The Plot to Kill the Erdtree | Elden Ring Archaeology Ep. 6

Elden Ring Lore: The hidden prophecy of the Haligtree and Miquella's Second Coming is revealed in this third and final part of the Elden Ring's Cycle of Life trilogy. Join the Tarnished Archaeologist's team on an expedition to the Haligtree as we investigate the real iconography and rituals that drew the persecuted to the foot of the Haligtree for salvation, and a new age heralded by the piercing end of the old.
Watch the full Elden Ring's Cycle of Life Trilogy here:
• Elden Ring's Cycle of ...
Key Artifact: Angel of the Resurrection, Giulio Monteverde, 1882, Staglieno Cemetery, Genova, Italy
Gameplay footage/music credit: Elden Ring, Dark Souls 3, Dark Souls, Bandai Namco and FromSoftware.
Creative Commons and stock attributions:
Photography: Kwz (cocoons)
Music: Gian Carlo Menotti, Apocalypse; Verdi, Requiem, Dies Irae
Video: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (2000) by the Coen brothers, with music "Down to the River to Pray" by Alison Krauss.
Pixbay "Baptism"; Lumière, Le cinématographe 1895-1905 "Egypt"; ZDF/Terra X/interscience film/Faber Courtial "Persepolis"; Ecología Azul "Eclipse"; videvo "Rituals"
#eldenring #eldenringlore #Haligtree #miquella #tarnishedarchaeologist
Contents of the Video
------------------------------------
00:00 Intro
00:32 The Cycle of Life, Part III: The Haligtree Prophecy
03:40 Chapter 1: Albinaurics, born again
13:05 Chapter 2: Eclipses and Needles
22:51 Chapter 3: Prophecy of Salvation
27:50 Conclusions

[@Aquaria942]

Hearing the second coming of Christ be described as his "second phase" absolutely made my life

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

We enjoyed that too

[@whiteobama3032]

Imagine Jesus boss fight, at first stage he just runs in sandals and throws fish and bread loafs at you, and in second phase he summons four horsemen, open the earth crust and destroys the world with meteor showers.

[@Axius27]

​@@whiteobama3032 Presumably, the cutscene between the phases involves Jesus getting nailed to the cross at some point. (maybe he even uses it as a kind of greatsword :P )

[@SuperOnigiripanda]

We heard he spawns a ridiculous amount of adds

[@mamaslittleman6104]

@@SuperOnigiripanda 💀😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@am-180]

oh, another thing. the theory about the eclipse and the needle could also explain malenias conflict with radahn- the starscourge locked the stars in place, so the eclipse could never take place unless he was taken out, and malenia being so loyal to her brother would no doubt take on radahn with everything in her power to ensure miquella's success

[@IsaiahX7-13]

That actually makes perfect sense and would explain so much. The item description for great Eclipse shield literally calls the eclipsed sun a protective star of the soulless demigods that can ward off Destined Death. So, if the Starscourge sealed away the fate of the Carian royal family by keeping the stars at bay and held in suspension, ultimately preventing Ranni's fated Age of the Stars for a while. Wouldn't it also prevent the prophecy from coming true if fate or destiny tied to stars is now unable to pass solely cause of Radahn?

[@Reliken]

​​@@IsaiahX7-13 you two are spot on. Absolutely brilliant. Perhaps in the DLC, with the stars now freed, we may yet see an eclipse...

[@IsaiahX7-13]

@@Reliken It should also be noted that the "Amber Starlight" shard found in front of a statue of Miquella and Malenia, is said to have once been the fate of a demigod in its description and according to Seluvis. Perhaps the reason Miquella never awoke to become an adult (enabling his capture and corruption from Mohg), so he could complete his needle to cure Malenia of her rot, to turn the Haligtree into an Erdtree, and to save the Albinaurics as intended is also because of Radahn's actions? This would give even greater reason for Malenia to wage war on Radahn. As he is responsible for both Miquella and Godwyn's current states. So perhaps now Miquella AND Godwyn can return, as Miquella can awake and Godwyn's soul can be restored. As the stars are set back in motion. However, surely Miquella would not be happy to awake with his form twisted by Mohg and to see his twin sister dead and Godwyn wouldn't be happy to awake as a the Prince of Death abomination he is... and who is responsible for these things? Us the Tarnished who killed Malenia, and Ranni who orchestrated the Night of Black Knives... which would make them coming after us make perfect sense in a DLC set after the Age of the Stars.

[@agm5424]

Damm that's a good theory. My personal theory on why Malenia invaded Calid is because she knew that she could not hold back the first scarlett bloom for much longer and decided to go to the farthest place from the Haligtree in order to protect it from being infected by the Scarlett Rot and somehow Radhan caught wind of this and tried to prevent it. Tried. But I think yours might be closer to the truth when taking the story into account, specially the twins motivations and goals.

[@IsaiahX7-13]

@@agm5424 Actually, I believe the game confirms that Malenia willingly unleashed her Scarlet Rot on Radahn because she had no other choice in order to beat him, but she always despised it, and resisted it through willpower and the needle Miquella gave her. She basically sacrificed her pride and well-being to do what had to be done to bring down Radahn, but the fight ended in a stalemate anyway.

[@fabrimuch]

The irony of the Haligtree is that it was built around the expectation that Miquella would ascend to godhood and deliver salvation to those born outside grace, yet it was Malenia and her rot that ended up becoming a goddess. In the temple of unalloyed gold, the oracle trumpets herald the arrival of the Goddess of Rot.

[@Graysett]

I can't possibly express how annoyed I am by this comment making me add the 2+2 of Heralds and Malenia ascending. It's so obvious, I can't believe that's escaped me for so long.

[@RevanX77]

An interesting point. Especially because even after defeating Malenia, she seemingly returns as a bloom at the heart of the Haligtree, which is now flush with the Scarlet Rot. Death and rebirth for all those metamorphizing within.

[@TheAtomkilla]

@@RevanX77 that's because she has yet to become a godess. In our fight she blooms for the second time, a sort of preview for actual apotheosis, which will happen after a third time. Case in point: when we defeat her, it says Demigod Slain. Also the items we gain from her and the description.

[@GrayVBoat]

After all, the envoys remain among the branches, even though Miquella is long gone; it was never his prophecy they were trumpeting about, it would seem.

[@ReneAensland]

@@TheAtomkilla She blooms 3 times, becoming Malenia, Goddess of Rot when we defeat her.

