Dark Souls Lore - Velka

[@A_Windsor_76]

Are you Velka? Because I strongly believe Velka created this video, just as she created everything Dark Souls.

[@Butchimus]

;)

[@celsoch]

"The Clutch Rings and the dark Miracles, which were associated with Velka in the previous games, are in Dark Souls 3 said to originate from the Sable Church of Londor, the Hollow Realm." This is why people go nuts with her. And there is the things from the first game to: the cut content, the fact that the Gods fear her influence, her catalyst that allows to cast miracles with intelligence, the connection with crows, all her itens being hidden in the painted word, etc. One thing to remember is that although we always try to make the most concise theories to explain everything possible, Dark Souls is an open story, with a lot o intentional holes and suggestions in it.

[@NLRikkert]

Maybe we've been overthinking all this and Velka just lives right down the road!? Perhaps all she wanted was for you to give her smooth! Yes! You! give her silky!

[@Butchimus]

NLRikkert I'VE GOT BAAAAWWWSSSS WEAPONNNNS

[@thebestnameeva]

Thank you for being the only lore person considering game mechanics as the reason for a thing's inclusion in the lore. It's like how people attribute the hollow bug in 3 (where your shadow doesn't render if you're hollow) to some major lore reason.

[@gravedigger4583]

Velka confirmed. Finally

[@Butchimus]

Time for me to retire :)

[@feralcatboy7628]

thanks discord

[@ryanbrowne8244]

Great video man.

[@Butchimus]

Thank you :D

[@danteangelo9412]

Maybe velka turned to stone and that statue of him is velka?

[@TheBoagboy]

Velka is velka confirmed!!!!

[@Butchimus]

O H S H I T

[@Vernamor]

The Ashen Hollow could learn something from this video lmao

[@Butchimus]

Delaciel I hope he doesn't feel like I was disrespecting his waifu :3

[@kingwou]

the community write the story.. if WE say she is important then she really is.. dont ask from software cause they really have 0 Idea about wut the Hell is goin on in ds lore

[@OpposingReflection]

Very interesting. Her character is quite intriguing.

[@giacomorinaldi8803]

My two cents about the statue of Velka and its clothing Isnt it similar to the Ordained Dress? "Garb of Friede, Sister of the Painted World. A light blue dress sewn with think fabric. After renouncing everything, Friede discovered a people that she wished to protect, *and assumed the precise form that they yearned for* " Now, assume that those people Friede wished to protect are the corvians of the painting Assume that their previous mistress of the painting was Velka: can it be that Friede took the place of the long gone goddess?

[@TheUnluckyEverydude]

After some time, I think that, yeah, she probably wanted to attack the lords using the chosen undead, thus the crow and the occult weapons, but that's about the end of it. Just another party that wants to see the gods get what's coming to them.

[@saint_sam]

I personally think Velka is about as relevant as Caitha, or Morne, or Fina. They are just lore deities, sometimes used to implement mechanics (Tearstone Rings for example), that are there to give depth and liveliness to the world. It makes it more open, and feel more real, i think. Great video as always Butch!

[@Butchimus]

samseventeen I'm on board with that. I don't see her as a main stage character at all

[@Butchimus]

Colton Williams I think Ashes of Ariandel kinda proves that Velka has little to do with the painted worlds, if anything at all. There is zero mention of her this time around, and the items in Ariamis that did mention her were belonging to a Pardoner, not Velka herself. We find Farron items in Ariandel, but that doesn't point to Artorias having a big implication on the painted world. We saw the process of making a painted world in DLC1 and DLC2, and it didn't involve Velka or any of her influences whatsoever. For someone that many believe to play a massive role in the paintings, she has absolutely zero involvement in the creation of one. As for Priscilla, there is nothing I am aware of that connects her to Velka. I know people mostly believe that Gwyn and Velka conceived Priscilla, but again, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that happened either.

[@Butchimus]

Colton Williams Priscilla is likely the Mother of the Forlorn. She is a gentle motherly figure, she exists within the painting, she herself is forlorn. These are 3 concrete facts. Apply these 3 facts to Velka and it is speculative at best, nothing about her suggests those 3 things. The Painter herself has a strikingly similar visual appearance to Priscilla. White hair, pale skin, cat like eyes, scale-like markings on her skin. All we know about Velka is that she has dark hair. So again, there is a far greater connection here to Priscilla being her mother than Velka.

