I love the soulsborne tradition to question 'is this a wacky coincidence, or an elaborate historical reference'. I like to think it's a reward to people such as yourself for gathering many intricate parts to piece together the story.
There's actually quite a bit of credence to that idea in my opinion. This is a pretty obscure source, but there is kind of a lost Glixel/Rolling Stones interview with Miyazaki where he mentions using the works of Umberto Eco as reference books. I'm not terribly familiar with Umberto Eco myself, but he heavily employed a writing style known as "metatextuality", which is basically what you are describing. Eco was a professor of semiotics, and employed techniques of metanarrative, partial fictionalization, and linguistic ambiguity to create a world enriched by layers of meaning. Going over his works, it seems like Eco and a painter named McNeil were the main influences behind Miyazaki's convoluted and abstract writing style/mechanics, while more popular works of fiction like Berserk or Game of Thrones inspired his overall aesthetics.
Totally agree, just throw in Lords of the Fallen to tie it to Elden Ring, we’ve got a Matrix in the making. Love your perspective though, makes me think.😂🔥🤝
The name Tanit fucking blew my mind. I think you're right about the Phoenician inspiration here. What makes me scratch my head the most is how comparatively younger the architecture of Volcano Manor is. Perhaps Rykard has more modern inspirations than just Ahab? If so, I wonder what they are.
If Mt. Gelmir is site of ancient "paganism" (serpent's religion) then if Golden Order conquered them, Volcano Manor would likely be their seat of occupation, a castle built to survey the hostile region. And which came to be center of inquisition. Later, Rykard was appointed as chief justiciar being a demigod, and started to learn of Old religion (hexes) until finally becoming serpent worshipper himself. My favorite design element in VM is Church of Einglay. Windows are positioned as such as to look to the light of the Erdtree. But Eiglay's shed skin has been pinned to prevent that light from reaching the chapel. Church of Einglay was originally Golden Order Church.
There's actually a ton of references to ancient civs throughout Elden Ring. "The Tarnished Archeologist" on youtube gets into some of the connections, though sometimes it's just analogous or speculation.
We should consider the text of Daedicar's Woe: "Disturbing likeness of a woman whose skin was flayed. She smiles with a serene tenderness. Increases damage taken. It is said that this woman, named Daedicar, indulged in every form of adultery and wicked pleasure imaginable, giving birth to a myriad of grotesque children." She is likely the mother of all the serpentmen populating Volcano Manor and she may be a good fit for the identity of the Abductor Virgin. It's also very possible that she and Tanith are one and the same.
The structure of your videos highlight the kineticism of your thought process and the sincerity of your inquisitiveness and I think that leads to some of the best videos out there.
This is by far the most interesting break down I’ve seen for the abductor virgins. Absolutely fantastic detective work. This is why this game is so fun to discuss
Marvelously researched. Some of this I knew (or suspected), but the depth that draws from our own world is ever mind blowing. Also randomly, I really dig the wallpaper behind you. It simultaneously suits you and the themes/presentation of this video.
As far as I'm aware, you are the first and only lore diver to make these connections. Well done! As others have commented, the Tanith/Tanit link is pretty phenomenal. All your other theorized Phoenician associations stand on merit, but i think that name really brings everything together in an unassailable way. My compliments to the chef!
Clicked on this thinking it just be a fun video about stuff i already knew about. But you had me very invested and interested in all the history and theories. I subscribed and plan to catch up on some of your videos, hope they are a lot like this one.
This is the second video I’ve watched where I started a skeptic, and ended up seeing things more in line with your view. I’m not totally convinced that the Phoenician Tanit/Tanith correlation is concrete,, but I’m very warm to the idea now. Thanks for a great vivid!
Am I crazy? I could've sworn that somewhere in the game it specifically said that rykard created the abductor virgins in tanith's image and now I can't find that anywhere!
Love the channel and the phenomenal story telling! Also,the well-researched depth and logic you bring to the lore. I just picture the team at Fromsoft gathered around a screen watching and pointing fingers,"You!You told her!" "I didn't tell anyone anything...it was you!"
This video is amazing!!! I am blown away that you were able to find so many connections. Every day my love for this game and the community around it gets so much stronger.
Great video! I always love learning about real world history whenever I watch elden ring lore videos, you and the channel Elden Tales are great for that
Thank you so much for this 💚 Tanith is my favorite Elden Ring character and the lack of lore videos about her has been such a bummer. I just assumed everything that we could learn about her had already been found. So you can imagine how delightful this video was for me! 💚
This definitely opened my eyes to want to look more into the mythology influence used throughout elden ring. While watching your video I looked up Baal and it tells how he become worshipped after the death of Gideon?? Didn't know how deep all this went! Definitely going to watch your other videos now!
Wow every time I think I’ve seen all of Elden Ring lore I stumble upon a gem like this 😮 super insightful and makes so much sense, the Tannit/ Tannith thing is too perfect to ignore
As soon as I saw the image @11:13 I was completely on board. Look at the jar in the center-right next to the twin-jars, and the other jars of that style in the picture; those jars are literally the in-game model, cracked wax-lid and all! All the other details add up too, it fits with the artists being told to do wikipedia-dives on Jezebel etc for their inspiration. Brilliant detective work! I had always wondered why the torture/murder-machines were strange iron women. Now solve the mystery of the enormous skeletal remains in Caelid next, please! lol (IIRC Zulie did a video analyzing them and they're like 20-times larger than the giants in the Mountaintops)
Right?! The jars look SO much like the urns; can’t imagine they weren’t an inspiration for the designers! That’s a great video idea; love Zullie’s work so will have to see if I can come up with some good ideas there!
