What would you like us to look at next? Thank you for watching! Let us know how you think Midra's story went. Did it change how you see the Frenzy ending?
It would be so cool if you took a deep dive into all those tree/spiral head statues and depictions you can find all over the storehouse and belurat, I think there are some big suggestions to ho he/she might be since the little plaques and statues of him appear all over the dlc.
@@halcyon62277 I think it is. She is clutching her poleblade of the bud in the trailer, and the description of the says she clutched it in her burning church, which fits what we see in the trailer also.
I just realised the frenzied flame being able to permanently kill torrent was already shown in the main game. If you acquired the flame before burning Melina and thereby sparing her she’s seen in the flame ending cutscene picking up torrents burnt whistle which implies he died
My reading of Nanaya's "endure" a bit different. I think its worthwhile to note that Melina, in attempting to convince you to not interact with the three fingers, states "However ruined this world has become, however mired in torment and despair, life endures." Drawing the connection between these statements (which I think Fromsoft intends since there are any other word choices one could use), it seems Nanaya's endure is meant to push Midra to not give into the frenzied flame and endure the hornsent punishment so life can continue. To me, it seems to better explain why Midra apologizes before giving into the frenzied flame.
@@austinlanger4767 Fair, but I still think it's reasonable for Nanaya to gently cradle her child even if they were afflicted from an external curse (an interesting contrast form Marika perhaps?). She can still love and care for her child despite the frenzied flame
my favorite part of midras fight is the pure ECTASY he feels you see it in his body language the flame of frenzy rewards its lord with pure bliss as well as relief and THAT is as equally terrifying as miquellas own mind control power because it justifies the lord of chaos in his actions as if to say "if only all could experience this and burn away in pure bliss in joy knowing all pain will end." even the tarnished moves like this as the lord of chaos
The revelation of the fingers and eggs hidden under those blankets was absolutely astounding. I haven’t seen anyone notice that yet. Well done! I really like your reading of why Midra was damned.
I did the Frenzy ending my first playthrough due to how overwhelmingly vague and mysterious it was compared to the other options at the time. Very high on my wishlist for things to see in the DLC was more flame of frenzy, and From absolutely killed it. My only disappointment was a lack of some Frenzy weapon arts, something more to use for a build than just Vyke's.
@Kolsev if you're on pc, the convergence mod gives a ton of pathways to choose from and I did a run as a "frenzied zealot" . New weapons, AoWs, incantations etc just for frenzy alone. It was awesome
If Nanaya was a shaman, it would make sense indeed that she took the eggs from the ruins neighbor to her village. Maybe trying to follow the footsteps of another shaman believed to have dwelled in the same ruins and conversing with the Fingers. The initial purpose wasn't to summon the Frenzied Flame, maybe she just wanted to escape the persecution suffered by her people. But the persecution she fled, along with the loss of her child, drove her to accept the Frenzied Flame in their realm. Either this, or she already came in with the intention of burning everything to the ground, due to the Hornsent putting the Shaman in pots deal.
Nanaya's Torch description implies she comes from a different place and she tried before to create a Lord of Frenzied Flame but failed to do so, everything point out to Nanaya being behind Midra's fall
@@ITBEurgava There is a great theory that Midra and Nanaya are in fact Marika's parents: Count Ymir specifically points to Marika's bloodline as 'Mired in Madness' (who is the only Mad Sage in the Land of Shadow?). Nanaya of course looks very similar to Marika, the names match up, if Nanaya is a Shaman of course Marika is and so we add more grudges to against the Hornsent as well. And, of course, the sole thing we know Nanaya said: "Endure". I can only think of one other person who says something similar related to the Frenzied Flame: Melina, Marika's daughter, says "life endures" when talking about how the world deserves better than Frenzy.
@rakshithanand8262 both Midra and Marika are both similar as they endured something within them for a very long time, the Flame of Frenzy and the Elden Ring respectively. Makes me think that Gold is but the Flame of Frenzy realized and gentler in hand.
The Frenzy of Elden Ring is one of my favorite aspects of the world. The loss of hope ignites a flame that can threaten the whole of creation, but kindness can still quell it, as long as there is enough strength behind it. Strength that does not need to lie within just one soul.
Kindness does nothing but propagate the gap between those without and those with. Better to burn everything into one, and wipe away all pain than let some have the privilege of kindness while others are pushed further into their despair.
@@Adminium21 you sound like a 12 year old that just learned what nihilism is. that makes 0 sense as power in its myriad forms does so much more to create disparity and suffering than kindness of all things lol. maybe google kindness or something. your comment straight up is just some vapid crap you thought sounded good in your head
It was interlinked with st. Trinas slumberfog quest line, which was abandoned too, so my best guess is that they rather cut 2 quests than leaving one half on it's lonesome.
@@boneman-calciumenjoyer8290 that's another quest i believe. If i'm not mistaken the merchants had 3 quests that were cut : one associated with a cut God of vengeance, another with st trina where she helps them sleep by teaching them the tune they play , and the last one where you help kalé find the caravan ( which was the most finished )
Listen, im no musician, but i have two cents i wanna give on Midra's theme: Iirc somewhere in the lore we are told that the song the merchants play in the catacombs is a lullaby taught by st trina to help them resist the call of the frenzied flame (citation needed) so i like the idea that the motiff of the song in Midra's theme might be showing that, even in his lord of frenzy state, hes still in there, resisting as best he can
@@weskintime4177 I hate how some cut content can explain things, but it's cut content, so we can't use it! ARRRRRGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGH! Why did they have to keep it in the game files!!
Or, alternatively, It shows how he aimed to ease the frenzy by listening to or playing the song, but instead succumbed to it completely. Which is invoked by the clear dissonance the tune creates through the piece when its played. I think though, from a realistic standpoint, that the theme was tied to frenzy in the base game, so it should be used when fighting a frenzied lord as well
@@dogemaester This makes me think that there may be some "cut" content that was fully removed from the game all together, and keeping some of the files in the full game file of cut content is a way to show people who deep dive into them "hey, there is some lore stuff here we weren't able to fully integrate into the game (for miscellaneous reasons), but its probably still interesting to you, so here you go."
@@weskintime4177 I don't think that just because it was cut content it shouldn't apply to the lore in some way. All of the lore was already created prior to the games creation by George R. R. Martin, so id think that the cut questlines wasn't due to them not wanting to include the lore into the game, but rather that they couldn't either complete it on time, find a way to integrate it into the game smoothly, ect
I’m so happy you’ve made the point to associate the fingerprint-laden stone finger ruins with frenzy, and the ones visible from the hinterlands no less. I hope there’s enough connective tissue here for another video exploring exactly what horror (and madness) these ruins represent and their influence on the story of the Lands Between.
Potentially interesting to note about Torrent and the Flame of Frenzy When you become the lord of Frenzy, you leave Torrent behind as he crys out for Melina.
Isn't even more implied? I always assumed we actually killed torrent in the lord of frenzy ending, as the whistle burns away in Melina's hands. This also seems to be just reinforced with his behaviour in the Abyssal Woods now.
@@dshearwf If he's scared of frenzy, why doesn't he disappear whenever there's any frenzy enemy? It'd be more consistentI think its a mistake in continuity tbh
@kayhaich Because gameplay wise it doesn't do much. Making torrent useless at the sight of certain enemies is just annoying. Encountering the occasional Frenzy flame enemy rat and encountering an entire area dedicated to Frenzy are two different things. Torrent's fear would be justified in the abyssal woods
@@kayhaich Again, cognitive dissonance. You can't kill torrent permanently because it's unnecessary for the gameplay. Destined Death canonically has the power to kill tarnished permanently, so should your game end if you're hit by maliketh even once 😭
The Mesopotamian goddess Nanaya is depicted as a goddess of love (especially the sensuality around it) and protector of lovers, with an emphasis on the rejected and betrayed. A relationship with her was also seen as an aspect of true kingship. I think this lines up pretty well with the idea that she's an agent of chaos, considering it's emphasis on the downtrodden, as well as the consistent manipulation from Chaos around young women and love.
