What is the Mensis Ritual Anyway? | Bloodborne Archaeology Ep. 3

Bloodborne Lore: What is the Mensis ritual? Just what were they trying to achieve, and how did they do it? What the hell is the deal with all those mirrors in Yahar’gul? Only careful inspection and a bit of Victorian history can help us. Join us as we answer these questions and more by delving deep into Bloodborne’s and our own world’s history.
#bloodborne #bloodbornelore #mensis #tarnishedarchaelogist
References:
Find over 100 videos of wildlife encounters with giant mirrors installed in the jungle of Gabon (Central Africa) filmed by Xavier HUBERT-BRIERRE, his wife Anne-Marie and their friend Michel Djomou Guiss: kzbin.info... After watching each of these videos, please read the description attached to learn more about the behavior of wild animals when faced with their reflection.
Gameplay footage/music credit: Bloodborne, FromSoftware.
Video samples:
Chimpanzees with mirror-Xavier Hubert
"Reflections in the rainforest", Gabon - Xavier Hubert-Brierre
Aurora - Dr. Ryan Ridden
Ibn al-Haytham - Smithsonian Channel
Copernicus - 100 Greatest Discoveries - Discovery UK
Lens Making in the 1600s - Corning Museum of Glass
Newton's Dark Secrets, Chris Oxley
Through Galileos Telescope, 1933
Informercials, bryanalbrandt
Insomnia, Dr. Mike
Contact lenses, Welcome Library
Mercury Vapor, Heal Care without Harm
The Liquid Mirror Telescope, NASA Orbital Debris Observatory in Cloudcroft, New Mexico
Faraday cage, Joe Hanson, Be Smart
Tesla Coil, Slo Mo Guy
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Images:
Echo and Narcissus, John William Waterhouse
Amaterasu, 大阪
Mayan mirror murals, ANCIENT MAYA MOSAIC MIRRORS: FUNCTION, SYMBOLISM, AND MEANING, Cambridge University Press
Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God - Jan Matejko, 1873, Jagiellonian University Museum
1661 Cellarius's chart illustrating a heliocentric model of the universe, as proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus
Hubble Deep Fields, NASA
Michael Faraday, Hulton Deutsch, the Guardian
Contents of the Video
----------------------------------
00:00 Intro
06:58 Mensis mockinfomerccial
08:14 Mensis and optics (Ch. 1)
15:08 Mensis and electromagnetism (Ch. 2)
19:40 The Me3sis Ritual (Ch. 3)
Victorian physics engravings, Wellcome Collection
Darkbeast, Heardless
Galvani engravings, Smithsonian Collection
Maxwell’s Equations, Rhett Allain
James Clerk Maxwell, 1850s, Trinity College, Cambridge
Music and audio samples:
Mercurial - Ambient Music for Bloodborne
Happy Indie Summer Rock, Muzaproduction
Bloodborne (2015) Ambient Music, Nico Lujan

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

From the original creator and scientist behind the chimpanzee mirror video: ""Find over 100 videos of wildlife encounters with giant mirrors installed in the jungle of Gabon (Central Africa) filmed by Xavier HUBERT-BRIERRE, his wife Anne-Marie and their friend Michel Djomou Guiss: kzbin.infovideos After watching each of these videos, please read the description attached to learn more about the behaviour of wild animals when faced with their reflection." We highly recommend you watching these fascinating videos!

[@GhostofJamesMadison]

This is the single most impressive break down and exploration of bloodborns story I have seen. It makes perfect sense that the brain of mencas is literally the brain of the moon, the moon presence. Great work!

[@lovesiriusblack]

Pls continue with the Sin and Sophie inspired humour segments! My life expectancy will thank you.

[@imdefinitelynotjesus]

sooo any of them eye scoopers left? i seem to have been late to the party with em.

[@kaidorade1317]

Am I too late to get this eyeball scooper? Lol

[@Nemo12417]

Point of order: killing Rom doesn't cause the Blood Moon, it reveals that it has always been there. Miyazaki said in an interview that they deliberately put a message in Yaharghul that said "Behold! A Paleblood sky!" in a place where you could see it before and after killing Rom as a hint to players that the red moon was always there, Rom was just hiding it. Furthermore, many of the notes that refer to "ritual secrets" say in the original Japanese "ritual concealment".

[@specialnewb9821]

There's also the notes in Oedon Chapel and Byrgenwerth that talked about Rom hiding rituals.

[@oldboy117]

Wait did he not catch it???

[@Nemo12417]

He said killing Rom was necessary for the School of Mensis to beckon the moon, but they've already done that. Rom was just covering up their work, not preventing it from happening. I suppose you could argue that Rom was hindering Mensis by not letting them see what they were doing, but based on the mummified bodies and the complex landscape of the Nightmare of Mensis, I'd say they've been doing what they were doing for a while. The changes to Yaharghul after the red moon appears are probably just the result of time passing.

[@wjr4700]

He addresses this 24:50 To be fair, the ritual is ongoing and though the moon is there already, it cant seem to fully take effect in our plane until Rom is defeated.

[@FalseHerald]

To me, this makes the narrative of the brain and the ritual's success more compelling. Mensis conducted their ritual and succeeded. Rom simply concealed that success.

