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@@nothanks9503 you're wrong - it's venetian weapon and an Italian word, would recommend this video here: th-cam.com/video/L3wIYWG-cz4/w-d-xo.html - in which someone pronounces it about 1:07. I find it funny how people get so mad and so sure about things based on assumptions.
@@Gamespud94 it’s a play on when you first see gurranq and when you first give him deathroot. Instead of lore, he says bring me more death. Smoughtown is my top three lore creators for elden ring.
An interesting thing I discovered about the beastmen's faces is they're very similar to the dragon forms face from dark souls 1, perhaps this shows that most of the surviving beastmen might have deepened their bonds with their dragon masters to wield their red lightning.
The whole concept of the feral beasts being warped/elevated to intelligence by an outer god against their free will almost seems like an inversion of Bloodborne's themes, their descendance back to their animal form the result of their god fleeing instead of them trying to meddle with it actively.
The concept of ‘wild man’ losing his superior innate qualities such as strength and constitution as he comes to rely on society and tools is very reminiscent of Rousseau
Whenever Radagon does his gold shattering move five "fingers" spread out from his hammer. Considering Radagon's connection to wolves (even being called a "leal hound" by Marika) and his primordial red hair I wonder if he might have a connection to the beasts, figurative or literal. Maybe Radagon had the same "fullness" of order that the beasts once did. They both possess strength as well as intelligence and of course an integral sense of loyalty.
Could it be that he's more tied into the actual five fingers (godhand) before they split though? I've always contributed Radagons hair to be more of the giants than FA
most possible the perfect shadowbound created for the chosen empyrean/god Marika and as we know shadow bounds are forced to harm or even kill their chosen empyrean, when said candidate may choose too not follow the greater will/two fingers
Something I keep thinking about is how his great rune is an orderly set of lines, and how that compares to the wild roots we see in the Farum Azula Elden Ring depiction. I'm not sure where that leads, but it's a thought
@Luminous Azure I always thought Radagon's rune was a bramble of thorns to represent his theme of repentance, but that is a good observation. To add on to it Radagon's rune and those elden roots are both located towards the bottom of the ring. However Radagon's rune is somewhat obscured by the rest of the Ring, possibly representing how his ideals went neglected by the civilization at large?
So we have beasts that became men, and we also have men that become beasts (bloodhound knights, drake knights, misbegotten) Thank you for another fantastic video. You're smashing it with every single one. Rest now, you've earned it.
13:00 when I first saw this statue and thought on it, I interpreted the figure to be Marika, and the wolves, a symbol of her empyrean status. The statue always felt similar to the one of Malenia and Miquella. Thinking that it could instead be of Placidusax's god makes me wonder how that would work anatomically lol
@@kamikazekiwi The best tinfoil theory I've seen go in that direction is that the statue _does_ depict Marika ...who was an Ancient Dragon to begin with and took her human form afterwards. Although since Ranni gives us wolf spirits and several times seemingly corporeal wolves ambush us via a storm gale I personally think it's a common myth/real cyclical trend in-universe, with Marika _potentially_ being the first depending on how old you believe her to be.
Farum Azula has always been a special place to me because of the duality it represents: beasts and man, civilization and wildness, majesty and horror, age and timelessness. It's seriously my favorite place in the game, with so much amazing lore to absorb as well. So many context clue and so many items to give descriptions. I've always thought that part of the reason the Beastmen are starting to go feral again is because they're starving to death. There is no edible flora and no fauna up in Farum Azula. Every living non-dragon is dirty, wounded with exposed flesh and even bone, and emaciated, and there are so many starved dog and undead beastmen models that it's not hard to imagine that many are dying because of lack of food, and the reason there is any survivors at all is because the living have feasted on the dead. Gurranq, too, is plagued by the hunger of the Rune of Death. There is no more powerful force in this world than the will to survive, and nothing pushes us to our most bestial nature in our will to survive more than hunger. A living thing will eat ANYTHING if it gets hungry enough.
and yet with the removal of the Rune of Death they wouldn’t actually die would they? They would just be starving indefinitely while gradually losing themselves like the rest of the residents of the lands between explaining their apparent devolution.
@@emilyminnow I never said that their hunger was caused by the Rune of Dwath. I said *Gurranq's* hunger was caused by the Rune of Death. However, regardless of why, Gurranq's hunger is something that, in my opinion, connects him to his fellow beastmen up in Farum Azula.
@@NoahofWill I wasn't saying that's what you were saying, your theory that they are starving is perfectly sound (many in the lands between appear quite emaciated with the exception of some like Radahn who is regularly feasting on corpses) I was just pointing out that if they can't die naturally they will just keep wasting away into nothing indefinitely. Some of the Beastmen in Farum Azula that look particularly bad also resurrect after you kill them much like "those who live in death"
The dragons in from software games are not just symbols of prehistoric primordial power, but they also represent the state of being beyond time, in this case literally in the storm beyond time, but also in the way following the path of the dragon requires meditative transcendence of karma cycles (aka of birth and death)
The Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone fully supports this rather overtly: "Smithing stone made polishing a golden Gravel Stone. A scale of the Ancient Dragonlord, and hidden treasure of Farum Azula. The Ancient Dragonlord's seat is said to lie beyond time. This stone lightly twists time, allowing the creation of a weapon capable of slaying a god." It's also why the godslaying flame can slay gods. The black flame is death and the white flame is frozen time, as explained by Hawkshaw's Color Theory video. So, a flame that freezes its target in death through time is definitely a way of killing a god. It's also a big reason why I agree with the theory that the GEQ is the god of Placidusax.
As per usual, gonna enjoy the content - gonna binge this. Beastmen and Farum culture, in perspective to the vast history of the Lands Between, has always been a point of interest for me.
I really appreciate how diligent you are with your sources, and other creators who influence your work. Your openness with correcting previous stances as your opinions change is also very much appreciated. These are things you would hope to be universal in lore videos like this, but it sadly isn't always the case. It not only makes your videos that much more trustworthy, but helps circulate viewers to these other channels which helps the community as a whole. Thank you!
Thanks Hugo - I think it’s important in this space because it allows us all to work together! Really pleased you enjoyed the content - thank you for the support
These videos are always time well spent! I can't help but feel like "Intelligence" was the equivalent of "Grace" during the reign of Placidusax, the way it seems to come on suddenly and makes whomever it touches more than they were. I wanted to offer some thoughts on Beastman religion. When evaluating the faith in the video I noticed you pointed a lot to the Beastial Incantations which by their name you would assume speaks to their religion but that doesn't actually seem to be the case. Beastmen venerated the dragons and the Elden Lord. We actually find one of their holy books in the form of the Ancient Dragon Prayer Book that's description reads it never reached the Lands Between, meaning it never left Farum Azula. When we see beasts casting incantations in Farum, aside from Gurranq, they are never slinging rocks rather they attack with red lightning. This illustrates that the beastman faith was pretty much a more indepth version of the modern Dragon Cult. The Beastmen burials are very telling, not just the Varna ones but the rest as well. The ritural they use is called sky burial, a method of burial involving leaving the corpse under open sky or tied to a growing tree. They body is then just weathered away under the open sky and eaten by birds and such. This leans further into the idea that the beastmen's faith was rooted not just in veneration of the dragons but the sky itself. With these ideas in mind: Intelligence being like grace, use of sky burial methods, use of red lightning incantations from a beastman exclusive prayer book; I'd like to circle back to the Elden Ring depiction in Farum Azula. I've commented before that I think this depiction of the Elden Ring is in fact of the Elden Ring in the "True Storm" (mentioned by Nephili). The zagging lines coming off the ring are in fact lightning or perhaps a "graced" lightning. I had many folks rebuff that they think it is roots because it is too smooth roots but I offer this counter; the beastmen have no demonstrated or stated cultural connection to trees (They don't have any signs of tree worship or veneration) but they do demonstrate lightning. Second, the Elden Lord and their God, based on Marika and her consorts, typically stick together. Placidusax lives in the sky in the heart of a storm, so in all likelihood his God did as well. If his god is in the storm, then the Elden Ring is in the storm and by merit of having the Elden Ring within it, it becomes a sacred thing. I think that folks married to the roots idea forget the game is called Elden Ring not Erdtree and that the tree motiff is the Ring's most recent interation. If you get Ranni's ending, the Dark Moon, to which she retreats fills the role of the Erdtree by merit that she is there with the ER. With all that set out and the new thought of Intelligence being gifted. I can't help but look at the mural and statue in Maliketh's arena and see: The god of the age of dragons surrounded by wolves, praying down the lightning grace of the Elden Storm. That these bolts of grace will strike these beasts and from them will arise beastMEN. When it comes to the Demi-humans I view them as the stepping stones between humans and beastmen. They may be an enduring hybrid or they may be the evolutionary link between the two. Which interestingly brings me to Hourah Loux. I feel like he is one or two generations off of being a beastman himself. Head on his facial features while clearly human have a very striking felineness to them not to mention the man literally roars like a lion when you are fighting him. However, even with these points it is wrong to assume this is how all humans arose in the lands between as we know some "humans" come from beyond.
Wow excellent deduction! I'm with you on the lightning coming off the FA Elden Ring, and that made me see Gransax's Bolt in the center of the Elden Ring by way of the twisting spiral! The same twisting lightning move that Placidusax uses in his boss fight
@@peinbody84 Thanks for the reply! Yay, I'm finally convincing folks! People have been calling me crazy lol! Good catch on the Gransax Bolt, I just lazily figured it was an interpretation of the Tornado but the Bolt, Chef's kiss!
