Elden Ring - A gruesome possibility

[@ZullietheWitch]

I ended up making this video because I got a couple messages about this post by SpitefulCrow1701 on the Elden Ring subreddit: www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/1bp72dk/i_found_what_looks_like_the_two_fingers_attached/ I receive a lot more questions about this kind of stuff than I end up making videos about them, but this intersected with the theory of the Fingers coming from the Giants, which I hadn't really covered before, so it seemed like it'd be reasonable to do a video on it. Hopefully this will shed a bit more light on all that. Interpreting visual storytelling like this can be fairly tricky, as it's much harder to know when the devs meant for something to look a certain way or it just happened to end up like that incidentally.

[@ameeryoussef]

How come KZbin doesn't let me choose to get notified when you post a video?

[@herb9838]

3:40 It's interesting you say we might yet meet the fingers that chose the gloam-eyed queen. The head confessor of the Roundtable Hold was called "Crepus" (i.e. Crepusculum, meaning dusk) and the Two Fingers we meet there strongly encourage us to kill the demigods and to "show no mercy". I low-key think we've already met the ones who chose the Gloam Eyed Queen.

[@MrStrangeUsername]

Do we have any written lore indicating the origin of the fingers? I thought they came down with the Greater Will as a sort of cosmic antenna to receive its insights. Elden Ring seems to do this a lot, having technological concepts presented in the styling of mythology or magic. The Scarlet Rot is basically nanite goo what with its ability to assimilate almost anything into more scarlet rot, the Erdtree is a massive data network that literally even suffered from network congestion before and had to establish the minor erdtrees to alleviate it, the Elden Ring/Great Runes are programming for reality, and Deathblight even seems like the result of an edge case catching the Erdtree in a loop wherein it can't print a new live Godwyn because there's no soul in the network (but it just keeps trying, and trying, and trying). This wouldn't be the first time the Greater Will has made programmable organisms either. We know that the Erdtree happened because of its influence during the war with the giants, and the Erdtree prints a variety of automated systems--Avatars for defense, Jarfolk for reuptake from battlefields or anywhere else people die in an inconvenient location, and Ulcerated Tree Spirits have an uncanny resemblance to the Elden Beast and always have a golden seed at their core. Even the Oracle Envoys exclusively show up at major Erdtrees, and are decidedly inhuman, so they are probably also an automated system--perhaps sounding an alert from some form of prescience, or whenever things are critically bad (and it just so happens new gods/ages tend to coincide with the collapse of old ones). In fact, I can't think of a single physical thing the Greater Will has made that ISN'T organic, even the Sacred Relic sword is eerily made out of bones with very visible indents separating out bones and vertebrae. Making a custom organism that serves no other role than to receive and relay its word fits perfectly with it.

[@flamandbenoit7247]

i know you dislike my theory about a connexion between darks ouls and elden ring, but... the dried fingers are anatomically correct... and they were used to facilitate invasions... so... i can't stop think there is something about the tree supporting Lordran, the fingers, the reincarnation circle, the fire, huge humaoïds who aren't humans but gods, but are not really immortals, giants who have a secret relation with the curse, etc, etc... sure, myasaki said there is no connexion, but... the door is open wide.

[@definitelynotanAIchatbot]

Umm, Zullo, I'm afraid of two fingers. 😢

[@Indie-anaJones]

I'm in the personal boat that the fingers are some sort of alien lifeform that the Outer Gods send as envoys. Though the concept of the Golden Order lopping off the hands of giants to use them as cosmic radios would be interesting.

[@ladyabaxa]

The first time I saw the two fingers in the Roundtable Hold with the fingers straight up to commune with the Greater Will I instantly thought of the movie 'From Beyond,' an adaptation of the Lovecraft short story of the same name, because it reminded me of the Resonator. In the movie the Resonator is used to make contact with another universe and is adorned on top with multiple huge tuning forks. With its fingers up the two fingers looks an awful lot like a gigantic tuning fork.

[@AndrewJ9673]

I definitely agree. Seems like the Two Fingers are creations of the Greater Will. ER in general seems to have a lot of hierarchy in its mythology. The Outer Gods at the top, with the Greater Will in charge of the Lands Between, and the Two Fingers delegated control by the Greater Will, and the Two Fingers themselves then delegate control to Marika and other demigods, who rule the actual kingdom.

[@simonalbrecht9435]

Exactly. The relation to the Outer Gods definitely needed mentioning in this video. Those Gods create the Fingers (some two, some three) in order to communicate, and the Finger Readers relay/interpret those communications, hopefully well enough… This also has to be seen as a form of divination, where the idea of reading from hands may originate.

[@monroerobbins7551]

Plus, it holds up metaphorically; being the hands of the Outer Gods, including working in sounds to transmit messages, or using fingerprints to spread the message.

[@Jaboll252]

*lifeform that Greater Will sends as envoys. Greater Will is not an outer god.

[@realkingofantarctica]

We shouldn't rule out the theory that the Two Fingers are actually just one of those inflatable balloon guys you find outside a gas station.

[@106640guy]

Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man!

[@josephmorse3089]

Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man

[@alextrill5829]

We have an inflatable godskin noble, so inflatable tubeman is not that far of a stretch.

[@LordSevla]

The only sane post in this hell of headcanons

[@nightscout9979]

Ranni's quest was searching for a pocket knife to vandalize a convenience store.

[@duncanurquhart5278]

yeah, i always assumed they were just called "fingers" out of convenience and resemblance, because like... what else are you even going to call something like that?

[@ariannasv22]

What if they're just the legs of a weird animal

[@harvesterofeyes8813]

What if they're just the wangs of a weird animal

[@someoneinsomewhere8079]

The Twin Sausages

[@Night-Lord]

@@ariannasv22 if the two finger talisman is anything to go by they seem to have legs

[@Kryptnyt]

The Double Digits

[@GrimmWitchands]

I have to say that, curiously, the tomb of the Giant-Killer Hero's Grave has banners with the symbol of the two fingers; and it is the only place in the game with those banners; Not even the round table hall has them.

[@badflamer]

oooh~ thanks for the note. that does seem significant

[@Spookdookin]

Had to check it out. It’s the Giant-Conquering Hero’s Grave. There are banners of the Two Fingers or maybe to represent those who serve the Two Fingers. Checked other hero’s graves (not all of em, just a glance at a few) and didn’t see the same banners. Not even in another grave with the light/shadow mechanism. Made me check out some incantations too. To see if the same symbol is on the “Incantation of the Two Fingers servants…” The incantation Shadow Bait has a lil quip at the end, that is now interesting due to the SOTE trailer “It is said that those beguiled by the shadow see within it a hated foe”

[@NickCombs]

Giant-Conquering Hero's Grave. Can confirm! I noticed the same thing not long ago. It definitely wasn't just Marika who saw the Giants as a threat, it was the Fingers (or their translators) too.

[@wolfburg3330]

Though it also has a troll statue with its chest ripped out, something that Marika/Radagon did which points to it being taken over by them, meaning they refurnished it to add a statue which would likely mean they refurnished it to add banners of the two fingers. So it is possibly unrelated to the giants.

[@prins-henrik1530]

Something that I found recently is that some of the Banished knights of castle Sol use a two fingers healing incantation, so maybe there is a connection there?

