Godfrey and Serosh | Elden Ring Archaeology Ep. 8

[@joelhughes9615]

Godfrey always struck me as being related more to the epic of Gilgamesh than Arthur. The concept of Enkidu as a "Wild Man tamed by civilization," when he beds a woman reflects Horah Loux becoming Godfrey, the civilized and regal ruler when he marries Marika. The initial conflict between Enkidu and Gilgamesh ending in the beastly Enkidu then becoming a loyal friend and servant to Gilgamesh also fits with Godfrey and Serosh.

[@Fronsky-mj5tk]

Good point but I still think Arthur fits a bit more.

[@PacdemonStudios1]

He also uses a giant axe like Enkidu

[@josephreynolds2401]

Horah Loux and Godfrey reflects Enkidu and Gilgamesh, using the aesthetic and principles of Arthurian legend during his ruling years. Godfrey's persona is that of Gilgamesh and his reputation is that of Arthur. Perhaps Serosh is like Enkidu(beast man), Horah Loux is like Gilgamesh (despot), and Godfrey is like Arthur(divine ruler). Idle speculation but perhaps sources of inspiration.

[@pieV3000]

Could be a reference to both since the roundtable and such are explicitly aurthorian but as you say the wild man who becomes civilized after intimacy with a woman and uses an axe is a description of both.

[@joshjacob1530]

It’s all grail kang, lots of grail kangz in history. The first grail Kang may have been Osiris.

[@linkypete]

Another example of a defeated for becoming a trusted friend/advisor is found with Godwyn and Fortissax - Godwyn defeated Fortissax in battle during the war with the ancient dragons, and earned his respect through this battle. Their friendship continued after the war, and Fortissax's sister, Lansseax, established the dragon cult in Leyndell.

[@capitalismnumberone]

big brain

[@WanderedIn]

And the marriage of Rennala and Radagon, even if that ended poorly. The Golden Order is, as Rogier noted, very capable of incorporating what used to be enemies into their social order and finding ways to bring them in line with Golden Order ideals.

[@NoConsequenc3]

@@WanderedIn You say that but the Forsaken, the Omen, the Merchants, the Nox, those that live within death, and the Giants would disagree.

[@kingalaric4431]

@@NoConsequenc3 Guess the Golden Order failed to collect them all. They are certainly no Catholic church.

[@DellikkilleD]

@@NoConsequenc3 capable of, and choosing to are very different things.

[@SaintHierophant]

THIS is what you consider to be a lower-effort, podcast style video? My dude, this is incredible.

[@braedenbumaro828]

This makes sense regarding Godfrey's magic if the Axe is of Beastman origins. He uses shockwaves and stone based attacks, all elements of Beastman magic and culture, like the Beastclaw spell

[@gluelake]

Even without the axe he was using earthquake attacks already

[@braedenbumaro828]

@@gluelake there is that fact, but the themes of the Beastmen magic and Godfrey's own, combined with his ties to Serosh are just too visible to not point out

[@ejyapop55]

@@braedenbumaro828 nah bro is just a tarnished with godlike strength 😂💯

[@reality4saints]

@@ejyapop55 Godfrey is a Demigod it says it in Godrick's Great Rune but yeah he's doing it as strength not as an incantation imo.

[@ejyapop55]

@@reality4saints fr?? I always thought he was just a human with godlike strength but ig marika does have the power to grant power, that just makes godfrey way cooler ong

[@UltraStarWarsFanatic]

Gotta love getting a Tarnished Archaeologist notification.

[@WanderedIn]

I hammer that like immediately.

[@Anonymous07192]

@@WanderedIn literally, I didn't even watch it yet and liked it lol

[@WordsHere]

What I love about these details is, in the game we're explicitly (not even implicitly!) told there was an Elden Lord before Godfrey. But when you fight him he's like, "It's me. The first Elden Lord. Very first. For sure. :)" So with this we might technically know of at least *two* Elden Lords before the "first" Elden Lord.

[@nyalan8385]

I think that Godfrey is the first elden lord under Marika’s era with erdtree fundamentalism and the golden order. This era is desperately trying to legitimize itself as the one true way of life, it heavily persecutes people who live outside of it and has on several occasions rewritten history or even outright erased it. By godfrey insisting he’s the first elden lord, he is simply doing what marika’s order has always done, because to imply there were elden lords before him would imply that there are other interpretations of the divine than the golden order

[@TheLucasblanes]

When I get tired of Elden Ring lore videos that are more of the same or insane theories, your videos appear as a breath of fresh air. You're actually discovering extremely relevant new details about the lore of key characters through your in-depth analysis. Congratulations and keep up the excellent work! Ever thought about making a collaborative video with other Elden Ring content creators like SmoughTown and MadLuigi? It would be epic!

