Silent Hill 2 Analysis | James, Maria, Pyramid Head, & The Bible in SH2

#silenthill #silenthill2 #sh2 #silenthillanalysis
Learn more about the biblical references behind the lore of Silent Hill 2, especially relating to Pyramid Head & Maria, and their relationships with James.
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[@gregorywiederecht]

Muse: And the best example of why the change is made comes from another source of influence... Me: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT Muse: ...the Russian novel Crime and Punishment. Me: *takes a drink*

[@Sokomo_Kudemasho]

🍷🗿

[@SOLIDSNAKE.]

Silent hill 2 is sooo. Deep. It's so sad stupid Konami did nothing with this...

[@alteredstates927]

It's almost like they're afraid it'll be bad like the last 3-4 were and prove Kojima right when he made P.T. He never had their permission to use the license and went behind their backs with Sony and his celebrity friends to get it online. They were trying to make him do mobile games, he was insulted (I think it was meant as an insult since they were always arguing over money and creative freedom) so he basically showed them that he could revive the franchise they'd been failing to revive for years. We keep getting told there will be another but now they're fighting pride and much higher expectations. A bad Silent Hill game will still make money, though. I bought the last few even though I knew they would suck.

[@friendlyneighborhoodartist]

Well, they have a remake now :D

[@theMoporter]

I love that I've read so much about SH theming and symbology, I could tell when you were going to bring certain things up, but it was such a eureka moment when you spelled out that Maria is Job! Never would have put it together myself. Awesome video!

[@23ADJ93]

The glyph on the wall in the bathroom in silent hill 2 can be found in Gershom Scholem’s book “Kabbalah” on page 321 . The figures above are sanoi, sansanoi and Samnaglof. The figure below is Lilith.

[@LobselErik]

Excellent video :D It's really great seeing more people talk about characters like Maria more sympathetically, I feel like their nuance gets kind of just brushed to the side most of the time

[@samf.s.7731]

It would have been easy to dismiss her as just some SH monster, or a lifeless doll that SH somehow brought to life had it not been for "Born from a wish". While it doesn't really give any obvious answers, it becomes clear that she's a person, a living breathing human being who's perhaps Mary's re-incarnation. Now, the team obviously didn't have this scenario released with the game's initial release, perhaps they hadn't even figured it out just yet; but it's impossible to tell whether or not those were the intentions for the character from the beginning, for her to be "real".

[@ashenone3050]

@@samf.s.7731 the part about a human being idk about that , she never talks or meets directly with anyone other than James , she does not want to go into the bowler when people is inside , maybe she is just like any other monster just seen through James eyes , and of course that wish Maria is born from is James wish (Ed:there are some things that we can look as she being human and the reincarnation of Mary, like the butterflies seen in the weird room , in Maria tattoo and in her own room at the start of born from a wish )

[@whitemagerivers5294]

I love your symbolism videos, Muse! I feel like I have learned more from them in a couple years than I ever did in school. I also love how you always make me see Silent Hill in a different light, reminding me that even though I've played them for almost 20 years, I still haven't completely experienced them. So I thank you for that.

[@t_rexdiaz6778]

Holy crap Silent hill i so f* deep Not as simple as a viral outbreak In the survival horror genre, they won all the awards in my opinion The creators are geniuses

[@ravenofroses]

yessss maria as job! it's a take that i've had in the back of my mind but never really saw it articulated before. great analysis as always!

[@blumiu2426]

The themes in the Bible I'm aware of always center around redemption. It was important in OT that it always showed man cannot save itself, thus the continued failure but it was typically always followed by forgiveness or repercussions/punishment then forgiveness. No matter how grievous, they were always forgiven if it was sincerely asked.

[@SFlaidlaw101]

When you just starting to binge the gaming muse's Silent Hill content and she comes out with another one 😋

[@yubyub335]

Amazing video as always MUSE, thank you so much for always taking time to deliver us great info about the foggy town we all love. 💟

[@guillelopez4222]

Congratulations, you've improved a lot from your early essays, and this one + the previous Team Silent saga are among the best SH content here on KZbin. Thanks for your work!

[@samf.s.7731]

great job! Seriously. This took me by surprise. Keep going, you're great.

[@anthonywane8344]

Been waiting for this! Excited to watch

[@NOTYOURPROJECT555]

Thank You For another SH video Muse appreciate that!

Great video man! pretty neat as always dude!

[@panchopistolas2593]

Well, you have the names of Mary and María which, I think, both derive from the Semitic name Miriam, and their usage is more common among the Christians and Catholics. Also, the misadventure of James in Silent Hill, somehow resemble the journey through a living Purgatory. In any case, I hope you continue with this videos and, if possibly, talk about the "religion" of the town itself, like that symbol in the prison similar to the Halo of the Sun and the four items needed for the "Rebirth" ending. Greetings.

