Once you get into FromSoft lore, you eventually gotta do all games and franchises, especially when you hit a dry spell/burnout period on the game you start with.
You're not alone! Dark Souls and Bloodborne always call me back, every few months or so. There's something inherently comforting about these games to me.
I always think about Bloodborne. It was the first Souls game that I played. My favorite thing about Bloodborne is how the health rally system affects PVP; it almost always makes me want to rip the invader apart as soon as he lands an attack on me. It's like watching two wild animals fight to the death. Dark Souls and Elden Ring don't make me feel like that.
@@nickelbutt compared to pretty much all other lore channels, TA pretty much brought it together full circle for me. By connecting these games to reality, culture, and history, I think he's paying a deeper tribute to these games than has ever been published before. There's a sense of realness to these worlds that I have rarely felt from other fantasy worlds, and I think it's because there's a general reverence and deep study of the world we never lived in. It all feels deeply human
this channel makes me appreciate fromsoft more and more for the attention to detail they put into their games, but then being able to catch them and match them to real life is crazy on it's own
Heavily disagree- this channel sullies it’s few salient observations by comparing them overmuch to real world circumstances, and in general a Eurocentric point of view.
@@thomasquwack9503If the majority of games didn't take place in a very obviously European history inspired fantasy you'd have a point. However they do so you simply look foolish.
what a cliff hanger to end on. The vialblood immortality thing always seemed like it was brushed over in the game and the community even though it probably shouldn't have bee. Looking forward to the next one!
I think one thing worth considering in relation to the Old Blood is where its power comes from: the spirits of the dead. You mention how Messengers are intrinsically tied to the blood and are chthonic, which I agree with, but I think you overlook the connection between how Blood Dregs (which come from "the blood of echo fiends, that is to say, the blood of hunters") make the Vilebloods' blood vile and give rise to their ability to produce a child of blood. Whether there's a god above them is arguable, but at the very least the smallest "power unit" in Bloodborne is the Blood Echo, which is better understood as the leftover wishes and desires of the deceased according to its Japanese name. I'd go so far as to argue these Blood Echoes were first discovered by exsanguinating the hanged men found in the Chalice Dungeons with the Pthumerians reserving the "liquid" portion of the blood for their Blood Queen, who would then disseminate her more divine, yet profane blood down to her nobles and then populace at large. I think it makes more sense to work from a bottom-up approach here, but that's just my take on things. I enjoyed the comparisons you made between the bubonic plague and Yharnam.
It's cool to see you here Shez, I always enjoy the little details you put in your animation. And likewise! The details these videos bring up show what a deep lore a lot of fromsoft games have. I really enjoy how it all ties together.
If not for this video mentioning Charred Thermos, I might've never found out how he deleted his channel and how there's an effort to archive his amazing videos.
I haven't been this excited about Bloodborne lore since reading Paleblood Hunt by Redgrave. I love your style and how you pull forward the real world basis for a lot of From's ideas. You're doing excellent work, man; keep it up!
Yeah, same. My teacher is a good teacher, but the way she lectures us in a way that is so monotone. I can barely stay awake even when I really want to learn history.
hey man I just wanted to say that I was recommended the channel a bit ago, starting to watch through all of them 1st to most recent, really like your content! Fromsoftware's work is so intensely layered and we haven't really seen anyone take the archaeological/art historical/sign + signification approach of analysis on them; all stuff I just love. honestly the last time I remember anyone even talking about architecture/history in this way was with the Assassins' Creed games, though really that came down to little more than some photogrammetry of real buildings. As a Seattle resident, Last of Us Part 2 also had some interesting architectural analysis, but again, it's far less in scope than a Fromsoftware game's design. Love the content , wanted to send some kudos along!
Another thought: the Pthumerians used to have access to the physical bodies of Great Ones, and could get their healing blood straight from the source. When the Great Ones ascended, their bodies died, and eventually they would have been drained of all their blood. That must have been a rough time for Pthumerian society. I'd guess that's when they started killing their own people to harvest blood dregs, in hopes of setting up their Queen as a Madonna-type savior with a divine child.
Who the fuck is Madonna there is literally not one single mention of a character with that name in the entire game where does he get this name from it’s so confusing
@@CptSnuggles07 oh ok he was definitely making it seem like that was the statues name I feel like he could have mentioned this fact it’s kinda confusing cause I was trying to think of this character was actually in game or not
Considering Pthumeru is the predecessor of Yharnam and lies directly beneath it I'm interested in how the two seem to have lost contact with each other. It's pretty clear that Laurence and his healing church "reintroduced" proper blood healing to Yharnam from outside, but how did that knowledge get lost in the first place? Good material for a future video.
Because the beastly scourge destroyed it. The cycle of discovering the healing blood below and the plague of beasthood destroying civilization has repeated time again to Loran and Isz, it's Yharnam's turn now
Thats the same question thats crossing my mind. Its not something easy to forget, specially when its the epicenter of your culture. Maybes got something to do with the scourge of the beast.
@@sinestesis Because they didn't lose contact. Yharnamites are modern Pthumerians, and Pthumerian culture evolved and changed over time into what it is today. You may as well ask why ancient Rome and Victorian England "lost contact" with each other - It's just the long tides of history and civilizational collapse/evolution.
@@RevanX77to add to this, it’s pretty likely considering the history of yharnam that the late pthumerian / proto-yharnam people likely stopped doing blood practices due to how devastating it is for society, potentially causing the collapse of the pthumerians that lead to the yharnamites. Even if they only stopped using it for a few generations that’s long enough for people to forget and the practices to be needed to be reintroduced
I think you missed something when talking about the old blood, and that’s mercury. Mercury, aka quicksilver, is heavily associated with Oedon. I was under the impression that the “Old Blood” had to do mercury poisoned blood. This particularly lines up when you bring up the history of mercury poisoning in Japan. You also draw extra Quicksilver bullets from your blood.
Also Mercury was used in ancient china as an immortality pill. But since BB is based on scottish medicine, i wonder how or when Mercury might have been used there?
It might even be that "Paleblood" and the lighter-colored blood of the Pthumerians and Great Ones harken to the notion of quicksilver in the blood, though Paleblood is probably the most controversial topic from a lore perspective in a game full of controversial lore. It even seems to have greatly shifted its significance during BB's tumultuous and long development, to the point that Paleblood probably doesn't even have a single, distinct definition, though there are some who are deeply unsatisfied with such meta examinations of the game's text
Yeah he hasn't touched on Mercury and Rapid Poison and stuff like that yet. I hope he does, it's a rather big thing, especially if we're gonna start talking about our boy Oedon and his formless child Mergo.
@@natk8541 Following the motif of great ones being literal body parts (a la Charred Thermos, Scottish dissection etc.), I take Oedon to be the voice itself - as Ebrietas is the throat/lungs, Moon Prescence is the heart/arteries etc.
@@satyasyasatyasya5746 Yeah sure but I'm not sure how that ties into mercury/quicksilver though or how literally we should take the charredthermos interpretation. I fell off his series right around that part. It got a little tiresome having him saying specific elements of the lore were specific real world figures. It's a fun thing to get into but I didn't need thermos to tell me the game was knee-deep in old medical practices. I find his videos a bit hard to tolerate. They're great but they don't do almost anything for lore exploration, they just provide good guides on the relevant knowledge and how it might have applied to the world building process. Thermos stuff is more "what's the inspiration? Here's the inspiration" and doesn't go further. TA goes "what's the inspiration for this? Probably this other thing? What does that mean for the game?". TA takes the ideas home and helps try to explain the game lore itself. CT just presents a really good book report on the themes of the game.