[@snaildad193]

Calling them "fingers" just because they resemble fingers is EXACTLY the sort of thing From Software loves doing. To quote Illusory Wall, "...the games sometimes match how the playerbase would likely see something with how people within that universe would logically see it as well, even when both may be wrong." The examples he gives are the basilisks and their large false eyes, or how the "Archstones" from Demon's Souls actually more closely resemble the crystallized skull of some tapir creature. I think the way From Software has presented the Fingers fits in with that design theme really well, and the theory that they might be an eldritch entity that merely resembles fingers has a lot of weight for me. Great video either way!

[@bertvanbeterbed9702]

I would believe that, if fingers didn't have such a big role in the world. Like Ennia being a "finger reader", just like the crones you see throughout the world asking to see your hands. And Corhyn translating the "twitches and rhythm" of goldmasks finger as he is pointing at the tree. So the significance of the act of finger reading does lead me to believe that they are actually fingers. But, I never know for sure.

[@koletonnelson6310]

@@bertvanbeterbed9702 I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the other way around; that, rather than the Two Fingers resembling fingers because of the prominence of Fingers in religion, that the prominence of fingers in the Golden Order and the practice of Finger Reading developed *because* the Greater Will’s envoy was interpreted as fingers.

[@buckyhurdle4776]

The Greater Will literally created the concept of Fingers, anatomically and symbolically. They granted the 5th "Finger" to the beastmen. Before you have 5 fingers you don't have fingers at all, thats just a paw. To have Fingers you need a thumb to oppose them. The Beastmen were the first creatures to be granted opposable thumbs, and intelligence along with them. I think it's supposed to be assumed that the only reason humanoids in ER have 5 fingers is because of the Greater Will's influence. Basically I'm saying that, if anything, human fingers are named after the Two Fingers, not the other way around. Two Fingers probably existed before humanity/tarnished/whatever

[@bertvanbeterbed9702]

@@koletonnelson6310 I actually meant it like that as well, but my wording may have been a bit vague

[@Nihil975]

There’s also the fact that the 3 fingers of the Three Fingers are the exact ones that are missing from the Two Fingers - so combining them makes a hand. That would suggest that they are in some way related to fingers/hands and don’t merely resemble them.

[@T.LeBlack]

Sometimes I like to imagine that Miyazaki does things without any purpose and he delights in watching how we discuss in forums and videos about the possible origin of things that have no purpose and that are only there to confuse us. XD

[@LieutenantAlaki]

He's certainly done it before!

[@1337Figaro]

He did say in an interview that he does have a "canon" story in his head but he likes for people to make their own conclusions.

[@jays.6843]

I genuinely think that Elden Ring's story is only like 60% written, and instead of calling it a plot hole, the community just makes up theories to fill them in.

[@YexprilesteR]

Or with a very simple explanation like, the Golden Order's outer god just spawned them for their Empyreans

[@YexprilesteR]

@@jays.6843 I don't think so, but I do think that Fromsoft decided to leave quite a lot out Shadow Of The Erdtree should help though

[@sfyoshi99]

I always thought they were fungi, given their resemblance to Dead Man’s Fingers and how grace looks like floating spores

[@SeanCrosser]

And the fact that Golden Order just wants Life to be buried underneath it's parasitised tree's roots to strengthen it. The plant motif works

[@autisticbraindamagedmoron]

​@@SeanCrosser fungi aren't plants 🤓

[@ManfredPOG]

Fungal networks work as communication systems between trees, so the Elden Ring/Erdtree communicating through fungi would make a lot of sense. I think you're on to something. Mushrooms became a meme in game because of the funny places you'd find them, but Miyazaki was hinting at something greater all along.

[@Ian.420]

Honestly i really like this. The greater will is just a space fungus that really likes gold for some reason. Im still on the Erdtree/greater will being a parasite of some kind train even though most people dont agree

[@VsRawr]

@@ManfredPOG didn’t expect mushroom 😂

[@DavidSPaul]

Fingers and rings show up a lot in Elden Ring, often in widely varying contexts. I remember one prerelease interview where Miyazaki was asked why Elden Ring's equipment system used "talismans" as accessories, when the Dark Souls games had always used rings. He replied that rings meant something special in the world of Elden Ring. I wonder if, at one point, the Elden Ring itself was meant to be a LITERAL ring, worn by either Marika or her consort. That would go a ways towards explaining the finger motif, and would also tie in with the whole "divine marriage" aspect. The ring you place on Ranni in her ending might be a remnant of that idea.

[@Galamoth06]

I've always wondered exactly what Marika was physically striking with her hammer when she shattered the Elden Ring as shown in the intro cutscene and promotional videos, especially given it's normally in her body. It makes me think of Gimli attempting to destroy the One Ring with his axe when it was sitting on that little altar in Rivendell.

[@spyguy318]

I remember just after watching the reveal trailer, that like LOTR there would be lots of physical rings of power that could grant wielders strength and abilities. The Elden Ring would be the singular ultimate ring, like the One Ring. Godrick would be a central antagonist (lmao) that hoarded power rings and grafted more and more arms onto his body to wear them, boosting his power to unnatural levels. Didn’t turn out that way, tho.

[@conspiracypanda1200]

​@@spyguy318I love theories that are wrong because they're still so creative. What If scenarios are always fun!

[@skalle1448]

@@spyguy318 Mate that's an incredible theory

[@TheZedman5000]

@@spyguy318 Godrick certainly did boost his power to unnatural levels with grafting, problem is that his natural power level is pathetic

[@weirdcoincollection]

It's been said before, but we hear about "The Two Fingers" in game and think "Oh okay, GRRM wrote this, so its probably like these royal twins, or an authority of some kind." Nope. The Two Fingers are literally two giant hairy sentient fingers.

[@ThiagoCRocha-fh6lg]

Yes, And I think this might be relevant to the discussion because The Design process of Miyazaki is one of "abstract coalition". He asks for Designs with vague directions just as we the players get vague lore bits and than he unifies them into a cohesive universe; There is a chance that "The Fingers" in GRRM lore wasnt a actual pair of Fingers BUT Miyazaki DID made them fit into the Lore without changing any aspect of how the world works. That is to say: If there are Multiple types of Fingers that could have been born from fallen creatures This would've been accurate even if they weren't actual fingers;

[@LieutenantAlaki]

Only if you've never played a FROMsoft game before. :P

[@leastbased]

@@LieutenantAlakifromsoft fanboy not trying to be elitist for 1 second (impossible challenge)

[@jean8252]

@@LieutenantAlaki 🤓

[@duquette1792]

@@leastbased Explain what's elitist about the comment

[@sunniedunbar6889]

I took them at face value. The manifestations of something reaching into the world to the furthest extent they could.

[@strawberry-milx4441]

One thing I’ve always noted is that the dead two fingers on the divine towers sorta look like they’re made of burnt wood that’s been petrified. The texture feels like roots or bark. Maybe that’s a clue to something

[@madelinemitchell5102]

There’s a shield that says something about tree and beast, and it made me think that Demi gods are a cross between trees and humans, and Demi humans are crosses between humans and beasts.

[@bigboy6019]

rannis body on top of her tower also looks burnt to shit

[@skilletborne]

@@madelinemitchell5102 Demi-human has been a fantasy trope in JRPGs since the beginning, always being monster/animal people Certainly seems supportive

[@ValbrandrLeonhardt]

​@@bigboy6019isn't that because she used a fragment of the death rune on her flesh, in order to carve the other half that was also on Godwyn. And we know the death rune exudes strange black red flames. We see scorch marks everywhere after Iji gets jumped.

