this explosion. I think that is the frenzy and Miquella in a way is the contrary to it, as it is a very mellow gold, a gold of control and manipulation (fading red to pink, or the deep purple into a brighter purple).

Incredible video here. One of the best analyses of a lore concept i've seen so far. Keep up the good work! Excited to see what you do next but also don't want you to Midra out or go hollow so pace yourself as needed 🧘‍♂️✌️

😭 what’s with the editing

Thank you for approaching Midra's story and the Frenzied Flame with such high levels of care, research, and original analysis! Definitely wasn't expecting a NEURO 101 lecture and a self-help trick. I think what you've established here also lines up with why FromSoft decided to give 'Lord' Midra such graceful animations. While I LOVE the fight and the music, I can't help but think that they could've experimented more with sounds associated with Buddhist music (chants etc.) for his soundtrack, if the 'Buddha' theming is what they were aiming for. Something like slowed-down chants blended with the whale-like cries we hear in his cutscene could work. But hey, a slow waltz with the cosmic force of nihilistic tranquility actually hits really hard! If you're accepting criticism, I think some parts could be cut for brevity. We don't really need to know the different neural pathways of pain to understand how pain can be differently perceived through practice and brain plasticity. I'm sure you can also safely assume that viewers of Elden Ring theory videos have a fundamental understanding of math to know that something multiplied by 0 does not equal 1. Great work, nonetheless.

Buddhism-based religious horror is kind of a recurring theme with Miyazaki.

NO YOU DON'T GET MIDRA

Excellent video, and such an interesting idea! Keep up the good work.