Everything we've found in Japanese Dark Souls

The Japanese of Dark Souls has revealed some important Lore which we share here.
The English translation is of a very high quality, so look at this more as additional rather than as conflicting information. These translation seemed the most important in the Lore of Dark Souls.
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Hawkshaw.

[@Hawkshaw]

Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/user?u=3372968 May grace guide us all.. ✨ Hawkshaw

[@abstractl1fe253]

I really love your videos brother, I hope you and yours are doing well!

[@abstractl1fe253]

It’s changed how I perceive it all

[@slightlytwistedagain]

I thought you went hollow, I see you still have some humanity left in you.

[@Hawkshaw]

Praise the Lore!

[@funbro99]

Hawkshaw your alive?.... Bloody hell you never give up do you? That's the spirit Keh hehehehe good work fellow undead

[@OcarinaT1]

About Manus: you find a broken pendant far outside Oolacile, or what became of it. I propose that it was stolen, perhaps even broken, by those that robbed Manus's grave. He likely cared very much for it as one of the few, if any, things he took with him when he died. After all, you only get to choose one burial gift at the beginning of each game.

[@serfillustrated4018]

I think you may be right. Maybe that's really why the pendant(gift) really doesn't do anything. It just has sentimental value as with Manus. Having all YOUR things you were buried with would be more likely to make you feel closer to being whole... Would be interesting to know if keeping/using all of your starting gear along with the pendant had some kind of luck/rng things going in the background.

[@linkxsc]

TLDR the deeper you get into the lore, the more depressing the world of dark souls 1 actually is.

[@yikes6969]

worst tldr ever

[@supercellodude]

There's a parable of a fox seeking grapes that are just out of reach. Upon failing, the fox resigns in its efforts and assumes they must be sour. Unlike the fox, us "lore enthusiasts" enjoy melancholy and tragedy as darker colors that enrich the tapestry of life. We seek the grapes because they are sour.

[@Hawkshaw]

Hi Guys, A number have commented on how we direct you guys to our timeline video, or how we didn't fill in certain point that we mentioned. We want to explain that we did not do this to up our views, or have you watch our other videos in frustration. Instead it is because going into detail would take too long, our timeline video is an hour and 20 minutes! In the past, new viewers have debated our conclusions without having watched our previous videos and we have found it quicker to simply redirect them to the evidence they ask for at the outset. We do not mind if you watch the timeline video or not, we only want to make sure that those who really take the lore seriously are shown our reasoning and evidence. We would be frustrated with mere conjecture in a lore video ourselves, and it is for those lore enthusiasts who want to find answers that we direct them to the timeline video (and all of our videos in fact). Returning fans shouldn't have to hear the same lore rehashed every video, especially when we have videos that are designed precisely for newcomers only a click away. We will go easy next time! Hawkshaw.

[@mynameswouldntwork]

You guys deserve more subscribers. Love these lore videos and I wish there were more of them. Do you guys still plan on doing more stories of the gods?

[@Truewiseman]

I'd appreciate a link to any referred videos in the description section for convenience.

[@brettpid6416]

Really enjoy your videos and I'm happy to see that you're still doing stuff!

[@everlastilngsilver9086]

Why aren't you guys promoting your patreon? At least in the description.

[@everlastilngsilver9086]

Any update on when you re coming back?

[@theanarchistcook]

I think the reason you loot the Havel Ring from the warrior in the tower is that they're not the real Havel, and they lack the strength to war his armor and carry his weapon without a little extra help.

[@SicksInYourAss13]

Vaati, with one million subscribers has seen some of your vids, and shouted you out!!! Finally, the recognition hawkshaw deserves!!!! Been here since your first vid had like a 1,000 views, glad to finally see this. Keep posting quality content!!

[@Hawkshaw]

Awesome to have had you throughout this journey man, it's changed quite a lot since those first thousand views! The next video should be pretty grand...

[@dvklaveren]

Is it possible that Nito being "the first" is plural, rather than singular? That he is the first person that died, rather than the first people who died? After all, he's comprised of several corpses.

[@yellowsaurus4895]

What?

[@dvklaveren]

@@yellowsaurus4895 What?

[@yellowsaurus4895]

@@dvklaveren "the first that died" and "the first who died" are grammatically the same. I figured out what you meant tho

[@l.p.7585]

The first that died as in "those people that died first" I like this idea

[@Kelpic]

@@l.p.7585 I don't think this is true because if you go into the game files, Nito is actually one giant skeleton with a cloak of smaller skeletons. The real skull of Nito is actually the center one.

