Elden Ring - The terrible truth about Godwyn

[@ZullietheWitch]

I hope the DLC adds another Godwyn. I know we already have a lot of Godwyns, but I want a fresh one. If you haven't seen my previous video about Godwyn and you'd like to get a better idea of the monstrosity you've just witnessed, take a look here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pH-6k2d_e7Soo6c

[@cesarhernandez6861]

Don't we all!

[@dooglesledoogs4221]

Honestly hoping we get to see "Prime" versions of all the demi-gods we fought already. If we get a St. Trina style dlc area that is a "Dream World" you could encounter them as Miquella remembered them pre-shattering.. The potential ways the DLC's could go has me so excited!

[@lmycinius5783]

I just noticed these deathroot godwyn clumps after playing yesterday and thought "Huh that is interesting, but I have no clue what they are." and here comes Zullie with the clutch not even 8 hours later.

[@AzraelSoulHunter]

I want to see Godwyn and Morgott again in DLC. Maybe we will get 2 DLCs. Main game mainly focuses on Ranni who is a child of Rennala and Radagon so DLCs could focus on Miquella (child of Radagon and Marika) and Godwyn (Godfrey and Marika). I think it would be a good way of doing it. I also hope for Endgame Morgott fight thanks to those DLCs and MAYBE being able to talk to Godwyn like we talked to Vendrick in SOFTS.

[@giovanniprovost]

Mom, can I have Godwyn? Godwyn at home: (another Godwyn but dusty)

[@skeleton_jelly]

godwyn's face on the death crabs blew my mind

[@blackrat1228]

Thought they looked a bit off but didn't spend the time to swing the camera around before killing them. Then it turns out they're above his corpse. Such a cool detail that a bunch of people would never catch.

[@kr1spness]

I never understood why when I fought the dung eater a crab hit me and I got death blighted, I was so confused as to how I died until now

[@CustardCream515]

Could well be a reference to the Heikegani, crabs with faces of japanese samurai that genuinely exist near the battle site of the naval battle of Dan-no-Ura

[@sygyzy0933]

I never noticed that

[@sapphic_sophie]

Yeah, I just noticed this last night and thought it was neat, but wondered why they were different. Seeing the Zullie vid pop up was exciting!

[@SevansVII]

The lore around Godwyn is the best part of Elden Ring. It's like his body trying to retaliate being betrayed by strangling all natural life out of the world.

[@sluttyMapleSyrup]

Or is it specifically seeking out things connected to his death (The Black Knives, the Eternal Cities, Ranni...) but he can only do so within the Erdtree's root network, which has unintended consequences when reaching burial sites?

[@SatansBestBuddy1]

he's the opposite of Ranni - she's a soul without a body, inhabiting a doll. meanwhile Godwyn is a body without a soul, having died but leaving his immortal flesh behind. the idea that the flesh has purpose in how it spreads without a soul to guide it is quite chilling.

[@DaFuggster]

@@sluttyMapleSyrup that would make sense as to why Godwyns roots are in farum azula

[@quint3ssent1a]

I still dont get it. What exactly drives all this stuff? Judging by the lore given in the game, Godwyn's corpse is in vegetative state, his soul is deader that dead, all attempts to resurrect him failed, he is no more. Then why the absence of will has such influence?

[@SevansVII]

@@SatansBestBuddy1 It really is quite chilling. To me it is the perverse manifestation of the treachery he experienced; what they did was so vile that it twisted his flesh and this is a primal lashing-out. Godwyn is getting the last laugh in The Lands Between and he doesn't even know it.

[@adrielklein189]

I think one of the reasons Godwyn's face appears so prominently in Storm Veil Castle is that Godrick slaughtered so many people and just piled them around, and that attracted the influence of Those Who Live in Death.

[@Xandros999]

I had a theory that Castle Stormveil was the original site of his burial seeing how it belonged to his bloodline. That may not be true. Either way, there should have been a minor erdtree at castle Stormveil and there is none. A gaping hole in the ground. That's odd.

[@spootles587]

This makes a lot of sense. If this is true that would be insane attention to detail. Good theory

[@Chwiztid]

I noticed empty mariner boats down in that arena as well.

[@khill8645]

​@@Xandros999 I think Rogier thought the same, which is why his 'investigation' didn't go as planned; he believed the Stormveil corpse was the real one, and wasn't expecting Godwyn to be able to retaliate from elsewhere

[@lilstamp08]

@@Xandros999 what makes you think a minor erdtree should be at stormveil?

[@giovanniborghi3035]

Just as a side note, the fact that crabs get tainted by what they eat isn't limited to death blight. In fact, in Raya Lucaria's garden (the one with the abductor vergin) thera are a couple of small crabs doing their eating animation aroud a saint trina flower, and guess what? There the big crab's breath attack inflicts sleep. I think that in general crabs and even the lobsters are creatures capable of assorbing the "power" of what they eat, developping different abilities like frost, sleep, death and potentially much more, making them a tad more cool than just being huge assholes you skip by riding on torrent

[@shadexvii3975]

Same thing with the various snails we find too. The ones in cemeteries have skull shells and death effects, the ones by crystals have magic breath

[@sprucewillis9000]

Crab lore

[@elijahcafazzo-joyette8226]

Could be similar to Bloodborne, scavengers like crows and rats or predators of scavengers like snakes mutate as they naturally build up high amounts of whatever was in their most common meals. In Bloodborne the rats, crows, snakes and even boars ate corpses infected by the beast scourge and so became mutated. In this the crabs ingest a lot of whatever element is in their environment and so are capable of spewing it at you.

