The spiral theme Latria possesses could also be a nod to Dante's inferno, Dante's describes hell as a spiral that starts from the surface of the earth and ends at the nucleus of the planet, the spiral hosts the different zones of hell in which sinners are punished accordingly.
I think the log thing the Fool's Idol is holding is meant to be bundled plants used for a practice similar to smudging. Smudging is when bundles of herbs are burned to purify and bless a particular person or place. ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smudging )
I had a smile on my face the whole video. Great job! Didn't know that "latria" was originally a theological term. Your focus on the game's references/similarities to real world literature/religion/art was refreshing. It's surprising how few Souls lore vids dig into these influences. Anyway, everything you covered has deepened my appreciation for an already well-loved game. Keep up the good work!
gonna be That Guy, but minor correction on the bit about rapiers: - like most sword "catagories", there's not really a strict rule set for what qualifies as one type or another besides blade length and shape and even then there are outliers. so some rapiers, in fact most, do have edged blades for cutting though they aren't super optimal for it. - and despite common wisdom they were in fact used in war as cavalry weapons, with the chief example being in the 30 Years War with king Gustav II Adolf of Sweden being a notable example of a wielder. there was still argument over whether cutting or thrusting weapons were better on horse back as late as WWI and if you listen closely, you can hear history nerds still arguing about it today. great series of videos in either case, much love
Great video. Demon's Souls is my favorite in the series and often is completely overlooked from fans, so seeing new DeS content in 2022 is awesome. Keep going
Wow man, these are amazing videos. Really good observations and sources for your points, I really need to check out The King in Yellow. I didn't even notice the spiral theme of Latria even though it's quite obvious when pointed out. I'm sure on a subconscious level most people feel it while playing through the levels.
dude let's go, this is probably my second favorite area in all of souls, such depressive sickly yet fascinating vibe to it, pretty much the original "that's so fkd up" level in the series
@@HydefHyde that would be when you first get to the dreg heap in ds3 and that old pilgrim lady explains the gorgeous landscape you're both looking at, the idea of the age of fire being so stagnant that it's literally jumbling together structures and buildings from past ages in a nonsensical mess with no regard to where they came from of how they fit together, i think it's supposed to be an allegory for someone descending into madness, or being hollow if you will, having these random memories being mixed together with no clear line of when a memory ends and another begins, and having that process take so long that you no longer remember anything yet you desperately cling to vague experiences you once had in order to not forget yourself, it was a massive "click" moment for me plus, there's a lovecratian element to it as well, i personally think the actual levels of ds3 aren't how the world truly looks but a thin facade hiding a terrible truth that truth being that the true state of the world is what you see in the dreg heap + the small area before you fight the soul of cinder. the kingdom of Lothric, the noble knights, the quest to collect the ashes, the heroes being reborn once again, it's not actually happening, or at least they are not happening in the way we think at first, instead it's actually the world itself turning hollow and desperately searching for a memory where it was semi "fine" in order to not completely lose itself, this is a wild theory i know that but it's my personal headcanon and it would explain a lot of what we see ingame, like all the familiar concepts being reincarnated and the mystery behind the untended graves and the fire-less shrine we see at the end of the game and how the lands "converge" towards Lothric, it all seems like a crazy person is losing their sanity and trying yo remember the last time they were fine while fucusing on that memory to ease the pain of facing its true state tldr: it's the dreg heap, because it looks like the world itself going hollow and how beautifully twisted that would look
@@aX0n777 That's one of my favorite moments too, and I think you're definitely right about the world itself hollowing in DS3. The eclipse that happens in the sky later in the game is clearly the Dark Sign, and just like how it, branded on the Undead, and the age of fire burns away the humanity of man, the world itself is doing the same. Our human ancestor in DS is the furtive pygmy, and we are connected to the abyss and the dark as a result. It's our natural state, and it's being consumed by the gods / elites to maintain their power. And then of course, there's the additional meta layer of trying to unnaturally preserve something past it's natural life, both with actual life as well as more conceptual stuff like art or a game series... Not the most subtle aspect of DS3, haha. That's why I always do the age of dark ending in DS3, to finally break the unnatural cycle that's been perpetuated for so long.