[@stench5664]

He helped with smoughtown’s timeline

[@skuruhai001]

TA, Quelaag, Zullie the Witch and Smoughtown are the absolute best when it comes to ER lore

[@johndeighan2495]

What I really enjoy about these videos is the amount of real-life academic knowledge being brought to bear on the game. It's clear that the guy is literate in history, mythology and architecture. He's really giving the game the in-depth and informed attention it deserves - like any great piece of art deserves. What's even more impressive is how the developers deliberately buried the game's story deep inside the architecture, sculpture and art of the Lands Between and just left it there like hidden treasure, perhaps never to be found!

[@ladyfox6705]

I don't believe he's done any Elden Ring lore, but I love Max Derrat for Dark Souls and Bloodborne Lore.

[@fidusooel]

I can recomend Hakshaw for more deep lore :)

[@abydosianchulac2]

Serosh being a vanquished foe makes a lot of sense when you realize his texture in game most closely resembles the transparency of the ghosts around the land. While all other art shows Serosh as a "normal" beast on Godfrey's shoulder, it always seemed off to me that in person he's so spectral. Yet he's killed by Horah Loux again with plenty of blood to be seen... Could it be that Serosh was bound to Godfrey upon death, two spirits in one body? We've seen bodies with no spirits, and spirits by themselves, and spirits inside dolls, why can't two spirits be in one body? That would explain the pretty lethal-looking scar across Serosh's face and why he is so intangible up there on Godfrey's back.

[@Zimtstern400]

Actually there is instances of two souls or minds in one body. It's even the crucial concept in the most important and central character of the lore Marika/Radagon. I often think the character D exists to itterate the concept of those two. Cant deny it must be quite important to the lore. Wonder how that ties in with the Erdtree absorbing the souls of the dead especially considering this was only the case during the reign of the Golden Order. So what was it like before in the time of the crucible

[@grmanpr]

That sounds cool. It could be that, when we defeat the first fase of Godfrey, Serosh wanted to regain full control of the body, transforming Godfrey in a spirit. That's why he killed him without a second thought.

[@Nezxmi]

@@Zimtstern400 I wouldn't say that Marika and Radagon are two souls/mind in one body, rather they are the male and female aspects of Marika made separate and personified. This is reinforced by the statue reveal saying that Marika and Radagon are one, implying that being separated is not their usual state. The whole thing is highly reminiscent of an alchemical process called Rebis. But besides that it's heavily implied that both D's are in fact different people. Darian, the "D" you meet at first, has different incantations as well as a different title than his brother, Devin, whom we find in Nokron. Devin being found in Nokron at all has strong implications, he was likely put there by the Greater Will because all of Nokron was placed underground as a punishment for high treason. The city of Nokron and it's inhabitants were likely placed underground following the Night of the Black Knives and subsequently Godwyn's death, because the Black Knives are Numen and Numen are closely related to the Nox with Nox possibly being descended from Numen. While Devin's title is "Beholder of Death", implying he witnessed Godwyn's death or at least his Godwyn's body after Death and may have been caught up in collateral. As for why Devin was in Nokron in the first place, I'm not sure, before the Knight of the Black Knives there'd be no "Life within Death" and nothing for Devin to behold or Darian to be hunting as the "Hunter of the Dead". I guess Devin being trapped in Nokron could be Darian's motivation for beginning to hunt "Those Who Live in Death." Darian also has a nice connection to Gurranq and the Beastial race through feeding him Deathroot, maybe Godfrey and Serosh had a similar relationship.

[@antonioklaic4839]

@@grmanpr maybe godfrey was the fusion and Hourah had to get rid of him to return to his OG form and fight different.

[@robrib2682]

SPOILERS for a npc story That would also explain why D was viewed as so holy by the golden order because in a very real sense he embodies an aspect of their founding hero of legend

[@jackschmitz9925]

In a category that has some insanely good creators, this channels still stands out. I came here after a mention in one of smoughtown's videos, who I know is a fan and in himself an unbelievable creator. The two of you are making my absolute favourite content at the moment, and some of my favourite ever. I listen and watch whenever I get a spare moment, and it brings some genuine joy to my day, even if im just going for a walk or doing the dishes. I know its cheesy but genuinely thank you, I know when we spend so much time talking about a video game it can seem trivial at times, despite the genuine love we may feel for it, but please know that these videos have an actual impact on my day, definetely making them better. Again thank you, and I hope to be here with you while to channel grows and grows, which it 100% will :)

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

This comment made our day.