Thank you for making this series! I am a PC gamer, so I have yet to experience Bloodborne. I am obsessed with the aesthetic and theme though! I have wanted to learn more of its lore for a long time, but many of the channels that talk about the lore assume I've already played the game. Having a series that is so easy to understand has been amazing!
On my first virgin playthrough as I type this. As always , killing it with the recognition of real life inspiration that guided Miyazaki during the development of this society. An incredible story parallel to our own species.
Man, what I'd give to play this game again for a first time. Just watching these vids makes me want to fire up my NG+5 character and just roam around and look at stuff.
Lovely storytelling of both ours and Bloodborne's history. Worthy of a new playthrough every time you upload a video! The founding of Yharnam is often skimmed over to the most immediate past and present, I'm happy to see you dive further and further through the cracks of the past to where it all began. I hope to see what you perceive of as the *future* for Bloodborne as well.
@@kyleespinoza7201 Just got back from Dignity City, attended a lecture with Ebrooitus as a matter of fact. Turned out it was about _The One_ Reborn, should have read the schedule better
Thank you for promoting Charred Thermos lore explanations. He's the closest so far in explain bloobborne. Btw im looking forward to see more bloodborne content of you.
Why did you completely ignore the role of quicksilver and Oedon (who is drawn to or is quicksilver itself) in blood when we literally draw magic/arcana from it? It was quicksilver-corrupted blood that caused Ariana's pregnancy, it is why Annalise sends Vileblood after quicksilver-rich targets (other hunters) to collect the dregs specifically from them so she can conceive without the direct connection to Great Ones (when she refuses Ring of Betrothal which Yharnam wears in chalices).
I'm so glad you dove deeper into the actual religion that predates Lawrence's healing church. I can't tell you how many in game hours I spent just staring at the art on the walls, the statues, etc. What a great vid. My two favorite things, Bloodborne and Learning.
Waking up to a brand new Tarnished Archaeologist, getting to explore Yharnam again, that magnificent place of pungent nightmares and thrilling adventures...Delicious!
Man, this channel is criminally underrated. Absolutely mind blowing content. Thank you so much for making these videos man. They are great to listen to at work.
I feel the Soulsborne community is getting closer and closer to the Eldritch Truth of this transcendent game. It's taken years, but I'd expect nothing less. Keep it UP!
@@chekeman Apparently BB was made heavily leaning into the specific architecture of the PS4, probably an offer on Sony's part to not only create a great console-seller (it worked on me) but also to male porting it far more trouble than it's worth. It sounds like any port would take remake levels of effort, meaning a remake is probably more likely than a port, and we know what happened to the Demon's Souls remake, staying on PS5. Unfortunately I think FROM won't be releasing Bloodborne content again, though there may still be hope for a spiritual successor in the same way that Bloodborne started off as literally Demon's Souls 2 before becoming its own thing
@@chompythebeast I just want a Bloodborne type-game that's like Dark Souls to Demon souls. Anyways, there is a PC port, Sony is just holding off on releasing it for whatever their dumb corporate plans are.
I always understood the opening cinematic as an allegory for your body resisting the beastly plague represented by the beast, and the messengers representing your white blood cells working to fight off the virus. That resistance being the reason for you being chosen to enter the dream.
This was quite interesting , but as always, I am hungry for more! I don't precisely think the children have to be the source of the Blood through their mothers. I think it's much simpler than that; Blood is a vessel for what is known as "Blood Echoes ". It is a medium, as stated, for the spirit, and it, especially when found in quality, is the best medium there is. There are others, like the Quicksilver used in making Hunter ammunition, but they are all surpassed by and dependent on the Blood's capacity as a medium, as Quicksilver Bullets need to be "imbued with blood" to hold power against beasts. As such, what is occurring is simple; When a Great One conceives with a human, as seen with Arianna, they do so through the Blood. It is their presence within the Blood that empowers the blood of the recipient. Oedon, as often said, exists only in voice, but considers the oozing blood a medium of the highest grade. As such, the Old Blood need not be the Blood of the child. If the power of blood is defined by containing Blood Echoes, then all the Old Blood needs is the presence of a divine " echo". This is also why I think that Laurence became the literal source of blood healing in his time; indeed, the height of hubris and the cause of his eventual turn to Beasthood. I don't believe he removed much of the Madonna's iconography; he didn't remove Cainhurst sigils either. No; he simply did it inside his own dwellings and churches, where he can safely glorify his achievements without fear of reprisal from the public, who still remember their lady, even on their doors. He did find the Blood in the Chalice Dungeons, but as seen with the Blood Saints, the Blood requires vessels. Why is that? Because that is the only way to make it safe for general consumption and public use. A chain of donors; Gods to Pthumerians, Pthumerians to Laurence, Laurence to the Blood Saints, the Blood Saints to every Yharnamite lucky ( or unlucky) to recieve their treatment. As for what they were treating, I think the answer is clear enough; Ashen Blood. There is this strange notion in the fandom that the Church caused the Ashen Blood, but we can find Beast Patients in Loran as well as Old Yharnam. In other words, like the plague, it is an ancient, inexplicable, repeating disease. Indeed, I find it curious that Vilebloods have extremely poisonous blood, not counting Maria. It also gives another reason why they were in the Castle instead of in the city when it happened; they were hiding. From plague and rebellion. From the heaving, sick masses.... But then, the bridge was destroyed. And then, some people in funny hats and carrying big wheels appeared in the castle, out of nowhere. It's almost as if it were an inside job... "Once, a scholar betrayed his fellows at Byrgenwerth, and brought forbidden blood back with him to Cainhurst Castle. It was there that the first of the inhuman Vilebloods was born. " " Oh, I know, I know, you think now to betray me." What is a grand discovery, without the favour of the Crown? As for what Beasthood is, I believe it is quite clear: "Although the difference is subtle, Runesmith Caryll describes the "Beast" as a horrific and unwelcome instinct deep within the hearts of men, while "Clawmark" is an alluring invitation to accept this very nature." The Beast has always been within us all. It is part of us, and the great barrier to salvation and enlightenment, but also the key,for without it, our potential for Metamorphosis wouldn't be possible: "The discovery of blood made their dream of evolution a reality. Metamorphosis, and the excesses and deviation that followed, were only the beginning." All of this is a means to an end. All of it. Even the beasts; "After the repeated experiments in controlling the scourge of beasts, the gentle "Embrace" rune was discovered. When its implementation failed, the "Embrace" became a forbidden rune, but this knowledge became a foundation of the Healing Church." "Master Willem was right. Evolution without courage will be the doom of our race.." Sidenote: I don't believe the scholars of Byrgenwerth to be foreign. At least, not in current canon. The college itself is built on sacred ground( the entrance to the tombs) , which would hardly be allowed to foreigners. There's also the implication that the " traitor"( you know who) came from Cainhurst himself( "back with him"). That said, I do believe they have flipped the script. It appears Laurence was no longer content to worship divine children. After all, why would you do that if you could become one?
@@alyseleem2692the video is 9/10 but then goes and says that Laurence and the scholars are outsiders, when there's no evidence of that. Universities at some point started to be founded outside of the city center as it is the case with Byrgenwerth. The Yharnamites easily believed in Laurence due not only for having a cure, but also because he was one of the elite (to study in such great school of thought, he couldn't have been a commoner).
@@franciscoisaac87 Indeed. That is why I believe he was likely from Cainhurst. With that said, his belief system is built on rebellion against the previous system( him, a man, at the top instead of a Queen Mother, the open sharing of blood to the public as opposed to the clannish culture of the Vilebloods, the focus on personal ascension instead of dependence on the salvation of a divine child, etc). That said, it is commonly noted cut content that Laurence was going to be a foreigner. But let's remember; it was cut for a reason.
