Elden Ring Lore | The Flame of Frenzy

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks to everyone for supporting this video, let me know your thoughts below

[@jakelee8789]

Your my favorite theorologist on this Elden Ring Lore. Love your content!

[@SmoughTown]

@@jakelee8789 Thank you Jake! Your support means the world

[@clairtaker]

Hoping for more exploration within the flame in the DLC, maybe even a boss centered around it, although that sounds nightmarish to fight.

[@Shmeky.]

Kid namedn fingerprint: Waltuh, i cant carry out the word of the three fingers anymore waltuh, they nerfed me waltuh.

[@dgalloway107]

I would argue that the exclusion of the outer gods from the golden order defined by the elden ring, ripped these forces from their positions as Kami, and relegated them to outer forces, who have to fight to make their presence known in the world they were made for.

[@jdmmike7225]

I am also very intrigued by the fact that the "fingers" of the Greater Will were only Two Fingers, which by themselves cannot interfere because they cannot grasp. But the "fingers" of the Frenzied Flame are Three Fingers and they can grasp and interfere. It's an idea that's been running through my head since my first encounter with the Three Fingers.

[@qwertyuio2758]

woah

[@jdmmike7225]

@@qwertyuio2758 Yea, since then I'm almost positive that the Frenzied Flame is the last remnants of The One Great as Hyeta calls it. Plus in such a broken world where imposed order has failed so spectacularly burning it all just appeals to me. I've done all the endings and Frenzied Flame is the one that speaks to me, you know?

[@EricIsntSmart]

Thumbs are a sign of being able to grasp, would make sense that a unique collection of fingers having a thumb unlike most is a symbol

[@h8thebritish522]

I can grab things with only two fingers, idk what you’re talking about

[@jdmmike7225]

@@h8thebritish522 Well your pretty unique because most people can't grasp anything without a thumb. Not saying it's impossible but Im fairly confident it isn't common.

[@LordDoom10]

Kale's voice actor really did a great job with his cut dialogue.

[@jstar3382]

Let's hope to God that shit comes in the DLC. They did my man nasty getting rid of his amazing voice work

[@Haammmzzzz]

@@jstar3382 worry not, Voice Actors get paid regardless of whether their work is cut, they get the paycheck for the full time. Though it is still sad we miss out on Kale's whole quest and dialogue

[@dgalloway107]

Another to fall to the the same fate as poor Oscar.

[@pretty_fly_for_a_jeskai]

I hope it's brought back in DLC. I wanna just hear it in the game on my Aberrant Paladin(frenzy) build

[@mikehat7652]

@@Haammmzzzz i didn't know that, silver linings!

[@LordDoom10]

I'm surprised you never brought up the soldiers on the mountain leading to Volcano Manor. As they too are afflicted with Frenzy, possibly from how horrible the fighting was against Rykard's forces.

[@SmoughTown]

Good shout

[@insertedgynamehere___969]

Well, there's an eye of yelough there. Eyes of Yelough being Painkillers, would be very useful to soldiers on the battlefield. Perhaps they took to much

[@jstar3382]

There's also dudes eating eachother so I'm not surprised he missed it

[@praisethesun.praisedeussol6051]

@@jstar3382 those aren't crazy tho

[@ohshit635]

@@praisethesun.praisedeussol6051 yes but seeing that would cause despair and since they are separated from the cannibal soldiers they could’ve summoned the frenzied flame after getting away

[@leyrua]

You know, if they had kept Kale's questline, I would have absolutely gone with the frenzied flame ending. Because I kept RPing going back to that crumbling church to visit my first friend in the lands between. I would have burned the world for my boy.

[@PhalisoBringerOfDoom]

Easily my biggest disappointment in the cut content

[@demilung]

"My friend is sad so let's go commit world's greatest murder suicide of all time"

[@jira6423]

@@demilungyeah

[@TheActualMrLink]

That’s what Shabriri WANTS you to do.

[@KDB349]

Then you shall face the wrath of the Golden order

[@nightowlmystic9387]

Two things I would like to mention about Shabirri and Vyke. Shabirri is easily one of the best manipulators. I mean who can resist that upturn flirtatious smile. He looks trustworthy, right? Also Vyke probably couldn’t become lord because he didn’t strip off his armor which means that he could only partially contained the flame.

[@SmoughTown]

hahaha yeah the Vyke thing always bothered me...why is his armour scorched? As cool as it looks

[@jstar3382]

@@SmoughTown he was grabbed by the three fingers, and because the brand sealed his armor to his skin and not the flame to his body the frenzied flame didn't enter him. That's my interpretation I guess

[@chilledkhaos]

@@SmoughTown I believe the reason as to why his armour is scorched and grabbed is cause he lacked a 3 finger maiden like hyetta who informed us that we need to divulge ourselves of our armour. Vyke likely did not have someone like hyetta so he simply entered with his armour still on

[@puzzleheaded6195]

Lol I just think Shabriri needs to work on subtlety and not to go Full Send so quickly

[@GrievyRZ]

I don't really think it's that important. I mean, how did he even get in to the chamber with his armor on? It's probably simply just an aesthetic choice on Fromsoft's hand.

[@yael4171]

Frenzied Flame is definitely second favorite ending, the final scene where you turn around with your face turned into a lord of the rings looking thing just gave me chills.

[@BaalFridge]

the universe said fix me, and you said no, you are not worth fixing.

[@naggin8264]

Honestly, if Melina is alive it makes it No.1 in my book

[@CommieApe]

Wish you unlocked that head as an item after the cutscenes.

[@SmoughTown]

@@CommieApe Man that would be so cool

[@jstar3382]

@@CommieApe it just constantly builds frenzy on you and everything around you

[@aidenmclaughlin1076]

I love listening to the merchants play, especially with that ambiance.

[@spacecowboy5486]

It's literally my alarm clock, so every day when I wake up I cry out for the flame of frenzy and pray that chaos may take the world

[@duncanalexander4241]

The merchant song is just to good. Can't help but be fascinated by the yellow flame bc of it

[@SmoughTown]

Same, so mournful, so sorrowful

[@irongolem123]

Great ideas all around. There's just one significant detail I would have liked to explore: the nomadic merchants all have a five-fingered hand on the bow of their instruments. I think this may hint at what their "heretical beliefs" are. The followers of the Golden Order revere the Two Fingers, as a sign of order. Whereas the Three Fingers are a sign of chaos. And order and chaos both allegedly came from the One Great, so they're two halves of the whole. I think the five fingered hand of the nomadic merchants hints that they may have recognized this, and rather than embracing order and shunning chaos, their beliefs were essentially dualistic. Thus, Shabriri (or whoever) accusing them of heresy is kind of like the Christian persecution of the Manichaeans. Their belief in balance was deliberately misconstrued into devil worship.

[@SmoughTown]

What a brilliant spot - thank you!