[@guitarmageddon3570]

This Dank Lore fix rejuvenated me after a shitty day at work

[@Hawkshaw]

That's what it's all about

[@nasserharbi7839]

Very interesting. I need to rewatch all your videos. Hawkshaw, you deserve to be the main lore channel in my opinion.

[@Arthur-vo9kt]

Yup. Evidence support.

[@Seelensocke]

Yeah. Who needs Vaati? Hawkshaw is what I look for in a lore video.

[@milorubio5987]

@@Seelensocke whaaat R u a dum stoopid dummy?!?!? Vaati is easily namber wonnnee, he is winner no one greatest than vaati

[@ObiJuanKenob]

Bruh have you even enb?

[@InvincibleSol]

Thanks for specifying it's your opinion. I mkstskingly thought it was George W Bush's for a minute.

[@ViperJoe]

I have to say, the bit about the Mimics blew my mind. I wonder what else was lost in translation, especially with regard to later installments of the series. Also, it makes sense that Velka would be considered a _heretical_ deity instead of just a "rogue" one, since it's implied that her role to mete out punishment for sins includes even other supposed deities -- not to mention the rather anomalous placement of her statue in DS3.

[@BaconNCereal]

After playing all 3, I’ve always felt like dark souls 1 felt the most “end of time” to me.

[@tennoakahi]

OK, just a small tidbit, but in Japanese, when you see the phrase "X no Y" it can be translated as "Y of X" or as "Y, the X". So for instance, Senshi no Havel could be Havel Warrior/Warrior of Havel as it could be "Havel the Warrior"

[@Hawkshaw]

thanks man, we will be dealing with havel next video.

[@wind-flower]

"X no Y" = "Y of X" "Senshi no Havel" =/= "Warrior of Havel" You forgot to flip the words in your example. "Warrior of Havel" will always be "Havel no Senshi". "Senshi no Havel" *could* mean "Warrior's Havel", but that would only apply if "Havel" was either an object/tool or a general term for a group of people called "Havels" (whom someone could use/employ/rule over and therefore "possess").

[@wind-flower]

Of course, I wasn't debating that. Maybe I made it sound like "Warrior's Havel" was the only possible translation - my bad. I just wanted to say that "Senshi no Havel" could mean "Warrior's Havel" (*or* "Havel the Warrior"), but not "Warrior of Havel" - that would be "Havel no Senshi" (like it is in the game).

[@Ravielsk]

The guy in the tower being a warrior of Havel and not Havel himself would explain why do we meet Havel in DS3. The one in DS1 is just his follower and the one in DS3 is the real one.(or reversed) Interesting nonetheless.

[@Orthos4]

Ravielsk I think its reversed, since the Summoned Creatures in Archdragon Peak are also referred to as Havel Soldiers and I also believe they stop spawing if the real Havel Soldier is dead.

[@Otakumanu]

I don't think we ever met Havel, period. Assuming Havel is not a place or some form of ideology of course. The guy in the tower drops the Havel Ring, which states that Havel himself did not use it, which would imply that it's another Soldier of the Rock or a guy who swapped places with Havel.

[@nathanlockhart3876]

Idk, the key to the tower in undead burg says "There are rumors of a hero turned Hollow who was locked away by a dear friend. For his own good, of course." It would make sense for this to be Havel since he is more of a hero than any of his knights, as well as his hatred toward dragons (considering gwyn allied himself with a dragon, havel couldn't have been happy about it, and we do find an occult club in a hidden room with his armor.) It would make sense for Gwyn or one of his associates to have had him quietly locked away. So I personally think it is him in ds1.

[@Otakumanu]

Even if they locked Havel in, that does not neab ge wasnt swapped at some point down the line. Havel did not hate dragons. He hated magic, and Seath specifically for developing it to it's current form. If he hated magic he would not be running around with a dragon tooth and an armor that could have been possibly carved from stone scales.

[@nathanlockhart3876]

Thats just my interpretation. Even if he doesn't hate dragons in general (which I think he does), the main point that I was trying to make is that he hates seath, and seath is a powerful ally to gwyn (hell, gwyn gave seath a part of his lord soul), which is more than enough reason for gwyn or an associate to "get rid" of havel in case he became a problem. I personally think that the fact that his weapon is the tooth of a dragon and his armor possibly carved from stone scales reinforces my theory (in my mind) that he hates dragons: he is literally using their hide and a tooth as a weapon, which I would imagine (if dragons are indeed intelligent beings, which there is evidence of) would be a pretty big insult to them. And yes, he could have been switched out, but there is no evidence of that, and idk why it would happen (speculation without basis), which is why I personally don't think that is what happened.