Makes me wonder if the torch she has used to be a lover of hers, who failed to become a lord of frenzy. Perhaps after seeing him go through what he did to end up as a lord of frenzy candidate she decided that flame should take the world. However, knew she didn’t have the strength to do it herself
@@salahad-din9168love is indeed an incredibly powerful force, and the destruction/loss of one you love can be just as powerful. After all, what’s more dangerous than someone with nothing to lose?
The fact that we didn't get Midra's yellow cloak as an armor piece from his remembrance is criminal. We still have no proper frenzied drip aside from Vyke's armor.
Agreed I hope they do or something else in the future that boosts madness incantations (not that they need it lol) but it would be amazing as I love madness the most in all of fromsoft games
it’s interesting that the flame of frenzy usually seeks out the good, kindly, innocent and just as well as those suffering loss to take advantage of and turn to their cause. Edgar & irina Vyke & his maiden Midra & nanaya The tarnished & Melina It uses our love of another to claw its way into us. Its penchant for corrupting the things we love is evil in itself.
I am fairly certain Nanaya's torch isn't her child, but rather exactly what it says on the tin- a spine used to keep an ember from a previous, failed Lord of Frenzied Flame. It's this item which leads me to believe Nanaya came to Midra's Manse explicitly to lead him down that path. It's possible that every moment of Midra's life since he met Nanaya was carefully orchestrated to give him something to lose, such that when he lost everything, it would drive him deep enough to disavow all creation.
But why did she tell him to endure? If she wanted him to break, to burn it all, why must he continue? He apologises to her as he frees the flame; why, if that was what she wanted?
I think those bodies in front of the Manse are other Hornsent victims of the Inquisitors. During the Midra cutscene, he bends over in a way that makes him look exactly like the bodies in front. Out of their heads, you see other "swords of damnation"
Yup, they are bound and cleanly killed where they were left and the gold implements are just lesser variations of the one Midra was inflicted with (which has some interesting lore in the original greatsword desc, before it was shortened in an update), which was said to have been saved for the most direst of purposes. They were definitely left as a message.
seeing midra pulling the stake out of his body and it's piercers wrapping around forming a golden needle was an immense oh shit moment in my first run of the dlc. both possibilities that either miquella developed his needle independently or based upon the hornsent knowledge are really interesting considering that three fingers are basically an ancient cancer that sprung from already diseased finger mother... anyway midra's manse was an immensely cool and spooky silent hill-esque location and i am extremely hyped about your video on this topic!
@KaliTakumi lands of shadow not only contain finger ruins, but also host metyr, mother of fingers. midra's manse has fossilised, but hatched fingers and eggs (like in finger ruins), hidden away behind a painting. furthermore, midra has yellowish burns on his body, wrapped around in a similar manner to three finger's embrace, although much thinner. my guess is therefore that one of the eggs brought from finger ruins to midra's manse was containing three fingers, who embraced midra and corrupted the abyssal woods. this is a speculation hence there is no direct evidence of this exact course of events, but the forensic evidence we have on hands suggests that three fingers were probably existing way before marika became a goddess and before the genocide of the merchants. remember, merchants were accused of worshipping the three fingers, hence the knowledge about their existence was already there when shabriri made his blood libel
@@sir.morrismetyr’s remembrance description specifically describes her as mother to all TWO fingers, though. I think either the three fingers were the result of some sort of experiment, possibly by nanaya? or they have their own, primordial origins, but i dont think they came from metyr necessarily
@@MonoFlax while this is true that she is the mother of two fingers, she and all the fingers are broken and diseased, and always have been. three fingers in my opinion are like a teratoma - a rare tumorous birth defect. these fingers were not aligned to the greater will, but came with their own code - endlessly fester and reproduce, reduce the world to a primordial, undifferentiated soup, like cancer cells do. that's why they are immortal, and almost any creature can succumb to frenzy - yet again, like how cancer cells are immortal and how normal cells can become cancerous under different circumstances. but hey, in the end that's just my interpretation!
Insanely underrated voice lines. This DLC has too many banger one liners. The exasperation, but defiance and despair, but rage in those few lines. His line about the depths of your foolishness are also straight classics
I think, much like Vyke, Midra did it to protect or honor his maiden. Her memory, her slumber, the "torch" she still holds, he did it for her and the tarnished showing up with their murder hobo looting mentality, ignoring his warnings, was the final egregious act that he refused to endure.
Him exasperatedly crying out “The *depths* of your foolishness!” as he sees you makes even more sense, now. We basically just removed the screwdriver from the Demon Core.
i cant get enough of his soundtrack and just the boss himself, madness has always been my favorite lore wise and getting to fight a lord of frenzied flame was amazing to say the least
Two peas in a rotten pod, indeed. Not just in Elden Ring, but IRL, too. When sorrow and anguish reach such a horrendous point, all you can really do is scream.
i think that the spinal cord was midra’s. In the minute 17:09 you can see clearly the scar on midra’s back and that part of his column was removed, besides when he pull the sword it seems that he hans no bone in his neck whatsoever
He is standing up, visibly has a spine, he has scars that go horizontally across his back, and the spike goes through the front, just under ribcage, the spine is 'Small', not 'a section of spine' and midra is tall af, his spine is huge
Looking more closely at the portrait of Midra and Nanaya... Nanaya's robes and hood seem to identify her more as a member of the clergy. The pained, stoic expression on Midra's face compared to Nanaya's serenity. The faint, almost mocking upturned corner of her mouth. It makes one wonder.
When I first saw the barbs I did wonder if maybe these things inspired Miquella’s needles in some way given that they seem to do the same sort of thing. Maybe Marika told him about the practice and he went and refined it in his unalloyed gold way?
What great interpretation piece. Well worded, richly detailed, the reasoning is not too far fetched a nicely documented with the connected ingame items, softly spoken and generally nice to watch and get enthralled by ER Lore. Great stuff, will watch again.
Nanaya's word "endure" implies that it is the final ingredient for someone to become a frenzied flame lord. Midra and Nanaya must develop trust even in bitter times. Nanaya's word is a curse for Midra as she takes advantage of his kind nature and involvement to such nature. Breaking her trust in him to endure may have failed her in a surface extent, but it will fulfill her goal in a deeper level.
Thinking about how either the frenzy touched player or Melina burn the erdtree, it makes me think of Mesmer and his flame. He and Melina likely were both born with some cursed flame within them, being the base serpent and whatever the being the gloam-eyed queen might entail.
@@rozmarinideas5340 The black fire only lost it's color (or became black and white) after GEQ got murdered by Maliketh. Considering that the game is absolutely filled with references to death and killing in exactly red or blue mostly and two flames associated with death, those being the blue ghostflame leaning into intelligence and red destined death leaning into faith, respectively. That and the very few and selected sources referencing to the original state of it being violet (grave violets, the ferrymen), which happily coincides as the combination of the separated red and blue colors and even further, Melina's eyes. All of this is a long recount of the idea that the original death and GEQ's flames are violet.