@@franciscoisaac87 As a sidenote, regarding the headless statue: I distinctly remember another statue in the Chalice Dungeons with a similar story. In it, the figure is always either veiled or headless. At first, I thought it might be decay, but I think it may have been a genuine motif, of sorts. Too many of the statues are consistently headless. Indeed, it reminded me of the Wet Nurse; though she does have a head( shape of her veil), it and most of her body is invisible. Could Laurence have been imitating this image by his removal of the statue's head in the Cathedral? Wings also seem to have been added.
Great video as always. Really looking forward to seeing how you examine the structure of the city itself, from Old Yharnam to Cathedral Ward, which we got just a taste of here. I spent a considerable amount of time just roaming the game's levels and using the telescope to see in the distance where certain areas are and how they all connect together. That intricately layered approach is one of the factors that sets this game apart from From's other masterpieces.
One of the best and most enlightened lore vids. Between Redgrave's analysis and now these videos, after countless playthrough I finally feel like I have an understanding of the surface of this masterpiece.
Man this is why the next Bloodborne game should be set in a WW2-style setting. It's the time when all the sins of the Enlightenment Era that Bloodborne was set in came to a catastrophic pinnacle. Excellent review, as always, TA!
I need to know what goes on in Miyazaki's writing room as to how much research actually goes into these games' conceits. Love the channel and the content. Cant get enough!
Absolutely blown away by how in depth and brilliant these videos are and even more impressed by the genius of fromsoft to create all this from multiple historical sources and perspectives.
21:50 Iosefka's pregnancy? Isn't she using the cord to ascend? She specifically says something about how something "writhes inside her head" These are likely what the umbilical cord refers to as "eyes on the inside" Edit: credit to Redgrave and Jsf/Sophies old shame. They brought this up on Aegon of Asora's "let's talk lore" series .
I wonder why some enemies say "It's all your fault"? The player hunter comes to Yharnam looking for a cure and gets a transfusion, just like lots of others have before, so not sure why they'd blame the hunter. The blame lies with those who found and used the old blood, the Byrgenwerth scholars and the Healing Church.
Another aspect to remember when considering the how strange consuming the blood/body of a god is to Japanese people specifically: IIRC In Shinto Beliefs, consuming the body of another human or a god is considered sinful/impure. So much so that the horror game "Siren" had the setting's fishing village be cursed because they consumed the body of a 'god', even having the god's body be on planks of wood in a cross-shape hammer the symbolism home.
Bloodborne's lore is the most solid out all the "soulslike" games FS has created when you take a deep look. If you did that in Elden Ring and Dark Souls you might discover that a thing you thought means something is a publicly available or reused asset. Dark Souls lore is all over the place because they never intended to make sequels and ER was a huge undertaking so they had to cut corners.
To me it's a crime that games like Dead Cells and Crash 4 have ps5 versions, but Bloodborne doesnt. Nothing against those games, they're great, but this game needs a re-release so bad
What gems you've released on Bloodborne so far! I'm very excited to see what you script up next about the Executioners. I've recently gone back to Bloodborne to finally plat the game, only needing three more achievements, so this is a very good motivator to "keep up" with someone else who's also going through the story.
This video is unbelievable, just like your chanel in earnest. You have found your USP [unique selling point] as we talk about in business school. Lore deep dives, but based on their real world counterparts. The only way I might suggest an improvement is to incorporate more dynamics in your diction, or more humor interspersed ... but that's just what I think would work for channel growth. This is amazing, thank you 🤘😈💪
An interesting note: The typical "Plague Doctor" we imagine with the beaked mask is not backed up by historical sources. We have a single drawing, which is actually a satirized version of the typical doctors of the day, depicting them as crows, only spreading panic and acting as bad omens.
So I have a theory, it is a long read, apologies in advance I think that Yharnum city and the great discovery by Byergenworth College itself and the world of the game is all based around the Holy Chalice. IE it is bloodborne's version of the Holy Grail,the cup used at the last supper, where Jesus explains the idea of transubstantiation. All search for the Grail for its power, its abilities to heal and give eternal life, and the honor of finding it first. It is so powerful a mythos in our world great expeditions were sent out to find any piece, or fragment of anything jesus touched or bled on. sound familiar? Heck the church in game has an entire worship cathedral one which seems to be positioned at the very highest location possible in the church ward to house the Chalice, and pray to it. Similarly in our world, bits of the cross, the spear, the burial shroud of turin etc all are venerated and housed in churches and holy places. What if the explorers of the college found not a god, or queen Yharnum etc, but just a Chalice, possibly still filled with "Old Blood" that never clots. this blood if added to the chalice with other materials allows them to cross boundaries in time and space (dreams)", but if the "ritual" one does to the chalice is the same, you will ALWAYS return to the same places and times. so you can literally reset the world as you know it to a known state, and retry any experiment. the college likely tried adding various types of blood to the chalice (as you see us adding things to the chalice to go to specific locations also). A school of learners would not only explode at such a power, but it would allow great advancements otherwise not possible, because you can control and record any variables you want, and if things go wrong, you can simply leave the "experiment" and come back to a reset "dream". Master Willem might also have been the first to see who/what the old blood has come from, due to his higher insight likely compared to his students, Someone then added the old blood to experiments and has seen that whatever occurs isn't reset, or kept in the location that they preformed the experiments in and it mutates.. and spreads easily. As the plagues in our world are spread by fleas, imagine getting bitten, and you are now carrying blood from whatever the flea bit before, then you take the literal blood of a god, which fuses it all together inside you over time. you might turn part rat, or dog, etc, a literal beast plague that you see play out on the macro scale rather than the usual plagues micro scale. This was buried as people would burn down the College if they were suspected of making plagues, but the warning was kept and passed down, "Fear the Old Blood" Either way, Willem wants everyone to leave the chalice/blood alone, and focus on the safer way of gaining insight. Those who have experienced its myriad mysteries and maybe survived some locations due to having the old blood transfused, but haven't yet mutated, however, cannot fathom not using it to explore further, or to save as many as possible, leading to the cut scene of him talking to Laurence before he leaves. Laurence takes the Chalice as he leaves, and Willem focuses on what he believes is the correct way to gain insight and meet the gods/evolve into one. we even see Laurence has partaken of the old blood and mutated, his skull and then later fighting him as a transformed monstrosity, half insane. The blood of one of the gods likely caused the fall of the Pthumerians, as a plague of mutations and strange powers ruined a society that stopped guarding their gods, and started using them to gain power in various ways. Making Yharnum a bride to an old one likely was the final straw, as she was turned into a metaphorical chalice herself, keeping the blood of the god in her, creating Mergo etc. TL:DR the world of bloodbourne is what happens if our world has found the Holy Grail, and the blood of christ is there when the plagues hit... but the blood is too powerful and literally binds the various genetic information together like CRISPR. the game name even spells out how it all works...
Your videos never fail to impress, I could watch these all day. You going to play Armored Core VI? Not sure how much archeology could be done with that type of game though.
These videos always seem too short. I don't think I'll be satisfied until we get a multi-hour video! Still, thanks for this new entry in Bloodborne archaeology. Again I can't help but think the story of Bloodborne is an Oriental view of Christianity (and European plagues) reflected back at us. I'm reminded of a passage from the Bible about life itself residing in human blood. If regular human blood represents a vital essence, how much more so would the blood of a divine being?
My perception is that Cainhurst nobles, much like in the medieval times, where the rulers of Yarnham, and the one's who implemented the old religion. Then Laurence and his followers forged the story of the Cainhurst lineage having tainted impure blood, to justify their hunt and overthrow the nobles so they could rule the city.