[@unclaimedusername6608]

I've had a theory for a while that the "Mohgwyn Dynasty" is some sort of delusional defense created by either the Erdtree, Golden Order, or Greater Will to remove any potential threat and/or competition to the Erdtree. First off, as your video shows, Mohg kidnapped Miquella during a critical moment. It wasn't when his faith was just starting, but when he had gained followers and faith. The Haligtree was sprouting and doing well, and the metamorphasis was well on its way to replacing the "traditional" way of Erdtree rebirth. Kidnapping Miquella when he did not only helped to remove albaneurics by trapping them in the metamorphasis, it doomed the Haligtree to rot and stopped the plan to cull the sick Erdtree. It's also convenient that more albaneuric were either brought under mohg's wing or led to their oblivion in the isolated snowfields. With this, the main competitor and threat to the Erdtree is removed. Next, to join the ranks as a tarnished, you must kill your maiden (or any maiden, really) and show proof. This neatly removes a tarnished's kindling for the giant's flame that could burn the tree. Also the main "face" of the dynasty we see, Whitemask Varre, is also responsible for handing out items that let tarnished kill one-another. Locking these potential threats in a dead-end movement (we aren't 'meant' to use the item varre gives us to visit mohg, but we do), that promotes destruction of kin removes another threat. The Flame of Frenzy, another way for the tarnished to burn the tree without kindling, is guarded by both Mohg and Morgott. Obviously morgott serves leyendell and holds the tree in high respects and has to be killed to progress past the barrier. But it's odd that Mohg is there physically, sans nihil, to stop you. But considering what lies beyond that church, past the secret entrance to a tomb that holds another secret past the bottom, it makes sense that they'd send their strongest (and most disposable) warriors to guard it. With the barrior of Morgott and Mohg's power, another threat is removed unless someone insanely strong comes along. Mohg himself is refered to as delusional both in his associated items' descriptions, and by one of the most knowledgeable people in the game Gideon. That nobody but the desperate or delusional follow Mohg willingly is something to consider since it shows the kind of people who would really think what he's doing is a good idea. Going back to Varre, it's also notable that his sanity is the exception rather than the rule. The similar warriors, the Nameless White masks, are all driven insane by the blood of the Formless Mother. Even the player suffers from a simple infusion to a finger. The only time a sanguine noble invades the player (not counting the reduvia one in Yura's questline) is when we get close to the forge. No sooner than we start getting further north in the snowfield do we get invaded by a noble that actually sprints to us to try and kill us. Why there, of all places, unless the noble was sent to stop any nosy tarnished from doing something drastic? And lastly, half of the dectis medalion, required to use the lift, is guarded by a knight that uses Lord of Blood weapon arts and has planted blood roses in the fort. Not as significant but it's hard to deny Mohg's influence here. In short, my theory is that the Moghwyn Dynasty is basically a psyop by the Erdtree to create a villain faction for potential threats to be funneled in to in order to remove their status as potential threats.

[@mysticfox1663]

Makes a lot of sense to me. Mohgs and the Formless mother motivations outside this seems shallow

[@TriforceWisdom64]

"Mohg is a psyop" is the funniest legit theory I've seen

[@thedragonryder]

mindblowing how reasonable this theory is

[@badjokezach6359]

That’s all pretty airtight.

[@stephenjenkins7971]

This is the funniest schizo theory I've ever seen. Good job.

[@Gear3k]

Best Elden Ring lore channel. The information and connections you manage to scrape out of seemingly random details is remarkable.

[@Truestoned0]

And I get he's new but he should really be recognized by the larger community this guy is revealing things that not even the people that dedicate all their time and talk about videos are seeming to get their heads around

[@StrangerThing369]

@@Truestoned0it's because they lack the real world knowledge to compare any of this stuff to and that's where this guy stands out amazing none the less.

[@saedt]

Absolutely insane attention to detail, I thought the stuff I noticed were cool, this is a whole new level of lore that is seriously making the game 10x better

[@ni9274]

@@StrangerThing369 many eldensoulsborne lore channel have knowledgeable people

[@solomon9655]

@@StrangerThing369 Quelaag is also great. If you haven't seen her stuff, she's also educated on real-world history and frequently shares mind-blowing finds similar to Mr. Archaeologist.

[@maureenbouterse]

You make connections I've seen nowhere else, and your attention to detail is mind-boggling. I'd had suspicions that the first gen albinaurics had made it to the Haligtree, but you pointing out that it's them in the cocoons blew my mind. To speak nothing of a gigantic needle forged from the drained blood of an eclipsed sun... Honestly, I feel like I'm going to have to rewatch your entire catalogue again, because the connections you make are so profound, especially when you link them to real world history and mythology. Well done, Loremaster. May you continue to enlighten us.

[@BlueOga]

You're taking this community by storm. Your videos are absolutely brilliant. I won't exaggerate by saying that you've made the biggest progress in actually "solving" Elden Ring compared to anybody else. You're proving that through the eyes of an archaeology we can find the truth behind this game. Watched everything and subbed. Looking forward to more!

[@hinkelstein1494]

I always assumed that the reborn Albinaurics are the Cleanrot knights, as the have those moth like features. Also it would explain why they would be willing to follow Malenia even tho it would mean their eventual death by rot. They are gratefull for the second chance of life they have been granted.

[@AndrewBrownK]

this is so good

[@georgemarkaryan6941]

Yes, now I can see that the white skirts of cleanrot knights are made of a similar material as cocoons, as if they are remnants of them

[@darkisvara266]

i not sure that skirt made by cocoons，because they looks like moth's wings(and i see something creature's vein on those wings)

[@zeppie_]

@@georgemarkaryan6941 The main colors of the cloaks are white and red, perhaps as an allusion to their once-white flesh now flowing with red blood

[@thedragonryder]

oh my god i hadnt put together how insectoid cleanrot knights are and what successful metamorphosis would look like

[@houseatreides7331]

Elden Ring patch AND Tarnished Archaeologist post on the same day!? We are blessed by the Erdtree brothers.

[@PeacefulJoint]

Did they specify what was done with the patch?

[@liamsalb620]

@@PeacefulJoint balancing patches to weapons Raytracing info And they made a separate file for PVP changes. So weapons can be changed in PVP but stay the same for PVE

[@UltraStarWarsFanatic]

The willing transition of power from Leyndell to Elphael is validated by cut content. Loretta's armor description used to say that Radagon sent her (and others) to the Haligtree to defend it, and that Miquella was heir to the vision. Which would also explain why there's so much Carian stuff in Elphael.

[@lordanonimmo7699]

Elphael is basically Raya Lucaria architecture mixed a bit with Leyndell.

[@Anonymous07192]

It opens a whole can of worms. If it's true then we maybe understand why Marika wanted to destroy the Elden Ring in the first place in it's current form (to replace the current order with a better one) and possibly how this led to conflict with the fingers. I always thought that the assassins were henchmen of Ranni, but playing through her quest line it's pretty clear they are employed by the fingers. The fingers sent assassins after Godwyn the Golden as payback against Marika and the fingers sent assassins after Blaidd and Iji as payback against Ranni for daring go against the established order of which they are like bishops in it's hierarchy.

[@90piterr]

Where I can fin that description?? Haven't seen it anywhere

[@UltraStarWarsFanatic]

@@90piterr Patch 1.00.

[@90piterr]

@@UltraStarWarsFanatic where on the internet

[@aparker91j]

This is hands-down my favorite Elden Ring lore channel.

[@l1teralcanc3r78]

The more we learn about Miquella and the faith he built amongst his followers, the more sad it makes me that it never came to pass. It's so tragic. On a good note, your videos are absolutely incredible. I consider most, if not all of them, as foundational pieces of lore theory for this game. Well done m8.

[@Anonymous07192]

The Elphael soundtrack, Milicent's quest, Malenia, the whole story of Miquella, his plans and what happened to him, the whole environment and how peaceful but stagnant and dying it is...... I think it's safe to say that the Haligtree is a graveyard for great dreams.