If Nanaya or Midra harbored the frenzied flame, it would make sense that their child would die as frenzy denies these births. I think it was another way for Nanaya to push Midra over the edge to become the Lord of Frenzied Flame since in order to burn away the suffering of the world, he must have first needed to experience it. I also don’t believe that the torch is their child, but just another failed lord of frenzied flame that was manipulated by Nanaya.
making you wander through the haunted woods scared of the patrolling enemies and feeling tiny and vulnerable for 20+ minutes is so genius and sets the mood for this boss better than any other (besides maybe raya lucaria)
Nanaya reminds me alot of the shards of manus in the ds2 dlcs. Coming to a peaceful kingdom to corrupt it. Nanaya was probably some poor women who died a horrible death and was taken over by the frenzy. Similar to irina. She then comes to the manse and decides to make midra a lord and become his finger maiden
this was so sick. beyond swag this went so hard, to choose between eternal suffering or to be the cause of a silent apocalypse. the perspective of the abyssal woods being what the world would be like in an age of frenzy, it really makes u think about the ending you can get in the base game
6:46 The locations of the Aging Untouchables. This is the only help that I could find to figure out how many of those guys there are and where they were, thank you.
I really like the angle that nanaya and midra were kind, in the sword of truth saga the torturesses of the evil overlord darken rahl are chosen in their childhood, only the most kind are chosen
I'm so glad you showed the contrast between the pictures in the Manse and what it looks like currently, I was actually going to make a small video on that last week but changed my mind.
On Frenzy Lord ending, Melina put her hand on Torrent Ring, we believed he died, but probably cut the connection to the server and go away from Lands Between
Just wanted to say i love the soundtracks u use on these lore videos... wc3 human ost almost brought tear to my eyes, so nostalgic! Thx for the amazing content as always.
So i have a theory , we know in the base game shabriri lied about thd caravan worshippinh the three fingers , then the golden order imprisoned them underground and in their despair they started worshipping the frenzy . What if shabriri or another agent of chaos like him saw that midra was researching frenzy and trying to help people then lied about it to the hornsent saying he was trying to worship it or become its lord , then they come in , murder everyone , burn the library and possibly killing his child , filling midra with such despair that in a moment of weakness he uncharacteristically wishes for the flame of frenzy to end all existence before being impaled . This same motivation could work for nanaya as well , where after these events she would push midra to be the frenzied lord while he thinks she's comforting him
Bravo! 🎉 this was one of the most impressive lore videos I’ve ever seen! I spent this afternoon tackling the abyssal woods and Midra’s Manse today. Midra is in my top 5 Fromsoft boss fights of all time and this was truly a treat to top off the day. Keep up the amazing work!
Note on the lite motif, the song the nomadic merchants play is given to them by Saint Trina to help them endure the flame of frenzy and find rest even in its madness. The way this lullaby is cut off part way through shows the abandonment of chosen comfort and embracing of chaos in my opinion
If nanaya was a Numen from the shamen village , like Marika, it could make sense that she is attempting to be a finger maiden of the frenzied flame (or something of the sort). Thus she chose Midra as her candidate for a Lord.
the part of the children is interesting, as it feels like nanaya maybe tried to brith new fingers, perhaps even the three fingers we meet were born of her, but something I noticed was there are three very small finger marks on midra, as if he was grabbed by the three fingers but they were really small. I found this odd since we've seen each person afflicted by madness with the large theee fingerprints, but midra, who i imagined had to have such mark didn't seem to until i saw there were much smaller versions of the same burns. Did they actually create the three fingers??
Interesting, because we find the Three Fingers in an area populated with the merchants and Omens. It seems omen blood can help transport beings to the land of shadow, so what if the Three found a "back door" so to speak, and could manifest in the Lands Between when enough frenzied and omen beings congregated on the other side.
I think Metyr gave birth to the Three Fingers, which was smaller at the time since it was just a child; and it drifted, or were brought to, the Abyssal Woods where they spread their frenzy. Eventually embracing Midra of course.
27:48 The description implies that the spine belonged to a “man,” so I can’t imagine it’s a child’s backbone. It’s either Midra’s or her previous candidate for the LoFF’s spine.
Something to note is that agents of the frenzy flame typically operate in the bodies of those who died in despair, what if nanaya in a difficult birth dies as she gives birth, and an agent of the 3 fingers takes her body. Assuming she plays her role well, she could drive the discord that envelops the surrounding woods, and cause the inquisition to strike. In the turmoil of the invasion, she has the chance to use nanaya’s child as a vessel of a failed lord, secluding herself and ripping out its spine to mount the flickering flame upon it. It would also explain the desire to drive midra’s suffering under the guise of kindness, to enkindle a true lord of frenzy, devoid of access to the three fingers
He wasn’t weak in power but in body and belief and because he wouldn’t let the Frenzy take full control until our boss fight. True Frenzy can burn the soul and spirits just like d destin death and the spectral steed is a spirit
Insanely well done video, all of this lore is too easy to miss when playing, and yet all of the pieces that I saw in game tell the full story when you connect them
Insightful as always. I'm glad I'm not the only one who can sense the glee in Midra's phase 2 movements. When he turns around in the cutscene, I swear I can feel a smile emanating from within that frenzied void of fire. Also, love the use of Alice: Madness Returns Vale of Tears music.
Phenomenal video and content. Midra’s story is indeed haunting. For that same reason I find myself visiting the Manse often and imagining the events unfolding as I walk through the halls. Thank you.
That's all well and good Except for the part where if you enter the manse or met Midra face to face after offering yourself to the Three Finger (which I did), the exact same thing happens I would have liked that some unique dialog would pop up, like "YOU embraced the madness? The frenzied flame? Willingly?" Then the context of your fight would be vastly different, something like "there can be only ONE Lord of Frenzied Flame"
omg i didn't know that part about the goat spreading frenzy through bleating. little details like this are always so fascinating to me. it shows the devs put a lot of care into making the world feel more immersive and encourage exploration.
Thank you for your amazing work. One of my all time favorite videos on youtube is Ash Lake, Havel, and the Plot against the Gods thats so long ago isnt it? Continue to rock mate!
Just noticing that the "When he thrust his staff in my face, I brushed it aside" from the torn diary page is telling us that we can parry the aged ones to kill them. EDIT: wow I really paused the video the exact moment before he says this
I didn't fight Midra. I couldn't think of any justifiable reason to disrupt his sealing of the Frenzied Flame, especially when he desperately wanted me *not* to. I explored right up to his room and turned back.
Wouldn’t the best option be to kill the potential Lord of Frenzied Flame rather than keeping it dormant and ready to take control of Midra at a moment’s notice?
@@samk522it's a really cool fight, I highly recommend it. Plus the sword is fun to use. I do agree with the other commentor that the right thing to do is to end his pointless suffering. He does not need to be the one to hold back the frenzied flame. He's done enough and deserves rest. Free him from his cruel fate and honor his memory!
I always considered the golden thing protruding from the neck of the bodies as the same thing as midra sword, "planted" by the hornsent to prevent new madness to spread but the fact that the numbers are almost the same is interesting
I didn't start my 2nd play through after I got the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending and played through the DLC with this character. I would have absolutely loved if there was some reference to you being the Lord of FF upon entering the manse, but sadly nothing happened.
Just letting you know, this video didn't show up among the videos of channels I subscribed too. Other than that, I was waiting for a video on Midra! Thank you!
I knew it! The Three Fingers first made their appearance in the Abyssal Woods and Midra must have inherited their flame then. Does that mean he has been suffering longer than the nomadic merchants?
I think it's the other way around. Midra and Nanaya brought remnants of the Finger Ruins to the Manor to research them, ultimately to try to save their baby, who was marked by the Flame.
The Lord of Frenzy is that who is willing to reject life entirely rather than just his own. It is imperative that the Lord of Frenzy is never allowed to exist because he is in direct opposition to everyone else and their goals for the future. Frenzy could be likened to nuclear destruction, really, with the Lord being the one with his finger on the button.