[@scott_chocolate]

+Butchimus you're neglecting to mention Velka's Vow of Silence miracle found in the Painted World of Ariamis and not on the corpse of a pardoner. It's guarded by Crow Demons who ambush you. The Crow Demons were confirmed by Miyazaki in an interview to be followers of Velka who were so devoted they took on crow-like features. The Crow Demons ambush you and defend the Occult ember. Occult damage proves to be Dark damage in DS2 and DS3. Velka is already associated with humanity and the curse due to her exceedingly rare power to cure the curse (only her servants the Sealers of New Londo and Purging Stones also are capable of curing the curse). The humanity is directly linked to the Dark Soul. Velka's miracles in DS1 go on to become Dark Miracles in DS3. That's three ways that Velka is strongly associated with Dark. In Ariendel not only are there the Corvians and Father Ariandel with crow features that hint at Velka as +Colton Wiliams mentioned, but there are also the mentions of Friede taking on the appearance of someone the inhabits of the painted world found familiar. She switched from swords to wielding a scythe and uses invisibility sorcery which suggests she is mimicking Priscilla. But, she is also wearing a hooded robe that is quite dissimilar from Priscilla's appearance while being quite similar to the statue of the hooded woman with a child at her side found in the Painted World of Ariamis as well as throughout the Painted World of Ariendel. Only, all of the heads have been removed from the statues in Ariendel's world. Perhaps she had the heads of the statues removed so that it would be easier for her to assume the identity of the Mother of the Forlorn. Seems to me that the familiar figure that she was imitating is the same person depicted in the numerous decapitated statues. Priscilla never wore a hood and she is otherwise dissimilar in size and proportion to the figure depicted in the statues. I think Friede and Priscilla owe their similar fighting style to a common source, the woman depicted in the statues.

[@scott_chocolate]

+Butchimus I just had a relevant thought to this discussion. It may seem easy to pin Mother of the Forlorn on Priscilla and then apply Occam's razor to dismiss Velka or anyone else as a possibility, but that assumption comes with its own set of complications. When Gael is first encountered he is found praying to a statue. He prays specifically to the "mother of the Forlorn" and calls her a "merciful goddess". Not only is the statue quite dissimilar from Priscilla in appearance, but it would seem that the Mother of the Forlorn had a strong enough presence outside of the painted worlds to be featured prominently in the Cathedral of the Deep. We have no reason to suspect that Priscilla ever left the painted world(s) nor that the outside world had any knowledge of her existence. If Priscilla is the mother of the Forlorn then either she or tales about her must have escaped the painted world. The Corvian Storytellers could have brought Priscilla's legend from the painted world, sure. But, did people build statues throughout the Cathedral of the Deep to honor the bastard crossbreed that they had only heard about in stories from Corvians? Also, Priscilla is never referenced anywhere as being a goddess or being merciful as Gael believes the Mother of the Forlorn to be. If Priscilla were the Mother of the Forlorn then that would mean that she kept Slave Knights. We have no reason to suspect that Priscilla commanded or had access to Slave Knights that she sent into the bleakest of battles as fodder. Yet Gael seems to be eternally duty bound to the Mother of the Forlorn. Gael and his place of worship complicates the idea that Priscilla is the mother of the Forlorn. The statue can be found throughout the Cathedral of the Deep and depicts a hooded and robed woman that is rather similar in appearance to the statues of a hooded and robed woman found in the Painted World of Ariamis and the multitude of decapitated but otherwise identical duplicates found throughout Ariamis' world. Presumably Friede had the heads removed from the statues so it would be easier for her play a convincing substitute for the Mother of the Forlorn. Priscilla's face and head already looks dissimilar from these statues (assuming they are otherwise identical to the one found in DS1). So, why would Friede be motivated to remove the heads off of every statue when the statues already looked dissimilar from Priscilla? I believe these clues point to the statue(s) depicted the real Mother of the Forlorn. That the statue is the form the inhabitants of the painted world yearned for that Friede mimicked. How do I explain that Friede's appearance mimics the statues while her combat abilities and tactics mimic Priscilla? I think that both Priscilla and Friede inherited their combat style from a common source. Friede is mimicking the woman depicted in the statue both in appearance and in fighting style. It just so happens that Priscilla also learned her fighting style from that same source, who was possibly her own mother. The last thing I want to call special attention to is Gael's Slave Knight armor. The top part of it specifically: a pointed helmet surrounded by a crimson hood. It bares a strong resemblance to the Crimson Set worn by the Sealers of New Londo. Enough of a resemblance that I remember folks speculating before the release of the Ashes of Ariendel that Gael may have been one of the three Sealers who abandoned their duty. The Undead Slave Knights "were never relieved from duty" just as the Sealers of New Londo were resolved "to keep the seal shut forever" even though "two of the three forsook New Londo upon tiring of their duty." The Sealers and the Slave Knights seem similar in appearance and in being sworn to an eternal duty. The Sealers are in multiple ways directly connected to Velka: through their power to cure curses which according to Ingward the Sealer is "the territory of deities."; Velka's Rare Ring of Sacrifice depicts three hooded figures and cites a great and exceedingly rare sacrifice while the flooding of New Londo is described multiple times as a great sacrifice in order to contain the Dark Wraiths. Butchimus, you said that Priscilla is likely the Mother of the Forlorn because "She is a gentle motherly figure, she exists within the painting, she herself is forlorn", but those three things do not necessarily describe the Mother of the Forlorn. Those are things that describe specifically Priscilla but I am unaware of any in-game sources that attribute any of those to the Mother of the Forlorn. What we know about the Mother of the Forlorn is that she has knowledge of the creation of a new Painted World as she seems to have seems to have left the Painting Girl with warning specifically about painting a new world. We also know that Gale believes her to be a "merciful goddess". Then there's Velka, a goddess who mercifully forgives sins and wears a hooded robe that is very similar to the statues found in the Cathedral of the deep as well as the statues found in the painted worlds. Her servants can be found both inside the painted world (Crow Demons and Uncle Gael) and outside the painted world (Pardoners and Uncle Gael). Her miracles can be found both inside and outside the painted world. If you consider all of this then Occam's razor starts to cut in a different direction.