[@FookinIsh]

The eyes are said to be the window to the soul. Like you said, we use our eyes to see and take in all the pain and suffering that we go through, but it's also possible for others to see that same pain and suffering when we look each other in the eyes. When we're sad or in pain we either look to each other for comfort, or we look away keep it to ourselves. We can see despair as well, when we look into someone's eyes and see that they don't see us, or that they see through us, or see nothing at all.

[@baltoy7460]

I really like the idea of the Three Fingers not being vessels of the Frenzied Flame, but the Outer God itself who took such form to symbolise its opposing nature towards the Greater Will's Order. It never crossed my mind, but it makes sense! With this, the only thing I still can't really explain about Fingers are Ranni Two Fingers. They differ in form, color and size from the normal fingers, and more importantly: they are alive - contrary to all other Demigods' ones. I've read the interesting idea that Ranni was not chosen as an Empyrean by the Greater Will, but by the Moon, of which her Fingers are emissary - this would also explain why Ranni was chosen despite not having any distinctive quality contrary to Malenia and Miquella, and would give context to all the meteoric shards near Manus Celes, as the Fingers could've been sent on earth by the satellite from space. It's also really interesting Ranni never mentions the Greater Will at all, despite all her plot.

[@WanderedIn]

Iji’s mask explicitly hides him from the Greater Will, though, so I think it’s possible Ranni’s relationship to the Greater Will is meant to be slightly hidden, made overt by the ending and Iji’s mirror mask.

[@psychicmane7636]

@@WanderedIn yeah cause ranni wants to replace the elden ring with herself as the queen of the moon which governs fate therefore the stars she wants to become absolute sovereign over all over every rule soul and concept her will is to puppet the entire universe eternally without any change this is a good deal for our character since we get to rule with her for the lands between look at rannis actions and ambitions and you tell me

[@WhiteKnuckleRide512]

Idk if I buy that. We know that she was given Blaid by the golden order, same as Marika. That seems like it directly ties her status as an Empyrean to the Greater Will.

[@baltoy7460]

​@@WhiteKnuckleRide512 Idk if I buy that either honestly, it's true like they say above Iji does protect against the Greater Will. Which, if the Moon Fingers interpretation is somehow correct, it makes me wonder if Ranni and her crew are aware of it, or if the satellite is pretending to be the Greater Will to make her go against the Order. To me, Blaidd is a very weird topic too. We know Ranni received him as a gift from her Fingers, although not the Golden Order nor the Greater Will are ever brought to the table. We know the Greater Will can bestow Shadows to Empyreans, but if the Moon can have its own Two Fingers maybe it can do that too? "The Two Fingers gave Blaidd to Lady Ranni, as a faithful follower. Her very shadow, incapable of treachery." Something I found really, really weird - however - is that the Fingers gifted Blaidd to Ranni during her childhood, and Rennala was totally fine with it. "Blaidd is Lady Ranni's stepbrother. Ranni's mother, Queen Rennala, approved of him, and they played like siblings from childhood." It's curious to me Rennala approved a vessel of the Greater Will to be her daughter's guard - but even assuming she was ok with this because of Radagon... does this mean Rennala knew Ranni was an Empyrean? That's what really buffles me: according to descriptions, all Rennala's children only became Demigods after Radagon became Elden Lord. "Radahn was amongst the children of Rennala and Radagon, who became demigod stepchildren after Radagon's union with Queen Marika." So... what was the reason for the Greater Will to choose an Empyrean among what at the time was a "common" girl? If the Moon was behind this, it would make more sense for Rennala to accept it, and for Ranni - the daughter of the most powerful sorcerer to ever be existed - to be chosen. If that's not the case and Ranni was actually a Greater Will Empyrean, it would mean she was chosen taking in consideration Radagon origins. But Rennala would've surely ask herself why. This would mean... Rennala knew all along that Radagon was Marika?

[@WhiteKnuckleRide512]

@@baltoy7460 That’s interesting, I never put together that the gift of Blaid, and by proxy her status as Empyrean, was given before her nature as a demigod was revealed. (I’m of the personal belief that Radagon was always Marika). That definitely raises some really strange questions. Still though, the phrase “THE Two Fingers” is only ever used explicitly in game to refer to the entity which interprets the greater will, and it seems strange for it to suddenly refer to something else, unless there’s some nuance lost in translation. Plus, all the other Demigods were given normal two fingers, why would Ranni’s be any different? I think the appearance of Ranni’s fingers are more just meant to represent their state of disrepair and disconnection from the Greater Will (and also we’re seeing their backside).

[@lavastage1132]

(cw: talk of suicide) Personally I found the story line of the Frenzied Flame to be deeply emotionally compelling. It's reminiscent of the distortion of logic that leads to suicide, when one is suffering so much and so deeply they wish for something, anything to make it stop, even if it means death. Feeling that it is better than continuing to exist in agony in its own twisted form of hope. Its all so gut wrenchingly real that I couldn't help but sympathize and feel moved by it. I also really like how the game frames and encourages you to accept the frenzied flame. When you encounter the Frenzied Flame Proscription, you are greeted with a horrific and frankly enraging sight of the Great Caravan entombed and yet still alive, punctuated by one playing a somber melody unique to the area. Then, with Kale's cut questline, you would find him despairing at the fate of his people (props to the VA by the way, he really sells the emotion). With all of that presented, you just might on impulse open the door to the three fingers, whether out of rage at the world of grace or sympathy for the merchant's plight. Of course by then its too late. Even if you come to your senses and regret your choice, you are locked in to the path of self destruction with only one arduous way to escape it. On one final note, I also love how the game makes the player doff their armor, "divesting themselves of everything" before the doors to the three fingers will open. Its an excellent metaphor for whom the frenzied flame manifests in: those who have lost everything.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks for sharing and being honest with you I feel the same. I went through some major mental health challenges a couple of years ago, to the point of having to take time off work, and being confined to bed. And I understand that feeling of not quite 'S' thoughts but of wanting the pain to end or something external to happen that will take you from that dark place. So I think it is a powerful emotion, and idea tapped into here. But of course balanced by Melina's speech which also hits true.

[@jojipoji2322]

I think they cut it because somebody was scared of how much it would inspire anti-vaxxers and those who have been beaten, locked up and shunned to stand up against the oppressive governments. The traveling merchants are the truckers that protested and fought against the oppression of the governments of the world. The great caravan is the hope. They lost everything, jobs, savings, bank accounts, loved ones because of the mandates imposed by tyrannical governments during the pandemic.

[@crunchcmacmillan]

YES this exactly!! it has made me so sad/angry seeing how people will wholeheartedly defend the frenzied flame because, like, i get it! but its bad! the game does everything in its power to explain to you how the frenzied flame simply is not the healthy choice, but if you get into the questline, youre sort of sent on a spiraling path that mimics the path of depression. and im so glad to see someone else mention that thematic/philosophical parallel because i think it is often sorely missing in discussions of this games philosophy in favour of minimalising it to just "chaos that is opposed to order".