Hey Hawkshaw, I thoroughly enjoy the lore perspectives that you and several other prominent lore content creators posit. The similarities, differences and concepts. As a schollar of the lore if you will, I've realised that Elden Ring is essentially a tradgedy not of a family fued, thirsting alien gods or the attempt at restoration of a broken world (though it is each of these). Rather, at its core Elden Ring is a story of the many ways Love is expressed unsustainably... I came to this realisation following my divorce. Picking up the game again just in time for the DLC I set out to make a character who would be the heir of Mirais. Where Malenia had ceased resisting her personal turmoil and become a monster, Mirais (as guided by me) would have to vanquish the metaphorical personification of his love...an act of letting go. Okay so if you're still reading, on this journey I discovered that Marika sought to do away with the bestial yet natural, erratic births of the Great Tree which preceeded the Erd. This due to her first consort Godfrey siring omen children. Next she breeds with her alter-ego Radagon in a representation of royal inbreding of antiquity. This invites defective offspring such as Malenia with her scarlet rot. Then as Radagon It had a political union with Rennala (perhaps as an experiment?). In anycase this ends in divorce and more incomplete offspring. In each case I find the common theme to be the failed producing of suitable progeny. The pursuit to fix what may well have never been broken (the Crucible) plunged Marika into a despair which caused her to shatter the Elden Ring before her children, as varied in world view and motive as they are in form to fight over the remnants to their own ends without any succeeding. If only those star gods hadn't come and given that lowly shaman woman the capability of a god.
I haven't heard you mention this directly, but by the finger ruins near the cerulean coast, there's a hut called "Finger Weaver's hut", or something like that, which I think contains a frenzied cookbook and some frenzied enemies. I'm not 100% about the details, since it has been a while. Might have been Nanaya's origin?
My belief is that Nanaya once tutored another into becoming a lord of frenzied flame elsewhere, that is the origin of the torch. It leaves open the mystery of their child but I honestly don’t mind or think it’s worth digging into. Because they mention a distant land, and the fact that they use the word man as well, just doesn’t tell me “this is a baby’s spine” it tells me she’s tried doing this before.
Here is my headcanon: Nanaya was a finger maiden; but one for the three fingers. But as Midra was guided by her, he soon became so enraptured in her that he was devout. And Midra had never done anything to obtain the strength of a lord, so he was never going to achieve this. Nanaya told him to "endure" meaning to endure the endless pain. Allowing the FF to fester throughout the land, while he continued his suffering. I enjoy this idea, since it makes Midra a really interesting character, since he was able to go through infinite pain for the sake of love. It also gives some more connection to the FF outer god. We only become the Lord of Frenzied Flame, once we burn the urdtdee; so Midra endured pain on such a scale that they were of equal greatness.
“The beauty of the world is safe… for now” is a MASSIVE understatement, considering my Tarnished went for the Three Fingers, challenged Midra & said “There can be only ONE Lord of Frenzied Flame, old man!”
I'm not precisely sure how I acquired all of them, but I have a total of 10 Swollen Grapes, so I do think they're connected to the headless bodies in front of the mansion.
Some people speculate that Midra and Nanaya are the parents of Marika. And the madness that plagues marikas bloodline that ymir mentioned in his dialogue is the madness from the flame of frenzy.
12:33 Talking about how Spirits are scared of the frenzied flame and switch to a shot of a Spirit in the middle of not just the forbidden woods but literally the receptionist for the Lord of frenzied flame is so funny lmao.
Killing Midra is undoubtedly a good thing to do since you put him out of his misery, but from his perspective it seems like we traveled through secret path after dungeon after catacomb after horrifying woods and finally through his guarded mansion for the sole purpose of murdering him. The sheer hatred and evil he must think we embody is probably what made him conclude that the world was better off simply not existing.
Cool to see that a channel I'm subscribed to has their video not appear in my subscription list, with me finding that out due to it luckily getting recommended to me anyways. Thanks TH-cam.
What would you like us to look at next?
Thank you for watching! Let us know how you think Midra's story went. Did it change how you see the Frenzy ending?
St. Trina and the events leading up to it or.... thw Scadu Tree itself. O:
It would be so cool if you took a deep dive into all those tree/spiral head statues and depictions you can find all over the storehouse and belurat, I think there are some big suggestions to ho he/she might be since the little plaques and statues of him appear all over the dlc.
I'd love a deep dive of Romina... is it true that the "burning woman" in the dlc trailer is her? (I've heard this before)
@@halcyon62277 I think it is. She is clutching her poleblade of the bud in the trailer, and the description of the says she clutched it in her burning church, which fits what we see in the trailer also.
Do a deep dive on the Hornsent, like how you did on the Demons in Dark Souls
I just realised the frenzied flame being able to permanently kill torrent was already shown in the main game. If you acquired the flame before burning Melina and thereby sparing her she’s seen in the flame ending cutscene picking up torrents burnt whistle which implies he died
w change, worst part of replaying elden ring is the long horseback sections.
@@nonstopnate. this guy wants to walk everywhere. Seek grace, Tarnished.
@@LSClubhousethat fella is 100% the cop that shoots the dog.
@@SeventhGod77 platforming with torrent is like pulling teeth
@@HenryGreenEngine3 that doesn’t mean you should fuckin kill the honse
My reading of Nanaya's "endure" a bit different. I think its worthwhile to note that Melina, in attempting to convince you to not interact with the three fingers, states "However ruined this world has become, however mired in torment and despair, life endures." Drawing the connection between these statements (which I think Fromsoft intends since there are any other word choices one could use), it seems Nanaya's endure is meant to push Midra to not give into the frenzied flame and endure the hornsent punishment so life can continue. To me, it seems to better explain why Midra apologizes before giving into the frenzied flame.
I also interpreted it this way.
I disagree, why would she be “cradling” a frenzy lord “gently” if she was against the frenzy? Makes no sense
@@austinlanger4767It could be her child, if you equip it, it's child sized.
@@austinlanger4767 Fair, but I still think it's reasonable for Nanaya to gently cradle her child even if they were afflicted from an external curse (an interesting contrast form Marika perhaps?). She can still love and care for her child despite the frenzied flame
@@bzopz3166”a MAN who failed to become a frenzied lord”
Nope
my favorite part of midras fight is the pure ECTASY he feels you see it in his body language the flame of frenzy rewards its lord with pure bliss as well as relief and THAT is as equally terrifying as miquellas own mind control power because it justifies the lord of chaos in his actions as if to say "if only all could experience this and burn away in pure bliss in joy knowing all pain will end." even the tarnished moves like this as the lord of chaos
The revelation of the fingers and eggs hidden under those blankets was absolutely astounding. I haven’t seen anyone notice that yet.
Well done! I really like your reading of why Midra was damned.
Ziostorm pointed it out a bit before the video came out
Him or zullie the witch im not sure
I have a deep appreciation for lore deep dives covering Midra. My favourite boss from the game.
I agree❤
I did the Frenzy ending my first playthrough due to how overwhelmingly vague and mysterious it was compared to the other options at the time. Very high on my wishlist for things to see in the DLC was more flame of frenzy, and From absolutely killed it. My only disappointment was a lack of some Frenzy weapon arts, something more to use for a build than just Vyke's.
@Kolsev if you're on pc, the convergence mod gives a ton of pathways to choose from and I did a run as a "frenzied zealot" . New weapons, AoWs, incantations etc just for frenzy alone. It was awesome
@Kolsev the maddening hand and torch are fun and the perfume needs a buff desperately
really liking the boss theme, too
If Nanaya was a shaman, it would make sense indeed that she took the eggs from the ruins neighbor to her village. Maybe trying to follow the footsteps of another shaman believed to have dwelled in the same ruins and conversing with the Fingers.