Yooo what? That's one helluva cliffhanger claim! Can't wait to see your reasoning for it. The Vilebloods and Vermin are some of my favorite lore in the world.
I wonder what you guys make of Ebrietas. The consensus is usually that it was she who the church was harvesting old blood from... but you guys are saying that they were harvesting dregs from the dungeons, later from cainhurst, and then worst of all in the fishing village by stealing and presumably murdering Kos' orphan? Ebrieatas fits in strangely. I feel like the mutual abuse between old ones and humans-- using women as vessels against their will as much as humans harvest and abuse the great ones and their children-- is a hugely important theme. It's a deeply toxic relationship with a lot of bitterness and anger and I think it is vital that the abuse goes both ways.
Great video! You never fail to bring in new angles that I've never thought of before :D I have one thing I wanna add tho, anyone can give me their thoughts if they want to: I don't think the old blood was found by byrgenwerth scholars (among them Laurence) from the pthumerian catacombs, because Ebrietas is found in the Isz chalice dungeon. Maybe it doesn't make a big difference, but Isz is mentioned in it's chalices to be its own "land", separate from pthumeru in either/both time and space. I think that the source of the old blood is Ebrietas, and that's what made Laurence and gang able to form the healing church, create the Choir to continue the Byrgenwerth study on Ebrietas' blood, until they came up with a way to transfuse the blood into compatible women, so they could use the women's blood instead, abandoning Ebrietas at that time. I always look forward to your videos, and when you end it with a cliffhanger like this one it almost becomes excruciating, haha! Looking forward to it!
something to note: oedon, formless great one, exists only as voice, as blood, as dream. he is the father of mergo, which is why mergo's cradle lies empty even as he cries and why you can hear mergo no matter where you are, because mergo inherited his father's traits. oedon is the one who oedon chapel is named after, and it's where you find both a version of oedon writhe and the passage to the choir, the upper echelon of the healing church. oedon chapel is also the place where arianna, a woman with fantastically powerful blood due to her connections to cainhurst, can be impregnated by a great one. a great one who never manifests, who seems to grant "miraculous" conceptions, who seems to be able to drive people mad simply by being near them, unseen. i think it's pretty clear that oedon is the one who, let's face it, raped arianna. which makes me wonder about the madonna figure. who's the father? the moon presence is named in a secret line of dialogue as "flora", implying it is female, ebrietas is female, kos is female, rom is female, the amygdala are never gendered. the only explicitly male great one is oedon. is oedon the father of every successful hybrid child?
To the part about the higher value of blood that doesn't clot: the female body ads anticoagulants to menstrual blood. That ads to the often assumed case, that the special blood vials from arianna and adella are just that.
Incredible work again! When you announced your expedition to Bloodborne, I was so excited to pair it with Charred Thermos’ work, but then he deleted his channel 😢
I always assumed the source of the healing church blood was Ebrietas. It would make sense with her location being directly behind the grand cathedral. Siphoning the blood of a great one you have detained close by would be quite convenient.
From Battlestar Galactica, big spoiler : in season 3, episode 'A Measure of Salvation'. A sleeping disease is found by Cylons, and and begun to specifically kill them. One of the Cylons humanoids help the remaining humanity, partialy because she had a child with a human. This child is called by a mysterious angelic figure "the next generation of the Children of God". Anyway, when the human soldiers found the ship where Cylons are dying, the Cylon humanoid ally who accompanied them is also suspected to be infected; but later in the episode, she discovered she have not any symptoms, because her child shared his mix heritage in her womb.
I’m putting this here because I don’t know if you’ll see it on the relevant video but you assume the symbol on Sellian/Nox Chairs and in their magic icons is a branchiopod mollusc. It is most likely not. The bottom of the symbol clearly has a stem, which made me consider a tree but that’s unlikely, because it resembles something else much closer. Sea Pens. Pennatula to be specific. They have peduncles used to stay in the sand that appear very similar and their spread out charnia-esque “leaves” are almost identical to the styling of the icon. The icon on the sellian-Nox chairs and in their magic casting symbols is that of a Pennatula Sea Pen.
God damn do I love this having bloodborne revisited with the microscopic detail and lack of faffing about it always deserved but didn’t get at the time of release
Fantastic analysis in this series. I'd hoped you would explore the Japanese tradition of blood-related beliefs clearly interacting with Christian history and motifs in this game. You could definitely do a deep dive on that.
Im loving how all the new lore hunters are going back to Bloodborne.
Tis the stone you can always squeeze more blood from lol
@@satyasyasatyasya5746 A bloodstone, if you will
@@chompythebeast I see what you did there. Insight, if you will.
@@satyasyasatyasya5746 Hook me up with some of those eyes, I need em for a thing I'm doing
Once you get into FromSoft lore, you eventually gotta do all games and franchises, especially when you hit a dry spell/burnout period on the game you start with.
Is it just me but this game always calls you back? Even after years of not playing its the only game that randomly crosses my mind
Y'all need Planescape: Torment.
You're not alone! Dark Souls and Bloodborne always call me back, every few months or so.
There's something inherently comforting about these games to me.
@@KnjazNazrathlol what
It's such a good game. I go back and start a new run or run random chalices all the time. One of the best games ever made.
I always think about Bloodborne. It was the first Souls game that I played.
My favorite thing about Bloodborne is how the health rally system affects PVP; it almost always makes me want to rip the invader apart as soon as he lands an attack on me.
It's like watching two wild animals fight to the death.
Dark Souls and Elden Ring don't make me feel like that.
This channel is simply one of the best, bar-none. I learn so much more than just lore from these.
Seriously. Vaati, Smoughtown, even RedGrave, they are only “good” when compared to TA’s greatness.
It’s no wonder everyone cites TA now.
@@nickelbutt And Sinclair Lore, so easily forgotten...
@@nickelbutt compared to pretty much all other lore channels, TA pretty much brought it together full circle for me. By connecting these games to reality, culture, and history, I think he's paying a deeper tribute to these games than has ever been published before. There's a sense of realness to these worlds that I have rarely felt from other fantasy worlds, and I think it's because there's a general reverence and deep study of the world we never lived in. It all feels deeply human
you've never heard of Charred Thermos?
@@hiroshima19 I haven't, do tell!
this channel makes me appreciate fromsoft more and more for the attention to detail they put into their games, but then being able to catch them and match them to real life is crazy on it's own
Heavily disagree- this channel sullies it’s few salient observations by comparing them overmuch to real world circumstances, and in general a Eurocentric point of view.
@@thomasquwack9503If the majority of games didn't take place in a very obviously European history inspired fantasy you'd have a point. However they do so you simply look foolish.
@@thomasquwack9503 brother in christ, what do you think these games are based off of??
what a cliff hanger to end on. The vialblood immortality thing always seemed like it was brushed over in the game and the community even though it probably shouldn't have bee. Looking forward to the next one!
I think one thing worth considering in relation to the Old Blood is where its power comes from: the spirits of the dead. You mention how Messengers are intrinsically tied to the blood and are chthonic, which I agree with, but I think you overlook the connection between how Blood Dregs (which come from "the blood of echo fiends, that is to say, the blood of hunters") make the Vilebloods' blood vile and give rise to their ability to produce a child of blood.
Whether there's a god above them is arguable, but at the very least the smallest "power unit" in Bloodborne is the Blood Echo, which is better understood as the leftover wishes and desires of the deceased according to its Japanese name. I'd go so far as to argue these Blood Echoes were first discovered by exsanguinating the hanged men found in the Chalice Dungeons with the Pthumerians reserving the "liquid" portion of the blood for their Blood Queen, who would then disseminate her more divine, yet profane blood down to her nobles and then populace at large.