Thank you for making a well done introspective video on one of my favorite areas in any game not just souls and the like. The tower of latria is so haunting a mysterious its like a dream captured in time. I think the people who made this game and the people who make games like this are making more than just a game they are practicing the occult, performing magic if you will.
Interesting...the things you learn! I agree with you on the atmosphere of Latria. I love the concept of these downtrodden prisoners putting faith in something that is nothing more than an farce, all the while as you ascend the Tower Of Latria, you witness the evil that's actually subjugating them! It is also one of my favorite areas in the series. Top five for sure!
The piece of wood might be a catalyst for casting sorcery, it has been a while since I've seen her fight so I might be wrong. There also seems to be some kind of connection between wood and the old one
maybe I’m just absolutely blind but I never noticed that the gargoyles were cobbled together. that or the demons souls remake missed the nuance in their design a la fat official
There are quite a few changes like that in the remake, unfortunately. The ones in that version resemble traditional gothic ornamentation gargoyles and lack the old man faces. There's a few videos on my channel dedicated to comparing the original and the remake, if you're interested. th-cam.com/video/9QT6aJspFQg/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/PnHY4nsjXDM/w-d-xo.html
@@HydefHyde finished both videos. now I’m filled with that deep melancholy that comes with watching something that’s both far out of your control and completely inconsequential destroy something that you love. it also puts into perspective a lot of the odd feelings I had while playing the remake. how saturated and bloated it felt, the odd brightness that illuminated things better left in the dark. esp all the corporate speak from the designers and artists at bluepoint, it just made me sad for what could have been. like, how do these corporate execs get so far removed from what made the original so great? the fact that so many of the little details received changes means they had to have known what these things looked like originally. why, why make it more generic? i don’t think I even realized that the old hero was supposed to be blind until I watched jerma’s playthrough of the original. thank you for your work at piecing these videos together, I hope voices like yours get more traction.
@@HydefHyde Well, if you decide to start making a video on it you can let me know, I have access to the game files and can give you screenshots of enemy close-ups
There's a few in the video, when they start playing look up in the top left for the ID. The tracks I used are: Crystal Teardrops from SOTN, Police Station Basement from RE2, Heaven's Night from SH2, VR photomode from MGS2 Substance, and finally Maneater from Hall & Oates (with the pitch tweaked to try and dodge the TH-cam demonetizer, didn't work unfortunately lol)
Schizopost ahead! Read at your own risk... The Xanthous King Jeremiah and Xanthous Scholar "Goldfinger Heysel" both invade in fields of crucifixes. Also, Xanthous is an X-word... Also, also, another word for gold is "or" (Sunlight "Altar" in DS1, Heysel Pick in Farron, Pickaxe in Irithyll dungeon) Also, also, also, Kalameet = Kalimat = Word(s). (see also: Titanite Slab) Also, also, also, also, Velka's Rapier has the initials JC serving as its cross-guard...
Xanthous is also an archaic term for yellow ! I wish I had mentioned that and the invaders in DS1 and 3 in this video. Oh well, maybe for something else in the future. In regards to your comment, given how obscure certain lore and meta elements are in these games, even the most esoteric theories are worth considering. Thanks for your comment!