[@ValbrandrLeonhardt]

@@AuleTheSmith37 the death root comes about from Godwyns immortal body still living on, and the roots of the Erdtree coming into contact with him. Godwyn is essentially a cancer now, with no soul, it's just a mass of organic matter growing and infecting other things. I do wonder if there could be influence from some outer god though. We don't know much about the Deathbird Matriarch.

[@allinairhanson6886]

"maybe there will be more fingers in the dlc" and there's a whole freaking field of them

[@LeHarmacist]

And the best part is that their mother is even a remembrance boss.

[@lapelcelery42]

Ah, incorrect Marge - THREE whole freaking fields of them.

[@symbiotesoda1148]

The DLC told us where the fingers came from (including the fingercreepers) so I’d say this video aged well in that regard.

[@Milkra]

It took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure out that there's so much finger imagery in this game because it's about a ring

[@赤砂-z3u]

The game's official Chinese translation is 艾尔等法环 which confirms that the "Ring" is not a finger ring but rather a "circular object" ring. You can also see the actual Elden Ring in the game doesn't resemble a finger ring very well.

[@赤砂-z3u]

Fyi, the Chinese name's direct translation would be Elden dharma/principle circle/ring

[@promemeus5610]

a ring is a circular object

[@MexicanTeTe]

I wondered recently if the fingers are possibly related to Buddhist hand gestures. Two fingers pointing upwards, prana mudra, is related to energy. Three fingers, vitarka mudra, is used to depict Buddhist who are debating. Maybe the two fingers are focusing the energy from the Erdtree / greater will. Meanwhile, the three fingers symbolize the frenzy faction, which is challenging the two fingers and greater will.

[@LordDragox412]

The Three Fingers are seen as evil and profane because they're the only ones capable of showing the middle finger to the Greater Will.

[@Insanabiliter_In_Linea]

The Tarnished Archeologist has a good video going over the likely inspiration for the two/three finger schism. There's a real life equivalent in history with the Russian Orthodox church (iirc) where the clergy held up three fingers during sermons while another sect believed that to be heretical and felt that holding up two fingers was the correct gesture, and naturally since this is human history we're talking about, a lot of people died over the difference in gestures. I'd recommend checking it out as I don't remember all of the details though. That said though, Elden Ring has a lot of real world inspirations that come from a bunch of different religions/mythologies, Roman mythology, Greek mythology, Viking mythology, Christianity and Buddhism are the main ones iirc, so what you said could be true as well.

[@IamHomelander]

@@Insanabiliter_In_Linea👍

[@Insanabiliter_In_Linea]

@@IamHomelander One finger?! To the gallows with you!

[@Scatmanseth]

@@Insanabiliter_In_Linea I think his explanation is more likely than it being a reference to the Nikon reforms and Old Believers, which all are a bit more obscure than a Buddhist sign. To my knowledge there hasn't been anything in Orthodox history used in a Fromsoft game or anywhere else in ER so this would be out of left field. It's possible but most people don't even know about the Old Believers, let alone the hand sign difference. Plus the two finger sign is used by the smaller, ostracized sect while the three finger sign was accepted as standard by the rest of Orthodoxy. It wouldn't fit thematically.

[@HeavenlyHavoc]

Consider: the fingers are like a tv antenna for divinity. Each antenna connects orders and powers to each respective empyrean, and the Erdtree acts as a hub of sorts. Altering the Elden Ring is akin to changing the channel. When Marika broke the Elden Ring, the flow of grace got irrevocably altered, and what we see of reality in game is more or less a corrupted TV input on a cosmic scale. Outer gods can vie for control of the elden ring or alter its flow of information in much the same way a solar flare can interrupt or destroy telecommunications here in the real world.

[@cheftroyardee7982]

Raise Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

[@mackesaulice]

I like your theory the best

[@miscielrossvillegas6307]

That's exactly what I think of the fingers after you burn the Erdtree. The Fingers are stretched out towards the sky. The Finger-Reader even says that the Fingers have become silent and are "awaiting an answer from the Greater Will". You're not far off when you said theyre like a tv antenna

[@mackesaulice]

Elden Beast is one of the fingers, I think two fingers are like it, they are just on side of good, while Elden Beast is evil one, or they are all evil

[@mystrdat]

So now we know the Fingers are born of Metyr, the child of Greater Will

[@Dolthra]

I've always thought the Fingers look like they could be some root end of the Erdtree- making the hair not hair but smaller roots coming off of them. A lot of them look almost made of wood instead of flesh, which is part of what drove me to this conclusion.

[@albertmyers7480]

It honestly never even occurred to me before this video that they could be something other than roots of the tree.

[@TheGirlInFandomWorld]

One of the most cursed ER theories I ever read was that the Two Fingers are like the Primordial Serpents from Dark Souls - but instead of serpent heads attached to necks, the Two Fingers are attatched to impossibly long subterranean arms.

[@ManFromThePits]

Fits with the overly long fingers! Oh, I love this theory! Makes me wonder what the arms are attached to. This isn't cursed - this is BLESSED!

[@Rincewindus]

Speaking of the Fingers, though, there is a shot of the trailer where the player uses some sort of sleep spell, and the tree in the back looks REALLY similar to the Two Fingers.

[@bigboy6019]

if youre talking about SOTE trailer it looks like more of a bewitching spell because it's pink rather than light purple. but yeah the tree looks exactly like a weird overgrown set of two fingers

[@ladycenobia5147]

Glad to see other ppl mentioning this. I brought this up in my friend group and they thought I was crazy lol

[@HTheHunter]

I watched that scene again, and yeah the tree looks like the two finger grew into a tree. And the Two Fingers on top of the towers have woody struckture (at least it looks like that). Maybe there is a connection to the twisted trees we see in the first picture to SOTE.

[@SuperMrWumbo]

​@HHTheHunter Not only do they look like trees, I found they sound just like wood if you hit them or even jump on them. Makes sense that they could be related to the erd tree in some way

[@liamvalentine6073]

So you're saying the Erdtree is one gigantic middle finger.

[@previousdoctor8362]

This has seemingly been answered with the dlc with the finger areas.

[@williamgallows8882]

3:20 "Of course, there are opportunities for more fingers to appear in the DLC..." Zullie, I hate to say it, but yes, there are many, **many** more fingers in the DLC. (But also the origin for the fingers so that's cool.)

[@liquidbeans4209]

Turns out they were just birthed by the mother of fingers, the long-abandoned collaborator with the greater will.

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

From Software: "Nah, Finger Monstrosity from space"

[@pokgeila]

I always assumed since the ones on top of the divine towers look like their fossilized and made of wood, that they were carved out of the erdtree/minor erdtree so this would make them direct servants of the greater will.

[@darthvaderreviews6926]

This is kind of similar to how Blaidd and Maliketh, who are seemingly artificial creations from The Greater Will, are comparable to the Beastmen of Farum Azula. I think it's possible they weren't necessarily _converted_ but that TGW uses existing life as a blueprint to edit and coopt for itself. It makes me wonder if the Erdtrees are always supposed to be trees, or if the Erdtree is mimicking the Crucible like a brood parasite

[@theawickward2255]

It's the same tree.

