Elden Ring Lore: MIQUELLA the HEALER- The Psychology of the OUTER GODS

[@JackisaMimic]

Hey man, let me know before you try to give me nightmares

[@Spudiffer]

😮

[@sclafantasy]

Intro is awesome

[@ShadmehR_23]

Your channel is good too bro.. I subbed both of you.. you consider tiny bits of detail and i love it.

[@ShadowProject01]

Jack! Good to see you showing your fellow lore masters some love. It really is a great intro though 👌🏿

[@user-tb7en5rq4q]

@Jackisamimic - You wanted the truth. Don't run from it now.

[@JackisaMimic]

The conclusion to this video was so powerful and moving. The editing and the music really built up the atmosphere, allowing for you to concretely, and I think accurately, determine what exactly this whole story is supposed to mean. That ending was not only the best I’ve seen in a lore video, but a KZbin video: period.

[@glowindark64]

Yeah I actually wept . So profound . That last part really sticks with ya😂😂

[@CenteredTarnished]

Wow! That’s an incredibly kind thing to say. Thank you, my friend.

[@K8theKind]

@@glowindark64 I was in tears too! Bloody magic, it was! 😭💜

[@euphoricganjanath5625]

@@CenteredTarnished It hits really deep if you see what Eye am saying.

[@Mawal28]

Im so glad you found this channel

[@Lark_man]

And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. -Matthew 18: 9

[@Laplusismyoshi]

In reference to Miquella?

[@TheAzmdain]

Or eat it like a grape

[@BLK_MN]

That thumbnail certainly got my attention, then again, actually seeing Miquella's face is something we've never gotten, and the anticipation for the DLC is palpable.

[@chrispysaid]

We still haven't seen Miquella's face, that was AI art

[@bossofdeath7862]

Mogh : Would.

[@BLK_MN]

@@chrispysaid I know, that's what I said.

[@biomechanical923]

There's an outer god for almost every status effect in the game. Rot, bleed, frostbite, madness, death blight. I speculate there will be one final outer god of dreams in the dlc.

[@blackeddeath]

common poison L 😔

[@pajeetsingh]

Same concept as Genshin Impact. I thought Miyazaki was creative. He is just copying stuffs. 😞

[@nnnnnnnnn8888]

Whats the outer god of frost ?

[@sampalace358]

@@nnnnnnnnn8888the dark moon

[@SuperMaster000X]

@@blackeddeath Thats Miyazaki himself, and his love for poison swamps.

[@The808basshead]

Your mix of music in the beginning was jaw dropping. Incredible intro for an incredible vid!

[@CenteredTarnished]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@freshhands9461]

Your whole approach to the Lore is cutting edge. That chart showing Marika's individual parts explains so much! Also, some of your character builds look pretty sick :D

[@CenteredTarnished]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. To be fair most of that footage was not mine lol. So someone else’s builds are sick

[@freshhands9461]

@@CenteredTarnished Extra points for honesty!

[@Uncle_Fred]

Wow. I don't think anyone's made the connection between depression and the God of Rot before. You've built a very compelling case that this is exactly what this story element is met to represent. The Frenzy flame ending representing a person succumbing to psychosis is also perfectly fitting. The Gold needle piercing the eye was probably removed because it makes the connection too literal. I think if that element had been retained, the lore community would have caught on to what Miyazaki is trying to do much earlier. My only suggestion for future videos might be to cut down on the intro. I think your next video is obvious. We need a video breaking down each ending and what it means from your perspective. I think you touched on that with the Frenzied Flame ending, but I think the others deserve more discussion.

[@CenteredTarnished]

Yeah, the intro got away from me a bit haha. I just loved it too much to cut. I like that idea for the next video. Consider it done!

[@Uncle_Fred]

@@CenteredTarnished Hah! Sounds great!

[@ninjabackhand1337]

I disagree with your criticism of the opening. I thought it was well done and gripping, had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation for the rest of the video.

[@bw5020]

I get it. That into was chef's kiss. I would have also felt funny about cutting it too 😅​@CenteredTarnished

[@CassielSardavic]

I really liked the intro, except for the jump scare that was actual video footage of a lobotomy. That one got under my skin and I hated it.

[@void.sawyer]

Poor Godwyn. "That fish-like thing"

[@Practicallypreposterous]

If that even is its name 👀👀👀

[@krisr4285]

I don’t think that’s Godwin, isn’t Godwin in the area we find Fia and fight the dragon?

[@PichNuts]

​@@krisr4285Pretty sure Rogier says something about the fish thing in Stormveil being Godwyn

[@fabrizzio8986]

​@@krisr4285 For some fucking reason this guy has two corpses. Like wtf.

[@DankyKang96]

@@fabrizzio8986no it’s just that he’s manifesting all over the lands between? Thought people knew the basics by now

[@kimlee6643]

Perhaps there is nothing so simultaneously alien yet personal as mental anguish. That is essentially the most personal story we can tell while dressing it in any form we'd like to. Gods, demigods and outer gods within. I wonder if Miquella fails as we search for him. The world is eternally unkind and unmendable to us, thus the obligation to convalesce from within and shine out. No colossal giant can caress and comfort a tiny mouse, willingly or otherwise, but all mice can huddle against this same giant in warmth, or at least try - the world is not designed to inflict harm by nature, even if harm always follows. I wonder what Miquella found, healing or tragedy. Or perhaps a healing tragedy.