[@averymccoytarnished6782]

Good take. I think there's plenty of room to extend the metaphor even further - the entombment of the merchants being similar to wrongful institutionalization ironically leading to the rise of the very symptoms the committed were accused of, the location at the depths of society being reminiscent of the othering encountered by the mentally unwell and divergent, Shabriri trying to convince you that embracing the Flame would be doing someone else a favor being VERY much like the "everyone would be better off without me" patterns of thinking... Even Shabriri's name being borrowed from a demon of blindness - where suicidal thoughts are often a blindness to the reality and smallness of one's momentary suffering. Damn, this one could run really deep.

[@nicodemusedwards6931]

Also consider the immense effort it takes to quell the Frenzied Flame once accepted, and the aftermath of doing so. You have to reach the most difficult area of the game, and face down its most powerful bosses. And when you do succeed, when you manage to conquer the Frenzied Flame… you’re still marked by it. It’s still scaring your skin and dwelling within you. The flame itself still burns inside, your victory is quelling it, not extinguishing it. You’ll never truly be free of the Frenzied Flame, but it no longer dominates your path. You are free to live as you wish, even if you have to carry it with you forevermore.

[@anankha82]

Being a huge King in Yellow fan, I saw the inspiration in the yellow frenzied flame. My favorite story line to follow, in the game! Great video, as always!

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you so much!

[@Jasonmakesvideo]

But where's the outfit?!

[@ukaszchudzik2113]

@@Jasonmakesvideo 3ą

[@deriqdgraves]

That was my first thought when i was piecing together the lore the first time I played. The Altus Plateau and the wormfaces and the spooky hippy ladies all made me very suspect of anything that came from that area or wore any gold/yellow. I was creeped out too, because before the game came out, I was looking into The King in Yellow through various media.

[@Cheerwine091]

As a fellow King in Yellow fan, I can’t believe that I missed the connection in my playthrough

[@richardwiles-arnott6719]

I usually don't comment, but you deserve it. I really appreciate how well researched and entertaining these lore videos are. Also, your work ethic makes me want to push myself to do more. The fact that you're able to research, write, capture footage, and edit a 1 hour video essay every couple weeks is incredibly inspiring. Keep it up! Take care of yourself too though. Take a break if you need to. Can't wait to see more!

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks so much my friend, I really appreciate those kind words. It makes the hard work worth it 🙌

[@jeftecoutinho]

I'm starting to like the idea of the outer gods being kami because it explains how the outer gods apparently aren't bound by space. They can appear wherever they want because they are aspects of life itself, not just beings.

[@SmoughTown]

Me too dude, it fills a lot of the gaps for me

[@Darth_Bateman]

Which begs the question: if the outer gods are the antithesis of the current god. What happens when the flame of frenzy becomes the greater will?

[@NoConsequenc3]

@@Darth_Bateman I don't think that's what happens at all. What they get is control over the Elden Ring, which is basically how the kami interact and the laws they follow. It's not that the FF becomes the GW, it's that it rules over the ER and can manipulate it. Think of the ER like rules and regulations. Marika as God can still ban you for whatever regardless of rules the FF will ban everything forever the Greater Will fucked off awhile ago to start a new company because management fucked this one up

[@psychosytheXmediaXco]

I will point out that not giving a shit about spacial constraints is also very much in line with normal Lovecraftian entities, and that afaik the vast majority of Kami are actually highly localized deities

[@psychicmane7636]

@@Darth_Bateman they are not antithesis to the greater will only the frenzied flame is marika doesn’t serve the greater will fully the greater will intended death to be part of its elden ring yet she removed it meaning went in direct opposition to the creator of it

[@jstar3382]

Could the flames in someone's eyes show them the truth of the world? The madness could be similar to frenzy in Bloodborne, where someone gains knowledge beyond their understanding and are harmed from it. The flames could show a person the fractured nature of the world and the horrors that come from it, driving them mad and eventually pushing them to spread it to others

[@mildsthatyac2097]

That’s why there needs to be order hence the two fingers but not blind following but a just order.

[@Jackal-ep9zf]

There is one other thing regarding the theme of eyes in Elden Ring is that, despite them being mainly associated with the Frenzied Flame, they are also related to Marika and Radagon through their Sore and Scar Seals. And there’s the fact that in the promotional material and in game, Marika’s eyes are also suspiciously never shown. This is seen across the board in her statuary, paintings, her image in the prologue cinematic and when you finally see her crucified within the Erdtree.

[@Jasonmakesvideo]

Their eyes have yet to opem

[@PancakeBreakfast]

I've been thinking about this recently as well. But it's not just Marika. It's Radagan too. And Miquella, Malenia, and Ranni's original body. Marika / Radagan and the Empyreans. We don't get to see any of their eyes. Something else interesting that I was looking at. Melina has one yellow eye before her transformation. I have some theories developing for this. I think it might be time to finally make another lore video for this game. But one thing that I find to be a little bit of a kink in the gears for all of it. Melina and Millicent both share striking resemblances. I'm not saying that they are the same person. But I do think it is interesting that they wear the exact same armor and have the same colored hair and eyes. For example, one of Millicent's sister's looks exactly like Melina but with a blindfold on

[@joshuamagruder2241]

My first ending was the frenzied flame ending. Completely blind I followed Hyettas questline, and very early I got to the frenzied flame village and found the frenzied Lord note. I spent the game obsessing over it. And my initial time in Leyndell was searching everywhere for the sewers. And the more the game tried to keep me from going deeper, I just wanted it more. I gotta say. I think the reason why Elden ring is one of my favorite games is because that happened. It really set in on my second playthrough how special that experience was, encountering the three fingers and the sting of Melina saying that she was going to kill me now. Shit was fucking awesome lmao

[@ladonmccabe]

Notice the similarities between Gowry and Shabriri. They both seem more than human, can possess other bodies, and speak in favor of an outer God. I have a video in the works myself on the similarities of them and that archetype within the lands between Edit: going more along with your video and eyes (or the lack their of), check out all of the finger reading crones, who have empty sockets. And you also have the briar channeling sorcerer-prisoners, who are said to have their eyes gouged out by the briars, and like those afflicted with frenzy flame and it manifesting in the eyes of those infected, the briar prisoners see the bloodstar in a similar manor.

[@GrimViridian]

Not to mention the amount of eye changes our character can get by choosing different things

[@paid14]

I guess that video never happened?

[@joaogarcia1177]

I ended up meeting several other lore youtubers thanks to you, also I like that you don't get tired of trying to understand the lore from many different perspectives and angles

[@SmoughTown]

I appreciate that and really glad to hear you checked out some of the incredible creators in the community

[@xenasaur520]

another great video as always! I gotta say, finding the frenzied merchant in the subterranean shunning grounds was probably the most immersive experience I've had with this game. i had just finished an intense fight with fake mohg and i was progressing downwards when i heard the sweet sound of that instrument they play. i eventually found the guy just sitting there, completely empty, seemingly clinging on to the last memory he had from his old life. he was almost entirely alone, save for the mountains of corpses from his dead people. for the first time in the game, i used an emote (other than finger snap) to sit down next to him for about 5 minutes and just listen to him play his song. he never reacted to my presence, but i hope that he noticed i was there, and if only for those 5 minutes, didn't feel so alone. to this day every time I hear that song i think about him and nearly cry.