[@whirlwind872]

I think Miquella succeeded. Miquella and Malenia were cursed at birth, Malenia with rot and Miquella with the inability to grow. Miquella spent his entire life trying to figure out how to get rid of their curses - and keep in mind, Miquella is the undisputed most intelligent character in the entire game. Malenia's strength is rival to Radhan, who is so powerful he is called the scourge of the stars. And Malenia and Miquella are twins - his intelligence should be rival to Malenia's physical strength. So Miquella spent a lifetime trying to free himself and his sister from these curses, and to that end, he made the unalloyed gold needle for Malenia and grew the haligtree for himself. We know for a fact that he was successful with the unalloyed gold needle. But we are led to believe his plans with the haligtree failed due to Mohg. However - I think this is a red herring. Notice how the haligtree is absolutely monstrously large? It was clearly growing perfectly fine for a very long time. But then, it was stated to one day stop growing. And in Malenia's boss room we see the roots conforming to the shape of a human. I think Miquella successfully fused his body (and curse along with it) with the haligtree, and simultaneously transferred his soul to a different vessel (very similar to Ranni - and if Ranni could figure out how to do it, then I guarantee Miquella could too). It would make perfect sense for why the haligtree suddenly stopped growing. Because Miquella himself was cursed with the inability to grow, so if he transferred the curse to the haligtree, then it would totally make sense why it randomly stopped growing. We see with Malenia that despite Miquella spending his entire life trying to liberate her from her curse, he could not destroy it or remove it outright. He could only prevent it from progressing. So it seems highly likely that the same would apply to him, he would not be able to remove his curse from his body. But unlike Malenia, he wasn't cursed with something that progresses - so using a gold needle on himself wouldn't do anything. I think he determined the only solution would be to leave his cursed body behind, rather than trying to destroy the curse. Thus, he ends up transferring it to another divine lifeform instead - the haligtree. Mohg also laments that no matter what he does, Miquella's body he stole won't respond. I think it's because by that time, Miquella had already transferred his soul out of his body - and thus, Mohg's plan had already failed from the start. The "Miquella" he stole is just a husk that the actual Miquella has long since left behind. Now you might ask, OK but where did he transfer his soul to? This is crazy but hear me out.... He transferred it to the player character. We are Miquella Miquella is stated to have the ability to automatically make anyone he meets love and trust him. And did you guys notice how seriously god damn weird it is that through this entire game, every NPC we meet just greets us with open arms and believes in us? Literally WTF, souls games aren't like that. We are always looked down upon or scoffed at. Except in this game. EVERY NPC including TORRENT!!!!!! automatically takes a liking to us the first time they meet us. When I first played this game I thought it was normal for elden lord candidates to get a spectral steed, but its not. Literally no one in the entire game aside from us gets a spectral steed. Yet torrent chose US. Why??? Why out of every character in the entire game would we be the sole individual to be chosen by torrent? Clearly torrent's judgment is viewed with EXTREME importance too, since both Melina and Ranni outright state to us that they are choosing to become involved with us because Torrent has chosen us and they were instructed to trust torrent's judgment. If we don't house Miquella's soul, then what is even the purpose of the game telling us Miquella has the ability to compel others to love him? It has literally zero relevance to anything else in the game. And I would again like to emphasize how absolutely god damn weird it is to be so respected and trusted by EVERY SINGLE NPC in this game. Dude, even Melania acknowledges you as being worthy of being a Lord when you defeat her. Like wtf, I can't see her saying that about anyone but Miquella. Literally makes no sense you just show up and kill her and she actually acknowledges you as being a good choice for the next ruler? WHAT? The only person she has ever viewed like that is Miquella. So all in all, Miquella being the most intelligent character in this game means its entirely possible for this to be true, he has the means to accomplish it and he has a powerful motivation to do so as well. It would be a big twist and I haven't seen anything directly contradict it. Credit for this theory largely goes to the channel AngelofthePast, and his video "elden ring's hidden story" if I recall the name correctly. Much of what I said is directly from his video.

[@min24434]

@@whirlwind872 But why would MC/Miquella kill Malenia though unless Miquella lost his memories when he became the MC? Also wouldn't he confine with his twin about his plan of transferring his soul into a different body? The fact Malenia blooms just to stop MC/Miquella puts a hole in this theory. Other than what I mentioned above I really like the theory and it would have been some awesome twist if we were the ever-mysterious Miquella of the Haligtree.

[@whirlwind872]

@@min24434 well Malenia is a totally optional boss, so it's not entirely certain whether it's canon that we kill her - but even when we do defeat her, she's still not dead. She will revive, confirmed by the item description that says "with her third bloom, she will become a true goddess of rot" or something along those lines. It explicitly uses future tense, meaning her story is not over She's also in a pretty much catatonic state when we come across her, she is not in her right mind or thinking clearly, I don't think it's necessarily the case that she would be aware of us or recognize us as Miquella since she has never been stated to have any kinds of abilities to perceive the soul As for why the MC would be missing their memories, it is weird - but maybe to be expected since if you leave your body (and brain) you would also be leaving your memories behind with it So as for explaining our fight with Malenia, it could be justified by the fact that neither Malenia nor Miquella would be in the mental or physical state to recognize each other at the time of our meeting, if we are indeed housing Miquella's soul. At face value, some guy is just walking up to the haligtree and she straight away acts to defend it without inquiring much about who we are or asking any questions. But by the end of our fight, she acknowledges us as being worthy of filling the role she always wanted Miquella and Miquella alone to fill.

[@min24434]

@@whirlwind872 Aren't most demi gods optional bosses? Her being an optional boss is not that significant. I don't think she's gonna come back even if she didn't bloom 3 times. We kill her and nowhere in the game does it imply she is immortal. The item description is probably implying if she lives to bloom 3 times then that's when she becomes a true goddess but if someone kills her before she blooms the third and final time then she's gone for good. I highly doubt she is not in her mind or not thinking clearly. We know she's mentally and physically strong due to her fighting the rot her entire life so getting knocked out shouldn't be an issue for someone like her. Would you be you if your memories, experiences, personalities, or morals were removed from you? That was more of a philosophical question with no objective answer so You don't need to answer it. However, the game is clear on whether memories are in the soul or the body(brain). We know Ranni discarded her body(brain) and placed her soul into an artificial body and yet her memories are still intact. So leaving your body(brain) behind doesn't mean your memories will be erased. We also know Miquella was smart, so it stands to reason he would have known or at the least have researched the ramification of leaving his body would be, no? The last point is just a worrier recognizing another warrior's battle prowess. Godfrey does the same thing after we kill him.

[@embargovenom9948]

However, it can be argued Mohg's actions are all part of Miquella's plan, or an alteration of it. Miquella was absconded in his infant form, but he's actually managed to grow in Mohg's palace. As Miquella's blood wasn't enough to feed the Haligtree, it may have been the case that he decided to contact the Mother of Blood to aid his growth. And the best way to commune with her would be by contacting Mohg. The omen's infatuation seems similar to the bewitching powers Miquella applied to his followers. Even while coccooned at the Haligtree, the empyrean could have moved through dreams as St. Trina to appear before Mohg and to get him to infiltrate the Haligtree. After all, its location was such a well-kept secret even the All-Knowing didn't know about it, so Mohg definitely had insider help.

[@Knoloaify]

This. Considering all the parallels with Christianism it seems likely that Miquella inspired Mogh to abduct him by appearing in his dreams and charming him. And I imagine that the statues of Miquella killing the Erdtree were probably inspired in a similar way. Or it's just Halig Tree copium.

[@mr.ashenfire2624]

​@@Knoloaify that is the most Greek thing I've ever heard.

[@ncpolley]

​@@Knoloaifywhat

[@dagoth77]

I wonder if there was originally a quest, similar to Ranni's, planned for Miquella as well. Mohg seems to have been a later addition (thinking of Zullie's video) to the story and him stealing Miquella would be a convenient in game way to stop Miquella's plans. Would have been a nice ending/story to explore.

