Me too!! Thanks AesirAesthetics, and thanks to you too SmoughTown! I love this stuff especially because I don't play the games myself. (Long story, they're just not for me mechanically.) But I love the stories, so I'm so glad to have people like you two breaking everything down and offering your thoughts and perspectives.
I love how deeply you go into the Buddhist philosophical parallels; its something so apparent to me that I see so rarely touched on, and so rarely with as much understanding. Having them placed side by side, I can't help but to now see Midra's story as a sort of maladaption of Buddha's teachings to the world of Elden Ring, in a sort of further condemnation of Marika's removal of death. With the revelation you gave of Nanaya's connection to the moon, and thus potentially as a metaphor for enlightenment (not discounting her usual reading as a Shabriri-like emissary for the 3-fingers themselves, at least in the eyes of Midra she could be seen to represent enlightenment; a Mara in Buddha's robes perhaps) Midra himself now strikes me as very akin to the Buddha himself. Part scholar, part holy man; living in essentially a monastery somewhat removed from society; living largely just with his students, devoted to peering into the 3-poisons (frenzied flame), and every hint towards his character telling us he is doing this not out of any selfish desire for transcendence only for him but out of wanting to help society with his knowledge. And even in the face of brutal suffering, he sticks to the tenets he was taught, and simply endures it. And in our world, under the Buddha's teachings, one could argue there is sense to this. Cause your endurance will end. Even if you fail to escape the wheel and attain Nirvana here and now within this particularly suffering, this suffering will still one day end; cause you'll die. And you'll be rewarded for enduring by being reborn in a better place, where you'd have less suffering and less need to endure it. The Buddhist endurance (that would, for instant, empower a monk to sit in perfect poise while burning themself alive as activism for their community) indeed comes most from the clarity of knowing that all of this, this life and this pain, is impermanent. But then... what if that teaching is transplanted on to a world where that last point isn't necessarily true-or at least where that truth is much much much more thoroughly hidden? A world without death? To me it paints an even greater condemnation of what Marika has done. Because while there are many ways delusion can manifest, the most primordial is in the deluded misconception of the world and one's experiential substantiation in it as being permanent. It is this avidya which interweaves with the primordial fear/aversion to death, and desire/craving for some semblance of an immortal self to latch onto. And so by "succeeding" in meeting the delusional demands of those primordial poison-wrought urges, averting destined death and satiating the desire for everlasting life, Marika has also given a semblance of solidity to the otherwise hallucinatory delusion of permanence. In our world, marked by suffering, that suffering has the potential to be escaped from. There is a way out. For all its explicit boundaries, the sky is yet open, creating a path to transcend those boundaries, the binaries and order they create, and fly above their material tyranny. But in Marika's world, there is not even such way out (or at least, not as easily obtained). There is no path to transcend the material tyranny of the world's order. The sky has been sealed, and cutting off the hope of flying above and beyond it.
You never fail to impress with your astute knowledge and the depth of your scholarship when discussing From Software in-depth. As such, your contribution has been immesurable!
What first drew me to frenzy was the thought in my mind that it was a representation of a last resort to gain power over the ruling orders using the same means of seemingly mindless suffering
Superb exegesis. Regarding your note on comparing impurity and madness, I think there is a moral judgment against madness. Even if one becomes mad unwillingly, letting the madness drive you to despair is a moral failing, at least to characters like Melina. I think one of the central messages of these games is that you should persevere through suffering. No matter how bad the world is, no matter how tough the boss is, you have to find a way to keep going. Don’t go hollow, don’t give in to the Flame of Frenzy.
Awesome coverage of what underpins madness thematically in From Software's titles, Aesir, you never disappoint and always reward your viewers with a keen eye for the finer details!