Love your idea of connecting the Grace of humans and the intelligence of beasts! Grace seemed like a kind of primordial force to me that does its own things (or maybe Marika's orders - since she took Grace from the Tarnished and Godfrey) and it makes sense that Placidusax's god would have a similar force running around in the primordial times.
Haven't started the video just yet, but I have 1 question. How? Like how after more then a year of consistent gour long videos are you still finding stuff to discuss about? It's marveling, especially with the absolute quality of these videos
Thank you Boris - that honestly means so much. I'm not sure tbh haha - I just find the game to be full of deep symbolism and themes and that we have only scratched the surface! I think Radagon is next on my list
@@SmoughTown i know you probrably don't want outside influence, but I think this is kinda neat. I think Radagon is based a bit on the true norse thor. He has heritage in the giants, and hates them, he is a champion and a warrior who exterminated the giants, he weild a hammer, has red hair, marries twice and throws lightning.
It's also worth noting the dichotomy between wisdom and intelligence. It often shows up in D&D, where Beasts almost always have a higher Wisdom than Intelligence, reflecting their wild nature. Intelligence is used for skills like Nature and History, while Wisdom affects skills like Survival and Perception.
Your videos are always so comfy and informative. It feels like a good bedtime story. They make your imagination run wild without jostling you or rushing you towards any conclusion. Very cozy, and always appreciated.
Incredible video as always, but the part around 18:00 about gurranq and him being at one point a bestial clergyman for farum azula makes so much sense! I love how you can bring up new context and info surrounding a character we're all familiar with and recontextualize them! That blew my mind a little bit to consider that Maliketh was at one point Gurranq in his former life before marika tailored him. Keep up the amazing work, can't get enough of these!
That's so great to hear - thank you so much for the kind words. I agree; I think I enjoy this reassessment of the shadows more than my original concepts back year. Thank you my friend! I will do and thank you for the ongoing support.
Something I find interesting is how there's three wolves found outside Ranni's rise and I can't help but associate it with the wolves and goddess statue in FA. Like as though she's connected to that original FA Ringdom's lineage somehow.
Smough thank you for covering this and the five fingers! I’ve been waiting for someone on yt to do a deep dive explain the correlation of the five fingers with the three of chaos and normal 2 fingers, separation and the beastmen, great video!
Pretty unrelated, but I noticed some moveset similarities between Maliketh and Blaidd. Blaidd uses a similar move to the Destined Death move where he does two rotations before slamming his sword, and Wolf Assault is really similar to the other destined death move
I think the most likely candidate for who granted the beastmen intelligence would be the Greater Will, acting through its fingers. I don't think it was the Two Fingers however, as the Cinquedea's imagery seems too literal. I believe it was the Five Fingers, because in this prehistoric era the finger schism (as The Tarnished Archaeologist describes in their video "Flame of Frenzy Part II: The Finger Schism") would not have happened yet, meaning the Two and Three Fingers were not yet separate entities.
24:00 I disagree with this talking about the vitality of beasts, it seems more to be alluding to the power of gold and the cycle of unending life. The "glinting with gold" bit seems more important than it being beast blood
In wilds beyond they speak your name with reverence and regret, For none could tame our savage souls yet you the challenge met, Under palest watch, you taught, you changed, base instincts were redeemed, A world you gave to bug and beast as they had never dreamed. Our cherished dreams you granted and delivered more, But in dismay you found too late our desires had no end, What cost to tame our savagery? You gave your all and then gave more. Yet still desires lay unquenched, more dreams remained, your energies spent. Amongst it sprang a dreadful scourge, That forced return our aggressive urge, And turned us back to beasts or husks, Our souls consumed by light above. Within your corpse can still be heard the plaintiff cries of one, Who took our pain, and loss, and dreams inside itself to... Through its pain we found a truth that must now be confessed, For nothing can contain such things but perfect emptiness.
I have some additions. Many pre-christian/ pagan religions have a major deity, either at the top or of near equal importance, be a Storm-god. Could Dragonlord Placudisax and the Beastmen be a play on this? Also, look up the Torslunda plates. It depicts what is believed to be Odin (a god of Wisdom and Beastial Frenzy) next to an Úlfhédnar or Berserker (Wolf-Shirt/ Bear Skin). Legendary warriors said to have taken on the shape and or spirit of the respective animal. They may play a part in the imagery and lore. They may just be a coincidence. I just thought it would be useful to share. I loved the video by the way.🐺🦁🐻🐏
Yes, I think you're right when you point to the young female statue in Farum Azula being an early, idealized depiction of the founder or ruler of Farum Azula. When I saw that statue, I immediately felt it had a strong resemblence to the depictions of Rome's founding mythos with young children and wolves. I also think this is likely an early depiction of the Gloam Eye'd Queen.
Thanks for another great video, Geoff. Your Elden ring videos are the best, and you've introduced me to a shit ton of other great channels. Super excited for your upcoming Bloodborne video and any other souls content you have coming.
Not even seen the whole video, but thus far the best content on the beasts on youtube. Great touch on the 2001Space Odissey analogy, great reflections about the obsession with death, and the compliment to TA's video about the architechture of Farum Azula. "I was wrong as I so often am": words of truly a man of class.
I think Lokey to be right about the small person statue with the three wolves in Farum Azula. I was thinking it might be Ranni or Miquella considering Ranni gives you the spirit calling bell along with the three wolves spirit ashes in the very beginning of the game. But considering *where* we find this statue I think he/you may be right. Fine Work, Geoff!
I never really paid much attention to the beastman, but this video opened my eyes to how cool they really are and the amount of detail and environmental storytelling went into them - and the way they represent the amalgamation of beast and humanity, is really fascinating
I just want to say how much I appreciate all your content! I started off just jumping around to the topics I was most interested in (i.e. The Frenzied Flame), but I've found myself starting from the very beginning and listening/relistening to all your lore videos. It's also awesome to see how much credit you give to other creators, much more than I've seen anyone else ever do, in the Elden Ring lore community as well as any other topic of discussion. Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into these videos for us! I'd suggest anyone else who loves Smough's content to do the same as I did and start from the beginning. He has a playlist you can save that is in chronological starting at his oldest videos. It's great to know what he's referencing from previous videos and interesting to see how his opinions on some things have changed over time as the lore community evolves their understanding of the game and it's lore elements.
Love your lore videos, especially because you picked out one of my favorite parts of this game. Farum Azula is such a wild concept. Really makes you wonder what it all looked like in its prime.
I really wonder if some Beastmen were just chilling in Farum Azula and suddenly their crashing to the ground What an unfortunate inconvenience 😔 By the way dude, good content, always nice to listen to Elden Ring lore while I play games and stuff
Hey man, I just wanted to thank you for how much effort you put into your videos. I love that you've introduced me to other Elden Ring lore channels, and the way you format, and tell each story and segment them nicely into chapters, it makes everything come together very well! Especially your recent videos, it is very apparent that you are getting better at storytelling and it's just inspiring and kinda awesome to hear just how passionate you are about this universe. I love Elden Ring and many of the souls game, but man it's just crazy how deep these games really are and it just makes me appreciate the world even more. One story in particular that from playing the game myself, is I had no freakin clue what was really going on with the Godskins, but man seeing your first video around 8+ months I think? and then seeing your more recent one along with information on the Gloam Eyed Queen, it's just fascinated how everything kinda fits together, yet alot is left to speculation and I absolutely love that and that one players headcanon can be completely different from someone elses in regard to something and how even compiling information together can create a whole new perspective of how to interpret things and often I'll just have my jaw drop from some of the lore revelations or rather some implications and I'm just left utterly baffled at how all of this could exist in one game. Cheers man and it's so nice to see you grow, I've been passively watching for a few years and liking videos that I watch but haven't really interacted with the community here much but just wanted to let you know you are greatly appreciated!
Hey my friend, thank you so much for the kind comment - that really does keep me going. I really do love this game and this community and I'm so lucky I get such kind support like yours! More to come soon!
I don't normally come into these videos ignorant, but I know basically nothing about the Beastmen, so this will be a real treat. Thanks for the steady stream of content, Smough!
Holy hell I love that thumbnail! All of yours are really well made, but this is one of my favs so far!! Edit: Just almost finished, the beast evolving into humans theory is one I really like. Excellent work as always on the parts of both you, and Dark Tark!!
I didn’t realize that the ruins we see throughout the lands between were of Faram Azula but now that it’s pointed out to me I can’t unsee it, it just makes so much sense. that’s why I continue to love each and every video you make Mr. SmoughTown. Thanks again
I've always wondered (along with everyone else) who the lady is that is depicted among wolves in the statute of Maliketh's boss room. But something in this video made me think/theorize, what if it's one of the ancient dragons taking a human form. And the statue shows them caring for and teaching the beasts that would become the beastmen? I can't think of a reason why a dragon would take that shape for that sort of thing, but it would make sense why it seems like a center piece of the room. Sort of like a shrine to them gaining intelligence and becoming part of that current ages order. Maybe the lady is their God, the equivalent of Marika, and the being Placidusax is waiting for to return? All just a theory but figured I'd share! Amazing video as always and thanks for all the work you do on these!!
I can’t wait for the DLC so we can keep getting awesome content like this. Your lore videos are part of what has made Elden Ring such a good game to me. Keep it up Smough!