[@ethanlyons3571]

Let's not forget the giant flowers as well, as some are capable of not just spreading poison but also frenzy and scarlet rot infliction.

[@snowmcsnow4732]

...and Dragons, it's in their lore, like the one that ate Glintstone spellcasters developed Glintstone breath and akin physical features.

[@RotA-Kaleido]

I never would have even thought about the crabs being above his actual corpse, absolutely mindblowing. The level of detail they put into these games is unmatched.

[@Aycheffe]

ya that really blew my mind from this video

[@beng6149]

Yet they have to go back and change cutscenes and maps because of inconsistencies...

[@Walamonga1313]

@@beng6149 What's more important, maps/cutscenes or atmosphere/lore? I'd say the latter but I'm just here trying to immerse myself in a game, not a movie

[@fiaschampion3379]

@@Walamonga1313 Well said my guy. People nowadays judge games based only on story, dialogue and cinematics while competely overlooking what makes this medium unique: gameplay and level design.

[@alfieharries]

Imagine if they put as much effort into the multiplayer

[@hengedraws]

Seeing the face of Godwyn in stormveil for the first time genuinely unnerved me in a way that not many things in video games have managed to do to me

[@gravynavy516]

Climbing that ladder while looking down at this face was genuinely terrifying

[@tontusgaming7589]

gave me the same feeling as seeing those aliens in the forest of bloodborne, actually worried lovecraftian fear

[@mrragerr22]

Honestly I was waiting for him to come alive and be the most epic boss battle ever especially when I hit a tentacle and blood shot out, then ascending the ladder I thought THAT initiated the fight and that was 5 minutes of anxiety

[@XiongGou]

I just recently got the game and I saw him the first time by falling down the hole... All I could think was, "what was that?!"

[@Juanchi3110]

@@gravynavy516 True, I was afraid that at some point that face would open its eyes and see me while I was going up that staircase, it gave me chills.

[@gorcshurut4934]

The realization that Godwyn has eyes almost everywhere is bone chilling. So cool!

[@Syngrafer]

Could he be related to Gideon somehow? Since Gideon supposedly has "eyes" everywhere.

[@jstar3382]

@@Syngrafer naw that's just an information network

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

It's very reminicent of bloodraven in A Song of Ice and Fire, which makes sense given GRRM has had a hand in this game. Bloodraven is also grafted onto a tree, that is part of a network of other trees forming a hivemind, letting him see across continents and even into the past and future. He's said to have "a thousand eyes and one". Also he can enter peoples dreams and influece thei minds and Godwyn is also connected to sleep and dreams via fia, fortissax and miquella.

[@chaddicusmaximus]

@@Syngrafer In the game's intro you can see him laying in a grave surrounded by severed ears and holding a box filled with eyes. I don't think Gideon is that connected to Godwyn though.

[@Anathemas]

@@jstar3382 Gideon's "eye" symbol is on the scarabs. It appears he watches the world through their movements.

[@deltaomega2136]

The fact the Erdtree looks golden and majestic from above ground yet has this horrible...thing infecting it's roots and using them to spread is really unsettling to me.

[@xnflg3074]

a metaphor for the cruelty and underlying contemptuous aims of so-called "positive" religions, dogmas, and faiths since the beginning of known history... probably.

[@Himax9]

You just figured out the entire crux of the plot; the Lands Between are truly well past their expiration date.

[@RyuKaguya]

@@Himax9 Technically its "Ranni wanted to give the Greater will the finger but in doing so expedites the worlds end" i may love Ranni to death but even i know what she did was real bad in the grand scheme of things if we don't do her ending lol

[@Frikcha]

the erdtree itself was literally infected by an alien god tyrant

[@efaristi9737]

@@Frikcha i thought he was created by it?

[@surprisesnek8514]

Fun fact: The Golden Epitaph is a sword made to commemorate Godwyn's death, and is infused with a prayer that Godwyn might die a true death, resulting in the sword being particularly effective against undead. The sword, when you find it, is found guarded by Basilisks.

[@brandonhawker6597]

Yeesh. After watching this, that makes *too* much sense. It's like Godwyn's body is trying to make sure no one gets ahold of the sword to use it against him.

[@LuizFernando-ux8yi]

I just noticed the basilisks itself look waaay too much like Godwyn. Considering they're both highly associated to death, I think they're just another manifestation of Godwyn's presence in the Lands Between.

[@Mohamed-lh9hc]

It was made by his brother miquella

[@xaitat]

​@@brandonhawker6597Godwyn's situation is awful, why would he protect something that allows him to have peace( well godwyn's soul is dead, so he doesn't really have a will)

[@virulenthunter3017]

​@@xaitatEveryone's natural instinct is to survive. If you're a mindless husk you're solely kept going through your instinct, so it makes sense that what is left of Godwyn wants to preserve his existence via spreading his influence throughout the world and not allowing someone to take a weapon that will just end that existence.

