The One Great and Original Sin of the Fell God | Elden Ring Lore

[@ScumMageInfa]

IMPORTANT EXTRA NOTES will be posted here! Even if you don't agree with everything (or anything lol) I say in this video, I am sure you will at least see something new or of interest in here! I found quite a few little gems on my journey! I hope the teaser at the end has you excited for the next long video, I am very excited for it personally :D PS. Sorry if my voice is jarring in certain parts, I had to re-record parts as the pop-filter I have is trash and I had already been speaking for hours and hours, so I was a bit raspy! EXTRA NOTES: - To bring FELLDEN JOHN and the Two Trees full circle, the exact same two-branch icon found in Leyndel (And somewhere else hehe) is also found above FELLDEN JOHN on the Bellfries! - I forgot to put it in the video and am kicking myself for it, but the statues of the priest on the stump, the shoot he is holding looks like the deathrite spear. - I did a contrast in the video but didnt actually SAY, but the rune in farum and the position of elphael is very similar- to the point it looks like elphael is resting in the arc (look at the land close to it on map)- where the "blessings" pool (souls) - The giants summoned by the Tibia Marina appear to have a smashed or missing RIGHT eye. The same as FELLDEN John. - I've seen a few people mention that they think there is more than 2 trees (2 great trees) and I agree- this video already was a bit "fringe" so I didn't want to scare people away too much, but it's my belief there were in fact 6 great trees (greattree/erdtree, elphael/haligtree, and 4 [possibly 5] others). I may make a video on my multiple great tree theory eventually now that this monster is done (and seeing as it had such a positive reception, lol) - As further proof between Farum Azula and the Catacombs, in Roads End catacomb, we find the EXACT same vase found in Farum Azula on an Altar at the end of the catacomb I KNOW IT IS SPIRITED AWAY NOT HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE. I was thinking of when Howl turns into a birb, and derped out- Forgiveness, please!

[@alephnole7009]

I believe the Staff held by the statues is actually supposed to be a tree brace

[@darkeather2]

Just.. a tiny thing to point out/ask. If there was a great tree at the highest north, and a great tree and the furthest south, before Marika tried to establish a tree in the middle.. Would that finally explain why it is called "The Lands Between"? Because it would be describing a holy land situated between the two Great Trees of the One Great.

[@ravoniesravenshir3926]

In the beginning, there was The One Great Seed, which fractured and grew a Vine.... and then a Tree?

[@ravoniesravenshir3926]

You should tell us about the Scaduetree as well :3 And how it actually links with the 2 main trees.

[@alecktidwell3479]

I think you and Nameless Singer are really onto something with the two trees idea. Great video!

[@riojail]

The Worst part of discovering this kind of videos is to know, that you'll have to wait couple of months to see the continuation.

[@ScumMageInfa]

#itisknown I promise I will make it worth the wait.

[@ProbablyBacon]

Fuck I just checked and it only says 2w ago 😭

[@torgo_]

Regarding dead inner crust of the Erdtree (surrounded by the golden outer shell), I always assumed that this is just working how normal IRL trees work. Trees (and most plantlife) are actually dead inside apart from the outer layer. This is why girdling (or ring-barking) will kill a tree: removing a shallow ring of the outer layer will kill the entire tree. With very large and old trees, it's common to see them almost entirely hollowed out (where the interior has rotted away or eaten by insects) while being still completely healthy. In some sense, the living tree is really just the thin "skin", which happens to be sitting on a structure made from the corpses of itself from previous seasons.

[@Daydreamer4789]

Holy shit, wow, didn't know that. Thanks.

[@ScumMageInfa]

Absolutely agree- And there are some amazing images of this at work- However, given the Stump in the eternal city showing absolutely no colour similar to the erdtree AND presenting giant vines crawling up its length, I can't reconcile the differences! Especially bc that would insinuate that the inner part of the tree (The brown part) is the 'newer' part, and the gold outer crust is the old part >_> It is a WEIRD tree, false, illusory- The cake is a lie.

[@stevbe1723]

@@ScumMageInfa I'm not super far into the video yet, but I personally wouldn't put too much stock into what the erdtree looks like from such high angles, as it was never meant to be seen from there, I don't think it's really supposed to give any sort of insight into the nature of the erdtree, it's just an artifact of the gamedev process. Can't wait to watch the rest of it though, I can tell a huge amount of thought and effort went into the video, so cheers

[@amberhernandez]

Trees are metal af

[@biggiecheese3678]

Personally what makes me think in favor of the existence of the great tree is the statue of the early erdtree (i can’t remember where it was right now) where one branch appears to be growing taller than the others sheltered by a figure. This statue with the many branches gives me the impression of where once a tree is cut down the stump sometimes will have new growth either artificially or naturally grow out of it and will grow circular around the stump looking like a crown. This plus the mention of a crucible before the erdtree makes me think the timeline went like this. First the great tree existed making the rootstock we see in the deep root depths. Second something causes the great tree to be felled (not necessarily something like a giant axe just something that killed the old tree). Third the crucible is formed of the raw power of life spilling out from the great trees stump. Fourthly and finally the crown starts to grow out of the stump of the great tree and one of the crown stalks wins out turning into the erdtree we all know.

[@-SEAS-OF-RED-]

You and Tarnished Archeologist are making me completely rethink the way I view this game's lore.

[@AnonymousInternetUserLaine]

I have nothing but respect for the amount of time it must have taken for you to comb through every piece of scattered imagery from the Lands Between and beyond, great work!

[@CJ86.H]

Agreed. Also imagine the amount of care that has gone into the creation of the imagery on the part of the dev team and myasaki

[@samueleborn9909]

Way more effort than I would ever put in lmao.

[@CreativeUsernameEh]

I wholeheartedly disagree. I think the DLC proved Fromsoft isn’t perfect: they cut things they advertised, they leave stuff unfinished and sell DLC for as much as a full game, they retcon and they know fans will eat it up anyway. To “comb through” the “lore” to come up with some ridiculous lore theories… fromsoft is probably very happy their fans are so naive. This is nonsense.