My typical albunauric blood clot comment aside, something I thought of while listening to the segment about the importance of death to the beast men, perhaps the death birds are the psychopomps of the beastmen? Were the death birds ever specified to belonging to a civilization other than just the nebulous “before the erdtree” description?
@@SmoughTown BTW i am just curios, what is your opinion or thought on who built the golems plus the divine towers? They have a similiar style. Maybe you spoke about it in a previous video and i just forgot.
I think the body's everywhere and the reference to the varna necropolis are references to the importance of ritual burial. Ritual burial is often considered to be an important distinction between more primitive hominids and more modern man.
So something i like to play around with is the idea of divesting beasthood, and a literal separation of self i.e. Marika and Radagon separating and joining again -shattering and mending. We see Marika chasing the idea of "refining" to remove impurities, from red gold, to pale yellow gold.
13:05 It’s Miquella with 3 wolves. The first encounter with Ranni, she says: “ I was entrusted this, for thee. By Torrent’s former master. “ Then she gives you a Spirit Calling Bell & Lone Wolf Ash. So when you know Miquella looks like a child and you find a statue with a child playing with 3 wolves.. It not only tells you Miquella is the former master of Torrent, but had an enormous role in helping you from the very start of the game.
That link is clear… but it just begs more questions: why would a statue of Miquella and some spirit wolves be a statue in Farum Azula? Did the beast men carve it? Did Gurranq carve it or maybe bring it to FArum azula from leyndell or the Haligtree? Why a miquella statue and not a malenia statue - they are twins? Why not a marika statue, his bound Empyrean that he cries out to all the time?
@@danielpurcell7203 The statue is in Maliketh’s boss room, that would be prime golden order real estate. Miquella in my opinion is the main person behind everything, he has influence over everything, the bewitching branch: “The Empyrean Miquella is loved by many people. Indeed, he has learned very well how to compel such affection.” if you use it on someone they go against their own needs and wants. I believe he did everything to break free from the influences of outer gods which caused Marika to shatter the Elden Ring which lead to the shattering war with her consent or not. He sent his sister to stop Radahn from holding back the stars, but knew she would fail because before any of that he had Marika kick out the tarnished who would fulfill his plan. So when the game starts, Melina finds you via Torrent knowing you’re apart of the plan. Ranni had her orders to help you. I believe in the DLC it’s going to explain more about what Miquella has set into motion.
@@weavatronobservatory I don’t think the room you fight Maliketh in has anything to do with the Golden Order - beyond Maliketh being there. Do you think Maliketh lived in Farum Azula while Marika lived in Leyndell during the height of the Golden Order and they built Maliketh a room in Farum Azula despite the fact that he’s Marikas shadow bound beast - sworn to protect her. If the statue depicts anyone Maliketh knows, it might be a young Godwyn. Godwyn repaired the rift between dragons and humans and was possibly venerated with iconography that shows him in a pure innocent state among beasts. Maliketh left Leyndell because he felt he had failed Marika by letting Godwyn die, so maybe the statue reminds him of what he is doing. Also we know that the wolf spirits belonged to Miquella, but maybe the wolves (pre-death) belonged to Godwyn and Miquella kept them around because he couldn’t bring his brother back.
@@danielpurcell7203 If it’s not Miquella then it’s the Gloam Eyed Queen. Above the statue on the wall is the Elden Ring with the Rune of Death in the middle, from a time before it was taken. Then Farum Azula was conquered, the Golden Order did not start until the rune of death was taken after the defeat of the Gloam Eyed Queen. The Remembrance of Dragonlord Placidusax says : ( The Dragonlord whose seat lies at the heart of the storm beyond time is said to have been Elden Lord in the age before the Erdtree. Once his god was fled, the lord continued to await its return. ) The Gloam Eyed Queen was his god that fled after her defeat. Maliketh’s boss room may be where he fought her, which is why there is a statue of her. OR It’s Miquella. Miquella was trying to give his brother a true death ( Golden Epitaph: “ O brother, lord brother, please die a true death.” ) perhaps in Miquella’s search to better understand those who live in death to learn of a way to help his brother he consulted Maliketh, maybe a statue was placed there to remind Maliketh that Marika may have abandoned him, but not Miquella. OR It’s statue of a child version of Godwyn, for what ever reason.
@@weavatronobservatory Wasn’t the gloam eyed queen just an empyrean - never a full blown vessel for the elden ring / god like Marika? During the first phase of the Marikas reign (Age of Plenty) the gloam eyed queen rises up to try and overthrow Marika but fails thanks to Maliketh who, like the GEQ, draws power from the rune of death but does not possess the rune outside of the elden ring. After GEQ defeat, Marika wants to show her mastery over death itself and removes the rune of death from the elden ring so her age of plenty never ends. GEQ had nothing to do with dragons and was never a God, her title of ‘Queen’ was not the same as Marikas, but more similar to Renalla (Queen of Caria) and she may have been a Queen of an eternal city. If the Farum Azula statue was a statue of a vessel of the Elden ring, god of an age, wedded to an ancient dragon, and also the gloam eyed queen (associated with death and black flame and the godskins) why would it be depicting a child with some wolves? The QEG has nothing to do with wolves and is never referred to as a child and her childhood is never mentioned as being something so important it would be depicted this way. Same with Miquella, yes at some point he had some wolves (spirit wolves) but the other imagery strongly associated with Miquella: the Haligtree, miquellas lillies , unalloyed gold craftsmanship, and the eclipse are not featured… just the wolves and not even the spirit calling bell Miquella would have used to call them if they were spirits instead of real wolves. There’s just as much evidence that the statue doesn’t depict any character we know, but could be a symbolic representation of an idea - that sentient intelligent humanity started to flourish during an age of beasts and that humans and beasts co-mingled with the majority population being beasts (hence more wolves) and humans the minority.
your videos are emmaculte. thanks for doing this. so many people are grateful to be able to understand more about their favorite game. all love brother.
As always, a phenomenal deep dive! I adore binging all your videos!! As a side note, would you ever consider uploading the audio to a podcast app, as I could listen to all these forever.
@@SmoughTown No problem at all! Thank you for replying :D I'm always so impressed with all your videos! As someone whose first ever Frome Software game was Elden Ring, I like knowing exactly what backhanded me halfway across the map.
Makes you wonder about the dragon option in character creation, the mentionings of lansseax shifting her form to commune with the dragon cult and vyke, and the human shaped beings in the sculptures on the architecture in faram azula as pointed out by the tarnished archeologists' channel... d&d style dragon polymorph shenanigans confirmed?
I can't believe it took a meme for me to realize it but.... THE LIVING BEASTMEN ARE BEARS! I saw an image of a bear that had been mostly shaved and it looks so much like the living beastmen it's crazy!
In regards to the statue with the wolves: I can't take credit for this but I think on Reddit someone suggested that was actually a statue of Miquella and his three wolves. If we are to believe that the Spirit Calling Bell to summon the spirit ashes belonged to Miquella and the wolves belonged to him, it may account for a lack of his shadow-bound beast gifted by the Two Fingers.
I think the evidence suggests the "modern dragons" were born during the crucible era, likely do to the mixing of stormhawk and dragon blood. perhaps greyoll was the first modern dragon to be born, likely from an ancient dragon and a stormhawk (potentially royal lineages of both?) which would explain her feathers and massive size. Moreover if she were of royalty or otherwise connected to the elden ring in some way its possible she could have access to the self reproduction quality that many of the powerful female characters share (Rennalla, Marika, Melaina) perhaps further explaining modern dragons' weakness compared to ancient dragons and their susceptibility to rot (Eckxykes) and glintstone (Adulla, Smarag).
Your mention of sheep-based beastmen is really interesting, as the white-furred beastmen use exclusively lightning attacks, similar to the golden sheep located on the plateau in Altus where you fight Lansseax.
I was waiting for this...another video to watch at work and another video that will help me go to sleep on repeat. Keep up the great work love all your videos bro.