[@krimson4257]

The merchants are one of thr few creatures in the game i hate killing. They're resting in a tomb of their own dead people, losing whats left of they're sanity and life..and they spend it doing the same thing they always have; playing their beautiful music. My realization that they were merchants shook me, and i stood there for a moment just listening to their song as i descended.

[@stefvanroey8191]

Can we just appreciate the fact that the thumbnails on this channel have been fire the last couple of months

[@SmoughTown]

Shimhaq, De Pietro and Brightspark have been killing it

[@vasylpark2149]

I wonder if outer should actually be translated as outsider. Edit: the ironic part is that in the end we still sacrificed a maiden. So was it really worth it. Shabriri is a liar through and through.

[@kingdomcome3914]

I have a theory about how the agents of the Three Fingers come about. The acolytes of the Frenzied Flame appear to people in the form of someone that once greatly mattered to the intended target. The Irina/Hyetta dynamic is a proof of my theory, as it seems that Irina's plight might have drawn sympathy from the Tarnished. Yura/Shabiri dynamic follows the same logic. Shabiri asks why the Tarnished seems sad upon seeing him, and tries to gain the Tarnished's favor by suggesting an avoidance of Melina's eventual sacrifice by absorbing the Frenzied Flame. Both Hyetta and Shabiri do not appear until Irina and Yura are dead. These agents of the Flame take the form of someone dear to them in order to gain their trust, like some kind of cruel joke. Let's say you have someone you hold dear, and one day, they die. You feel sad, knowing that they're gone, and life becomes more dreary. Then one day, you are approached by someone familiar, it's that person who died, but something's wrong, they have a totally different personality, and go by a different name. They encourage you to engage with some process that allowed their body to live again, all the while commenting about your show of sadness upon seeing them. These acolytes of Chaos take the form of the person who mattered to you to spread the Frenzied Flame further, exploiting your feelings, your relationship to the person you once held dear to you.

[@TheActualMrLink]

Seeing that monster Shabriri puppeteering the corpse of Yura utterly ENRAGED me. I make it a point to kill that bastard on sight every run.

[@bbluva21]

The sheer breadth of expansive research and effort put into all of these videos, in their baffling frequency, warms our days and deepens our understanding of this beautiful game. Please never stop. 👑 #PraiseTheResearch

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you so much. No plans to stop!

[@frostyham]

Something I thought of when I found the merchants sealed below the capital was how people with memory loss tend to remember music. I used to work in an industry adjacent to people with alzheimers/dementia (not as a caregiver, just in a connected business) and had a musician in the family who died to some form of memory loss. It's a commonly accepted concept that for whatever reason, the brain can deteriorate beyond the point of recognizing faces but music will still be remembered. That musician in my family could play his instrument incredibly well even while he started mistaking his electric razor for the TV remote.

[@ricklubbers7761]

Ive known you since your collabs with sinclair lore and i gotta say, youve become my favorite lore channel.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks so much Rick, really glad you found the channel!

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

So, maybe one more perspective worth taking that combines the dialogues of the two and three fingers is that the One Great was shattered into many pieces, and the Greater Will is the greatest size or power of the sentiences from this split, the others being the Outer Gods. The Flame of Frenzy, then, is also a fragment of the One Great, but the one that doesn't approve of the fragmentation and desires to return. It is so evocative of the Old One in Demon's Souls - that a piece of the One Great did not want to fragment.

[@SmoughTown]

yep definitely a possibility!

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

@@SmoughTown I guess the other thing worth pointing out is that one part of Order is disparity. The Frenzied Flame represents a faction of those for whom disparity has not been kind to, while proponents of the Golden Order and the Greater Will benefit from this disparity. Maybe a little bit too spicy for a channel like this, but also a factor worth considering. The glory of Order seems to come at a cost, and increasingly so as the blessings of the Erdtree no longer drop. There's even a small description hinting at this, implying that those physically closest to the Erdtree when it first came to the Lands Between received the greatest of its blessings.

[@puzzleheaded6195]

Lately I’ve been fascinated with the door to the Three Fingers. I’ve been trying to figure out what it’s made of and the one I’ve concluded to is Flesh. I know it sounds crazy but what sells this are the hints of red seen on the surfaces of trolls and many of the inhabitants in the Lands Between, possibly being dried blood. There is a prominent theme of skinning or flaying being a form of punishment. It’s mostly evident in the crucifixions, eternal city slaves, the trolls etc. Also interesting to note is all of buried merchants look nothing like the ones above ground, possibly because they’re missing their flesh which would explain their reddish exterior also being dried blood. We know from Shabriri and Hyetta that spirits that seek the Flame of Frenzy need only flesh so this actually makes a lot of sense that all the flesh would be used to seal this door. This could also explain why we need to be unburdened and unclothed since an audience with the Three Fingers needs flesh… Not that I think of it, maybe even Godwyn might’ve been flayed since there’s another of him under Stormveil with missing eyes since the black knives design are similar to Melina’s Blade of Calling which has the same shotel like design, similar to the Godskin Peelers. Queen Marika’s reign just got a lot more sinister….

[@SmoughTown]

You are probably right, looks like pork scratching or something

[@puzzleheaded6195]

@@SmoughTown Pork you say? No wonder our tarnished couldn’t resist. Yum.

[@SmoughTown]

@@puzzleheaded6195 🤣

[@ChouxThePastry]

one of my favourite pieces of lore in game... the merchants, the three fingers, vyke... ah hearing that music is so powerful... the frenzied flame ending is by far my favourite ending

[@trulytrue8008]

The lore scene for elden ring has been robust, but for me, Smoughtown has floated to the top. The presentation, choice of topics, and the sheer amount in such a short time has been so great. Thanks Smoughtown!

[@antoniorivolta783]

I have yet to watch the video but one thing I have always found interesting, (even if not related to the story) is that the ending of the flame of frenzy shows a tree and a flame with dark inside it Ds1 begins precisely with a tree from which a fire is released from which even darkness is born.. However, You really are a Lore Hunter.

[@ElectricRose9001]

The Eyes of Yelough make me think of something else too..With the healing , plus intoxicating, maybe it's a type of hallucinogen that's also toxic like a "magic mush"? Brings to mind bad trips, and losing one's sanity to "ideas beyond comprehensibility" which "seeing" (leading to the eyes) might be too much for, but having also been used as a powerful medicine by people for hundreds of years to heal the mind..You can kind of say that for most "intoxicants" so maybe it just means any kind in general like a vice? Just a thought.