I think it makes more sense to work from a bottom-up approach here, but that's just my take on things. I enjoyed the comparisons you made between the bubonic plague and Yharnam.
I'm already beyond excited for the next episode. These deep dives are gold, thank you for the amazing work you put into these.
It's cool to see you here Shez, I always enjoy the little details you put in your animation.
And likewise! The details these videos bring up show what a deep lore a lot of fromsoft games have. I really enjoy how it all ties together.
If not for this video mentioning Charred Thermos, I might've never found out how he deleted his channel and how there's an effort to archive his amazing videos.
I hope that guy is okay. Those videos slapped.
I hope that guy is okay. Those videos slapped.
He's back! Got re obsessed with his video series in the last week. Check out the Laurence videos
I haven't been this excited about Bloodborne lore since reading Paleblood Hunt by Redgrave. I love your style and how you pull forward the real world basis for a lot of From's ideas. You're doing excellent work, man; keep it up!
The last video is probably my favorite youtube video of all time. I was profoundly touched by its narrative and originality.
Keep talking about this game please I love your work I’d PayPal you ten million.
I've learnt so much in actual history and in game lore from this dude's videos than I ever would from all the others combined. No joke.
Yeah, same. My teacher is a good teacher, but the way she lectures us in a way that is so monotone. I can barely stay awake even when I really want to learn history.
Your new series on Bloodborne has inspired me to finally play the game. Thanks TA ❤️
May the good blood guide your way
hey man I just wanted to say that I was recommended the channel a bit ago, starting to watch through all of them 1st to most recent, really like your content! Fromsoftware's work is so intensely layered and we haven't really seen anyone take the archaeological/art historical/sign + signification approach of analysis on them; all stuff I just love.
honestly the last time I remember anyone even talking about architecture/history in this way was with the Assassins' Creed games, though really that came down to little more than some photogrammetry of real buildings. As a Seattle resident, Last of Us Part 2 also had some interesting architectural analysis, but again, it's far less in scope than a Fromsoftware game's design. Love the content , wanted to send some kudos along!
Another thought: the Pthumerians used to have access to the physical bodies of Great Ones, and could get their healing blood straight from the source. When the Great Ones ascended, their bodies died, and eventually they would have been drained of all their blood. That must have been a rough time for Pthumerian society. I'd guess that's when they started killing their own people to harvest blood dregs, in hopes of setting up their Queen as a Madonna-type savior with a divine child.
Who the fuck is Madonna there is literally not one single mention of a character with that name in the entire game where does he get this name from it’s so confusing
Who the hell is Madonna and why does she have that name there is no mention of anyone with that name in this game
@@nathanmacyk7642 "The Madonna" is another name for the Virgin Mary. More broadly, a Madonna is a "holy mother" type of religious figure.
@@CptSnuggles07 oh ok he was definitely making it seem like that was the statues name I feel like he could have mentioned this fact it’s kinda confusing cause I was trying to think of this character was actually in game or not
Considering Pthumeru is the predecessor of Yharnam and lies directly beneath it I'm interested in how the two seem to have lost contact with each other. It's pretty clear that Laurence and his healing church "reintroduced" proper blood healing to Yharnam from outside, but how did that knowledge get lost in the first place? Good material for a future video.
Because the beastly scourge destroyed it. The cycle of discovering the healing blood below and the plague of beasthood destroying civilization has repeated time again to Loran and Isz, it's Yharnam's turn now
Thats the same question thats crossing my mind. Its not something easy to forget, specially when its the epicenter of your culture. Maybes got something to do with the scourge of the beast.
@@sinestesis Because they didn't lose contact. Yharnamites are modern Pthumerians, and Pthumerian culture evolved and changed over time into what it is today. You may as well ask why ancient Rome and Victorian England "lost contact" with each other - It's just the long tides of history and civilizational collapse/evolution.
@@RevanX77to add to this, it’s pretty likely considering the history of yharnam that the late pthumerian / proto-yharnam people likely stopped doing blood practices due to how devastating it is for society, potentially causing the collapse of the pthumerians that lead to the yharnamites. Even if they only stopped using it for a few generations that’s long enough for people to forget and the practices to be needed to be reintroduced
I think you missed something when talking about the old blood, and that’s mercury.
Mercury, aka quicksilver, is heavily associated with Oedon. I was under the impression that the “Old Blood” had to do mercury poisoned blood.
This particularly lines up when you bring up the history of mercury poisoning in Japan. You also draw extra Quicksilver bullets from your blood.
Also Mercury was used in ancient china as an immortality pill. But since BB is based on scottish medicine, i wonder how or when Mercury might have been used there?
It might even be that "Paleblood" and the lighter-colored blood of the Pthumerians and Great Ones harken to the notion of quicksilver in the blood, though Paleblood is probably the most controversial topic from a lore perspective in a game full of controversial lore. It even seems to have greatly shifted its significance during BB's tumultuous and long development, to the point that Paleblood probably doesn't even have a single, distinct definition, though there are some who are deeply unsatisfied with such meta examinations of the game's text
Yeah he hasn't touched on Mercury and Rapid Poison and stuff like that yet. I hope he does, it's a rather big thing, especially if we're gonna start talking about our boy Oedon and his formless child Mergo.
@@natk8541 Following the motif of great ones being literal body parts (a la Charred Thermos, Scottish dissection etc.), I take Oedon to be the voice itself - as Ebrietas is the throat/lungs, Moon Prescence is the heart/arteries etc.
@@satyasyasatyasya5746 Yeah sure but I'm not sure how that ties into mercury/quicksilver though or how literally we should take the charredthermos interpretation. I fell off his series right around that part. It got a little tiresome having him saying specific elements of the lore were specific real world figures. It's a fun thing to get into but I didn't need thermos to tell me the game was knee-deep in old medical practices. I find his videos a bit hard to tolerate. They're great but they don't do almost anything for lore exploration, they just provide good guides on the relevant knowledge and how it might have applied to the world building process. Thermos stuff is more "what's the inspiration? Here's the inspiration" and doesn't go further. TA goes "what's the inspiration for this? Probably this other thing? What does that mean for the game?". TA takes the ideas home and helps try to explain the game lore itself. CT just presents a really good book report on the themes of the game.
Thank you for making this series! I am a PC gamer, so I have yet to experience Bloodborne. I am obsessed with the aesthetic and theme though! I have wanted to learn more of its lore for a long time, but many of the channels that talk about the lore assume I've already played the game. Having a series that is so easy to understand has been amazing!
On my first virgin playthrough as I type this. As always , killing it with the recognition of real life inspiration that guided Miyazaki during the development of this society. An incredible story parallel to our own species.
Fear the old blood.
Man, what I'd give to play this game again for a first time. Just watching these vids makes me want to fire up my NG+5 character and just roam around and look at stuff.
Lovely storytelling of both ours and Bloodborne's history. Worthy of a new playthrough every time you upload a video!
The founding of Yharnam is often skimmed over to the most immediate past and present, I'm happy to see you dive further and further through the cracks of the past to where it all began.
I hope to see what you perceive of as the *future* for Bloodborne as well.
I've been on the edge of my seat ever since ep. 1 of this new series, can't wait to indulge in the eldritch truth again
Same, though it did lead me down a pipeline of watching tons of old Sinclair Lore vids. Sin and Sophie are amazing, and they're still at it, too!
@@chompythebeasta fellow snack cultist, nice
@@kyleespinoza7201 Just got back from Dignity City, attended a lecture with Ebrooitus as a matter of fact. Turned out it was about _The One_ Reborn, should have read the schedule better
@@chompythebeast yeah sinclair lore is a treasure trove of knowledge and fun people
Thank you for promoting Charred Thermos lore explanations. He's the closest so far in explain bloobborne.