@@kitetales I hadn't seen the Zullie video in a while so I looked it up for a rewatch. My bad, the Caelid giants are 250x larger than the smaller in-game giants lmao! BTW I appreciate your more female-oriented perspective on these things. Most of the big FROMsoft lore nerds like Tarnished Archeologist and Vaati seem to be guys who view things from a more clinical detached perspective, like archeologists. Or like Zullie who mostly just digs through game-files like an overly curious crow looking for shinies lol (
That's a great theory ! Miazaki its known as his Master Kentaro Miura, to take inspirations from greats historical characters, events and places even. Like the Sumerians Clay tablets in the Eternal City at the foot of the statue of the bearded man, that's legit a Sumerian clay tablet exposed in a museum. Your theory is pretty solid i like it a lot. Leyndell is a Mix of Roma , Costantinople , and Paris. Greeks and romans has fought the phoenicians so it makes sense that miazaki would also use them as inspiration! Elden ring religions mirrors ours : you have pre historich times with dragons and beasts then you have the ugabuga times, fire worship and giants , then firsts humans look at the stars and base religions on it , then you have the pagan era more inclined to nature : the crucible and time of plenty , then you have the advent of monotheism , marika and the golden order , and then the empire falls, like Roma did.
I love your videos! This was great. I never got close enough to an abductor virgin to see those details. Mostly because I was trying to not be grabbed by them haha
Fascinating, I absolutely love how Elden Ring incorporates old cultures, religions, cults, architecture, myths and whatever else. This video points out amazing connections to Phoenicians and Mt. Gelmir. Awesome 👏🏽👌🏽
Wow, fhat last segment was a real twist for me. Never really knew anything about phoenician culture, and all the volcano manor shenanigans - especially the abductor virgins - never made sense to me. Your research and writing makes this all fit so well!
This was a really fun video! I love how you structured it in the same way as your knowledge grew. Theory to research, to rabbit holes, to some really awesome discoveries of connections to the past. Very fun and very cool.
The most impressive lore video ive seen yet, the level of research is astounding and its not unrealistic to think George RR Martin and Miyazaki drew from such historical and niche sorces
Coming back to this video after the DLC just to say you were so right in this video. The second I saw the Dancer of Ranah I had to come back and watch this again.
Amazing work! The algorithm stopped showing me your vids for a while and I'm sorry to say that I'd forgotten about your channel. I loved your Windmill Village and Boc videos and subscribed when those came out. Looks like I've got a backlog to watch through now. Looking forward to it!
Pro tip for dodging the grab: if you jump, the grab completely misses you also give you the chance to jump attack the snake arms, also works for a lot of other non-weapon grabs like from zombies. It has been a while since ive played so maybe it was unintentional and has been patched though.
Great video, you clearly love doing research. Your theory definitely jives with Fromsoft's tendency to go from some real historical deep cuts. Also, yeah Confirmation Bias is indeed the term you were looking for, specifically Illusory correlation.
Excellent video! You did a lot of great research, the connection to the graveyards under the Volcano Manor to real world historical graveyards is an excellent find! I would posit that Tannith not having children is most likely an issue with her choice of lover: Rykard. He almost looks like he is suffering from leprosy or his flesh is melting in his pre-snake portraits, leading me to believe he might be the one who is infertile. It would then make sense to why she adopts Zoyaras, she is so infatuated with Rykard that she adopts his snake-child, and the serpent design evoking stealing a person to place in the womb. Just a thought! Rykard is one of my favorite characters in Elden Ring, thanks for sharing this video!
In the Shadow trailer we see a new statue of Marika behind Messmer cradling a baby… I feel like there’s something to the recurrence of these themes, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
I loved your connection w the jars and sacrifice - but one thing about the jars is that I think the becoming a jar was voluntary. Just by how Alexander talks about it it seems like that form was desirable. Sekiro’s Pot Noble is a similar theme
Why did I have to discover this channel just now, her voice is adorable, I can’t 😭😩. Don’t mind me, just gonna casually binge watch the entire catalog while I take medicine and sip some tea under the blanket lol Okay, had to edit after finishing the video. 1. Had no idea she was also attractive, I paused the video 10 seconds in to leave my initial comment. 2. Really enjoyed the thought provoking commentary and how well each thought was articulated as well as the rationale behind each of them.
Awww thank you so much! 😊 I'm sorry to hear you're sick, definitely rest up and stay hydrated!! Hey, the new DLC trailer is coming out in 12 hours, so that'll give you something good to look forward to!
@@kitetales got sick during a business trip in vegas 🤧 back in Socal now and I was supposed to record some videos myself 😭 Im so behind lol but thank you for the reminder to stay hydrated. Not usually the thirsty type lol and wait, that was announced? Where have I been. Thanks for the heads up lady.