[@Chimly_Stonefoot]

It could be that Godwyn’s body is doing all of this as an almost, natural reaction to its soul being dead. What I mean is, that when you find the curse mark of death on Ranni’s original body, it says something like that, if the curse mark was it’s whole circle carved on a demigod, both the body and the soul would die. But since the curse mark was split across Ranni and Godwyn’s bodies, Ranni’s body died allowing her spirit to live on inside her doll body. But it also says that Godwyn’s soul died, but not his body. It specifically says his body is still alive (which I found rather odd like how can a body be alive if it’s spirit is dead?) but it makes sense if you think that Godwyn’s curse is a side effect of his body desperately trying to live again, It keeps resurrecting the dead and making them live a new life successfully but, without the presence of its own spirit, Godwyn’s body tries in vein to resurrect itself, Time and time again, growing like a weed, raising every corpse it can from the dead Except it’s own, Because it’s soul is no longer alive So Godwyn’s body is acting almost like an immune system, trying to restart itself but continually resurrecting everything else but itself It’s not trying to become a prince of death it just wants to be alive again And as a side effect, it’s resurrecting corpses and blighting the Erdtree All in the desire to be alive

[@madeinmexico47]

This was very well thought out. I like where you’re going with this

[@Sir_Saki]

You could even compare it to cancer. The body's system has gone out of control and is reparing stuff that doesn't need it but doesn't understand how to stop. Taking it a step further, Godwyn's body seems like it's becoming an entirely new God with how it's spreading its influence, possibly by complete accident or unconsciousness effort.

[@patrolaclipagens]

nice

[@minhquanvu2944]

I don't agree with the "can't live without its soul" part I mean IT and medical school students exist

[@quentins8165]

I'm calling it, Godwyn's Blight DLC

[@calebgriffin4214]

The talismans “Prince of Deaths Pustule” and “Prince of Deaths Cyst” both have multiple Godwyn faces and are said to be taken from Godwyn’s facial flesh

[@seelcudoom1]

notably the pustule is found next to the stormveil face, its possible it acted as a "bud" that grew into the second face

[@davidhong1934]

"This piece of moldy, possibly sentient, tumor would make a great necklace" _--John Tarnished_

[@BlemmiganGallivanter]

So he reproduces through mitosis

[@niknaython1979]

Approaching Godwyn's corpse gives me the exact same feeling I get when approaching the brain great one in the abyss below Mergo's castle in Bloodborne. Absolutely terrifying

[@JvckFacob]

just started playing bloodborne, getting drilled by a guy with a gatling gun and no idea what ur talking about, but i cant wait to see it

[@Daniel-om4ce]

Ebrietas?

[@Daniel-om4ce]

@@JvckFacob That was the only FromSoft game I had played before ER. Loved it.

[@sodecdash9336]

@@Daniel-om4ce No, pretty sure they're talking about the Brain of Mensis.

[@Daniel-om4ce]

@@sodecdash9336 Damn, I didn’t even find that when I played thru

[@CountJoe1]

I can’t remember if it was in one of your previous videos but it’s interesting that deathroot seems to have a nautical theme to it: Godwin having turned into a merman, the mariner bosses travelling in boats, the crabs and basilisks (with their new fin like protrusions) being water themed animals being infected by godwins influence first.

[@alessiobilleci7246]

Another one i see, Zullie already did a video showing and explaining Godwyn's mutation and his relation with water

[@darthvaderreviews6926]

_"When Aldrich ruminated on the fading of the fire, it inspired visions of a coming age of the deep sea."_ I mean, not trying to argue a Fromsoft connected universe but there are definitely connected themes, and Godwin's influence through Those That Live in Death appears to be marrying the "people merge into trees" and "age of deep" concepts which featured heavily in DS3 but were never elaborated upon

[@alessiobilleci7246]

@@darthvaderreviews6926 thats cuz essentially all the single series (ds,bloodborne,and such) use all the same themes in each game

[@ericfrancisco6615]

Well in Japanese lore, Godwyn's transformation into an avatar of death has some similarities with the goddess Izanami. A once beautiful deity transformed into a malevolent aberration of death once they died.

[@alessiobilleci7246]

They're not the same but the deep can be used to explain Godwyn in er or the sea in BB

[@gabebernhard4601]

This doesn’t even mention the most interesting part of the Stormveil corpse: the lack of eyes. Godwin’s eyes sprout up everywhere, yet the eye sockets of the second corpse are hollow. Have they been plucked out by something? Perhaps Godrick himself cultivated this growth and plucked the eyes for himself in some twisted attempt to get closer to his ancestor? Maybe it has something to do with the eye-stealing hijinx of Shabriri and the Frenzied Flame. It’s a very strange detail that only gets weirder with the knowledge of his eyes existing in so many other places

[@terrex1386]

Does the eye of death Gurranq gives you say where its from? Cause that could be a fun wrinkle (and maybe explain why it has spread to Farum Azula as well)

[@DakkaBert]

@@terrex1386 oooohhh good catch, maybe its not a beast eye at all, that would explain why it reacts to deathroot another plausible explaination is that the cursemark of the centipede formed on godwyn's eyes, like we see symbols seared onto eyeballs with the radagon's and marika's scar/sore seals. That wouldn't explain why both eyes were taken though, unless Rogier took the other one and thats how he became infested with deathroot.

[@radicalgear391]

@@terrex1386 isn’t it one of Gurranq’s eyes?

[@pigzy9807]

Very true. This Godwyn face in Stormviel has to have another layer of significance in my mind. It is not just any other growth, it is massive, nothing else comes close, it is also part of a quest line, and hidden. Godwyn only seems to have a loose association to Stormviel through Godrick

[@JoeKing69]

I just realized that the face in Stormveil is the reason why the castle is “rotting.” If you pay attention to the holes in the wall you see that they don’t so much look like holes but rather some kind of putrid wound, as if the castle itself is decaying. Even objects like the Mottled Shield are affected and the description on said item talks about the cause being hidden deeply within the castle. I gotta say even though they’re just “holes” that imagery really got under my skin, it just looks so unnatural and disgusting.