Btw im looking forward to see more bloodborne content of you.
Why did you completely ignore the role of quicksilver and Oedon (who is drawn to or is quicksilver itself) in blood when we literally draw magic/arcana from it? It was quicksilver-corrupted blood that caused Ariana's pregnancy, it is why Annalise sends Vileblood after quicksilver-rich targets (other hunters) to collect the dregs specifically from them so she can conceive without the direct connection to Great Ones (when she refuses Ring of Betrothal which Yharnam wears in chalices).
Smough and TA now. Man, BB fans are eating GOOD
Don't forget the continued exploits of Sinclair Lore!
@@chompythebeast SinClair is pretty underrated
I'm so glad you dove deeper into the actual religion that predates Lawrence's healing church. I can't tell you how many in game hours I spent just staring at the art on the walls, the statues, etc. What a great vid. My two favorite things, Bloodborne and Learning.
Nothing escapes the scrutinizing glare of an insightful gaze.
This channel is quickly becoming my favourite for From Soft games' lore
Hey, the clouds at 31:51 are floating behind the blood moon. That is one very close moon.
Makes sense.
Waking up to a brand new Tarnished Archaeologist, getting to explore Yharnam again, that magnificent place of pungent nightmares and thrilling adventures...Delicious!
Man, this channel is criminally underrated. Absolutely mind blowing content. Thank you so much for making these videos man. They are great to listen to at work.
I am absolutely overjoyed that y'all have decided to look back at Bloodborne with your Elden Ring following.
I feel the Soulsborne community is getting closer and closer to the Eldritch Truth of this transcendent game. It's taken years, but I'd expect nothing less. Keep it UP!
Stoked to see more Bloodborne, it really seems to be making a comeback. You're in the know, right?
Sinchronicity, something is gonna happen PC Bloodborne perhaps?
@@chekeman May the good blood guide Fromsoft's way
@@chekeman Apparently BB was made heavily leaning into the specific architecture of the PS4, probably an offer on Sony's part to not only create a great console-seller (it worked on me) but also to male porting it far more trouble than it's worth. It sounds like any port would take remake levels of effort, meaning a remake is probably more likely than a port, and we know what happened to the Demon's Souls remake, staying on PS5. Unfortunately I think FROM won't be releasing Bloodborne content again, though there may still be hope for a spiritual successor in the same way that Bloodborne started off as literally Demon's Souls 2 before becoming its own thing
@@chompythebeast I just want a Bloodborne type-game that's like Dark Souls to Demon souls.
Anyways, there is a PC port, Sony is just holding off on releasing it for whatever their dumb corporate plans are.
I always understood the opening cinematic as an allegory for your body resisting the beastly plague represented by the beast, and the messengers representing your white blood cells working to fight off the virus. That resistance being the reason for you being chosen to enter the dream.
This was quite interesting , but as always, I am hungry for more!
I don't precisely think the children have to be the source of the Blood through their mothers. I think it's much simpler than that;
Blood is a vessel for what is known as "Blood Echoes ". It is a medium, as stated, for the spirit, and it, especially when found in quality, is the best medium there is. There are others, like the Quicksilver used in making Hunter ammunition, but they are all surpassed by and dependent on the Blood's capacity as a medium, as Quicksilver Bullets need to be "imbued with blood" to hold power against beasts. As such, what is occurring is simple;
When a Great One conceives with a human, as seen with Arianna, they do so through the Blood. It is their presence within the Blood that empowers the blood of the recipient. Oedon, as often said, exists only in voice, but considers the oozing blood a medium of the highest grade.
As such, the Old Blood need not be the Blood of the child. If the power of blood is defined by containing Blood Echoes, then all the Old Blood needs is the presence of a divine " echo".
This is also why I think that Laurence became the literal source of blood healing in his time; indeed, the height of hubris and the cause of his eventual turn to Beasthood. I don't believe he removed much of the Madonna's iconography; he didn't remove Cainhurst sigils either. No; he simply did it inside his own dwellings and churches, where he can safely glorify his achievements without fear of reprisal from the public, who still remember their lady, even on their doors.
He did find the Blood in the Chalice Dungeons, but as seen with the Blood Saints, the Blood requires vessels.
Why is that?
Because that is the only way to make it safe for general consumption and public use. A chain of donors; Gods to Pthumerians, Pthumerians to Laurence, Laurence to the Blood Saints, the Blood Saints to every Yharnamite lucky ( or unlucky) to recieve their treatment.
As for what they were treating, I think the answer is clear enough; Ashen Blood.
There is this strange notion in the fandom that the Church caused the Ashen Blood, but we can find Beast Patients in Loran as well as Old Yharnam. In other words, like the plague, it is an ancient, inexplicable, repeating disease. Indeed, I find it curious that Vilebloods have extremely poisonous blood, not counting Maria. It also gives another reason why they were in the Castle instead of in the city when it happened; they were hiding. From plague and rebellion. From the heaving, sick masses....
But then, the bridge was destroyed. And then, some people in funny hats and carrying big wheels appeared in the castle, out of nowhere. It's almost as if it were an inside job...
"Once, a scholar betrayed his fellows at Byrgenwerth, and brought forbidden blood back with him to Cainhurst Castle. It was there that the first of the inhuman Vilebloods was born. "
" Oh, I know, I know, you think now to betray me."
What is a grand discovery, without the favour of the Crown?
As for what Beasthood is, I believe it is quite clear:
"Although the difference is subtle, Runesmith Caryll describes the "Beast" as a horrific and unwelcome instinct deep within the hearts of men, while "Clawmark" is an alluring invitation to accept this very nature."
The Beast has always been within us all. It is part of us, and the great barrier to salvation and enlightenment, but also the key,for without it, our potential for Metamorphosis wouldn't be possible:
"The discovery of blood made their dream of evolution a reality.
Metamorphosis, and the excesses and deviation that followed, were only the beginning."
All of this is a means to an end. All of it. Even the beasts;
"After the repeated experiments in controlling the scourge of beasts, the gentle "Embrace" rune was discovered.
When its implementation failed, the "Embrace" became a forbidden rune, but this knowledge became a foundation of the Healing Church."
"Master Willem was right. Evolution without courage will be the doom of our race.."
Sidenote: I don't believe the scholars of Byrgenwerth to be foreign. At least, not in current canon. The college itself is built on sacred ground( the entrance to the tombs) , which would hardly be allowed to foreigners. There's also the implication that the " traitor"( you know who) came from Cainhurst himself( "back with him"). That said, I do believe they have flipped the script.
It appears Laurence was no longer content to worship divine children. After all, why would you do that if you could become one?
Right on the money. The video is good, but goes overboard with some connections, and fails to see others.
@@franciscoisaac87 My thanks! I am humbled.
I still eagerly await the next video. Perhaps, thus will be expanded upon.
@@alyseleem2692the video is 9/10 but then goes and says that Laurence and the scholars are outsiders, when there's no evidence of that. Universities at some point started to be founded outside of the city center as it is the case with Byrgenwerth. The Yharnamites easily believed in Laurence due not only for having a cure, but also because he was one of the elite (to study in such great school of thought, he couldn't have been a commoner).
@@franciscoisaac87 Indeed. That is why I believe he was likely from Cainhurst. With that said, his belief system is built on rebellion against the previous system( him, a man, at the top instead of a Queen Mother, the open sharing of blood to the public as opposed to the clannish culture of the Vilebloods, the focus on personal ascension instead of dependence on the salvation of a divine child, etc).
That said, it is commonly noted cut content that Laurence was going to be a foreigner. But let's remember; it was cut for a reason.