[@irfanyang7343]

1:59 Look at how the shadow of the pygmy grows larger as he rises... We have the portent of things to come right there already in the beginning cinematic. Fucking Japanese are geniuses

[@Sayocakes]

Please Hawkshaw promote your Patreon as well , at least in the description or post a comment. Your work DESERVES more attention and im sure a ton of people want more of your videos, and more frequently! Link them all to your page.

[@UtterApe]

Interesting facts you brought up, but one thing I have been asking myself about Dark Souls lore is this : Is Kalameet actually a Everlasting Dragon? As in, was he present at the war against the Everlasting Dragon and managed to survive or did he come into being later? While I don't have the japanese texts to compare them to, according to the Obsidian Greatsword you get from cutting his tail, Kalameet is in fact "the last of the ancient dragons". Take note how it says "ancient" instead of "everlasting". Does that mean Kalameet may have not been involved the war against the Everlasting Dragons? After all, he does not seem to posses the stone scales of immortality that need to be peeled off first before he can even be wounded/killed. While the "last of the ancient dragons" bit can be excused for Sinh being unknown to world in his underground kingdom (and perhaps the dragon whelp in Ashlake), what meaning does "ancient dragon" have? While the realtion between Everlasting Dragons/Archdragons to the rest of their kind (Ancient Dragons, the Drakes) is a mystery all by itself, I would simply like to know if there is evidence that can shed light unto this matter. (Also as a side note, why does the game and most people ignore that Kalameet is actually not a cyclops? His ingame model has clearly three eyes, the one on top of his head and three smaller red one on the side of the head. Even the Obsidian Greatsword states "of the one-eyed black dragon Kalameet" . Is this an oversight?)

[@abysschef5078]

Not a super specific answer but they said in a video that dragons born after the fire appeared were born imperfect or just different due to now life and death being a thing, this could explain drakes and such, Seath himself was most likely born after the fire but early enough that he was in the war against dragons that’s why he’s albino. Kalameet is Immortal unlike Seath who can die of old age because he has no scales so Kalameet is likely a true dragon me thinks.

[@tahaimran21294]

Adding Vendrick's theme in the end for Havel in his prison paralleling Havel and Vendrick in Ambiance GAVE ME CHILLS BY THE END

[@triplebog]

Its interesting that manus's soul is viscous. I wonder if this is what the whole "deep" thing that aldritch was up to is calling back to. It sounds like manus's soul is kind of like a human dregs

[@metalhead5151]

I really wish I could like these videos more than once, I keep coming back to be refreshed and amazed by the depth of this game. You guys are incredible in your dissection of the most minute points of lore and I'm so glad that you've created this content to share with us.

[@Hawkshaw]

Thanks man, that means a lot. Makes all the hours spent on it worth every second Hawkshaw.

[@papa_pepe_hokage4278]

Clearly The firstborn son was exiled because he erased Gwins Van Halen mixtape

[@louissmooth6115]

Suitable punishment tbf

[@Otakumanu]

This video is criminally underrated. This deserves waaay more views.

[@StockpileThomas1]

The more I learn about Dark Souls' lore, the more confused I become. Rather than the opposite.

[@StockpileThomas1]

Also, thanks for keeping the candles lit. Ooh, umbasa.

[@ZAKMagnus]

Since the Japanese sometimes gives a different impression than the English, I wonder if trying to figure the lore out by only using English information would mean being led astray by faulty translations. That would be unfortunate. I wonder what the original Japanese says about the witch of Izalith's relationship to pyromancy. As I recall, in English, she's the godmother of pyromancy; and Seath is the grandfather of sorcery. My thinking was that neither of these describe a direct connection (they are not "mother" or "father"), and Seath's relationship to sorcery is more direct than the witch's relationship to pyromancy. In other words, sorcery descended from Seath, but pyromancy did not descend directly from the witch. But apparently Seath is actually the "founder" of sorcery. So what is the witch to pyromancy, then? Maybe they're not even supposed to be two different words. Maybe the witch is actually the founder of pyromancy in Japanese.

[@bioforce5]

The translations fuck some of the lore pretty hard. As far as I recall, in Bloodborne the "Bloodletting Beast's" name in Japanese is actually closer to something along the line of "Host of the Beast Blood." His name is almost literally "Source of the problem" and they didn't think that deserved a slightly more accurate translation? XD

[@CazaliEiben]

The games have been translated in the U.S.A.. Seeing as other translation made over there are pretty bad (and yes, changing the content to fit better for U.S.A. audience like for Fire Emblem is a bad translation in my book) we can be happy the accuracy for Dark Souls is this good in comparison. I wish Europe made their own translations though.