Actually makes a lot of sense the beast men do revert to their wild nature, considering the gurranq attacks the player after a time, and same goes for blaidd as he attacks the player. I kind of wonder if the erdtree has absorbed the power of the dragons with the fall of Gransax, allowing it to grant intelligence to beasts, as it tries to gain control of the Crucible of the past, being the bond between dragons and beasts. I thought it was odd that the crucible knight and misbegotten are a boss pair in Redmane castle, but the aspect of the Crucible being a tie makes a lot of sense. I am also curious as to if radahn has any connection to these beings, considering he has a connection to animals, his horse, and his long-tail cat, as well as being associated with a lion. Come to think of it, i just realized there is a lack of cat representation in enemy mobs, aside from guardian beast lions and the ones you find in dungeons made entirely of stone, which is odd because they are called "watchdogs". Hey i dont remember if you did a video on the man-serpents yet but i'd be interested to learn about them
The stone age, the bronze age, and the iron age... incredible work. Also enjoyed Hawshaw's use of Age of Mythology music... very fitting for ER, as it turns out
Another thing of note, we can't forget the ties to Berserk. In Berserk, Gut's contends with his inner Beast, and this manifestation states that the more Guts represses it the stronger it would become and when it can no longer be contained it's outburst would be all the more violent. This of course is inspired by the Freudian/Nietzschean ideas of the Id and The Shadow, where man must find ways to contain their "Inner Beast". The way psychology and Guts have solved this dilemma is not to give in or shun but to Integrate these powerful aspects into our lives. Even Beasts can be calm and noble as they have no need to suppress, so Beastmen acting as a society has them appear more tame as they may be figuring out how to best integrate the primal aspects into themselves, and thus a figure like Hoarah Loux would definitely appear as the perfect example as the pinnacle of the merging between the Primal and Noble. However, it appears as if Loux's state was more of a facade, as his Bestial Rage was contained for who knows how long, never allowing it to surface as Marika demanded it. This Culminates in his killing of Serosh, a Beast who appears to have had far more success in "Integrating the Shadow" given he literally contains the Rage and acted as a Wise Advisor to Godrfrey, no doubt analogous to the Super-Ego, the part of the human psyche said to be tasked with this very act; reining in the Id and given balance to the Ego, the integrated psyche that we conduct ourselves with in society, in Hoarah Loux's case, the "Lord". In his desperation to defeat us, Loux unbalanced his psyche, literally tearing away his Super-Ego and thus allowing the Id, the "Beast", to rear it's ugly head. But we the Tarnished, through our trials and journey's... and many harsh lessons, have learned not to play as a Lord, but to truly embody one, and thus Hoarah Loux was not but beast in our path, a Powerful and Noble Beast for certain, but a beast nonetheless... though it admittedly took a few tries 😩
I hope that the DLC mentions Melania's and Miquella's shadowbeasts! I've always been so curious about why they're never mentioned, considering they are Empyrium as well and should've been given 1 each as well
Maliketh being Marika’s step brother(armor description I think) probably makes him the god of the Dragons.. It makes sense to me. He even has unique death aura no matter which version you slay. That felt very strong to me in the story.
I like the theory that Placidusax’s god was the Gloam Eyed Queen. It makes sense on so many levels. She’s not specifically referenced as a god but I think that was deliberately left out to not make it too obvious, as she is referred to as both an Empyrean and a Queen. Placidusax’s remembrance says his god was fled, and we don’t get any indication that the GEQ was killed, only defeated. This is mirrored in Maliketh having been pretty much abandoned by his god, which is ironic as he was the one who defeated the Gloam Eyed Queen in the first place. The presence of the Godskin Duo in Faram Azula, as well as Maliketh himself makes so much more sense if it was the GEQ’s seat of power. Then to top it all off we have Melina (who is at the very least closely linked with the GEQ if not the GEQ herself) that transports us to Faram Azula and ultimately the Rune of Death. At first it seems a bit janky and disjointed for us to be teleported out of the blue to Faram Azula after Melina reigniting the Flame of Ruin, but there’s just too many connections between Faram Azula and the GEQ for it to be a coincidence. It would also make sense as a fitting end to the GEQ’s story for Melina to be the key to overthrowing the Golden Order. She gives us the power to turn runes into the strength needed to get the job done, serves as kindling to the Flame of Ruin, and leads us to the Rune of Death that she once held mastery over as the final trump card in her centuries long revenge scheme.
@@alfalldoot6715 why not both? They’re not mutually exclusive. The rise of marika and human(oid)s toward the end of the age of dragons would be a threat to the dragon’s power and give them ample reason to be skinning Marika’s ilk. The Greater Will was behind both of them at some point, and it seems pretty clear that it has no issue pitting its followers against each other if one faction ultimately serves its purposes better. It’s just a theory/head cannon to be sure but it’s not implausible.
@BitterSteel Yeah but the godskins are probably artificial beings, so the GEQ would have had to go out of the way to reject her dragons and make some completely new species. The ancient dragons were led by Gransaxx when they attacked Leyndell, so why couldn't their queen just take back her throne? That's also ignoring the fact that the dragons use red lighting and the godskins use completely different black death flame.
@@alfalldoot6715 you make some good points, however there are a couple of things to point out. The GEQ herself wasn’t a dragon, the dragons were simply the dominant species in the Lands Between and she took her place as the ruler over them. Black Flame was her primary source of power and was associated with her specifically, with lightning being more closely tied to dragons intrinsically. She could have created the Godskins for the specific purpose of wielding the black flame and carrying out her bidding without question. This would make sense considering that the black flame is essentially the most powerful weapon in existence, so it’s logical to assume that you wouldn’t want to give that power to just anybody. As far as the dragon’s attack on Leyendell is concerned, I think it’s a safe assumption that this occurred after the defeat of the GEQ, the removal of the Rune of Death and the creation of the Golden Order. This is because Leyendell is already established as the royal capital and Goldwyn is in his prime. If the GEQ was Placidusax’s consort/god it would explain the motivation for the dragons to attack Leyendell after her defeat. However at this point the Rune of Death is sealed and the scales have already tipped in Marika’s favor, since Gransaxx was clearly defeated in the end. Eventually the dragons cut their losses and decide that if they can’t beat ‘em they might as well join em.
Maliketh is the blind swordsman. He has the same cape, white hair, the helmet covers the eyes, in his fight moves like he is dancing and is the only enemy that can do an atack with the same end hit as waterfowl dance (the "one mind" sekiro like attack)
The Five Fingers symbol makes me think that the Two Fingers of the Erdtree and the Three fingers of frenzy were one entity that embodied both concepts during the age of the Crucible but later split into two separate entities when the age of the beastmen came to an end.
I agree its likely farum azula used to sit near beastial sanctum but im not so sure. The trees in farum azula match the trees in altus plateau, as well as both places containing wormface enemies. To top that off, ive always found it strange that leyndell appears to be constructed over the mouth of a massive hole. I think its entirely possible that farum azula used to sit where leyndell is now
Smough! I just had this thought, this phenomenon likely affects the misbegotten and why people seem to be surprised the wretches overthrew various fortresses.
Great eye looking at the “sheep” skeletons, although given the ram’s affinity for lightning and their proximity to lanseax, I think it’s likely the sheep skeletons are those of lightning rams.
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Let me know your thoughts on the lore below!
Bro it’s sin-co not chin-co lol your country doesn’t border a Latin country and it shows
@@nothanks9503smfh
@@nothanks9503 you're wrong - it's venetian weapon and an Italian word, would recommend this video here: th-cam.com/video/L3wIYWG-cz4/w-d-xo.html - in which someone pronounces it about 1:07.
I find it funny how people get so mad and so sure about things based on assumptions.
@@SmoughTown it’s literally called the 5 fingers guy
@@SmoughTown I know the weapon it’s based on I too am a lore nerd and Latin
I smell it, lore. Feed it me. Smough, bring more lore. I shall grant thee a like and subscription.
Oh it's here and I hope you feast!
giving me big "What, Still here? Hand it over, that thing, your dark souls lore!" vibes
@@Gamespud94 it’s a play on when you first see gurranq and when you first give him deathroot. Instead of lore, he says bring me more death. Smoughtown is my top three lore creators for elden ring.
@@theiberianbadger0123 I know lol, was just comparing it to another great misquotable line.
Be careful, he’s gonna attack you if you feed him more lore.
An interesting thing I discovered about the beastmen's faces is they're very similar to the dragon forms face from dark souls 1, perhaps this shows that most of the surviving beastmen might have deepened their bonds with their dragon masters to wield their red lightning.
I like that! All the non-ancient dragons have fur, which also could point to some kind of shared genealogy
The whole concept of the feral beasts being warped/elevated to intelligence by an outer god against their free will almost seems like an inversion of Bloodborne's themes, their descendance back to their animal form the result of their god fleeing instead of them trying to meddle with it actively.
The concept of ‘wild man’ losing his superior innate qualities such as strength and constitution as he comes to rely on society and tools is very reminiscent of Rousseau
More kaczynski or ludd
Whenever Radagon does his gold shattering move five "fingers" spread out from his hammer. Considering Radagon's connection to wolves (even being called a "leal hound" by Marika) and his primordial red hair I wonder if he might have a connection to the beasts, figurative or literal. Maybe Radagon had the same "fullness" of order that the beasts once did. They both possess strength as well as intelligence and of course an integral sense of loyalty.
Could it be that he's more tied into the actual five fingers (godhand) before they split though? I've always contributed Radagons hair to be more of the giants than FA
most possible the perfect shadowbound created for the chosen empyrean/god Marika and as we know shadow bounds are forced to harm or even kill their chosen empyrean, when said candidate may choose too not follow the greater will/two fingers
Something I keep thinking about is how his great rune is an orderly set of lines, and how that compares to the wild roots we see in the Farum Azula Elden Ring depiction. I'm not sure where that leads, but it's a thought
@Luminous Azure I always thought Radagon's rune was a bramble of thorns to represent his theme of repentance, but that is a good observation. To add on to it Radagon's rune and those elden roots are both located towards the bottom of the ring. However Radagon's rune is somewhat obscured by the rest of the Ring, possibly representing how his ideals went neglected by the civilization at large?
@@rf-k9117 But Marika/Radagon already had a shadowbound beast
If only there was a handsome, amazing, noble man who can reconnect us with the beast-men.
👀
Certainly there is! I'm sure you're referring to my boy Boc. He's got more rizz than he knows what to do with
@@riskybiscuits688 RADAGON IS BOC’S MOM
@@aetheraxe1781 huh?
SIR KENNETH HAIGHT
So we have beasts that became men, and we also have men that become beasts (bloodhound knights, drake knights, misbegotten)
Thank you for another fantastic video. You're smashing it with every single one. Rest now, you've earned it.