[@djolltax]

I never considered the possibility that Godwyn may by anything other than passive. I always imagined Godwyn was a victim, and had no influence on the spread of deathroot - it was just something that formed his visage and spread mindlessly. But the idea that the spread of deathroot may be Godwyn's direct influence is TERRIFYING.

[@sabrinareese3880]

I mean Godwyn himself isn’t technically responsible as he has no soul… It’s the corruption of his body that he can’t control that’s doing it. If he doesn’t have a soul I doubt he can do anything consciously… If anything it’s the death root or blight itself that is essentially a living thing despite the name, as it has a desire to spread and survive. Consider it like… Nail growth or hair growth, but it’s a plant/fungus. A parasite.

[@odd-eyes6363]

He is a victim, his body is a souless carcass. It grows like a plant or a parasite, there isn't much thought to it

[@compresseddepression7403]

Honestly I don't even think Godwyn as an entity exists after the night of the black knives given that his soul essentially got deleted. Only his lifeless corpse remained which has now become a grotesque abomination. All the deathblight in the lands between seems more like a plague or a virus to me.

[@lilostich_]

I think he still the victim tho. He's dead, theres no soul there, just a victim of Ranni, slowly destroying the lands beetwen

[@roguebogey]

That's incorrect, Godwyn's soul is dead so he can't have an influence on anything. Whatever is causing the spread of deathroot, it's not Godwyn himself as he is long gone.

[@MissChambers]

I really hope there’s a Godwyn DLC. Could you imagine how fucked up his boss battle would be? I know Miquella screams DLC but undead Godwyn is just as mysterious and is also very worthy of DLC imo

[@daanthedoctor]

kinda hoping there's at least two, maybe they could be separate dlc things? or both at the same time, I'd be fine with that too. Melina is also pretty mysterious still....

[@obsidianfrost9514]

DS3 had 2 dlc so I think ER can have 3 at least

[@ihvdrm]

@@daanthedoctor Especially the Frenzy Flame Ending where she vowed to hunt us lol

[@namebie6767]

Interestingly, the Castle Sol ghost and the Golden Epitaph link Miquella and Godywn, and furthermore, the eclipse and Godywn. Miquella dlc can easily introduce more info on godywn

[@ShadowJCreed]

They could also somehow cram them both into one DLC like they did for Bloodborne with us meeting corrupted beast forms of Ludwig and Laurence and their names were referenced heavily before the dlc like Miquella and Godwyn are for Elden Ring

[@HansAlRachid]

I'd assume the reason his influence functions more like an infection rather than anything more direct and antagonistic is the bit about his soul having been shattered - there's no consciousness driving him, it's just an (un-)natural effect of the paradox he has become. At least that's how I read it. In the comments of the previous Godwyn video people discussed the functional and aesthetic similiarity between Godwyn's tendrils and the symbiosis between fungi and trees. He appears to have parasitized and spread throughout the Erdtree itself like a fungus.

[@Quaternality]

Could you imagine though if Godwyn's body gained a soul? What horrific power could such a being wield...?

[@FKyoutubeSERIOUSLY]

@@Quaternality Prolly not much physically.

[@SamuelPierce115]

I agree. From what we know Godwyn was a bro. Sure as a member of the royal family he probably participated in a few wars here and there and was a believer in the Golden Order, but we never hear about him doing anything actively malicious. Given that his soul is gone but his body yet lives, it makes more sense that he's become a sort of cancer rather than a vengeful spirit. It fits in with the themes of a lot of Elden Rings characters, in that there are actually remarkably few "bad guys", just people trying to do what they think is right. Renala/Radagon (depending on how you look at it) is just a tragic figure whose son was robbed from them, and who was forced by the Greater Will to leave their beloved wife to return to life as a puppet. The shattering of the Elden Ring brought immense suffering to the land, and they should be held responsible for this decision, but it likely wasn't one they made out of malice (no matter what Ofnir seems to think). I think they just wanted to rid the world of the Greater Will's influence by shattering the main conduit for its power. Many of the other shard bearers are similarly sympathetic the more you learn about them (cough cough Radahn).

[@punishedbrak4255]

He's now like a combination of things which live but aren't seen as having "souls"; plants, fungus, fish/sea life

[@JMEon]

Perhaps, like many saproxylic fungi, Godwin began as a symbiote? Then as the Erdtree became older or weaker his corpse took the opportunity to spread, sapping energy from the burials, producing growths and spreading spores that floated as far as the Azula?

[@D1sc0rd-]

As someone who has Bloodborne at the top of my ranking I was so happy when I found this below Stormveil. I also got really lucky and looked at Rogier’s bloodstain, thought it was too strange to be a real player so I went offline and confirmed. A huge part of Bloodborne is that things grow, spontaneously generate… tombstones seem to sprout out of the ground like plants, some tombstones like the one in the hunters dream are organic, they have flesh inside of them, rock formations sprout out of the ground that seem to be made of petrified souls, eyes grow on surfaces, there’s all kinds of stuff like this. So anyways when I saw this thing I couldn’t be certain but by the way the face looked, all splayed out and flattened across the ground, it struck me as something which grew, not necessarily something that died in that spot.

[@evanhunt1863]

That's... brilliant. I'd never thought of it like that.

[@dddaaa6965]

LOL “I thought it was strange so I went offline to confirm it” uh huh... what others times did you do that?