[@RoboBoddicker]

Actually, there's no "pyromancy" in the Japanese version. They call it jujutsu (呪術), which literally means "curse craft." It's a term for magic associated with shamanism and witches. That's why it's performed by the "witches" of Izalith and by crazy hermits living in the swamps. And the term for sorcery is majutsu (魔術), which is a generic term for Western Merlin-style magic.

[@CazaliEiben]

That's why dark magic and poison magic also falls under "pyromancy".

[@akithelostfly4626]

You just made my night bro, I knew there had to be "justu" terminology for magic but never could find them.

[@mickel1470]

I was lamenting your absence but a few days ago. Glad to see you back and in the swing of things.

[@TactlessGuy]

I didn't even know Dark Souls is a Japanese-made series until I looked up FromSoftware. And here I was thinking that the west can actually make good RPGs.

[@SkillfulCurve]

Looool

[@polux5136]

You still alive Hawkshaw? My lore appetite is growing.

[@michaelkitchin9665]

One thing I've always wondered is what bonfires do to the world state. Enemies, bar exceptions, return to their usual place so I've started to ponder whether returning to a bonfire is taking the player back in time rather than regenerating them completely. I'm probably overthinking it.

[@LunaSDominni]

Michael Kitchin my friend and I had a huge conversation about this yesterday! He believes it does some kinda "reset" in time too. But my issue with that is why some enemies don't respawn (black knights) while others do (silver knights). I always thought it's a big passing of time when you sit at bonfire and that's why some enemies are respawned when you stand back up and others aren't (some enemies take long than others to respawn?). I think....to us it feels like only a couple seconds from sitting at fire to standing back up (same as dying and respawning too) but in reality it's a larger amount of time that goes by. We just don't experience the time in-between, like falling asleep and waking up. :)

[@michaelkitchin9665]

It's tough to draw a conclusion when they have 'time is convoluted' as a get-out clause.

[@MonoReaper]

At the born fire undead bodies are recreated due your dark soul. And each time your body recreates itself new due the undead curse you lose a bit of your dark soul and that is the process of hollowin. Cause the bornfire is a system to basiclly fuck up humans and destory the dark souls cause Gwyn is a huge piece of shit.

[@LoudWaffle]

I think it's just a somewhat unfortunate muddling of game mechanics and lore. Since all of the enemies are also hollow/undead, they will come back to life in time as well. But the way they incorporated that into gameplay was simply to have everything respawn when the player sits at the bonfire. If there were a satisfying, uncomplicated, and fun way to have enemies respawn periodically yet seperate from the player's actions, I'm sure they would have included it. But ultimately sitting at a bonfire was the best middleground between gameplay and lore. Also the "time is convoluted" really feels like it was solely included to explain the multiplayer and NPC summoning aspects of the game, and when discussing the rest of the lore or how the world itself works, the convoluted time comment can just be ignored. Otherwise pretty much any supposed inconsistency or mystery can be explained away with "time's convoluted, I ain't gotta explain shit".

[@SEMIA123]

It's kind of inconsistent, but: A) I don't think the Chosen Undead ever canonically ran to a bonfire to reset the enemies, rather s/he went from bonfire to bonfire as they progressed. B) when the chosen undead did die and re-spawn at a bonfire, it probably takes a fairly long time, allowing enemies to return to the area. C) enemies don't literally respawn so much as there are so many of them that an area will only be depopulated for a short period.

[@slothhq1929]

so we know tat when the fair lady calls Gael "uncle" she actually says "mentor" in Japanese. Did the same translation apply to the gold coin when it says Allfather Lloyd is the "uncle" of Gwyn. Id really like to know, its a critical piece to a theory i am developing on Lloyd, lets just say the whole uncle thing is a splinter in my theory.

[@Kurai_69420]

What if Havel is not just a man, but a place where warriors wear stone armour. Perhaps the Bishop Havel who created Great Magic Barrier may have been named after the place, like prince Lothric in DS3, or it could have been mistranslated and should have instead been Bishop OF Havel.

[@wind-flower]

Some Japanese item descriptions also refer to the original Havel who fought alongside Gwyn against the dragons. So it's safe to assume that Havel is/was indeed a person's name and not the name of a place.

[@gostbunny93]

I always thought it would be cool to have a 2nd DLC exploring more of Anor Londo and the occult vs the gods. You could fight All-Father Loyd and maybe even Velka.

[@iefe65]

7:55 Yep, it was confirmed on The Ringed City. One of the prince demons items (or soul) says that demons try to rekindle THEIR first flame ! I'm amazed how you guys could confirm this just based on dark souls 1 evidence...