[@thedoom1464]

No velka=No lore in dark souls

[@downsjmmyjones101]

Given that Oswald is a pardoner who would be a sort of cleric or administrator of Velka's will, we can see that Velka probably believed in forgiveness. Pay some souls and wham you've got yourself forgiven. It might not actually have been souls in world and could have been anything. Hell it might have just been the admission of guilt.

[@Marceloxtreme14]

i've been too busy these days and its been a while since i watched your streams, so, where all this velka obsession came from? also great video as always

[@Butchimus]

Hey don't worry about it, you're always welcome whenever you can. Idk where the Velka obsession came from, but now it is done. Finally :D

[@cwill14]

Oswald congratulates us for killing Gwyndolin, bro. He represents the will of Velka.

[@cwill14]

The Book of the Guilty was once of Velka, her domain, before she became a rogue deity. Gwyndolin now oversees the Darkmoon Blades and that covenant of punishment.

[@nicolomontefiori8082]

Thank you! Finally somebody sais the truth, well the truth for me. I was tired of all those videos about Velka, it's true that i wanted to see her in the dlc, but i can live even without knowing who she really is, so thank you.

[@Butchimus]

Nicolò Montefiori You are welcome Nico :)

[@jessiejoy1703]

This could be irrelevant but there are actually many major speculations on rosaria. Between her being the queen of lothric, or gwynevere, to being a daughter of gwynevere, connections with the deep and all that jazz. I also believe that velka is tied to much more lore than you give her credit for. The velka band wagon is a bit tedious though lol.

[@SinclairLore]

Beautiful video!!

[@Butchimus]

Thank you! 100% coffee free too

[@SinclairLore]

Impressive!

[@SinclairLore]

Totally!

[@scott_chocolate]