[@Cass.Sassed]

I am so glad I found your videos. It honestly makes the hours (200+ so far) I have invested feel like hours spent in the mirror looking for myself. Much love!

[@hirakujup]

“What happens when one faces trauma?” At that moment I realized that something just snapped, something inside of me.

[@Ripdric]

Ready to have my first playthrough ruined! Reminds me of when as a child i watched sixth sense with my dad who after the opening scene immediately theorised the guy was dead because no one was looking at him. He spent the next two hours apologising when it was soon obvious he was right. I have a feeling that just like then I will be repeatingly noticing the prediction fits the evidence!

[@CenteredTarnished]

Haha that’s hilarious!

[@murderycatdoll1380]

As someone suffering from Depression, this touched me. Fascinating Theories!!!

[@CenteredTarnished]

I’m sorry you are going through that. I too suffer from anxiety and depression and truly believe Miyazaki is telling a psychological story about recovering from something like that. It’s an intense internal and unseen battle. Much love

[@murderycatdoll1380]

Thank you ☺️

[@d.robinson6262]

As someone who get sad sometimes, I hope you get better and come out strong!

[@nickperri6571]

I really wish we could actually use that chaos head in game

[@OFCRKAY]

Video quality going up! Great video man I love it!

[@CenteredTarnished]

Appreciate it!

[@madwaluigi2860]

I'm half expecting Miquella to have at least one shut eye.

[@codes2682]

This dude!!! I just recently found you! You’re the only one I’ve found who views the elden ring lore like I do! This is a fucking banger though dude!! I hope more catch on to you! You’re saying exactly what I’m thinking but saying it a lot better than I can in a comment 😂 and the video and everything is golden!! Praise my guy!!!

[@CenteredTarnished]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it

[@dirtblockandfriends]

This was really well done. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds in the expansion and what new questions will come with it. Great work!

[@CenteredTarnished]

You and me both!

[@tailsfox45]

I appreciate this perspective, and think that this sort of lens does reveal a lot about this game (and bloodborne especially), but I feel like to interpret Elden Ring's world exclusively through the lens of psychology kind of centers it around humans exclusively instead of nature at large in a way I personally don't feel comfortable with.

[@honestpuck4887]

I agree, the anaysis has brought some excellent insights but sometimes it feels like certain things have to be ignored to make the specific conclusions fit. The scarlet rot being related to depression is interesting but it ignores the elements of rebirth and life within the rot. Same with seeing the frenzy flame only as psycosis. The connection makes sense to a point but it ignores aspects of what we're told about it, like the interest in regression and removal of all divisions.

[@Gelly311]

Same goes with the Formless Mother and the Bloodstar. You have to ignore the many, many differences the two entities have between each other in order to reach the same conclusion here. While they both center around blood, they use blood in different ways and for different reasons. And the people that come into contact with them are quite different too, which has led their respective followers into developing their own unique culture, ways of worship, and sense of purpose in The Lands Between. A Bloody Finger faithful doesn't do or think the same thing that a Bloodstar sorcerer does, ever. Stripping all of that historical and magical nuisance away and saying they're one and the same because "Blood" just so the Formless Mother can fit into this theory is, imo, disrespectful to the time and effort that went into the world building for this game. All in an effort to simplify something that doesn't really need to be simplified.

[@Fenriskoll]

Humans create the categories we would define as natural. We literally create gods and religions to help us explain the natural world, and this does the same albeit with the psyche, which I'd also argue is natural. Humans are animals after all. The way I look at it is the lands between and the events that take place there are real and tangible, but also take place inside the mind of Merika, just like they do inside us. We made Zeus and Odin, and we created worlds centered around them much like Merika is doing.

[@trandelifa1]

This was incredible, I'm looking forward to future videos!

[@CenteredTarnished]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@raracosi]

I discovered this channel recently and I love your videos. They helped me make sense of this game and it's message. I hope your channel grows, you deserve a much bigger audience.

[@CenteredTarnished]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed

[@SilentiumCivis]

Seeing how every status effect is connected to a character that is conflicted with an outer god(Malenia/Rot)… what if St.Trina is the outer god of sleep & was the outer god influencing Miquella?; Maybe the trailer saying miquella removed his own fate while showing St.Trina falling is representing miquella removing St.Trina’s influence after he used the needle? Maybe the reason why the land of shadows is marika’s dreams is because St.Trina is now influencing Marika or Godwyn after being removed by miquella & is the reason why miquella is going into this dreamland, to save them from the same outergod that once influenced him? St.Trina isn’t miquellas other half but simply the outer god of sleep that miquella fell victim to? This could be more evidence for the Miquella is Melina theory due to her eye missing via removing St.Trina via the needle, this is why we haven’t seen miquella’s face?? I think I have something here, tell me what you think.