[@jaybiega8011]

hawkshaw, you have an amazing ability to present information regarding dark souls. I would love to see an in-depth time line video for ds2 and ds3 like u did for ds1 or more in depth stories regarding the factions, similar to your way of white/ demon videos. This video like always did not disappoint. please keep up the good work!

[@ShankMasta10]

I hardly see any appreciation for the original Fire Emblem (original released in the West, that is). Glad you used some of its music in the beginning.

[@mrtoxicwasteland]

Do you by any chance remember the title of that intro song?

[@SpooksRule921]

your lore videos imo are leaps and bounds ahead of all others, good stuff man

[@westhefitting4105]

OH MY a new Hawkshaw video. I was (admittedly) late to the subscription party, and was starting to get worried that the channel was dead. This is so exciting! I must admit, a translation video was not what I was expecting, but this was very enlightening. It's great to see the original language reinforcing points made in earlier videos. I love discussing Dark Souls lore with my friends, so having this language-based evidence to back up my interpretation of the lore (based primarily off of your videos) is amazing! Honestly worth the wait. Keep up the amazing videos!

[@Irhak69]

Finally! After all this time a video I really wanted to see - the 'lost in translation' kind! Thanks!!!

[@siobhanherbstritt6063]

Oh my goodness how I missed you guys so much! I've been waiting for a video like this for so long that delves into the Japanese of the game. You're content never disappoints, you always come out with something that thoroughly intrigues me and makes me rethink what I thought I knew about DS. Thank you so much and keep up the good work!

[@kwamouflage2515]

Hankshaw, your videos inspire me to write my own fantasy novel and take your many questions and perspectives into account. It makes reading other stories much more fun.

[@TheGoldenLynxx]

Such a nice thing to wake up to. By far the most interesting and enjoyable perspective on the lore. Keep up the amazing work Hawkshaw!

[@DYNB]

Your lore video's never cease to blow my mind... Thanks so much for these immesly underrated gems. With deepest respect and gratitude, DB

[@LilSassy]

More translation videos plz. This one of the only youtube accounts that I trust with information since you don't ask inane questions for added mystery/viewer count.

[@Hawkshaw]

Cheers mate, means a lot. We will have some translations for our next big lore video. its just so damn complicated its taking a while. might be another hour plus video..

[@tahaimran21294]

Movie length content is awesome! Make it awesome!!!

[@alternate3787]

I always read the Watchtower Basement Key in the way that "a hero who became hollow" refers to the human sacrificing himself to free Havel and "the friend" as Havel who had to lock his saviour in.

[@toastytoast9800]

i personally think that the dragon slayer armor you fight in ds3 is havels armor

[@AxelEsan1323]

Hell yes, love your lore videos and I can't believe I missed this one.

[@pericmaster1]

Best lore videos on youtube imo. Hope to see more. Rly nice work. Gz

[@orngcreator6115]

Thank you guys for making such amazing content. You may be my new favorite Dark Souls lore channel.

[@Machowesker17]

This translations open my eyes to a lot and show much more of the bigger picture than the official English translation. Can you do this for the rest of the souls/borne series? I would love to know if the others clear up or make the story more vague. Great video.

[@aromardu]

Great video with a lot of juicy lore changes and additions, simply by looking at the Japanese version. I'm currently trying to dig up a lot of info on the possible usage of a shared universe with FROM's rpgs. I once saw a King's Field player (who also owns a lot of KF supplementary material) say that due to bad translations of the early KF games, later games like Demon's Souls and Dark Souls contain even more references to this series that go unnoticed. What got me engaged in seeking out this lore is the description of DS3's Old Moonlight spell, which seems to reference the original KF Moonlight Sword and the Place of the Beginning, a location in KF3. Now with this video, the First Flame is described as "Flame of Beginning", which could be a double entendre, given the earlier games. There's also something in the Japanese version of Demon's Souls that references King Allant as a descendant of a king from the King's Field series. But, again, not being a Japanese speaker means I can't verify any of this. Know anyone who could?