Velka is connected to and associated with much more than you give her credit for in this video. Firstly, references to her are found in all three Dark Souls games. There are numerous characters and even gods who weren't major enough to make it into each title. I think From continued to make references to characters like Velka and Fina and places like Carim throughout all three titles because they are relevant to the Dark Souls' world history. Velka had a much bigger role in the events of DS1 than just a lore excuse for absolution. There is strong evidence that the Sealers of New Londo were followers of Velka. Ingward has the power to cure curses that can't be found elsewhere in the series other than Purging Stones, the Purging Monument, and Velka's Statue. Ingward says, "The breaking of curses is the territory of deities." Stands to reason that if he is exercising god-like powers that he may have been granted them from the only deific character which such a power in the series. There's more connecting Velka to the Sealers. There were originally three Sealers of New Londo and two forsook their duty and only Ingward remained to stand guard over the seal. If you look closely at the image of The Rare Ring of Sacrifice you can see three shadowy humanoid figures. The description reads: "This mystical ring was created in a sacrificial rite of Velka, the Goddess of Sin. The magenta-shaded ring is especially rare." The exceedingly rare sacrificial rite that was sufficient to produce Velka's Rare Ring of Sacrifice was the flooding of New Londo. I'm in a bit of a hurry today so I'm just going to shoot off my Velka theory and forego citing all my sources: I think Velka was the original Darkmoon Deity. The Blades of the Darkmoon were originally her knights before she fled Anor Londo and her son Gwyndolin assumed command of his mother's covenant. There are many miracles and items that connect Velka to the Occult and Dark. She was also known as a black-haired witch versed in both old arts and new. From the gear her Pardoners use it is safe to assume she was a powerful sorceress. Sorcery is often associated with the Moon and Moonlight. Her servants, The Sealers of New Londo, wear moon-themed jewelry. There are greek-myth parallels that can be drawn between velka and the black haired Greek Goddess of the Moon Selene (aka Luna in Roman mythology... There's the Luna Belfry in DS2 items related to the Blades of the Darkmoon). Selene was mother to an immortal daughter of Zeus. Gwyndolin is referred to as The Dark Sun Gwyndolin and as a Darkmoon Deity. Not THE Darkmoon deity.. A Darkmon deity. Why would a Darkmoon deity be named the Dark Sun Gwyndolin? Well it could be a title derived from both his parents: Dark Moon Velka and Gwyn the Lord of Sun Light had a son named Dark Sun Gwyndolin who uses Moon Light sorcery. Also, Velka's Pardoner Oswald is totally standing there doing a reverse Praise the Sun gesture that the player never learns throughout the series. He teaches the "Well, what is it?" gesture to the player that is quite distinctly different from his idle pose. What would I call a reverse Praise the Sun? Praise the Moon. The Darkmoon. My proposed timeline: Darkmoon Velka is the Goddess worshipped in the Ringed City evidenced by the Purging Monument. She and her Ringed Knights were quite familiar with the Abyss and her knights even forged their weapons there. Gwyn fathered Firstborn, Gwynevere, and Filianore with the Goddess Fina whose favor was fickle. Fina leaves Anor Londo, perhaps she angered Gwyn. Perhaps she favored another and ran off with him/her. Perhaps she ran off with the exiled king of Izalith, Jeremiah. Gwyn and Velka form a formal alliance in the war with the dragons. Since Velka would be leaving the Ringed City to live in Anor Londo there was an exchange of hostages and Gwyn left his daughter Filianore in the Ringed City. Velka's Ringed Knights helped Gwyn defeat the dragons and one of her best Ringed Knights, Artorias even went on to serve as one of Gwyn's Four Knights. That's one of the reasons why Artorias could traverse the Abyss while no one else would. An Age of Dark came and Gwyn and the rest of the gods feared it, including Velka. Velka cooperated with Gwyn to seal the Dark within her Ringed Knights with a ringed seal of fire. The Dark Sign. The Curse of the Undead was born. All souls come from the first flame and the bonfires that are linked to the first flame consume humanity. The Dark Sign links the branded to the First Flame through the bonfires. When they die the First Flame consumes their humanity as fuel to fabricate a new soul. Thus they are reborn again and again as Undead as long as they have Humanity to fuel the flame. Should they lose their human attributes like their motivation, desire, or lust, it is a sign that they have run out of what makes them human.. their Humanity. With no Humanity to consume the bonfire cannot fabricate a new soul and thus the undead is reborn as a lifeless soulless husk, A Hollow. Before Gwyn set off to fuel the First Flame with his Lord's Soul, with Velka he fathered his lastborn son who he may never have actually met. He likely departed before Gwyndolin's birth. Velka raised Gwyndolin as a daughter and taught him her sorceries. The Four Kings became