[@darthvaderreviews6926]

@@theawickward2255 It very probably is, yeah. I can't remember the full details but I remember the Erdtree displacing the Crucible idea getting discredited. I admit though, I'm fond of the brood parasite idea retroactively making the Cuckoo Knights a meta hint on how TGW actually works

[@silentprotagonist3786]

​@@darthvaderreviews6926 Erdtree is what the Crucible became when Marika removed the Rune of Death and some additional tidbits to reforge the Elden Ring to her liking, and thus creating the Golden Order. The Crucible has been present even during the early days of Marika's rules, as for some reason Godfrey's soldiers are names Crucible Knights, implying the knowledge of the existence of Crucible was still present during the beginning days of Marika's Rules.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@darthvaderreviews6926 You think a mercenary company in Liurnia that has no specific allegiance to the Golden Order ever mentioned is a good measure for how a vast, unknowable demiurge-thing operates? Because that's the first time I've heard this. People usually associate them with Radagon, but you're the first person to treat that as if it were the same thing as the Greater Will itself being involved.

[@darthvaderreviews6926]

@@alyseleem2692No, I'm saying it would, if the "brood parasite thing" was correct, be a "meta hint". It would have no direct in-universe connection, but _out of universe_ it would be foreshadowing

[@Galamoth06]

I always thought it was partially a reference to the "benediction" hand sign, the one you always see used by holy figures like the pope to bless the faithful. It was also fairly common in artwork to depict the Hand of God (often a "disembodied" hand coming from the edge of the painting) as using the same sign.

[@goblinrat6119]

Them being an alien envoy of the Greater Will, only called Fingers due to that being what humans see as the closest thing to their form, is what I would suppose. The Fingers move and behave in ways that seem quite alien, and after you get past the resemblance to a hand, it's not exactly hard to see them as this alien lifeform. This being especially the case with Ranni's slain Fingers, bent and twisted in very grotesque ways.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

I wouldn't suppose, I thought it was pretty obvious that this is exactly what they are. The DLC more of less confirms this, but I was so sure that this was already the case in the base game because that's what I always assumed they were.

[@goblinrat6119]

@@robinmattheussen2395 What can I say, I'm an academic. Always be hedging. (I agree though, it is rather obvious, and seems like the most aesthetically and narratively pleasing option as well.)

[@MegaCagao-r5r]

I like how most of these videos taking on broad parts of the lore just instantly get answers in the dlc lol

[@RBC-iu2up]

Well with the DLC out I guess we now know where they come from

[@Squiggums799]

I feel like the fingers are artificial/engineered lifeforms created by the Greater Will, maybe made to resemble the digits of the inhabitants of the Lands Between. Their appearances could reference the fact that rings are worn on fingers, and the Elden /Ring/ is a thing, though that may be more of a meta-reason for their designs rather than an in-universe explanation. I don't think they were taken from actual, previously-functional hands, due to their uncanny alien anatomies such as not having fingernails and growing unusual amounts of hair. I think the real reason why they look the way they do is that they're meant to 'point' their subjects in the right directions, AKA steering their influencees in whichever way that the Greater Will desires. They also seem to act as communication antennae of sorts, as seen when the Roundtable Hold's fingers were pointing straight up to consult the Greater Will about why the Erdtree was blocked off. As for the Three Fingers being a thing, perhaps they were originally a pair of Two Fingers corrupted by another Outer God, in this case the god of the Flame of Frenzy? Either that, or every Outer God has the capability to create digit-like liaisons of their wills from the same 'template'. Hard to say. If true, we might have seen Rot Fingers or Blood Fingers of some kind as well.

[@boonius]

The two fingers and three fingers are part of the same “hand” though. The two fingers are the middle and ring finger, as evidenced by the palm indent in the middle. The three fingers are the thumb, index finger, and pinky

[@giltiger]

The Greater Will may be the name of the Giant Leader who loose their left hand and fingers to the Giant Conquering Hero???

[@giltiger]

@@boonius I saw the same thing and by their image seams that they are from a LEFT hand...

[@therogueserafim271]

The Two Fingers are not fingers, the Elden Ring is not a ring... I don't know what to believe now. Damn you, Miyazaki, don't do us like that!

[@pedromaciel2751]

I don't know where they came from, but I know where they're going tonight

[@fuckoff5893]

Bro

[@Gakulon]

Ayo?

[@fronatomy6280]

Finger, but hole

[@threehotpotatoes4861]

Thats it, i‘m kms

[@Adam202]

Shaking my head rn

[@ReturnoftheLightning]

Not buying them being giants, Ranni, a demigod, went to great efforts in offing one of them, I think they’re just angels, as in, its original meaning as messengers, why they’re fingers, has to be symbolic of the Greater Will creating the world, and giving fingers to the beasts, who’s an allegory of humans grasping things or concepts with their hands (intellect)

[@127Kronos]

Anyone here after the DLC? The ruins are pure nightmare fuel

[@wasaysepicworld8246]

me bro especially Metyr

[@RhizomeRoots]

Well, now we have a much better idea on their origin and purpose… can't wait for a video on that to come out! ✌🏻

[@Puffleman24]

Whenever I think that the Fingers are manipulating us, or at least encouraging us to follow a certain path that may not have our best interests in mind...I remember that Ranni's were trying to climb up the wall away from her in fear. Maybe I can manage a little sympathy for them, as misunderstood creatures, desperately trying to communicate something that we were never going to comprehend.

[@deadworldinfamy]

Yeah but ranni is hot and her ending is cool so who gives a damn that’s the ending I got first

[@f1fanatic241]

@@deadworldinfamybros playing a dating sim

[@VERGILGASM]

​@@deadworldinfamy Ranni is a HORRIBLE person

[@venandisicarius32]

@@VERGILGASM I know. That's why I like her.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

@@VERGILGASM Her actions are extreme, but I wouldn't call her a terrible person.

[@sugartoothYT]

I love it when even after all this time I can still run into a fantasy story that has some creature or systems so alien from what I'm used to. "Yeah we listen to these fingers." "Fingers???" "Yeah, they are these giant things that wiggle and by interpreting that we get the word of god." "?????"

[@101Bettis]

LOL I LEGIT thought it was a metaphor for a pair of sooth-sayers or somthing. When they were ACTUAL fingers, I was extremely confused, but IMMEDIATELY 110% invested in the mystery that had just been presented in front of me. I love it too man, it's so refreshing.

[@HiroSuri]

The fingers standing stock-still and upright made me read them as being antenna, like the rabbit ears on old televisions. That they literally transmit and receive messages from the Outer Gods. So I also kind of interpretted them as just, bespoke horrible creations that didn't belong to anything to start with. They have two fingers because that's all they need. Similar, the three fingers have three because their purpose is to grasp, not to communicate. So it needs the thumb.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

"made me read". Well yeah, but the Finger Reader literally tells you that's what they're doing.

[@VictorIV0310]

R.I.P. to the Armored Core: Verdict Day online servers. May we meet again in our mechanized memories, day after day.

[@tomatogenesis]

I have never heard of it but the fact that you're going out of your way to talk about it in a completely unrelated video makes me much sad for it regardless, I would know as MH4U is about to shutdown, too... what a shame, it had such a cool name, too!