The initial purpose wasn't to summon the Frenzied Flame, maybe she just wanted to escape the persecution suffered by her people. But the persecution she fled, along with the loss of her child, drove her to accept the Frenzied Flame in their realm.
Either this, or she already came in with the intention of burning everything to the ground, due to the Hornsent putting the Shaman in pots deal.
aka:
another Marika, of different flavor.
Nanaya's Torch description implies she comes from a different place and she tried before to create a Lord of Frenzied Flame but failed to do so, everything point out to Nanaya being behind Midra's fall
@@ITBEurgava There is a great theory that Midra and Nanaya are in fact Marika's parents: Count Ymir specifically points to Marika's bloodline as 'Mired in Madness' (who is the only Mad Sage in the Land of Shadow?). Nanaya of course looks very similar to Marika, the names match up, if Nanaya is a Shaman of course Marika is and so we add more grudges to against the Hornsent as well.
And, of course, the sole thing we know Nanaya said: "Endure". I can only think of one other person who says something similar related to the Frenzied Flame: Melina, Marika's daughter, says "life endures" when talking about how the world deserves better than Frenzy.
Nana ya was a creamer
@rakshithanand8262 both Midra and Marika are both similar as they endured something within them for a very long time, the Flame of Frenzy and the Elden Ring respectively. Makes me think that Gold is but the Flame of Frenzy realized and gentler in hand.
The Frenzy of Elden Ring is one of my favorite aspects of the world. The loss of hope ignites a flame that can threaten the whole of creation, but kindness can still quell it, as long as there is enough strength behind it. Strength that does not need to lie within just one soul.
Kindness does nothing but propagate the gap between those without and those with. Better to burn everything into one, and wipe away all pain than let some have the privilege of kindness while others are pushed further into their despair.
@@Adminium21 you sound like a 12 year old that just learned what nihilism is. that makes 0 sense as power in its myriad forms does so much more to create disparity and suffering than kindness of all things lol. maybe google kindness or something. your comment straight up is just some vapid crap you thought sounded good in your head
@@Adminium21edge, lord?
@@justaguy2985 Nope, just realistic about it
Back to a state of nature, huh?
I’m still sad that they didn’t include the nomadic merchant quest-line in the game
Same
Yep
what questline?
It was interlinked with st. Trinas slumberfog quest line, which was abandoned too, so my best guess is that they rather cut 2 quests than leaving one half on it's lonesome.
@@boneman-calciumenjoyer8290 that's another quest i believe. If i'm not mistaken the merchants had 3 quests that were cut : one associated with a cut God of vengeance, another with st trina where she helps them sleep by teaching them the tune they play , and the last one where you help kalé find the caravan ( which was the most finished )
Listen, im no musician, but i have two cents i wanna give on Midra's theme:
Iirc somewhere in the lore we are told that the song the merchants play in the catacombs is a lullaby taught by st trina to help them resist the call of the frenzied flame (citation needed) so i like the idea that the motiff of the song in Midra's theme might be showing that, even in his lord of frenzy state, hes still in there, resisting as best he can
Cut lore iirc.
Keyword CUT.
@@weskintime4177 I hate how some cut content can explain things, but it's cut content, so we can't use it! ARRRRRGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGH! Why did they have to keep it in the game files!!
Or, alternatively, It shows how he aimed to ease the frenzy by listening to or playing the song, but instead succumbed to it completely. Which is invoked by the clear dissonance the tune creates through the piece when its played.
I think though, from a realistic standpoint, that the theme was tied to frenzy in the base game, so it should be used when fighting a frenzied lord as well
@@dogemaester This makes me think that there may be some "cut" content that was fully removed from the game all together, and keeping some of the files in the full game file of cut content is a way to show people who deep dive into them "hey, there is some lore stuff here we weren't able to fully integrate into the game (for miscellaneous reasons), but its probably still interesting to you, so here you go."
@@weskintime4177 I don't think that just because it was cut content it shouldn't apply to the lore in some way. All of the lore was already created prior to the games creation by George R. R. Martin, so id think that the cut questlines wasn't due to them not wanting to include the lore into the game, but rather that they couldn't either complete it on time, find a way to integrate it into the game smoothly, ect
I’m so happy you’ve made the point to associate the fingerprint-laden stone finger ruins with frenzy, and the ones visible from the hinterlands no less. I hope there’s enough connective tissue here for another video exploring exactly what horror (and madness) these ruins represent and their influence on the story of the Lands Between.
The Manus Metyr quest-line has some interesting points to make, though most of it comes from more than an unreliable narrator.
Potentially interesting to note about Torrent and the Flame of Frenzy
When you become the lord of Frenzy, you leave Torrent behind as he crys out for Melina.
Isn't even more implied? I always assumed we actually killed torrent in the lord of frenzy ending, as the whistle burns away in Melina's hands.
This also seems to be just reinforced with his behaviour in the Abyssal Woods now.
@@dshearwf If he's scared of frenzy, why doesn't he disappear whenever there's any frenzy enemy? It'd be more consistentI think its a mistake in continuity tbh
@kayhaich Because gameplay wise it doesn't do much. Making torrent useless at the sight of certain enemies is just annoying. Encountering the occasional Frenzy flame enemy rat and encountering an entire area dedicated to Frenzy are two different things. Torrent's fear would be justified in the abyssal woods
@@User-es3em I'm more talking about enemies who can shoot the frenzy flame. If it can melt away spirits, wouldn't torrent be destroyed?
@@kayhaich Again, cognitive dissonance. You can't kill torrent permanently because it's unnecessary for the gameplay. Destined Death canonically has the power to kill tarnished permanently, so should your game end if you're hit by maliketh even once 😭
The Mesopotamian goddess Nanaya is depicted as a goddess of love (especially the sensuality around it) and protector of lovers, with an emphasis on the rejected and betrayed. A relationship with her was also seen as an aspect of true kingship. I think this lines up pretty well with the idea that she's an agent of chaos, considering it's emphasis on the downtrodden, as well as the consistent manipulation from Chaos around young women and love.
Underrated comment. Irina/Hyetta, Vyke, Melina, Nanaya. Every time the FoF comes up, he tries messing with our babes!
Yura too!
Makes me wonder if the torch she has used to be a lover of hers, who failed to become a lord of frenzy. Perhaps after seeing him go through what he did to end up as a lord of frenzy candidate she decided that flame should take the world. However, knew she didn’t have the strength to do it herself
She's also has a warlike aspect to her deity.
@@salahad-din9168love is indeed an incredibly powerful force, and the destruction/loss of one you love can be just as powerful. After all, what’s more dangerous than someone with nothing to lose?
The fact that we didn't get Midra's yellow cloak as an armor piece from his remembrance is criminal. We still have no proper frenzied drip aside from Vyke's armor.
lol yeah. I just use gold masks armor it is very similar. Also could there be significance in the similarities between the gold mask and Midra design?
I'm using the draconic tree sentinel
Agreed I hope they do or something else in the future that boosts madness incantations (not that they need it lol) but it would be amazing as I love madness the most in all of fromsoft games
it’s interesting that the flame of frenzy usually seeks out the good, kindly, innocent and just as well as those suffering loss to take advantage of and turn to their cause.
Edgar & irina
Vyke & his maiden
Midra & nanaya
The tarnished & Melina
It uses our love of another to claw its way into us. Its penchant for corrupting the things we love is evil in itself.
Love is one of the greatest emotions man has ,followed by despair/sadness. Grief can cause many people to do dark things, as so can love.