corrupted by the Abyss and were bringing destruction upon Lordran. Velka felt responsible for the creation of the Dark Wraiths which were a plague upon the living. She felt that they were her sin and so she created the Blades of the Darkmoon to hunt the Dark Wraiths which they continued to do under Gwyndolin and throughout the entirety of the series. When her Darkmoon Knights proved to be insufficient to contain the Abyss she sent three of her powerful sorcerer servants to sacrifice the entire city of New Londo and all its inhabitants to contain the spread of the Abyss. This sacrificial rite created the Rare Ring of Sacrifice and the image of the Three Sealers of New Londo were imprinted into its gemstone. Velka has been associated with the Dark, the Abyss, the Curse, and forgiveness and atonement throughout the entire series. The evidence suggests that she too wished to prolong the Age of Fire and feared what the Abyss could become. It was Kaathe who persistently sought to undermine the Age of Fire.

[@Butchimus]

* "Velka and Fina and places like Carim throughout all three titles because they are relevant to the Dark Souls' world history." - This is exactly what I said. Velka is a world building character that has been given way more time and attention than deserved. * "I think Velka was the original Darkmoon Deity. The Blades of the Darkmoon were originally her knights before she fled Anor Londo and her son Gwyndolin assumed command of his mother's covenant." - She has some connection to the Darkmoon Blades indeed. Being Gwyndolin's mother though? Nothing in game suggests that, whatsoever. * "Sorcery is often associated with the Moon and Moonlight... Dark Moon Velka and Gwyn the Lord of Sun Light had a son named Dark Sun Gwyndolin who uses Moon Light sorcery." - Personally, I'd assume sorcery with Vinheim or Seath/Archives more than I would the moon. Vinheim is home to a great school of sorcery and Seath is the grandfather of sorcery. Again, absolutely nothing suggests Velka and Gwyn were in "romantics". Nothing even suggests that God's need a spouse to procreate, and in most mythologies/religions they don't. Given the imperfection of Gwyndolin and his use of sorcery, I'd link him to Seath/Archives much quicker than I would to Velka. * "Also, Velka's Pardoner Oswald is totally standing there doing a reverse Praise the Sun gesture that the player never learns throughout the series" - Oswald is simply holding the "Well, what is it?" pose. * "Darkmoon Velka is the Goddess worshipped in the Ringed City evidenced by the Purging Monument. She and her Ringed Knights were quite familiar with the Abyss and her knights even forged their weapons there." - Filianore is clearly the worshipped deity in the Ringed City. Nothing suggests that the Ringed Knights were under Velka's command, no idea where you got that from? If anything they are the legion of upholding the King's Decree and protecting Filianore. One stands guard outside the church of Filianore, while the inner walls are lined with statues of Ringed Knights, kneeling in honour and holding spears. And what is the covenant associated with FIlianore? Spears of the Church. What are the Ringed Knight statues holding? Spears. * "Gwyn and Velka form a formal alliance in the war with the dragons. Since Velka would be leaving the Ringed City to live in Anor Londo there was an exchange of hostages and Gwyn left his daughter Filianore in the Ringed City. Velka's Ringed Knights helped Gwyn defeat the dragons and one of her best Ringed Knights, Artorias even went on to serve as one of Gwyn's Four Knights." - Again, absolutely nothing suggests Velka had a presence in the war of the dragons, let alone be forming alliances with Gwyn. If she was that integral, why was she never shown in the opening cinematic of Dark Souls 1 that depicts all the important characters roles in the war? Again, nothing at all suggests there was an exchange of hostages. Filianore was a a Gift. And her role was to conceal the Dark Soul from man. Ringed Knights were branded, Artorias has no brand, so I highly doubt he was a Ringed Knight. * "Velka raised Gwyndolin as a daughter and taught him her sorceries." - Velka has many notable sorceries within in the game, Gwyndolin does not use a single one of them. All in all, I have absolutely no idea where you came up with half of this stuff? Most of it has no evidence whatsoever. Like literally nothing at all. A lot of it makes zero sense either, and is mostly replacing stuff that is already in place and actually has evidence. Velka had some mention in Dark Souls 1 and everybody thought she had huge role in the creation of painted worlds. I'm almost 100% sure the name "Velka" is never mentioned in Dark Souls 2. In Dark Souls 3 she has a statue, and the ring of sacrifice that references her. Ashes of Ariandel had zero Velka references and also showed how painted worlds are made, which again does not include Velka. I'm sorry if I seem snotty right now, but you're just another person that has fallen down the Velka rabbit hole and it's getting somewhat tiresome. Again, a character who is renowned as being possibly the most important character in the series, she never even got a mention in the opening cinematic to Dark Souls 1, when even the furtive pygmy did.

