The Three Firekeepers [Dark Souls 2 Lore]

[@SinclairLore]

Hi Enablers and Cultists! Hope you enjoyed this episode :) For Elden Ring, we want to try and record things in higher quality, so if you would like to help us in that endeavor, kindly consider supporting us on www.patreon.com/sinclairlore

[@MostBronzeChunner]

I look forward to Sophie and Sin getting very stoned for their "higher" quality videos 😂👌

[@eliteknightfanboy1619]

Wheres Oscar of Astora??

[@mothmantis0708]

Milibeth: Me? I'm the Current Former Fire Keeper Keeper. Here is a ladle.

[@stefvanroey8191]

The comment about the coffin at 9:12 LEGITIMATLY made me choke on what i was drinking

[@neatigloo]

I just can't get enough of Soph's impression of Big M. Its so good and funny.... we just don't deserve it!!!

[@SinclairLore]

Sophie is the most talented ever

[@sophie.m.pilbeam]

Okay, legitimately, I thought I did a bad job this time around, because doing the tree voice for longer than ten seconds absolutely WRECKED my throat and I had trouble talking afterward. So I'm glad other people apparently didn't notice!

[@gcj8925]

That cracks me up, too!

[@JonJaflorist]

8:30 Sophie, are you being held at gunpoint right now?

[@jessicalaplant9306]

I love Sophie so damn much. I wish she had her own channel

[@SinclairLore]

Yeah same. Her bb up close basically inspired me to do this while KZbin thing :) but dealing with the internet side of KZbin can be exhausting, so I understand why she just wants to make content and not the other stuff.

[@sophie.m.pilbeam]

She did and it didn't end well! Thank you. though :)

[@jamesr1371]

What a great episode of What Where Why? Old Women of Soulsborne

[@bigdog517]

31:52 Shes a Firekeeperkeeper

[@DoomKitty3000]

Wild cameo appearance from the Shakesperian insult generator! :o

[@SinclairLore]

Hehehe

[@gumbotime9564]

I haven't watched the channel in a long time but its super nice to hear about dark souls 2 when I am playing through it for the first time!

[@SinclairLore]

Awesome!

[@emiliocamachoerice6380]

I think the emerald herald is a de facto firekeeper but not a de iure one, something in her creation allows her to perform the duties of a a fire keeper but she isn't created by the same method or is officially one. I think the fire keepers might be persecuted, exiled, or whatever but in the end relocated to things betwixt to give the effigies to the hollows I think something happened to fire keepers after 1 that there aren't that many in ds2 and ds3. Also yeah I want sin and Sophie old fire keepers from ds2 cosplay with aegon or kayin as milibeth.

[@sophie.m.pilbeam]

From memory they call the Herald a Firekeeper in the JP script. The OG Firekeepers being persecuted / exiled is actually a really interesting idea that kind of vibes with them trying to make their own and break the cycle.

[@emiliocamachoerice6380]

@@sophie.m.pilbeam thanks for replying

[@sophie.m.pilbeam]

@@emiliocamachoerice6380 Thank you for commenting!

[@NoSuchMachine]

There's actually a phantom Faraam Knight and what appears to be a cleric guarding a corpse with a firekeeper set at the bottom of Grave of the Saints in NG+.

[@lunarapoc8800]

Listening to you two banter about my favorite game series of pretty much all time still in 2022 really helps my work days. Thanks for everything you do.

[@SinclairLore]

Thanks so much, glad you enjoy it!

[@Ghebatta]

Mergo was "from [his] mother's wound, untimely ripp'd" - another Macbeth reference!

[@r34lme]

God. We get a xardion AND a Shakespearean insult reference? You're spoiling us!

[@sophie.m.pilbeam]

The benefits of a classical education.

[@SinclairLore]

[@guillermohernandez2825]

You two bring me so much joy!

[@pabloraulpereyra4948]

22:10 a youtuber or lokey probably, i dont remember, believes that cyan killed them all to throw them to the bonfires to produce the holy bones

[@roriksavant]

Miyazaki's ringtone got me... 😂 This feels like a classic episode haha

[@roriksavant]

And the return of the insult generator!

[@SinclairLore]

XD glad you remember!

[@NoSuchMachine]

Every time you two do an episode on DS2 it makes my brain hurt from all the things it reminds me of. I know short essays aren't super popular, but I have to elaborate. (I'll break it up into multiple posts so it's easier to process for anyone interested) The Guardian/Dweller of the Threshold actually comes from Theosophy, and I think they got it the idea from Buddhism and Hinduism. There's a book Miyazaki mentioned called "The Occult" that has a couple hundred pages dedicated to the founder of Theosophy. I'm not sure what it covers exactly, but I'm fairly familiar with the topic of Theosophy in general. I actually think it's the inspiration behind the design for the Darklurker and subsequently Pontiff Sulyvahn. I believe the idea of The Guardian is similar, or related to the mythology behind Angkor Wat, which is believed to represent Mount Meru and Indra's Net. Basically, Indra is an incarnation of Vishnu, the God of Dreams, and keeps beings from connecting to the infinite by weaving them into a metaphysical net of symbols, and traps them within an ego. Each ego then becomes a knot or "pearl" of the net that reflects the rest of the universe in a microcosm. It is also believed that if a being over comes their ego and transcends the net, they can reach Mt Meru at the center of the universe and become the ruler of the cosmos. (Like linking the bonfires+the First Flame) Indra is said to be actually fond of humans, but is usually unsympathetic towards them, and keeps them trapped in the net in fear of them ascending to Mt Meru and surpassing him as an avatar of Vishnu. He is also said to be an avatar of Shiva in some texts, and is often compared to Zeus/Jupiter in Greek/Roman mythology, as well as the Demiurge in Christian Gnosticism, who is a corrupted form of God that fragmented the Tower of Babylon in fear of their potential.