[@hee8410]

@@CreativeUsernameEh skill issue tbh

[@Darfail]

​@@CreativeUsernameEhno.

[@Runningwritingreading]

I'm very grateful you immediately address that some people think the Great Tree is a misunderstanding; I personally trust so little of Elden Ring's verbiage and with all the cut content, last minute dev changes, and mixing of GRRM vision and Micheal Zaki-isms - this game is FAR HARDER to find "the truth" in than Dark Souls. But educated, intelligent, and researched attempts like yours get us steps closer to the ELDEN TRUTH... that we need ER2 hahaha

[@RinzlerRules91]

I was with you till the last three lines.

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

7:45 Fun Fact that I feel is relevant here; the bark is the innermost living part of a tree; the trunk itself is dead wood, barely capable of water storage. The alive section of a tree is the bark, twigs, buds and leaves. So if under thebark, there is wood, that wood is dead, and if the bark on top is a different color, it could be a different tree that grew over the original, only a golden shell over different roots, which is very in line with the lore of the Golden Order.

[@matthewcahill4475]

That’s not just a cool Elden ring fact, that’s just a cool fact I had no idea of that, that changed my view of what trees are

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

@@matthewcahill4475 Trees are Bark Coral

[@ScumMageInfa]

Absolutely agree, given the Stump in the eternal city showing absolutely no colour similar to the erdtree AND presenting giant vines crawling up its length, I can't reconcile the differences! Especially bc that would insinuate that the inner part of the tree (The brown part) is the 'newer' part, and the gold outer crust is the old part >_> It is a WEIRD tree, false, illusory- The cake is a lie.

[@colton7928]

I just KNOW the mfs responsible for this story are sitting in their evil ass villain chairs, rubbing their hands together and laughing while watching people piece the lore together. Thanks for taking the time to make this!

[@jooot_6850]

Miyazaki and George RR knew they could be as disjointed and as obscure as they want and some poor sop would still come along and piece it together.

[@4blasphemy]

yes they are very evil and laughing hard that people are having fun with their work, as it was their secret plan this whole time

[@johneverimanne3986]

Being the "mark" typically isn't meant to be good, lol.

[@infoweeb4634]

Prob rubbing their big hairy bellies too lol

[@tropezando]

Miyazaki said "I'm going to make the best cosmogony, metaphysics, and epistemology Rorschach test" and Elden Ring was born. Players apply our logic, ethics, and cultural knowledge gathered throughout our lives and arrive at vastly different answers. I get as much if not more enjoyment out of seeing everyone's answers to the questions ER proposes than playing the game itself. "Share them with me, your thoughts, your ambitions, the principles you would follow."

[@ZarMationStudios18]

I’m still flabbergasted at how much effort From puts into modeling things we would never see without pulling modded freecam stunts like this

[@falgalhutkinsmarzcal3962]

Interesting note: some of the Banished Knights can actually perform Artorias's flip attack combo in vers 1.0, making them more dangerous. Another interesting observation from vers 1.0: Miquella is called the "Scion Empyrean". This is interesting because the Grafted Scions all have the faces of a CHILD, which might have meant that Miquella originally was involved in Grafting and, perhaps, the Grafted Scions were his attempt to "mature". This is further evidenced by the fact that the "Chrysalid memento" we find in vers 1.0 of Stormveil actually mentions "pupae", which is the plural form of "pupa", the stage between a larva and a mature insect when it is COCOONED. In the original story,I believe, the Haligtree was in opposition to the Erdtree. Miquella is gifted Loretta by Radagon to help guard Miquella's opposing Vision (per Loretta's armor set). This is supported by the fact that Vers 1.0 states that Radagon gave a warning that the Tarnished would return for the Elden Ring. See, Miquella was much more actively involved in the OG story as an Insect Queen. This explains his insect wings in the official art, his cocoons at the Haligtree, the insect wings of the Cleanrot Knights, and the Kindred of Rot born from his sister. This would also explain his Bewitching Branches (which are outright stated to be Miquella's in 1.0) and it explains his "allure"; like an insect pheromone compelling the drones to obey him. His other self, St Trina, is even a flower, and flowers attract insects.

[@dearcastiel4667]

And instead we got a femboy who's only lines are stuff an NPC tells us beforehand. Miquella got utterly wasted in this DLC, so much so that I basically stopped caring about the lore of this game since I finished the DLC, it's straight up badly written.

[@Detriax]

Scion means a descendant of a notable family. Miquella is absolutely not related to the Grafted Scion cause the Grafted Scion is just a grafted noble child

[@Detriax]

I also want to add, the stuff that was cut from the game cannot be taken seriously in the lore since it was cut

[@falgalhutkinsmarzcal3962]

@@Detriax Like most of the lore, "Scion" is an English pun that means someone who is of a royal family AND a young shoot that is GRAFTED onto another tree.

[@falgalhutkinsmarzcal3962]

@@Detriax Vers 1.0 outright states things that should definitely be taken seriously. For starters, a map fragment in 1.0 actually predicts the dlc, talking about the land of Tenebrae, which means Darkness, aka, the Shadowlands. The jar descriptions in 1.0 also dovetail into the Jar Saints, stating that Jars were used in an effort to obtain eternal life, like Marika the ETERNAL. The Sinner's shield refers to a goddess entrapped in thorns in vers 1.0. Guess who that sinning goddess is? Marika.

[@LoboPal]

Oh yeah! Also, Aphrodite is reflective of Marika. Aphrodite was originally the goddess of love and war Ishtar, until moving over to Greece and being split into Aphrodite and Ares, gold and red, and then making Ares the chief deity of Sparta.