[@90piterr]

U always came up with great material from DS, thank you for you effort and keep up the good work!!! :D

[@maximillionpegasus5160]

Okay, so I have been drinking a little and I haven't yet seen your other video about Demons, but I feel like you didn't explain this point very well. "The Japanese translations reveal that the witch did not attempt to recreate or copy the first flame; but instead create another 'fire of beginning'. Of course, the English never stated that she attempted to recreate or copy - it is bad interpretation of lore, propogated early by other lore videos with no evidential backing." Aren''t you immediately contradicting the first part of the first sentence with the second part? If the 'Fire of Beginning' is just a more literal translation of what we know as 'the First Flame', then all you are saying is "The witch of izalith didn't want to recreate/copy the first flame, she just wanted to make another one". To be fair, you did mention earlier that "she wanted to create life", but even then her intended methods are to create life the same way as it was made before - by copying (or recreating) the 'fire of beginning'. I might be missing something, which is why I thought I'd pose it more as a question for clarity rather than an assault on your points. Unfortunately, I do have to completely disagree with your second sentence. The English translation, however non-literal it may be, does directly state that she attempted to copy it. The description for the Lord Soul you get from defeating Bed of Chaos states: "The Witch of Izalith attempted to duplicate the First Flame from a soul, but instead created a distorted being of chaos and fire. Its power formed a bed of life which would become the source of all demons, and is more than enough to satiate the Lordvessel." While it may not directly use the word "copy", we can agree that the use of the word 'duplicate' is quite explicit in stating that she attempted to copy the First Flame. And while this may be misleading or a bad interpretation of the Japanese Lore, it is unfair to say that early lore videos had no evidential backing in stating this fact.

[@KIRBOFLURBO]

I love your videos, it provides a shockingly different point of view on many issues that are argued about

[@AxelEsan1323]

Praise the lore and pass the souls, I feared we would hear no more from you. Your lore videos are by far my favorite and I am glad to see a new one from you with the same quality of wonderful information. Keep it up, we all love what you do.

[@SensSword]

This is amazingly well done. This is the stuff I like to listen to while doing chores. Makes the mundane work pass by without effort. Never even thought to wonder if the translation was done poorly... 🤔

[@Rehvion]

Very insightful video

[@ddmalarkey]

Awesome video dude! I'd totally love it if someone were to mod the game with improved subtitles and item descriptions.

[@ShyanTheLegend]

Nice to hear from you again Hawkshaw. Good vid

[@juancarlos-mp2tn]

Great as always and welcome back Hawkshaw

[@evilzelda044]

Great video once again! Already looking forward to the next one^^ I have a quick question though, apologies if you have already answered it a million times before: Since you only focus on the first installment of the series in your videos, do you consider the follow-up games as well? Do you even consider them part of your canon?

[@gdhnd2291]

Keep on making these videos, they're extremely high quality.

[@johnjackson6614]

This is fantastic, please do more

[@madrazz8888]

Excellent! This goes to show how a small change in words can distort meaning so easily. The problem with translations is, for example, finding an exact English word that has the exact same meaning(s) as the Japanese word. This rarely exists in any language. Sometimes, a language has a unique word that can't be translated, only explained. Sadly, a lot of information and connotation is lost to keep it sounding decent in other languages.

[@madrazz8888]

It's unavoidable. I don't know how much the translators get to know about the story and the game, but I'm sure they get some footnotes and all that. There's always an editor or director to check on these things. But then they also have to make it "sound pretty" and not a flat out literal translation. Knowing Miyazaki and his attention to detail, I'm sure the translators made their best effort. I only wish translating wasn't necessary in the first place.

[@madrazz8888]

Good points :p I guess the best solution would be for us to learn Japanese.... but I'm too lazy for that XD

[@madrazz8888]

Yeah! I'm ready for it! The more the better ;)

[@wyattmorelock5832]

I love your videos! lore at its finest 👌

[@alanschmitt9865]

8:05 Damn, that First Flame sure is throwing a lot of shade.

[@DarkBloodSouls]

If you're gonna go on another hiatus please use the information from The Ringed City to connect the lore in the next video.

[@Orthos4]

DarkBlood Souls It's really sad that they restrict themself to only use information in the first game.

[@accept8988]

You gotta remember that DS 1 was released as a finished game. It was finished. DS 3 expanded on some other details, but DS 1 I'd like to insist was a finished game.

[@miraj6272]

Accept Thats true. Bandai namco really wanted sequels for cash, Miyazaki likes to end all his games in 1 part and make us ask more questions and what ifs, Demon Souls, Bloodborne proved that. I hope I made sense.

[@SicksInYourAss13]

Did you watch all their videos? Cause they explain this.

[@Orthos4]

Charlie Zendejas Well then please name a video (with time stamp) when they told us this.

[@salm6331]

I was so blazed when I first seen the intro. it was so dark and majestic. especially when she says "of the accursed dark sign"

[@thechosenofmystra9397]

14:35 you also receive bountiful and soothing sunlight from a few Scylla in the bottom of the archives which are iconic of Gwynevere. Implying possibly seethe has turned her into this to add to his collection. This would also make sense with Priscilla.

[@scott_chocolate]

HAAAAAAAWWWWWWWKSHAAAAAAAAAAAAWWW!!! I've been drinking and then I see a new Hawkshaw video. Fuck. Yes.