[@CharlesZane_]

Mercury is a big part of BB. We use quicksilver (mercury) bullets, which we can make using our own blood indicating that our blood contains mercury. "Madness" is also a symptom of mercury poisoning.

[@ladyfox6705]

Absolutely! Have you seen Max Derrat's excellent videos on Alchemy in Bloodborne?

[@CharlesZane_]

@@ladyfox6705 no, but I’ve seen Redgrave talk about it. One reference he used was the story about what happened in Minamata Japan after WW2.

[@ladyfox6705]

@@CharlesZane_ Ahhh ok. Well, if you're interested in Lore deep dives, Max has great videos too.

[@kristopherjon6496]

Interesting… hadn’t thought of that. Mercury poisoning can be caused by consuming too much fish. Interesting connection to the killing of Kos, maybe?

[@Tuberuser187]

Mercury was an ancient medical treatment for thousands of years, mostly for infections as it had a very limited effect in the same way chemotherapy can for cancer, killing harmful cells slightly faster than other cells. Still not great and generally led to other life shortening issues but not totally ineffective as people think, still something to be avoided and dangerous though.

[@stellaflowers301]

Just want to mention that killing Rom doesn't cause Mergo to start crying, it only allows you to hear the crying at any insight. Before you kill Rom, you can still hear Mergo's cries if you have 90 insight. Also implying that the ritual has always been going on behind the scenes

[@rangda_prime]

And 90 Insight mirrors the 90 degrees of the Make Contact gesture

[@emrecopur8455]

Actually you can hear Mergo's cry when you reach 60 insight

[@DichotomousRex]

@@emrecopur8455Ahh so you turn the 90 on it's side, more mirroring, very smart

[@AssailantLF]

classic TA missing a basic observation and building tons of theories on his misconception/misunderstanding

[@Watcher40K9]

​@@AssailantLFBut he didn't though. Around minute 25 is where that subject is touched on, and he says killing Rom is required to fully beckon the moon (revealed to all regardless of insight) and we "hear" Mergo's cries. Not that killing Rom "causes" Mergo to start crying, just that they can be heard. He also makes it clear that the Mensis ritual using Mergo to beckon the moon has been going on for long enough that the physical bodies of the school of Mensis have desiccated. If this is about not mentioning that X insight let's you hear the cries early, then that seems a minor thing that doesn't weaken the theory provided.

[@FlubbedPig]

I think the reason the brain gives Moon is more-so because the description makes mention of Great Ones responding when called out to. The rune it gives isn't necessarily indicative of it's essence, it's something it's SAYING. You don't get the rune from killing it, you get it from Making Contact, and with runes being transcriptions of "the inhuman utterings" of Great Ones, it seems much more likely to me to take Moon as something the brain is saying in response to you. Maybe it's being used as a greeting because the description paints a benevolent image of Great Ones, or perhaps it recognizes you as being associated with the Moon Presence through the Hunter's Dream.

[@josedorsaith5261]

Other NPCs recognise you as an envoy of the moon. Some even call you "moon-scented" so you're right

[@rainbowkrampus]

Hm, maybe. I think the thing that is unanswered is, what is our call? What is the meaning of the gesture? Are we saying "Hi." And it responds with Moon? Are we saying "Moon." And it responds with mimicry? Or, are we giving a kind of introduction? "My name is..." If we are introducing ourselves, it's possible that the brain is introducing itself. Which would mean it calls itself Moon. I don't really have a strong view on this. But I think there's at least a strong case to be made that the brain is some manifestation of the Moon Presence even with everything you mentioned being true. This sort of thing is well in line with Lovecraft. With various entities have multiple ways of appearing depending on context and even having different names in these manifestations.

[@alyseleem2692]

The Moon Rune is supposedly an indicator of the Moon's sympathy with Hunters, and desire for them to collect more Blood Echoes. As such, the word itself doesn't necessarily mean the Moon so much as it means the Moon's blessing... Something the Brain is somehow capable of giving.

[@jacobnoelle8428]

​@@rainbowkrampusLike the christen God

[@GalladeTheWarrior]

​@@jacobnoelle8428??

[@worth-what]

That fake ad read was so good

[@WardofSquid]

Ebrietas' *WHAT* ???M😅

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

I love your theory about Mergo being bait for the School of Mensis! I do think there is another very likely reason the Mensis brain gives you the "Moon" rune - it's naming you. As a hunter, you are a hunter FOR the Moon Presence - ironically, the School of Mensis DID manage to get the Moon Presence's attention, but by the Moon Presence sending a hunter to hunt Mergo rather than adopt it. The Brain of Mensis recognizes this and responds with what you are / who you work for.

[@TheLyricalCleric]

Don’t forget also that the “Make Contact” gesture can be interpreted as gesturing the x and y axes of two mirrored isosceles triangles, as per your earlier discussion of mathematics and optics.

[@costanzazacchi6498]

Mind blowing 😮

[@Payadopa]

​@@costanzazacchi6498Wasn't it meant to proof to the other party that you're an "advanced" species because the gesture shows that you have an understanding of mathematics and must therefore be self-conscious? I think that's what I remember.