[@ScumMageInfa]

All over it. I was inspired heavily by such mythologies in my youth, thanks to otep and, so many of their songs simply SERVE marika (listen to unveiled and ghost flowers) Isis, Ishtar Hecate, Kali Isis, Ishtar Hecate, Kali Isis, Ishtar Hecate, come to me... I'm sharpening my halo. Into forest horns. I'm sanctifying pages in the protocols of war ❤🥰

[@vinodchhabria8738]

​@@ScumMageInfaCommon Misconception to relate Ishtar, Hecate and other ONE of the Goddesses to Kali, they can't be related because at least in Hindu scriptures, Kali is top of the Feminine power and when it is time for Shiva to wrap up the age, Shiva calls on Kali to dance and bring it all down, She is literally the Ruler of Time itself, the other Goddesses are just at the most fertility Goddesses, wherein Kali gives birth to the Material Universe and takes it all away when the time comes, in one of her forms, Kushmanda, she resides inside the Sun and smiles, for the Sun to have any rays, if she stops smiling, Sun will be dull and all life will be gone. Very embodiment of Energy marriages with the very Embodiment of Matter Shiva, thus any movement of vibration in the Universe becomes possible and everything vibrates, if you are going by the physical depictions of Kali, to equate Her with Lilith or Hecate, then you kindly need to update your knowledge on what that depiction is meant to entail. Kali cannot be lumped together with those other deities.

[@mmyr8ado.360]

Bold of you to assume the Ancient Greeks didn't have their own god of war until Ishtar arrived.

[@garymcjerry]

@@vinodchhabria8738Jesus dude chill lol. If you go into detail they’re all pretty different, the whole point of equating or grouping is to showcase the similarities. Just because they’re clearly different in many regards does not mean a comparison is unfounded or unfair. They’re all deeper than just “god of fertility” or whatever, it’s just a way of simplifying and grouping for common purposes. It’s a convenience of language. It’s not that deep. Like just because someone writes “Jesus is the son of God” I’m not going into a 4 paragraph response about how he’s technically God himself and so on… I would just go “eh not really, but kinda, I get what you’re coming from though” and leave it at that.

[@petermajercsik4663]

Ares was NOT the chief diety of Sparta. It was Athena, Artemis, Apollo and Zeus, as those dieties had temples and sanctuaries, and those were the ones mentioned in the ancient greek sources, and Ares was never associated with Sparta before modern times.

[@ВиляКрит]

One-eyed man bringing divine knowledge and coming from a tree. That’s literally Odin

[@rxblessed]

The last Souls lore video that had me this jaw-dropped was way back when Hawkshaw analyzed the Plot Against the Gods and Havel. Now I have to wait for the next part 😔 This’ll be one of those videos I keep going back to because it’s so comprehensive. Keep it up!!!

[@prophet_77]

THIS VIDEO IS FUCKING MINDBLOWING I shit u not, i had chills for like an hour throughout the video the stuff u say and show in combination of the shit that just pops into my mind at any moment just makes me so excited the first grandmother video was a treat, can't wait for the full on long version of it all Incredible job

[@ScumMageInfa]

Massive compliment, thankyou :D

[@tuckddd9]

Finger Mimic: Light-pink mushroom resembling a wizened finger. Material used for crafting items. Exceedingly rare to find. Used to by those who wish to become fingers to induce hallucinations. They call these mushrooms the stillborn of the Two Fingers. I think you’re on point man, can’t offer up enough praise for your work I can’t imagine the effort

[@jordanlutz8307]

The Lands Between Two Trees! Holy shit!

[@skeletus]

Great theory and explanation of it. Takes an absurd amount of irl lore to wrap ones head around. Great job. Truly an underrated gem.

[@Arctodon]

I thought the Erdtree we see in game is nothing but a hologram of it's former self, because the Erdtree died when Godwyn was buried at it's roots? Either way I agree with a lot that is being said here, I believe that there were at least two trees before the Erdtree.

[@ScumMageInfa]

I think the spread of deathroot via the Greattree network ended the Erdtree's age of plenty and the Erdtree as it was known, for sure. Hence the roots USED to be connected to the erdtree :D Same on AT LEAST two trees, I had to restrain myself from going fully fringe about my... multiple tree theory :')

[@blubsblobs]

I think that mt. Gelmir and jagged peak could be ancient giant trees. Wood can fossilise and turn to stone. Jagged peak looks at least more like a broken off tree stump but the stone structure of mt. Gelmir looks more like wood because wood is made of countless small "tunnels" or strains , like the stone structure arouns mt. Gelmir. Dont know if you mentioned it in the video , havn't had the time to warch the whole video yet. Btw love your videos, amazing job​ @@ScumMageInfa

[@ScumMageInfa]

@@blubsblobs My video was already breaching too fringe, I didn't want to scare people with my 'multiple trees' theory. I've identified about 6 great trees (So I think, not incl scadutree) and those are two of them :P 2 are elphael (haligtree now) and the great tree (Erdtree now) See if you can guess the other 2 hehe (There is potentially another one as well but im 50/50 so dont include it yet)

[@drawgam2946]

@@ScumMageInfa I think we might see Godwyn in some form if Elden Ring 2 happens. Because the trees seem to be a constant in the lands between and hes connected with them. He was a demigod afterall and has time on his side and followers.

[@ezachleewright2309]

​@@blubsblobsJagged Peak looks nothing like a tree, fossilized or not.

[@genesischaparro8954]

You did so much justice to the Haligtree and Elphael; seriously, the DLC completely forgot this was supposed to be Miquella's turf, and so surely hid many secrets!

[@cgzepp]

As an academic, I have to say, the research the community does makes us look like amateurs 😂

[@jamesesposito8917]

I mean they dont leave a stone unturned or a NPC clothed when theyre doing there dives ! lol!

[@Konspiracie]

Just finished the video, and it was fantastic. The (F)Elden John connection hit me like a truck. I cannot wait for the new video.