[@Vaith]

also rennala rebirths sweetings into tombstones

[@scrunglybrungly]

I feel like the most complete "alternate Godwyn" makes sense to be under Stormveil Castle. The presence of the final living descendant of the Golden Lineage, Godrick, could be subconsciously directing Godwyn's infectious presence to concentrate there.

[@AzraelSoulHunter]

Also that may have been his castle before.

[@watchfulwanderer6443]

Also, there's all the corpses from grafting. That's a lot of death, and death attracts deathroot.

[@eldunae922]

Time to feed Sir Gideon the All knowing to a crab. To see what happens.

[@MammalianCreature]

@@watchfulwanderer6443 Mohgwyn Palace must have so much deathroot next to the albinaurics, since people farm there.

[@TheExplosiveAmerican]

Godefroy is alive too, in an evergaol in Altus

[@Sprech41]

I think Godwyn is vastly underestimated by everyone else. His corpse has been quietly growing and spreading his influence for who knows how long, to the point that death roots reach every corner of the Lands Between. Those who hunt his roots seem to have barely made a dent. No other demigod has this much power over the entire landscape, and it rivals the Erdtree itself. I could easily see him consuming the entirety of the Lands Between with enough time.

[@CM-hx5dp]

You can help him do it! Bring forth the age of the Duskborn!

[@Ombrifère]

@@CM-hx5dp What does the duskborn ending do though ?

[@metoo3342]

@@Ombrifère I think it takes away the natural immortality that the golden order instills upon the inhabitants of the lands between.

[@vaskopoh9512]

@@metoo3342 and it accepts those who live in death as something normal

[@genghiskhan6809]

@@vaskopoh9512 I don’t think it does. The whole reason that those who live in death are possible is because everything is immortal in the lands between.

[@soulslasher7890]

i think the entire point of deeproot depths (beyond completing fia's questline) is to communicate the sense of overwhelming power godwyn and his death truly have on the world. before this point, we've seen glimpses of his influence across the worlds between, whether it be his eyes on the roots, the face under stormveil, or the various undead across the land. but that was always balanced out by individuals like D, who seemed like they had the situation somewhat under control (in their mind), that the various pieces of deathroot they hunted were making a difference in stamping out death once more. going to deeproot depths shatters all those notions. we see from the massive epicentre of this infestation, the massive congregation of shit that composes of godwyn's corpse, that there is no stopping this from spreading indefinitely. its influence is beyond cutting away the roots, as the world is incapable of supplying the manpower to do such a task. and with D dead by the end of the game, who is really left to curtail it?

[@Tweeter808]

I just realized he's totally themed around mushrooms, the one in stormveil looks like some kind of shelf mushroom. plus the whole death and decay thing fits very well. also spores can travel long distances and create new colonies. anyone notice this yet?

[@artoriuslima]

Excellent observation, you might be on to something!

[@HellfireJags]

Also, fungi are known for breaking down and consuming dead trees.

[@tehxperience]

oh thats cool as hell

[@ShatteredGlass916]

Maybe that's also why it seemingly they can sprout far away from it's source and that seemingly without physical contact as well. That would have explained the crab's back as well, since the 'spores' could have travels via water. The real questions is: Does it travels through air as well? If it does, then how many have been infected by these 'spores'?

[@clockworklemon9243]

He's spread across the continent just like a mushroom colonies Mycelium with the above surface visible parts being the equivalent of the mushrooms we see IRL

[@dreamcatcherpone]

I feel to my death onto this stormveil face. I was like: "Come on! That ledge was bull-WHAT IS THAT"

[@ethanlyons3571]

Same thing happened to me. At first my reaction was: "Ah for fak sake" before "oh thats where the face was" and my annoyance was instantly removed at this point of suprise.

[@dogfellow3848]

The Prince of (bullshit) death

[@rignatetris4435]

I was also in the same boat and thought i stumbled to my death into a boss room XD.

[@mb2001]

Checked one of the catacombs inhabited by Those Who Live In Death. It's really unnerving to see Godwyn's eyes, scales and fins cropping up on those infected roots.

[@YourFourthCousin]

You've outdone yourself with this one, Zullie. The way you connected and contextualized all these details is astounding.

[@Sorrowdusk]

Vaati Vidiya surpassed?

[@gwen9939]

@@Sorrowdusk Vaati is great at compiling all the information and structuring it for entertaining videos but it's Zullie and other dataminers/lorehunters that do most of the legwork. They're not really in the same category of content nor are they really competing but are in fact complementing each other so there's no reason to put one down just to raise another up.

[@jerryricher5657]

A reddit comment trod nearly all of this ground a week or so ago.

[@AFrickingOrange]

@@Sorrowdusk They're completely different. Why must people always compare and try to put others down?

[@nomattr]

This line of thought was mentioned a few days ago on Quelaag channel

[@aidenmclaughlin1076]

I love how twisted and messed up he is. Puts into perspective the kind of shit that goes on unseen by the masses in the Lands Between

[@xRickAstleyx]

i dont think anyone expected this. even ranni

[@botero01]

AB-SO-LU-TE-LY astounding the level of care, thought, detail! Poured onto every inch of this incredible game. Thank you for making me aware of this.

[@joedatius]

The amount of horrible corruption The Lands Between is filled with is actually unsettling. along with this one of the most gutrenching moments i felt in Elden Ring was discovering the lake of rot and just seeing how close something like that is to the surface, even though places like Lernia of the Lakes and Limgrave are filled with monsters and ruins they are still beautiful and have their own amount of tranquility in places and seeing the corruption that is festering is very sad.