[@TheLyricalCleric]

@@Payadopa Similar ideas! I also liken the fact that you obtain the moon rune when you complete the gesture as a bit of a nod to the dual nature of the moon presence, if that’s what the mensis brain is. In one reality, the mensis is all brain; but the flip side of that is only body, an incomplete great one. Maybe that’s why the moon presence you fight in the end of the game has no face?

[@DanielGarcia-rx3kt]

I see it as the hunter mimicking a bell. The hunter's mark looks like a bell and the hunter moving their arms the way they do looks like a bell ringing. And considering bells can reach across worlds to other hunters carrying them... yeah.

[@ruynobrega6918]

As an electrical engineer, I can firmly say that I have seen the Eldritch Truth and now I fear the Nightmare of Maxwell.

[@YSFVideos]

More than 8 years after this game is released and i'm still learning bits of lore. Hands down one of the greatest games to ever be released.

[@wpb5876]

I’d like to think FromSoft has a team dedicated to history and science that fuels their game designs and lore. The team sits across from the marketing and sales teams just like any other company, but their whole job is just researching cool things to give ideas to Miyazaki (he’s probably on the team too)

[@LintelloBrume]

Excellent video, but I'm not sure everything lines up. I've always understood Rom as hiding the ritual, not blocking it. Based on what you've presented, if the Mensis ritual has already happened, then Rom can't be a seal on it, but instead a buffer from everyone else finding out about it. Another posted commented about the message "Behold, a paleblood sky!" appearing before and after the Red Moon, which put this together for me. The school of Mensis long completed their ritual, and used Rom to hide what they were doing so the Choir wouldn't try to steal the great one from them. As I understand, the two groups were more than at odds with each other and their very different approaches. The Brain of Mensis was likely their goal, as you stated, but they lacked the knowledge to make contact, which is probably why Micolash talks so much about Rom. They are trying to understand how Rom made contact and that is their current phase of research when we arrive in Yharnam. So as I'd understand it, as the moon-scented hunter it is likely that we were called to help free the Moon Presence following from your theory. This forces us to unravel the "secrets" and reveal the truth so we can confront it and eventually free the Moon Presence, then prevent Mensis from repeating their ritual again by dealing with Mergo. Once we've accomplished that task, we are basically told to leave as the "hunt" is over. In this case, the "besats" in question would be Mensis, and the rest of the events in Yharnam are caused by their ritual would be my guess. Also, late night theory crafting, so hopefully this comes together right 😅

[@vinodchhabria8738]

You are right because Mergo's Umbilical Cord description proves your point.

[@rangda_prime]

Interesting points. I have always wondered why Willem seems to indicate us to go and kill Rom. If Rom hides the ritual, killing Rom will reveal it, so we can find the real Yahar'gul and stop the ritual? Did Willem help create Rom originally to hide the truths of the Kosm, to stop others from delving into these matters? But now that Micolash and his school have managed to transfer themselves to the Nightmare and are beckoning the Moon Presence from there, he needs Rom to be removed so that hunters can find the true state of matter, kill Mergo and stop the Great One Flora from devastating Yharnam with the Beast Sourge as it pursues its objective? The Moon Presence likely doesn't care about what its presence does to humans, it just wants to be free. So, does Willem and the Moon Presence's objectives overlap even though their goals are quite different? The Moon Presence wants to escape captivity, and Willem wants to get all these Great Ones away from Yharnam. Perhaps his motivations are less about being humanitarian and more about keeping the Eldritch Truth to himself though.

[@gunnarschlichting9886]

I always through Rom was hiding the Ritual to create a buffer and keep people from being influenced by it. Once Rom is dead, everyone goes (even more) crazy, and based on what we know about Old Yharnam, a Red Moon hanging low causes people to transform into Beasts more easily. I thought this because Rom is hiding inside a lake, and the Lake rune talks about large bodies of water acting as a "bulwark guarding sleep" and increase defenses, since having that separation help keep you safe.

[@yourehereforthatarentyou]

i think the choir were the ones trying to hide the blood moon, because you can summon a scholar of mensis to help you kill rom. if mensis were trying to keep it a secret why would one of them help you kill rom

[@CazCoasts]

I love how you start with a history lesson that segue into lore for the game, it really makes the real world more interesting by looking through the lens of the game😊

[@HappyDaddySatan]

Nice pun at the end 👌

[@Al-ww4bs]

I agree

[@PaszerDye]

It's not JUST interesting. The inspirations and contrast from real world history literally form the backbone for the direction of events and the fulcrum of motives of the history of FromSoft Souls games. If TA or someone went back on all his videos and summarized them in chronological order, a fairly comprehensible timeline of these worlds can be made. Most Souls lorecrafters have managed to glean details and cobble together stories and motives of related characters, but never has anyone dived this deep into the lore with an extensive, exhaustive, and inclusive-of-all-details approach, and uncovered this much substance and understanding of the game's obscure history.

[@joeclarke7982]

​@@PaszerDyei believe the guys name was charred thermos but he made a very interesting Bloodborne series going into detail about the game being an allegory for victorian era medical practice/surgery

[@PaszerDye]

@@joeclarke7982 Yeah, but it also isn't the victorian era's science and medical practice. It involves sciences, pre-scientific practices, technology, discovery, and all the relationship of all those to religion throughout human history. Also, I just found out Charred Thermos deleted his channel for no apparent reason, and another user managed to save his videos. Like, what the hell?