[@kchurchjr]

Im going to have to rewatch this a few times to get it all. I'd love a co-op With Tarnished Archeologist on this. Damn man, this is GREAT

[@DWN-024ShadowMan]

I feel the same. It was too much info. My stupid brain can store so much at a time 😂

[@bobjim245]

Ive always believed that when the characters in game refer to the errdtree they are referring to the internal brown tree that you see in the middle of the tree and that regular npcs don't see the errdtree how we do. They just see the bit that burns as they no longer see grace, so where as our experience has this godly presence looming over us, those that grace forgot only see the stump, they can't see grace anymore so it stands that all the visions of grace we get aren't actually there they are more a vision granted by the greater will. Makes the scadu-tree seem even creepier when you imagine not interacting with grace for ages to then be shown a veiled decaying tree instead. Must make the world feel way more dead to those who can't see

[@SenorAlejandro]

Yes! You have been answering questions I keep trying to answer myself. Can't wait for the next ones.

[@4eyezwhitedragon]

The erdtree growing from the great tree ties very well to the root resin since it's literally the "roots" resin

[@shroomian2739]

22:25 on the note of Aphrodite, I also thought of the Sumerian goddess Ishtar who gained life by eating a flower from a tree of knowledge. Perhaps those she’ll like figures also represent such flowers, depicting the tree of knowledge rather than life? Great video btw, I love this style of lore content. Your channel deserves so much more attention ❤

[@ScumMageInfa]

Oh yes, I have a smorgasbord of goddesses and their respective mythologies for the following video- But I shall say no more! 🤐

[@kenterbee3191]

Keep in mind that the physical tree of the Erdtree is dead in game, therefore any physical remains would appear dead, barren, and separated from the spirit “glowing” tree. You can see a portion of the husk of the physical tree by the entrance to the radagon fight before you burn the tree a second time. The “grafts” may be roots that rebirthed their fragmented forms into minor erdtrees. You find similar in pine forests that have been burned, perhaps confirming that the erdtree may be coniferous, being of a species that has conifer traits but differing leaves and stems. There are several examples of trees with pinecones and broad leaves which may be helpful examples.

[@kenterbee3191]

Juniper is one such type that occasionally has different leaf and stem types to other conifers.

[@_Sevren_]

It’s a type of birch tree

[@ScumMageInfa]

After reviewing a ridiculous amount of trees and comparing leaves, seeds, fruit etc I came up with the conclusion that it simply had to be two trees- Or a singular tree that is an amalgamation of all of them (Which imo also makes sense since in evolution there is a single point of origin). I couldn't pin it to just one! I AM NO arborist ahahahah but I do what I am able with the limitless internet :P Love comments like these that give more insight into the concepts outside of my range.

[@LarsIsReal]

11:23 wow, I just noticed that Radagon's seal/rune looks like a trellis, which is also used in the vegetable garden to stabilize or cultivate tomato plants, for example

[@edwartvonfectonia4362]

What a good and well written video analysis. So many new things i have not yet seen from other channels. Cannot wait for part two, the part which makes it whole, like a full moon whole, which will then produce something new by the hole inside.

[@beniron5807]

Ima just starting the video but before I do. It’s worth considering and stating that Marika (Numan) are basically tree people. Like trees, they can graft other trees/plants to their body. As a small time garden person, u saw this connection asap. But the DLC having shaman corpses having trees grow around them kinda sealed the idea in my head. The Numan were potentially brought by the greater Will. Or at least where they go, it follows. Since they seem to be perfect vessels for its bull

[@shapeless6755]

Now I kinda wanna know about the 6 trees. Seriously this is incredible work puttting so many loose ends together.

[@ScumMageInfa]

lmao did you see this on another comment? :'D I need to keep my mouth shut LOL I will eventually make a video about the topic, my brain wont let me avoid it forever hahaha

[@saintbreaker480]

I listen to like 40 hours of Elden Ring lore a week at work. When I first came across your videos I thought you were crazy. Lol After about 2 videos I thought you were onto something. Now I think you're a fucking genius. Also going through ALL that iconography?? Omg what a feat. Congratulations. I think you may be the GOAT of Elden Ring lore. HIGHLY anticipating your Grandmother video.

[@ScumMageInfa]

😂😂😂 Such a reassuring comment ♡ I too thought I was crazy, and then I noticed ranni sitting like the grandmother and I was no longer crazy- simply obsessed. 😂

[@loldog7737]

Im the exact same,ive watched a million elden ring videos ,but you bring up so much lore and so many more lore connections than ive seen anyone els talk about ,the the lore goat for sure😎

[@xcarmi5075]

Single best lore channel on KZbin. I thought I had already made all the connections I could but here you are putting literally everything together. The trees are truly Great.

[@gabe3708]

Been looking forward to this video!! Thank you for the work u put into this

[@Adonis-or6jg]

Dude this is great and very informative to many fans of the Elden Ring lore. I literally watched the ENTIRE video and every second of it! That was the most that something has ever had my attention, not even all of my classes in collage could do that lol. I look forward to part 2.

[@TSpoon823]

Now the vow is fulfilled! So excited to get into this one.

[@-SEAS-OF-RED-]

I know it's odd to comment twice, but the parallels are unmistakable. Elden John, the Fell God, he is Votann, the one eyed and All Knowing King of the old gods of the North, and just like Votann he faced a violent end and had his Order replaced by that of a single God, a single, Eternal God who offered salvation to all, Marika.

[@TheHi-NoteFunClub-BeatsByMike]