[@Squirrel_314]

You and Quelaag are my favorite Fromsoft lore presenters. This channel was one of the nicest surprises to come out of ER’s release. The obvious amount of work and dedication that goes into each video are remarkable and much appreciated.

[@MrNuclearz]

I like Quelaag's theories but I kinda don't like how unorganized and tangenty her videos are. She just sorta kinda rambles. If she could organize her ideas a bit better I think her videos would be a lot more digestable.

[@kingme4201]

@@MrNuclearz im on the flip side and love her videos for that.

[@SolidLoach]

Too bad she’s kinda scummy and defends dei

[@taylor1403]

I just realized, the shadows of the empyreans are all actually beastmen. Somehow the two fingers can pull lifeforms from previous iterations of the erdtree and make them loyal. Perhaps the wolf beastmen were simply the most loyal and most controllable? That would explain Blaidd still being loyal to Ranni despite being engineered to betray her.

[@ZAKMagnus]

In my opinion, this video seems no "less produced" than your other ones. If all your videos were like this one, I'd still happily watch them. If that makes them easier to create, then so much the better. In any case, I hope you keep up the great work.

[@zacharyhutter9085]

This channel has rocketed its way to my #1 Elden Ring lore source. Fantastic work

[@CthulhuTheory]

It wasn't until this video that I realized the beastmen you fight have a similar appearance to Sarosh, but they're a bit more twisted and feral. So it makes sense to me that Sarosh was taken from the beastmen as their leader and paired with Godrey so Godfrey could lead men and Sarosh could lead the beastmen, and united they could bring order to all civilizations.

[@dougdynamo9398]

As interesting of a subversion it is when Godfrey sheds Serosh and learning that the Lord of Beasts was actually holding him back, I wish we could have had a duo fight. Serosh is so cool, and it feels like his amazing design is kind of wasted.

[@adamiadamiadami]

Serosh appears to have been severely crippled by Godfrey. He probably couldn't fight even if he wanted or needed to.

[@Baconomics1]

@@adamiadamiadami I hope we get to see Sarosh at his prime in a DLC

[@colorpg152]

Serosh has his eyes closed a feature common among those who serve the greater will, an act that symbolized faith, Serosh holding him back could mean the greater will wants you to win

[@adamiadamiadami]

@@colorpg152 I definitely don't think so. His eyes are probably gone just like his lower body. Have you seen Bonfirevn's model analysis? His eyes are full of dense scars. Godfrey was a berserker, he might've messed Serosh up uncontrollably.

[@adamiadamiadami]

In fact, I wonder if Serosh isn't actually Godfrey's beast regent consciously, deliberately, but the Greater Will sentenced him to punish and contain Hoarah Loux and he does it because he has no other choice. He lacks his lower body, eyes, and can barely move; Serosh being alive seems quite unnatural by itself. Seeing how Hoarah Loux managed to break even Serosh's enormous axe, I'd bet he turned Serosh's body into a bloody pulp. Perhaps Serosh was maintained alive by the Greater Will too.

[@yogaz3691]

Great video! I think Radahn is worth mentioning here too as example how legend inspired people Radahn is different to Godrick that instead of the Golden Lineage glory, he saw Godfrey as the god of the battlefield, and emulate him so much like the Lion's motive of his armor and the name "redmane" Of his army and castle, he didnt saw Serosh as the advisor like the legend said but as symbol of strength, his perception of Godfrey's strength is entirely on Serosh imagery I like to imagine Radahn's shock when he found that Serosh are just glorified power limiter and Godfrey true strength entirely are his own as Hoarah Loux, warrior

[@rozu7772]

Don't forget his horse Leonard. The "leo" in Leonard means "lion".

[@WanderedIn]

I really liked this shorter form discussion of a narrower point - I’d be more than happy seeing more of these!

[@luvdemjets1998]

These analyses are so informative. One of the reasons why From Soft is so revered is their incomparable world building. They tell their story not only with dialog and item descriptions but thru their level design. I knew it took someone way smarter than me to piece together why this structure is here? Why does it appear the way it does? And what was the inspiration behind it? Can't believe I get all those questions answered here. Im in awe of not only FromSoftware for their attention to detail, but your team's dedication to dissect it. Thank you all for what you do.

[@alenezi989a3]

That throne chair hiding a beast emblem underneath it is just top notch environmental storytelling, I don't think anyone has even noticed it.

[@calebgriffin4214]

This is great! I would also note that the crown Godfrey takes seems to be that Serosh wears, further legitimizing his title, and even more closely resembling Edward taking Arthur’s supposed crown.