[@badrolljoe]

I'm not sure how widely this interpretation is known, but I always took the Cages as being a form of psychic shielding, allowing the scholars of Mensis to dream without fear of hostile psychic incursions. although perhaps psychic isnt the correct term when applied to a shared collective dream realm. this kind of insulation could also explain how Micolash survived the probable death of his physical body in the waking world. his consciousness is held in place by the cage, able to freely roam the Nightmare.

[@helmepodesarius2198]

I think the cages are to facilitate communication with great ones much like cell phone towers. Torture or capture people and shock them in order to psuedo make contact with great ones. The reason it works is because it’s great one blood in all those people due to having Laurence’s blood ministration. So they get all these people with yarnham blood together and torture them until mergo or another great one hears their cries and does something about it.

[@amandasain3769]

I had no idea optics was a part of Bloodborne's story. As someone working in optics, this pleases me. Loved the history overview!

[@mateusgreenwood1096]

I always though the reason behind the abductions was to steal as many bodies and flesh as possible in order to give their own great one a physical body. As such, the previous owners of such flesh are represented all around Yahar'gul as statues writhing in horror and pain.

[@prawn1717]

Never did I think that I would live to hear about Ebrietas’ Onlyfans on the esteemed Tarnished Archaeologist channel, but here we are. More sponsored segments please!

[@S0ph1an]

That's an interesting theory about the Brain being the Moon Presence. I always assumed the Brain was just either recognizing our smell or else knew who sent us. One idea I had while watching this is that the "stillbirth of their brains" might be a reference to the Brain itself since the nightmare is hosted in their collective consciousness. Or perhaps they had an oopsie and teleported their brains to the nightmare and the amalgamation, along with some bath messangers caught up in the process, formed the Brain of Mensis itself. Either way, this might have been the impetus for Flora to direct the hunters to end the ritual and stop the attempts at capturing it.

[@coreyrachar9694]

whoa.. That bit about the brain of mensis being an amalgamation of the scholars' brains just blew my mind kind of. What a cool idea.

[@Wile_E_Cyote]

The brain of Mensis likely predates the Mensis scholars. The nightmare frontier and nightmare of Mensis was likely once the nightmare of Loran. The Loran silver beasts and the surviving architecture in this area indicate this to be the case. The tower we find the brain is built similarly to the amygdala's tower and the surrounding distinct gothic/victorian architecture seems to bleed into it, as if it manifested alongside this tower that already existed. This tower is also situated directly above pitch black chasm that has seemingly been excavated by the Mensis scholars as if they dredged the brain up from its depths. Its likely that this area was brought about by Loran communing with the moon presence resulting in the creation of the brain and those poison slugs that also have messengers under neath them, as well as the evolution of the trapped humans into nightmare lost children and trapped beasts into silver beasts. The winter lanterns would have had to have been a more recent creation of the brain since Loran almost certainly predates the creation of the doll. There is also some evidence that isn't as strong but still exists. The englsih version of the living string says the brain was retrieved though the japanese version is more vague making this item less concrete. There is also a cut boss called Fauna the silver beast which is likely meant to evoke a a connection to the moon presence whose other name is Flora as well as silver beasts who originate from Loran. So yeah i think the brain was created by Loran not Mensis.

[@S0ph1an]

@@Wile_E_Cyote Very nice, very good points👏

[@HighPriestFuneral]

@@Wile_E_Cyote A curious idea regarding the Winter Lanterns. I had always felt they were manifestations determined by the Good Hunter, a sign of utmost warmth and care, different from person to person, used to lure hapless adventurers in the Nightmares to their ultimate end.

[@Wile_E_Cyote]

@@HighPriestFuneral For a long time that's also what I thought they were, some kind of manifestation created by the brain just to fuck with people, still kind of do. However there was always a hole with that idea since you can also find winter lanterns standing above where you get lady Maria's rakuyo in the fishing hamlet. Which seems to imply a stronger more specific connection to the doll and lady Maria. So when I realized that the brain of Mensis gave the moon rune it seemed most likely that the brain was strongly connected to the moon presence and the winter lanterns were some sort of independent creatures created to mimic the doll. Personally i like the original idea that a winter lanterns form is specific to who ever views it. But considering their other connections it seems more likely these creatures are tied to the doll alone. So that's the theory i go with.

[@Egryn]

You are the o Lu person ever to bring up the menstrual cycle. With the over tones of rebirth in the game it’s shocking so few people bring up this fact. Good job

[@lastEvergreen]

GRANT US EYES GRANT US EYES

[@quinn9334]

I didn't know the moon presence had messengers on its body! This is interesting considering the messengers have already been compared to cherubic angels.

[@Tausami]

Kinda reminiscent of the Divine Chariot in kabbalism. Which victorians were also obsessed with

[@jonathenross2742]

Return of the king

[@bloodfiredrake7259]

The brain of mensis being a manifestation of the moon presence could make sense since the Japanese makes it seem like the nightmares and dream-realities are stacked on top of one another. The fact is backed up by dream reality geography as well. The hunter's dream is on top a foggy lake (Maybe the moonside lake?) , the nightmare frontier above the fishing hamlet which is above the hunter's nightmare. Hence the Choir's epiphany: That while their feet were planted on the earth the cosmos were literally just above their heads.