Thank you my friend means a lot 🙏in bed watching a film
Holy Shit Henry I haven't seen you since I was a boy, back in the Carlin days
13:00 when I first saw this statue and thought on it, I interpreted the figure to be Marika, and the wolves, a symbol of her empyrean status. The statue always felt similar to the one of Malenia and Miquella. Thinking that it could instead be of Placidusax's god makes me wonder how that would work anatomically lol
it also makes me wonder how such a wild form of the elden ring could possibly be contained in a humanoid body
@@kamikazekiwi The best tinfoil theory I've seen go in that direction is that the statue _does_ depict Marika ...who was an Ancient Dragon to begin with and took her human form afterwards.
Although since Ranni gives us wolf spirits and several times seemingly corporeal wolves ambush us via a storm gale I personally think it's a common myth/real cyclical trend in-universe, with Marika _potentially_ being the first depending on how old you believe her to be.
I thought the same considering she's Numen and long-lived.
Farum Azula has always been a special place to me because of the duality it represents: beasts and man, civilization and wildness, majesty and horror, age and timelessness. It's seriously my favorite place in the game, with so much amazing lore to absorb as well. So many context clue and so many items to give descriptions. I've always thought that part of the reason the Beastmen are starting to go feral again is because they're starving to death. There is no edible flora and no fauna up in Farum Azula. Every living non-dragon is dirty, wounded with exposed flesh and even bone, and emaciated, and there are so many starved dog and undead beastmen models that it's not hard to imagine that many are dying because of lack of food, and the reason there is any survivors at all is because the living have feasted on the dead. Gurranq, too, is plagued by the hunger of the Rune of Death. There is no more powerful force in this world than the will to survive, and nothing pushes us to our most bestial nature in our will to survive more than hunger. A living thing will eat ANYTHING if it gets hungry enough.
and yet with the removal of the Rune of Death they wouldn’t actually die would they? They would just be starving indefinitely while gradually losing themselves like the rest of the residents of the lands between explaining their apparent devolution.
@@emilyminnow I never said that their hunger was caused by the Rune of Dwath. I said *Gurranq's* hunger was caused by the Rune of Death. However, regardless of why, Gurranq's hunger is something that, in my opinion, connects him to his fellow beastmen up in Farum Azula.
@@NoahofWill I wasn't saying that's what you were saying, your theory that they are starving is perfectly sound (many in the lands between appear quite emaciated with the exception of some like Radahn who is regularly feasting on corpses) I was just pointing out that if they can't die naturally they will just keep wasting away into nothing indefinitely. Some of the Beastmen in Farum Azula that look particularly bad also resurrect after you kill them much like "those who live in death"
The dragons in from software games are not just symbols of prehistoric primordial power, but they also represent the state of being beyond time, in this case literally in the storm beyond time, but also in the way following the path of the dragon requires meditative transcendence of karma cycles (aka of birth and death)
The Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone fully supports this rather overtly:
"Smithing stone made polishing a golden Gravel Stone. A scale of the Ancient Dragonlord, and hidden treasure of Farum Azula.
The Ancient Dragonlord's seat is said to lie beyond time. This stone lightly twists time, allowing the creation of a weapon capable of slaying a god."
It's also why the godslaying flame can slay gods. The black flame is death and the white flame is frozen time, as explained by Hawkshaw's Color Theory video. So, a flame that freezes its target in death through time is definitely a way of killing a god. It's also a big reason why I agree with the theory that the GEQ is the god of Placidusax.
As per usual, gonna enjoy the content - gonna binge this. Beastmen and Farum culture, in perspective to the vast history of the Lands Between, has always been a point of interest for me.
Thank you as always for your support. Hope you enjoy
I really appreciate how diligent you are with your sources, and other creators who influence your work. Your openness with correcting previous stances as your opinions change is also very much appreciated. These are things you would hope to be universal in lore videos like this, but it sadly isn't always the case.
It not only makes your videos that much more trustworthy, but helps circulate viewers to these other channels which helps the community as a whole.
Thank you!
Thanks Hugo - I think it’s important in this space because it allows us all to work together!
Really pleased you enjoyed the content - thank you for the support
These videos are always time well spent! I can't help but feel like "Intelligence" was the equivalent of "Grace" during the reign of Placidusax, the way it seems to come on suddenly and makes whomever it touches more than they were.
I wanted to offer some thoughts on Beastman religion. When evaluating the faith in the video I noticed you pointed a lot to the Beastial Incantations which by their name you would assume speaks to their religion but that doesn't actually seem to be the case. Beastmen venerated the dragons and the Elden Lord. We actually find one of their holy books in the form of the Ancient Dragon Prayer Book that's description reads it never reached the Lands Between, meaning it never left Farum Azula. When we see beasts casting incantations in Farum, aside from Gurranq, they are never slinging rocks rather they attack with red lightning. This illustrates that the beastman faith was pretty much a more indepth version of the modern Dragon Cult.
The Beastmen burials are very telling, not just the Varna ones but the rest as well. The ritural they use is called sky burial, a method of burial involving leaving the corpse under open sky or tied to a growing tree. They body is then just weathered away under the open sky and eaten by birds and such. This leans further into the idea that the beastmen's faith was rooted not just in veneration of the dragons but the sky itself.
With these ideas in mind: Intelligence being like grace, use of sky burial methods, use of red lightning incantations from a beastman exclusive prayer book; I'd like to circle back to the Elden Ring depiction in Farum Azula. I've commented before that I think this depiction of the Elden Ring is in fact of the Elden Ring in the "True Storm" (mentioned by Nephili). The zagging lines coming off the ring are in fact lightning or perhaps a "graced" lightning. I had many folks rebuff that they think it is roots because it is too smooth roots but I offer this counter; the beastmen have no demonstrated or stated cultural connection to trees (They don't have any signs of tree worship or veneration) but they do demonstrate lightning. Second, the Elden Lord and their God, based on Marika and her consorts, typically stick together. Placidusax lives in the sky in the heart of a storm, so in all likelihood his God did as well. If his god is in the storm, then the Elden Ring is in the storm and by merit of having the Elden Ring within it, it becomes a sacred thing. I think that folks married to the roots idea forget the game is called Elden Ring not Erdtree and that the tree motiff is the Ring's most recent interation. If you get Ranni's ending, the Dark Moon, to which she retreats fills the role of the Erdtree by merit that she is there with the ER. With all that set out and the new thought of Intelligence being gifted. I can't help but look at the mural and statue in Maliketh's arena and see: The god of the age of dragons surrounded by wolves, praying down the lightning grace of the Elden Storm. That these bolts of grace will strike these beasts and from them will arise beastMEN.
When it comes to the Demi-humans I view them as the stepping stones between humans and beastmen. They may be an enduring hybrid or they may be the evolutionary link between the two. Which interestingly brings me to Hourah Loux. I feel like he is one or two generations off of being a beastman himself. Head on his facial features while clearly human have a very striking felineness to them not to mention the man literally roars like a lion when you are fighting him. However, even with these points it is wrong to assume this is how all humans arose in the lands between as we know some "humans" come from beyond.
Wow excellent deduction! I'm with you on the lightning coming off the FA Elden Ring, and that made me see Gransax's Bolt in the center of the Elden Ring by way of the twisting spiral! The same twisting lightning move that Placidusax uses in his boss fight
@@peinbody84 Thanks for the reply! Yay, I'm finally convincing folks! People have been calling me crazy lol! Good catch on the Gransax Bolt, I just lazily figured it was an interpretation of the Tornado but the Bolt, Chef's kiss!
Love your idea of connecting the Grace of humans and the intelligence of beasts! Grace seemed like a kind of primordial force to me that does its own things (or maybe Marika's orders - since she took Grace from the Tarnished and Godfrey) and it makes sense that Placidusax's god would have a similar force running around in the primordial times.
Haven't started the video just yet, but I have 1 question. How? Like how after more then a year of consistent gour long videos are you still finding stuff to discuss about? It's marveling, especially with the absolute quality of these videos
Thank you Boris - that honestly means so much.
I'm not sure tbh haha - I just find the game to be full of deep symbolism and themes and that we have only scratched the surface!
I think Radagon is next on my list
Beeeen been been waiting for Radagon 🔥🔥🔥🔥
@@SmoughTown I wonder if the cut mimic quest could offer a hint to Radagon's inception.
@@SmoughTown i know you probrably don't want outside influence, but I think this is kinda neat. I think Radagon is based a bit on the true norse thor. He has heritage in the giants, and hates them, he is a champion and a warrior who exterminated the giants, he weild a hammer, has red hair, marries twice and throws lightning.
It's also worth noting the dichotomy between wisdom and intelligence. It often shows up in D&D, where Beasts almost always have a higher Wisdom than Intelligence, reflecting their wild nature. Intelligence is used for skills like Nature and History, while Wisdom affects skills like Survival and Perception.
Your videos are always so comfy and informative. It feels like a good bedtime story. They make your imagination run wild without jostling you or rushing you towards any conclusion. Very cozy, and always appreciated.
That's so awesome and touching Tori - thank you so much. Kind words like these really keep me going
I use this playlist to go to bed to 😅🥱😴💤
@@ValyeriasCornerthis is the way
i wish that i had college professors that were able to lecture this well
@@nno7532
Incredible video as always, but the part around 18:00 about gurranq and him being at one point a bestial clergyman for farum azula makes so much sense! I love how you can bring up new context and info surrounding a character we're all familiar with and recontextualize them! That blew my mind a little bit to consider that Maliketh was at one point Gurranq in his former life before marika tailored him. Keep up the amazing work, can't get enough of these!