[@CenteredTarnished]

Hmmm it's an interesting thought - one that needs a little more thought! Let me get back to you

[@SilentiumCivis]

@@CenteredTarnished And just to clarify why I think Marika & Godwyn could be under the influence of St.Trina, if they cannot experience a true death, destined death, but are still resting, then the only thing they could possibly be experiencing is maybe an eternal slumber/dream? Maybe St.Trina (The outer god of sleep) became the new outer god of the dead after destined death was sealed because everyone is just experiencing an eternal never ending slumber/dream?

[@FFNOJG]

WE HAVE SEEN MIQUELLA'S FACE HE IS LITERALLY THE FUCKING STATUE'S YOU HAVE TO LIGHT 3 CANDLES OF IN THE LITURGICAL TOWN!!! THERE IS STATUES OF HIM, A CHILD MELANIA, AND GODWYN HUGGING THEM!!! THEY EXIST!! I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE KEEP SAYING THIS????

[@echohazmat8759]

Miquella has the Haligtree (an area where the blasphemous, hated, and the unclean can stay. Much similar to an asylum or nursing home of sorts.), his needle (the lobotomy tool as mentioned in the video.), and a sick family. All the theories lately have been negative about Miquella so this is very welcome. He also seemed to be patient enough to teach the frog Albinaurics how to use the Discus of Light, and let the immobile Albinaurics cocoon in his Haligtree. This seems to be the most mentally stable Demigod/Emperyean in the game. Ranni is obviously not all there thanks to the Night of Black Knives, and Malenia is Malenia. Even with the Age of Stars ending you seem to just accept depression, embracing the cold and bitterness of the world. I have recently been in and out of the Therapist and I've learned that you can't let it grow stagnant (as seen with the Rot). Essentially the Age of Stars is just embracing Ranni's vision, which seems good but then after looking at it again and again, it seems to just mess up those of Lands Between who still believe in Marika. It's so drastic but Ranni won't hear it, it feels like it will fail fast. It doesn't solve the issues with the Crucible, Frenzy, Rot, etc. It's just a way of eliminating the Erdtree and Marika's reign. So maybe Ranni is a red herring, leaving Miquella to be the true good ending.

[@samueleborn9909]

Really well put, this does make a lot of sense

[@brandonshane4574]

the lore is so crazy i struggled finding a character that i could connect with based on my own ethics. So i gave up and made it more simple, I became Kratos

[@CenteredTarnished]

haha love it

[@aoiminase]

@@CenteredTarnishedif the lord of frenzy’s origin was from midra, how did it got out of the shadow realm?

[@Tezca-Coatl]

the shadow realm is subconciousness, thats why its known in the lands between - you havent been listening😂

[@AlfredoJrLazo]

This is such an amazing analysis. I am a huge fan of you KZbinr, and your writing skills, and your artistic creativity. Very well thought man

[@CenteredTarnished]

Thank you!

[@kchurchjr]

Ok. At @0.42 BEST frenzied flame opening EVER

[@dannysandhu9487]

Guess thats the Magnus Opus we have here, Great Video man

[@smokingbobs1344]

I've been thinking about the Greater Will in the context of your videos. I find thinking of it as the will of society to fit quite well. At the start of the DLC story trailer we witness the birth and separation of the shadow and the ego. This coincides with what has been speculated to be the landing of the Elden beast, which was "sent by the Greater Will". I can go more in depth, but it does seem to line up quite well with what you've already laid out.

[@mutzielen]

The notion that all the demigods are aspects of Marika is really compelling and does explain a lot of things. Maybe when Marika has children she's literally shedding aspects of herself, leaving only the pure "ideal" she has for herself of what she should be. Like she sheds a bit of her soul into her offspring and since she's the true vessel of the elden ring, they in turn are ideal vessels for a specific rune of the elden ring. This explains Radagon actually, maybe she did a mitosis and Radagon is her first "offspring". Thats how he could always have been part of her but still recombine with her later and have a will of his own. He's some original aspect of herself she shed. First she split herself by herself, then she tried splitting herself by having children, then she tried splitting herself by having children with herself. That's some crazy business.

[@WheatDos]

Her family tree is a -circle- ring.

[@TheMuzca]

Hey man, great video as always. But I have to ask: do you make the illustrations that you use in your videos? Idont remember seeing credits for these.

[@Jasonmakesvideo]

I swear to God ...

[@xSean0607]

Holy Miquella, nothing could prepare me for this analogy and introspection and I couldn't just stop watching. Time well spent, loved every second of it

[@joeherrera8826]

I come to the realization that the people in Elden Ring are not good or bad guys they just have their own agendas.

[@CenteredTarnished]

Couldn't agree more - I would also add that there is always a catalyst to their actions that is not merely selfish or power hungry. Some terrible event that cause a snowball effect. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"

[@Coconut_D_Coconut]

Took me a bit to watch half than the other half, but I'm intrigued at your insight. Definitely will sub for more of ur content. Thanks

[@alexandrejjbruneau]

such amazing insights! I've been reading 'man and his symbols' by C. Jung and what you posit makes total sense! It feels like you've cracked the code - well done.