[@supremeshorty612]

Godfrey befriending a fallen enemy reminds me of what Godwin did with fortisax. Godwin could have gotten the idea from his father and implemented it when the dragons attacked

[@ContextDependent]

I'm really impressed by From's storytelling mastery. Wonder how is their creative process, so to build such natural feeling and intertwined worlds and narratives.

[@gerald216]

I found your channel yesterday just scrolling through KZbin recommendations and i couldn't be happier! I have always wanted someone to go in depth in to From's world building through the actual world and buildings and here you are!

[@hadrianaugustus5712]

Thank you for all your hard working in making these.

[@Brendonherring522]

After the DLC's release, its quite difficult to ignore the parallel to Godfrey and Serosh that seems to come forth in Radahn and Miquella. It has borne in me the theory that Serosh was almost assuredly the god of Placidusax's age.

[@dawildbear]

I guess that explains the beastmen in Azula, but it feels weird like, isn't the whole point of killing radagon/marika because the elden ring is in them and needs to be extracted if we want to "mend" it?

[@leonardomarquesbellini]

To me Serosh called the image of the defeated divine beasts. Their "leader" or greatest member maybe?

[@AssailantLF]

Your videos have genuinely changed my perspective on these games and made me think from totally new perspectives. The way you use comparisons to real world archeology and history to help your analysis is super interesting and cool.

[@NerdishNature]

Learning more from KZbin videos about a video game than I did in architectural history 😂❤

[@Haccapaelitor]

As a history enthusiast, I love this. Keep this coming please. The best lore channel there is!

[@jacobanderson8219]

Gotta say you very quickly became my main source of lore after your Erdtree series was complete, started off skeptical but the more I heard and saw, the more convinced I was you're right. Looking forward to seeing your theories and interpretations on the rest of the lore being properly fleshed out in subsequent videos.

[@aidanfurst8512]

Looking at that image of Godrick's axe, I've just realised that the 'anvil' at the top is actually a depiction of the top of a divine tower, with the golden meteorites set in stone.

[@LastProtagonist]

Another enjoyable video. Thanks for the shout-out too; I'm glad my work could be of help. Regarding Serosh, I think you've brought up some interesting points, but if he's the Storm Lord, I feel a few things don't align, but this is more a criticism of the way the game is telling the story than the idea. If the Elden Lord set was written chronologically, it would imply the Fire Giants were defeated before the Storm Lord. Due to items like Godfrey's Icon, and the sequential numbering of Marika's churches following Godfrey's warpath, it would make more sense for Godfrey to have already had Serosh before the war began, but the biggest problem with that is trying to fit Stormveil into the timeline. To make matters worse, there's a painting of Stormveil's cliffs without the castle or the Erdtree, yet its Divine Tower is still there, so if it was appropriated by Godfrey, it doesn't seem as though it could have existed for long. But to be fair, there may be additional evidence of Stormveil belonging to a different kingdom. To the left of the door where we use the Rusty Key, there are 2 banners that have the same insignia on them as the Commander's Standard, and the same insignia can be found on a few of the rugs in the room with the Banished Knight + Marika's Mischief and the room with the 4 Banished Knight armor sets before the Divine Tower. This doesn't disprove anything, but it does put some annoying constraints on fitting things into the timeline.

[@TheAlmightyLizard]

The way it was presented at first made it sound like he was saying Serosh *is* the Storm Lord, but he does later say the Storm Lord is more likely the Dragon presented on the Helm of the Banished Knights. Instead, I think he’s saying that Serosh could have been what Maliketh now is to Farum Azula - a lord of beasts and aligned with the hawks and ancient dragons.

[@LastProtagonist]

@@TheAlmightyLizard I know, but I hadn't considered the possibility Serosh could be the Storm Lord, so I was exploring it here

[@saulgoneman]

I think Tarnished Archaeologist is just needlessly complicating things. There's nothing in these videos that convinces me against the far simpler explanation - Godfrey built the Fortified Manor after becoming Lord, then at some later point defeated the Stormhawks (Stormhawk King was probably the Storm Lord) and built Castle Stormveil on their land. The Banished Knights were Godfrey's knights who revered and befriended their foes just like the Knights of Leyndell.

[@alpacaofthemountain8760]

Amazing video as always

[@john-paul3271]

Dude, you make this game make so much sense. You’re a gem. Love the context you bring to this beautiful game.

[@valdoryn2709]

dont know if this was already mentioned in the comments, but the defeating of a lion and then wearing it as a trophy is an obvious reference to Hercules.