[@NoSuchMachine]

Indra's Net is also related to the Veil of Maya, which in some legends was used by Indra to trap a serpent demon before striking it down with a thunderbolt. It also represents the dharmic web of fate, and is often depicted using a spider and a web. Maya is an aspect of the mother goddess Lakshmi, usually described as a kind of illusion or magic, though philosopher Alan Watts describes it as the aspect of play, and the different roles the universe takes to interact with itself. Essentially, Maya beguiles individuals by manipulating their egos through a system of symbolic imagery, and leads them through their karma/fate to reach their dharma/destiny. Fulfilling your dharma usually results in the dissolution of self, though stronger beings are sometimes said to become demigods/demons, or ascend to become an avatar of one of the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva). In Buddhism, it is believed that all the gods are actually an illusion of Maya that must be overcome in order to find peace in life. A number of Scholars have also pointed out that there are similarities between Maya and Western witchcraft, in which different signs and symbols are used to bind or break fates. In particular, the three witches in Macbeth are thought to be based on the three Norns in Norse mythology, who dwelt at the base of the Tree of Life and used a magic thread to weave the fates of gods and men alike.

[@NoSuchMachine]

As for the Guardian of the Threshold, as far as I know, the term comes from Theosophy, which heavily draws from Buddhism and Hinduism. In particular, they essentially believed that all thoughts and actions accumulated on a plane called Akasha, or the Akashic Records. It's basically like a parallel dimension where all ideas and infinite potential exist, and then is woven into reality through Maya. Supposedly, you can only access the Akashic Records through astral projection and the use of Tulpas, which are like imaginary entities that can manifest into their own beings and guide you through the spirit realm. One way of thinking of a Tulpa is, it's like an imaginary friend, or an idea that you react to like cooties, or even like a "Happy Place" you can go in your mind. Basically, any sort of symbolic entity that holds weight in your mind. I think a Bunshin might be a kind of Tulpa, that remains connected to you. Both terms come from Buddhism and represent different spiritual extensions of the self that can manifest as Doppelgangers, but Tulpas tend to be more sovereign, and can even become malicious. I think a Bunshin is probably closer to an "Astral Body" which is usually described as being connected to you by a thread of some sort, and can be used to project your image through space; but I think they are more like similar ideas rather than being directly related. The Dweller/Guardian of the Threshold is a tulpa manifested from your spiritual shadow, a part of you that has been rejected, and subsequently projected onto the world around you. It's basically everything you fear and hatethat keeps you from accepting the world for what it is. Then it manifests into an entity precieved as pure evil, that must be overcome in order for you to cross the abyss and reach Akasha.

[@NoSuchMachine]

Lovecraft also had an unfinished book called The Lurker at the Threshold, that was likely inspired by Theosophy, and a few people have speculated that some of his other works take inspiration from some of their beliefs, though he was never involved with them or subscribed to their beliefs. I also think the idea also partially comes from a phenomenon called Brocken Spectres, which are basically monolithic shadows cast over lights/rainbows and effectively fracture the light spectrum. In California Brocken Spectres are refered to as "Dark Watchers" and are described as shadowy spirits that follow you through the mountains. I'm going to stop there, even though there's a lot more I could write about; especially in regards to Aleister Crowley, who was also former Theosophist, and mentioned hundreds of times in that Occult book Miyazaki mentioned. In one of his books, Crowley even describes the Guardian as Choronzon, from the writings of John Dee and Edward Kelly (the villain in Nioh).

[@lexvenirefactum]

The best Souls Podcast. Tnx.

[@SinclairLore]

tnx!

[@emiliocamachoerice6380]

You'll get Sassed by all npcs in ds2 over and over again

[@wulfratha7250]

Dark Souls true crime: Not many people know this but Frampt's mother was actually killed by an Age of Dark....

[@jasonleejenkins]

Whatever happened to Richard? That guy really knew his stuff, I especially liked your guys’ Bloodborne episodes. Anyways keep up the great work 🙏

[@davelister1893]

oh no in a few months this will be 3 years old, where has the time gone!?

[@pabloraulpereyra4948]

I always thougth the intro refer to the fate of destiny

[@pabloraulpereyra4948]

Whell of fats

[@PlutoRoman]

well now I got to go watch Throne of Blood

[@ShadaOfAllThings]

Wait are you telling me the fucking Emerald Herald can fucking emanate?

[@hiddenshadow2105]

If three women are sisters they could be twins (oh, rather, quadruplets) so this is why they all look the same.

[@friendoftheoyster3906]

Another red-hooded character in Dark souls are the Desert Sorceresses. They use fire magic, wear red and are women, my theory is that the Desert Sorceresses are the firekeepers

[@АртёмДубравин-ы6у]

10th time I'm watching this!

[@SinclairLore]

❤️❤️❤️