[@AndehTee94]

Deaths Poker is a fire poker, its in the name and description of the item. Its not supposed to resemble "ancient abortion tools" especially random hooks you cropped out of larger kits. Your forcing it to fit your theory on that point.

[@CenteredTarnished]

Okay

[@DankyKang96]

Damn right

[@Nolimitsbestfriend]

You're forcing it to not fit his theory

[@NOVAROMA753BC]

1. Does the greater will represent Consciousness? 2. What does the Fell god of the fire giants represent?

[@CenteredTarnished]

I would suggest my Elden Ring, Elden Beast and Greater Will video. You might enjoy it!

[@NOVAROMA753BC]

@@CenteredTarnished I did. Just a bit confused is all and will watch it for a fifth time. But what does the Fell god represent?

[@CenteredTarnished]

@@NOVAROMA753BC haha got it! I think the Greater Will is more akin to evolution - time, progression, etc. Consciousness is a result of this. I haven't done any research into the Fell God but I do think the giants are meant to resemble Marika's parents and adults in her life while she was a child. Her "defeating" them is her coming into her own. We all do this psychologically where we separate ourselves from our parents in order to find out own way.

[@Rooster_Ric]

​@@NOVAROMA753BCYour confusion is warranted. This guy is full of it. It's too bad people are so gullible.

[@enjoji]

Kosm... Do you hear our prayers? "No, we shall not abandon the dream." grant us eyes, grant us eyes. Plant eyes on our brains, to cleanse our beastly idiocy." "The grand lake of mud, hidden now, from sight." Please, could you donate a fingerprint grape to me? Without one I don't know, I feel like I might go mad. Yes, that's it, let me have it! *slurping noises* Ahh... ahh! I can hear it, yes! The sound that guides me. Oh, thank you, thank you so much. You have saved me. Ahh! Aahh! I see a shape. My guide, I see your voice, clearly, as it bends and bleeds. My own, revelation... just for me... *giggling* Thank... thank you... I have touched them. The words of the Three Fingers. As your maiden, allow me to divine them. "All that there is came from the One Great. Then came fractures, "The sky and the cosmos are one.” Thank you. For everything... Really, I used to be nothing... *giggling*

[@Jasonmakesvideo]

Brain fluid test subjects and frenzy maiden love eating the forbidden fruit

[@jamB2007]

27:34 ahh so that explains my love for bleed builds… it’s because I’m depressed and self harming! It all makes sense now!

[@shawnam1645]

The opening music was creepy for ER.. JS. Subscribed for the intro and the lore ♥️ great video

[@rivuperson]

The absolute pit in my stomach counter-balanced by a massive sense of hope right now!! CT, you beast!

[@chrispysaid]

Video starts at 1:54

[@michaelelmes2135]

I always wonder, for creators and scholars of the lore and themes of these games, is there a fear of future context poking holes in your concepts and theories? Like if the shadow of the erdttree came out and somehow entirely wreaked havoc on your understanding and correlations, how would you feel? Is there an anxiety there? Or would you welcome the challenge of having to reinterpret what you know? Or are you certain it will fit in just fine? Really digging these videos. The dark souls trilogy analysed in the context of depression and all that is one of my favorite ways of viewing them. This feels like a growth of that into something way more complex

[@IYENSS]

Insanely good video as always man.

[@alexanderdumas-]

Is that a snakes head Marika is stealing gold from in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer? Looks like it’s being pulled out of its eye and later to create the golden order when she holds it up

[@tailsfox45]

A channel called timdiggity just did a video theorizing exactly this

[@OscarTheStrategist]

I’m just not meant to work today with all these lore videos popping up like outer gods 😂 This video and series is fucking 🔥 GG

[@flugga182]

I wonder if those characters with one sealed eye are actually versions of their twin that succumbed to one of the outer gods and then got "healed" with the needle in the eye, leaving them a blind eye and with a loss of memory. That would explain melina for example. she only appears at the frenzied flame ending and does not remember much of herself during the game, as if she had to undergo a lobotomy with miquella's needle to recover from madness. Millicent is also another character that uses the needle and does not really know who she is anymore. She must be a version of malenia healed from the scarlet rot. great video man, lot of stuff to think about.

[@CenteredTarnished]

I like that connection! Thank you

[@FFNOJG]

Ranni also has a closed eye... The eye is more symbolic of hiding a secret, or hiding/sealing away part of their past in secret. thus it manifests on them physically as the sealed eye.

[@FFNOJG]