Lovely video, your presentation is very easy to listen to and i beleive your research and opinions are sound and thorough. Edit: i decided to subscribe
y'know, it might just be the lighting of that particular shot accentuating dents in the metalwork, but the zoomed look at the virgin's child makes it look an awful lot like the top and side of the infant's head are _scaled_
It is super weird I went on here specifically to search 'what are the abductor virgins' and this was the first thing that popped up in my recommendations
All the evidence was slowly accumulating, and then BAM! The name drop of Tanit. Great video. PS: Imagine having one chance at life and being called "Abductor Virgin"
@@kitetales wow, really didn't think you'd see my comment, i was going to also point to the pose of the blue dancer charm as almost looking like they are in a flamenco pose
The genuine terror I felt when a Virgin Abductor EXPLODED out of the spiral staircase room in Volcano Manor.. the adrenaline my body produced, you'd have thought I was running for my life from a predator D-: To this day, she is the only enemy I truly fear. Your historical references seem completely plausible, I'm on board! Great research x
Every time I encounter one of these I'm like nope not today (or like you did kill them with magic) idk y but they creep me out more than any other enemy in elden ring
brilliant connections to real history. This is some tarnished archaeologist grade research. I wonder how much of this stuff came from GRRM vs Miyazaki. Either one or both of them know A LOT of history
Thanks so much!! Oh GRRM REALLY knows his stories. Would love to just listen to his retelling of history and mythology. Him and Neil Gaiman need to team up and give us something amazing.
I’ve seen GRRM specifically mention Carthage in interviews - he’s very well versed in the topic. References to Bael exist all throughout A song of ice and fire: Baelor the Blessed (ancient Targaryen king that built the Sept of Baelor -later destroyed), Baelon Greyjoy (Theon’s Dad) and Lord Baelish (little finger). I doubt they are accidents
the jar theory makes sense since the living jars in elden ring eat their fallen opponents which means they are vessels for corpses. the living jars purpose seems to be a food source for the erdtrees a sacrifice if you will, mashed by the erdtree avatars when the living jars get near the erdtrees.
I am just curious if you have drafted an entire display board of historical articles and Elden Ring assets webbed with red yarn piecing this together. Because I was going down that rabbit hole for a while. And I think that's what makes Elden Ring so immersive, because it makes me feel like Indiana Jones piecing together old secrets.
I had a thought that since the volcano manor uses all the blasphemous imagery to rebel against the erdtree, it could be that the iron virgins represent Marika. Like she could have lost a child and Rykard makes a weapon in that shape to hurt her psychologically. I don’t know for sure but it’s all very intriguing.
the ties back to ancient history are fascinating. you do good job pulling all the threads together, imo. my first playthrough was almost by an abductor virgin. i was abducted at the bottom of raya lucaria and transported to a cave with two abductor virgins and no way to escape or, at my skill level, kill them. i had just about given up hope when i found a cheese online by some other poor sod who got abducted! 😂
amazing work and symbolism!.Iv'e been obsessing over the being on the briar greatshield. She is what iv'e been calling a flame dancer, twisting around with a sword and evoking flames from under her. There is an undead soldier loyaly watching, and one reaching its arms out to embrace the flames. The shield has wear and tear, but it also looks like ash is falling to feed flowers forming in the flames. This being was a solitary ascetic(religious self discplined) that came from another land. The only thing we get to know is that this being is guilty in these lands and bound to something, by something. After looking for other beings related to being guilty, I ended up at things like prisoners, flame scholars, and interestingly, the crucified undead that awaken at night. I noticed the crucified undead not only being in a similar state to marika, the thing they are on greatly resemble the symbol in Marika's scarseal, and after watching this video because I hadn't noticed until now, the abductor virgins share a similar line under their eye like they are crying. I believe everything you say is true about them representing Tanith, but I also think it gives insight on some of their ancestor's family drama. My favorite example is, Blaidd is like a half brother to Ranni. Its not something said ingame, but what is said, is Maliketh is like a half brother to Marika. If you make the leap that their immediate families might not have been so different, you can use the context to fill in spots that make sense for other groups of family. I think perhaps Marika herself did not give birth to children in the way a human would.I think part of conquest was conversion, with volcano manor serving as a place of "reinstitution" before Rykard changed. After staring at a Miranda Blossom for who knows how long, I think their process of procreating is closer to Marika's, then a human. I think the Erdtree is like the mother flower, and the minor erdtrees like the children, but they eat people in some way to do this. The flowers are called maneaters and the erdtrees roots eat more then anything. The land octopus also share this feature. Now when I look at the elden ring, all I can see are the different rings actually being the children of one big thing. Side note I recently watched a video of what Tasmania is like, and believe it or not, its like the lands between... even down to having trees that need to burn to release its seeds, or they'll just keep growing. And crazy animals everywhere with huge biome shifts for a small area.
I was just watching a random Elden Ring of yours made 2 years ago and you just uploaded a new Elden Ring video 15 ago as if the time in writing this. Lol
How do you only have 75k subscribers? The real mystery! Your investigations into soulsborne lore are some of the best out there for sure. Thorough but concise and eloquently explained. Love it!
Hey, you should revisit this video! There is a baby in her arms and snakes out of its womb! I can see Marika holding Melina and pregnant from a future Messmer...