[@rustedbranch]

It is also really interesting because each kind of corruption can be traced back to some entity trying to expand their influence.

[@A_Bad_Redman1]

Always saw the The Lands Between as a landscape with beauty and ugly mix together even from the first step, bodies crucified all around Limgrave, the environment ruined by traces of war and ongoing conflict, poison swamps etc. It gets even more obvious as you travel around the map.

[@xRickAstleyx]

the rot really bothered me at first, but after a few playthroughs i feel as though its one of the least horrifying forces in the lands between. things like godwyns current state, rykards snake business, and the possibility of what the greater will actually is are what bother me now.

[@nightscout9979]

The Lands Between feels like we're watching the last traces of the beautiful, "pre-fall" world of past From Software games before hellish calamities, like the deathblight and the Scarlet Rot, damn all traces of it.

[@jas6853]

all because marika

[@Cosmic-Sorceress-17]

I never even noticed the eyes on the large Deathroots until now. This is honestly terrifying to think, just what Godwin and Those Who Live in Death are capable of and what other forces may be tied to Death if this is just how corruptive it is.

[@Wulfspyder]

And then to find out they're on the crabs to. Godwyn's mutated corpse has to be a DLC boss.

[@JesusProtects]

And it's all Marika's and Ranni's fault.

[@MRiLEGACY]

its a game...

[@diaboruim]

@@MRiLEGACY Thanks

[@TheMrMayo]

The scariest thing is that the one in Godrick's castle is an empty hust where eyes could have been, so it seemed like he could have actively (or uncontrollably) moved from one point to another. Still scary after rewatching this.

[@Neptunequeen42]

When I first saw that giant corpse in the depths and realized just /what/ godwyn had become and how it connected to all the undeath stuff, it was I think the most visceral kind of terrifying these games have ever accomplished with me. The idea that this eldritch fungal growth full of lidless eyes and babbling mouths is the result of his soul dying but his otherworldly demigod body not being killed, is some serious junji ito shit.

[@Neptunequeen42]

@@aa-tx7th Yeah, it’s one of the most incredible set pieces From’s ever made and it’s so much more impactful for like. Just sitting there. You expect it to be the boss but instead it just Looms Silently

[@pidgy8927]

I mean When I saw the guy I wanted to fight him Not really scary. Chose the death ending too.

[@doogallas]

@@pidgy8927 wow you must be so brave

[@pidgy8927]

@@doogallas what? No, it's just not really scary. Just a tad disgusting to look at

[@mimimalloc]

Godwyn's corpse is the embodiment of that meme of the mushroom saying "You can't kill me in a way that matters"

[@artemismercer4391]

I found it interesting before that the one below stormveil has no eyes, just empty sockets. But now that I know Godwyn has eyes all over the lands between I'm even more intrigued. As I can't imagine that it isn't a deliberate, meaningful choice by fromsoft.

[@Jesse__H]

That's a good observation! I don't have a theory what it means tho haha...

[@sluttyMapleSyrup]

And the face is found in the same basement as an ulcerated (diseased, corrupted) tree spirit.

[@jefflevy606]

i would assume that its an indicator to confirm that the body in deeproot is the original and the stormveil one hasnt finished growing

[@roundninja]

It could mean that someone in Stormveil plucked out the eyes so that Godwyn couldn't look at them. I don't have a PS5 though so I can't check if my theories are correct, they're just guesses.

[@crestfallenhussar895]

That's where Rogier dies. He leaves a bloodstain there and tells you not to mess with the face as it may have consequences. perhaps he caused the eyes to burst and inflict him with death blight.

[@lennyface5314]

So, the Erdtree lore goes as follows: Let's revive Godwyn! Aw dang it! Aw dang it! Aw dang it! Aw dang it! Aw dang it! Aw dang it! Aw dang it!

[@Hergotzer]

My interpretation is that after Godwyn was killed, he was given an "Erdtree Burial" like what was apparently supposed to be first done to all the corpses in the graves and catacombs. Back then they didn't yet realize what this would do, and when the dead-but-not-dead Godwyn became one with the roots, his essence "corrupted" the tree. That's why I believe the Death effect in game is root-like branches impaling the target; Death is not inherent in the target, it's more like a scent, a mark that gets placed on you so the roots (Deathroots?) can find and claim you, at which point it's likely you would become another undead roaming the lands. The roots don't originate from Godwyn, they are natural parts of this world, now corrupted by his undeath. Also, I suspect that Godwyn isn't all that "aware" anymore, but more like a new form of... primeval force(?) twisting its surroundings in its likeness. It's just a mindless rotting corpse, but even a carcass can spread its disease.

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

Indeed. This is just what happens when you give a continent spanning tree the worst kind of fertiliser.

[@TORGOoOo]

yeah I don't think godwyn becoming a bizarre outer-god(?) was intentional on the part of ranni or the black knives

[@astrielmaahes1116]

The roots killed the giants, godwyn wasnt undead at that time

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

@@astrielmaahes1116 Nowhere does it say the giants were killed by death root.

[@LilAnonomus]

Very well put, I totally agree.

[@BlemmiganGallivanter]

The fact Godwyn’s eyes are wide open on his main is somehow the most horrifying part of appearance, I feel like it’d be less disturbing if they were missing, like on the Stormveil growth.

[@orioncob5640]

Even creepier: what if the one under storm veil is a shell he is making for his soul to come back?