That's so great to hear - thank you so much for the kind words. I agree; I think I enjoy this reassessment of the shadows more than my original concepts back year.
Thank you my friend! I will do and thank you for the ongoing support.
I adore the visual aesthetic of farum
Me too, certainly one of my fave areas in any FS game
Something I find interesting is how there's three wolves found outside Ranni's rise and I can't help but associate it with the wolves and goddess statue in FA. Like as though she's connected to that original FA Ringdom's lineage somehow.
I feel like that might be more related to Ranni's connection to wolves handed down to her through Radagon rather than the beast themselves.
alright baby let's go I've been eating for this one since I noticed Serosh and Maliketh shared armor style
The normal beastmen also have a similar style, helmet covering eyes and a crop top chest plate.
Smough thank you for covering this and the five fingers! I’ve been waiting for someone on yt to do a deep dive explain the correlation of the five fingers with the three of chaos and normal 2 fingers, separation and the beastmen, great video!
Pretty unrelated, but I noticed some moveset similarities between Maliketh and Blaidd. Blaidd uses a similar move to the Destined Death move where he does two rotations before slamming his sword, and Wolf Assault is really similar to the other destined death move
I think the most likely candidate for who granted the beastmen intelligence would be the Greater Will, acting through its fingers. I don't think it was the Two Fingers however, as the Cinquedea's imagery seems too literal. I believe it was the Five Fingers, because in this prehistoric era the finger schism (as The Tarnished Archaeologist describes in their video "Flame of Frenzy Part II: The Finger Schism") would not have happened yet, meaning the Two and Three Fingers were not yet separate entities.
24:00 I disagree with this talking about the vitality of beasts, it seems more to be alluding to the power of gold and the cycle of unending life. The "glinting with gold" bit seems more important than it being beast blood
My homie mentioned 2001…nicely done. Was just bouncing around in my head. Need to watch again
In wilds beyond they speak your name with reverence and regret,
For none could tame our savage souls yet you the challenge met,
Under palest watch, you taught, you changed, base instincts were redeemed,
A world you gave to bug and beast as they had never dreamed.
Our cherished dreams you granted and delivered more,
But in dismay you found too late our desires had no end,
What cost to tame our savagery? You gave your all and then gave more.
Yet still desires lay unquenched, more dreams remained, your energies spent.
Amongst it sprang a dreadful scourge,
That forced return our aggressive urge,
And turned us back to beasts or husks,
Our souls consumed by light above.
Within your corpse can still be heard the plaintiff cries of one,
Who took our pain, and loss, and dreams inside itself to...
Through its pain we found a truth that must now be confessed,
For nothing can contain such things but perfect emptiness.
Just saw this in my feed and yelled 'YAY!!' like an excited child.
Hope you enjoy Alexander!
I have some additions. Many pre-christian/ pagan religions have a major deity, either at the top or of near equal importance, be a Storm-god.
Could Dragonlord Placudisax and the Beastmen be a play on this?
Also, look up the Torslunda plates. It depicts what is believed to be Odin (a god of Wisdom and Beastial Frenzy) next to an Úlfhédnar or Berserker (Wolf-Shirt/ Bear Skin). Legendary warriors said to have taken on the shape and or spirit of the respective animal.
They may play a part in the imagery and lore. They may just be a coincidence. I just thought it would be useful to share.
I loved the video by the way.🐺🦁🐻🐏
Yes, I think you're right when you point to the young female statue in Farum Azula being an early, idealized depiction of the founder or ruler of Farum Azula. When I saw that statue, I immediately felt it had a strong resemblence to the depictions of Rome's founding mythos with young children and wolves. I also think this is likely an early depiction of the Gloam Eye'd Queen.
Yeh great shout in regards to it being analogous to statues of Romulus and Remus
great observation bro
Thanks for another great video, Geoff. Your Elden ring videos are the best, and you've introduced me to a shit ton of other great channels. Super excited for your upcoming Bloodborne video and any other souls content you have coming.
Cheers Timbo, it’s comments like these that keep me going tbh. Appreciate your support
Not even seen the whole video, but thus far the best content on the beasts on youtube. Great touch on the 2001Space Odissey analogy, great reflections about the obsession with death, and the compliment to TA's video about the architechture of Farum Azula.
"I was wrong as I so often am": words of truly a man of class.
Thanks so much Matteo, that means the world to me. Really enjoyed this subject
I think Lokey to be right about the small person statue with the three wolves in Farum Azula. I was thinking it might be Ranni or Miquella considering Ranni gives you the spirit calling bell along with the three wolves spirit ashes in the very beginning of the game. But considering *where* we find this statue I think he/you may be right. Fine Work, Geoff!
I think Lokey is right too! Thank you my friend, I really appreciate the kind support
I never really paid much attention to the beastman, but this video opened my eyes to how cool they really are and the amount of detail and environmental storytelling went into them - and the way they represent the amalgamation of beast and humanity, is really fascinating
I just want to say how much I appreciate all your content! I started off just jumping around to the topics I was most interested in (i.e. The Frenzied Flame), but I've found myself starting from the very beginning and listening/relistening to all your lore videos. It's also awesome to see how much credit you give to other creators, much more than I've seen anyone else ever do, in the Elden Ring lore community as well as any other topic of discussion. Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into these videos for us!
I'd suggest anyone else who loves Smough's content to do the same as I did and start from the beginning. He has a playlist you can save that is in chronological starting at his oldest videos. It's great to know what he's referencing from previous videos and interesting to see how his opinions on some things have changed over time as the lore community evolves their understanding of the game and it's lore elements.
Love your lore videos, especially because you picked out one of my favorite parts of this game. Farum Azula is such a wild concept. Really makes you wonder what it all looked like in its prime.
Ive been hunting for a long while for more lore on the Beast men. Thanks my man! 💪💖
My pleasure my friend, hope this video delivers!
awesome, another video from my favorite Eden Ring lore channel. your vids are great to put on before going to sleep too.
Thanks so much James, really appreciate the kind words and support. Keeps me going!
I really wonder if some Beastmen were just chilling in Farum Azula and suddenly their crashing to the ground
What an unfortunate inconvenience 😔
By the way dude, good content, always nice to listen to Elden Ring lore while I play games and stuff
Thank you my friend, really glad you enjoy my content and hope you enjoy this one too
that comparison to 2001: a space odyssey was actually magnificent. you’re just too good at writing the script for these videos
Dark Tark was the last content creator I expected to get mentioned on this channel lol
Great vid as always Geoff!
Thanks so much Michal!
Hey man, I just wanted to thank you for how much effort you put into your videos. I love that you've introduced me to other Elden Ring lore channels, and the way you format, and tell each story and segment them nicely into chapters, it makes everything come together very well! Especially your recent videos, it is very apparent that you are getting better at storytelling and it's just inspiring and kinda awesome to hear just how passionate you are about this universe. I love Elden Ring and many of the souls game, but man it's just crazy how deep these games really are and it just makes me appreciate the world even more. One story in particular that from playing the game myself, is I had no freakin clue what was really going on with the Godskins, but man seeing your first video around 8+ months I think? and then seeing your more recent one along with information on the Gloam Eyed Queen, it's just fascinated how everything kinda fits together, yet alot is left to speculation and I absolutely love that and that one players headcanon can be completely different from someone elses in regard to something and how even compiling information together can create a whole new perspective of how to interpret things and often I'll just have my jaw drop from some of the lore revelations or rather some implications and I'm just left utterly baffled at how all of this could exist in one game. Cheers man and it's so nice to see you grow, I've been passively watching for a few years and liking videos that I watch but haven't really interacted with the community here much but just wanted to let you know you are greatly appreciated!
Hey my friend, thank you so much for the kind comment - that really does keep me going. I really do love this game and this community and I'm so lucky I get such kind support like yours! More to come soon!
I don't normally come into these videos ignorant, but I know basically nothing about the Beastmen, so this will be a real treat. Thanks for the steady stream of content, Smough!
Thank you dude! Hope you enjoy
Holy hell I love that thumbnail! All of yours are really well made, but this is one of my favs so far!!
Edit: Just almost finished, the beast evolving into humans theory is one I really like. Excellent work as always on the parts of both you, and Dark Tark!!
I didn’t realize that the ruins we see throughout the lands between were of Faram Azula but now that it’s pointed out to me I can’t unsee it, it just makes so much sense.
that’s why I continue to love each and every video you make Mr. SmoughTown. Thanks again
I've always wondered (along with everyone else) who the lady is that is depicted among wolves in the statute of Maliketh's boss room. But something in this video made me think/theorize, what if it's one of the ancient dragons taking a human form. And the statue shows them caring for and teaching the beasts that would become the beastmen? I can't think of a reason why a dragon would take that shape for that sort of thing, but it would make sense why it seems like a center piece of the room. Sort of like a shrine to them gaining intelligence and becoming part of that current ages order. Maybe the lady is their God, the equivalent of Marika, and the being Placidusax is waiting for to return? All just a theory but figured I'd share! Amazing video as always and thanks for all the work you do on these!!
The beasts are one of my favorite subjects.
Let's go!!
Me too! I hope you enjoy
I can’t wait for the DLC so we can keep getting awesome content like this. Your lore videos are part of what has made Elden Ring such a good game to me. Keep it up Smough!
I don’t think you realize how needed this was Smough! After a long rough week, this video is keeping me going!
My pleasure my friend! I really hope you enjoy this one!