[@evanjrowley]

I wasn't prepared for such an in-depth video. Truly fantastic! Always impressed by Tarnished Archaeologist 👍👍

[@venepskeuten9206]

You and smoughtown are currently my favourite Elden ring theory KZbinrs at the moment. Entertaining, thorough and we'll presented.

[@Chimpanzeestea]

Though it may be useless...Susano actually (accidentally anyways) killed one of her weaving maiden which was way worse than just some stuff destroyed. Just wanted to mention it

[@elleofmusic]

This makes a ton if sense! I've always wondered why there was so much lion iconography at the Chapel of Anticipation. Now I'm wondering if the Crucible Knights served Serosh before they served Godfrey... He and his reign having Crucible connections would make the lions with Omen horns make a lot more sense, that's for sure.

[@siddhantshrivastav]

I think you should continue to stick to this video format if it allows you to crank out lore videos at a faster pace. As an avid follower, I can't seem to get enough of your content. Thank you for all the work you put in. You are a champion !!

[@shu_jin]

I like that you connect all these small details to their real-life inspirations/counterparts rather than just isolated meta-associations. It’s nice to think about where the devs got their ideas from. Thanks for all your hard work! 🙏🏼 I’m curious if you have any thoughts on the music/sonic elements of the game since you delve so deeply into the visual historicism

[@HenryGreenEngine3]

Storm Lord Serosh... What a refreshing take. Bless you mr Archeologist.

[@starscythe2099]

Your content keeps blowing my mind. I never knew how much research Fromsoft put into Elden Ring without your video contextualizing trivial details that are actually big details if you understand the context.

[@daniell1483]

Another really cool analysis. I would never have thought that being aware of English history would help understand the background lore of ER. The parallel of Edward I using the supposed artifacts of Arthur to cement the legitimacy of his power grab and Godrick the Grafted trying to use an ostentatious axe to draw a comparison between himself and Godfrey is really striking.

[@sage8148]

Was kind of hoping you'd mention the Stormhawk King ashes when talking about the Storm Lord but still, great video as always!

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

Preparing a full Stormveil runthrough, stay tuned!

[@demianleon6751]

Absolutely love the attention to details and research you put into these videos! Keep up the outstanding work!

[@sirrealism7300]

Would you be willing to do a video on "The Crozier"? possibly one of the most influential characters in elden ring who we've never seen, responsible for the creation of the golems, gargoyles, chariots, and most of the catacomb related stuff? Also, I'd like to believe he was the one who made the radagon/marika statue and has ties to "Rosus".

[@Xandros999]

A crozier is a staff. As such, "Sorcery of the Crozier" does not point to the identity of the watchdogs' maker. I too would be interested though, because all of these golems seem like they have a hidden story to them. My personal theory about the watchdogs is that they could be mummified lions, given their catlike features. As I recall it wasn't quite a shoe-in though.

[@fayelawless2625]

theres so little info about Serosh and they seem SO important so thank you for this video

[@cammantialive]

I think these are the best Elden Ring lore videos I have come across.

[@ruynobrega6918]

Godfrey is clearly a stand user.

[@TheStef1309]

This is actually a part of the lore where I feel like we can see quite clearly the hand of George R R Martin. It would be lovely if we could learn at one point what he did and didn't write for the game.

[@dafire9634]

These videos are always a treat

[@DarkHelixVII]

This entire channel is the perfect synthesis of fiction and non-fiction scholasticism. 🐐-ed

[@forktrus]

Interesting connection to Arthurian legend for sure. Coincidentally(?) -- if you look at the Roundtable Hold -- there is one mark on the table where there appears to be a weapon missing -- the missing weapon of Lancelot? Which begs the question: Who was Godfey's Lancelot? Who's weapon is missing from the pact made at The Fortified Manor?

[@jacobg5122]

Possibly that one crucible knight in volcano manor? There's a passing mention of him being a deserter in an item description, though I can't remember what item.

[@forktrus]

@@jacobg5122 perhaps! That's awesome tho!

[@cosmosofinfinity]

10:06 Plus, Farum Azula is in one big STORM

[@Managarm]

I always wondered about the origin of empyrean shadows since blaidd and maliketh have little in common and serosh sticks out completely.... Great video!

[@UltraStarWarsFanatic]

How did you conclude that Blaidd and Maliketh have little in common? They have more similarities than differences.

[@Managarm]

@@UltraStarWarsFanatic I find the contrast between cat- and dog-shadows striking. I think it's intentional!

[@UltraStarWarsFanatic]

@@Managarm...you know Maliketh is a dog, yeah?