@@franciscoisaac87 As a sidenote, regarding the headless statue:
I distinctly remember another statue in the Chalice Dungeons with a similar story. In it, the figure is always either veiled or headless. At first, I thought it might be decay, but I think it may have been a genuine motif, of sorts. Too many of the statues are consistently headless. Indeed, it reminded me of the Wet Nurse; though she does have a head( shape of her veil), it and most of her body is invisible.
Could Laurence have been imitating this image by his removal of the statue's head in the Cathedral? Wings also seem to have been added.
Great video as always. Really looking forward to seeing how you examine the structure of the city itself, from Old Yharnam to Cathedral Ward, which we got just a taste of here. I spent a considerable amount of time just roaming the game's levels and using the telescope to see in the distance where certain areas are and how they all connect together. That intricately layered approach is one of the factors that sets this game apart from From's other masterpieces.
One of the best and most enlightened lore vids. Between Redgrave's analysis and now these videos, after countless playthrough I finally feel like I have an understanding of the surface of this masterpiece.
What a delightful depth of knowledge you have, and delivered so well too! Fantastic watch, can’t wait for more!
Guys, what happened to Charred Thermos' channel ? Why did the channel gone ?
Damn man, great videos. I love the historical context you bring into the lore. You're clearly a student of history. Respect 🙇♀️
RIP Charred Thermos... you will be remembered!
He's back!
So happy to see someone finally talk about all the statues! I thought I was the only one curious about them!
Man this is why the next Bloodborne game should be set in a WW2-style setting. It's the time when all the sins of the Enlightenment Era that Bloodborne was set in came to a catastrophic pinnacle. Excellent review, as always, TA!
That documentary that you took the plague recreations from was really good. I recognized it right away.
I need to know what goes on in Miyazaki's writing room as to how much research actually goes into these games' conceits. Love the channel and the content. Cant get enough!
Absolutely blown away by how in depth and brilliant these videos are and even more impressed by the genius of fromsoft to create all this from multiple historical sources and perspectives.
21:50 Iosefka's pregnancy? Isn't she using the cord to ascend?
She specifically says something about how something "writhes inside her head"
These are likely what the umbilical cord refers to as "eyes on the inside"
Edit: credit to Redgrave and Jsf/Sophies old shame.
They brought this up on Aegon of Asora's "let's talk lore" series .
That was quite a bomb to drop on us at the end. Mesmerizing video. Nicely done.
If I had teachers connect these irl practices to soulsborne and elden ring, I think I would've enjoyed history class a lot more.
Noticed Charred Thermos's entire playlist is no longer on YT. Would have thought it was neck and neck with TA in terms of depth, but he scrubbed it.
Classic content creator mistake: "My life has been impacted negatively by my content creation! Better NUKE IT ALL WITH NO WARNING".
I’m forever grateful that people with your knowledge and talent, choose to apply it to the relative niche subjects that I love.
I wonder why some enemies say "It's all your fault"? The player hunter comes to Yharnam looking for a cure and gets a transfusion, just like lots of others have before, so not sure why they'd blame the hunter. The blame lies with those who found and used the old blood, the Byrgenwerth scholars and the Healing Church.
@tarnishedarcheologist Where are the vids? Are you okay?
Another aspect to remember when considering the how strange consuming the blood/body of a god is to Japanese people specifically: IIRC In Shinto Beliefs, consuming the body of another human or a god is considered sinful/impure. So much so that the horror game "Siren" had the setting's fishing village be cursed because they consumed the body of a 'god', even having the god's body be on planks of wood in a cross-shape hammer the symbolism home.
Please keep making Bloodborne videos!! This is excellent ❤
Bloodborne's lore is the most solid out all the "soulslike" games FS has created when you take a deep look. If you did that in Elden Ring and Dark Souls you might discover that a thing you thought means something is a publicly available or reused asset. Dark Souls lore is all over the place because they never intended to make sequels and ER was a huge undertaking so they had to cut corners.
After spending an hour and a half going through the TH-cam comments discussing the lore. I’m ready for the video.
You’ve got a great eye for detail. I’m so glad these popped into my recommended videos list.
TA has done it again with another phenomenal history/ lore video
To me it's a crime that games like Dead Cells and Crash 4 have ps5 versions, but Bloodborne doesnt. Nothing against those games, they're great, but this game needs a re-release so bad
Bruh I don’t even gotta THINK about if I wanna watch a new TA upload. I see the noti and I simply hit play my boy.
I’ll always have a special place in my heart for that little blood vial guy
What gems you've released on Bloodborne so far! I'm very excited to see what you script up next about the Executioners.
I've recently gone back to Bloodborne to finally plat the game, only needing three more achievements, so this is a very good motivator to "keep up" with someone else who's also going through the story.
I knew these games are lore-heavy. But this, the layers upon layers of it. It's insane.
Just watched the first part this morning, insane timing. Subbed
This video is unbelievable, just like your chanel in earnest. You have found your USP [unique selling point] as we talk about in business school.
Lore deep dives, but based on their real world counterparts.
The only way I might suggest an improvement is to incorporate more dynamics in your diction, or more humor interspersed ... but that's just what I think would work for channel growth.
This is amazing, thank you 🤘😈💪
At a glance I thought the title of the video was “The Secret Sauce of the Old Blood” and I clicked immediately
An interesting note:
The typical "Plague Doctor" we imagine with the beaked mask is not backed up by historical sources. We have a single drawing, which is actually a satirized version of the typical doctors of the day, depicting them as crows, only spreading panic and acting as bad omens.
Really?
Am I crazy? I thought you had a patreon but I see no link in the description. Let us support you!
TA videos always end in cliff hangers.
Europe history is so rich, it’s like I’m learning new stuff all the times
This is charitably done…this is charitably done, dear friend…
your one of the best lore channels period
So I have a theory, it is a long read, apologies in advance
I think that Yharnum city and the great discovery by Byergenworth College itself and the world of the game is all based around the Holy Chalice. IE it is bloodborne's version of the Holy Grail,the cup used at the last supper, where Jesus explains the idea of transubstantiation.
All search for the Grail for its power, its abilities to heal and give eternal life, and the honor of finding it first. It is so powerful a mythos in our world great expeditions were sent out to find any piece, or fragment of anything jesus touched or bled on. sound familiar?
Heck the church in game has an entire worship cathedral one which seems to be positioned at the very highest location possible in the church ward to house the Chalice, and pray to it. Similarly in our world, bits of the cross, the spear, the burial shroud of turin etc all are venerated and housed in churches and holy places.
What if the explorers of the college found not a god, or queen Yharnum etc, but just a Chalice, possibly still filled with "Old Blood" that never clots. this blood if added to the chalice with other materials allows them to cross boundaries in time and space (dreams)", but if the "ritual" one does to the chalice is the same, you will ALWAYS return to the same places and times. so you can literally reset the world as you know it to a known state, and retry any experiment. the college likely tried adding various types of blood to the chalice (as you see us adding things to the chalice to go to specific locations also).