[@shakkoryu]

​@@tomatogenesisArmored Core is made by fromsoft, so is sorta related being a sister series of elden ring

[@tomatogenesis]

@@shakkoryu I know of Armored Core, but I had never heard of Verdict Day

[@shakkoryu]

@@tomatogenesis it's an improved/sequel of V, like Armored Core 4 and Armored Core For Answer

[@lmao412]

update: they came from da cosmos

[@ColourizeTheStreets]

Plant/Mushroom theory is a popular theory that I rather like. One theory posits that the Erdtree is actually a mushroom growing around a pre-existing tree. In fact there are fungus that cling to cave ceilings and tree tops that drop parasitic spores (the elden beast) that infect other plants/creatures. The stars, are just bio-luminescent cave plants/fungus that drop spores (meteors) onto the worlds below. We even see examples of invasive plants taking over ecosystems like in Caelid, the deathroot, and even the golden leaf trees in Altus Plateau might even be an invasive tree species that has taken over as the result of the Golden Order. The two fingers also being a type of mushroom makes sense, as mushrooms share a link with each other and can explain how the two fingers communicate with each other and the Greater Will. They are a fungal hive mind, with each two finger just being a smaller part of a greater entity. When people talk about the two fingers, they seem to refer to only a single entity, like how other hiveminds are spoken of as one being like the Geth in mass effect. This can even explain the Greater Will, as a collective intelligence made up of all the entities that are a part of it, with the Erdtree being a giant mushroom that literally consumes dead people to absorb their knowledge and experience adding it to the "Greater Will". Rather than magical forces creating plants and fungus, its plants/fungus creating magical forces. I like to think of the universe in ER as a giant cave or snow globe, the stars are just bio-luminescent lifeforms that cling to the "ceiling" of this cave and drop spores, or descend themselves to infect the plants/creatures that live on the cave floor bellow them. It could be that there is more than one globe with the lands between being the middle point between each one thus the "Lands Between". Or the globe is double sided like a ball, with the lands between existing in the middle or between each side. This idea might gain new legs in the dlc. If the Erdtree is a mushroom then it could be the tree we see in the Shadow Lands dlc is actually just another stalk if the same tree (mushroom) as mushrooms can grow multiple stalks from a single source. There are even examples of the Erdtree as having multiple trunks or stalks. The erdtree surcoat seems to depict a tree with three trunks,. Reliefs seen the Haligtree seem to depict two angelic children around what appears to be a tree with four trunks. Other depictions of the Erdtree also seem to show little distinction between the top or bottom of the erdtree. The Tree sentinel armor's cape has a tree on the back, but it could be turned upside down and would still look almost the same. The erdtree having a twin or twins also adds to the twin theory. Twins or doubles are prevalent in the lands between. Two fingers, Marika/Radagon, Miquella/Melania, the D brothers, twin maiden husks, twin sorcerers, Mohg/Morgot, potentially Godwyn/Messmer. Alos the idea of conjoined aspects or conjoining two things is also popular, speaking with Muriel reveals this, then there is Godfrey/Serosh, Grafting, Sword of Night/Flame, Golden Order/Dragon incantations etc. So the idea that the erdtree has a twin or another half fits nicely in.

[@101Bettis]

I think that theory DEFINITELY hit on some really, really good concepts- I just don't think they were implemented so literally, and without liberties taken (IE Magic). I think cosmology is definitely the in-world explanation for the meteors and what not, but I definitely think this hit on the inspiration for how Martin, and Miazaki designed the world. Especially because of the in game use of the bio-luminescent fungus in the Eternal Cities, From & Co.'s surprising knowledge of tree and fungal biology, and that it also fits very nicely with the real-world theory of "Panspermia" or planet-seeding. So it seems like they definitely know about those things, and used it as inspiration. YKW also, considering the world design is heavily inspired by ancient Christian history, I could totally see the Lands Between's universe as a finite globe- ala the Earth-centric views of those early Christians. I wonder if any new clues could be found in game relating to telescopes, or Copernicus and his revolution *or rather* The LACK and/or persecution of any Copernicus-like characters or ideas. As for the big shiny tree- I think the Erdtree is pretty safely, a tree, as there is a lack of any mycellium around, I doubt it's a giant fruiting body or fungus- but there is clearly magic in the game, so there isn't really a need for it to connect the hive mind. However what does interest me, is the multitude of OTHER phantom Erdtrees in the Elden Beast's boss room. It could be that these are also magical antennae that connect the hivemind throughout ER's universe. Also, Tarnished Archaeologist makes a pretty good case for the trees being illusory. I mean, we see big shiny tree, but the base is wooden, and so are the minor Erdtrees. TA also makes a rock-solid for the tree having already been burnt down before we arrive in the Lands Between. I also LOVE the idea of entering into the hivemind through absorption in the roots, it being the ultimate goal of the Greater Will (because we don't really get much about WHY it's doing, what it's doing) and the Greater Will being called so, *because* it is a hivemind.

[@theawickward2255]

A very interesting theory, although it's the Scarlet Rot that's associated with fungus more than the Greater Will.

[@jordanbrown3816]

Did u get these ideas from that Ziostorm video? That was really interesting but I don’t go as far he does with everything being based around mushrooms. But what was really compelling was the idea that the Erdtree is just a corrupted Great Tree. The game makes a distinction between the two trees and the visual evidence is compelling, like how the gold of the Erdtree wraps around and suffocates the existing tree. You can see branches of the Erdtree and separate branches from the pre-existing tree. It’s also interesting that the Erdtree is golden yet all the roots throughout the lands between are simple wooden structures, not luminous like the Erdtree, which supports the idea that the Erdtree is this parasite that has taken control of the Great Tree’s extensive root system to tap into the power of the Lands Between. It’s kind of crazy how much we still don’t know about the Erdtree and how the Greater Will acts on the lands between vs the Outer God of Rot vs the Stars vs the Formless Mother etc. I hope we get a lot of answers in the DLC

[@ColourizeTheStreets]

@@jordanbrown3816 I did watch Ziostorms video. He does go deep, but I thought it was interesting so I tried to connect the dots so to speak. I really liked Dark Souls lore, but the world of ER seems like its more flushed out. DS still has probably the best character lore, but ER has such a unique feeling world, that any theory about its setting sounds interesting and plausible. I too hope we get more to go on in the DLC, but I suspect every answer will just raise another question.

[@jamiethiele460]

All things considered , you ended up not being that far off

[@Falleax69]

Imagine a big pair of googly eyes on the tips of their fingers.

[@lowkey6920]

I feel as though we’re gonna get a two fingers boss, or a boss that is the creature from which these two fingers come from in the dlc. I’ve been thinking that they are gonna be as important if not more than miquella

[@leetagent]

bro how did you know

[@MKsukkiiMiso]

Bro predicted

[@SeanMcGehee]

I always assumed they were just metaphor for the hands controlling the fate of the game - our hands, the players who literally make the world operate and lead to its conclusion.

[@ZannyAisling]

i think the biggest detraction from the fingers being a cutting from the giants is that they seem to display their own “sentience” that isn’t bound to the greater will either. like, if they were removed from the giants it’d most likely require some sort of controlling force on them but whatever that *is* surely wasn’t aware of the Erdtree’s ensealment at the very least, given their reaction to it being to just kinda stop their front-facing managing-the-tarnished work altogether. in their limited capacity they behave like independent entities in favor of the Golden Order for their own reasons rather than further enslavees. If only we could talk directly to them as we did with Frampt.

[@biomewtrix4996]

I can't believe I find your videos *after* watching a long play of one of my favorite games. Lol Twilight Princess, it was such a juicy coincidence (and quite a treat!) hearing like snowpeak and what not ost from your vids! ❤

[@bread1958]

Welp, with the dlc out know we know Aliens.

[@aryabratsahoo7474]

Basically the entire plot of ER

[@galaxsija4591]

i always love your use of old zelda music, its very cozy

[@choccymilk596]

Cool to see how close some of your videos are to what the Dlc added

[@Tilapa54]

Checked to see if my fingers we longer than my palm as I never thought about that.