[@Managarm]

Bit of a brain twist.... Yeah, maliketh and blaidd are somewhat similar, but also worlds apart to me. Serosh is still the odd one (if he even is a shadow)

[@Umiedo]

Taking in your and Quelaags lore findings almost feels like cheating lol. Never before have From Software lore been dissected this clear (Hawkshaw is another channel that comes to mind though), with really going into the root of influence, inspiration and real world counterparts. You're deal with the archaeologist while Quelaag is the theologist. No shade on no other From Soft lore channel though! All of them do literally amazing work and contributes with great content and inputs. But my favs are you and Quelaag for sure though. I've played these games for 11 years and the way you guys dissect Elden Ring is just mind blowing to me.

[@fifthpint4571]

What a keen eye for details you have! Bingeing your videos just now and really enjoying the content and the careful and thoughtful observation that you provide. Congrats and thank you.

[@VultureXV]

This. This series here is 100% what I wanted VaatiVideo lore vids to be. So, so much more can be extrapolated from the existing architecture, flora and fauna, environments, and enemies present than stuff like translation issues and cut content and cut dialog.

[@jking1343]

Idk if you already said this and I just missed it, but it wouldn't surprise me if serosh was a lord living in the fortified manor and stormviel was a fiefdom under the storm lord (who i thought was that hawk ash we give nephali, but I guess I was wrong). So like stormviel was owned by the storm lord but the storm lord was subservient to serosh's empire that was based in leyndell

[@leftyer9102]

There is a small detail I think you missed with the banished knight armor, there is a golden version of the banished knight set in the first building in Leyndell. These are the only two in the game, and they're unobtainable as actual wearable armor. My conclusion for a while has been that the Banished Knight Armor is what the Knights of the Golden Order wore prior to Godfrey's banishment. My reasoning there is a bit loose though, but I've thought that since the modern armor worn by most knights of the Lands Between being more suited to jousting than to actual fighting, that under Radagon's Lordship the more practical banished armor was phased out in favor of the more ceremonial armor worn by most modern knights in the lands between as the conquests by the Golden Order ceased, that of course also being the reason Godfrey was banished. Definitely don't think this is incompatible with anything you're saying here but I wanted to bring it up.

[@Despondencymusic]

I wonder if Miyazaki and team were also inspired by Gilgamesh for Godfrey and Serosh. I know the Wiki cites much of his character being inspired by the Greek hero Heracles. However this is rather telling, from The Royal Cemetery at Ur it describes a seal excavated there...The seal shows Gilgamesh and the mythical bull between two lions, one of the lions biting him in the shoulder. 🤔 And in addition.... Gilgamesh was a demigod and a warmonger until his friendship with Enkidu, who was a hairy manbeast originally sent by the gods to defeat Gilgamesh, but through their friendship, was able to ultimately curb Gilgamesh's violent tendencies. Also, Gilgamesh's saga is mainly about him achieving godhood/immortality, going to the literal ends of the earth, and ultimately failing.

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

Definitely. We didn’t mention it for the sake of simplicity, but absolutely Gilgamesh has directly and indirectly influenced Godfrey’s story.

[@Despondencymusic]

@@tarnishedarchaeologist Thank you sir! I love your videos so much! 😃

[@wpb5876]

Fantastic, insightful and wonderfully presented, as always! I hope to see more of Serosh and the relationships between the Beastmen and the Misbegotten in a DLC. FromSoft do like to revisit history in their DLCs after all

[@ienott]

I think this foe to friends is also supported by Godwyn's friendship with the dragons

[@tejahbk5456]

Incredible stuff. Just want to add that in ASOIAF, Aegon Targaryen (who is a 3rd gen immigrant and whose kingdom is at the edge of Westeros) conquers and unifies the whole of Westeros. It is mostly done through the local rulers bending the knee after seeing that he has dragons. Most notably, Torrhen Stark who ruled over North Westeros from Winterfell bent the knee as well. 1. The stark insignia of Torhen Stark is the symbol of a wolf’s head and neck shaped to the side, in an extremely similar fashion to serosh’s symbol on the Godfrey icon. (On a side note, The golden lineage iconography looks very similar to the golden lion symbol of the Lannisters) 2. Other KZbinrs have noted close similarities to the architecture of winterfell from the books and stormviel in great detail. 3. A great many Starks after this served as the hand (trusted advisor) of the King. They still are allowed to be the lords of their own kingdom as a compromise.