@@kitetales Just noticed some days ago, there is a particular Abductor Virgin outside Fort of Reprimand (north side) that has his head removed, much like most of Marika's statues in the lands of shadow! (exceptions i found was in Messmer's Room and in the Shaman Village). Hope this info bear some fruit ^^
@@reinaldomizutani8867 yes!! I noticed them too; there is an Abductor Virigin at the Hermit Village without a head too and seems that’s like their CPU because they’re crazy without it 😆
My personal interpretation of Marika's story fits in very well with the idea of Tanith being unable to have children. My interpretation is: Marika desires to have a daughter (it seems that feminine characters are preferrable candidates to become Empyreans and candidates for Godhood). Her first born is a son - Godwyn - but she keeps trying for a daughter with Godfrey. Instead she ends up having many, many miscarriages (This is what the wandering mausoleums were for. All of Marika's children besides Godwyn are still alive and we know where his corpse is. I think that these "Soulless Demigods" are actually miscarried children of Marika). So she decides to remove the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring. If nobody can die then children can't die in childbirth, her logic goes. But instead she winds up giving birth to Morgot & Mogh - and potentially creating the Omen as a side effect. Right after the Omen Twin's birth, she banishes Godfrey & his warriors. Seeing him now as completely useless with her rule solidified and blaming him for her inability to have a Female Heir (a reversal of real rulers like Henry VIII who executed multiple wives for not providing a male heir). Eventually Rennala rises against Marika and there's a long war but instead Marika creates Radagon as an aspect of herself and ends the war through marriage with Rennala. As Radagon she sires Rykard, Radhan, and then finally Ranni. And it's when Ranni is chosen as an Empyrean, that Marika/Radagon - in her rage and jealousy of this other, rival woman having the female heir she so desired - abandons Rennala and breaks her spirit. Then Marika gets the idea that if her aspect of Radagon was able to sire a female Empyrean heir then maybe Radagon might be able to sire a daughter with her Marika form. This of course leads to two more twins: Malenia & Miquella. But from the moment of their Birth it seems that other Outer Gods (outer gods of Rot & abundance or perhaps "love") beyond the Greater Will immediately claimed them. Perhaps because the outer gods were expecting candidates for Godhood to be sired by such a strange union. Of course disappointed and possibly even disowning the twins (the statues of Malenia & Miqeulla as children seem to be comforted by their older half-brother Godwyn rather than Marika), Marika tries again at least 2 times with Radagon leading to Messmer - another male and a seemingly blasphemous one to her Golden Order but we'll see more info with the DLC - and possibly Melina who was also heretical to the Golden order or for some reason was immediately abandoned by Marika at the foot of the Erdtree. And it's when Marika is still trying for a daughter of her own that the Night of Black Knives happens. Godwyn, the one child that she may have truly held some love for, dies and in her grief she Shatters the Elden Ring.
I love the soulsborne tradition to question 'is this a wacky coincidence, or an elaborate historical reference'. I like to think it's a reward to people such as yourself for gathering many intricate parts to piece together the story.
I love finding the one little connection deep in something I've not yet seen; makes it so exciting!
There's actually quite a bit of credence to that idea in my opinion.
This is a pretty obscure source, but there is kind of a lost Glixel/Rolling Stones interview with Miyazaki where he mentions using the works of Umberto Eco as reference books. I'm not terribly familiar with Umberto Eco myself, but he heavily employed a writing style known as "metatextuality", which is basically what you are describing. Eco was a professor of semiotics, and employed techniques of metanarrative, partial fictionalization, and linguistic ambiguity to create a world enriched by layers of meaning.
Going over his works, it seems like Eco and a painter named McNeil were the main influences behind Miyazaki's convoluted and abstract writing style/mechanics, while more popular works of fiction like Berserk or Game of Thrones inspired his overall aesthetics.
Exactly why GRRM fit right into the situation so amazingly 🤌🏽 this reminds me of one of the song of ice and fire theory videos for sure 👌🏽
And it feels like an emphasis on the idea of art potentially having meaning, but there’s no one way to be sure.
Totally agree, just throw in Lords of the Fallen to tie it to Elden Ring, we’ve got a Matrix in the making. Love your perspective though, makes me think.😂🔥🤝
The name Tanit fucking blew my mind. I think you're right about the Phoenician inspiration here. What makes me scratch my head the most is how comparatively younger the architecture of Volcano Manor is. Perhaps Rykard has more modern inspirations than just Ahab? If so, I wonder what they are.
Wait captain Ahab? From Moby Dick?
Nevermind, i hadnt watched the video yet lol
If Mt. Gelmir is site of ancient "paganism" (serpent's religion) then if Golden Order conquered them, Volcano Manor would likely be their seat of occupation, a castle built to survey the hostile region. And which came to be center of inquisition.
Later, Rykard was appointed as chief justiciar being a demigod, and started to learn of Old religion (hexes) until finally becoming serpent worshipper himself.
My favorite design element in VM is Church of Einglay. Windows are positioned as such as to look to the light of the Erdtree. But Eiglay's shed skin has been pinned to prevent that light from reaching the chapel.
Church of Einglay was originally Golden Order Church.
Messmer
This is the first time I've heard about the connections to the Phoenicians and there is a LOT there. Excellent video!
Thank you so much!! 😊
There's actually a ton of references to ancient civs throughout Elden Ring. "The Tarnished Archeologist" on youtube gets into some of the connections, though sometimes it's just analogous or speculation.
We should consider the text of Daedicar's Woe:
"Disturbing likeness of a woman whose skin was flayed.
She smiles with a serene tenderness.
Increases damage taken.
It is said that this woman, named Daedicar, indulged in every form of adultery and wicked pleasure imaginable, giving birth to a myriad of grotesque children."
She is likely the mother of all the serpentmen populating Volcano Manor and she may be a good fit for the identity of the Abductor Virgin. It's also very possible that she and Tanith are one and the same.