I don't think it's odd at all. Beyond editing a single reply, whether it's separate comments or self replies, etc... such information dense analysis discussing equally information dense source material requires multiple viewings/reads/periods of listening/etc... to absorb not only the surface info, but to organize more refined and informed ideas to add to the overall interpretations associated with the subject. I'm not sure if you're an avid reader (I happen to be) but I tend to read books at least 2 or 3 times (sometimes more) - and Every. Single. Time. I find passages that I essentially just looked through without absorbing during previous readings, and my understanding of the communications the work is trying to convey, at the very least, update upon subsequent readings, but ultimately become more clear and impactful... Again, with each subsequent reading I devote my brain to. I personally believe the growing tendency of more and more people believing in the "TLDR" lifestyle doesn't just lead to inaccurate and quasi-relevant resultant ideas - those incomplete (if not off kilter) thoughts are recipes that cook up dangerous behaviors should any given "mob" take up the chant, and build an escalating frenzy that leads to, essentially, irrational/unreasonable belief and action. From a human's sensory perspective, there is no escaping the fact that time just doesn't stop moving and ALWAYS pushes forward - and since no one human can know ALL the info/details, the passage of time HAS to lead to additional thoughts/ideas/comment replies/etc... And with all that said: "concise" isn't a singularly sized constant. Avoidance of additional participation and contribution simply because acting that way isn't popular or not in the favor of a flawed and arbitrary rule that works against the inherent purpose of an activity, sacrifices the refinement and precision of reasonable outcomes. More information usually requires more words to express - it's a pretty straightforward and obvious axiom. Never lend power to shame or doubt by silencing an expression that just might help us humans progress our experience as/while time keeps relentlessly ticking on. P.S. apologies for my lack of relevant lore discussion in my reply here, but reading "I know it's odd to comment twice" stuck out to me - to the degree/in the sense that, personally, I don't understand how "odd" could be the descriptor arrived at in relation to "multiple KZbin comments on the same video" at all. As long as one doesn't directly harm, or otherwise intentionally escalate something to the point of harm (without some clear purpose/in response to an external source that is clearly causing harm with malicious intent and needs to be forcefully challanged)... You do you: participate as well as you can muster, and as frequently as necessary to ensure you've done your best to be understood... If not also beneficially contribute to the matter at hand. Have a great day, and keep fighting the good fight, child of light. 🙂

[@GillfigGarstang]

There is also Balor, king of the Fomorians from Irish Myth, described as a giant with a ‘poisonous fiery eye’ in the centre of his forehead which when uncovered would set the land ablaze. The Fomorians were the original occupants of Ireland, described as ranging in appearance from ugly asymmetrical giants or animal-headed monsters to ‘darkly beautiful’, who warred with and were eventually conquered by the beautiful ethereal Tuatha Dé Danann who settled Ireland from a mysterious parallel otherworld (Land of Shadow?) and possessed godlike powers over the natural world. The parallels just keep coming too; the Fomorians and Tuatha Dé Danann are said to have intermarried, and sure enough we are told Radagon gets his red hair from his fire-giant heritage. The Tuatha Dé Danann also travelled to Ireland in dark clouds/ships which they landed on top of a mountain, casting a shadow over the sun for days and which they immediately burnt to dissuade them from turning back. And what do we see repeatedly associated with passage to and from the Land of Shadow? Boats: boats stranded on top of mountains, boats travelling on dry land and phasing between the two planes; there are even perpetually burning tibia mariner boats in the Shadow Keep.

[@harleyturpin2580]

Stayed up late after work just to watch this with my buddy. I was on the edge of my seat the entire video, thank you for your absurdly extensive work! So glad I waited and I'm so excited for the next one!

[@ScumMageInfa]

This gave me a huge smile knowing mates are sitting down to chill and watch my videos :') I love it.

[@protoaltus]

It goes to show the love that goes into making these, both by the developers and those who pick up on it. Thats a special kind of care, not seen often. Kudos, for going through such a massive ordeal. Heres to many more adventures.

[@DirkMcThermot]

Ok, I admit I was pretty skeptical about a lot of the connections you're identifying in this video. But then the reveal about the trees bearing two different types of fruit on the flasks at 1:15:20 was WILD.

[@newhumanspecies___1527]

58:26 I also always thought that the whole Haligtree area looked like a hand. Loosely, it reminded me of the beasts who gained intelligence suddenly. Somewhere there is a connection to Miquela, cause there is a theme of transcendence. I then argue that Elpheal was built shortly after Farum was finished.

[@eeduty]

Very thorough and excellent analysis. A few thought exercises for fellow lore enthusiasts: 1. There were multiple Great Trees throughout history. Instead of the simultaneous reign of a tree of life and death - are these potentially two separate Great Tree civilizations? 2. Is the third image from the left on the stele with the people surrounding a stylized great tree (seen at 4:35 in the video) holding a baby? 3. Is the mysterious shrouded figure of Elphael the final depiction of Elden John?

[@astel_xviii]

i sincerely hope the amount of effort you put into this video pays off and you get the views you deserve

[@madeline6951]

There's a saying in my language that goes like "you flow with thoughts within a tree", meaning that your thoughts branch to so many topics and so many details that it's hard to keep track of. I think this is the perfect description of this video, lol.

[@ScumMageInfa]

ADHD incarnate

[@madeline6951]

@@ScumMageInfa lmao same

[@nebky]

Here's a fun one - take a look at the in-game clock. 3 great trees, two next to one another of obviously different types and on the other side directly opposite between the two (in their shadow) is a dead tree.

[@moose5406]

I am now a faithful disciple of Felden John.

[@F4R4D4Y]

I agree 👍 it's two separate trees. Perhaps rememberance of two different lineages.

[@Solibrae]

Very good analysis and theorising, I'm sure I'll have to re-watch this sometime because there's so much to take in. It's great that you were even able to work in the colossal giants!

[@eprimchad2576]

This is such a well researched video, its actually crazy, so many little details are placed over every inch of this game. The one thing i disagree with (i think) is referring to this tree network as the one great. Im not as researched as you but i recall the game talking about the one great, which seems to have been everything that existed all at once? My interpretation was that it was some kind of big bang like creation event where everything that existed was just one great thing, that created or split into the greater will, the frenzied flame, and all of matter i suppose. So the interpretation of the tree network being the one great falls apart in my eyes because didnt the greater will start order and the tree system? How would the greater will create something that it had already been created from? Maybe im totally off base but if you happened to see this and explain more that would be awesome. Great vid im subbed.

[@Prometheusfotya]

This is probably one of the best Elden Ring lore videos I've seen thus far. I can't wait for the next video.

[@eldenringpvpenthusiast1710]

Amazing work yo, seriously I think one of if not the greatest lore video made yet

[@Daydreamer4789]

Congratulations to this herculean achievement. Linking Farum Azula to Elphael and the multiple-trees theory is astounding and groundbreaking. My suggestion is: Could the name of Elphael's and Farum Azula's tree be Helphen?