I am fairly certain Nanaya's torch isn't her child, but rather exactly what it says on the tin- a spine used to keep an ember from a previous, failed Lord of Frenzied Flame. It's this item which leads me to believe Nanaya came to Midra's Manse explicitly to lead him down that path. It's possible that every moment of Midra's life since he met Nanaya was carefully orchestrated to give him something to lose, such that when he lost everything, it would drive him deep enough to disavow all creation.
Agree! it explicitly says the spine is not from there, and not recent.
It is curious why they call it small explicitly tho
@@animalstylefry and the spine being way too big for a baby
It's midra's spine right?
But why did she tell him to endure? If she wanted him to break, to burn it all, why must he continue? He apologises to her as he frees the flame; why, if that was what she wanted?
36:00 BRO ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKING WAY THIS IS ACCURATE WHAT THE FUCK
I think those bodies in front of the Manse are other Hornsent victims of the Inquisitors. During the Midra cutscene, he bends over in a way that makes him look exactly like the bodies in front. Out of their heads, you see other "swords of damnation"
16:19
I think they are the untouchables
@@OnSchoolyard The Aging Untouchables are the guys with wands that kill you in the forest and can't be touched by you unless you parry them.
The 10 bodies are likely victims of the purge that the inquisitors carried out on the manor, leaving midra with the sword of damnation in him
Yup, they are bound and cleanly killed where they were left and the gold implements are just lesser variations of the one Midra was inflicted with (which has some interesting lore in the original greatsword desc, before it was shortened in an update), which was said to have been saved for the most direst of purposes. They were definitely left as a message.
seeing midra pulling the stake out of his body and it's piercers wrapping around forming a golden needle was an immense oh shit moment in my first run of the dlc. both possibilities that either miquella developed his needle independently or based upon the hornsent knowledge are really interesting considering that three fingers are basically an ancient cancer that sprung from already diseased finger mother... anyway midra's manse was an immensely cool and spooky silent hill-esque location and i am extremely hyped about your video on this topic!
Curious about the source of this Three Fingers information
Yeah I don't believe that either my question is if the 3 fingers are brought into the catacombs or summoned by the merchants @@KaliTakumi
@KaliTakumi lands of shadow not only contain finger ruins, but also host metyr, mother of fingers. midra's manse has fossilised, but hatched fingers and eggs (like in finger ruins), hidden away behind a painting. furthermore, midra has yellowish burns on his body, wrapped around in a similar manner to three finger's embrace, although much thinner. my guess is therefore that one of the eggs brought from finger ruins to midra's manse was containing three fingers, who embraced midra and corrupted the abyssal woods. this is a speculation hence there is no direct evidence of this exact course of events, but the forensic evidence we have on hands suggests that three fingers were probably existing way before marika became a goddess and before the genocide of the merchants. remember, merchants were accused of worshipping the three fingers, hence the knowledge about their existence was already there when shabriri made his blood libel
@@sir.morrismetyr’s remembrance description specifically describes her as mother to all TWO fingers, though. I think either the three fingers were the result of some sort of experiment, possibly by nanaya? or they have their own, primordial origins, but i dont think they came from metyr necessarily
@@MonoFlax while this is true that she is the mother of two fingers, she and all the fingers are broken and diseased, and always have been. three fingers in my opinion are like a teratoma - a rare tumorous birth defect. these fingers were not aligned to the greater will, but came with their own code - endlessly fester and reproduce, reduce the world to a primordial, undifferentiated soup, like cancer cells do. that's why they are immortal, and almost any creature can succumb to frenzy - yet again, like how cancer cells are immortal and how normal cells can become cancerous under different circumstances. but hey, in the end that's just my interpretation!
Midra: I will hold the frenzy back
Tarnished: I will free you from your suffering
Also Tarnished: May chaos take the world
Midra: ...
The most tragic thing of Midra story is that his spirit will never be able to rest in peace, since the flame burned it away most likely...
It doesn't even make sense to talk about him being in any state at all if he's completely obliterated from existence
read what u typed and think hard about why it doesn't make sense lol
I just wanna say, you answered exactly why he IS at rest.
@@IrishBudHound you cant rest if you don't ever come back to consciousness...
To those steeped in madness, it would only be a shame that they never existed in the first place.
My favorite boss from the DLC. When that deep bass hits in the boss music ho man, insane vibes.
Insanely underrated voice lines. This DLC has too many banger one liners. The exasperation, but defiance and despair, but rage in those few lines. His line about the depths of your foolishness are also straight classics
I think, much like Vyke, Midra did it to protect or honor his maiden. Her memory, her slumber, the "torch" she still holds, he did it for her and the tarnished showing up with their murder hobo looting mentality, ignoring his warnings, was the final egregious act that he refused to endure.
He was like "are you fucking kidding me?"
'murder hobo looting mentality' hahahahaha
@@dogemaester That should've replaced his "foolishness" line, I can hear the VA. 😂
Him exasperatedly crying out “The *depths* of your foolishness!” as he sees you makes even more sense, now. We basically just removed the screwdriver from the Demon Core.
@@TheActualMrLink Well. That'll do it.
The music observation at 35:10 is mind blowing. Exceptional video!
The madness was welling inside me waiting for this video. And now, relief.....
i cant get enough of his soundtrack and just the boss himself, madness has always been my favorite lore wise and getting to fight a lord of frenzied flame was amazing to say the least
Madness seems to have a lot of correlation with despair in Elden Ring
Two peas in a rotten pod, indeed. Not just in Elden Ring, but IRL, too. When sorrow and anguish reach such a horrendous point, all you can really do is scream.
i think that the spinal cord was midra’s. In the minute 17:09 you can see clearly the scar on midra’s back and that part of his column was removed, besides when he pull the sword it seems that he hans no bone in his neck whatsoever
He is standing up, visibly has a spine, he has scars that go horizontally across his back, and the spike goes through the front, just under ribcage, the spine is 'Small', not 'a section of spine' and midra is tall af, his spine is huge
Looking more closely at the portrait of Midra and Nanaya...
Nanaya's robes and hood seem to identify her more as a member of the clergy.
The pained, stoic expression on Midra's face compared to Nanaya's serenity. The faint, almost mocking upturned corner of her mouth.
It makes one wonder.
When I first saw the barbs I did wonder if maybe these things inspired Miquella’s needles in some way given that they seem to do the same sort of thing. Maybe Marika told him about the practice and he went and refined it in his unalloyed gold way?
No
@@Paganichi yes
@@Paganichi ?
What great interpretation piece. Well worded, richly detailed, the reasoning is not too far fetched a nicely documented with the connected ingame items, softly spoken and generally nice to watch and get enthralled by ER Lore. Great stuff, will watch again.
Nanaya's word "endure" implies that it is the final ingredient for someone to become a frenzied flame lord. Midra and Nanaya must develop trust even in bitter times. Nanaya's word is a curse for Midra as she takes advantage of his kind nature and involvement to such nature. Breaking her trust in him to endure may have failed her in a surface extent, but it will fulfill her goal in a deeper level.
Manse also literally just means a grand house, though. Its a word for mansion in informal british english dating back centuries.
The image of all the beheaded inquisitors was amazing, they looked almost like birds at first before I got closer and saw what they really are.
Thinking about how either the frenzy touched player or Melina burn the erdtree, it makes me think of Mesmer and his flame. He and Melina likely were both born with some cursed flame within them, being the base serpent and whatever the being the gloam-eyed queen might entail.
If Melina is the Gloam Eyed Queen, then her fire is the Black Fire used by Godskins, who were her followers.