[@scott_chocolate]

"I'm sorry if I seem snotty right now" - No worries, I love talking Dark Souls lore as long as its civil. I'm not bothered if you're not convinced :) "you're just another person that has fallen down the Velka rabbit hole" - most definitely. I’ve been a bit obsessed with Velka since my first DS1 playthrough. But, that bit about the Rare Ring of Sacrifice referencing the flooding of New Londo is legit, though. Some of my claims are pretty wild, but the Sealers of New Londo being followers of Velka is a pretty sound theory. "She has some connection to the Darkmoon Blades indeed. Being Gwyndolin's mother though? Nothing in game suggests that, whatsoever." - Agreed, there is nothing I'm aware of that states or proves who Gwyndolin's mother is, nor the mother of Gwyn's other children for that matter. There is circumstantial evidence to support that Velka could be his mother, though. Well, I should say that there is circumstantial evidence that Gwyndolin's mother was a Darkmoon deity if not the original Darkmoon deity, not necessarily Velka. There is also circumstantial evidence that Velka is/was a Darkmoon deity. It's a thin thread and I'm not demanding you or anyone else be convinced especially since I'm not taking the time to cite all the item descriptions, dialogue, and artwork that supports this claim. I'm just floating the idea out there for anyone who's interested. I think the history of Lordran makes sense and is coherent with the Darkmoon Velka theory. I know it's weak to say that I have evidence and not provide it.. but I started a doc where I was accumulating all of the supporting evidence and trying to organize and present it in a clear way and well.. it was very time consuming and I haven't finished. So, until the day I find the motivation to finish what I started I suppose I'll be making baseless claims with the promise that "I really have found supporting evidence but no proof of what I'm claiming." "I'd assume sorcery with Vinheim or Seath/Archives more than I would the moon" --- Seath's sorcery is Moonlight sorcery. "Seath is the grandfather of sorcery, and this sword is imbued with his magic, which shall be unleashed as a wave of moonlight." -Moonlight Greatsword --- "The power of the moon was strong in Gwyndolin, and thus he was raised as a daughter." -Moonlight Robe --- ". . .the Moonlight Butterfly. The horns of the butterfly, a being created by Seath, are imbued with a pure magic power." -Moonlight Butterfly Horn I assume that the Vinheim Dragon School is so named after Seath the grandfather of sorcery and by extension also practice moonlight sorcery. What does "the grandfather of sorcery" even mean? I would assume the means that Seath was not the discoverer or inventor of sorcery. Either it's figurative and it means that someone else invented/discovered sorcery and Seath made such a contribution to its advancement that he was credited as being the "grandfather" of it. Or it's more literal and it means that Seath is the father of whoever invented/discovered moonlight sorcery. Neither the more figurative nor the more literal interpretation excludes Velka from being the "mother" of Moonlight sorcery. A possible explanation for Gwyndolin's serpent legs could be that Gwyndolin's mother was a daughter of Seath. After all "The serpent is an imperfect dragon and symbol of the Undead." -Covetous Gold Serpent Ring. It seems likely to me that Gwyndolin's unknown mother was likely herself a dragon crossbreed. I agree that there is nothing to suggest a spouse being necessary for the gods to procreate. After all crossbreed Priscilla is cited as being a bastard while Gwyndolin a "legitimate god". I think that the special mention of Gwyndolin being "legitimate" could be alluding to Gwyndolin having a different mother than his royal siblings yet he is still not a bastard. If there are bastards and legitimate members of the royal family then I think it's reasonable to assume Gwyn was married and remarried at least once. I think it's reasonable to assume he remarried a (if not thee) Darkmoon deity and fathered Gwyndolin with her. Since Gwyn doesn't have any snake legs I think it's reasonable to assume that Gwyndolin inherited his deformation from his mother. To link Gwyndolin directly to Seath would be a bit strange as Seath is cited multiple times as being male and Gwyn is undeniably cited as being his father. There is not much precedence for males giving birth in the series or in the Greek mythology it borrows from. "Oswald is simply holding the "Well, what is it?" pose." - You're not the only one who thinks so. I've analyzed the "Well, what is it?" gesture pretty closely. I have a background in character animation and in dance. I have a lot of practice in analyzing poses. If I ever get around to my aforementioned document I'll include diagrams showing the differences between the poses. I'll try to explain briefly: in the “Well, what is it?” gesture the character keeps his elbows bent throughout most of the animation and his palms transition from facing inward (normal idle pose) to facing upwards. His arms are rotated at the shoulders to nearly 90 degrees. In Oswald's idle pose his elbows straight, his palms are rotated to face forward not upward, and his arms are rotated at the shoulders closer to 45 degrees and no where near the 90 of the gesture. He is also standing feet together, straight-backed his shoulders square with his hips, and animated breathing in this pose. The gesture has the character taking steps forward and the spine bent in contrapposto. There are similarities, to be sure, but these are different animations. The developers took the time to animate Oswald in that pose rather than one of their other idle poses. I think it was for a reason and they tried to throw us off by having him teach us a different-but-similar gesture. “Filianore is clearly the worshipped deity in the Ringed City. Nothing suggests that the Ringed Knights were under Velka's command” - Yes, Filianore was worshiped as a goddess and the daughter of a god. But, the purging monument is identical in function as Velka's statue and seems that it has seen some heavy use over the years judging by the Abyss goo growing all over it. It seems to be in a revered location and is guarded by the same Ringed Knight statues that are found in and outside the Church of Filianore. What new functionality does the Purging Monument that is very likely also a Velka Monument have? A Spears of the Church mechanic. Velka was cooperating with Filianore, the Spears of the Church, and by extension Gwyn. The Ringed Knights cooperated with Gwyn in the war against the dragons. We don't know the order of events of when Gwyn sent Filianore to the Ringed City, or when the Ringed Knights were created, or when they began cooperating with Gwyn. It is entirely possible that the Ringed Knights existed before Filianore took up residence in the Ringed City and that they followed a different deity entirely. It's not proof, but it is plausible.