@@HydefHyde thanks! Here's some more cross references: The Xanthous ashes are also found adjacent to a cross-bearing lycanthrope. (Lycan, liken and lichen? I think Heysel's mushroom-crown is a reference to "The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross" by John Allegro.) Also, in the original painted world, there's the "cross"breed, the "ann-ex", and an X-shaped crank guarded by skeletons on wheel-crosses (see also: tarot card X: wheel of fortune, DS3 bonewheel shield weapon skill is literally "wheel of fate") Also, the rusted iron ring confers waterwalking, a miracle of Jesus. (Guarded by Hollows with *crossed-eyes* , a cruciform longsword, and a shield marked with a variant of the cross of St James) Karmic Justice speaks of sin and punishment, the Japanese word for punishment is batsu, which is also the name for the X-mark. Oswald "T-poses", as does Gwyndolin upon death. Also, eggs and ecks. Quelaag's domain. Domain is the set X in mathematics. Sable (as in Sable Church), is a heraldic colour depicted via cross-hatching. Petrified Something = Petrified X From, in Latin, is *ex* In Sekiro, there's also cross-shaped spirit emblems, the ashina cross technique, and rice that is actually centipede *eggs* Sorry if this was bewildering, I'd like to make a video of my own eventually to explain things properly :)
The spiral theme Latria possesses could also be a nod to Dante's inferno, Dante's describes hell as a spiral that starts from the surface of the earth and ends at the nucleus of the planet, the spiral hosts the different zones of hell in which sinners are punished accordingly.
Amazing analysis. Definitely appreciate reaching beyond just the in game narrative and drawing comparisons with other literature and history
would love to see more demons souls speculation and lore.
I could listen to you go about Demon's Souls for days. Great video, loved how much thought you put into it!
I appreciate that!
I think the log thing the Fool's Idol is holding is meant to be bundled plants used for a practice similar to smudging. Smudging is when bundles of herbs are burned to purify and bless a particular person or place. ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smudging )
Interesting, you may be right. I'm familiar with smudging, my ex filled our apartment with smoke a few times doing it, haha.
@@HydefHydenow we know why she's your ex lol
I had a smile on my face the whole video. Great job! Didn't know that "latria" was originally a theological term. Your focus on the game's references/similarities to real world literature/religion/art was refreshing. It's surprising how few Souls lore vids dig into these influences. Anyway, everything you covered has deepened my appreciation for an already well-loved game. Keep up the good work!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment
gonna be That Guy, but minor correction on the bit about rapiers:
- like most sword "catagories", there's not really a strict rule set for what qualifies as one type or another besides blade length and shape and even then there are outliers. so some rapiers, in fact most, do have edged blades for cutting though they aren't super optimal for it.
- and despite common wisdom they were in fact used in war as cavalry weapons, with the chief example being in the 30 Years War with king Gustav II Adolf of Sweden being a notable example of a wielder.
there was still argument over whether cutting or thrusting weapons were better on horse back as late as WWI and if you listen closely, you can hear history nerds still arguing about it today.
great series of videos in either case, much love
I always welcome any corrections or additional info. Thanks for the comment :)
This video is fantastic. I hope you cover the other arch stones with the same level of detail in the future. Thank you for making this!
Thanks, will do!
This was an excellent Demon's Souls analysis video! I hope to see more from you. Also, the Maneater thing at the end gave me a laugh.
Thanks! I dropped the pitch a bit for Maneater but the YT copyright algorithm still caught it straight away. No regrets!
Love your deep dive into the tower. I was frustrated I couldn't get past the chairs to explore the throne.
Great video. Demon's Souls is my favorite in the series and often is completely overlooked from fans, so seeing new DeS content in 2022 is awesome. Keep going
What a gem of a video. Thanks for making these.
Great video. Hope you do more of these.
Great video, please do more Demons Souls! I loving hearing analysis on this game as its lore is really obscure and unfamiliar to me.
this was so incredible i wish this was way more popular
I imagine Latria was a very beautiful and serene place in it’s prime
Great analysis my guy! Well spoken and methodical, can't wait to see more 👍
Wow man, these are amazing videos. Really good observations and sources for your points, I really need to check out The King in Yellow. I didn't even notice the spiral theme of Latria even though it's quite obvious when pointed out. I'm sure on a subconscious level most people feel it while playing through the levels.
dude let's go, this is probably my second favorite area in all of souls, such depressive sickly yet fascinating vibe to it, pretty much the original "that's so fkd up" level in the series
Definitely one of mine too. What's your top favorite?