A school of learners would not only explode at such a power, but it would allow great advancements otherwise not possible, because you can control and record any variables you want, and if things go wrong, you can simply leave the "experiment" and come back to a reset "dream". Master Willem might also have been the first to see who/what the old blood has come from, due to his higher insight likely compared to his students,
Someone then added the old blood to experiments and has seen that whatever occurs isn't reset, or kept in the location that they preformed the experiments in and it mutates.. and spreads easily. As the plagues in our world are spread by fleas, imagine getting bitten, and you are now carrying blood from whatever the flea bit before, then you take the literal blood of a god, which fuses it all together inside you over time. you might turn part rat, or dog, etc, a literal beast plague that you see play out on the macro scale rather than the usual plagues micro scale. This was buried as people would burn down the College if they were suspected of making plagues, but the warning was kept and passed down, "Fear the Old Blood"
Either way, Willem wants everyone to leave the chalice/blood alone, and focus on the safer way of gaining insight. Those who have experienced its myriad mysteries and maybe survived some locations due to having the old blood transfused, but haven't yet mutated, however, cannot fathom not using it to explore further, or to save as many as possible, leading to the cut scene of him talking to Laurence before he leaves. Laurence takes the Chalice as he leaves, and Willem focuses on what he believes is the correct way to gain insight and meet the gods/evolve into one.
we even see Laurence has partaken of the old blood and mutated, his skull and then later fighting him as a transformed monstrosity, half insane.
The blood of one of the gods likely caused the fall of the Pthumerians, as a plague of mutations and strange powers ruined a society that stopped guarding their gods, and started using them to gain power in various ways. Making Yharnum a bride to an old one likely was the final straw, as she was turned into a metaphorical chalice herself, keeping the blood of the god in her, creating Mergo etc.
TL:DR the world of bloodbourne is what happens if our world has found the Holy Grail, and the blood of christ is there when the plagues hit... but the blood is too powerful and literally binds the various genetic information together like CRISPR. the game name even spells out how it all works...
The "cherubs" that look like winged babies are more properly called "Putti". The Cherubim are supposed to be far more unearthly in appearance.
Man I sat down to eat supper and watch this. I'm gonna hurl talking all this disease talk. Straight up love ur channel man!
Your videos never fail to impress, I could watch these all day.
You going to play Armored Core VI? Not sure how much archeology could be done with that type of game though.
I absolutely adore these videos your Insight and depth into what might otherwise just be overlooked is astonishingly interesting ❤❤
I have never played bloodborne but i really like this type of lore
I really hope you play it someday.
@@Jay-ys2cf i played Elden Ring, DS1, DS 3, Even DS 2, problem was BB is a Playstation Exclusive... maybe someday...
These videos always seem too short. I don't think I'll be satisfied until we get a multi-hour video! Still, thanks for this new entry in Bloodborne archaeology. Again I can't help but think the story of Bloodborne is an Oriental view of Christianity (and European plagues) reflected back at us. I'm reminded of a passage from the Bible about life itself residing in human blood. If regular human blood represents a vital essence, how much more so would the blood of a divine being?
My perception is that Cainhurst nobles, much like in the medieval times, where the rulers of Yarnham, and the one's who implemented the old religion.
Then Laurence and his followers forged the story of the Cainhurst lineage having tainted impure blood, to justify their hunt and overthrow the nobles so they could rule the city.
Blown away by your bloodborne content, keep it up
Yooo what? That's one helluva cliffhanger claim! Can't wait to see your reasoning for it. The Vilebloods and Vermin are some of my favorite lore in the world.
I wonder what you guys make of Ebrietas. The consensus is usually that it was she who the church was harvesting old blood from... but you guys are saying that they were harvesting dregs from the dungeons, later from cainhurst, and then worst of all in the fishing village by stealing and presumably murdering Kos' orphan? Ebrieatas fits in strangely. I feel like the mutual abuse between old ones and humans-- using women as vessels against their will as much as humans harvest and abuse the great ones and their children-- is a hugely important theme. It's a deeply toxic relationship with a lot of bitterness and anger and I think it is vital that the abuse goes both ways.
Great video! You never fail to bring in new angles that I've never thought of before :D
I have one thing I wanna add tho, anyone can give me their thoughts if they want to: I don't think the old blood was found by byrgenwerth scholars (among them Laurence) from the pthumerian catacombs, because Ebrietas is found in the Isz chalice dungeon. Maybe it doesn't make a big difference, but Isz is mentioned in it's chalices to be its own "land", separate from pthumeru in either/both time and space.
I think that the source of the old blood is Ebrietas, and that's what made Laurence and gang able to form the healing church, create the Choir to continue the Byrgenwerth study on Ebrietas' blood, until they came up with a way to transfuse the blood into compatible women, so they could use the women's blood instead, abandoning Ebrietas at that time.
I always look forward to your videos, and when you end it with a cliffhanger like this one it almost becomes excruciating, haha! Looking forward to it!
The Choir existed before they found Ebrietas
something to note:
oedon, formless great one, exists only as voice, as blood, as dream. he is the father of mergo, which is why mergo's cradle lies empty even as he cries and why you can hear mergo no matter where you are, because mergo inherited his father's traits.
oedon is the one who oedon chapel is named after, and it's where you find both a version of oedon writhe and the passage to the choir, the upper echelon of the healing church.
oedon chapel is also the place where arianna, a woman with fantastically powerful blood due to her connections to cainhurst, can be impregnated by a great one. a great one who never manifests, who seems to grant "miraculous" conceptions, who seems to be able to drive people mad simply by being near them, unseen. i think it's pretty clear that oedon is the one who, let's face it, raped arianna.
which makes me wonder about the madonna figure. who's the father? the moon presence is named in a secret line of dialogue as "flora", implying it is female, ebrietas is female, kos is female, rom is female, the amygdala are never gendered. the only explicitly male great one is oedon. is oedon the father of every successful hybrid child?
The moon presence is the angel gabriel who tells mary she will have a child. Jesus is the "son of god" so that would make Oedon the father, yes.
Your lore videos are on another level. Thank you for the good work !
Bro you're the best lore channel out there. I always look forward to your videos.
To the part about the higher value of blood that doesn't clot: the female body ads anticoagulants to menstrual blood. That ads to the often assumed case, that the special blood vials from arianna and adella are just that.
You are killing it man !!! Thank you for you content !!
Incredible work again! When you announced your expedition to Bloodborne, I was so excited to pair it with Charred Thermos’ work, but then he deleted his channel 😢
I always assumed the source of the healing church blood was Ebrietas. It would make sense with her location being directly behind the grand cathedral. Siphoning the blood of a great one you have detained close by would be quite convenient.
From Battlestar Galactica, big spoiler :
in season 3, episode 'A Measure of Salvation'.
A sleeping disease is found by Cylons, and and begun to specifically kill them. One of the Cylons humanoids help the remaining humanity, partialy because she had a child with a human. This child is called by a mysterious angelic figure "the next generation of the Children of God".
Anyway, when the human soldiers found the ship where Cylons are dying, the Cylon humanoid ally who accompanied them is also suspected to be infected; but later in the episode, she discovered she have not any symptoms, because her child shared his mix heritage in her womb.
just a heads up these subtitles are inaccurate at times and have script prompts in them like "play gilbert"
Good thing I'm late to the party and episode three is already here cuz fuuuuuuuck that for me great work
I’m putting this here because I don’t know if you’ll see it on the relevant video but you assume the symbol on Sellian/Nox Chairs and in their magic icons is a branchiopod mollusc.
It is most likely not. The bottom of the symbol clearly has a stem, which made me consider a tree but that’s unlikely, because it resembles something else much closer.
Sea Pens. Pennatula to be specific. They have peduncles used to stay in the sand that appear very similar and their spread out charnia-esque “leaves” are almost identical to the styling of the icon.
The icon on the sellian-Nox chairs and in their magic casting symbols is that of a Pennatula Sea Pen.
God damn do I love this having bloodborne revisited with the microscopic detail and lack of faffing about it always deserved but didn’t get at the time of release
I always look forward to our Archaeology field trips.
Your voice sounds very familiar, were you ever involved in "abridged" anime series?
Fantastic analysis in this series. I'd hoped you would explore the Japanese tradition of blood-related beliefs clearly interacting with Christian history and motifs in this game. You could definitely do a deep dive on that.