ALSO I would like to point out a research paper, a recent one, that actually proves a very jungian idea that many wanted to dismiss. It actually goes back to a dismissed idea "left brain is the analytical side, qnd the right is artistic" this is actually wrong, but it is a re-evaluation of those studies on those people who had epilepsy or whatever that caused them to get the surgery to seperate the link between the two halves of our brain. This also goes into a personal belief of mine involving consciousness, and what some might term "parapsychological abilities" such as remote viewing, precognition, etc (which I have done, and had. it is very real) but that is besides the point. Your left half of your brain is actually the "conscious" you. the one analyzing everything cognizantly... but... your right side? turns out there is a whole other individual in there... it doesn't read, or use words... but it can be communicated with... it actually communicates memetically... or in symbology, and archetypal meaning. infact this very recent paper goes over the fact that the right side brain portion.. well it can have humor...and even "talk or reference" "the other person" or well the Cognizant awake person... because the individual when this is happening is literally drawing images with their left hand, but looking forward at a screen, and cannot remember "anything" they seen in their left eye, and literally has no idea what their left hand is drawing, or the info its relating in that very moment to the person doing the study. there is video of this...but the "unconscious" person? it remembers, and is communicating in its jungian style. ... it just can't pass the info over to the left brain to filter into some form of semi-logical narrative that makes sense to that person. NOW I am not fully sure it's totally a seperate person... its possibly is in people with the severed brains...BUT I believe IT IS the seat of the unconscious in all of us, and it is actually the side that is pulling in tons of data to send over to the left side to filter into a coherent reality narrative. It is also the part that is the seat of where you get your subconscious intuition... and that feeling when you know you are being watched, etc. WHAT does this have to do with melina? oh well... just that IN the frenzied flame ending? the gloam eye? it's her left eye...the one controlled by subconscious/unconscious right brain.

[@CenteredTarnished]

@@FFNOJG very cool! Nice research!

[@jonnymario771]

Ok. You figured Elden Ring just like Charred Thermos figured Bloodborne. Fantastic!

[@K8theKind]

CT, this is a masterpiece, mate. You had me in tears. If I could standing ovation, I’d have done. Thank you for your approach and for the peripheral healing it helps to facilitate and actuation in processes of. Your shoutout to Jack was cute and funny but it was also tremendously powerful. Thank you, from his friends and community!💜✨ P.S. Oh, and! IT’S a 10/10 from me(h)!!!!!😄💜✨😊

[@CenteredTarnished]

Thank you very much for the kind words!! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@Rooster_Ric]

🤦‍♂️

[@hannahshark8080]

Sick intro 👌🏼

[@Fyrebirdi]

Now that you've completed the DLC I look forward to your assessment of Miquella. I really don't think lobotomies can be considered healing considering the brain damage that occurs. And I cannot believe that mindf*cking people into loving you can be considered 'mental health' by any stretch of the imagination. As disturbing as the concept of a lobotomy is, so is Miquella

[@kolbywilliams7234]

A correction here is warranted. Jesus did not speak of Nirvana or anything that resembles it. There is a very important distinction between nirvana and the kingdom of heaven being inside of a person. Firstly, nirvana is about “blowing out” passions. The Kingdom of Heaven is not without passion, there are no emotions that are inherently evil or bad, it is only our inability to find congruent objects for our emotions that makes them bad. For example, hatred by itself is not evil in Christianity. God hates many things throughout scripture, for example, and it cannot be evil because God is good. Hatred of sin is a good thing, whereas hatred of a person is an evil thing, at least for humans because we lack the perfect knowledge of God. This is antithetical to the concept of nirvana. Lastly and most importantly, the Kingdom of Heaven is not governed or shaped by one’s psyche. It is an objective state, created and ordered by God, who is the objective and de facto source of all knowledge and truth. So while God resides in us, we are distinct entities from Him and in no way can shape Him in our image. Any attempt to do so is simply incorrect. The point of Christianity is to conform to the likeness of God through a relationship with Jesus Christ, not about extinguishing passions and finding inner peace. Inner peace may be a result of a relationship with Christ, but it is not what a Christian seeks in and of itself. I hope this was helpful to at least someone here.

[@BLK_MN]

The psychoanalysis is taken a bit too far at times, too abstract for all the specific details and historical/religious framework that is told directly in Elden Ring. But the idea that all characters are fractions of the whole being that is Marika does have a lot credence. Perhaps The One Great mythos told to us is about Marika and how she brings about creation (as we know it) via disparity.

[@CenteredTarnished]

I like it!

[@Rooster_Ric]

Don't be polite. This guy is nuts. He's making sh#t up based on very basic, surface level understanding of psych (which can apply to any narrative)

[@DankyKang96]

@@Rooster_Ric💯

[@CenteredTarnished]

@Rich_P_Anya you 2 remind me of an 80’s movie with high school bullies lol. O’doyle rules!

[@DankyKang96]

@@CenteredTarnished we’re not bullying, just criticising. You can’t expect everyone to agree with you?

[@SoulsEnjoyerz24]

In another level. Ty for this journey!😉

[@DeadEndFrog]

very much as above so below, but lobotomes are bad tho, the problem with miquella is that hes no gold mask, he attempts to quick fix

[@benjeesilv1596]

He's not trying to fix the issue he's trying to basically start anew. He couldn't fix things, at least he might have felt so, not as he was. Goldmask did have a solution but it was order without the gods, a thing a demi-god probably couldn't conceive of. Especially not one who aspires to godhood.

[@beniron5807]

Malenia representing anxiety and depression makes a lot of sense. It’s no wonder she is often consider one of the hardest bosses in the game. The fact that she can become easy by knowing her many weakness even better. Especially when you get cocky and she makes you pay for it. Stay vigilant!

[@northstar12389]

You got it right. I am just not sure if you were expecting Radahn for the individuation. And it seems there will be a continuation maybe Elden Ring 2 or even another DLC.