@@HydefHyde
that would be when you first get to the dreg heap in ds3 and that old pilgrim lady explains the gorgeous landscape you're both looking at, the idea of the age of fire being so stagnant that it's literally jumbling together structures and buildings from past ages in a nonsensical mess with no regard to where they came from of how they fit together, i think it's supposed to be an allegory for someone descending into madness, or being hollow if you will, having these random memories being mixed together with no clear line of when a memory ends and another begins, and having that process take so long that you no longer remember anything yet you desperately cling to vague experiences you once had in order to not forget yourself, it was a massive "click" moment for me
plus, there's a lovecratian element to it as well, i personally think the actual levels of ds3 aren't how the world truly looks but a thin facade hiding a terrible truth
that truth being that the true state of the world is what you see in the dreg heap + the small area before you fight the soul of cinder. the kingdom of Lothric, the noble knights, the quest to collect the ashes, the heroes being reborn once again, it's not actually happening, or at least they are not happening in the way we think at first, instead it's actually the world itself turning hollow and desperately searching for a memory where it was semi "fine" in order to not completely lose itself, this is a wild theory i know that but it's my personal headcanon and it would explain a lot of what we see ingame, like all the familiar concepts being reincarnated and the mystery behind the untended graves and the fire-less shrine we see at the end of the game and how the lands "converge" towards Lothric, it all seems like a crazy person is losing their sanity and trying yo remember the last time they were fine while fucusing on that memory to ease the pain of facing its true state
tldr: it's the dreg heap, because it looks like the world itself going hollow and how beautifully twisted that would look
@@aX0n777 That's one of my favorite moments too, and I think you're definitely right about the world itself hollowing in DS3. The eclipse that happens in the sky later in the game is clearly the Dark Sign, and just like how it, branded on the Undead, and the age of fire burns away the humanity of man, the world itself is doing the same. Our human ancestor in DS is the furtive pygmy, and we are connected to the abyss and the dark as a result. It's our natural state, and it's being consumed by the gods / elites to maintain their power. And then of course, there's the additional meta layer of trying to unnaturally preserve something past it's natural life, both with actual life as well as more conceptual stuff like art or a game series... Not the most subtle aspect of DS3, haha. That's why I always do the age of dark ending in DS3, to finally break the unnatural cycle that's been perpetuated for so long.
@@HydefHyde
you know, for a series that was teetering on artistic tedium, Miyazaki handled it pretty damn well i think
Thank you for making a well done introspective video on one of my favorite areas in any game not just souls and the like. The tower of latria is so haunting a mysterious its like a dream captured in time. I think the people who made this game and the people who make games like this are making more than just a game they are practicing the occult, performing magic if you will.
Interesting...the things you learn! I agree with you on the atmosphere of Latria. I love the concept of these downtrodden prisoners putting faith in something that is nothing more than an farce, all the while as you ascend the Tower Of Latria, you witness the evil that's actually subjugating them! It is also one of my favorite areas in the series. Top five for sure!
Great video, would love to see more on Demon's Souls from you!
Thanks! There will definitely be more DeS content on this channel. I'd like to cover all 5 areas eventually, plus more challenge runs.
Cool Video as always 👌
idk if you're aware of Ganishka from Berserk and his monster gestation tank, but that's another possible connection
I haven't read that far yet in Berserk, but you're most likely right considering just how much of the DNA of that series makes up Souls!
latria was my favorite part of demons, and knowing that make mi love it more
I really liked this video, keep it up
Great work, thanks so much!
The piece of wood might be a catalyst for casting sorcery, it has been a while since I've seen her fight so I might be wrong. There also seems to be some kind of connection between wood and the old one
Great video, easy subscription :)
Cool video
Yea it looks pretty similar I think the King in yellow definitely was also inspired by beserk
5:35 what is this song?