[@Mephil]

The scadu tree is the predecessor and marija stole it and brought it to the lands between. The dead trees may be failed attempts to make the erd tree. Looking for an original tree in the lands between is a fallacy because the power never originated in the lands between.

[@Komega01]

the shadow tree has to be a leftover scar of what the great tree used to be. a spiral tree shooting out of a giant sunflower

[@AutekMor]

Only a short way through but I'm thoroughly enjoying your take. Well done! Also that dead minor erdtree being linked directly to Godwyn is a good catch. From the Twiggy cracked tear we could infer that those who 'Live within death' are essentially those who died but retain the grace they 'should' have given up back to the system. This allows them to animate and have a semblance of life.

[@johneverimanne3986]

Two cities, one ruling over the lesser folk city, is a Trope in most Fromsoft games. Think you just found it in ER, guy.

[@sammyjc]

I love your narration voice man. Buttery

[@randywilliams6248]

I mean, with all of the minor Erdtrees all over the place, is crazy to think that indeed yes.... there have been many a great trees? One becomes dominant and when it dies, the next takes over for dominance. With each new tree, an ideology/age takes place. I think what came to the Lands Between is basically a being in order to have dominance, it lets life flourish until it loses the control it desires, so a new idea/age is given birth to to continue this cycle on and on. The greater will like an angler fish uses Gold to basically baits these beings blinding them because who doesn't like gold or gold variants? They're memorized by it. It blinds them from what is actually going on, it wants them to bring death upon eachother because it feeds on death. It gives power to a specific few basically created a false god (for belief purposes) and then a supportive enforcer to ensure the death continues to feed.

[@itzDusk]

This is an incredible collection of lore! I can’t wait for the next video

[@abdullahal-shameri3225]

1:05 that's what she said

[@dylanporpoise2566]

😂😂 very nice

[@EnbyOfTheBorealValley]

I love this theory, but there is one massive glaring hole in it. Farum Azula was very likely only slightly north of caelid, as if you overlap the lands between and land of shadow the jagged peak, home to the dragons with an area that looks suspiciously like placidusax's arena was carved out from under it (Bayle's arena), is very close to the bestial sanctum, a place with the exact same architecture and a bridge called the "Farum greatbridge".

[@nrock49]

Incredibly well done! Worth the wait to say the least! Can't wait to see more!

[@faman00]

The mountain upon which Raya Lucaria rests is shaped like, and could be thought of as, a very ancient petrified tree stump for an enormous tree, it's even hollow in the middle. Underneath is a cavity where there should be roots that reach down into the rivers. The roof of the cavity is plugged with glintstone crystals. Then again, it could also be thought of as an ancient volcano with a magma chamber underneath. Maybe they're related, volcanos and trees.

[@ScumMageInfa]

Completely agree- IMO there are 6 great trees, that all present almost exactly the same on the map :P but I felt this video was already going to have quite a few hard to swallow pills, so I refrained hahaha

[@faman00]

​@@ScumMageInfa I love the idea about souls-in-magma. If you go east of Ordina to the Minor Erdtree, you can see that the tree is consuming gravestones (unique with a runic script), that also self-assemble into piles that seem to be turning into the rock of the mountain itself. They look like they are made of concrete, which in Roman times included volcanic ash as a key ingredient. No fingerprint rau burrows to be found in the grave stones here, though. Maybe the twist is that the ash is the ash produced by the death rite, which can/does contain spirits (spirit ashes, for example). The spirit ashes we find are specifically set aside and revered, but most go back into the cement mixer. If the gravestones are building the mountain, they are building it Minecraft-like, block by block, from the bottom up. So the high peaks of the MotG are an enormous mound of bodies, rising very high to reach the heavens, an idea found in every culture that succeeded it.

[@velcalo]

@@ScumMageInfa You had a comment earlier about that we might try and guess the others, but I unfortunately can't find it so here are my guesses: Gelmir is one spiral tree or two trees, Jagged Peak, Raya Lucaria, the place where Belurat is now, along with Elphael and the Erdtree. Gelmir possibly being two trees is the potential seventh. My evidence for Gelmir and Jagged peak is they looked like petrified trees, same with Raya Lucaria and Belurat. Also, the cliff in front of Belurat has those odd tree roots growing out of it, which might be old, dead twigs that attempted to regrow after the tree was felled.

[@Comaduster]

Absolute GOAT’d takes on Elden Ring lore, dude. And most aligned with my own. Just the right amount of unhinged and grounded in pretty hard evidence. I feel for my wife/lore therapist as I’m constantly jumping up pointing “SEE SEE SEE!!!” When we watch - but other than my own rambling, you have the archeological, circumstantial, and symbology evidence to back things up. You are laying some pretty incredible groundwork here, and I applaud how damned thorough and compelling it all is. I love how after we orbited WAY out into tree land in this video, you brought it back beautifully at the end to the ultimate question with a statement (which I’m aligned with). It’s Marika - THE ETERNAL - always has been. The three sisters, 3 generations, all Marika, all Grandmothers of each other - outside of time - self perpetuating themself eternally through the spiral of the cruicable.

[@ihaztehSNIPAH]

I love your lil edits / notes.

[@draketinjum428]

41:36 Damn I wasn't prepared for that😂😂😂

[@Detriax]

Eeeyyy Nameless Singer got a shoutout! Ive helped her out with getting models and stuff. She always does great work, nice to see more people taking notice

[@ScumMageInfa]

She deserves every morsel of credit she gets.

[@Detriax]

@@ScumMageInfa she works hard, yeah. It’s insane the connections she sees

[@Shadowbanned4Lyfe]

"save to watch later" this just got recommended but its Saturday and i got gaming to do. Cant wait to watch this.

[@WeyounSix]

I think the Golden Erdtree is a projection of the Great Tree much like how Golden Godfrey the piss ghost is a projection of Godfrey Real, but not real.