[@your_neko]

That's an interesting attempt to co-opt the narrative of the game, but why?

[@CenteredTarnished]

Why what?

[@your_neko]

@@CenteredTarnished Why would you pick the most obscure layer of narrative, to discuss it with lots of arbitrary judgements and assumptions? You're right, Outer Gods shouldn't be interpreted from Lovecraftian "ineffable, crippling terror" kind of perspective. Lovecraftian gods wouldn't be bullied by Radahn. Even we, as a player, are expected to influence this cosmic game of thrones to some degree. However, Outer Gods of the Elden Ring are too alien and too distant to be interpreted from any subjective anthropocentric perspective. Even the Greater Will, "our own" Outer God, interacts with humans and dragons (literal living stones) in the same way. The rest of other Outer Gods, like Chaos Flame or Scarlet Rot, are even more "inclusive". Do they even see a difference between humans, giant rats, and trees? They certainly affect humans in unpleasant ways, but it looks like a side effect of their deep influence on reality. I have a suspicion that "Miyazaki took this hidden story out" simply because it was never intended to be a part of the story. A lore theory "each Outer Gods represents a fast food network" would have nearly the same amount of substance.

[@Rooster_Ric]

​​@@your_nekothank God there's another sane person in this comment section. I'm disappointed in all of the people heaping praise on this guy (bots?) If he had actually studied psychology he would have learned that many new students try to apply their baby psych understanding to anything and everything. This is warned against because you are going to be mistaken.

[@CenteredTarnished]

@your_neko I’m sorry you feel that way. I hope someone meets your expectations.

[@inmortuae4512]

Oh yeah, Its all coming together.

[@abcdef2072]

I think the idea that Miquella's approach to healing (or "healing"?) mirrors lobotomy is a compelling perspective but then I wonder if he should really be seen as an actual healer vs. somebody who (desperately) tries to heal the people around him (or parts of Marika's self) but causes more harm than good. I don't mean this in a way that he is consciously being a bad person. He might mean well and have good intentions but his methods might not actually lead to healing and just superficially seem so. I know that so far the effects of his needles have not been shown to turn out negatively ingame so I don't want to claim that this is a "canon" (as far as anything can ever be canon in ER) intention. But due to the historical horror and medical dehumanization that is lobotomy I would be really bummed out if it is used as something genuinely positive here. This would be incredibly disrespectful and crude considering how terrible lobotomy is, and how it was very often used to cure "hysteria" in women who needed genuine help or who fell out of line by not wanting to perform social expectations. Women were the _vast_ majority of people who received lobotomies, and them not wanting to perform gender stereotypes of domesticity and subservience was sometimes treated as a sign of mental illness that could lead to lobotomy. So potentially presenting something that destroyed many women's humanity as cure engulfed in divine symbolism is in bad taste, and a historically revisionist writing choice that should be scrutinized. www.nature.com/articles/548523e www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5962395/ "...found that most patients lobotomized by doctors were women.4 At a time when _women were expected to be calm, cooperative and attentive to domestic affairs, definitions of mental illness were as culturally bound as their treatments. A surgery that rendered female patients docile and compliant, but well enough to return to and care for their homes, had many proponents before the drug chlorpromazine, the first “major” tranquilizer, became available in 1954._ Chlorpromazine’s success launched our modern psychopharmcologic era, anointing drugs as the treatment of choice in asylum and outpatient psychiatry. Tellingly, prescribing patterns reinforced earlier tropes. By 1968, the “minor” tranquilizer Valium (diazepam), _marketed as an antidote for socially dysfunctional women - the excessively ambitious, the visually unkempt, the unmarried and the menopausal misfits - was the best-selling drug in the world as well as one prescribed overwhelmingly to women.5_ The disproportionate use of lobotomies and tranquilizers by doctors as therapies for female patients exemplify how gender bias has shaped twentieth-century medicine.." "What the documentary omits is that _most lobotomized patients were women, although most institutionalized patients at the time were men._ This gaping disparity, noted by scholars, is made more troubling by the _general silence surrounding it today.3 Yet the disparity has been in plain view from the start. Five of the six patients in the case study by Freeman and Watts were women whose symptoms - apprehension, insomnia - seem incommensurate with their treatment, but whose status as women sanctioned it._ A patient _previously fearful of aging could now “grow old gracefully” and care for her home._ She complained of a lack of spontaneity, but her husband praised the changes her surgery had wrought, declaring her “more normal than she had ever been,” possibly the least credible measure of therapeutic success in the annals of history.2 By 1942, 75% of the lobotomies Freeman and Watts had performed were on women." This procedure just carries too much historical baggage to be used or "artistically reinterpreted" as a successful procedure to re-establishe balance, mental health and peace of mind in a traumatized woman. It would be be incredibly disappointing and come off as little more than a contrived attempt at an "artistic" choice for the sake of being provocative, instead of any true profoundness and meaningful understanding of mental health and trauma, esp. in women. If the symbolism of lobotomy is what they really are going for, I would respect it if it was not in fact meant to be positive and if Miquella's approach was actually supposed to be a harmful procedure. One that doesn't heal but destroys the psyche of those it has been administered to even further/on another level, in order for the narrative to serve as a social commentary on the horror of lobotomy.