@@AesirAesthetics I did! I always found the ways people go nuts in these games compelling. Sometimes they know too much, sometimes they know too little, sometimes both at the same time somehow. It was only a footnote in comparison to everything else, but I liked that parallel you drew between Seath and Gwyndolin. You touched on the symbolism of their shared moonlight affinity, but there's another thing they both share that I think has something to it: they both have obscured eyes, and thus both can't (or won't) see the world clearly. Seaths' eyes are obscured from birth, one of the many defects that drive him to madness trying to fix his material form, and make him unable to actually see the moon and enlightenment he's supposed to be tied to. Gwyndolin hides his eyes on purpose with his crown, which symbolizes his utter devotion to the dying order of the world, being wilfully blind to any alternative, so ashamed he is of his connection to moonlight that he calls it the "Dark Sun" instead. It's such tragic irony that both characters connected so deeply to the moon and enlightenment can't grasp it, be it they want it or not. If there's no hope for them, is there hope for anyone else?
Can't wait to dive in later tonight! I just replayed Sekiro and absolutely devoured your videos during the process 😅💖 so excited for this one. Cheers from Louisiana!
Was really excited for this video, the madness in Elden ring has been one of my favorite elements of the story. Loved to see how the themes appeared in other from soft games. Excellent video !!!
I’ve played a Nietzsche cosplay on Elden Ring; it was very suitable since he went a bit mad due to his brain tumor. I started with dual rot greathammers (philosopher with (tuning) hammer), then embraced the three fingers to spare the maiden and then got the golden needle into my body to suppress the frenzy. Ultimate übermensch ending. At least he got a good ending in one way this way
The yellow monk could also be a reference to the king in yellow which is pretty much the most widely accepted first occurence of cosmic/(what we call) Lovecraftian Horror NVM he said it a minute after i typed it T-T
Regarding the Sakura dragons immortality despite it's white colour: Sure it is immortal, but it is most certainly not healthy. It is missing an arm as well as multiple patches of skin and it's chest has a large hole which seems to be festering. If we take the first phase into account, where you battle the small coughing, longhorned white and the black, "horn-pruned" dragons, then it is plausible that the Sd would be the same dark colour of the not-coughing black dragons, if it wasn't sick/rotting.
@@Slender-se3mr I'm not sure that there is much more to it. I think he's just enamoured by a delusion and since the age of fire is a delusion, they chose the sun (most prominent universal symbol for fire?) as the object of his obsession. Him going to Lost Izalith might have something to do with lore, but it might also just be them showing how deluded he is that after failing on the surface, he searches for the sun underground
@@AesirAesthetics now that you mention fire, aka Izalith, maybe theres a parallel where Solaire went there out of desperation just how the flame of chaos was a pale imitation of the real thing
Interesting take on Manus, one that I do like. Manus' design also takes inspiration from the mythological Wendigo, a malevolent spirit that possess human beings and causes them to have insatiable hunger, which fits right in to the nature of Dark eating for power.
I'm starting to wonder why FromSoft puts us in opposition to Miquella in the Elden Ring DLC. And not just opposition, mandatory opposition: we are allowed to join a force so clearly abhorred by the narrative as the Frenzied Flame, but we CANNOT join Miquella's side. From the point of view of western philosophy it's clear: Miquella's order would erase free will, and free will is good, so his order would be bad. But from a Buddhist perspective, and forgive my limited understanding of their philosophy here... but isn't Miquella doing everything right? He purifies himself, casts aside all that binds him to material concerns. When his Great Rune, and the attachment to its power, gets in his way, he discards it. When his Empyrean eye, and the divine birthright linked to it, gets in his way, he discards it. When Saint Trina, the love of his life, gets in his way, he discards her. All to elevate himself above the concerns of the world, to become a being utterly devoid of desire, worthy of being the god of the new age. Why is he the bad guy, then? Is it because he's too obsessed with the sins of the Golden Order? Is it because he still fails to grasp true enlightenment? Is it because, even after discarding everything, he still desires Radahn as his consort? Or is it something far more cynical? That the guidance of Grace points us to Miquella because Marika directs that guidance, and she doesn't want Miquella to attain godhood? And we tarnished are nothing more than puppets enacting her plans? I would love to hear the opinion of someone more versed in Buddhist beliefs than me!
One possible answer is that unlike Ranni, Miquella is still obsessed with controlling this world. Achieving enlightenment is always signified in Fromsoftware games by a departure. In Bloodborne, the Hunter attains enlightenment by departing from Yharnum and becoming an infant Great One in the Hunter’s Dream, for example. But I also think it is possible to over-read Buddhism into Fromsoftware’s work. It’s definitely there, but there are other values at work that don’t always neatly line up with Buddhism.