[@StarlitMoss]

"Feet only" omg did I read that right? 😂 Really though this is brilliant. As someone who has studied a lot of folklore I really love you going into associations.

[@ScumMageInfa]

😂😭🐾

[@crocutamire4909]

This video is exciting, it really solidifies some things that have been in my head, that I'm not good at putting into words. I'm going to be a weirdo though, and say I think I have a puzzle piece, that I've seen several people walk right up to, but never say by name, that might eventually help to link a few things together. But I'm not sure yet.

[@Writh811]

To me the Lion Motif that you identified as a hybrid of a Lion, tree, and dragon; the imagery evokes the Lion Dancers. Given the storm powers of the Lion Dance, it explains the array of Niall's powers and even Commander O'Neil's powers. Both of these warriors have an icon on their chest that is like a bramble of thorns the resembles the tops of the jars in the Shadow Lands. They, along with the banished knights also have horns that resemble Omen horns on their shoulders. The Lion Dance demonstrates to us the power of storm is wind, frost, and lightning: powers we see across both commanders and we see wind among with the Banished Knights.

[@ScumMageInfa]

I completely agree- as their armour is also indicitive of the Rauh Ruins with those thorns in other ways too- But the Rauh Ruins won't enter the equation until the next Long Form video :P In regards to the lion though I think the divine beast IS a lion imitating a dragon (Given the Chinese guardian lions having heavy dragon themes)- Thus the lightning, storms, etc also shown by the normal knights with dragons atop their heads and breathing flames. And to this culture trees were very important.

[@JulioCesar-ci3bq]

I think another thing that really drives home the fire giant argument is the long braided beard and bald head carrying a big piece of stone from the elden john statues, I mean, just read the description, that is, word by word, the fire giant. There is also probably something with the 8 baby figures in the Elphael iconography and the 8 dots in the fire giants big stomach eye, but I don't know. Anyway, such an amazing video, great work man.

[@slimcognito7777]

Been waiting for you to drop this one bro, I’m ready for it

[@primevalcelestialcarcass3998]

49:58 Important to note that this wasn't a bespoke asset made for PoE that was crammed into Elden Ring, rather it's probably from an asset pack of some kind. Also, the face on it is very blatantly a depiction of the "green man," a European architectural motif representing life & rebirth.

[@KingJamison]

Theres a ton of absolutely amazing points, connections, and ideas. I think these ideas in conjunction with the mushroom theories can help connect things even further. For example the urd tree's illusury nature, the elden ring, runes(from grest runes to the golden twiggs that signify dripped runes) and the fingers. If you view the golden illusion that is the urd tree and the roots spreading out like mycelium along with the urd tree burials feeding it can help tie into much of the imagery and layers with the great tree. With the concepts introduced in the dlc reinforcing their fungus like nature. and that the elden ring is made up by runes all being lead by fingers (hands are used for creating runes and only finger maidens can give one the ability to lvl up). With grace being like spores ranting you the ability to becime resurected and see the golden tree and marikas grace. I think with this aditional lens along with the concepts if the great tree and it being possibly felled or effected by the urd tree. It doesnt seem far fetched that the gold is infecting the great tree like fungus does old trees to decompose it. The idea that the elden ring and the things associated with it are golden and is always connected to an abundance of dead bodies to feed it. In farum azula its made by the golden bodies of the ancient dragons and the urd tree with the burials. The spiral motifs of the hornsent also lend itself to the spiral greet tree. A theory i have could be that marika removing the rune of death stopped feeding the urd tree sparking its inevitable death. making it then create golden seeds and possibly seeking out other great trees/urd tree saplings. With the burning if the urd tree it burnd away the golden fungus leaving the original tree. With marils trying to beeid herself of the elden ring (her great rune) like her children who discarded them to become gods and not serve the 2 fingers. Id love to hear and see more of theories from you using more of the visual context story elements of shadow of the urd tree

[@platinumhearteva]

this video gave me anxiety from how vast the lore just got.

[@cullysloy2705]

So in Placidusax's boss room there are no dragons depicted on the floor (only the pillars) , There is only hawks and... worm beasts? Mer-lions? I always believed the Storm Lord wasn't Placidusax himself but never found hard evidence other than Godfrey supposedly defeating him and hints of Godwyn owning Stormveil before he died.

[@liarwithagun]

The storm lord seems to be from the same civilization as the banished knights, which were the main empire in the lands between before the Erdtree and Marika. So he was probably a super version of the banished knights.

[@jeffpritchard1592]

Legendary analysis. I can't wait to see where the Gloam-Eyed Queen fits in to it all in the next video.

[@core-nix1885]

40:25 Not to subtract from your great work, but the bottom layer is repurposed from Lothric in DS3, it represents "the cross" which is a Fromsoft signature (ex is the Latin word for From). In Dark Souls, it also symbolises Maya (falsehood/presence/fire), in contradistinction to the "ring" symbolising Atma (truth/absence/dark). 41:50 is also from DS3; The Cathedral of the Deep and The Ringed City. It think it somewhat resembles a butterfly, symbolising impermanence (c.f. Malenia).

[@core-nix1885]

54:40 Sword is an anagram of Words, just as Malika (Queen) is an anagram of Kalima (Word). (See also "Mikala")

[@JordanMullen-sx6em]

This is such a galaxy brain project and I love it, everything had been intensely unraveled to the point where elden ring story actually made complete sense

[@reissroony2677]

I allways thought the one great is more like iluvatar

[@ScumMageInfa]

To me, that would be the greater will- The driving force behind the natural forces- And everything comes from the greater will as per Ymir :3

[@reissroony2677]

@@ScumMageInfa valid

[@MrGlath]

Many people are saying this is one of the greatest lore videos of all time! Somehow this was too short? Thank you so much for putting this video together much respect. That was awesome

[@ScumMageInfa]

That is an immense compliment, not sure I can even accept it! Hahaha, thankyou :) It felt short because not gonna lie- it is. I left out almost exactly half of everything- the iconography, the characters I want to explore, and the story itself as it was around 4 hours long in the initial stage. I want to make the next instillation my 'ultimate' video so I have made sure to save the best till last!