@@rozmarinideas5340 The black fire only lost it's color (or became black and white) after GEQ got murdered by Maliketh. Considering that the game is absolutely filled with references to death and killing in exactly red or blue mostly and two flames associated with death, those being the blue ghostflame leaning into intelligence and red destined death leaning into faith, respectively. That and the very few and selected sources referencing to the original state of it being violet (grave violets, the ferrymen), which happily coincides as the combination of the separated red and blue colors and even further, Melina's eyes.
All of this is a long recount of the idea that the original death and GEQ's flames are violet.
Oh, yeah, and the closer sleep comes to death, which it is heavily associated with (Rogier and a ton more), the more violet it becomes.
Thankfully Melina isn’t the Gloam Eyed Queen
If Nanaya or Midra harbored the frenzied flame, it would make sense that their child would die as frenzy denies these births. I think it was another way for Nanaya to push Midra over the edge to become the Lord of Frenzied Flame since in order to burn away the suffering of the world, he must have first needed to experience it. I also don’t believe that the torch is their child, but just another failed lord of frenzied flame that was manipulated by Nanaya.
making you wander through the haunted woods scared of the patrolling enemies and feeling tiny and vulnerable for 20+ minutes is so genius and sets the mood for this boss better than any other (besides maybe raya lucaria)
Sorry, but I have to:
_“NOBODY EXPECTS THE __-SPANISH-__ HORNSENT INQUISITION!”_
played out
Nanaya reminds me alot of the shards of manus in the ds2 dlcs. Coming to a peaceful kingdom to corrupt it. Nanaya was probably some poor women who died a horrible death and was taken over by the frenzy. Similar to irina. She then comes to the manse and decides to make midra a lord and become his finger maiden
Finding this boss randomly whilst exploring for the first time felt like falling into a bounce house filled with landmines. 😆
this was so sick. beyond swag this went so hard, to choose between eternal suffering or to be the cause of a silent apocalypse. the perspective of the abyssal woods being what the world would be like in an age of frenzy, it really makes u think about the ending you can get in the base game
6:46 The locations of the Aging Untouchables. This is the only help that I could find to figure out how many of those guys there are and where they were, thank you.
Seems like there are maybe some audio glitches between 1:00 and 3:00. Crackling popping sounds. FYI!
Thought my
Speakers blew out lol
Apologies about that, a rendering issue we didn't notice in time frustratingly
I really like the angle that nanaya and midra were kind, in the sword of truth saga the torturesses of the evil overlord darken rahl are chosen in their childhood, only the most kind are chosen
I'm so glad you showed the contrast between the pictures in the Manse and what it looks like currently, I was actually going to make a small video on that last week but changed my mind.
Yummy yellow fire lore
The way I got goosebumps at the end. I was fixed the entire way through. You're a very talented person!
Same. I love how he showcased Midra's elegant movements to the description where it says tranquility follows after the burning eyes.
Midra and Nanaya give heavy Father Ariandel and Sister Friede vibes, both wanted to keep the flames at bay.
Nanaya... bring me me flail!
@@TheScrootch The Flame surges
@@TheScrootch*ear piercing screeching
On Frenzy Lord ending, Melina put her hand on Torrent Ring, we believed he died, but probably cut the connection to the server and go away from Lands Between
Nashandra’s theme was so well placed when talking about Nanaya
Just wanted to say i love the soundtracks u use on these lore videos... wc3 human ost almost brought tear to my eyes, so nostalgic!
Thx for the amazing content as always.
I cant shake the feeling that midra sounds a lot like Shabriri when he gives in to the frenzy.
So i have a theory , we know in the base game shabriri lied about thd caravan worshippinh the three fingers , then the golden order imprisoned them underground and in their despair they started worshipping the frenzy .
What if shabriri or another agent of chaos like him saw that midra was researching frenzy and trying to help people then lied about it to the hornsent saying he was trying to worship it or become its lord , then they come in , murder everyone , burn the library and possibly killing his child , filling midra with such despair that in a moment of weakness he uncharacteristically wishes for the flame of frenzy to end all existence before being impaled .
This same motivation could work for nanaya as well , where after these events she would push midra to be the frenzied lord while he thinks she's comforting him
Bravo! 🎉 this was one of the most impressive lore videos I’ve ever seen! I spent this afternoon tackling the abyssal woods and Midra’s Manse today. Midra is in my top 5 Fromsoft boss fights of all time and this was truly a treat to top off the day. Keep up the amazing work!
Note on the lite motif, the song the nomadic merchants play is given to them by Saint Trina to help them endure the flame of frenzy and find rest even in its madness. The way this lullaby is cut off part way through shows the abandonment of chosen comfort and embracing of chaos in my opinion
If nanaya was a Numen from the shamen village , like Marika, it could make sense that she is attempting to be a finger maiden of the frenzied flame (or something of the sort). Thus she chose Midra as her candidate for a Lord.
the part of the children is interesting, as it feels like nanaya maybe tried to brith new fingers, perhaps even the three fingers we meet were born of her, but something I noticed was there are three very small finger marks on midra, as if he was grabbed by the three fingers but they were really small. I found this odd since we've seen each person afflicted by madness with the large theee fingerprints, but midra, who i imagined had to have such mark didn't seem to until i saw there were much smaller versions of the same burns. Did they actually create the three fingers??
Interesting, because we find the Three Fingers in an area populated with the merchants and Omens. It seems omen blood can help transport beings to the land of shadow, so what if the Three found a "back door" so to speak, and could manifest in the Lands Between when enough frenzied and omen beings congregated on the other side.
@@crothschild That backdoor must have been the Merchants chant of despair
I think Metyr gave birth to the Three Fingers, which was smaller at the time since it was just a child; and it drifted, or were brought to, the Abyssal Woods where they spread their frenzy. Eventually embracing Midra of course.
I guess Midra know the Tarnished can put him down finally and bet on it so to stop enduring
I mean you kinda give him a beating before he gives in, so I think he's just had it and gave in
27:48 The description implies that the spine belonged to a “man,” so I can’t imagine it’s a child’s backbone. It’s either Midra’s or her previous candidate for the LoFF’s spine.
Something to note is that agents of the frenzy flame typically operate in the bodies of those who died in despair, what if nanaya in a difficult birth dies as she gives birth, and an agent of the 3 fingers takes her body. Assuming she plays her role well, she could drive the discord that envelops the surrounding woods, and cause the inquisition to strike. In the turmoil of the invasion, she has the chance to use nanaya’s child as a vessel of a failed lord, secluding herself and ripping out its spine to mount the flickering flame upon it. It would also explain the desire to drive midra’s suffering under the guise of kindness, to enkindle a true lord of frenzy, devoid of access to the three fingers
Uh huh and then she says "endure" to stop Lord of Frenzy from coming
He wasn’t weak in power but in body and belief and because he wouldn’t let the Frenzy take full control until our boss fight. True Frenzy can burn the soul and spirits just like d destin death and the spectral steed is a spirit
Insanely well done video, all of this lore is too easy to miss when playing, and yet all of the pieces that I saw in game tell the full story when you connect them
Insightful as always. I'm glad I'm not the only one who can sense the glee in Midra's phase 2 movements. When he turns around in the cutscene, I swear I can feel a smile emanating from within that frenzied void of fire.
Also, love the use of Alice: Madness Returns Vale of Tears music.
Deep underground is an understatement. Never have we had to go down so many elevators before in one dungeon
Phenomenal video and content. Midra’s story is indeed haunting. For that same reason I find myself visiting the Manse often and imagining the events unfolding as I walk through the halls. Thank you.
That's all well and good
Except for the part where if you enter the manse or met Midra face to face after offering yourself to the Three Finger (which I did), the exact same thing happens
I would have liked that some unique dialog would pop up, like "YOU embraced the madness? The frenzied flame? Willingly?"