Sorry work, new Aesir vid dropped. You can wait. "What would you call someone who did that, who accused others specifically to birth pain and madness within them?" Here in the United States, I that kind of person is called a Republican.
![Enlightenment • Themes of From Software [2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/a8slVukCYL4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Enlightenment • Themes of From Software [2]](/img/tr.png)
![Kegare • Themes of From Software [1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/H4wI5ffJGbA/mqdefault.jpg)
Been looking forward to this mate - thanks for all the amazing content
Me too!! Thanks AesirAesthetics, and thanks to you too SmoughTown! I love this stuff especially because I don't play the games myself. (Long story, they're just not for me mechanically.) But I love the stories, so I'm so glad to have people like you two breaking everything down and offering your thoughts and perspectives.
Whenever I see that some of my GOATs are friends it always warms my heart 💖🔥
Love both u lore dawgs
It's funny because you're the opposite to him.
You go for a quantity instead of quality approach, while Aesr goes for quality instead of quantity.
@@user-zp8kj2cl9g I think his production values are leagues beyond mine :)
I love how deeply you go into the Buddhist philosophical parallels; its something so apparent to me that I see so rarely touched on, and so rarely with as much understanding.
Having them placed side by side, I can't help but to now see Midra's story as a sort of maladaption of Buddha's teachings to the world of Elden Ring, in a sort of further condemnation of Marika's removal of death.
With the revelation you gave of Nanaya's connection to the moon, and thus potentially as a metaphor for enlightenment (not discounting her usual reading as a Shabriri-like emissary for the 3-fingers themselves, at least in the eyes of Midra she could be seen to represent enlightenment; a Mara in Buddha's robes perhaps) Midra himself now strikes me as very akin to the Buddha himself. Part scholar, part holy man; living in essentially a monastery somewhat removed from society; living largely just with his students, devoted to peering into the 3-poisons (frenzied flame), and every hint towards his character telling us he is doing this not out of any selfish desire for transcendence only for him but out of wanting to help society with his knowledge. And even in the face of brutal suffering, he sticks to the tenets he was taught, and simply endures it.
And in our world, under the Buddha's teachings, one could argue there is sense to this. Cause your endurance will end. Even if you fail to escape the wheel and attain Nirvana here and now within this particularly suffering, this suffering will still one day end; cause you'll die. And you'll be rewarded for enduring by being reborn in a better place, where you'd have less suffering and less need to endure it. The Buddhist endurance (that would, for instant, empower a monk to sit in perfect poise while burning themself alive as activism for their community) indeed comes most from the clarity of knowing that all of this, this life and this pain, is impermanent.
But then... what if that teaching is transplanted on to a world where that last point isn't necessarily true-or at least where that truth is much much much more thoroughly hidden? A world without death? To me it paints an even greater condemnation of what Marika has done. Because while there are many ways delusion can manifest, the most primordial is in the deluded misconception of the world and one's experiential substantiation in it as being permanent. It is this avidya which interweaves with the primordial fear/aversion to death, and desire/craving for some semblance of an immortal self to latch onto.
And so by "succeeding" in meeting the delusional demands of those primordial poison-wrought urges, averting destined death and satiating the desire for everlasting life, Marika has also given a semblance of solidity to the otherwise hallucinatory delusion of permanence.
In our world, marked by suffering, that suffering has the potential to be escaped from. There is a way out. For all its explicit boundaries, the sky is yet open, creating a path to transcend those boundaries, the binaries and order they create, and fly above their material tyranny.
But in Marika's world, there is not even such way out (or at least, not as easily obtained). There is no path to transcend the material tyranny of the world's order. The sky has been sealed, and cutting off the hope of flying above and beyond it.
:)
Madness enjoyers eating good today
Grapes for everyone!
Make us one
You never fail to impress with your astute knowledge and the depth of your scholarship when discussing From Software in-depth. As such, your contribution has been immesurable!
What first drew me to frenzy was the thought in my mind that it was a representation of a last resort to gain power over the ruling orders using the same means of seemingly mindless suffering
The best aspect of ER, handled and discussed by one of the best. This one's good.