[@CodeNameX001]

My theory is that the fingers aren't actual fingers, but plantlife. The "hair" growing on them are parasitic plants similar to Spanish moss. In real world botany, grafting is the act of implanting that parts of one plant onto the rootstock of another. I suspect that all life came from the original Erdtree, but the rootstock was cleared to only allow humanity's Erdtree to grow (which was made by grafting Marika's fingers). Here's the thing about grafts: the fruit born from a grafted branch degrades with every generation, and starts taking on the traits of the original plant. This can explain... well, a hell of a lot of things, but also might explain the need for an Empyrean to have their own fingers: it's their turn to clear the stock, and graft their fingers to grow a new Tree.

[@teveshszatcoomoffools4850]

The Fingers are almost certainly a variety of plant, and the main proof - in my mind, at least - is the dead ones we find on top of the various Divine Towers. In addition to already looking like rotted wood covered in dead bark, if you walk on them they use exactly the same sound effect as walking on wood inside the Great Hollow in DS1. We know From isn't shy about reusing assets, but this specific choice for creatures already associated with the Greater Will and the Erdtree certainly seems like the kind of thing that's more "tiny environmental storytelling detail" than "just because."

[@Rexhunterj]

Good theory, an interesting thing to note btw is that not all Tarnished Warriors are heroes from the wars Godfrey participated in, some like the player are warriors from beyond the fog who answered the call of Grace. This is essentially the same as Dark Souls 3, you're not a chosen special person, you're a rando who is just answering a really weird phone call to do a weird job for a reason you'll never really grasp.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

It's a nice theory, but I don't think there is a single thing in the game that hints at them being plantlife (or otherwise really). It doesn't even make sense to categorize them according to our Earthly taxonomy, since they are quite clearly otherworldly beings. And I don't recall 'grafting' ever being brought up in the context of the Fingers? So I'm not sure why you're trying to connect these two things.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

@@Rexhunterj You are tarnished, and tarnished are those who were robbed (or otherwise lost) Grace and were exiled from the Lands Between with Godfrey. Whether you actually partook in a war is not really relevant. You are either part of that initial group or a descendant of them (but since it seems there doesn't seem to be a lot birth/creation of new life going on, I'd suspect the former). I'm not sure why you think these are distinct groups, cause I don't recall the game ever referring to distinct groups. The term "across the fog" refers to realms outside of the Lands Between, potentially because these lands/realms are unknown to the rulers of the Lands Between. So yes, you are from across the fog, where Godfrey and his Tarnished were exiled. Those who lost the guidance of Grace are beckoned once again by the call of that lost Grace, perhaps precisely as Marika intended.

[@aztecserpent5525]

Oh god the two fingers over Miquella’s egg just made me think of them watching him sleep

[@the_infinexos]

Now we know they came from Metyr

[@Neo2266.]

In the DLC trailer, look at the tree in the background of the sleep butterfly AoE scene. It looks like the two fingers sprouted into a tree

[@Robot-Overlord]

So here's a theory. Theyre possessed giants hands. We have examples of possession in the game like shabiri, maybe the giants fingers are mutilated and then possessed due to some ritual prayer. They don't seem to be mobile so I would imagine the 2 fingers might require a lot of attention from worshippers, so the process for possession might require that same level.

[@gid733]

And now we know...

[@lovehardt1434]

I went in the comments to look exactly for this lol

[@Warrior_of_Symbolica]

I always thought the fingers were plants of some kind? They looked super tree-like to me in their dead model, and the little wisps always read as roots in my head

[@SupaFly-gx1zo]

I always assumed they were a fungal growth, given how the seeds and rune echoes seem to resemble spores and explains how Grace can propagate across the lands. The Fingers seem to reach up and outward to "spread" their spores (Golden Order) to humanity. The weird holes they have on their model doesn't seem to make sense if you think of them as a mammalian creature or appendage.

[@KangaRooTube]

I always thought it might be something like Norce mythology with the Giant Aurgelmir dying and being made into the Norce gods and world etc. Maybe Eldenrings something similar with the world being made with the giants body and gods being made with the fingers of the giant.

[@PhilChilled]

Can't wait for the DLC it's going to be amazing for sure!

[@nobleundead5678]

The hair on the fingers is decently close to the two hairy giants that are pulling a giant wagon. Also, ziostorm has a great video on the theory that the two fingers are a type of fungus/mushroom. Specifically deadman's fingers

[@Shifsabre]

I'm from the future, the fingers were born from the Finger Mother, Metyr. She crashed down to the Lands Between and started birthing two fingers and fingercreepers. At some point, Metyr was wounded, severing her connection to the Greater Will. As such, every two fingers has sort of been making it up as they went, they aren't speaking for the Greater Will like it was believed

[@Yoinkqiqi]

yeah it was the plot twist but I wonder why marika was crucified in erdtree after she shattered elden ring I mean who crucified her if golden order lost contact with mother of finger was it metyr ?

[@Shifsabre]

@Yoinkqiqi Radagon was shown in the first trailer to be repairing the ring. Perhaps he bound Marika there so he could work

[@Yoinkqiqi]

@@Shifsabre wasn't marika and radgon same person 🤔

[@nurofficial7937]

​​@@Yoinkqiqi bro do you finish the dlc? it's literally just like miquela and st Trina they both probably merge again after the shattering

[@Yoinkqiqi]

@@nurofficial7937 i see that's how they made kids too xD

[@HoboMojo9580]

Cool how I saw this post a day or so ago and now you’re covering it, awesome.

[@MusicVersa]

Couple quick thoughts: The lack of fingernails and the ashen colour of the Two Fingers - I had personally attributed this to the Two Fingers being ancient and dying - many of them being dead already, and the ones we find being withered and rotting. Whether the hair was once red, and the fingers once had nails, isn't clear, but I think it's fair to speculate that they may have previously appeared that way. Regarding the Two Fingers having a palm divot as pointing away from them being cut from a Giant's hand, I think there's a possible explanation for this as well - it's tempting to look at the two fingers as a pinky and ring finger. If this were the case they don't really align, and the possible idea that the Three Fingers might be cut from the same hand also makes no sense because of the shape and orientation of the Three Fingers. But what if the Two Fingers were cut from the middle and index fingers, or index and ring fingers, sewn together? That would account for the palm divot and also account for the more bizarre appearance of the Three Fingers.

[@TheRealNorth21]

The way I saw it was that the two fingers are the middle and ring fingers while the three fingers are the thumb, index, and pinky. It’s interesting in that they both have different fingers suggesting one was deliberately meant to be a counter to the other. Though I don’t really know how that’s going to be relevant in the lore going forward.

[@scenczyk1429]

Didn't need to see the underside of a fingercreeper

[@eugenechelovechniy]

The funny thing is that a lot of people assume that the DLC will be the answer to at least something, although given the experience of past DLC there will only be more obscure things on top of the already existing ones

[@alyseleem2692]

Nah. Not at all. Each DLC becomes so pivotal to later lore discussions it's nearly impossible not to mention them at least once.