[@sylas3982]

@@orioncob5640 I don’t think godwyn’s souls exist anymore, when someone dies in the Lands Between their soul goes to the erdtree, but the way the rune of death description is worded is more like godwyn’s soul was obliterated, nothing left behind. Godwyn’s corpse now has the same effect as dumping a corpse in a lake, it infects the water, but his corpse isn’t decomposing because only his soul died, his body is still alive and has became something like cancer that infects the erdtree, it just expands without purpose

[@Khyldr]

​@@sylas3982 I think that's it, it's the reason why he can't come back like everyone else since the theft of the rune of death, his body is but an empty shell.

[@Kyrious]

I envy people like you. I see these things and don’t look further into it than. “Oh, it’s just one of those weird Fromsoft designs”

[@veritasabsoluta4285]

@@Kyrious wow you're so cool bro

[@shadexvii3975]

2:52 I’m just now realizing that Godwyn’s eyes, at least in the basilisk version, resemble a solar eclipse. That…that might explain a little why the eclipsed sun is a symbol of the headless knights, and why Miquella wanted to induce one. The soul, the head, the sun, they’re all connected

[@CatProductionStudios]

A fun little thing - in Farum Azula, on a bunch of the walls, there are little relief carvings of an animal that looks like Godwyn. It has four limbs instead of the mermaid tail, but has the same flat, elongated, and inverted face, and a similar posture. Since Godwyn seems to sit at the base of the Erdtree/Greattree - likely where the Crucible once lay - that could imply a connection between Farum Azula (and by extention the other floating cities, Divine Towers, and the foundations we find all over the world) and the Crucible / Godwyn. Would fit for the weird fishy stuff to all be some ancient eldritch race.

[@the98themperoroftheholybri33]

The fish race idea i like, especially if you look at the map at the ocean north of Liurnia, there appears to be a rock repelling the ocean and creating waves, there's nothing else like this on the map, i definitely think there's something unique going on there

[@CatProductionStudios]

@@the98themperoroftheholybri33 I think it would definitely fit with the lovecraftian influences shown in various FromSoft game, and particularly the aquatic aspects shown in a lot of the life in Elden Ring, though I think it's more likely that it was some kind of Bestial race in general rather than an aquatic race - or perhaps that this ancient primordial race generated from the Crucible was seperated into two halves, one aquatic and one land-based. There are statues of what could either be a serpent or a lion all over crennelations in Farum Azula. We know the god-devouring serpent is pretty ancient as well, and the beasts were the first life according to their incantations - maybe "beast" is a more of an umbrella term including lions, serpents, and the fish people. Another possible connection are the 2nd generation Albinaurics - they look particularly fish-like, or frog like, and are said to be "untouched by the Erdtree's grace" due to their artificial nature. The 2nd generation are the more long-lasting and formidible of the two, while the more human-like first generation are frail and practically destroyed by the time of the game - all of them are either mad or crippled. Since all Albinaurics, whether first or second generation, are detached from Grace, maybe the second generation was more successful because it was easier for grace-severed organisms to live with a more fish-like or bestial appearance, since that seems to be the dominant life form before the arrival of the greater will.

[@BBoy4040]

If Godwyn is a DLC boss, it would have to be his fully realized mutated form as "Godwyn, King of Death" since he would no longer be the prince.

[@F1rsttimer]

The amount of detail FromSoft puts in their games still amazes me.

[@crutonman1547]

ok dude but seeing the death crabs right above his throne above ground is such a good detail, i love this game

[@pious83]

Zullie: _"If Godwyn is already capable of this much, what's to stop him from growing more?"_ *Cue Frenzied Flame Ending*

[@Scatmanseth]

That’s a bit like setting your house on fire to kill a roach infestation

[@pious83]

@@Scatmanseth If you had a roach as big as Godwyn _leaning_ against your house. You likely would be setting it on fire.

[@Revalopod]

tbh I really want to see a DLC set after the frenzied flame ending

[@mitchellclendening7682]

Just send in some angry Yharnamites with their torches, they'll take care of him 😂

[@the_infinexos]

@@mitchellclendening7682 "FOUL BEAST"

[@FryedCalamari]

I gotta say, this is one of the most interesting things in the game

[@SilverSeraphym]

Do you think it would be possible to take a look at those ENORMOUS corpses in their huge thrones in the Eternal Cities? I've been really curious as to the intent behind them from the start, and I was wondering if their internal IDs and similar things could shed some light on what exactly they are supposed to be.

[@GreyAven]

Easy Answer, they are albernic mothers. there is a living one in the north, part of the archer albernics questline.

[@jennyoutrageous]

Godwyn almost seems like he’s on his way to become an Outer God. I love how Outer Gods are more like concepts than physical forms, like the formless mother that Mohg worship and the Scarlet Rot itself is even a god-like being. I wonder if we’re seeing the slow transformation into a conceptual formless god of death.

[@VictorIV0310]

I thought he was becoming an avatar of the Outer God of Destined Death (or the Deathbirds) in the same way Malenia is the avatar of the Outer God of Scarlet Rot, but you have point about his growing influence across the Lands Between.

[@Arthur1379-a]

My own guess is that he is becoming soem sort of avatar of the Outer God associated with the Deathbirds and (possibly) Destined Death

[@ElDuroLak]

Ranni says that she used the rune of death to kill her body and Godwyn's soul, so I would think that while something may be born of the mutating body, that something would no longer be Godwyn.