[@MercedesSLSJpak]

I'm also not sure how relevant Bloodbornes ideas are to Elden Ring overall, but the recurrence of eyes feel direct to me - the eyes of insight in that game showed the gaining of cursed knowledge one cannot escape. To me, the eyes of frenzy communicate the same notion: once you see the world as endless and pointless suffering, you cannot unsee it. You've gained insight into something best left unconsidered, and also the usage of "frenzy" implies to me the same state of madness from this insight. In regard to Hyetta/Irene being the vessel for chaos, I think she's chosen becauses she's both impaired and possibly suffering and isolated from others because of this, and also because of the literary notion of blindness giving you greater clarity and freedom from the world's illusions. As someone who is suffering for no reason besides genetic randomness and who died violently at the hands of meaningless revenge, she is capable of seeing the world as it truly is: an endless cycle of malignantly pointless torment and death

[@xavierlivingston4458]

The frenzy ending with the tree on fire always looked like a brain cell to me

[@Darth_Bateman]

I mean you’re technically sharing a brain cell with a god that wants to burn everything and everything to nothing, so…..yeah!

[@I-like-cows]

it seems you have been afflicted by it 😐

[@yarro1965]

The idea of opposites really fits in with the 3 fingers. While the Order is represented by the dieific Erd Tree, Chaos is but a simple servant.

[@DarkerGames]

This was a very much needed explanation of The Frenzy Flame very much needed for such a mysterious outer god doesn’t matter the lore we have it is still a mystery so this lore explanation helps out a lot, Incredible Lore explanation Smough of The Flame Of Frenzy have a marvelous day

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks so much fella, hope you have a great day too

[@DarkerGames]

@@SmoughTown you’re welcome thanks I will

[@Lu_Kitsuray]

Did this person really just manage to dedicate 1 hour of lore video material to a topic where I am happy to find 6 lines of text for? Great job~

[@l1teralcanc3r78]

I desperately hope Fromsoft restores some of the cut quests like Kale's in some form at some point. It serves as a point of justification for the player to go down the path of chaos beyond saving Melina. Incredible breakdown as always. As I've said before, I've been looking forward to this video since I started watching your stuff and you did not disappoint.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks dude, I am really really pleased you enjoyed the content

[@jojipoji2322]

I think they cut it because somebody was scared of how much it would inspire anti-vaxxers and those who have been beaten, locked up and shunned to stand up against the oppressive governments. The traveling merchants are the truckers that protested and fought against the oppression of the governments of the world. The great caravan is the hope. They lost everything, jobs, savings, bank accounts, loved ones because of the mandates imposed by tyrannical governments during the pandemic.

[@jojipoji2322]

The slander, spoken by Shabriri, was slander according to the order. He was blinded and punished for not abiding by their rules. His anger and his hatred magnified after being silenced and blinded by those who would not listen to the truth. The three fingers have another finger because they are the truth and speak from more than 2 perspectives, but from all. The reason the two fingers only have two fingers is because of a physical representation of communicating and hearing from 2 outer gods. The only one who chose to listen to 3 was shunned as well. The Order is a lie, they have silenced those with the truth, and because of this, true wrath will fall upon all. It was because of the lack of inclusion of the 3rd that sickness and curses existed. Had there been openness to the third, all matter would have been considered. There was a place for all.

[@Synistyc]

finally a new hour long elden ring video by my favorite lore guy, and its on my favorite topic in elden ring. LETSS GOOOO SMOUGHTOWN KEEP IT UP!!!

[@SmoughTown]

Enjoy! LETS GO

[@Fancy_Pants_Dan]

My day is complete! Playing the new RE8 dlc and listening to the best lore channel on KZbin! Hope you have a wonderful weekend bud!

[@AMbradfordfilms]

This was the first ending I recieved. It was my first souls game. By the time I talked to Melina down there i wasnt sure I could trust her. Hyettas dialogue was sufficiently manipulative to me, 100 hours in still learning and completely naive, and having already relied on frenzied flame spells. The point is I realized how good the game is after the ending and feeling regret. Really thoughtful and sneaking writing i cant help but feel it played perfectly into how i was feeling at the time. I think the writing pushed me in that direction.

[@billfox847]

There are some very close parallels between the forsaken depths where the caravan was locked away and the tower of rebirth from Berserk, kind of like the tower you drop down to meet the four kings in DS1. The tower was built on top of a ruined kingdom and became a prison for heretics. At the bottom are a mass of corpses with the brand of sacrifice, implying that the first eclipse happened in the area at the bottom of the tower. Pretty similar story to the frenzied flame, especially considering that a behelit activates whenever a person is experiencing complete despair. Another parallel I just had to edit in is the fact that the sewers and Leyndell were built on top of tomb of the frenzied flame just as the tower of rebirth in Berserk was built over the massacres committed years ago by the founder of the kingdom, king gaiseric. Almost in an effort to erase history. Maybe marika and the golden order built the capital on top of the tomb to cover up the horrid things they did to the nomads and merchants who once traded goods at the foot of the erdtree.

[@coroarc8423]

your quality is as high as ever and you are by far my favorite elden ring lore tuber. very well done!

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks Ernst, it honestly means a lot to hear that

[@mikehat7652]

Frenzied flame ending certainly reminds me a good bit of the end goal of Eva's Human Instrumentality Project, except instead of melting into liquid LCL everything is melted into the Frenzied Flame. Both driving everything they encounter to madness before subsuming them

[@AC-hj9tv]

Niec

[@yaman9463]

Also Dad Ikari with no head at the end

[@johannesschmidt6189]

Thank you for yet another amazing video. I have a few thoughts on why Vyke failed to become the lord of frenzied flame: To meet the three fingers and become the lord of frenzied flame the player character has to take off their armor. This can be interpreted as a symbolic act. Leaving one's protection behind, one's former believes about power, security and order. After the players meeting with the three fingers their message is inscribed upon the players very skin. Vyjes armor has similar fingerprint markings. As if the metal of the armor was melted by the touch of the three fingers. So I'd suggest that Vyke did NOT leave behind his armor (his former believes about order and so on). The three fingers couldn't inscribe their message on his skin which made him unfit to be the lord of frenzied flame. Another clue to Vyke holding on to his believes about order and control could be the description of the madness sniping incantation which says that this incantation is an ATTEMPT to CONTROL chaos, which for me is in itself a contradiction. There is no controlling chaos. Let me know what you think guys.