[@squallded7244]

You forgot the graffiti on the wall left of the mirror, there’s a Angel pouring bowl of wrath on some town if you point the camera at some angle you can see a Angel with a bowl.. and there’s some verse there as well

[@bluealice1386]

Always here for more silent hill 🖤

[@danthompsett2894]

i often wondered what was written on those walls, i wrongly thought that image was a reference to the Aliens ending.

[@Andriej69]

This is actually interesting, I've never realised that

[@danielmeredith4222]

Cheers and thankyou as always muse for this episode of silent hill symbolism:)

[@emanuelcr777]

Great vid! This game gets deeper and deeper by the day. What a masterpiece!

[@AFoxInFlames]

I could talk about this game for hours. My favorite horror game, only one that ever scared me and literally jump out of my seat when I heard James did it... I just love all the mystery but I love these analysis they explain more, really appreciate you Muse♥️

[@alteredstates927]

Before finally reading a little bit about his personal life, I could not guess whether or not Fyodor Dostoevsky believed in God or not. I first read "Crime and Punishment," and like you said his redemption was aligned with conceding to Platonic morality and he even emulates Jesus by marrying a hooker. Then I read "The Brothers Karamazov," still in it but reaching the end, which goes back and forth between the religious and secular characters seeming more evil but I think it about equals out: Alyosha and Zossima are righteous in their piety (though the rest of the monastery is corrupt to its very core) and Ivan and a couple other characters whose names I don't remember (one being his uncle) and perhaps even Dimitri are honest and certainly more intelligent - Ivan makes a pretty good argument for his atheism and tells Aloysha that he denies religion because it's worldly and conceived by the same humans that kill, rape and brutalize all the same. Then there are the profligates, Fyodor Pavlovich probably being the ugliest, his sociopath cook, and Dimitri at times. Fyodor P has no sense of morality, religious or otherwise. He mistreated both of his wives into early graves and probably deserved to die. Anyway, Dostoevsky did believe in God, surprising for someone that helped birth existentialism (like Kierkegaard), and very surprising considering Brothers often seemed like a platform for apostasy - there is some seriously blasphemous stuff about God even and it's all throughout the book. The only truly innocent Karamazov character is Alyosha, though, and he's the most religious - he keeps his faith even after his brother monks prove themselves false and his brother Ivan has him logically convinced there cannot be a God. It's like he doesn't care if it makes sense or not because it's already part of him and part of what makes him a good person. I'm a huge atheist and still find that admirable. I wonder if the name Karamazov being so close to "karma" is coincidence - the whole family is fighting the consequences of polluted behaviors and things only sort of work out for the character that tries to help everyone else.

Man I've always wonder what that child like drawing in the bathroom meant. Not many Jews around were I live I guess. You totally Rock muse. SEriously this collection of videos are like Twin Perfect's: Definitive must watch (yes I know you don't like TP take on the series, but I differ. Their take is as valuable as yours) deal with their awful sense of humor and arrogance, prepotency, what you like, and you've got a pretty well stablished study on the matter. Yours definitely stands as tall as TP take on SH lore. If not taller. And I prefer you 100000% as a host than that guy Fungo.

[@23ADJ93]

Hot take, silent hill exists within the worlds of the qlippoth. What is the name that reflects Malkuth, the material world? Yes, it's "Lilith".

[@tobiaskadachi]

I once heard from a shepherd that "metaphorically": "if you take and twist The Old Testament blood flows".

[@gengarworld4409]

Fascinating content amazing youtuber

[@pabloraulpereyra4948]

¡Gracias!

[@FaithCannon7]

What about a video on your thoughts about Silent hill canceled projects that could have happened. Silent hills with Norman reedus wasn't the only game.

[@boldbearings]

I love this piano roll.

[@fooza2101]

Love the content but I have to take issue with your analysis of C&P’s ending tying into the Protestant concept of “sola fide”. Dostoyevsky was Russian Orthodox as I’m sure you’re well aware and for the orthodox, salvation by “faith alone” is most certainly not apostolic teaching. Just had to chime in. Thanks for all your work.

[@thegamingmuse]

Oh for certain, I'm not arguing that was a position his story was arguing. It just fit well with what I was trying to express - how Christianity is used in stories to represent redemption, and why SH2 chose not to do that, because they had a different kind of redemption in mind.

[@dk9024]

12:52 - VERY likely. See: Xenogears.

[@tf6026]

hey am i the only one for whom the video isn't loading? every other KZbin video is fine but this one

[@mascettino3999]

Hi. I wanted to understand how you were able to trace back the verses from the "Book of Job" from those writings in the bathroom. I ask this because English is not my native language and by comparing the words written on the bathroom walls with the verses from the above-mentioned book, I cannot find a match between the words. I thank you in advance for your reply.

[@thegamingmuse]

Since the bible is often translated in different ways, the quotes can change. Use a binle site that includes wvery version of the bible and take a look through the book of job amd youll find translations that match.

[@coderedfield9179]

At around the 9 minute mark, whats the name song encamping around the heart of the lilith segment of the video?