[@TheCharredThermos]

I've wondered if the covered mirrors in Yahar'gul were a reference to the practice of covering reflective surfaces (mainly mirrors) after a funeral so that the spirit wouldn't be trapped. I meant to read up on it more but never got around to it. That would make sense in Yahar'gul, where they seem to be focused on death/necromancy/resurrection. If Mensis used mirrors or reflective surfaces to access the nightmare, that also makes sense with the religious connotations of the covered mirrors---the nightmare acts as an underworld where the spirits of the named characters of the game persist long after their bodies have decayed in the waking or living world. Mirrors could potentially trap a spirit if not used properly, so Mensis covered them up.

[@brnecessities3335]

Nice to see you here! I very much enjoyed your additions to the community. I figure you have your reasons for removing your content though.

[@TheCharredThermos]

@@brnecessities3335 Thanks-I figured I’d reactivate my channel to comment on videos from time to time, but either someone immediately snatched my handle after I deleted my channel or KZbin won’t allow me to use my old name. I had to go with TheCharredThermos, which seems kinda sus. But yeah, same person.

[@torehund3541]

Let's not overlook the fact that Mensis chained up a brain in their nightmare, and the ritual resulted in the stillbirth of their minds. Seems like an 'As above, so below' kind of _mirroring_

[@rangda_prime]

Oh shit, that is a profound phrase to put into it. As above, so below is very fitting for the duplicates of the Great Ones we find both in the waking world and the dream worlds of the Kosm above.

[@lorisaerens9043]

Also to add that the way Micolash and the other corpses wearing the Mensis Cage on their head are strapped to their chair is very reminiscent of an electric chair, adding a layer to the theme of electricity.

[@MercedesSLSJpak]

My absolute favorite lore channel. As an art history major this is my jam on a spiritual level, giving these games the credit they deserve and digging into rabbit holes for the gold within

[@DanielGarcia-rx3kt]

Fantastic video as always! I particularly find the theory of the mirrors made of mercury to be very fascinating due to mercury's other name: Quiksilver. Considering the Hunter uses Quiksilver bullets as ammunition for Hunter tools that touch upon the Arcane and the cosmos, as well as a part of a Great One, I'm tempted to believe in it.

[@CptSnuggles07]

I don't think the Brain of Mensis is directly connected to the Moon Presence. That said, the Moon Presence is clearly being drawn to Mergo's cries, so even though MP isn't completely ensnared in Mensis' trap like the Brain is, the effect is similar. The Mensis Ritual is slowly but surely drawing MP into the nightmare, so it summons up the Moon-Scented Hunter to stop the ritual before it's really and truly trapped.

[@SpiderdayNightLive]

As a professional spider scientist, you have no idea how happy/proud I am that you called that Rom's lake form is not actually a spider. While the 'telson' you noted COULD be very long spinnerets, better evidence is that all of the (too many) legs are attached to the abdomen. Real spiders, including those in other parts of Bloodborne, have all of their limbs (8 legs + 2 pedipalps) attached to their heads.

[@spawnofchaos9422]

Funnily enough, I read that originally Rom was supposed to have long legs but the team decided to change them because they didn't know how to make them work for the fight. Which is why we see Rom having long legs in the Altar of Despair

[@satanamogila9251]

​@@spawnofchaos9422where did you read it? It was never said

[@spawnofchaos9422]

@@satanamogila9251 Cut content mumbo jumbo in the files

[@alexscalia317]

I think you missed an important connection. I spent years thinking about how "The Sandman" by E.T.A Hoffmamn is connected to Bloodborne. The story is about a guy going crazy after looking through some "magic" lenses. His delusions manifest through the fear of a monster who wants to steal his eyes and his love for a singing doll. The story was later used by Freud to explain the uncanny. Crazy i never made the connection.

[@beansnrice321]

Checking it out right now and I think you're spot on. On top of what you said, I especially think that the whole thing about the sandman yanking out people's eyes is the source of the eye yanking theme of the game.

[@danielled8665]

I love it when I probably won't be turned into a horrible monster or fused into a wall! Sounds great to me and not at all worryingly specific!

[@kylehayden3113]

I prefer the theory that the brain of Mensis is in fact the entire school of Mensis, fused into a great one.

[@hankskorpio5857]

Beer, weed, xbox, kitties , rain, no work, tarnished archeologist... yeah its all coming together

[@AlriikRidesAgain]

Dude, replace kitties with a dog and I am literally there, my brother.

[@hereticalhermit8148]

I have a parrot that loves these videos, she really likes TA's voice.

[@hankskorpio5857]

@@hereticalhermit8148 "Raaa! Grant us eyes! RAAA! Fear the old blood!( *incoherent parrot shrieks* )" 🦜

[@hankskorpio5857]

@@D2.159 Its definitely not essential. Good for you. Willpower and keeping promises to yourself are cool 😎

[@natejohnson1083]

That was a 7 hit combo

[@caliaid]

the optical science & mirror teleportation discussion is amazing 🤯

[@caliaid]

also, the bodies in the walls remind me of what was supposed to have happened to sailors in the Philadelphia Experiment as a result of government testing of…electromagnetism, optical camouflage, & teleportation!