[@lordanonimmo7699]

Miquella had a a cut ending,but it was probably cut a long time ago,probably before even the game was announced in 2019. Mohg already existed in some form,given the leaked trailer there are soldiers with tridents as their symbols.

[@keirscott-schrueder5625]

Perhaps this will be explored in the DLC

[@irgendwer3610]

Miquela has cut dialogue, probably at some point in the game where Miquella wasn't supposed to be kidnapped, Malenia also has cut content suggesting she know the Tarnished before the boss fight, my theory being that Millicent questline was going to be Malenia's, similar to Gael in DS3

[@Redbeardblondie]

Hiking poles and walking staffs often have/had spikes on the bottom to ensure purchase in many terrains. The spike-ended staff may have a double meaning, painting Miquella as a leader of wanderers, shepherd of those without a home, AND as the bearer of the Erdtree-killing Unalloyed Gold Needle. Just a thought.

[@prinr2003]

First off, this series is incredibly well researched and delivered. I’m loving it. Secondly, it’s absolutely nuts the level of detail FromSoft put into environmental storytelling. Like, I new there was hidden lore, but hiding implications from real world events and mythos is next level.

[@larrymoreorless]

I’d love a new DLC ending that has us obtaining the needle (perhaps having something to do with Messmir’s weapon) and stabbing the erdtree, bringing forth the second coming of Miquella and a new age. The figure holding the needle is unidentified because it’s the tarnished, and Miquella guides us through the shadow world to fulfill the prophecy. Would also set up an interesting sequel where the age of Miquella’s rule occurred many thousands of years prior and we get all new lore hinting at what happened to it.

[@asparagoosagus5954]

The architecture in the Haligtree / Elphael really makes me wonder about the timeline. Even with an army of workers, it would likely take many decades to complete building the structures we see in Elphael and up surrounding the tree. And I'd also guess that the Haligtree's trunk must have been at about its current diameter for a while before they would start building Elphael - for why would you start building the city around the giant tree before you know how big it is going to be? You'd probably need to wait as it grows and then see that the trunk hasnt gotten wider for a while... And that probably took a VERY long time I'd guess that Miquella's kingdom/civilization around his Haligtree was there for at least a few centuries in total before Miquella was stolen away by Mohg, and I suspect the timeline was actually even more extended than that. I don't think Marika was called "the eternal" for being around a few centuries, I think to get a name like that in a context where non-gods can live thousands of years she must have ruled for thousands and thousands of years. Thus I think that even something like the Haligtree that wasn't around for very long compared to her rule should actually be quite old. Essentially I'm trying to say that while I think the Haligtree and the surrounding civilization must have been at least a few centuries old by the time Miquella was stolen, I'd bet that the Haligtree's age was already counted in millennia by then.

[@sunbro197]

Real world tree grow wider until they die. It's a common method of knowing the age of a cut down trees by counting circles on the stump. Though Haligtree is special, I think construction of Elphael begun before it got its current size.

[@Photoloss]

You can forget about quantitative time in this world, none of the common indicators work properly. For a start regular people _could_ turn into the decrepit husks we see in less than a year through relatively natural processes, but they could just as easily have existed this way for millennia. The closest we have to a causal order is events involving Marika's children but we don't know how quickly demigods grow up either. Scaled to human years you can probably squeeze everything past Godfrey meeting Marika into a single century while the various homages to real-life architecture span over 3k years and there's no real upper bound. From the list of major events it feels like the Golden Lineage should span a few centuries or so but nothing really embodies a proper _passage_ of time, everything happens either almost instantly or takes absolutely forever. Case in point the "Night" of the Black Knives versus building the Eternal Cities in an architectural style more modern than pretty much anything else even without being partially upside-down and thus structurally impossible without magic.

[@lordanonimmo7699]

@@Photoloss Ranni mentions the age of stars being a thousand years,so my guess is that Marika's reign was around a thousand years,divided in half by Godfrey and Radagon,or maybe a bit more for Radagon.

[@lordanonimmo7699]

You can see buttress that arent connected to the Haligtree in Elphael,maybe its just planned in advance to when the Haligtree growns more.

[@Photoloss]

@@lordanonimmo7699 I don't think Ranni means the entire duration of the Age of Stars, but rather that she wants to carry the Elden Ring a thousand light-years away from the Lands Between. "A thousand-year voyage" does not mean she will die upon arrival.

[@TehspaceLulz]

I don't think the Haligtree's trunk was split - I think it was, as shown in the Haligtree symbol, meant to be a double helix. The double helix recurs in the Fingerslayer Blade, Sacred Relic Sword, Miquella's Needle and so on: a multi-kilometer weapon to ward off the Outer Gods. The cocoons are a neat observation, though, to give a real concrete explanation for how Miquella differed on the Misbegotten etc.

[@avatarnang5803]

On the topic of Adult Miquella, and assuming that Miquella is also St. Trina, the St. Trina's Torch has a depiction of an adult St. Trina, and looking at it closely, it's a face with one eye with long wild hair, and with a sun-like circle above it, maybe hinting that whatever Miquella becomes after they become an adult is more surreal than we'd think.

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

Indeed, and that St Trina torch depiction is pretty evocative of a “mind’s eye” or “third eye”, no doubt a deliberate decision.

[@antijoscha1690]

The evidence you cite about what kind of needle it is in the statues seems plausible. Thanks again for these valuable insights into the architecture and gods comparisons for Elden Ring. And if the Oracel awaits Miquellas Return... looks mor like a future scenario rather than a past journey where we will met Miquella ^^

[@jrockoclock7088]

I cannot get over how much you add to the this topic by recognizing and drawing parallels with real world history. It seems so obvious after you say it, oh of course X is inspired by Y real world example, but i and I assume most people don't have nearly the familiarity with history or anthropological examples to be able to call it up. And after you point it out the themes make so much more sense and all the unspoken implications in the story fall into order. Great work and I hope the lore fans quickly recognize this channel and that you stay motivated to make more of these!

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

Glad you’ve enjoyed thus far! We certainly have enjoyed making these videos and learning about the IRL inspirations. And there is so much more to be discovered…

[@NorthernDruid]

Another thing to consider. We know Miquella's unnaloyed gold needles can ward off the influence of the outer gods, Malenia and Millicent use it to halt the Scarlet Rod and you yourself can use it to resist the Frenzied Flame. The Erdtree is not just infested with Deathblight, it is also entwined with the Elden Ring and as such the influence of the Greater Will.

[@strikeaposefilms]

I played this game for nearly 300 hours. The gameplay was pretty great but by the end I was so angry that nothing made sense and I got addicted to lore videos trying to explain everything. Freaking mushrooms smdh. But recently I've been watching your videos and... I'm learning history? OUR history. And seeing how things have been recreated. How deep this game's rabbit hole really goes. It's... Insane. For all of this to have been intentional has to be impossible, right? So... What I'm trying to say is - Your videos have actually made my suffering through an addiction to a game I have found immensely frustrating in terms of both gameplay and narrative a rewarding experience that I no longer regret. You've also proven this might be one of the most important games ever made, just in terms of how much of our own history it emulates.

[@pigzy9807]

Another great video. There is one thing I have always found curies about Miquella. In the cinematic where we see him being taken be Mogh, Miquella is still a small child. When we find Miquella in game with Mogh, he has grown allot. So it seems Miquella was not having success growing himself in the haligtree but was growing quickly with Mogh.