@@SmoughTown I will! Your videos have helped me stay productive in college
@@rxblessed Im sorry it's been a long week; here's to you having a nice weekend
@@SmoughTown thank you my friend, I hope yours is also enjoyable and full of rest
@@rxblessed🤝
Besides sheep skulls being in graves in Farum Azula, sheep also have a specific relation to lightning, even having their own ash of war!
Top notch video as per usual! Making me adore this game even more than I already did :) thank you!
Thanks so much Ezio! That's great to hear
The Albinauric Blood Clot does it once again ! Amazing video as always thank u so much
It always saves the day! Great to see you here dude, thank you for the support.
I waited a day to watch but it's absolutely beautiful, always coming in with the amazing videos my man
Much appreciated my friend! Really Glad you enjoyed it
My typical albunauric blood clot comment aside, something I thought of while listening to the segment about the importance of death to the beast men, perhaps the death birds are the psychopomps of the beastmen? Were the death birds ever specified to belonging to a civilization other than just the nebulous “before the erdtree” description?
Great way to begin my Friday morning! Thank you for the upload!
My pleasure Peter, I hope you enjoy this one
Just finished the video good job man
Unreal
Added to watch later
just dropped by to leave a like , Gonna enjoy this on Saturday
Means the world to me Devon, thank you so much
Nice video! The beastmen have always interested me due to how mysterious they are
Thank you so much! And me too!
@@SmoughTown BTW i am just curios, what is your opinion or thought on who built the golems plus the divine towers?
They have a similiar style. Maybe you spoke about it in a previous video and i just forgot.
Was really enjoying the video..then *BAM* 2001 Space Odyssey being used as a reference point. 👏👏👏 Now I'm really enjoying it.
That's what I'm talking about!
I think the body's everywhere and the reference to the varna necropolis are references to the importance of ritual burial. Ritual burial is often considered to be an important distinction between more primitive hominids and more modern man.
Hell yeah, new lore video to keep me distracted from working!
Awesome! Enjoy
So something i like to play around with is the idea of divesting beasthood, and a literal separation of self i.e. Marika and Radagon separating and joining again -shattering and mending. We see Marika chasing the idea of "refining" to remove impurities, from red gold, to pale yellow gold.
13:05 It’s Miquella with 3 wolves. The first encounter with Ranni, she says:
“ I was entrusted this, for thee. By Torrent’s former master. “
Then she gives you a Spirit Calling Bell & Lone Wolf Ash.
So when you know Miquella looks like a child and you find a statue with a child playing with 3 wolves..
It not only tells you Miquella is the former master of Torrent, but had an enormous role in helping you from the very start of the game.
That link is clear… but it just begs more questions: why would a statue of Miquella and some spirit wolves be a statue in Farum Azula? Did the beast men carve it? Did Gurranq carve it or maybe bring it to FArum azula from leyndell or the Haligtree? Why a miquella statue and not a malenia statue - they are twins? Why not a marika statue, his bound Empyrean that he cries out to all the time?
@@danielpurcell7203 The statue is in Maliketh’s boss room, that would be prime golden order real estate. Miquella in my opinion is the main person behind everything, he has influence over everything, the bewitching branch: “The Empyrean Miquella is loved by many people. Indeed, he has learned very well how to compel such affection.” if you use it on someone they go against their own needs and wants. I believe he did everything to break free from the influences of outer gods which caused Marika to shatter the Elden Ring which lead to the shattering war with her consent or not. He sent his sister to stop Radahn from holding back the stars, but knew she would fail because before any of that he had Marika kick out the tarnished who would fulfill his plan. So when the game starts, Melina finds you via Torrent knowing you’re apart of the plan. Ranni had her orders to help you. I believe in the DLC it’s going to explain more about what Miquella has set into motion.
@@weavatronobservatory I don’t think the room you fight Maliketh in has anything to do with the Golden Order - beyond Maliketh being there. Do you think Maliketh lived in Farum Azula while Marika lived in Leyndell during the height of the Golden Order and they built Maliketh a room in Farum Azula despite the fact that he’s Marikas shadow bound beast - sworn to protect her.
If the statue depicts anyone Maliketh knows, it might be a young Godwyn. Godwyn repaired the rift between dragons and humans and was possibly venerated with iconography that shows him in a pure innocent state among beasts. Maliketh left Leyndell because he felt he had failed Marika by letting Godwyn die, so maybe the statue reminds him of what he is doing. Also we know that the wolf spirits belonged to Miquella, but maybe the wolves (pre-death) belonged to Godwyn and Miquella kept them around because he couldn’t bring his brother back.
@@danielpurcell7203 If it’s not Miquella then it’s the Gloam Eyed Queen. Above the statue on the wall is the Elden Ring with the Rune of Death in the middle, from a time before it was taken. Then Farum Azula was conquered, the Golden Order did not start until the rune of death was taken after the defeat of the Gloam Eyed Queen.
The Remembrance of Dragonlord Placidusax says :
( The Dragonlord whose seat lies at the heart of the storm beyond time is said to have been Elden Lord in the age before the Erdtree. Once his god was fled, the lord continued to await its return. )
The Gloam Eyed Queen was his god that fled after her defeat. Maliketh’s boss room may be where he fought her, which is why there is a statue of her.
OR
It’s Miquella. Miquella was trying to give his brother a true death ( Golden Epitaph: “ O brother, lord brother, please die a true death.” ) perhaps in Miquella’s search to better understand those who live in death to learn of a way to help his brother he consulted Maliketh, maybe a statue was placed there to remind Maliketh that Marika may have abandoned him, but not Miquella.
OR
It’s statue of a child version of Godwyn, for what ever reason.
@@weavatronobservatory Wasn’t the gloam eyed queen just an empyrean - never a full blown vessel for the elden ring / god like Marika? During the first phase of the Marikas reign (Age of Plenty) the gloam eyed queen rises up to try and overthrow Marika but fails thanks to Maliketh who, like the GEQ, draws power from the rune of death but does not possess the rune outside of the elden ring. After GEQ defeat, Marika wants to show her mastery over death itself and removes the rune of death from the elden ring so her age of plenty never ends. GEQ had nothing to do with dragons and was never a God, her title of ‘Queen’ was not the same as Marikas, but more similar to Renalla (Queen of Caria) and she may have been a Queen of an eternal city.
If the Farum Azula statue was a statue of a vessel of the Elden ring, god of an age, wedded to an ancient dragon, and also the gloam eyed queen (associated with death and black flame and the godskins) why would it be depicting a child with some wolves? The QEG has nothing to do with wolves and is never referred to as a child and her childhood is never mentioned as being something so important it would be depicted this way.
Same with Miquella, yes at some point he had some wolves (spirit wolves) but the other imagery strongly associated with Miquella: the Haligtree, miquellas lillies , unalloyed gold craftsmanship, and the eclipse are not featured… just the wolves and not even the spirit calling bell Miquella would have used to call them if they were spirits instead of real wolves.
There’s just as much evidence that the statue doesn’t depict any character we know, but could be a symbolic representation of an idea - that sentient intelligent humanity started to flourish during an age of beasts and that humans and beasts co-mingled with the majority population being beasts (hence more wolves) and humans the minority.
You are doing a far better job than Vaati could ever do at this point, keep going!
your videos are emmaculte. thanks for doing this. so many people are grateful to be able to understand more about their favorite game. all love brother.
Thank you my friend - you have no idea how much comments like this mean to me. Much love back
As always, a phenomenal deep dive! I adore binging all your videos!!
As a side note, would you ever consider uploading the audio to a podcast app, as I could listen to all these forever.
Thanks so much Kelsey! I appreciate that. We will do eventually, I am still figuring out the best way to do it etc
@@SmoughTown
No problem at all! Thank you for replying :D
I'm always so impressed with all your videos! As someone whose first ever Frome Software game was Elden Ring, I like knowing exactly what backhanded me halfway across the map.
damn im ready to watch this 21 seconds after you posted this
hahaha thank you so much for being here!
Makes you wonder about the dragon option in character creation, the mentionings of lansseax shifting her form to commune with the dragon cult and vyke, and the human shaped beings in the sculptures on the architecture in faram azula as pointed out by the tarnished archeologists' channel...
d&d style dragon polymorph shenanigans confirmed?
I can't believe it took a meme for me to realize it but.... THE LIVING BEASTMEN ARE BEARS! I saw an image of a bear that had been mostly shaved and it looks so much like the living beastmen it's crazy!
In regards to the statue with the wolves: I can't take credit for this but I think on Reddit someone suggested that was actually a statue of Miquella and his three wolves.
If we are to believe that the Spirit Calling Bell to summon the spirit ashes belonged to Miquella and the wolves belonged to him, it may account for a lack of his shadow-bound beast gifted by the Two Fingers.
He and Malenia do have shadows we just haven't seen them yet
I think the evidence suggests the "modern dragons" were born during the crucible era, likely do to the mixing of stormhawk and dragon blood. perhaps greyoll was the first modern dragon to be born, likely from an ancient dragon and a stormhawk (potentially royal lineages of both?) which would explain her feathers and massive size. Moreover if she were of royalty or otherwise connected to the elden ring in some way its possible she could have access to the self reproduction quality that many of the powerful female characters share (Rennalla, Marika, Melaina) perhaps further explaining modern dragons' weakness compared to ancient dragons and their susceptibility to rot (Eckxykes) and glintstone (Adulla, Smarag).