[@scott_chocolate]

Just finished watching start to finish. Another great lore video. Hawkshaw is still the best for legit well-evidenced and well-cited Dark Souls lore.

[@mrtoxicwasteland]

INTRO SONG: A hint of things to come fire emblem

[@Feinhart]

Just discovered your channel and I am amazed :D I sub thx for your work :)

[@YuyuHakurei]

So that would make velka something of the god of the dark instead of some random one. So it makes a lot more sense that she helps you in certain ways throughout the series.

[@MrJordwalk]

I theorize that she is actually the Goddess of Deliverance. See, Berenike is the Greek form of the Latin name Veronica and the name means "she who brings victory". However, another interpretation is "she who successfully delivers". "Verca" is the nickname for Veronica in Czech, and the Japanese pronounce it as "Be-ru-ka". The English ear though hears that Japanese pronunciation as.... VELKA. So, Berenike was Velka's original name when she lived in Anor Londo IMHO and she presided over many forms of deliverance: babies, messages, victory in war, salvation, justice, etc etc. However, her heresy was turning against the Age of Fire and she has dedicated herself to delivering the human race from slavery ever since. She has been experimenting, trying to break the Curse of Undeath.

[@Nirban]

Subscribed. Keep up the good work.

[@neo4479]

imagine if all the translation were correct we will understand the lore more faster and clearer

[@dreadknight0]

It surely was confirmed in Dark Souls 3, that Manus wasn't the creator of the Abyss and obviously not the furtive pilgrim. And even in Japanese Dark Souls 1 you can confirm it again. In ringed city you not only learn that the abyss existed time ago before manus but also that posibly one of the pigmy Lords of the ringed city arrived to oolacile the same way halflight, The NPC you fight at the church of Fillianore when there isn't a player to summon, came from oolacile to ringed city. One time oolacile visited the Ringed city(Read the description of that NPC clothes and Bow) and there that pigmy lord would leave the ringed city and live in oolacile and who will become Manus later.

[@Tommykee999]

you are one of my fav dark souls youtuber

[@salahad-din9168]

Well that certainly changes a few things. I thought the Mimics were the same clan referenced in the Royal Helm description. Maybe royalty from another age, before fire?

[@themassive4194]

Such a good video!! How does this have so few views?

[@les8947]

"warrior of havel" makes it sound like "havel" is an organization of warriors that exclusively wear "havel armor" or "the armor carved out of a rock". "HAVEL" IS A COVENANT. not an individual

[@encure]

Excellent work a must watch for dark souls lore fans

[@scorp1on98]

Perhaps the mimics having once been "ancient gods" branded for their* avarice is in reference to the archtrees? The first line of runes on the titanite slabs has been translated as: "The meek sought God/the divine in the archtrees. Archtrees bestowed the gifts of plenty, joy and health." This would be supported by the mimics' wooden bodies. *I wonder if those that would become mimics were punished for their greed, or if they came about purely to punish the greedy? Consequences of greed seems to be a pretty heavy running theme in Souls (eg/ Prolonging the Age of Fire; Patches; Aldritch; etc).

[@110acw]

Nice to see a new video! Thought you might have quit or something, glad that's not the case :).

[@RoboBoddicker]

はじめての火 (hajimete no hi) literally means First Flame. "Flame of beginning" isn't really a viable translation there. の isn't the same as the English word "of" - careful not to fall into that trap. Great stuff though! :D

[@theonewhoismany8072]

Hajimete =begging Hi = Fire. Flame would be Hono. Literally translating to Fire of Begging

[@bahhhhumbug9804]

WELCOME BACK TO KZbin

[@TotalTryFails]

Please make more!!!

[@Kucoz]

I goddamn love you. Please please keep making more.

[@apophisstr6719]

Souls lore really could rivals ancient lore from real life.

[@MFZBitch]

I was so lookin forward to that fix

[@maciejw5478]

We need more!

[@silentsixteen]

Just discovered this channel, and I've learned so much about dark souls because of you. Also, can someone please make a mod that replaces the games current English translation to the Japanese to English translation?

[@lonewanderer1328]

I'm quite sure the game engine or something calls Havel a "Havel warrior", as in someone who looks like Havel. Since we seethe Dks1 protagonist at the end of 3, it's likely that Havel in 3 is the true Havel.

[@awayaway9832]

Fantastic video! I hope it gets the tons of view it deserves: everyone interested in the lore of the game should watch this. Are you going to do the same thing for Dark Souls 2 and 3 (and, maybe Bloodborne)? Do you know if the word used for "demon" in bosses such as the "Smelter Demon" or the "Covetous Demon" is the same used for the demons of Izalith?