[@alexspain9103]

The common belief about the "crime of slander" is that Shabriri negatively slandered the Great Carravan, but I don't think that's the case. Why would the punishment be slander be the removal of his _eyes?_ Would it not make more sense to remove his tongue? Shabriri read the fingerprints of the three fingers and became the first servant of the Frenzied Flame, and so his eyes were removed to prevent him reading any more. But what of the slander? It is my belief that the slander was not against the Great Carravan, but instead the slander was against the Greater Will. We know the words of the Three Fingers already, Hyetta told them to us. _"The Greater Will made a mistake..."_ If Shabriri read the Three Fingers' words in their prints, and if he believed them and came to serve them, then what purpose would it serve for him to condemn the Great Carravan as worshippers of the Three Fingers, falsely or otherwise? The explanation is simple, Shabriri didn't lie. Shabriri did not go to the Golden Order and slander the Great Carravan, he went to the Great Carravan and slandered the Greater Will. Shabriri is not a subtle being, he is not a manipulator or a twister of words, he's a preacher. An evangelist of the Frenzied Flame. In the early days of the Three Fingers' influence, Shabriri became their first servant and, as any power which seeks to grow, was sent to spread the word. He targeted the forgotten, the weak, the disenfranchised and ignored. He went to the nomads, to the Great Carravan, and he preached. It was for this crime that he was punished, this heresy and blasphemy that earned him the name, "most reviled man in history," that he would not only believe but also teach the Golden Order's greatest contradiction. But they were found out. The Golden Order heard tell of Shabriri's message, either from external parties or by a member of the Nomads who sold them out and was allowed to survive to later form the Nomads of today, and they descended upon both Shabriri and the Carravan, locking the Carravan away in it's entirety even as they punished Shabriri publicy, forever tainting his message by calling it slander and lies.

[@SmoughTown]

Great points and as someone else pointed out, cut content is cut for a reason and the Nomad Ashes describe how the sickness follows them and the merchants on the surface actually use it. Nonetheless I wanted to portray the cut content and the particular narrative because I do find it interesting and compelling

[@anthonysbelgio]

Now that we've got the DLC, and find out that the fingers and their mother were inherently impure or broken(?), I'm reconsidering the 5 finger possibility. If the mother was impure in some way, maybe this was a result.

[@filletboy3368]

Wonderful, was looking forward to this. One of the most interesting parts of the lore for me, can't wait to hear your take on it. Cheers as always, Smough!

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks so much bud! Let me know your thoughts

[@justanerd3784]

I recently took interest in the frenzied flame and was about to start looking into it and found this video! The timing was perfect. Thx!!

[@joshk494]

I don't recall you offering an explaination as to why we need to strip our armor in order to gain audience with the 3 fingers. If I missed it I apologize, but 2 reasons I can think of: for the 3 fingers to imprint on our flesh we need to be exposed. Of course, Vyke seems to have had his armor on when he met with Them. Maybe this was seen afterward as an error, as if his dedication was deemed lacking for keeping his armor on, or his contact with them was weaker with a buffer, and afterward the 3 fingers decided its fingerprints must be scarred directly onto a candidate's skin. The other reason perhaps is more symbolic. We exhibit our individuality in these games through fashion, so maybe being naked expresses our willingness to sacrifice our uniqueness and face the 3 fingers at our most basic.

[@AC-hj9tv]

Gotta free the peen

[@shallot4013]

I like to think that the emphasis on yellow is more kin to the fact yellow is kin to a fake gold.

[@SmoughTown]

Good shout

[@trippyzero8612]

Of note: The god of Rot was sealed beneath the current location of the home of the Carion Royal family, if I remember correctly. The Frenzied Flame was sealed beneath the royal capital. Does this pattern line up anywhere else in the world? Places with the "as above, so below," theme going on? Lots to look at with the underground cities. On the subject of enucleation. We have three groups in this world that gain a divine sight when they are blinded. As far as I remember The Finger Readers have no eyes and in their blindness translate for the Greater Will via Two-Fingers. Corhyn blinds himself with a cloth and adheres to the Greater Will. Those who have been enucleated via thorns see the Blood Star. The fellow who attacks you in roundtable hold blinds himself with a cloth. Those who are afflicted with madness see...well their sight becomes madness, ha! Hyetta also blinds herself with a cloth. Is there anyone who represents the "blue" colors who blinds themselves in some way? The only thing I can think of is Ranni with one eye shut. Also her giant follower with his mirror helmet. Of the purple colors Melina has one eye Locked shut. Actually it would be nice to get a list of all characters who have their vision obstructed to see if there's a pattern there.

[@adawg3032]

the frenzy flame is like crack cocaine. Its bad but for some reason that site of grace underneath leyndell screams at you to just give it a try...

[@Maffo__]

Definitely my favourite topic in the game, very glad you're covering it!

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks Andrea!

[@2265Hello]

I love the thumbnail art one of the artists best imo

[@SmoughTown]

Just unmatched quality

[@BlackthornProduction]

Old content now I know, but your work is amazing, it has guided me through the world of Elden Ring and been the thing i listen to most, I've nearly listened to every single Elden Ring lore video you've put out on it. Keep it going!

[@kell_gg]

"...and have a wonderful oblivion." 😂😂 Love it~

[@SmoughTown]

Hahaha thanks Kell!

[@ftorididk4198]

I have been waiting for the Frenzied Flame Flame video for months. Thank you

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you, hope you enjoyed

[@jeftecoutinho]

What if the tomb of the frenzied flame is in another in place? The tablet's description doesn't state that the proscription is the actual tomb. The Great Caravan only summoned it there. The Fingerprint Shield might have been a relic the Great Caravan brought with them from the actual tomb of the Frenzied Flame.

[@Oroan]

I've veen waiting for this video on pins and needles! Superb as always!

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you Brendon!

[@_ariosto1519]

Very cool video man, thank you! Great channel by the way. Flame of Frenzy is my favorite ending. 🔥 👁

[@SmoughTown]

Hey! Thanks so much, glad you like the channel

[@turnak1349]

I love the thumbnail of this video, also running a build just using frenzy spells is really fun

[@nicolaswilke176]

This lore video kicks ass. Thank you my man.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks bud, really appreciate that!

[@SekiroDubi]

My man. Hearing the music at the beginning I knew this was going to be good.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks brother, thanks for all your work in uncovering so much lost lore.

[@yellowsaurus4895]

I dont think the possibility of a five-fingered hand should be counted out tbh. Just looking at their design it seems quite obvious that the two and three fingers would form a complete hand if combined; the two fingers being the pointer and ring finger and the three fingers being the thumb, pinky and middle. To me it doesnt really make sense that From would design these entities with such a clear visual metaphor if it didn't actually mean anything. EDIT: Thematically this makes a lot of sense as well; the two fingers of the greater will symbolize order, the three fingers symbolize chaos. They are two sides of the same coin. There's also the reference to a five fingered hand representing the beastmen's intelligence in the cinquedea item description, which again seems like a needless and out-of-place detail if there never was a five fingered hand. Furthermore, the two fingers are just messengers of the greater will, so i dont think there being more than one of them really matters as far as the math not adding up (though it is odd that different two fingers have chosen different empyreans, so it seems they do have a certain degree of agency). For all we know there could've been multiple three fingers as well; after all we know that the two fingers can in fact be killed, evidently even without something like the fingerslayer blade, since we find their corpses at the divine towers. What really perplexes me is Hyetta's dialogue (no doubt it was purposely left ambiguous in typical From Software fashion), which as far as i know is the only reference to "The One Great" in the entire game. Having done a little digging, it seems that the japanese describes this as more of a "great oneness" like the prima materia/crucible as opposed to a single deity. "All that there is came from the One Great, then came fractures and births." To me, this seems to directly contradict the notion that the Greater Will created all life, and is further supported by the fact that there are places beyond the Lands Between which are supposedly free of, or at least less affected by the Greater Will's influence. There's also the item description (cant remember which item, maybe someone will remind me) stating that originally the Erdtree was "in opposition to everything." Surely if the Greater Will was the source of all life this wouldn't be the case, no? If we accept that everything was created by The One Great and not the GW, it would make a lot of sense for it to be represented by a hand. After all, what do we as humans use to create? Our hands... Im starting to ramble so I'll end it here, but these are just a few ideas that've been troubling me in regards to the relationship between the GW/two fingers, the three fingers, and whatever the hell the One Great actually is.