But Tanith is very pretty under that mask XD
Oh that’s a great thought! Maybe a mistress…
didn't know sex was actually canon in elden ring
WTF with thiz game
i'm confused isn't Daedicar Woe were supposed to be a male lover of Rykard
The structure of your videos highlight the kineticism of your thought process and the sincerity of your inquisitiveness and I think that leads to some of the best videos out there.
Thank you so much! Big compliment to me since I always feel so disorganized! 😆
This is by far the most interesting break down I’ve seen for the abductor virgins. Absolutely fantastic detective work. This is why this game is so fun to discuss
Thank you so much!!
Marvelously researched.
Some of this I knew (or suspected), but the depth that draws from our own world is ever mind blowing.
Also randomly, I really dig the wallpaper behind you. It simultaneously suits you and the themes/presentation of this video.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! And especially thank you for compliments about the wallpaper! 🥰
@@kitetales You are most welcome!
And THIS is why I named you as one of my favorite lore channels!!! What an interesting video!!!
Such a huge compliment, thank you! 🙏
Just discovered you, but you, Tarnished Archaeologist and Sinclair Lore are officially my fave From lore channels!
Aww thank you so much, that’s a big honor!! ❤️
As far as I'm aware, you are the first and only lore diver to make these connections. Well done! As others have commented, the Tanith/Tanit link is pretty phenomenal. All your other theorized Phoenician associations stand on merit, but i think that name really brings everything together in an unassailable way. My compliments to the chef!
Thank you so much!! It’s a nice feeling when so many other people can see the possibility of this; seems way less far-fetched now! 🥲
Clicked on this thinking it just be a fun video about stuff i already knew about. But you had me very invested and interested in all the history and theories. I subscribed and plan to catch up on some of your videos, hope they are a lot like this one.
Bruh game aside, the history you just showed is crazy and connecting it back to the game is crazy, I totally see the similarities 😲 this was amazing
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad so many people found it interesting! 💙
This video just goes to show just how much detail is in this game
This is the second video I’ve watched where I started a skeptic, and ended up seeing things more in line with your view. I’m not totally convinced that the Phoenician Tanit/Tanith correlation is concrete,, but I’m very warm to the idea now. Thanks for a great vivid!
Am I crazy? I could've sworn that somewhere in the game it specifically said that rykard created the abductor virgins in tanith's image and now I can't find that anywhere!
Yea same
I, too, was sure i saw it in game, but after some thinking, I believe it was "only" Tarnished Archaeologist, where I saw/heard it.
You saw it on TH-cam and forgot, thought you saw it in-game
Love the channel and the phenomenal story telling! Also,the well-researched depth and logic you bring to the lore. I just picture the team at Fromsoft gathered around a screen watching and pointing fingers,"You!You told her!" "I didn't tell anyone anything...it was you!"
Thank you so much!! 🥲❤️ That’s how it goes in my head too!! 🤣
@@kitetales Great minds...
This video is amazing!!! I am blown away that you were able to find so many connections. Every day my love for this game and the community around it gets so much stronger.
Great video! I always love learning about real world history whenever I watch elden ring lore videos, you and the channel Elden Tales are great for that
Thank you so much! 😊
Awesome video! Miyazaki always strives for a perfect three part mix of real world history, European fantasy and Japanese fantasy. Great research!
This is Tarnished Archeologist level lore hunting! Great work!
Thank you so much!! Would love to know what he would think of it! 👀
Thank you so much for this 💚 Tanith is my favorite Elden Ring character and the lack of lore videos about her has been such a bummer. I just assumed everything that we could learn about her had already been found. So you can imagine how delightful this video was for me! 💚
This definitely opened my eyes to want to look more into the mythology influence used throughout elden ring.
While watching your video I looked up Baal and it tells how he become worshipped after the death of Gideon?? Didn't know how deep all this went!
Definitely going to watch your other videos now!
Thank you so much! Yeah there is so much mythology referenced in the game; it's so much fun to discover it!
Thanks!
Thank you so much!! ❤️
Wow every time I think I’ve seen all of Elden Ring lore I stumble upon a gem like this 😮 super insightful and makes so much sense, the Tannit/ Tannith thing is too perfect to ignore
Honestly, amazing detective work, super interesting, keep them coming!
Thank you so much! 😊
As soon as I saw the image @11:13 I was completely on board. Look at the jar in the center-right next to the twin-jars, and the other jars of that style in the picture; those jars are literally the in-game model, cracked wax-lid and all!
All the other details add up too, it fits with the artists being told to do wikipedia-dives on Jezebel etc for their inspiration.
Brilliant detective work! I had always wondered why the torture/murder-machines were strange iron women.
Now solve the mystery of the enormous skeletal remains in Caelid next, please! lol (IIRC Zulie did a video analyzing them and they're like 20-times larger than the giants in the Mountaintops)
Right?! The jars look SO much like the urns; can’t imagine they weren’t an inspiration for the designers!
That’s a great video idea; love Zullie’s work so will have to see if I can come up with some good ideas there!
@@kitetales I hadn't seen the Zullie video in a while so I looked it up for a rewatch. My bad, the Caelid giants are 250x larger than the smaller in-game giants lmao!
BTW I appreciate your more female-oriented perspective on these things. Most of the big FROMsoft lore nerds like Tarnished Archeologist and Vaati seem to be guys who view things from a more clinical detached perspective, like archeologists. Or like Zullie who mostly just digs through game-files like an overly curious crow looking for shinies lol (
Yesssssssssss! So glad to see another video, hope all is well!