[@mythrol]

This video is awesome! Thanks! One question: Does the Japanese clear up whether the Bed of Chaos is actually the witch of Izalith or not? Because of the English translation I've seen people argue that the Bed is a daughter and not the Witch herself. Even guys like The Ashen Hollow argue for it being a daughter.

[@mythrol]

Marchi March Thanks for answering my question! This is what I assumed would be the case and I'm glad to know it's actually clear in Japanese. My argument for it clearly being The Witch and daughters (not just daughters like some argue) is we get the Lord Soul from the creature in the middle of the bed of Chaos. The game is very clear about WHO has the Lord Souls, it's about the only thing it is clear on. There is nothing in game that says she split her soul or gave it to anyone else (The Soul from Seath and 4Knights even uses the term "Bequeathed Lord Soul" to indicate it was given to them) so then we have to assume the creature we kill in the middle is the witch. Glad to know the Japanese text leaves no doubt about this.

[@xXDarkxIdealsXx]

+mythrol Except the middle creature giving the lord soul means nothing, except that the lord soul is what powered the Bed of Chaos. It's entirely possible that the witch could have escaped in some capacity after the soul itself became the Bed of Chaos. However, as Marchi March said, the Japanese dialogue does give a bit more clear text on the matter; but I'd still argue that it is not absolute like he thinks. "Mother + Daughers = Seedbed" does not indicate nor imply that the witch's entire being stayed there within the flame the entire time.

[@mythrol]

TheScaleless how does it mean nothing where we got the Witch's Lord Soul? Every other Lord Soul was found on the Lord themselves or is clearly explained as having been split and given as a gift. We know the witch was there at the creation of the bed of chaos, Quelana asks us to free her, we then find the Lord Soul on a creature at the middle of the bed of chaos, and then Quelana thanks us after killing it. Every Lord Soul in the entire game was clearly said to be with a specific person and that's where we find it. I couldn't imagine much more of a sure thing than that in all of Dark Souls Lore. We actually know more about who has the Lord Souls than nearly every other lore point in the game.

[@anevilstripper6095]

I wonder if that clan of gods(mimics 16:09) relates somehow to the clan you say the Nameless King shares his power with(6:26)? They're both called clans and are in a state of hostility with the gods after all? I'm very curious about mimic lore

[@nathans6172]

NANI!?!? a new hawkshaw video!??!?

[@ShiningQuasar13]

the crag spiders have a head almost like a person is inside on their forehead

[@IsaiahINRI]

"Pinwheel is anything but humorous" Idk man, how easy it is to kill it is pretty funny to me

[@elemama07]

thank you for the video

[@Arexion5293]

I always thought the intro was more of folklore, stories passed down by people. That way it'd explain why the story didn't match up with the things they discover and how everyone knows about these things anyway. But it being poorly translated makes more sense.

[@CustardCream515]

I love that your voice is still perfectly understandable at 1.25 speed

[@WhiteTigrex2013]

I don't think we ever met the real havel. The title ''the rock'' is a title that could just mean that he was sturdy as a rock. Who says he even wore the armor of his followers? We know that his shield and weapon are his own, but it was never said that the armor was his own aswell. A theory i once read theorized about the dragonslayer armor, being havels old armor. It makes sense in a way. He wields a weapon that could be considered quite similar to that dragon teeth in a way of fighting. He also uses a greatshield like havel. And I think it would make sense for havel to be the same race as gwyn, ornstein etc. aswell. Because, since when were humans in dark souls reveared for their fight against the dragons, when we learned in the ringed city dlc that they were never lauded/mentioned. And if he was fighting against dragons (what we know for certain) he would have used lightning, since it was the best weapon against dragons. I think it's worth mentioning that every male of the race we call ''gods'' or just gwyns race, is about 2.5m tall. If havel was a warcompanion of Gwyn and was therefore a member of the same race, it would make sense for him to be that tall aswell, not as tiny as an average human. Thx for everyone reading until now. I would like to hear your opinion on the topic.

[@mikeclarke3990]

Fr0zenBolT didn't the silver knights fight with Gwyn also and they are human sized correct? Havel is most likely another 'god' that is not in any of the games.

[@WhiteTigrex2013]

The silver knights are taller than humans. Not as tall as Ornstein or Gwyn, but surely taller than the humans. And I agree with the second point ^^

[@MegaBearsFan]

I don't think the watchtower key is meant to imply that Havel was rescued. I think it simply means that nobody's ever gone in and checked, so it's assumed that he's still in there. The purpose is simply to instill doubt.