[@HarryVoyager]

Minor pet peeve that ironically parallels the video: Common Era isn't. Here's why: a calendar system is composed of both physical and arbitrary constants. The physical constants are the more or less immutable aspects defined by physics and the configuration of our solar system. These are, in no particular order: Day length Year length Moon cycle/tides Seasons Every calendar system uses some combination of these. It's why the month usually exists and are all generally of similar length: they're all solving the same core problem using the same basic tools, if in slightly different ways. However there are also completely arbitrary constants as well: What is the first year? Do we have 'weeks' and how many days are they? When does the year begin? They are often convenient to have, but are only based on human needs, not physical measurable constants, so every culture and religion define them based on their cultural or generally religious theology. And the "Common Era" arbitrary constants are specifically the Christian religious constants, and no one elses. 1st year is defined as the birth of the religion's Messiah figure. The length of the week comes specifically from their creation myth. Even the start of the week comes from the Christian modification of the Jewish week. (Sabbath was Saturday, since that was the day God rests on the creation myth, which the Christian religion moved to Sunday, the original first day, because that was the resurrection). That said, the current first day of the year seems to be due to more to power games by the various Christian religious leaders than any specific theological reason. As I understand it, April used to start the Hebrew year as it was when the first fruits were offered to god. January as the start seems to have started in the pagan Roman period, as the month was named after Janus, the God of beginnings. There were some issue with the Roman civic calander, so I wonder if January used to be in the spring and walked? Taking all of that and rebranding it as "Common Era" to me, acts as though all of those dates are immutable Truths based in Science, rather than the same result of religions and messy politics that every other calendar system in history has been. It not just denies history, it pretends that that history was not necessary and could have not even existed. Ok, rant mode off.

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

A slightly unhinged rant, and yet, I basically agree.

[@HarryVoyager]

@@tarnishedarchaeologist What can I say? We just did our day-light savings transition here. :)

[@alexanderchernyavskiy5011]

I'm really happy i read stuff like your comment more and more often, and it's cool that non religious people share this view too. Everyone should, no matter what they believe in, since like you said, first and foremost this is an affront to history. In my language we have an even sillier "secular" version of saying A.D. created during the commie era. We say Nascha Era which translates to OUR ERA. Who are WE? THE communists? The people of former ussr? Why is OUR era 2023 years long? We haven't existed 10% that long as nations. Silly!!!!

[@theghosthero6173]

I think the word missing from the axe section is regalia, an item passed on by rulers that signify authority, legitimacy and holyness. With the Holy Roman Empire for exemple this can be seen with the Saber of Charlemagne, or similarily Joyeuse for the French kingdom.

[@garrettmarshall1288]

When I saw that lion insignia in Farum Azusa at 22:30 I had one of those meme moments where my brain explodes. Poof. And in conjunction with the round table in Leyndell..?!Jeez. I have never seen a game this intentional and just….”intelligent.”

[@pritzi101]

Excellent as always - every video I watch I learn loads of new stuff

[@darkhawk523]

Amazing video as always can’t wait for the next one

[@stephanie3560]

I really enjoyed this kind of video format from you as well, keep up the good work!

[@Thealchemyoflife]

Dude, I wish you had a bigger back catalog LOL. Your very first video, and you instantly became my favorite Elden Ring KZbinr!!!

[@talusslope]

Wow amazing video and theory. Pretty ground breaking for a podcast Mr archaeologist.

[@obsoletetortoise4785]

This is probably the only thing out of the whole series I really really wanted to know about serosh is so cool

[@federicoforgione]

An exquisite video, as Always. Keep It up

[@happysuds1856]

Beautifully made video. Reminds me of art history courses in university. :)

[@wolvenedvard3049]

I just found your channel and I love you.

[@le0np0we]

Love your channel, man! Great work!!

[@SkepticGamerNerd]

Just wanted to say that your channel is awesome! Keep up the great work!

[@kylescott2235]

Great vid my dude

[@daniellloyd1541]

The pattern on the Axe of Godfrey and the Beastman's Cleaver can also be seen on the Stormhawk Axe, again ties the hawks to the beastmen

[@carlost856]

I love this more podcastey style of content and wish you'd make nore. It goes really well as background for my commute.

[@darklordauron]

The axe is also more on scale with Serosh. Though the huge weapons theme is a fromsoft standard, the shaft of the axe is not quite a fit for Godfrey's hands, but more a fit for Serosh's.

[@40880472]

Stellar work once again. Please take care of yourself though, I can't help but to feel worried for FromSoft lore people on KZbin after seeing how burnt out Zullie got.

[@saltix0]

You really do have a unique angle on elden ring

[@doubleh3978]

Love all your videos!!! I don't know if you played it but i would love to see similar videos on Bloodborne. Being the most cryptic souls (and to be honest, the one with less written descriptions and lore) i feel like there would be so much we could get from the environment that i can't fully grasp.