[@scott_chocolate]

“If she was that integral, why was she never shown in the opening cinematic of Dark Souls 1” - I can't answer that question but I can ask you in return: Why were the Ringed Knights who served an important role in the war against the dragons never shown in the opening cinematic of Dark Souls 1? It depicts Gwyn's Silver Knights and the Witch of Izalith's daughters of Chaos. The main reason I suspect Artorias was a Ringed Knight who was never branded is because of his fighting style. I think From has established a pattern of undead slave knights using an otherwise unique fighting style of one-handing greatswords and doing acrobatics with them. The Abyss Watchers whose armor bare strong resemblance to Slave Knight Gael's one-hand a greatsword and do acrobatics. Slave Knight Gael one-hands a greatsword and does acrobatics. There's a Ringed Knight who dual-wields greatswords and does acrobatics. Artorias one-hands a greatsword and does acrobatics. I think that the Ringed Knights were not branded with the Dark Sign until after the war with the dragons. I think Artorias was a notable Ringed Knight because of his similar fighting style and his affinity for traversing the Abyss. Perhaps he was never branded because he was such a notable knight serving as one of Gwyn's Four Knights. Perhaps that is why he was consumed and mutated by the Abyss as he had no Dark Sign to contain his humanity from running wild. But, it's totally fair to doubt that this is the case. It's just a theory. It could explain why Ornstein is the leader of Gwyn's Four Knights even though Artorias was clearly more powerful and much cooler - Artorias was a foreigner and Ornstein a local. “Velka has many notable sorceries within in the game, Gwyndolin does not use a single one of them.” - That's not entirely correct. Velka has many notable miracles, but no confirmed sorceries. I can only speculate which sorceries may have been created by her. Dark Sun Gwyndolin does gift loyal Blades of the Darkmoon with the Darkmoon Blade miracle. Darkmoon Blade glows purple in both DS1 and DS3. Velka's miracles glow purple in DS1 and in DS3. The Greatsword of Judgement in DS3 glows purple and it represents the “judgement of the moon, but with magic far closer to sorcery than any existing lunar power.” None of Gwyndolin's sorceries glow purple, they are blue. This seems to suggest that Gwyndolin was not the original Darkmoon deity as he was not a practitioner of Darkmoon sorcery or miracles, rather Moonlight sorcery. Being versed in both old arts and new it's entirely possible Velka was capable to performing and teaching Moonlight sorcery even if she was the Darkmoon deity. “Most of it has no evidence whatsoever. Like literally nothing at all.“ - I disagree. I was just short on time when I posted my first comment and didn't provide any evidence. “I'm almost 100% sure the name "Velka" is never mentioned in Dark Souls 2.” - Perhaps not explicitly, but a Pardoner wearing the Black Set performing the same function as Velka's Pardoner Oswald of Carim did in DS1 is most definitely in DS2. There's also a statue of a woman who is holding a catalyst that looks like a tuft a hair. Velka's talisman was the only tuft-of-hair talisman until DS3. There are also the Blue Sentinels in DS2 who are later directly linked to the Blades of the Darkmoon in DS3 - if you buy into Velka being the Darkmoon deity then this could be seen as another indirect reference. Lastly, there is the Belfry Luna where you can find a Blue Sentinels covenant reward ring indirectly associating the Blue Sentinels with the moon. “In Dark Souls 3 she has a statue, and the ring of sacrifice that references her” - Directly, yes. But, several of her miracles that directly reference her in DS1 are in DS3 but their descriptions no longer mention her even though they perform the same function and share the same (or very similar) appearance. “Ashes of Ariandel had zero Velka references and also showed how painted worlds are made, which again does not include Velka.” - It showed no explicit nor direct references to Velka. However, Miyazaki confirmed in an interview that the Crow Demons in DS1 were followers of Velka who were so devoted that they mutated into Crow Demons. The Painted World of Ariendel is filled with crow-like creatures. The Corvians found throughout the Painted World of Ariendel are crow-like and their name is derived from the Latin word for “crow”. There are the same statues of the otherwise unidentified hooded woman with a child at her side that appears in DS1 and have been speculated to depict Velka. In Ashes of Ariandel all of these statues had their heads removed so that Friede could more easily take on the appearance of the hooded scythe-wielding woman that the inhabitants of the painted world were so fond of. Priscilla never wore a hood so it seems unlikely that Friede was emulating her directly. The seemingly-half-dragon painter girl also refers to a “mother” whose identity is also a mystery. There's also an completely unexplained altar of a snake-bodied pygmy-sized woman that didn't find its way into that expansion accidentally. That's lots of weird stuff in Ashes of Ariendel that my Darkmoon Velka mother of sorcery and of Gwyndolin thoery would explain nicely. Velka is always depicted as a hooded woman and is know for being a black-haired witch. If she were a half-breed daughter of Seath she could have been or mutated into or always have been the pygmy-sized snaketaur enshrined in Ariendel. She could be the common source of inspiration for both Priscilla's and Friede's choice of weapon and use of invisibility sorcery in combat. She could be the source of the serpent deformation and small size of Gwyndolin. If she were in fact married to Gwyn she could have had given birth to the dragon crossbreeds and became pregnant with them from someone other than Gwyn explaining why her son Gwyndolin is a “legitimate god” while crossbreed Priscilla is a “bastard”. It's possible that Gwyn is the father of the crossbreeds but there is little evidence of Gwyn having access to a female dragon to be their mother. It's a thin thread to be sure and a stretch to buy into, but as far as I am aware there is nothing that directly cuts the thread in the lore. “she never even got a mention in the opening cinematic to Dark Souls 1, when even the furtive pygmy did." - I think Velka is the furtive pygmy. The original heir to the Dark Lord Soul and original Darkmoon deity. If Manus was formerly known as Halflight then the Father of the Abyss did not predate Oolicile and Oolicile sorcery. Whereas the DS1 intro cinematic seems to establish that the Lords all found their Lord's Souls at roughly the same time. The Lord of the Dark Soul existed long before Manus fathered the Abyss. There is no proof that Manus is the Furtive Pygmy. Know who seems Furtive to me? A mysterious goddess who is mother to a snake-legged legitimate god and Darkmoon deity whose item and lore references become more obscure but still prevalent as the series progresses. Nothing proved, but definitely plausible. Also, I have fun idea about Dark Souls 2. I know that DS2 lore sometimes deviates from lore established DS1 and DS3 most likely because Miyazaki was not very involved with that game. But, they must have had some insight into the “true” history and lore of Lordran while developing that game and its stories. The major and recurring theme of that game and all three of its expansions were that for every “true monarch” there is always a dark mistress: Vendrick and Nashandra; the Sunken King and Elana, the Old Iron King and Nadalia; the Ivory King and Alsanna. I can’t help but think that they ran with that theme for a reason, that this could be another clue that the first “true monarch”, Gwyn also once had a dark mistress. An enigmatic and furtive dark mistress whose significant impact on Lordran and its history can be observed throughout the series even though mentions of her are scarce. A Lady of the Dark Moon to act as a counterpart to the Lord of Sun Light who together bore a child with the title Dark Sun.