[@Xandros999]

We do see him taken by Mogh, but not in a cocoon. Since he had already embedded himself in the Haligtree, that doesn't seem like an accurate depiction.

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

@@Xandros999 Tbf we also see rykards human sized severed head with a regular sized snake slithering through it. which is probably not an accurate depiction of what happened either. I think the opening artworks were meant to be varying degrees of metaphorical and stylised depictions of the events that happend before the game starts properly.

[@Photoloss]

@@SophiaLilithUwU The picture is consistent with Gideon's description as an "infant form" though which is the part that matters. Present-day Miquella certainly does not look _healthy_ but he definitely looks more mature than a child or infant.

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

@@Photoloss oh yeah, absoluely. I was alluding to the fact that the painting miquella doesnt have a cocoon, when it is clearly implied miquella did in fact spin himself into one before his abduction. I think its quite possible, while miquella himself was quite small when he entered this state and either used an oversized cocoon in the hopes to grow into it, or the cocoon grew with him somehow.

[@Photoloss]

@@SophiaLilithUwU Well the hole in the Haligtree is rather large and free of obvious debris so I'm favouring the oversized cocoon version. If given the opportunity Mohg doesn't strike me as the person to weave a _white silken cocoon_ of all things either so he probably had to make do with what he had. Despite its apparent resistance to red paint. (DING for red+white alchemy symbolism!)

[@chacedo8993]

Well, certainly didn't think I'd ever get an explanation for those weird stakes on top of cathedral of the deep... and certainly didn't think it'd come from a video about miquella... such great work !

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

Thanks!

[@cosmosofinfinity]

Why would the Cathedral of the Deep be worried about plant roots though, I wonder... The curse-rotted greatwood, which is sort of nearby? Roots sucking up the water they like so much?

[@Alex-mn1fb]

So I caught a whiff the other day that there might be hints of a DLC brewing in the near future; and ofc being excited mostly about the possibility of getting to know more about Miquella specifically, I wanted to brush up on the lore a bit. And then I bumped into this video. And ended up watching all of the others. Needles to say I subbed. Superbly researched, written, narrated and edited content. My jaw dropped, especially while watching the previous one and this one, not only as they cover two of my favorite zones in the game regarding both lore and aesthetics, but since you have proposed some ideas and views that I have never even considered, that completely fit the ideas and vibe of Elden Ring. Your knowledge of real life history, both Classical & Medieval that inspired the game is staggering. I always loved the late Roman and Byzantine look of Leyndell and both Gothic and Tolkien-esque architecture of Elphael and the Haligtree. I am truly eagerly looking forward to the next one, and all the ones that will come after.

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

What a lovely comment. Glad you’ve enjoyed the work thus far, we definitely have many more planned!

[@Alex-mn1fb]

@@tarnishedarchaeologist Its a pleasure, this really made me go back into the Elden Ring zone today. 😁 Elden Rings environmental storytelling is really on the next level and I have no doubt you guys will have plenty of material. I am truly looking forward to your future work, especially to Raya Lucaria and Liurnia content, but ofc when you get around to do it, do take your time.

[@RicAdbur]

This is easily the best Elden Ring lore channel. Nothing else comes remotely close. The way you work in real-world history and archaeology to show us the inspirations the developers used to create the in-game world lends so much necessary context to understanding the game and what's happening within it.

[@paleofry9384]

It would be interesting that this information from the developer and the reliefs in the Haligtree are both hints at the actual premise of the DLC for the Shadow of the Erdtree.

[@Shin.chichi]

I always find one creator for every souls game that I believe in wholeheartedly on nearly all of their theories, and until recently I hadn't found an Elden Ring creator that I really enjoyed for lore, you my friend are definitely that creator for me! Keep it up! I love the videos and hope to see you grow and garner the attention you deserve!

[@thestralner6335]

actually criminal that this trilogy has ~20k views. just by far the best and most conclusive videos ive seen exploring these more obscure concepts. a joy to watch

[@AdamArchangel]

Mohg and Morgott both ended up ultimately serving the Erdtree

[@TMQwuke]

Your editing/writing and knowledge of anthropology/archaeology is beautiful. These are as engaging as my favorite documentaries.

[@ardvarkrebel2468]

Bro you got me on the verge of tears: “that’s a story for another day” takes me back to The Storyteller for Fallout and Elder Scrolls lord 😢. Much love keep the good work up❤

[@_ariosto1519]

Extraordinary video and content, thank you! The more I learn from creators like you, the worse I feel for going around the Lands Between killing everything that moves…😟

[@graceless_tarnished]

The dlc image is just released. The image shows what appears to be Haligtree with what looks like Deathroot wrapped around it. If the theme of the DLC is Michaela vs. Prince of Death, it is perfectly in line with this video. This video is prophecy.

[@RoboBoddicker]

Awesome vid. Just want to point out - 'Halig' is an Old English word, not based on German. Pronounced like 'hah-lee.' And incidentally, "the tree" is a very common reference to the cross in Christianity (especially medieval Christianity). For an Old English-speaking Christian, I think the 'holy tree' would be an obvious reference to the crucifixion. Not that we really needed more confirmation... :D

[@alenezi989a3]

I just discovered your channel, this is amazing my mind is blown by how intricate the environmental design and storytelling is, it's just amazing, I loved this game before, but now I think this game is literal treasure I can't believe this is a video game, the amount careful intricate and precise creation of each environmental detail to tell the history and culture of a freaking video game that directly ties to real world history and culture is astonishing. This is so much more than just reading item descriptions and npc dialoug this is on a whole different level, and I can't that it's all "real" in this other videos you've shown pictures of real life counterparts and its exactly the same. This is amazing, Miyazaki literally crafts these games with so much love and care. It's such a shame that so much explanations are just not presented in the game and I have to watch people like you to make videos about it, I wish they'd find a way of incorporating much of the lore discussed in these videos into the game itself without being overwhelming or too much expostion dumps, I just wish a player can discover these things while playing these games in a natural way.

[@jorgwei8590]

I really love Miquella as a mythical figure; his attempt at becoming a god through the eclipse, I figured out myself - but oh boy have you squeezed more detail from the world than I'd ever have been able to and you really managed to make the religious practices of the past come to life in my minds eye. Super impressive. I am really impressed how deep you managed to go without just sliding into guesswork and speculation. Well done!

[@90piterr]

I'm curious, if u noticed the depiction on the wall where all the revenant ares, the hallway where u get the Marika soreseal. The one that is a woman, 3 like flowers below her, and owl or bat on top of her, it's design seems so specific, so interesting

[@Nick-oz5yn]

Inject this content straight into my veins. This is gold (no pun intended). No one else does it quite like this. AND Dark Souls bonus content?? 10/10

[@elymnir4683]

I've always thought that the envoys (the creatures with th trumpets) were the result of the albinaurics' metamorphosis. As far as I undrestand it, albinaurics were created with silver, which amass in their legs, thus rendering them unable to move. In the same way, envoys seem to have all their mass on their lower half, spinning on their round bodies to move away. No more leg problems!