[@nenad0003]

Never noticed the parallel of a Warrior of the Storm becoming subservient to a Goddess of Golden Light with the legend of Susano-o and Amaterasu. Even his banishment has a reference in the banished knights. It makes sense with Fromsoft being a Japanese company for these influences to exist, though hard to notice with how well everything is weaved together.

[@hiddenshadow2105]

Do you think that Maliketh was sort of a prince of beasts after Serosh? Even if he was created by Fingers, he might have gotten a status similar to Blaidd (stepbrother to Ranni). He gifts you a lot of what can be viewed as royal treasures (such as Beastclaw Greathammer).

[@Stephen-so9oi]

Maliketh is likely his son or grandson

[@ethanwashington6789]

I think its likely that Maliketh was deliberately given a bestial form, for a critical reason. Maliketh was the shadow of Marika, and was likely created when Marika was first contending as the new god. We know that, during battle, an alliance formed between Godfrey and Serosh (Godfrey's "limiter"), but we also are told that Godfrey supressed his lust for battle when he vowed to serve Marika as the first human Elden Lord. So, we can assume that Maliketh was created not only as a shadow, but also deliberately as a clergyman, for the upcoming reign of Godfrey over the Golden Order, and its previous worshippers: the beasts. His presense in Farum Azula solidifies this, as he may have even taken the role of a stand-in ruler of beasts, or at least someone who preached humanity's Golden Order to the beasts who had JUST lost their ruler in battle.

[@hiddenshadow2105]

@@ethanwashington6789 This is a really good perspective on the matter. Yes, it would make sense if the new order wants to create / install sort of a ruler or a spiritual leader for beastman to bring them into alignment with new Golden Order by making Maliketh a sort of a bridge, tied to both cultures, subservient to Marika and the Greater Will but also carrying out, at least in the appearance, something of the beasts' culture so he isn't that alien to them as humans are.

[@Stephen-so9oi]

@@ethanwashington6789 I don't subscribe to the creation thing. I think beast men are just bound to their masters through a ritual.

[@RecluseBootsy]

My mind immediately made the Merlin connection to King Arthur's fable. A defeated pagan chieftain turned advisor. Although learning new Japanese mythology is always welcome.

[@kirbytaylor8629]

Excellent and insightful work as always :]

[@will2fite34]

I was under the impression that the Stormhawk King (as depicted in the Stormhawk King ashes) was the storm lord. It seems pretty cut and dry. Perhaps Serosh was a high ranking ruler of some kind in the Storm Lord's counsel, but I think the Stormhawk King is just that, the King of the Storm.

[@logancade342]

It's such a surface-level observation, but I looooove that it's the *beast* who has the responsibility of staying Godfrey's hand. Speaks volumes about Horah Lioux. What an absolute madlad.

[@yuggoth777]

Ashes of a hawk revered by all others as sovereign back in the days when Stormveil's winds still raged like no other. This ancient monarch is proud however, refusing to answer anyone's summons. "Dude dude dude what if Serosh is the Storm Lord?!?!?!?! Such deep lore bro..."

[@adrianblania5565]

Amazing video!

[@yanakaizzz9335]

Man I LOVE this episode!

[@MrBig913]

I find it interesting how rulers try to claim legitimacy by emulating, honoring, and sometimes claiming descent of what came before. Scandinavia and English kings claimed descent from Wodan or Odin. After the fall of Rome you had many claimants all calling them selves Rome, The Holy Roman Empire, The Sultanate of Rum, and The Rus claiming to be a Third Rome. Most interesting is the sort of lineage of great military leaders visiting the graves of the ones that came before. Napoleon visited Charlemagne's grave, Augustus grave was visited by many wanting to legitimize their power, Augustus visited Alexanders tomb, and Alexander visited Achilles supposed tomb and Cyrus the great's tomb. Alexander also adopted Iranian customs and portrayed himself as a pharaoh. Its extremely interesting how rulers and empires try to legitimize themselves, great video!

[@sclafantasy]

Just noticed that the Godfrey statute behind the throne in Stormveil appears to be separate from Serosh who is carved into the wall behind him. Would definitely support your thesis.

[@420PraiseIt]

Cleaver and godfrey's axe similarities wowed me

[@TheKrensada]

Godrick is always trying to attach things to himself that weren't his to begin with. He literally did so.

[@musicman3600able]

Was Serosh Elden Lord in the time between Placid and Godfrey? Like the time of the crucible? it kinda makes sense with the time of the crucible known for being inspired by beasts. With the banished knights and crucible knights being subordinates of beasts like Serosh and the Stormhawk King

[@Rekennnnn]

Another masterpiece. Thank you xo xo