[@scott_chocolate]

I forgot to mention in my first comment, but in your video you said that “Lord Gwyn is widely believed to have committed the first sin”. However, Gwyn is not the first to try and prolong the Age of Fire. The Witch of Izalith inadvertently created the Bed of Chaos while trying to fabricate a new First Flame with her Lord Soul. She did this before Gwyn became Lord of Cinder. This could also very likely be “the first sin” considering the Lost Sinner in DS2 drops the Witch of Izalith's soul rather than Gwyn's. None of this is meant to be casting shade on your video. I really like your videos! I just love geeking out about Dark Souls lore (especially Velka ;) ) and sometimes I can't resist sharing my thoughts. This is all enthusiasm for what you do, not criticism!

[@Butchimus]

Scott Chocolate Ok there is a lot to answer there and I'm on my phone right now, but to answer one thing quickly, the Ringed Knights weren't in the opening scene of DS1 because Gwyn hid the fact they were involved and never gave them any sort of praise for their participation. It may be their armor that gave this description. I don't fully remember.

[@bucketinthewilderness6844]

wait, you are trying to make it seem like velka isn't the most important character in a video game ever....... oh...wait...she isn't

[@bucketinthewilderness6844]

I'm a little disappointed we didn't get the 45 min documentary on velka that butch promised us but, whatever :/

[@cooper-dj7jc]

*BREATHES IN LORE* *BREATHES OUT LOVE* *SHITS VELKA*

[@hedinbecker8206]

you can make velka life again with a Fragrant branch of Yore

[@Butchimus]

Arief and then backstab *P O I N T O* *D O W N*

[@sazarod]

What do you make of the purging monument in the Ringed City having the same exact function to the Velka statue?

[@Butchimus]

gregvalou Velka's statue is possibly "modeled" after it seeing as the Ringed City is hidden away at worlds end. If there is a deeper connection, I'm not quite sure what to think :o

[@sazarod]

Modeled by whom, and for what purpose? Is Velka just a purging knockoff to give undead humans temporary respite from their pain? Who put the statue in the Undead Settlement? I guess we'll never know

[@mikkelbirkholm6095]

Three dislikes? I bet the ashen hollow is at least two of them.

[@Butchimus]

Mikkel Birkholm Hahaha nah, Ashen Hollow is a good guy :) he probably just left 1

[@Kjas11]

Good job and thank you! If I may be sincere and offer some constructive criticism, you mimic Vaatis vocal style well but I believe you'd benefit by giving a little more space between your vocal lines. Try normalizing the volume velocity a bit more and giving just a bit more space between lines to make for a better pace and easier listening. Good job!

[@Butchimus]

Thank you :) not trying to mimic Vaati, in fact I've been doing voice overs on videos longer than him (on a different channel) and this is always how I have produced my lines :) I rarely use spacing between lines either because it creates awkward silence (unless there is something visually onscreen to highlight), so I like to jump cut the audio to keep a constant flow. Often synched to the video itself so most times when the visual scene changes, the audio will cut to a new line of dialog to match. Plenty of other lore channels make very in-depth content, and because of this their videos are often 15-30 minutes. So to stand out, I like to make my lore videos short and concise, but double down on the editing/visuals :) Not trying to lecture you, just sharing some perspective. I appreciate your criticism which was indeed constructive (rare when people are genuinely trying to help), but I won't be changing my approach to these kinds of videos :)

[@Kjas11]

Butchimus Then allow me to apologize for that. In a sense it was a compliment as well, but a poorly worded one. I don't have any production skills like you so I have no right to judge. Thanks again for taking the time to make this video for us! I honestly look forward to watching more from you and I will.

[@Butchimus]

There is honestly no need to apologize :) Again, I was just showing some insight on my perspective, not trying to lecture you at all :) Welcome to the channel! :D

[@Kjas11]

Butchimus Haha thanks. I had to apologize, it's the right thing to do for possibly coming off like an ass unintentionally. tbh I was enjiying the video and wanted to catch every word so I had to rewind a few times to take in some things (probably because im slow), which is why I made the comment! Keep it up, Skeleton! :D

[@Butchimus]

Kjas11 Nah you weren't an ass at all. I have reached out to some regulars here at times for some honest criticism :) it's always welcome. apart from the "Ur VIIDSED R SHIT" 😂😂😂

[@veryno2513]

10/10 vid like always!

[@Butchimus]

Thank you Yacob :D

[@lommmmo]

Velka is Tina from Bob's Burguers

[@Butchimus]

Antonio Lomas real shit?

[@NLRikkert]

100% EPIC LORE IMPLICATIONS Butch is Velka, but he's so scared of using his power of super sexeh looks on us that he hides behind lies and illusions! Anyone who discovers his true identity gets taken by the crows to the undead asylum!

[@soldorne6956]

*V E L K A*

[@stratos2635]

I am early so let me tell you a joke... V E L K A

[@Butchimus]

GET OUT