Heaven's Night by Akira Yamaoka, from the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack
Same spiral concepts is in Shadow of the Erdtree.
maybe I’m just absolutely blind but I never noticed that the gargoyles were cobbled together. that or the demons souls remake missed the nuance in their design a la fat official
There are quite a few changes like that in the remake, unfortunately. The ones in that version resemble traditional gothic ornamentation gargoyles and lack the old man faces. There's a few videos on my channel dedicated to comparing the original and the remake, if you're interested.
th-cam.com/video/9QT6aJspFQg/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/PnHY4nsjXDM/w-d-xo.html
@@HydefHyde oh I am definitely interested, thank you for the link brother
@@HydefHyde finished both videos. now I’m filled with that deep melancholy that comes with watching something that’s both far out of your control and completely inconsequential destroy something that you love. it also puts into perspective a lot of the odd feelings I had while playing the remake. how saturated and bloated it felt, the odd brightness that illuminated things better left in the dark. esp all the corporate speak from the designers and artists at bluepoint, it just made me sad for what could have been. like, how do these corporate execs get so far removed from what made the original so great? the fact that so many of the little details received changes means they had to have known what these things looked like originally. why, why make it more generic? i don’t think I even realized that the old hero was supposed to be blind until I watched jerma’s playthrough of the original. thank you for your work at piecing these videos together, I hope voices like yours get more traction.
@@thequietbisharp Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment, I appreciate it.
I wonder how much of this was erased by the remake
This is a fantastic analysis... Have you planned on doing an analysis on Bloodborne?
Possibly, I love the game but I'm not as familiar with it as I am DeS. Maybe eventually!
@@HydefHyde Well, if you decide to start making a video on it you can let me know, I have access to the game files and can give you screenshots of enemy close-ups
Huge
Please give me the music sauce
There's a few in the video, when they start playing look up in the top left for the ID. The tracks I used are: Crystal Teardrops from SOTN, Police Station Basement from RE2, Heaven's Night from SH2, VR photomode from MGS2 Substance, and finally Maneater from Hall & Oates (with the pitch tweaked to try and dodge the TH-cam demonetizer, didn't work unfortunately lol)
Old monk = Midra
Schizopost ahead!
Read at your own risk...
The Xanthous King Jeremiah and Xanthous Scholar "Goldfinger Heysel" both invade in fields of crucifixes.
Also, Xanthous is an X-word...
Also, also, another word for gold is "or" (Sunlight "Altar" in DS1, Heysel Pick in Farron, Pickaxe in Irithyll dungeon)
Also, also, also, Kalameet = Kalimat = Word(s). (see also: Titanite Slab)
Also, also, also, also, Velka's Rapier has the initials JC serving as its cross-guard...
Xanthous is also an archaic term for yellow ! I wish I had mentioned that and the invaders in DS1 and 3 in this video. Oh well, maybe for something else in the future. In regards to your comment, given how obscure certain lore and meta elements are in these games, even the most esoteric theories are worth considering. Thanks for your comment!
@@HydefHyde thanks!
Here's some more cross references:
The Xanthous ashes are also found adjacent to a cross-bearing lycanthrope.
(Lycan, liken and lichen? I think Heysel's mushroom-crown is a reference to "The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross" by John Allegro.)
Also, in the original painted world, there's the "cross"breed, the "ann-ex", and an X-shaped crank guarded by skeletons on wheel-crosses (see also: tarot card X: wheel of fortune, DS3 bonewheel shield weapon skill is literally "wheel of fate")
Also, the rusted iron ring confers waterwalking, a miracle of Jesus. (Guarded by Hollows with *crossed-eyes* , a cruciform longsword, and a shield marked with a variant of the cross of St James)
Karmic Justice speaks of sin and punishment, the Japanese word for punishment is batsu, which is also the name for the X-mark.
Oswald "T-poses", as does Gwyndolin upon death.
Also, eggs and ecks. Quelaag's domain. Domain is the set X in mathematics.
Sable (as in Sable Church), is a heraldic colour depicted via cross-hatching.
Petrified Something = Petrified X
From, in Latin, is *ex*
In Sekiro, there's also cross-shaped spirit emblems, the ashina cross technique, and rice that is actually centipede *eggs*
Sorry if this was bewildering, I'd like to make a video of my own eventually to explain things properly
:)
I'm pretty sure the name was just misspelled and should have been "Latrina", because it's kind of a shitty place.
Deep Lore.
On the seriousness of it though, it could’ve also been intentionally referencing that too.