[@DerAnanasbaum]

Don't mind my comment 2 months later, but I think that's a fascinating idea. I'm positive the Albinauric were created by the Nox in an attempt to regain heralds for their promised lord. The claymen (or a previous form of them) - similar in stature, magic, and movement - would have been the Nox' envoys before robbed of their oracular powers by whatever betrayed their prophecy. Created from silver and claymen life, the Albinauric are now shunned by most yet inseperably connected to any new lord/god, perhaps even necessary. Them finding salvation and pourpose within heralding Miquella fits perfectly and creates a fascinating cycle.

[@elymnir4683]

@@DerAnanasbaum If I recall right, the albinaurics were created by the mages, but you might be on to something with the claymen. We know that Selia for instance is a mage city with tight ties with the nox. It's not so far-fetched to think the Nox could've shared how to fabricate claymen and the mages altered the formula to their liking, thus giving birth to the albinaurics. After various generations and discrimination, the albinaurics then looked for a safe haven and some of them found their way to the haligtree. Plus, I fancy the idea that the claymen and envoys could be tied through the magic they use. Claymen use muddy bubbles, while envoys use golden, holy bubbles. Their nature would've changed, but the magic would've stayed pretty similar.

[@DerAnanasbaum]

​@@elymnir4683 We know the claymen are "the warped remains" of priests to the ancient dynasty, and that they had oracular powers found in their bubble magic. At some point these oracles were lost, yet the claymen still search for them - implying that loss was not foreseen, mirroring the broken promise of lordship to the Nox. As the Oracle Envoys are said to "appear" to herald a new lord/god/age, I first assumed the ancient Envoys would also have appeared "naturally" in time. Though now I wouldn't rule out alchemical creation.

[@kalzacreations]

I would read your PHD dissertation. I studied anthropology/archeology but ended up being a musician instead. My loved for archeology is still alive and you are very good at this !

[@Asterati]

In Fromsoft's game Kuon, you use iron spikes to suppress the supernatural powers of twin mulberry trees, which spread their influence through silkworm cocoons and a pair of twins as manifestations of the mulberry trees will

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

Cool!

[@shiveshpathak7095]

What an excellent video, this is the only lore souls channel i can stomach anymore. I hate channels that just read item descriptions verbatim and ignore the entire visual world that is built around it. Thanks!

[@ncuriousmediator9434]

25:40 Is that a shotel I see? Everything really is connected, huh.

[@ethanwashington6789]

Im not surprised lol

[@keirscott-schrueder5625]

This channel allows me to enjoy the game so much more, which in turn provides so much inspiration for my own writing. Thank you for all your great insights!

[@Skibbutz]

What is your opinion on the idea that the Cleanrot knights are actually what the Albinuriacs are being reborn as? The Knights noticeably have Insect wings and Cordycepts, making them insect related at the least, which could connect them to Cacoons. It would also explain why the Knights are so devoted towards the Twins, to the point of outright ignoring self preservation, continuing to serve even after being afflicted with the Rot

[@Ajehy]

I wish there was a Miquella ending…I want to see the world he would make.

[@interestingspacefiller]

I want that ending as the 7th ending, From please!

[@psevdhome]

I would argue that the crosier does not have that much of a spike compared to a normal one. A sharp end helps the staff grip onto a soft or hard surface. Many walking sticks and support devices have a sharpened or tapered tip just for this purpose as a crosier is used by a bishop and their devices have both symbolic and practical uses. I like the symbolism also that it is like a giant needle, used to stave off rot. There is an interesting story about St. Macrina, that she was sick with cancer and used a needle to pierce the tumor and thus it was killed and she was healed of the disease. This practice is modeled on the alchemical idea that disease is impurity, so a needle or other metal implement of sufficient purity will purify or kill the disease. Miquella's needle also resembles to me a giant "lance" an implement used to cut the leavened communion bread of the eastern rite. The lance is a pen-like knife with a long handle and a widened spear-head like tip on the one end and an ornamentation (usually a cross) at the other end.

[@MounSnack]

I'm not sure I ever commented on a KZbin video before, but I have to say that in my opinion you are easily the best elden ring lore content creator out there. Please keep doing this!

[@coopersodano1457]

You could push the Christ imagery with Miquella a bit further. The way I see it, the Erdtree burials are the catalyst for birth and grace in that order but Miquella “sacrificed” himself by using himself as the catalyst in the roots of the Haligtree for the new births; granting graced to the forgotten and abandoned of the Lands Between. Salvation through Christ, through Miquella

[@SeanSmith-gm3ov]

Keep it up man, you are definitely a from soft archeologists! You bring forth ideas I haven't seen from even Hawkshaw, who often has lore talking points no one else catches.

[@andrew_cunningham]

The idea of unalloyed gold being drawn from the sun via an eclipse is striking, and makes me realize that, despite the density of Elden Ring's mythology, the sun seems to be conspicuously untouched by any of the in-universe belief systems. Ranni has the moon and the night, sorcery and the Astels come from the stars, the Erdtree, Crucible, Ancestor Spirits, and Scarlet Rot are all manifestations of earthly life, and Placidusax even lends storms and lightning a sort of deific personification. But the sun itself, something that not only had huge mythological importance in Dark Souls, but literally _makes trees grow,_ is only mentioned in the fringe cult of Castle Sol (at least from what I can recall). In a setting like Elden Ring where metaphor doesn't exist and stars are apparently giant antlions that can physically fall to earth and eat you, it seems absurd to assume that the sun is a literal ball of hot gas. All that is to day, there's a big new entry on my "things that I really hope are explained in DLC" list.

[@sorensouthard927]

He wanted to drain the sun to form a spear to kill death. That's the most metal plot I've ever heard in my entire life.

[@taedopalleb1373]

I don't need commander Shepard's approval; This is the best Elden Ring lore channel in the Citadel.

[@aidanfurst8512]

Holy shit you just had to save the biggest potential revelation for the end. The possibility that Miquella's whole plan might have been part of Marika's planned transfer of power is absolutely huge, and actually really fits. She's trapped by the greater will, half loyal servant (radagon) and half willful rebellious Queen. She can't be the one to really act against the greater will, the moment she does she'll be contained (which is exactly what happens). So she sets Miquella's plan in motion, a plan to kill the erdtree itself. Then she shatters the Elden Ring, bringing about the chaos miquella needed to complete the plan. She sacrificed herself in order for her plan to succeed.

[@DogMechanic]

"Halig" means holy, but can also mean "healthy" or "sound". Haligtree is a healing tree.

[@1KamaronConClase]

The amount of historical reference is incredible! Love the work and the editing! Shame that the game obscures all this beautiful detail, one almost whises for a tarnished archeologist to talk in game about all of this!

[@spiralistichope9216]

Interesting that you didn't mention Saint Trina at all as likely being Miquella's alter ego. I know the bulk of the evidence is cut content, but it is still somewhat notably implied. Also, another prevailing theory about the statue at the Haligtree Town Promenade plaza holding the two twins is not Marika, but Godwyn, who we can surmise through various item descriptions was very close to Miquella in particular. Suffice it to say, brilliant trilogy of videos, overall! I think your emphasis on birth as a conceptual focus really sold to me that it truly was a prominent thematic thrust of the game's central narrative, historical perspective, and lore, when prior to this I did not think it was a major theme in quite the same light, just a supplemental idea of the societies at play in the worldbuilding and the Orders depicted and elucidated upon through the ambiguous storytelling of the game. As always with your videos, I utterly adore your parallelisms to actual history and mythology, including fantastic and fitting allusions to texts and sources from historical periods that I am a huge fan of as a student of history and archaeology. Your newer videos have gotten even better in terms of presentation and aesthetics/flow, but your ideas going further back are just as mesmerizing as your more recent work! Your eye for environmental storytelling and references to real-world practices such as the theology you draw from in your analyses is always a treat to witness, so keep up the great work! From a fellow player who also adores observing these Soulsborne games through the lens of history, archeology and myth, I wish you all the best for all future ventures!