[@CenteredTarnished]

I love the research and deep dive you took here! I tend to agree with you about the historical evidence surrounding lobotomies but I think we also have to remind ourselves that this is a video game and is meant to provoke emotions and sensationalize. Meaning that FromSoft could be using this lobotomy reference for many things that don't have to deal with the historical accuracies of the procedure. They could be using it to give reference to what the Outer Gods are. They could be using it to dramatize and ramp up the emotions surrounding it. I don't think it's fair to hold FromSoft accountable for the inaccuracies of lobotomies because ultimately Elden Ring is a piece of art and not a history book. Like you wouldn't look at a painting of Picasso and say "that's not accurate" - because that's not what its goal is. It's meant to evoke an emotional response.

[@BlackHermit]

13:45 the captions made me chuckle.

[@DHathaway78]

I wonder why Miquella doesn’t have a shadow bound beast.

[@thefistofbread]

Great video!

[@CenteredTarnished]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@itsreallyhardtospell]

speechless.

[@GasDude1011]

We found a rising star in the loresphere

[@CenteredTarnished]

Hopefully!

[@joeysaige8293]

What does the fell god of ruin represent?

[@D0verking69]

I love all of the effort put into this video, but I don’t think the authors thought that far into these themes when making the story

[@hankskorpio5857]

Inside Out 3: The Birth of a God...

[@DistrustfulAtom]

This has tons of insight and the perspectives are spot on. Have to watch it a few more times to catch everything. But damn, RIP Bozo, my mom is Miquella guys.

[@FinneousPJ1]

Audio level is kinda low

[@danielled8665]

The demigods could also be connected to the seven deadly sins, in the "internal self" metaphor. Miquella- Sloth. He's asleep, and his alternate self is a saint of sleep. Melania- Pride. She is Melania. Blade of Miquella. And she has never known defeat. Radahn: Wrath. His mind has been devoured and only rage remains. Rykard: Gluttony. He would devour all. Even the very gods. Godrick the Golden- Envy. He steals the strength of others because he lacks his own. Im torn between Mohg and Rani as lust and greed. Theyre both ambitious and crave power at all cost.

[@SophiaTheAll-Knowing]

How do you believe Godrick fits into this narrative, as far as his lore goes. He is narrating the 2019 trailer and appears to be grafting godwyns arm to himself, which explains why there is another Godwyn in Stormveil. I feel like grafting has something to do with the soul and matter ehich explains his role in the Night of Black Knives as he may have been the one to teach the Black Knives to graft and possibly use it for the ritual involved with Ranni and Godwyn. Which may also explain Godefroy as Godricks grafted soul. But in terms of mental illness im sure there is a hidden parallel here. He may represent Jealousy and the longing for the past and the desire for stability (He has the only stable kingdom other then Morgott) to the point of sacrificing your soul.

[@OmegaOtouto]

that opening was l- that opening was li-- good opening 👍

[@thateldenguy215]

3 am for me I feel like I just took a psychology class and now I'm depressed damn you KZbin. Great video tho

[@CenteredTarnished]

Sorry about that!

[@torhenryandreassen6144]

I am here... not able to bring myself to finish the DLC...

[@BruTalc]

man good video but I gotta be honest, the "creepy" rendition of The Itsy Bitsy Spider at the beginning reminded me of a bad horror movie trailer and doesn't fit Elden Ring at all

[@Spacejack-xx2yp]

One thing I'd like a lore answer to is a hanging element that's been in the Souls series all along. Why and how does the world (partially) reset itself when you die? How long is it taking us to "resurrect?" So long that everything else gets up first and wanders back to "its place?"

[@tailsfox45]

This sticks in my head in every single game. Bloodborne could get a pass because you might say you're waking up in the same nightmare over and over, but especially for sekiro it is very weird that they go out of their way to make the protags' resurrection Canon but does not explain how the human, non immortal enemies come back each time you do

[@TedBrogan]

1:42 Bro... that's how long it took for me to be in.

[@scadubro]

What if Miquella is trying to become an outer god? 🤔

[@90piterr]

How many mushroom did U eat before doing this video?

[@OnBluez]

Yoo what these sounds from frfr links bro👌

[@technologicalwaste7612]

Most of these cut-scenes I have never seen, because I am a righteous person.

[@theclaybeartravels3596]

I don't think Melina will be our maiden in the DLC. I think Miquella will be our new maiden.

[@technologicalwaste7612]

Miquella will be our madlad as we rampage across the Shaded Realm, taking loot.

[@eurolex2446]

What about Ranni, the Dark Moon, and the Age of Stars? I think she represents Jungian psychology, especially his teachings of shadow work and “The Dark Night of the Soul” which 100% goes with Ranni’s theme. Whereas Miquella’s futile efforts only numb the pain and just prolong the inevitable. Ranni confronts and destroys everything holding her back. She is the real cure, and i still think she’s still going to have the “better” ending

[@CenteredTarnished]

I think that is one way to look at it. I agree that Ranni represents the Dark Night of the Soul but I see her ending as suicide. I plan to make a video on the endings but if Ranni’s ending is the true/ good ending, I don’t think we would be having a DLC with Miquella healing the Shadow.