[@Serhiishtlv]

When you are going through the intro for 20min you know you’re in for a treat🤓

[@artificial_pixel]

Your going to give The Tarnished Archeologist a run for their money. Great Video!

[@SOSLR]

I always thought that they were a helix tree in the beginning but Malenia's rot influence cut her from the greater will, thus rotting her tree. And since Miquella had cocooned himself in his it continued to grow. I do agree with the offshoot thing though, maybe him taking what was left of her tree and making it his own as a support.

[@TheFeralFerret]

I've always thought there was a strong connection between the erdtree and quaking aspen too. Great video! Edit: THE CLIFFHANGER AT THE END! AHH! Please instantly release the next video, thanks. 😩 This was truly your best work yet. One nitpick, I noticed you referenced Zullie's video about the hand - how do you feel about her conclusion that they aren't part of a larger whole based on their anatomy? Personally I feel like it's a stylistic choice, and that your conclusion is correct, but I'm curious as you didn't directly address this. Lastly, love the Nameless Singer plug! They are so talented - I love all of their writeups and videos so far. I'm pumped for whatever you're hinting at!

[@ScumMageInfa]

Hhahahahaha I WANT to release it now but that would consume the smoldering ambers of my soul that remains after THIS video so, I shall restoke the fire and get back to it asap but a few smaller videos before then! I think the comparison between the giants hand and that whole hand is uncanny asf- even the way the fingers bend (Kinda like the GEQ and aphrodite/venus). I find it difficult to reconcile them not having anything to do with each other, and that 2 + 3 fingers = 5 is so overt it couldn't possibly be covertly nothing lol But again, I could be wrong. There are just soooooooooo many coincidences :P

[@atmosphericSkull]

I think the line between the divine towers and the bridges is pretty stark. Aside from obvious moving parts like lifts and doors, the towers are pretty much entirely monolithic. Braziers and things inside them appear to be later additions.

[@kreadapelu8813]

Thank you. That’s all I have to say. Well, at 15 minutes in… We’ll see how this goes.

[@kreadapelu8813]

I think I can start deleting screenshots that I was never going to put together and share in a comprehensive video. This is melting an anxiety I didn’t know I had.

[@infj-tguy6275]

Ya know.. it's so beautiful how they put in this stuff for ppl to find, usually it's just some thing they added that doesn't go past the wall and just adds an effect to the area it's in These guys instead add an entire model to the game area like it's not JUST part of the level but part of the world Game of the year indeed

[@mattwatson3407]

Wow. This was such a fun video to watch. I really enjoyed it and can't wait for a follow up. I think there are a few points that you need to address to make your point clearer and stronger. A lot of this is just cases of re-used assets, which is common in all video games. Without addressing this possibility, adding meaning to it comes across as wishful thinking. It does make for a great story, but it makes your findings seem weak. And I really think you're on to something and want you to take it to the next level. To really strengthen your argument, you should include more cases where different things are shown. If the same motif shows up everywhere, it would suggest it's just being used everywhere. However, if you could really tie the locations together, and then show unrelated locations that don't use the assets it would make a strong case for the motif being connected and not just incidental. Your strongest cases for the motifs being connected are the assets that are slightly different. Like the columns, or the lion brassieres. This shows that the assets are clearly different, but still share a motif. The differences from other locations are probably more important than the similarities. Showing how the locations with connecting themes share a motif, but the locations without common themes have clearly different motifs. Additionally, you assume that people watching this are familiar with Elden Ring lore, which isn't a bad assumption to make. However, adding context for the connecting locations, like Farum Azula and Elphael, would really make it clearer how the locations are connected and why they may share a common motif.

[@ivoryowl]

I don't have the mental fortitude for DS games but I still love the world-building and lore behind them. The worlds created by FromSoftware are some of the best accomplishments of modern writing. Few can ever hope to match something on this level.

[@LoboPal]

So, my theory is that there are 2 versions of the Erdtree, before and after the lightning strike. The glowing tree is the "more of a symbol of worship" part that is mentioned.

[@kitetales]

The Aussie Lore Detective strikes again!!

[@ScumMageInfa]

Here to drag you into the fever dream, kicking and screaming 😁🥰

[@captainxit5573]

Thank You! This Was A Delightful Dish Dive Into The Trees Of The Lands Between. Delicious.

[@DocFishspot]

The pinecone imagery makes SO much sense! The fruit of life being a literal house of seeds is a fantastic theory that really makes the most sense within Golden Order fundamentals. I wanted to add something; how is it a pinecone comes to release its seeds? Through forest fires, and extreme heat. Fire is literally necessary to create life for pine/fir trees. This also fits within the colour theory established by Hawkshaw, given that red is so often the color of fire, and in Elden Ring - life itself.

[@ScumMageInfa]

@@DocFishspot exactly, the cycle (and breaking of it) Ouroboros :p

[@DocFishspot]

@@ScumMageInfa freaking hungry ass snake

[@christopherlyndsay8611]

Tbf sometimes Fromsoft do overlook mistakes. For example the Great Rune tutorial says that rune arcs boost their power instead of enabling it.

[@liarwithagun]

That has to be my biggest problem with ER lore. It seems that because the game is so much bigger than their other Souls games, some more things slipped through the cracks at Fromsoft than in their other games. We have a lot of mistranslations, a bunch of items got descriptions patched after release, tons and tons of assets were clearly meant for one thing but were repurposed later for other things (Like the Putresence Knight/Gloam Eyes Knight), etc. It is hard to tell what things should have their implications ignored, because once you get really deep into certain topics like the GEQ there is a lot of conflicting info.

[@remp1040]

Miyazaki watching the video going: " whoa that makes so much more sense!! Why didn't I think of that? I just thought it looked freaking cool!"

[@samuelalarcon3730]

I love this videos, but just cant help to imagine a scene like "-YO what if we made this tree, big af -Why? -big af, cool af -ur right, do it"