[@NATEHIGGERS97]

The one great probably refers to nothingness of the universe from which came everything or the great soup of life. Most probably it's similar to the Norse concept of primordial void i.e Ginnungagap. The flame of frenzy wants "no more birth" meaning it does not simply want chaos by burning everything, chaos is just its nature and its tool, similar to Ginnungagap from which also came everything in Norse mythology including existence. Existence is suffering and the flame of frenzy wants to end it through primordial chaos. It reminds of a saying, "to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in the suffering".

[@NickBergOne]

Absolute gem as always! And thanks for recommending The Red Book channel! I’ve enjoyed it a lot as a companion to my read through of Tolkien material.

[@BrassPetals3Voices]

In the Mountaintops of the Giants in the Shack of the Lofty is a burned figure, and next to it a chest that holds the bloodied Traveling Maiden outfit of Irina/Hyetta. This is where you can invade Juno Hoslow for a Volcano Manor task. I wonder if the burned figure was an earlier iteration of Hyetta, sent by Shabriri to act as a Maiden in an ultimately failed attempt to lead Hoslow to the Three Fingers?

[@Trench___]

Im sort of obsessed with the Frenzied Flame. This is a feeling I haven't felt since I first read Game of Thrones back in the late nineties, that realization of a huge and sprawling lore, and an intense sacrifice by an individual that so strongly influences the narrative

[@codyrisling3253]

My favourite ending is the flame of frenzy… it’s Soo ominous and an eye opener. The traveling merchants story and shabriri being the reason for them being persecuted based on a lie is deep. Great video as always Smough!

[@kielbasamage]

It’s enough to make one wonder if Shabriri was the crack in the door, and the lie and the merchants was merely to pry it wide open…

[@str8outtaanime572]

I've never learned this much about anything about elden ring more than this here, definitely checking out the rest of ur videos cuz elden ring lore is so fascinating

[@peppydisc1935]

Smough, you make compelling points about why the Two and Three Fingers were never one, but one thing that interests me is Placidusax. He clearly once had 5 heads, but now only has 2 left. That seems significant given he was once Elden Lord but I'm not sure how that all fits into this. Any ideas?

[@SmoughTown]

I honestly don't have any yet, but it is undeniable that his two heads facing up to the sky are meant to tell us something

[@General_Chadahn]

Let's go new smough vid! 🙏 these elden ring documentaries are one of a few things I look forward to, thank you 🥺

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you! Very kind, means alot

[@ghosttimm420]

Keep in mind that, all throughout Hyetta’s questline, Irina’s corpse is still there the entire time and still is after her quest. 🤔

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh can't answer that, a reincarnation instead of possession like Shabriri perhaps?

[@KoleTheSilent]

@@SmoughTown I don't think Irina was reborn or possessed into/by Hyetta, but I also don't think it discredits your take on Hyetta. She could still have been chosen from birth as an envoy for the Three Fingers, and still have experienced true despair, whether second-hand or personally. It would, however, be really cool if Edgar was corrupted by Irina's death just for her to be reincarnated, but I think FromSoft just reused the assets and voice actor cause Irina only had like, two lines. If it was their intention to insinuate that Hyetta and Irina are the same, maybe they just forgot to make Irina's body despawn.

[@irkallan]

This video is awesome. I love the long-form content, and the way you present information is great--sometimes when it comes to Elden Ring lore videos I can get to the end of the vid and still feel like I only have a vague sense of what's happened.

[@praveshdeotale]

Maybe the frenzied flame and chaos once fit into the greater order but after the golden order was created he was booted out and he's going against the greater will out of spite

[@SmoughTown]

Along the lines of what Lore Hunter suggests

[@praveshdeotale]

@@SmoughTown ok sorry I wasn't at that part when I wrote this

[@SmoughTown]

No need to apologise dude, just interesting to hear someone sharing his opinion

[@STie95]

An easy reading of the Frenzied Flame is to see it as a "wrath of God" type deal. Shabriri was a dissenter against the Order, got his eyes gouged out, and THEN a true opponent for the Order was actually created. Same with the buried nomads: they were destroyed for being seen as heretical, and THEN they came to embody the Flame. As a story, it's a rebuke against zealotry, basically. Evil is the eye that sees evil everywhere, and so on.

[@JingliYuu]

Ah yes the flame of frenzy... Finally a definite lore about the yellow flames that only knows one thing to bring total ruination upon these lands... As always you elaborate this very well. Excellent work as always...

[@SmoughTown]

There he is, thanks for your perspective All Knowing one!

[@puzzleheaded6195]

Why are you so drawn to the blue cunneh…

[@rylander1235]

Prepare to cry, I love all the lore video coolabs. Friendship is nice

[@alexspain9103]

Where there is division, there must once have been union. Where there is separation, there must also be cooperation. Where there is loneliness, there must also be connection. Without the Dark, the light would know not what it is. To define is to divide, to divide is to control, to control is to define. Thus is the nature of order, and so Regression is born. The creation of the world progressed from God to lesser, but objective of the Fenzied flame seems to be the inverse. To combine from the lesser to achieve a divine union. The god of the Frenzied Flame is found in the hearts of all that live, and so the three fingers heed _our_ call when _we_ cry out in despair. The lord of Frenzied Flame is no vassal, no vessel, no intermediary. They do not wield the flame, nor do they fear it. They offer themselves to the flame in full, their agony the _proof_ of their apotheosis as their flesh is consumed and they become one with the flame. We are the god of Frenzy, and the god the Frenzied Flame is us. The choir of damned souls singing out in one voice, all in perfect union once more.

[@sorath1396]

Based on that description of how the flame can infect anyone who falls into despair, I would 100% be very affected by it. My entire yard would be filled with Eyes of Yelough.

[@carson3370]

After your new perspective on the Outer God's, I'm interested to hear your interpretation of Rani's ending

[@swearingbear3183]

Beautiful take on everything you said. With the small tiny bits of lore we have to speculate on this stuff, everything you've said especially on shabriri and the great caravan make literally the most sense out if anything else that could have happened. Thank god for this community else we would never have any way to explain main chunks of the story. Thank you.