[@natk8541]

Incredible. Great contribution to the lore scene in this one. The Brain of Mensis as the Moon Presence [ESPECIALLY with the juxtaposed art] in another form is VERY good. Also very much agreed with the Rom's corpse interpretation and dream form argument. Really appreciate the Slime Scholars mirrors and quicksilver thing too. I'm not sure it ALL holds together firmly yet but I'll continue to extend the benefit of the doubt you earned with your Elden Ring series. I hope we hear more about what the actual catastrophe that fused all the people into the wall was [if you feel confident enough to present a theory, it could of course be inexplicable as well but I think it might tie into how the Nightmare of Mensis' buildings actually formed and ended up with Yharnamite architecture.] Overall an excellent episode, loved the infomercial too. More! Sooner!

[@WyattStrange]

I recently discovered you're channel and I think you might actually be the best lore channel I've found, you go deeper than any channel along with amazing video quality. And I want to thank you for treating the religious aspects and themes you cover in your video's with respect and remaining impartial like a true historian. Unlike many of the other lore channels who seem to love to interject their opinions on religion, often being openly hostile to and mocking religion every chance they get. Keep up the great work.

[@Manuel060894]

I find chatted thermos take on mensia rituals more accurate. But your theory complements in some aspects with charred’s theory

[@Daydreamer4789]

Brain of mensis being aspect of Oedon that he wants back is a great idea as what Odin alway feared was loosingg his ravens - mind and memory.

[@senseweaver01]

This is gonna be the longest shift of my life waiting for a chance to watch this haha

[@thebigjuggalobowski]

There is a podcast that revolves around a super cryptic book called Rereading Wolfe. They analyze Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, which is some of the most Fromsoftesque literature I've ever come across and recommend with every fiber of my being. Anyway, they also do sponsorships of fake products that would hypothetically appear as purchasable in the world of the book. The style of your ad was so on point to what they do I thought I was actually listening to those guys and realized how similar your voice actually is to one of the dudes who does that podcast, so I gotta ask. Are you familiar with that book? Have you heard of the Rereading Wolfe podcast? If not you have to check it out at least to hear the joke products they sponsor, but again I recommend the cast and the book it revolves around with every. fiber. of. my. being.

[@writerblocks9553]

The maya had pools of mercury deep in caves to reflect the night sky

[@TheAlphaLegionnaire]

I had always assumed that the brain of Mensis was a great one created by the amalgamated minds of the students wearing mensis cages next to Mikolash. I realize Mikolash isn’t part of this being, but I thought that maybe he had another part to play. Either way, I do think the massive amount of bodies in the village (the ones in walls) were likely used as some sort of catalyst to either enter the dream or fuse their minds into a great one, etc.

[@justinfernandez3894]

I respect this theory I thought this as well, their mind matter that could still be salvaged was just thrown into one being, eh shitty way to ascend tho

[@devildante9]

I think the villagers were used to create a fake great one, the one reborn. The ritual blood item reads "When all is melted in blood, all is reborn."

[@TheAlphaLegionnaire]

@@devildante9 I think so too. There seems to be this insinuation that at some point during the Great One life cycle, they ascend from their physical forms and exist only in dreams. It could be the One Reborn is a Great One whose spirit or dream form has been attached to an amalgamation of the villagers’ bodies of Yahar’gul. Giving it a way to exist in the waking world once more.

[@TheAlphaLegionnaire]

@@justinfernandez3894 I appreciate that! Speaking to it being a “shitty way to ascend”: It could very well be that the experiment failed in some way. Considering the line that states that the students of Mensis’ minds were stillborn, I suspected something went terribly wrong. Perhaps they meant to ascend but not in such a limited way.

[@Wile_E_Cyote]

@@devildante9 The game indicates what bosses are great ones or attempted great ones in the achievements. The one reborn is just a a big zombie. Though it may have been an attempt at a great one in a previous version of the game, its not in the released version.

[@Phero124]

Great vid, I love the way you use historical science to embolden in-game magic. Real poetic ending to, with unifying the schools of thought through the make contact gesture I didn't think the Brain of Mensus is another incarnation of the Moon presence. It's too... defenseless, almost like an infant. I always thought it was the school of Mensus itself, amalgamated into one creature like a parallel of the One Reborn. Though the flesh being messengers is a strong contender for it being an Incarnation of The Moon Presence 🤔

[@thesaltyelephant7980]

Thank you so much for doing this series, I was rewatching your videos last night in anticipation of this episode. Keep up the great work!