That's a great theory ! Miazaki its known as his Master Kentaro Miura, to take inspirations from greats historical characters, events and places even. Like the Sumerians Clay tablets in the Eternal City at the foot of the statue of the bearded man, that's legit a Sumerian clay tablet exposed in a museum.
Your theory is pretty solid i like it a lot. Leyndell is a Mix of Roma , Costantinople , and Paris. Greeks and romans has fought the phoenicians so it makes sense that miazaki would also use them as inspiration! Elden ring religions mirrors ours : you have pre historich times with dragons and beasts then you have the ugabuga times, fire worship and giants , then firsts humans look at the stars and base religions on it , then you have the pagan era more inclined to nature : the crucible and time of plenty , then you have the advent of monotheism , marika and the golden order , and then the empire falls, like Roma did.
I love your videos! This was great. I never got close enough to an abductor virgin to see those details. Mostly because I was trying to not be grabbed by them haha
Thank you! Yeah thankfully I got over my fear of them because they really freaked me out the first time!
Fascinating, I absolutely love how Elden Ring incorporates old cultures, religions, cults, architecture, myths and whatever else. This video points out amazing connections to Phoenicians and Mt. Gelmir. Awesome 👏🏽👌🏽
Thank you so much! And yes I love finding all the little real world inspirations.
Wow, fhat last segment was a real twist for me. Never really knew anything about phoenician culture, and all the volcano manor shenanigans - especially the abductor virgins - never made sense to me. Your research and writing makes this all fit so well!
Dope insight in to a character that isn’t explored. Great research and references. GORGEOUS voice also. Subscribed lol
Thank you so much!! 😊
This was a really fun video! I love how you structured it in the same way as your knowledge grew. Theory to research, to rabbit holes, to some really awesome discoveries of connections to the past. Very fun and very cool.
Whoa I love how the video got more intense with the connection as it went on 😮
In this and every other soulsborne game that have “grabby” enemies, if you rapidly press the R1 and L1 bumpers, you can escape quicker.
The most impressive lore video ive seen yet, the level of research is astounding and its not unrealistic to think George RR Martin and Miyazaki drew from such historical and niche sorces
Coming back to this video after the DLC just to say you were so right in this video. The second I saw the Dancer of Ranah I had to come back and watch this again.
Amazing work! The algorithm stopped showing me your vids for a while and I'm sorry to say that I'd forgotten about your channel. I loved your Windmill Village and Boc videos and subscribed when those came out. Looks like I've got a backlog to watch through now. Looking forward to it!
I think this is brilliant! Its a very well thought out idea, and makes so much sense.
Pro tip for dodging the grab: if you jump, the grab completely misses you also give you the chance to jump attack the snake arms, also works for a lot of other non-weapon grabs like from zombies. It has been a while since ive played so maybe it was unintentional and has been patched though.
Great video, you clearly love doing research. Your theory definitely jives with Fromsoft's tendency to go from some real historical deep cuts.
Also, yeah Confirmation Bias is indeed the term you were looking for, specifically Illusory correlation.
Thanks so much!! 😊
Excellent video! You did a lot of great research, the connection to the graveyards under the Volcano Manor to real world historical graveyards is an excellent find!
I would posit that Tannith not having children is most likely an issue with her choice of lover: Rykard. He almost looks like he is suffering from leprosy or his flesh is melting in his pre-snake portraits, leading me to believe he might be the one who is infertile. It would then make sense to why she adopts Zoyaras, she is so infatuated with Rykard that she adopts his snake-child, and the serpent design evoking stealing a person to place in the womb. Just a thought!
Rykard is one of my favorite characters in Elden Ring, thanks for sharing this video!
Learn history with Elden Ring
Great video! You make a lot of really good points.
Thank you! 😊
In the Shadow trailer we see a new statue of Marika behind Messmer cradling a baby… I feel like there’s something to the recurrence of these themes, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
I loved your connection w the jars and sacrifice - but one thing about the jars is that I think the becoming a jar was voluntary. Just by how Alexander talks about it it seems like that form was desirable. Sekiro’s Pot Noble is a similar theme
Love the video and subscribed after.
You also used the term confirmation bias correctly
Facinating! Great video!
Thank you so much! 😊
Girl I’m waiting on ur Elden ring DLC reaction!!! Was just thinking about you after watching it!
WHEW!! Just uploaded!!
@@kitetales queen I love you
Why did I have to discover this channel just now, her voice is adorable, I can’t 😭😩. Don’t mind me, just gonna casually binge watch the entire catalog while I take medicine and sip some tea under the blanket lol
Okay, had to edit after finishing the video. 1. Had no idea she was also attractive, I paused the video 10 seconds in to leave my initial comment. 2. Really enjoyed the thought provoking commentary and how well each thought was articulated as well as the rationale behind each of them.
Awww thank you so much! 😊 I'm sorry to hear you're sick, definitely rest up and stay hydrated!! Hey, the new DLC trailer is coming out in 12 hours, so that'll give you something good to look forward to!
@@kitetales got sick during a business trip in vegas 🤧 back in Socal now and I was supposed to record some videos myself 😭 Im so behind lol but thank you for the reminder to stay hydrated. Not usually the thirsty type lol and wait, that was announced? Where have I been. Thanks for the heads up lady.
Lovely video, your presentation is very easy to listen to and i beleive your research and opinions are sound and thorough.
Edit: i decided to subscribe
Awww thank you so much, I appreciate that!! ❤️
Excellent work! I love this parallel.
Thanks so much!