🫀🙂
This is also my favorite video in the series thus far! And we're getting 2 more? Now that's exciting.
@@jmh8817 my favourite too.
I only have the scripts for episode 4 and 5 ready so I cant say for sure but I have a feeling Madness will be my favourite
Excellent. I've been looking forward to this one. The precious episode that mentioned Bloodborne really helped solidify some ideas about BB
Fantastic video, opens up my mind a lot in a contextualized, condensed manner I really needed to hear to grasp how Buddhism mixed into Fromsoft games.
Superb exegesis. Regarding your note on comparing impurity and madness, I think there is a moral judgment against madness. Even if one becomes mad unwillingly, letting the madness drive you to despair is a moral failing, at least to characters like Melina.
I think one of the central messages of these games is that you should persevere through suffering. No matter how bad the world is, no matter how tough the boss is, you have to find a way to keep going. Don’t go hollow, don’t give in to the Flame of Frenzy.
Amazing video, the sheer amount of work that went into this is outstanding.
Awesome coverage of what underpins madness thematically in From Software's titles, Aesir, you never disappoint and always reward your viewers with a keen eye for the finer details!
Great video. Not many can put this level of detail and earnest interest in a work. Can't wait for pt 4
The last 2 were great, but this is the one I'd been waiting for. May chaos take the world!
Hope you enjoy?
@@AesirAesthetics I did! I always found the ways people go nuts in these games compelling. Sometimes they know too much, sometimes they know too little, sometimes both at the same time somehow. It was only a footnote in comparison to everything else, but I liked that parallel you drew between Seath and Gwyndolin. You touched on the symbolism of their shared moonlight affinity, but there's another thing they both share that I think has something to it: they both have obscured eyes, and thus both can't (or won't) see the world clearly. Seaths' eyes are obscured from birth, one of the many defects that drive him to madness trying to fix his material form, and make him unable to actually see the moon and enlightenment he's supposed to be tied to. Gwyndolin hides his eyes on purpose with his crown, which symbolizes his utter devotion to the dying order of the world, being wilfully blind to any alternative, so ashamed he is of his connection to moonlight that he calls it the "Dark Sun" instead. It's such tragic irony that both characters connected so deeply to the moon and enlightenment can't grasp it, be it they want it or not. If there's no hope for them, is there hope for anyone else?
Can't wait to dive in later tonight! I just replayed Sekiro and absolutely devoured your videos during the process 😅💖 so excited for this one. Cheers from Louisiana!
Was really excited for this video, the madness in Elden ring has been one of my favorite elements of the story. Loved to see how the themes appeared in other from soft games. Excellent video !!!
Haven't played Elden Ring yet, not being able to watch these vids is killing me.
@@JuliusCaesar103 ;-;
Aesir this series of videos are truly incredible.
Keep up the great work king!
@@3l_Raro thank you fren :)
2 videos left :)
This video is maddening.
I love the Frenzied Flame and its ost.
May Aesir Aestheticise the world! Thank you!
I’ve played a Nietzsche cosplay on Elden Ring; it was very suitable since he went a bit mad due to his brain tumor. I started with dual rot greathammers (philosopher with (tuning) hammer), then embraced the three fingers to spare the maiden and then got the golden needle into my body to suppress the frenzy. Ultimate übermensch ending. At least he got a good ending in one way this way
Great video
Madness is a theme that fits prefectly with Souls because I sure get mad playing the games sometimes am I right fellas? 😂😂😂
Sent here by Smough, let us feast on the madness
Smough is the best :)
The yellow monk could also be a reference to the king in yellow which is pretty much the most widely accepted first occurence of cosmic/(what we call) Lovecraftian Horror NVM he said it a minute after i typed it T-T
Regarding the Sakura dragons immortality despite it's white colour:
Sure it is immortal, but it is most certainly not healthy. It is missing an arm as well as multiple patches of skin and it's chest has a large hole which seems to be festering. If we take the first phase into account, where you battle the small coughing, longhorned white and the black, "horn-pruned" dragons, then it is plausible that the Sd would be the same dark colour of the not-coughing black dragons, if it wasn't sick/rotting.