[@eurolex2446]

@@CenteredTarnished Oof i never saw it that way, but it makes so much sense… Upon further inspection, if you read the Dark Night of the Soul poem by St. John of the Cross, it kind of depicts Ranni meeting Miquella/St. Trina… it also represents death and rebirth of the ego. Maybe it’s not truly a suicide, because maybe there is some form of rebirth after her ending. I do agree that if her ending was supposed to be the “true/good” ending it would have been DLC instead of Miquela.

[@eurolex2446]

@@CenteredTarnished Don’t mean to bombard you with replies, but could Miquela possibly represent The Dark Night of the Soul? There are technically two versions: The Jungian version which is a more psychological approach (Ranni), and then theres the St. John of the Cross which is the more faith based approach (Miquella)

[@CenteredTarnished]

If you’ve followed my theory, I speculate that Godwyn is Marika’s ego personified. So I think you are right about ego death and rebirth. Ranni (being the dark night of the soul instigator) kills the old ego (Godwyn) and Miquella is the rebirth of Marika’s new ego- her new way of living. I mean Miquella is literally in a cocoon siting on hip bones. He is quite literally being born/ reborn.

[@DankyKang96]

@@CenteredTarnishedI’m sorry bro but this theory is absolutely mental, in a bad way.

[@dqdinh8584]

guys could you please stop making shit up regarding Elden ring Lore? The closer we get to the DLC, the more absurd loretubers vids start popping up on my feeds. I work at FromSoft and this deeply concerns me.

[@SirSaladAss]

Nice try Miyazaki but we're onto you

[@keiroty7187]

So merrica has multiple personalities disorder?

[@obzen84]

this is 🔥 👏

[@CenteredTarnished]

Thank you!

[@MrBedZeppelin]

Yeah, I can see this as the premise, for sure! I like where you are going here. If George RR Martin created the deep history and multiple "separate" characters which we are led to believe, then I can see Miyazaki flipping the script on ALL of us and using all these characters unified into, "The One Great", Marika. Let's face it I have looked at possibly 100 different videos breaking down all their character stories as presented in the vanilla game, and they (for the most part) don't align quite right. Alchemy, Archaeology and Psychology interested me the most. With new story trailer perhaps only one of these theories, can survive. We shall see SOON. Thanks for Sharing!

[@DonutSwordsman]

So hype

[@Meldiocre]

Someone take this man's thesaurus away :P

[@codes2682]

Wow!!! This makes me view elden ring as an almost new age Bible.... not like Jesus and stuff.... but how people could view their own mind and how it all works....

[@blackeddeath]

Wow, this is a game-changer. Outstanding work. I'd like to suggest a slightly different reading of the Deathbirds and their god. The Branchsword Talismans promise a "glorious end" to "those who *cling* so tenaciously to life"; perhaps the Deathbirds embody or propagate the fear of death, or fear of the unknown more generally. They only appear at night, in the dark, and always when you least expect it...

[@EduardoNicoleit]

Bro I love your content, please don't use gpt lol

[@CenteredTarnished]

lol agreed. I lack the confidence in the way I put things but I agree

[@LesserStar]

hell yeah baby lore! edit: two and a half minutes in and im already terrified, sorry mister miquella :o(

[@kittentacticalwarfare1140]

There is rarely anything possitive or idealistic about Lovecraftian Gods lmao

[@vargusdread9519]

Your vids are insanely good, I hope you blow up soon, it's crazy how this quality feels like someone with 100k subs

[@CenteredTarnished]

Thank you! Keep spreading the word haha.

[@euphoricganjanath5625]

Elden ring lore to not sleep too ☠

[@Daydreamer4789]

Remarkable!

[@CenteredTarnished]

Glad you liked it!

[@Daydreamer4789]

​@@CenteredTarnished Your analysis reminded me of Bloodborne psychological layer of dealing with Oidipus complex. In the same token I have viewed Elden ring as a metaphor for Jungian concept of dealing with devouring mother - need for everyone to free themselves from influence our mothers mpose on us.

[@CenteredTarnished]

@@Daydreamer4789 Nice!! I love it

[@DankyKang96]

This has gotta be the biggest reach in the history of mankind

[@CenteredTarnished]

Thank you for all the comments! You’re single handedly boosting my algorithm. What else don’t you like? Make sure to put it in single text form. Again, much love!

[@DankyKang96]

@@CenteredTarnished no amount of views will make this theory and less of a massive reach

[@CenteredTarnished]

@dlwf11111 are there any theories that don’t reach? You do realize this isn’t historical, right? Like it’s a fantasy game with a merman corroding his mom’s house and a dragon is inside his mind fighting the good fight. Oh, and either of them could be human and/or a dragon because that’s a thing in ER. Please tell me how to make sense of this lore without making leaps.

[@DankyKang96]

@@CenteredTarnished anything other than this theory

[@CenteredTarnished]

@dlwf11111 lol classic

[@CrimsonBladezz]

As an elden snooze lore master everything in video is wrong