It is WILD how dark these games get the closer you look at them. Satisfying but also incredibly eerie.
y'know, it might just be the lighting of that particular shot accentuating dents in the metalwork, but the zoomed look at the virgin's child makes it look an awful lot like the top and side of the infant's head are _scaled_
It is super weird I went on here specifically to search 'what are the abductor virgins' and this was the first thing that popped up in my recommendations
Google is getting too advanced at mind-reading now!
@@kitetales or Praetor Rykard 👀
All the evidence was slowly accumulating, and then BAM! The name drop of Tanit. Great video.
PS: Imagine having one chance at life and being called "Abductor Virgin"
“Trust us, it’s a great name, the best name”
Great video! Really interesting. I love all the links to ancient history. Very cool. ❤
Wow such a great video! Can't believe I haven't come across the channel before. I can't look at living jars the same 😢
Thank you so much!!
It would be wild to find out she wasn't just any dancer but the blue dancer
That would be a WILD twist!
@@kitetales wow, really didn't think you'd see my comment, i was going to also point to the pose of the blue dancer charm as almost looking like they are in a flamenco pose
I have the second book, it’s super cool :) lots of art that lets you see details that are hard to see even when camera breaking
The genuine terror I felt when a Virgin Abductor EXPLODED out of the spiral staircase room in Volcano Manor.. the adrenaline my body produced, you'd have thought I was running for my life from a predator D-: To this day, she is the only enemy I truly fear. Your historical references seem completely plausible, I'm on board! Great research x
Great video, great research done to make a compelling case.
Thank you so much! 😊
WOW, just wow. The similarities and possible inspiration is so obvious now.
Lore and history!? These videos are great :D
Thank you!! ❤️
you crushed it with this video , no way this was coincidental
Thank you so much!! 😊
Every time I encounter one of these I'm like nope not today (or like you did kill them with magic) idk y but they creep me out more than any other enemy in elden ring
Creepiest enemy EVER
Wow this makes a lot of sense. Great find!
You are on my top 3 with vaatividya and zullie The witch. Thank you!
That is a HUGE compliment, thank you so much!!
If you look at the handle of the Scavengers Curved sword it features the same design as the abductor virgins.
brilliant connections to real history. This is some tarnished archaeologist grade research. I wonder how much of this stuff came from GRRM vs Miyazaki. Either one or both of them know A LOT of history
Thanks so much!! Oh GRRM REALLY knows his stories. Would love to just listen to his retelling of history and mythology. Him and Neil Gaiman need to team up and give us something amazing.
I’ve seen GRRM specifically mention Carthage in interviews - he’s very well versed in the topic. References to Bael exist all throughout A song of ice and fire: Baelor the Blessed (ancient Targaryen king that built the Sept of Baelor -later destroyed), Baelon Greyjoy (Theon’s Dad) and Lord Baelish (little finger). I doubt they are accidents
the jar theory makes sense since the living jars in elden ring eat their fallen opponents which means they are vessels for corpses.
the living jars purpose seems to be a food source for the erdtrees a sacrifice if you will, mashed by the erdtree avatars when the living jars get near the erdtrees.
Great insights as always!
Thank you! ❤️
This really made me want to play this game. Those metaphors are extremely deep.
I am just curious if you have drafted an entire display board of historical articles and Elden Ring assets webbed with red yarn piecing this together. Because I was going down that rabbit hole for a while. And I think that's what makes Elden Ring so immersive, because it makes me feel like Indiana Jones piecing together old secrets.
I had a thought that since the volcano manor uses all the blasphemous imagery to rebel against the erdtree, it could be that the iron virgins represent Marika. Like she could have lost a child and Rykard makes a weapon in that shape to hurt her psychologically. I don’t know for sure but it’s all very intriguing.
the ties back to ancient history are fascinating. you do good job pulling all the threads together, imo. my first playthrough was almost by an abductor virgin. i was abducted at the bottom of raya lucaria and transported to a cave with two abductor virgins and no way to escape or, at my skill level, kill them. i had just about given up hope when i found a cheese online by some other poor sod who got abducted! 😂
i'm amazed...here i was thinking that abductor virgins were just a one way ticket to volcano manor
amazing work and symbolism!.Iv'e been obsessing over the being on the briar greatshield. She is what iv'e been calling a flame dancer, twisting around with a sword and evoking flames from under her. There is an undead soldier loyaly watching, and one reaching its arms out to embrace the flames. The shield has wear and tear, but it also looks like ash is falling to feed flowers forming in the flames. This being was a solitary ascetic(religious self discplined) that came from another land. The only thing we get to know is that this being is guilty in these lands and bound to something, by something. After looking for other beings related to being guilty, I ended up at things like prisoners, flame scholars, and interestingly, the crucified undead that awaken at night. I noticed the crucified undead not only being in a similar state to marika, the thing they are on greatly resemble the symbol in Marika's scarseal, and after watching this video because I hadn't noticed until now, the abductor virgins share a similar line under their eye like they are crying. I believe everything you say is true about them representing Tanith, but I also think it gives insight on some of their ancestor's family drama. My favorite example is, Blaidd is like a half brother to Ranni.