[@ethanwashington6789]

DS3 dlcs let us meet (and fight) londor's eldest sister, and accounting for her exile it tells us that londor believes "uprooting the cycle = good" rather than just "dark = good" like friede does. It also explains why irithyll is covered in frost (sulyvahn took frost sorcery out of the painting with him), and later on in the ringed city we get lore on how the bloodline of the furtive pygmy was hidden away and isolated at the end of the world. Probably dont even need to explain why DS1 and BB's dlcs are important to the base-games story, because theyre both like the entire backstory of each game. Each DS2 dlc shows us how the daughters of manus took over the kingdoms around drangleic too, most notable being the old iron king's (we also saw where Raime went to in this dlc). i have no clue how the whole idea started that Fromsoft dlcs dont explain anything from vanilla, but it hasnt been the case a single time edit: damn sorry for the essay

[@Spookdookin]

The way I see it, in these games, answers only beget more questions.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@ethanwashington6789 Don't be. You made a far more extensive argument; a bit of writing is always necessary. Whether or not that is at the OP's pleasure. It's so strange, I tell you. To this day, I cannot imagine discussing the lore of any of these games without discussing content from the DLCs. I literally just.. Can't. I'm watching people discussing Elden Ring lore with a straight face when they all should know that at least half of all the theories we've had until now are going to be disproven, overturned or made utterly unrecognisable with new information. Every DLC changes the landscape of lore discussions to an insane degree.

[@ZannyAisling]

@@alyseleem2692i think the biggest point is that the DLCs generally give giant lore reveals but its not as consistently revealing what people fixate on or in a way they expect. We get details on the Sable church in AoA, yes, but in neither DLC do we actually SEE londor ourselves. DS2’s kings were largely their own independent lore with only tangential importance to Vendrick’s deal (at most you have the Old Iron King getting some extraneous detail). That *said* Artorias of the Abyss covered TONS of what the base game leaves implied, and i think people downplay how much the Old Hunters ends up elucidating the, like, almost entire lore of the original game (barring the pthumerians i guess). Like, the amount it does for the healing church ludwig kos the doll etc really isn’t given enough credit in the ‘the dlcs aren’t just giving you the lore answers’ department. so uh. half agree i guess now that i write it out. its mainly that *how* the information is conveyed was only as simple as “oh you get to go to x and see it happening!” like, once, with Artorias. I mean the “obvious” DLC for Sekiro doesn’t even exist lmao!

[@royedwardmanio9088]

"Of course, there are opportunities for fingers to appear in the DLC"... Inb4

[@Harpy-with-Legs]

Space Fingers

[@nahxela]

Eagerly awaiting your revisit to this topic post dlc

[@kongfeet81]

The real question we should be asking is where did the Five Fingers come from and what did they say to the face?

[@TomClarke1995]

Well since the finger slayer blade comes from nokron, they could originate from there. Notably, Mesmer’s hands have long disproportionate fingers as well.

[@almond7062]

2:52 post dlc insight achieved

[@doge9837]

The elden beast's head and neck also has the shape of a finger. So it is probably some kinda alien form that appears as an avatar of the greater will.

[@theredknight9314]

Now we know. Mother Mytir birthed all fingers, 2,3 and finger creepers.

[@vongolamistowl]

not the 3, only 2 and creepers. It’s specified in her remembrance.

[@theredknight9314]

@@vongolamistowl it has the 3 fingers on its body.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

@@vongolamistowl You can think of the three fingers as an aberration if you like. I don't really see any reason why we wouldn't assume that's where they originated because aside from having one more noodly appendage, it's the exact same being. I'm totally open to them being different a different kind of creature, but I always assumed that the Three Fingers were the same creature as the Two Fingers, but born defective. While we see many Two Fingers in the game, we only see one Three Fingers, which leads me to believe that it's an exception rather than the rule. So the way I see it, the Three Fingers are just a Two Fingers, just "born wrong", just like the human reproductive system produces genetic defects in its offspring. Even an otherworldly being would need some sort of genetic code and ways for that code to diverge is it had an evolutionary process. But there's really not much to support either conclusion IMO. It's just my way of thinking about it.

[@vongolamistowl]

@@theredknight9314 the remembrance specifies the things born of her

[@vongolamistowl]

@@robinmattheussen2395 the reason for that is since metyr is the daughter of the greater will, it cannot bear 3 fingers which bear the frenzy flame which are entirely opposed to the greater will. I theorise that the 3 fingers are born of the opposing force of the greater will and one its children.

[@STie95]

I think it's critical to think of the Finger creatures as LOOKING like fingers, instead of literally being as such.

[@ASquared544]

Well uh. Now we know I guess.

[@mirwana-kataya1662]

i am always happy when zullie uses the twiligh princess soundtrack- esp the ice mansion one- feels all mysterious and ominous

[@hi-i-am-atan]

frankly the idea that the fingers originated from _anything_ in the lands between is one that seems fundamentally absurd to me. considering their complete allegiance to the greater will ( except the three fingers ... which is a distinct entity that has complete allegiance to a different outer god ) and design that is alien even amongst elden ring's weirder freakshows, it seems pretty clear they're something to will planted to serve whatever unknowable purpose it has for the lands between. hell, i think the fact that the fingers' fingers are internally referenced as _arms_ might hint at the proper anatomy of these things, because they're given the extremely literal name of "two fingers" and they _barely_ look the part. you look at the fingercreepers, they are immediately readable as fucked-up hand monsters. you waltz into enia's chamber after beating godrick and look at the fleshy thing standing there, and what? would you even be able to perceive that thing as two fingers if you haven't been listening too closely to the repeated use of that in dialogue as a proper noun? hell, it wouldn't surprise me if there were plenty of people who _did_ retain the two fingers thing yet walked up to them and had no idea what they were looking at until enia spelled it out for them combine all that with their main purpose of translating the words of some incomprehensible greater entity into an incomprehensible sign language that only a few ancient women, who have dedicated themselves entirely to the fingers, can decipher into something with any meaning to the denizens between, and everything about them just _screams_ that their presence in the lands between is wholly unnatural. beyond that, even - they can't even be compared to the abominations that defy the nature of the lands between, because they have no connection to that nature whatsoever

[@XXXXXX-yv3sv]

On the bit about the crones that do nothing but attend the fingers, they'll read *your* fingers too if you let them. The fingers are awfully alien but the finger readers aren't just interpreting alien language. Or maybe they've lost their minds and are imagining your fingers have anything to say.

[@eramismetal]

"Or finger Creepers, whevever they come from" -my nightmares, they come from my nightmares

[@zeeboss7553]

I have always assumed that the fingers aren’t actually fingers and it’s just a title given to them by the golden order as a means of making sense of whatever they actually are. Like they are somewhat above human understanding since they come from a cosmic god. I feel like it tracks.

[@brad42334]

If you add the two fingers of the Greater Will to the three fingers of the Frenzied Flame, you get a full hand. I always imagined they were once a single being split into two opposing deities; order and chaos.

[@sunambassador]

based smt

[@DeepRest420]

Well... now we know. Anyone who guessed it deserves true kudos.

[@silverstorm3729]

That close up of the Two Fingers really reminds me of reconstructions of ancient fungus-trees - Prototaxites. They filled the niche of trees before trees (and before plants iirc) even existed. In an Elden Ring context, this may relate to the Erdtree in some symbolic way? Weirdly enough it also reminds me of Cordyceps and bone-eating zombie worms (an incredible name for a very disappointing animal lmao) although I couldn't tell you why. Maybe it's the way they move? Either way, a surprising amount of fungus and worm vibes for something that is supposed to resemble parts of a hand, at least theoretically. My hats off to FromSoft; they did an amazing job making a mangled disembodied "hand" even more disturbing on further inspection and consideration.