[@TheBeardHampster1979]

It seems the Jewish faith follows the equivalent of the Christian old testimate Unlike modern Christians who follow the new testimate Im sure glad Christianity's more lenient though. (Wish more churches practiced that part) If i had to constantly worry about sinning, my life would be boring as hell😂

[@Beeyo176]

Binging again

[@alteredstates927]

I thought Lillim was the one who was a succubus and had her way with men in their sleep, not Lilith, Adam's first companion. Are they the same entity? Or is it just coincidence that they both do the same thing and have similar names? I also remember reading somewhere that Lilith marries Samael in some accounts, but it seems like there are several versions of the story - just like some versions of genesis don't even mention her.

[@thegamingmuse]

The general theory I believe is that Lilith likely originated in the older stories of Lilim, and there are definitely many variations of the story though I've not heard that one.

[@LittleOneTV956]

I love these videos! Could you read the text exactly as it is written though? I've just paid attention to how the words were changed instead of what was actually written. Distracting sorry

[@rippingoffmyface]

🖤

[@dolarhyde]

Can I get a link or something for the jobe story and the other references?

[@BelieveIt1051]

I know you have a pet theory on Maria, but Born From A Wish and Silent Hill 3 confirm that Maria existed as her own person within Silent Hill. She worked at Heaven's Night, and regretted the life she led. Her soul was trapped in Silent Hill, and that is where Mary's soul found her. Mary gave her the chance to live again with James as her partner, thinking that this would benefit James as well and help him move on. So Mary shared her memories with Maria to help her grow close with James. This is why Maria seeks him out and is willing to go with him. But Silent Hill had other plans. Ultimately, Maria only gets to leave with James if James himself truly wants it and is able to overcome his guilt and show care for Maria. As for the Jewish stuff, just because the translator and script editor was Jewish doesn't mean the writers drew inspiration from Judaism. However closely he worked with them, all these concepts were developed in the early stages. Editing and translating happens at the end. Any Jewish references you're seeing are likely just topical at best, not thematic.

[@thegamingmuse]

Jeremy Blaustein, the writer and translator, wasn't someone who came in late on the project, actually. They brought him in early and made him part of the central team, as they wanted his input and the viewpoint of a westerner, given the project they were working on. SH2 is very much influenced by his writing and his experiences, as it is Sato's and Owaku's. As for the other things, those are more theories, as valid as mine. Nothing about Maria has ever been fully confirmed.

[@BelieveIt1051]

@@thegamingmuse In the video you only said he was the translator and script editor, not a writer. After reading up on him myself, it appears they asked him for advice on what themes would be acceptable to English audiences. Okay, fine. In that role he may have indeed given suggestions. But where's the proof he gave any suggestions based on Jewish folklore? Is he even a practicing Jew? Uh, no. Silent Hill 3 features a picture of Maria. That blatantly shows that she existed within the town. Even SH2 begins with posters of her on the wall. Or did James imagine those posters too? 9_9 James was shocked by Maria's looks and by how closely she resembled Mary. He genuinely was not expecting to run into someone like Maria. So she couldn't have been born from his psyche. Even Pyramid Head only manifests to James after reading the article about Walter Sullivan and him seeing a "Red Devil". And James' perception of the Pyramid Head entity was likely based off the picture of the hooded cult leader he saw during his normal visit to Silent Hill with Mary. Plus, Born From A Wish shows Maria had memories of James before she even ran into him. So Mary shared her memories with Maria long before James met her. She can't possibly be born from any wish James had, especially considering that the player can control James in a way where he shows little to no interest in her.

[@AmberExpert]

😍🍉🍓

[@santiagosancho2317]

I think the changes between Silent Hill 1 and 2 in terms of religion is pretty simple, it was kind of "offensive" for certain people to have such a clear bash at Christianity, so they made it a little bit different

[@zonilo1]

Hate to break it to you but Silent Hill has less to do with Abrahamic Faiths and more to do with Shintoism given the first four games were developed in Japan and you have to look at the culture the games were developed in to truly understand them. Why does everything have to be Christian centric? It's also very US centric as well as the two go hand in hand with each other.

[@thegamingmuse]

It is in this case quite literally their decision to focus on a western story and Christian imagery, as is clear from the very obvious choices in themes, quotes, and symbolism. There are definitely Buddhist and Shinto themes in the story throughout, and I have discussed those in other videos, but the first three games especially were written and intended to be 'Western', and Japanese fans even call them 'Westernized Japanese Horror'.

[@sonicthehedgegod]

seconding muse’s comment, the SH series was always explicitly intended to be marketed to a western audience because Konami wanted a direct competitor to Resident Evil to boost sales in US and European markets. Focusing on western themes, cultural references, and sensibilities was a deliberate marketing and creative choice. Hence all the Carrie and Stephen King posters and western music and movie references throughout the first couple games, despite them being Japanese in origin.