I guess you can say the frenzy flame was a 'mad' man
LET CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD
MADNESS!
YEEAAAAAAASSSSS
@@GrimmWitchands enjoy
@AesirAesthetics thank you.
The second one about the illumination inspired me to create a new character in elden ring: "The Moonless Scholar"
Is there any meaning behind Solaire finding his own sun in the sunlight maggot?
Delusion.
He is tricked by the firelinking lie and instead if waking up he adopts a maggot on his head and goes mad
@@AesirAesthetics but what did finding "his own sun" mean? And why is he looking for it in lost Izalith
@@Slender-se3mr I'm not sure that there is much more to it.
I think he's just enamoured by a delusion and since the age of fire is a delusion, they chose the sun (most prominent universal symbol for fire?) as the object of his obsession.
Him going to Lost Izalith might have something to do with lore, but it might also just be them showing how deluded he is that after failing on the surface, he searches for the sun underground
@@AesirAesthetics now that you mention fire, aka Izalith, maybe theres a parallel where Solaire went there out of desperation just how the flame of chaos was a pale imitation of the real thing
@@Slender-se3mr oh yeah! i like that reading!
That has to be the worst Lansseax fight I've ever seen
I’m happy I wasn’t the only one thinking that. It was actually distracting me from what was being said lol.
Yeah! I was wondering how anyone could fail to dodge the same lightning slam attack over and over and over again
Interesting take on Manus, one that I do like. Manus' design also takes inspiration from the mythological Wendigo, a malevolent spirit that possess human beings and causes them to have insatiable hunger, which fits right in to the nature of Dark eating for power.
I'm starting to wonder why FromSoft puts us in opposition to Miquella in the Elden Ring DLC. And not just opposition, mandatory opposition: we are allowed to join a force so clearly abhorred by the narrative as the Frenzied Flame, but we CANNOT join Miquella's side.
From the point of view of western philosophy it's clear: Miquella's order would erase free will, and free will is good, so his order would be bad. But from a Buddhist perspective, and forgive my limited understanding of their philosophy here... but isn't Miquella doing everything right?
He purifies himself, casts aside all that binds him to material concerns. When his Great Rune, and the attachment to its power, gets in his way, he discards it. When his Empyrean eye, and the divine birthright linked to it, gets in his way, he discards it. When Saint Trina, the love of his life, gets in his way, he discards her.
All to elevate himself above the concerns of the world, to become a being utterly devoid of desire, worthy of being the god of the new age.
Why is he the bad guy, then?
Is it because he's too obsessed with the sins of the Golden Order? Is it because he still fails to grasp true enlightenment? Is it because, even after discarding everything, he still desires Radahn as his consort?
Or is it something far more cynical? That the guidance of Grace points us to Miquella because Marika directs that guidance, and she doesn't want Miquella to attain godhood? And we tarnished are nothing more than puppets enacting her plans?
I would love to hear the opinion of someone more versed in Buddhist beliefs than me!
One possible answer is that unlike Ranni, Miquella is still obsessed with controlling this world. Achieving enlightenment is always signified in Fromsoftware games by a departure. In Bloodborne, the Hunter attains enlightenment by departing from Yharnum and becoming an infant Great One in the Hunter’s Dream, for example.
But I also think it is possible to over-read Buddhism into Fromsoftware’s work. It’s definitely there, but there are other values at work that don’t always neatly line up with Buddhism.
Uncle A, you made a video about me!! 🤡🤪🎉
Lol jks. Much love sir, thank you for your time once again 🌞
@@madmorgo6233 hope you enjoy :)
Aesir, I can never place your accent. Where are you from?
I think he said he’s Icelandic but don’t quote me
FS really embracing the madness with the battle royale. Really cashing in those soul packets they have been collecting. Heartbreaking.
Just use Muira's work: Berserk. That's all Miyazaki's work anyways, just several iterations of Berserk.
The buddha was the og troll
@@QuantumTelephone 🪷🧌
Sorry work, new Aesir vid dropped. You can wait.
"What would you call someone who did that, who accused others specifically to birth pain and madness within them?" Here in the United States, I that kind of person is called a Republican.
Vyke is the best wasted character in elden ring
who up aesing their aesthetic