Then the context of your fight would be vastly different, something like "there can be only ONE Lord of Frenzied Flame"
omg i didn't know that part about the goat spreading frenzy through bleating. little details like this are always so fascinating to me. it shows the devs put a lot of care into making the world feel more immersive and encourage exploration.
Thank you for your amazing work. One of my all time favorite videos on youtube is Ash Lake, Havel, and the Plot against the Gods thats so long ago isnt it? Continue to rock mate!
Just noticing that the "When he thrust his staff in my face, I brushed it aside" from the torn diary page is telling us that we can parry the aged ones to kill them. EDIT: wow I really paused the video the exact moment before he says this
I didn't fight Midra. I couldn't think of any justifiable reason to disrupt his sealing of the Frenzied Flame, especially when he desperately wanted me *not* to. I explored right up to his room and turned back.
Wouldn’t the best option be to kill the potential Lord of Frenzied Flame rather than keeping it dormant and ready to take control of Midra at a moment’s notice?
@@danilthorstensson8902 Probably. I just didn't have the heart. I might go back and do it, though.
Just pretend he’s a certified creamer
@@samk522it's a really cool fight, I highly recommend it. Plus the sword is fun to use. I do agree with the other commentor that the right thing to do is to end his pointless suffering. He does not need to be the one to hold back the frenzied flame. He's done enough and deserves rest. Free him from his cruel fate and honor his memory!
@@samk522don’t free him. He must endure, a little longer.
I always considered the golden thing protruding from the neck of the bodies as the same thing as midra sword, "planted" by the hornsent to prevent new madness to spread but the fact that the numbers are almost the same is interesting
Insane catch with the fingers in the Manse. That obliterated my consciousness
Ending the vid on “the beauty of the world remains…. For now” and showing the tomb of the 3 fingers is great
I didn't start my 2nd play through after I got the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending and played through the DLC with this character. I would have absolutely loved if there was some reference to you being the Lord of FF upon entering the manse, but sadly nothing happened.
i had the same thing except i went in there all like “THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE”
Just letting you know, this video didn't show up among the videos of channels I subscribed too.
Other than that, I was waiting for a video on Midra! Thank you!
Same for me, very strange.
I knew it! The Three Fingers first made their appearance in the Abyssal Woods and Midra must have inherited their flame then. Does that mean he has been suffering longer than the nomadic merchants?
I think it's the other way around. Midra and Nanaya brought remnants of the Finger Ruins to the Manor to research them, ultimately to try to save their baby, who was marked by the Flame.
1:27 the Alice: Madness Returns music was a great touch
The Lord of Frenzy is that who is willing to reject life entirely rather than just his own. It is imperative that the Lord of Frenzy is never allowed to exist because he is in direct opposition to everyone else and their goals for the future. Frenzy could be likened to nuclear destruction, really, with the Lord being the one with his finger on the button.
I was in the forgotten woods then lost.my save data, now my Guts build will find Midra !
Ay i love the kotor music you always play for unrelated games . Its alwats refreshing to hear honestly . Bit of a nostalgic trip
Hey Hawkshaw, I thoroughly enjoy the lore perspectives that you and several other prominent lore content creators posit. The similarities, differences and concepts.
As a schollar of the lore if you will, I've realised that Elden Ring is essentially a tradgedy not of a family fued, thirsting alien gods or the attempt at restoration of a broken world (though it is each of these). Rather, at its core Elden Ring is a story of the many ways Love is expressed unsustainably...
I came to this realisation following my divorce.
Picking up the game again just in time for the DLC I set out to make a character who would be the heir of Mirais. Where Malenia had ceased resisting her personal turmoil and become a monster, Mirais (as guided by me) would have to vanquish the metaphorical personification of his love...an act of letting go.
Okay so if you're still reading, on this journey I discovered that Marika sought to do away with the bestial yet natural, erratic births of the Great Tree which preceeded the Erd. This due to her first consort Godfrey siring omen children.
Next she breeds with her alter-ego Radagon in a representation of royal inbreding of antiquity. This invites defective offspring such as Malenia with her scarlet rot.
Then as Radagon It had a political union with Rennala (perhaps as an experiment?).
In anycase this ends in divorce and more incomplete offspring.
In each case I find the common theme to be the failed producing of suitable progeny. The pursuit to fix what may well have never been broken (the Crucible) plunged Marika into a despair which caused her to shatter the Elden Ring before her children, as varied in world view and motive as they are in form to fight over the remnants to their own ends without any succeeding.
If only those star gods hadn't come and given that lowly shaman woman the capability of a god.
I haven't heard you mention this directly, but by the finger ruins near the cerulean coast, there's a hut called "Finger Weaver's hut", or something like that, which I think contains a frenzied cookbook and some frenzied enemies.
I'm not 100% about the details, since it has been a while.
Might have been Nanaya's origin?
21:25 that part ... that's why elden ring lore is so inspirational for me , thank you.
My belief is that Nanaya once tutored another into becoming a lord of frenzied flame elsewhere, that is the origin of the torch. It leaves open the mystery of their child but I honestly don’t mind or think it’s worth digging into. Because they mention a distant land, and the fact that they use the word man as well, just doesn’t tell me “this is a baby’s spine” it tells me she’s tried doing this before.
I clicked faster than Radahn's attacks in second phase.
But did you shoot orbital lasers with each click
Here is my headcanon:
Nanaya was a finger maiden; but one for the three fingers. But as Midra was guided by her, he soon became so enraptured in her that he was devout. And Midra had never done anything to obtain the strength of a lord, so he was never going to achieve this. Nanaya told him to "endure" meaning to endure the endless pain. Allowing the FF to fester throughout the land, while he continued his suffering.
I enjoy this idea, since it makes Midra a really interesting character, since he was able to go through infinite pain for the sake of love. It also gives some more connection to the FF outer god.
We only become the Lord of Frenzied Flame, once we burn the urdtdee; so Midra endured pain on such a scale that they were of equal greatness.
Amazing video on my favorite area in the DLC
“The beauty of the world is safe… for now” is a MASSIVE understatement, considering my Tarnished went for the Three Fingers, challenged Midra & said “There can be only ONE Lord of Frenzied Flame, old man!”
I'm not precisely sure how I acquired all of them, but I have a total of 10 Swollen Grapes, so I do think they're connected to the headless bodies in front of the mansion.
What a great video! Your voice is also calming. Love this!
What was that lady doing at Midra's Manse?
I'm not sure, but I'm sure it's Nanaya business.
Some people speculate that Midra and Nanaya are the parents of Marika. And the madness that plagues marikas bloodline that ymir mentioned in his dialogue is the madness from the flame of frenzy.
12:33 Talking about how Spirits are scared of the frenzied flame and switch to a shot of a Spirit in the middle of not just the forbidden woods but literally the receptionist for the Lord of frenzied flame is so funny lmao.
Killing Midra is undoubtedly a good thing to do since you put him out of his misery, but from his perspective it seems like we traveled through secret path after dungeon after catacomb after horrifying woods and finally through his guarded mansion for the sole purpose of murdering him. The sheer hatred and evil he must think we embody is probably what made him conclude that the world was better off simply not existing.
Cool to see that a channel I'm subscribed to has their video not appear in my subscription list, with me finding that out due to it luckily getting recommended to me anyways. Thanks TH-cam.
What a great video! Did you notice the fingerprints in Midra’s arena?
Cant believe this is how i learned Torrent can be called in Elden Beast now
Any potential Nanaya is Shabriri in another's body from an earlier point in time than we meet him at?