[@MikePwnz]

My number one must-watch channel, always hype for a new video

[@jazza4369]

Let’s go TA, you’re the only channel I’d wait this long and even longer for an upload and still be super hyped

[@n8doggy733]

it was well worh the wait, hopefully we get more regular uploads though 😂

[@Big_Dai]

So, we ultimately are guided to the Mensis Nightmare to "kill Mergo" and end that Nightmare.. to release an Aspect of Flora trapped there? Very interesting implications! Even just the idea is interesting enough, even if not entirely true. As the Moon rune is probably our human "understanding" of whatever it's communicating. (I've always been sure that being able to go back there after finishing the task must be purely related to "gameplay" reasons.. as the Dream should technically end). Anyway @7:37 I don't think I was mentally prepared for that.. Historically very insightful, as always. I continue to enjoy your eye for detail, and the tangents you take me to.

[@luisgrave1352]

these videos are so thought-provoking & well made. thank you TA! also the ad segment was also hilarious 👍

[@ihaveouid3518]

I always wondered what the significance of all the mirrors were but could never find any information or theories from any forums on the internet. Thought I was reading too far into things all these years but I’m glad more lore content is coming out to explain the more obscure stuff in this absolute masterpiece of a game. Thanks once again TA!

[@longboardlemon]

mind bending analysis with context added by real life history. another great video. so glad you decided to start revisiting bloodborne after i recently pushed myself to see credits

[@beansnrice321]

I love how you literally see every single thing you are describing in the game. Thank you for all of the much needed context. =)

[@betapi1726]

Holy shit I was just watching your other videos as background while I played Bloodborne, and I was sad because there were only two videos on it so far. Immaculate timing.

[@ultimagus8086]

Your videos are so cool. They have discovering and making sense of things that over my several playthroughs I have never figured out. Also, your ad was hilarious.

[@comedycorpse9768]

this was a great video. I never seen this part of the game brought up before and it is a breath of fresh air for a game this old. Good job good man

[@Sebastian-em7mo]

Damn. I am astonished what details you can pull out of those games. I watched my fair share of Soulsborne lore videos. But i find yours to be the most concise.

[@HunterNapier]

There is a lot of in game lore hints that talk about the brain being rotted with bad eyes. I like the theory that the brain IS the school of Menses that were "granted eyes" in order to achieve their final goals which other channels relate to ascending to the status of great one.

[@FayMew]

I love the artistic analysis of your videos, always refeshing and just so...calming? I wish my art history classes in high school were that interesting...

[@snakemoron]

I was needing a new video. Thank youu 🙏🙏

[@periapsis413]

Just wanted to say that I love your videos so much. Its given me a new perspective, not only on the games themselves but what good, internally consistent writing is and how real world history can inspire such fascinating fictional worlds. I don't think I'll be able to see these games the same way again, and I want to take the same sort of analytical mindset to other media for myself.

[@evanhiltzik00]

I look forward to these videos like I look forward to official Bloodborne news. Phenomenal work

[@GhostofJamesMadison]

This channel is really on some next level lore exploration. So glad i subbed

[@nickjanecke6688]

Your attention to detail is astounding, never would’ve caught the diagrams on the blackboard, and even if I had I would’ve had no idea what they signified.

[@justinfernandez3894]

Best lore video ive ever seen man. Good stuff you are underatted TA

[@LadyAsmodeus]

this is why I love listening to these videos, not only learning about the lore but also learning about real life history at the same time :3

[@Wile_E_Cyote]

Great video. I'm honestly surprised your videos have been so spot on. I'm a pretty big bloodborne lore nut and there are even a few things in them that I didn't know about. I will say though that the brain of Mensis is not the moon presence, its definitely related to it, but it isn't the moon presence itself. You find a lot of creatures in the nightmare frontier and nightmare of Mensis infused with messengers. You also find a lot of creatures associated with Loran. Its very likely that these areas where once the nightmare of Loran and that Loran previously made contact with the moon presence which resulted in the creation of the brain of Mensis, which the Mensis scholars would find later find. I definitely think the brain of Mensis is intimately connected to the moon presence, especially since the winter lanterns are clearly amalgamations of the brain and the doll. The doll being a recent creation of the moon presence would mean that the brain has to have some sort of spiritual or psychic link. But yeah i think its a stretch to say it is the moon presence, its likely a situation similar to Rom's.

[@nieushutchy]

It's because of all the high quality videos like this one, that Bloodborne content is still as relevant and well recieved after all those years! It amazes me everytime! so, thank you! :)

[@tadeuszberg8379]

Marvelous. There are some inconsistencies with this approach, but for the most part, it really seems to fit. Outstanding work.

[@rainbowkrampus]

Unmentioned, Lovecraft and the various people in his writing circle would give the powerful entities in their stories various manifestations. Alternate forms that could be radically different in both name and appearance depending on context. The Brain of Mensis being a manifestation of the Moon Presence would be right in line with that literary inspiration. If you really want to get wacky, every one of the entities we come across that looks like a human organ could in fact be a manifestation of the Moon Presence. This would mean we have more or less a complete torso when we combine Moon Presence' spinal features with Ebrietas' lung like features and sit the Brain's... brain features on top. They each have their own realm in which to manifest as well. Not saying this is the case. But it is plausible given the source inspiration as well as everything else.

[@watcherofthewest8597]

These are great videos! I love the documentary style approach to fantasy worlds!

[@booboo1574]

More sponsorships like this please.

[@tagguh1]

Fantastic video. Love your videos and love that you're covering Bloodborne.