Keep up the great work man love these lore videos
Thank you my friend, I will do
Your mention of sheep-based beastmen is really interesting, as the white-furred beastmen use exclusively lightning attacks, similar to the golden sheep located on the plateau in Altus where you fight Lansseax.
Beasts be like, " Keep calm, and carry on."
I was waiting for this...another video to watch at work and another video that will help me go to sleep on repeat. Keep up the great work love all your videos bro.
Actually makes a lot of sense the beast men do revert to their wild nature, considering the gurranq attacks the player after a time, and same goes for blaidd as he attacks the player. I kind of wonder if the erdtree has absorbed the power of the dragons with the fall of Gransax, allowing it to grant intelligence to beasts, as it tries to gain control of the Crucible of the past, being the bond between dragons and beasts. I thought it was odd that the crucible knight and misbegotten are a boss pair in Redmane castle, but the aspect of the Crucible being a tie makes a lot of sense. I am also curious as to if radahn has any connection to these beings, considering he has a connection to animals, his horse, and his long-tail cat, as well as being associated with a lion. Come to think of it, i just realized there is a lack of cat representation in enemy mobs, aside from guardian beast lions and the ones you find in dungeons made entirely of stone, which is odd because they are called "watchdogs".
Hey i dont remember if you did a video on the man-serpents yet but i'd be interested to learn about them
Yooo lets go, been waiting for this to drop 🧡
Hope you enjoy my friend
The stone age, the bronze age, and the iron age... incredible work. Also enjoyed Hawshaw's use of Age of Mythology music... very fitting for ER, as it turns out
Another thing of note, we can't forget the ties to Berserk. In Berserk, Gut's contends with his inner Beast, and this manifestation states that the more Guts represses it the stronger it would become and when it can no longer be contained it's outburst would be all the more violent. This of course is inspired by the Freudian/Nietzschean ideas of the Id and The Shadow, where man must find ways to contain their "Inner Beast". The way psychology and Guts have solved this dilemma is not to give in or shun but to Integrate these powerful aspects into our lives.
Even Beasts can be calm and noble as they have no need to suppress, so Beastmen acting as a society has them appear more tame as they may be figuring out how to best integrate the primal aspects into themselves, and thus a figure like Hoarah Loux would definitely appear as the perfect example as the pinnacle of the merging between the Primal and Noble.
However, it appears as if Loux's state was more of a facade, as his Bestial Rage was contained for who knows how long, never allowing it to surface as Marika demanded it. This Culminates in his killing of Serosh, a Beast who appears to have had far more success in "Integrating the Shadow" given he literally contains the Rage and acted as a Wise Advisor to Godrfrey, no doubt analogous to the Super-Ego, the part of the human psyche said to be tasked with this very act; reining in the Id and given balance to the Ego, the integrated psyche that we conduct ourselves with in society, in Hoarah Loux's case, the "Lord".
In his desperation to defeat us, Loux unbalanced his psyche, literally tearing away his Super-Ego and thus allowing the Id, the "Beast", to rear it's ugly head. But we the Tarnished, through our trials and journey's... and many harsh lessons, have learned not to play as a Lord, but to truly embody one, and thus Hoarah Loux was not but beast in our path, a Powerful and Noble Beast for certain, but a beast nonetheless... though it admittedly took a few tries 😩
I hope that the DLC mentions Melania's and Miquella's shadowbeasts! I've always been so curious about why they're never mentioned, considering they are Empyrium as well and should've been given 1 each as well
Smough... my thanks... for thy... long labor. But I have watched... all I can... in this day.
Crediting Dark Tark. XD I love these vids man, too good.
I think it was located right in the middle of the land which is why the pieces are everywhere, not just within the most Eastern parts
Yeh I would concur
Amazing work yet again man!
Thanks patches! Appreciate the support
Maliketh being Marika’s step brother(armor description I think) probably makes him the god of the Dragons.. It makes sense to me. He even has unique death aura no matter which version you slay. That felt very strong to me in the story.
I like the theory that Placidusax’s god was the Gloam Eyed Queen. It makes sense on so many levels. She’s not specifically referenced as a god but I think that was deliberately left out to not make it too obvious, as she is referred to as both an Empyrean and a Queen. Placidusax’s remembrance says his god was fled, and we don’t get any indication that the GEQ was killed, only defeated. This is mirrored in Maliketh having been pretty much abandoned by his god, which is ironic as he was the one who defeated the Gloam Eyed Queen in the first place. The presence of the Godskin Duo in Faram Azula, as well as Maliketh himself makes so much more sense if it was the GEQ’s seat of power. Then to top it all off we have Melina (who is at the very least closely linked with the GEQ if not the GEQ herself) that transports us to Faram Azula and ultimately the Rune of Death. At first it seems a bit janky and disjointed for us to be teleported out of the blue to Faram Azula after Melina reigniting the Flame of Ruin, but there’s just too many connections between Faram Azula and the GEQ for it to be a coincidence. It would also make sense as a fitting end to the GEQ’s story for Melina to be the key to overthrowing the Golden Order. She gives us the power to turn runes into the strength needed to get the job done, serves as kindling to the Flame of Ruin, and leads us to the Rune of Death that she once held mastery over as the final trump card in her centuries long revenge scheme.
Going from ruling over dragons to a bunch of skin men is a pretty big leap.
@@alfalldoot6715 why not both? They’re not mutually exclusive. The rise of marika and human(oid)s toward the end of the age of dragons would be a threat to the dragon’s power and give them ample reason to be skinning Marika’s ilk. The Greater Will was behind both of them at some point, and it seems pretty clear that it has no issue pitting its followers against each other if one faction ultimately serves its purposes better. It’s just a theory/head cannon to be sure but it’s not implausible.
facts
@BitterSteel Yeah but the godskins are probably artificial beings, so the GEQ would have had to go out of the way to reject her dragons and make some completely new species. The ancient dragons were led by Gransaxx when they attacked Leyndell, so why couldn't their queen just take back her throne? That's also ignoring the fact that the dragons use red lighting and the godskins use completely different black death flame.
@@alfalldoot6715 you make some good points, however there are a couple of things to point out. The GEQ herself wasn’t a dragon, the dragons were simply the dominant species in the Lands Between and she took her place as the ruler over them. Black Flame was her primary source of power and was associated with her specifically, with lightning being more closely tied to dragons intrinsically. She could have created the Godskins for the specific purpose of wielding the black flame and carrying out her bidding without question. This would make sense considering that the black flame is essentially the most powerful weapon in existence, so it’s logical to assume that you wouldn’t want to give that power to just anybody. As far as the dragon’s attack on Leyendell is concerned, I think it’s a safe assumption that this occurred after the defeat of the GEQ, the removal of the Rune of Death and the creation of the Golden Order. This is because Leyendell is already established as the royal capital and Goldwyn is in his prime. If the GEQ was Placidusax’s consort/god it would explain the motivation for the dragons to attack Leyendell after her defeat. However at this point the Rune of Death is sealed and the scales have already tipped in Marika’s favor, since Gransaxx was clearly defeated in the end. Eventually the dragons cut their losses and decide that if they can’t beat ‘em they might as well join em.
Maliketh is the blind swordsman. He has the same cape, white hair, the helmet covers the eyes, in his fight moves like he is dancing and is the only enemy that can do an atack with the same end hit as waterfowl dance (the "one mind" sekiro like attack)
i don’t think maliketh is the blind swordsman bro was doing parkour the whole 2nd stage😭
im sure eyesight is required
Nailed the Cinquedea pronunciation
Only took me a year
1:06:15 I always that it was adorable that Serosh was always nibbling on Godfreys shoulder lmao
That's SmoughTown. That's quality.
Can't wait for the dlc, hope it brings alot more lore!
Me as well!
The Five Fingers symbol makes me think that the Two Fingers of the Erdtree and the Three fingers of frenzy were one entity that embodied both concepts during the age of the Crucible but later split into two separate entities when the age of the beastmen came to an end.
The Three Fingers want everything to become One, I doubt by One they mean dragons and beastmen and nature
@@ungratefulingrate1268 No they just want to kill everything
Great content as usual. Keep it rollin my man.
I agree its likely farum azula used to sit near beastial sanctum but im not so sure. The trees in farum azula match the trees in altus plateau, as well as both places containing wormface enemies. To top that off, ive always found it strange that leyndell appears to be constructed over the mouth of a massive hole. I think its entirely possible that farum azula used to sit where leyndell is now
Let the hype commence!🎉 Thank you for another banger!
My pleasure my friend! I hope you enjoy
Smough. A bit of advice if I may. Hunt your beasts, and think no more on the secrets of the night. That is the best any of us can do.
i agree
Thank you, maybe it will make me feel better
@@SmoughTown For yourself! You make great videos. Making videos is work, effort, time. It doesn't go unappreciated.
@@idlehour Thank you Olivia! Comments like this keep me going
Amazing as always!
I would love a video about Godrick and grafting in general :)
Enjoying the content as always! looking forward to the radagon video.
thank you so much! Looking forward to it as well, a subject I've always wanted to unpack
Smough! I just had this thought, this phenomenon likely affects the misbegotten and why people seem to be surprised the wretches overthrew various fortresses.
No need to apologize about repeating certain aspects of lore from previous videos. Elden Ring is so deep and massive that I need them.
Great eye looking at the “sheep” skeletons, although given the ram’s affinity for lightning and their proximity to lanseax, I think it’s likely the sheep skeletons are those of lightning rams.