Its not something said ingame, but what is said, is Maliketh is like a half brother to Marika. If you make the leap that their immediate families might not have been so different, you can use the context to fill in spots that make sense for other groups of family. I think perhaps Marika herself did not give birth to children in the way a human would.I think part of conquest was conversion, with volcano manor serving as a place of "reinstitution" before Rykard changed. After staring at a Miranda Blossom for who knows how long, I think their process of procreating is closer to Marika's, then a human. I think the Erdtree is like the mother flower, and the minor erdtrees like the children, but they eat people in some way to do this. The flowers are called maneaters and the erdtrees roots eat more then anything. The land octopus also share this feature. Now when I look at the elden ring, all I can see are the different rings actually being the children of one big thing.
Side note I recently watched a video of what Tasmania is like, and believe it or not, its like the lands between... even down to having trees that need to burn to release its seeds, or they'll just keep growing. And crazy animals everywhere with huge biome shifts for a small area.
I was just watching a random Elden Ring of yours made 2 years ago and you just uploaded a new Elden Ring video 15 ago as if the time in writing this. Lol
How do you only have 75k subscribers? The real mystery!
Your investigations into soulsborne lore are some of the best out there for sure. Thorough but concise and eloquently explained. Love it!
This is such a good video!
Very well done this is awesome 🌊
Thank you!!
Hey, you should revisit this video! There is a baby in her arms and snakes out of its womb! I can see Marika holding Melina and pregnant from a future Messmer...
@@reinaldomizutani8867 ooooo that is a GREAT theory!!! Yeah I will have to look into that!!
@@kitetales Just noticed some days ago, there is a particular Abductor Virgin outside Fort of Reprimand (north side) that has his head removed, much like most of Marika's statues in the lands of shadow! (exceptions i found was in Messmer's Room and in the Shaman Village). Hope this info bear some fruit ^^
@@reinaldomizutani8867 yes!! I noticed them too; there is an Abductor Virigin at the Hermit Village without a head too and seems that’s like their CPU because they’re crazy without it 😆
Great insight and love the perspective 👏🔥💯
Thank you! 😊
I wonder if this theory needs revisiting with the snake theme, the mother statue, and Mezzmer...🤔
I think it might 😳
ok, but there's no way tanit-tanith is a coincidence XD. Some of the other similarities might be, but that feels like proof.
I was a bit skeptical until The Goddess Tanit showed up, at that point it felt pretty much undeniable.
This is great work!
When a body decomposes, it creates certain gases that the machine might use to run
Really good video & analysis
Thank you!
Haven't played elden ring in a couple months. But I'm always down to listen to some lore 😅. Thanks for another cool video!!
this was insanely good
Thank you so much! So happy people enjoyed it, I really l loved working on it. 😊
That ain’t fuel. It’s period blood. And those aren’t slabs of meat. They are labia.
I always kinda brutally assumed that the meat inside the abductors was actually the skin of previous people clamped inside.
Great research as always👍
Thank you! 😊
I love your necklace. Is that a memory stone?
Oh my gosh it does look like one!! It’s a piece of polished glass, but I’m going to start saying it’s a memory stone! ❤️
Phoenician descendant here and we claim Lady Tanith.
Yes!! ❤️
8:32 is it ever explained to us why Shabriri possessed Yura’s body?
its leather on the inside. crude leather pinned to the inside of the walls as padding. The description say they are used to capture live prey.
My personal interpretation of Marika's story fits in very well with the idea of Tanith being unable to have children. My interpretation is:
Marika desires to have a daughter (it seems that feminine characters are preferrable candidates to become Empyreans and candidates for Godhood).
Her first born is a son - Godwyn - but she keeps trying for a daughter with Godfrey. Instead she ends up having many, many miscarriages (This is what the wandering mausoleums were for. All of Marika's children besides Godwyn are still alive and we know where his corpse is. I think that these "Soulless Demigods" are actually miscarried children of Marika). So she decides to remove the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring. If nobody can die then children can't die in childbirth, her logic goes. But instead she winds up giving birth to Morgot & Mogh - and potentially creating the Omen as a side effect.
Right after the Omen Twin's birth, she banishes Godfrey & his warriors. Seeing him now as completely useless with her rule solidified and blaming him for her inability to have a Female Heir (a reversal of real rulers like Henry VIII who executed multiple wives for not providing a male heir).
Eventually Rennala rises against Marika and there's a long war but instead Marika creates Radagon as an aspect of herself and ends the war through marriage with Rennala. As Radagon she sires Rykard, Radhan, and then finally Ranni. And it's when Ranni is chosen as an Empyrean, that Marika/Radagon - in her rage and jealousy of this other, rival woman having the female heir she so desired - abandons Rennala and breaks her spirit.
Then Marika gets the idea that if her aspect of Radagon was able to sire a female Empyrean heir then maybe Radagon might be able to sire a daughter with her Marika form. This of course leads to two more twins: Malenia & Miquella.
But from the moment of their Birth it seems that other Outer Gods (outer gods of Rot & abundance or perhaps "love") beyond the Greater Will immediately claimed them. Perhaps because the outer gods were expecting candidates for Godhood to be sired by such a strange union.
Of course disappointed and possibly even disowning the twins (the statues of Malenia & Miqeulla as children seem to be comforted by their older half-brother Godwyn rather than Marika), Marika tries again at least 2 times with Radagon leading to Messmer - another male and a seemingly blasphemous one to her Golden Order but we'll see more info with the DLC - and possibly Melina who was also heretical to the Golden order or for some reason was immediately abandoned by Marika at the foot of the Erdtree.
And it's when Marika is still trying for a daughter of her own that the Night of Black Knives happens. Godwyn, the one child that she may have truly held some love for, dies and in her grief she Shatters the Elden Ring.