[@Gaebora88]

I know a ton more work than we see must have gone into this, but I can't help the feeling that this is the one dude on the planet who played through Elden Ring and went "Oh, yeah. I get what's happening here."

[@synyster_172]

So glad the river scene from "oh brother where art thou" was in this

[@federicoforgione]

This video managed to make me feel almost "faithful", in a religious fashion, to a videogame character, than to any actual real religion of our world

[@adamblue2980]

You blew my mind several times with this one! Excellent work!

[@ethanwashington6789]

Hey TA, this may be very important. Above the entrance to Maliketh's boss room in Farum Azula, there is a depiction in stone of the twinbird(s) on either side of a large monument in the background. Now, upon watching this video, im pretty sure that the large monument is the top end of Miquella's staff, or rather, the top half of the colossal gold needle of which you believe Miquella wished to summon. This creates more questions, while answering none. To start with the most obvious, we know two things about the Twinbird: (1) It is the lord of the deathbirds, ritualistic figures who burned corpses and delivered true death in the ages of old; and (2) the Twinbird is the envoy of an unknown outer god, similar to the role of the elden beast. Furthermore, its isnt the stake or eclipse that would kill Godwyn; instead, the eclipse only "grants life to the soulless bones." The life-given soulless bones must be slain by something. So, would the Twinbird revel in the idea of a new age, and personally deliver the death of Godwyn? Would they destroy the colossal gold stake, since it repels outer gods? Do you think the stone depiction is simply another unfulfilled prophecy? Is there any clear religeous or historical parodies to the twinbirds in front of the great golden stake? I would like to hear your takes on this.

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

Good eye. We will definitely look into this!

[@mmyr8ado.360]

To add fuel to the fire, candelabras that look like ghost trees are present in Elphael and Ordina Liturgical Town. Elphael is the only city in the game that has Gothic architecture as its prominent feature(butresses are found in Gothic architecture as well as Roman Vaults), and the turrets are similar to the design of the Helphen's Steeple, which according to the description is modelled after the lampwood that guides the dead in the afterlife. Said weapon is dropped by a Tibia Mariner near Castle Sol. Miquella's needle looks like a Caduceus/ Mercury's staff without wings.

[@DrownedInDarkness666]

This paints the picture for shadow of the erdtree big time, mind boggling.

[@newtypeghetto9518]

I'm so glad you saw tha connections between Miquella and Christ as well. If you ever have time I'd love to have a short discussion about some of these themes and how they tie into Gnosticism and some other concepts.

[@WanderedIn]

Fantastic as always! I had interpreted the statue of an adult figure casting a cloak around the twins as an adult Miquella, but I think I am convinced by your account of it as Marika, with the faceless angelic figure as Miquella. The connection to the needle is also magnificent. You bring the rich iconography and physical details into wonderful contrast and clarity. A point I do think you ought to consider, however, is the wider implication of the eclipse - the spirit that kneels before the Eclipse Shotel says that the eclipse will “bring life to the soulless bones” - and a true death, in the Lands Between, does not mean to cease to exist but to be returned to the Erdtree and the cycle of life and rebirth. False death is to Live In Death, as Godwyn does. Perhaps Miquella meant to be an angel of the resurrection in a quite literal sense: By defeating Destined Death in a different way than Marika’s binding, he perhaps hoped to restore the soulless demigods in some sense. Whether the Sun’s color would be literal gold seems difficult to ascertain, but the image is fantastic, and certainly the eclipse has the qualities of an apotropaic talisman in the Lands Between; sadly, it seems we will never see the outcome. Finally, while the oracle envoys do appear in both the Haligtree and the Capital, I think that their presence is separate - because they appear to herald both a new god, and a new age. No matter what occurs, the Tarnished player will bring about a new age in the ending.

[@WanderedIn]

Seriously I cannot overstate how much I adore these videos; you’re bringing a serious art history and archaeological eye to this, and that makes all the difference.

[@ethanwashington6789]

Something of note is that in the earlier versions/concept art of dark souls 3, the endgame eclipse was INSTEAD depicted as a blinding, low-hanging golden star that eerily drips darkness onto the land, while a giant worm-like figure looms around the location where the darkness makes contact with the earth. So, Miquella's Eclipse wouldn't be the first time that Fromsoft has tried to write a dripping, golden sun into the lore.

[@fishsticks2965]

Is it marika shielding them, or godwyn?

[@Quicksilver_Cookie]

I might be reaching here, but the way Placidusax's heads are twisted when he is revealed reminds me of caduceus. A symbol people associate with medicine and healing, that looks like two snakes coiled around a staff. Well, you note that staff on a cloaked statue in Heligtree looks like a needle. You go to placidusax's Arena for healing. By using a needle...Is there something there, or it's too tenuous to be at least a reference. Help me out on this one, fellas. I'm not that deep into the lore yet to see if it's nonsense.

[@cosmosofinfinity]

You might be onto something. I always thought the two heads of Placidusax was very conspicuous, normally a multi-headed dragon design goes for 3. I think Placidusax is said to have had a third head though, and it's just broken off now

[@lbiesek]

Dude, what a show, I feel like watching a documentary channel. Keep the amazing work. Congratulations.

[@seanslaysean7097]

14:30 my theory is that the dead cleanrot knights are entombed in the sarcophagi to prevent the rotting of the Haligtree. As every knight partakes of the rot, they’re corpse is saftely preserved until Miquella can rebirth them without the affliction. After all, we see what damage even a sleeping Malenia can do without the needle holding back her rot.

[@Irreverent_bob]

Ahh, my apologies. Lost myself for a moment there. The information you’ve shared is of great value. As promised, your reward. A secret rite, known only to me… Subscribed.

[@sunbro197]

21:36 soulless comrade of Miquella could be a reference to the soulless demigods in the mausoleums, since there is one right at the entrance of castle Sol. These demigods have no explanations for their existance and are very interesting.

[@WanderedIn]

I think Godwyn is the worst case scenario soulless demigod - he died in spirit but not in flesh. They seem to be what happens when a demigod dies but can’t really die, lacking Destined Death. So we probably finished them all off when we freed Death at the end of the game…

[@IsaiahX7-13]

They were all killed with Destined Death in soul during the Night of Black Knives just like Godwyn was. We're told Godwyn was only the first of the demigods that died that night, they have no soul like him, they have knights who become Those Who Live in Death to serve them and try to keep Destined Death at bay until they can get their souls back to revive them. One of the demigods in the mausoleum is actually stated to be an unwanted child of Marika, which would explain why Marika had the assassins kill them that night.

[@sunbro197]

@@IsaiahX7-13 for someone to die only in soul another one must die in body and I don't know that many spirits hanging around. Plus if they are dead only in soul then why didn't there bodies turn to abominations like Godwyn's did? Also we don't see the half weel mark of the centipede on them, but it should be on their back, and we don't see it.

[@IsaiahX7-13]

@@sunbro197 This is a good point I forgot about, they must've died both in soul and body then. That would explain why their bodies are decapitated and clearly dead as well. Also, we can't see their backs anyway, they're lying on them in the mausoleums.