[@Count_Meowza]

You know this is the only channel where I can get from software lore and a history lesson all wrapped into one. You are a fantastic educator

[@lzsmith8]

I love this video and the theories in it. the mirrors have always been there!! my eyes just werent open to them!

[@johntrains1317]

This is some amazing work. New sub, definitely gonna be looking into this channel

[@Nelson05Spencer]

Fantastic deepdive combining real-world and in-game lore to distill such a detailed and revelatory understanding of these obscure game moments. It's truely incredible the lengths From went to to craft this masterpiece. Thank you for your insights 😉

[@Despondencymusic]

Good to see you back!!

[@XHB06400CANNES]

Thank you for your work. All the best

[@keithlynch202]

Man i love this game so much but it took 3 years from initial release for me to touch it and was my first real foray into the souls games, before that i saw them as masochistic. Its story and meanings were for the most part waaayyy over my head yet its mystique made it all the more captivating. Bloodborne truly is one of the greatest games of all time and i hope bluepoint do a remake someday, could you imagine?! i am still learning about bloodborne to this day with help of great videos like yours. good job.

[@stringbones9360]

Banger work as always. No one does it like you.

[@jonathanlisowski5618]

The Mensis Eye Scooper Ad, fantastic!!!

[@diegosandoval2407]

I love your videos man, great work, btw the ad was hilarious

[@TaylaKrueger]

Love how you're using my personal favorite fan soundtrack for bloodborne

[@disturbedrebirth]

The atention to detail in this game is impresive.

[@jemrowe3476]

Brilliant job mate

[@TheNerosky]

Since I played Bloodborne, I've wondered why we had to go through the lake to get to Rom. This channel ALWAYS surprises me in the best possible ways, discovering new facts from a game that came out almost 8 years ago is an amazing thing to feel. Thank you a lot

[@aldosalas2722]

AMAZING VIDEO and INSIGHT GAIN!!!! thank you so much for opening my inside eyes!

[@abottomlesscurse96]

Wow. My eyes are opening. So much insight.

[@Monsterassassin3]

WEVE BEEN WAITIN FOR THIS ONE!

[@gatowololo5629]

Another banger 🔥 Your Bloodborne series is a joy to watch. I love the historical, scientific, and religious context that you bring into your videos.

[@tarnishedarchaeologist]

Thanks!

[@NayanBeardy]

Every single video is a banger. I never considered that Mensis really did catch the Moon Presence. The mercury mirror and lecture hall student connection was interesting to.

[@James_Wisniewski]

It's official. This is the best ad read of all time. Everyone else can go ahead and stop advertising now. Permanently.

[@zmasterrahlg]

That ad part was hilarious! 😂

[@Floigenkaspar]

Congrats to finally getting the sponsorship deal. You deserve it!

[@akramrabaa943]

Man. After all these years, I'm still discovering new things about Bloodborne through KZbinrs like you. I had ZERO clue optics played such a role.

[@AllCloudsAreBunnies]

Oh man… that was wild! Wow lol. I mean, it was great!!and I sincerely enjoyed listening to everything that was shared in this video… but it was wild. I loved it so much.

[@toodleselnoodos6738]

This is fricking brilliant. The longest running basis for the theory of Bloodborne was the old video that analyzed the religious influences (Catholic, Shinto, and Lovecraft). Adding in this science angle really helps to complete the story. Thank you! Edit: It's also amazing because in the story of Bloodborne, both the Choir and the School of Mensis succeeded (in different ways) because the multiverse is incredibly vast. I guess it's also crazy because the while we think of both the Choir and the School of Mensis as villains, it seems that while the School of Mensis sought to hunt the Great Ones, the Choir turned to trying to hide and protect them. Obviously, not for good reasons. The Choir had selfish reasons for wanting to contact the Great Ones. And to add, it's funny that the Moon Presence itself was also hunting other Great Ones. And thus, what's something that proves you an ally to the Brain of Mensis? When your arms swap from one side to the other in the Make Contact...you "Praise the Sun"! So, this also comes down to another hidden story of the Sun vs. the Moon!

[@draxyboy]

I'm with others that aren't quite convinced the brain is the moon presence as you fight it's dream form after all in the hunters dream. Also i know cut content isn't canon but I'm pretty sure there is a "physical" moon presence you can fight in the chalice dungeons using one of the special seeds/codes that contain it

[@Reds_Resort]

Aw naw dude I ran out of videos. 😭..... What do i do now. You've got me playing Bloodborne again and everything. Such a great channel

[@MusicEnjoyerSLS]

The baths remind me of a baptismal font, which is interesting because baptism (arguably the most important sacrament) is conspicuously absent from all the lore videos I have seen discussing the Catholic parallels. Water baptism symbolizes death and rebirth, the Flood of Noah being a typological baptism for example. Could the corpses in the walls of Yahar'gul be meant to evoke something similar?

[@MusicEnjoyerSLS]

Candles are also used in the sacrament of baptism by the way

[@MusicEnjoyerSLS]

Possibly worth noting as well that when the player wakes up in the font, it's after submerging himself in the lake (the word baptism etymologically means submersion) and defeating Rom there. Interestingly, the Lake rune item descriptions also compare the utterance of the Great Ones to a 'watery reflection.'