[@mokajones74]

Okay, but this makes a lot of sense. The idea that the dead limbs are being filled with the presence of Outer Gods in order to spread their will sounds a hell of a lot like the thought process humans eventually turn to for Grafting

[@DisgruntledPeasant]

Damn that makes sense. Grafting is presented to us really early as a pretty big deal in the world, but it never quite connects with the broader story. But if the fingers are in some way created with the same sort of magic then it comes full circle. Meybe this is why the land of the giants is so hidden from the population: the people cannot be allowed to know that their queens divine connection is a stolen power.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

@@DisgruntledPeasant I don't think grafting is ever presented as 'big deal', only as a big deal to some minor faction in the game. And I don't think there is any sensible connection between the concept of possessing dead body parts and grafting body parts to other living beings.

[@ApofisRaxionNecros]

Love how the Fingers looking over Miquella's egg just looks like a candid vacation photo.

[@bigboy6019]

i thought One Great = "five fingers" = granted beasts 5 fingers to represent intelligence which is referenced a LOT in the game like the five finger motif and detail seems really important in relation to the beasts especially = 5 fingered hand of the one great split into two (order) & three (chaos) fingers

[@LordDragox412]

3 fingers = evil because they can show the middle finger to the Greater Will.

[@KatorianLegacy]

The way they smack together reminds me of those parasitic worms that infect grubs and caterpillars. The one that fills their eyes and then pulses to attract birds to eat the worm and then spread more of the parasite. Also the three fingers can finger snap and the two fingers cannot. I always knew freeform Jazz was pure madness.

[@iudex_Luke]

We may not know where they came from but the dark souls community definitely knows where they're going

[@fringillus1]

I'm pretty sure they are dead man's finger mushrooms. There are so many botanical references in Elden Ring and this would fit perfectly, as they are saprobic and live from dead organic matter like decaying wood or in the case of elden ring the decaying corpses from erdtree burials.

[@tanukijohnson6850]

Who’s here after shadow of the erdtree and now we know where they come from

[@m.g.8516]

I just want to say that I adore how you title your videos - it conveys the same vibe that the music you always choose does and I think it's great.

[@mckinneym.2743]

Im not convinced one way or another at this point. On one hand, weird eldritch space entities that vaguely resemble fingers being called such is very on brand for Miyazaki. On the other hand, despite a lot of clear reworks that happened in the story, the visual language of Elden Ring is shockingly clear with a lot of its origins, and I think that it would be odd if the fingers were created by eldenbeast or the Greater Will, considering the eldin Beast are main rep of what a Greater Will made being looks like is all star stuff; where as the finger are clearly flesh. We also know that fingers and lopping off fingers are a big part of Eldin Rings' power system (I'll be honest. I dont totally get that part of the lore on like a diagetic level). Importantly, as far as I know, we still don't know the origins of grafting, perhaps they started with a sort of flesh sculpting technique which were used to create the fingers, and then later the shadows (maybe). If the fingers are giant in origin, that would be particularly appropriate with the theory that the Ancient Giants built the divine towers, and then the golden order reappropriated it for use in benidection (and morbidly ironic considering the fingers would have once also been those of giants). As a final note, the one thing that (I could remember at least) could go against the idea that we only see the Elden Beast created by the greater will, which is the dragons, who I believe are said to have been made in the image of their creator (I think) however this could actually prove as a pro in the created fingers argument, because 1. Assuming that some for of fleshcrafting technique was known by at least the Elden Beast (or someone else at this time), then they could have been shaped from naturally occurring life (which maybe predates Eldin Beast, but at the very least I think was not controlled by the EB) this could potentially be backed up from Placidusax's pose at the beginning of his boss fight which seems to replicate the fingers, which could indicate that either the technique of the fingers was known by the lord or dragons/multi-headed dragons were created to act as the first finger.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

I don't think the Elden Beast is the main rep of the Greater Will. It's task was to form itself into the Elden Ring. The Elden Ring is not a representation of the Greater Will. Rather, it's a source of power and order for those who serve the Greater Will. By providing that power, the Greater Will is able to provide its chosen followers with newfound power that makes them adhere to its order, thereby providing a means for the Greater Will to spread its influence. Without the Elden Ring, there would be no possible manifestation of the Greater Will's power, because it being an Outer God, it can probably not interfere directly with the world of mortal men in a practical way. But by providing people like Marika with the power, order and laws inherent in the Elden Ring, the Greater Will was able to establish his order in the Lands Between. Rather, it's the Fingers who actually provide the 'word' (for lack of a better term) to the people in the Lands Between. Therefore, I would say that THEY are the main rep of the Greater Will. This is just how I've read things from the very start, and I might not always have the best informed view on these things, but I also haven't seen a lot of information that contradicts this either. Considering the descriptions we have of the Elden Beast, the Elden Ring and the shards of the Elden Ring, I think my theory if fairly consistent.

[@Dood.on.the.yard1]

I am so glad when your content comes up on my scroll, much love and hope you're doing well.❤

[@mateusfolletto6142]

! ! ! S P O I L E R S ! ! ! They are all children of Metyr, the Mother of Fingers. It's a boss from the DLC. The boss itens and remembrance also make it clear that the Greater Will isn't calling any shots and isn't even aware of whatever is going on in this world. Metyr is the one controlling everything using her children as emissaries. The Creepers are like her eyes and hands, no pum intended. They are always in places of interest that contain things that are dangerous to the current order, be it Rykard and his blasphemous ways, Ranni and her defiance or the mountain top of the giants and the flame of ruin.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

No I didn't get this impression at all. At no point does it state that its the Mother who'se in control of it all. In fact, it's clearly suggested that the Mother was sent to the Lands Between by the Greater Will. And the staff CLEARLY states: "The Mother received signs from the Greater Will from the beyond of the microcosm. Despite being broken and abandoned, she kept waiting for another message to come." So CLEARLY she has actually received instructions from the Greater Will, probably as part of her mission, and even received signs from it after arriving in the Lands Between (at least that's how I read it, since it says ANOTHER message). It only really says that she no longer receives any signs from it. Keep in mind that the Finger Reader also says that when the Two Fingers in Roundtable Hold start communicating with the Greater Will, it can take hundreds or thousands of years for them to receive a reply. You can interpret this two ways IMO: 1 ) That's what the finger readers think or tell themselves, but the Fingers are actually desperately searching for signs that will never come. 2 ) The Lands Between may not be as important to the Greater Will as we think. It's pretty logical that the Greater Will has spread its influence of many, many worlds, and words from the Lands Between are not a priority. Mother Metyr may be one of THOUSANDS of similar creatures who were all sent to different worlds in an attempt to spread the Greater Will's domain. Remember also, that the Elden Ring was shattered. It is very likely the Greater Will is done with the Lands Between. The Elden Ring is broken, there is no Elden Lord, Marika is gone, the Erdtree is fading dying, and multiple actors are trying to establish a new order. Thus, it always seemed unlikely to me (even in the base game) that the Greater Will even has any interest left in the Lands Between. All of its instruments it indirectly used to spread it will, influence and order over the Lands Between are more or less gone. And so, Mother Metyr can wait as long as she wants (because that is what she is meant to do), but it seems to me like she and everybody else will never hear from the Greater Will again.

[@phoenixdragoon]

Odd that the video doesn't remark that the dead Fingers we find throughout the game consistently appear to have turned into wood in death.

[@jonsmith6331]

The moment I saw dead giants and dead giant lords underground I assumed this had to be the source.

[@okname5335]

they even have rings on like rykards hands

[@MrMulticrazydude]

Thank you. Been wondering about the fingers for a long time. Glad to see its not just me who are puzzled

[@Gunsblazin94]

Welp, we know now. Just look at Metyr in the dlc

[@YolStrun]

I can't wait for the boss fight in the DLC where they all power ranger combine into a fist and punch you into the abyss