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you so much, I absolutely love discussing the lore with everyone

[@swearingbear3183]

@@SmoughTown and I absolutely love watching hours and hours of discussion and speculation. 😁😁

[@MercedesSLSJpak]

Excellent stuff as always, I do prefer to think that the Three Fingers are a Lord to an undepicted chaos incarnate like Lovecraft's Azathoth, because the Merchant note specifically calls them Lord and not God, and all the other outer gods are ethereal and unable to take physical form

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh absolutely agree that the note would certainly back this up!

[@MercedesSLSJpak]

@@SmoughTown oh also the three fingers dissolve when they convert you, which to me implies that you're taking their place as Lord for the chaos God

[@MortonFMurphy]

The chad Smoughtown back to save my Friday work day. Really appreciate the thoughtful and carefully made content.

[@SmoughTown]

Hope work goes well

[@jdmmike7225]

Chad Brodius Maximus Smough is always good for getting us in trouble at work for being on our phones LMAO 👍

[@AC-hj9tv]

Gigachad

[@whatsnewbois9814]

It kinda bums me out that even after taming the frenzyd flame within us with the needle, we never see Melina again as if using it's power to save her life is enough to despise us forever...

[@amber-zu2yb]

well since the beginning she told us her purpose was to sacrifice herself to burn the erdtree. she didn't want to be saved.

[@Darth_Bateman]

Well yeah, you took her purpose from her, dude….

[@kielbasamage]

On one hand; it was her purpose in existing, both as your surrogate maiden and, should you believe it, a child of the Gloam-Eyed Queen with some touch of Death. She has decided what she needs to do, and you denying her that regardless of her desires is rough. You may as well ask Seluvis to help turn her into a puppet, at that point. On the other, the Frenzied Flame is just that horrible, and the ability to disconnect from it is very esoteric and may not even be a permanent solution. After all, Malenia struggles with her body being consumed by the scarlet rot, with only her brothers unalloyed gold needle and her sheer will staving off its influence, and by the time you find her both of these are waning. The Frenzied Flame cannot be quantified in wether or not it is stronger, or more insidious. After all, you’ve plunged through the church and into the bottom of the grave, you had all the time in the world to consider other options from baring yourself to the influence of incomprehensible, omnicidal madness, and who would be reasonably cowed by you saying you did it for a frenzied flame seal, or you merely need to go somewhere and reseal it, assuming of course you didn’t just blast your soul apart and you aren’t merely Shabriri wearing the Tarnished as a skin suit.

[@whatsnewbois9814]

@@Darth_Bateman then what was all that stuff about preserving life she was telling us? I get it, thats her choice but it still feels like suicide. If she tries to tell me that life is precious but wont hesitate to use her own life as kindling, then i can only see her as a hypocrit. But yeah the frenzyd flame is not something i would carelessly use without a plan to stop it....

[@Darth_Bateman]

@@whatsnewbois9814 she said preserving life, she did not say “I want to live!”

[@misterspiggins]

An interesting thought I had while discussing Vyke. Because the Frenzied Burst mentions fighting and succumbing to frenzy, perhaps that explains Vyke’s armor. It’s told to you to remove all possessions when entering the three finger’s chamber, so perhaps Vyke refused in an effort to stave the flame’s influence. If he did want to save his maiden from her destiny, he could have tried to use the flame at the forge, and then fight the control of the Frenzy. This is actually essentially what I did in my first playthrough. Shabriri warned me I would sacrifice Melina, so I took on the flame. Then, because I’d heard that you can remove it, I obtained Miquella’s needle and refused the frenzy ending. I imagine this is similar to what Vyke wanted. Shame he made it so close to the forge before losing it.

[@dewlittle1211]

Do you think it’s possible that the Frenzied Flame and the Greater Will are kind of two sides of the same coin? One wants to destroy everything into nothing and turn it into one while the other wants to unite everything into one?

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh can defo see that, and as you probably hear in my description of it as a 'shadow' to the GW I am leaning that way

[@Jasonmakesvideo]

I think you can break most things in the game down to dichotomies and infer each side is actually 1 aspect of the same thing.kinda like father,son,and holy ghost concept

[@nineleafclover1477]

Great video! I always have too many thoughts to comment, but appreciate how many new idea rabbit holes your videos lead to. Even if we don't reach the same conclusion, the way your videos connect the threads is very insightful, and a major boon to the lore community

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you so much!

[@gavinmcphie6936]

"Dang, this flame really puts me in a frenzy." "Dang, this type of frenzy really gets me flaming." "Dang, this flame of frenzy really makes me hotter than a frenzied flame." "This really puts the flame in my frenzy." "Tell me you frenzying without telling me you're flaming." "Fr-fr-fr-frenzy fl-fl-fl-flame?!?!?" "There's a million ways to be a frenzy -- so why don't you be my flame, girl." "When you have a dream, you've got to frenzy flame it and never let it go."

[@crom5629]

"You know what they say, what's good for the flame is good for the frenzy."

[@praveshdeotale]

I haven't watched the video yet but I know it will be good, you are one of the best lore video on elden ring, thank you

[@cheeseyboi1677]

Great work man

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks as always for your support and glad you enjoyed!

[@Vextien2903]

used to be be a hard-core vati fan, but your lore videos are SOOO much better

[@insertedgynamehere___969]

Greater will: Ultimate Causality Frenzied Flame: Ultimate Regression Edit: Well, at least I think

[@jdmmike7225]

Greater Will : Failure Frenzied Flame : Solution LMAO 🤣😂

[@Photoloss]

And if not everything we attribute to the Greater Will then surely there has to be a "Kami of Order" instead. Not sure which version I prefer, an absentee Creator God who was appropriated by the Golden Order to justify their rule or the "first of the Kami" being both the inciting incident (Elden Stars) and itself a mere part of the One Great before taking on a leadership role more akin to Zeus, Amun/Ra or Amaterasu.

[@williamherrington1522]

Elden Ring's best lore content creator making a video about it's best lore element!

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks William! Really hope you enjoy

[@QNMack]

MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD!!!

[@Mario-SunshineGalaxy64]

*MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD!!!*

[@Jasonmakesvideo]

I too am an agent of chaos,may it reign

[@waynekelly8489]

Forgive me if this is stated in the video and I missed it. Three fingers - three agents for the one Three Fingers (Shabriri, Hyetta, Tarnished) Two fingers - two agents for the Two Fingers (Marika/Godfrey, Marika/Radagon) Grace is shown via golden eyes Frenzy is shown through burning eyes If chaos and order are two sides of a coin it stands to reason they function similarly.

[@jstar3382]

Vyke really fucked up the most important step. He didn't strip for the 3 fingers

[@SmoughTown]

Hahahaha I know right

[@jdmmike7225]

I thought the same thing LMAO 🤦🏻