[@sunbro197]

@@IsaiahX7-13 They do look like dead Godrik and Morgot, but why are they decapitated? And why can we double remembrances not only of demigods, but of Astel and Ancestor spirit and others?

[@Vladek16]

this trilogy of video was a masterpice of Lore interpretation Life and Death The Tears of the Erdtree Miquella's Prophesy

[@am-180]

some of the best investigative work I've seen, great job. all sounds very plausible and properly backed up. no stretches, no wild suppositions

[@wpb5876]

Absolutely fantastic and so cohesively presented. The fact the team at FromSoft went to such lengths and detail is astounding - and all the more so astounding are that channels like this (and some others) that unveil these gems and share them with the community!

[@thomasgiles2876]

Your mention of moths in the Halig tree gave me cold sweats of ringed-city angels flying overhead and raining projectiles and screams.

[@ManicPixieMidGirl]

Dude at 10:13 I actually started to tear up. All the hope the poor Albinaurics had was just ripped away from them by Mogh. Truely up there as one of the most heartbreaking things in this game.

[@osheroth]

This video single-handedly provides like 60% of the lore from Shadow of the Erdtree; a seemingly dead Erdtree (or a variation from it) with gold dripping from it, in a suspiciously linear way, almost like a needle.

[@ReneAensland]

Your videos are absolutely astonishing. I cannot get tired of the Lore. Please don't stop. This video, especially the last 5 minutes sent spine chilling needles down my back.

[@DeCoR18]

I have to say this three part series has been unbelievable. I first got into Fromsoft lore in the early days of Dark Souls with EpicNameBro, and have never enjoyed videos on the lore, I used to hate watch them and think people are just using word salad and vague interpretations for the vast vast majority of everything I've ever seen on the lore of these games, with two notable exceptions Ratatosker's video on the meaning of Dark Souls and Richard Pillbeams description of the events of Bloodborne. Which in my opinion are "correct" not interpretations. This series in my opinion is in that league. So much so I think you might have even inadvertently spoiled DLC lol. As a dedicated Christian, I just about lost it when you showed the seven trumpets of the white enemy in the Haligtree, unbelievable. The fact that you made these connections is just mind blowing, unbelievable pattern recognition. Even though I've been playing these games since 2010 I can't seem to get out of the mindset that these are just games and it doesn't "mean" anything 99% of the time, even though I tried with Elden Ring, yet with Elden Ring it seems 99% of the time everything DOES mean something, it's such a mind fuck if you play basically every major game. If anybody doubted Elden Ring deserved best narrative at the game awards send them to this video. Absolutely mind blowing, you should be so proud of this video. Can't say enough good things.

[@SandboxMagician787]

Watched all 3 parts of this series in a row, just unreal quality. Thanks for these mate.

[@Truestoned0]

The best decision I ever made on KZbin was subscribing to you you are a man of the highest caliber and I appreciate it

[@DavidHill-im2zg]

I stumbled onto your channel last night. FREAKING AMAZING!!! Every video crammed with new and deep revelations into how this world's puzzle fits together. I can't wait for what other delicacies you might serve up!

[@mobgabriel1767]

something that has been on my mind recently is that mohg might have had a bigger hand on the battle of aeonia than we think just think about it:by the time of the shattering there were only 3 empyreans:ranni(who had discarded her empyrean flash), malenia(who was very loyal to her brother and one of the most powerful demigods) and miquella who had started or already founded i'm not a expert on the timeline) his order of unalloyed gold who was embracing those persecuted by the golden order like the albinaurics and missbegotten(something that would probably make it easier to infiltrate someone into said order) not only that but miquellla also lacked the physical strength of an adult(and later he himself going to sleep in a cocoon) would certainly make him easier to abduct if necessary,alongside that the haligtree is already a place with restricted access but not only that but its on the other side of the map when compared to caelid it certainly would be very difficult if not near impossible for the story of radahn stopping the stars to reach that point(meanwhile moghwyn palace is under caelid wich would give it an easy access to the information and also miquella should know better than to send a sizeable portion of the haligtree's army alongside malenia to fight radahnn(who is probably one of the few people who can challenge malenia's prowess in combat) on the other side of the continent wich means that they would be outside of the haligtree for so long time,even more so considering that miquella was going to enter his metamorphosis in the haligtree essentially putting himself at his most vulnerable not only that but mogh benefits immensely from malenia and radahn fighting each other since it means that his biggest immediate threat(malenia) and a just as big future threat(radahn and his ambition to become elden lord) are going to essentially destroy each other and leave him to do his thing unchecked as to how he would get those 2 to fight each other? once miquella went to sleep he could just spread rumours about radahn's conquest of the stars and maybe some rumours painting him as a threat to the haligtree and malenia would probably do the rest of the job for him giving him more than enough time to disappear with miquella and any evidence of his presence

[@bnny13]

SOOOO GOOODDD. The amount of research done on this is amazing. Thank you for your hard work on this great video!!!

[@TheKniteOwl2686]

I wonder if the artwork for Shadow of the Erdtree we are seeing an eclipse of the Erdtree, causing the golden sap to run out of it. Much like the banner of the eclipse at Castle Sol

[@thejonesyman069]

This is a must rewatch for the dlc!

[@simonjohnson4133]

I have only just discovered these episodes, goodness knows how I am so late to the party. These are truly fabulous videos.

[@argp]

Your choices for background music in your videos are always amazing and really contribute to the great analysis.

[@itterama]

Needle note: it is possible that Radagon's original Gold needle could be the issue. His rune seems to be a stitched pattern, which is seen blocking the Erdtree door, on his statues, and on the Elden Ring, itself. Miquella's attempts at making a needle and perhaps an Age of Unalloyed Gold implies that Radagon's gold is alloyed. This could mean that copper is included in his gold, which may have led to the Erdtree's ceasing of life production. Side note: Radagon's Golden Order incantations are all a darker, redder gold than Erdtree incantations, seen both on the sigils and the paper in the items' images.

[@christianmeusel6817]

Been waiting for so long for this vid! Delivering only the purest sap of knowledge! Love it and i am already stoked for the next Enlightements you will hit us with!

[@PeeDoggyy]

To this day i never knew thats why their were nails all over the the Cathedral of the Deep. Thats crazy.

[@shabadava62]

you are the best content creator of from right now for me, in love seeing all the effort put around references and paralelism. Keep digging, Archaeologist!

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

Thanks!

[@kimlee6643]

The analytical prose of this series feels like the video equivalent of reading Redgrave's The Paleblood Hunt. A remarkably cogent yet astounding digestion of the evidence with just the careful and right amount of speculation needed to elevate it, except that this series packs a layer of history knowledge that makes the comparison feel a tad uneven. Eager for the next entry.

[@olenaboyko1935]

Your content is sooo good! Every video is a masterpiece. Thanks a lot.

[@MarvinT0606]

Miquella: "Noooo! Why doesn't my Needle kill the Erdtree?!" Melina: "Haha Erdtree go burrrrrrn"

[@WhatIsGoinOnPeople]

Wow, what an amazing series. Truly mind blowing revelations. Thank you for all the work you put in to creating these awesome videos.

[@artinallforms5718]

I absolutely love these videos. My mind is blown at how much light you have brought to the obscure, thank you for all your hard work.

[@MoonGazelle]

These are by far the best Elden Ring lore videos I've seen. It all seems so obvious after seeing you lay it out this way.