[@stijnvanrijsbergen8255]

I find it interesting that the Stormveil Face, while being the most obvious/complete, is the only one without physical eyes; when those eyes are easily the most prominent feature of his growing influence (with all the Deathroot-piles and crabs having them). Wonder if that's anything

[@Spencer-wc6ew]

I was thinking that too. I wonder if they never grew or were taken. Maybe Godrick took them for a grafting experiment? Or even Gideon could have something to do with it, since having eye's everywhere is with his theme.

[@sluttyMapleSyrup]

@@Spencer-wc6ew Oh damn, that would help explain why Gideon seems to know what we're doing at any given moment.

[@Nixthyo]

Godwyn couldn't bear to see what his descendant became.

[@jakeofalco]

I honestly think its a different corpse altogether.

[@vanhelsing655-2]

You know this really makes me think of princess Mononoke. When they kill the god of the Forrest and it’s death spreads everywhere as a result of killing it.

[@jet4u321]

Godwyn and Miquella are the two demigods that I desperately wish to know more about. It's crazy to believe that these two characters hold some of most significant roles within the Lands Between and yet they hardly make an appearance within the game despite being integral parts of the game's lore. There's a frustratingly low amount of information surrounding these two and very few NPCs with relations to them either. It's impossible to imagine the unending agony that Godwyn's vacant body is probably going through right now; His physical form has been split into pieces and he is able to see and feel all, for better or worse. Probably one of the most tragic characters in the entire game.

[@getass3290]

We might get more on them in the DLC.

[@dominikdragomir2637]

he is not able to 'see and feel all' his soul is gone , obliterated by the rune of death, his body now spreads as a cancer

[@branthro6492]

Miquella and Gowdyn are prime DLC material. Gideon seems to think there's more in store for Miquella after we beat Mohg, so it's possible Miquella isn't dead and is still going through some transformation.

[@Lytbringr0]

His body is just running on auto-pilot.

[@liltrumpetboi4771]

I do agree but I feel like it's more to make things equal out from the dev team, the way they are equaling things out, the way I see it, is that they are not trying to make everything on the same level. I stead they are trying to make thing way way separate from each other kinda like the Melania and radann right how they aren't super equal, like equal in strength and equal in witt and power, instead they have their own traits super powerful traits that when compared with each other, it's actually kinda hard to compare each other. Spice things up a bit,we can compare for day who's better but all I have to give for you to compare is one thing from both sides, radann has the power to hold the stars in place, and this isn't used as a metaphor it's used as literally, he's literally holding the stars in place. Then for Melania all we have to say is, she has never known defeat, and we tend to think simple stuff like oh ye an npc tries to attack her and she kills him but but we should be thinking I'm terms of scales is again, literal, if she fought placidusaxx she would win, if she fought gransaxx, she would win, also single-handedly, and bam they both are so powerful in their own way that they magically equal out it's like half math and half statistics,and I used radann and Melania just cuz why not but they do this with everyone even godrick himself, if he's losing in a war bam graft some strong stuff to himself and bam, stronk. And elden ring isn't the only game that does this and yea imma go off topic a lot here, but take a look at like fortnite and like cod or somthing, those games they want everything to be close together in terms of range, assault rifle? Well bump the distance of attack but lesson the damage... shotgun? Lesson the range but bump up the damage a ton. But then theirs games like apex, where the game is fairly equal but every character has their own powers that are totally different from other some are literally opposites, pathfinder? Grapple thru the sky and fly around at mach5, but horizon? Slide down a hill at Mach5 while bunnyhopping and zipping around like a bullet train, so opposite that it's equals out... oki now back on topic elden rings lore plays the same way we know that Miquella and godwyn are these super duper important characters and that in lorwise has literally created the game lore, not by choice lol. I hope this made some sense, I kinda went all over the place with this explanation on game stuffs

[@ciaranreid5132]

I was so genuinely freaked the f out when I saw his face under stormveil. I literally froze and that tree spirit I was running from killed me lol. Once I found the second one at the roots I was even more discomforted but spent ages just looking at the dead fish dude fungus thing. So cool. One of the scariest things in any game, because death is actually scary!! Godwyn and Miquella are two of my favourite "souls" characters both so fascinating. Two very naturally good people with very unsettling and tragic fates, that which we can only imagine the effects will be on the world of Elden Ring. I want a dlc on both Miquella and Godwyn so bad!!

[@R4mRam]

It could be however, since Godwyn's corpse is intertwined with the roots of the erdtree, it is trying to bring back a truly dead soul yet failing since there is nothing to be brought back and instead just creating more copies of Godwyn's dead body.

[@lawrencebelamaric7965]

The amount of detail in this game never fails to amaze me ,and when you realize that even the tiniest things , things 95 % of people are never even going to notice are never there for no reason, everything is connected to the lore of the world in some way, everything has to make sense for why it is where it is. That right there is insane to me.

[@RedFloyd469]

This is a fallacious thought though. No game developer has THAT much total control over every single object in the game. To put it bluntly: bugs exist. Glitches exist. Random meaningless objects and random placements of those objects exist within the game. No, not literally EVERYTHING has some deeper meaning. You are fixating on the stuff that POTENTIALLY has meaning, and extending this case for all possible cases, which is just a projection, not something that reality seems to inform on us. It's fan enthusiasm, nothing more. Props to miyazaki and his team for hiding lore-connections all over the game though, which is what they tend to be known for. And even more props for all the mentally deranged sleuths actually using their precious time and energy to look at every crooked pebble and cloud to find a trace of a possible meaning for the lore iceberg. Zullie actually looking at the map and making the connection that the godwyn-face-crabs are almost right above his resting place is just something the vast majority of people probably wouldn't have thought of even if they DID find the face on the crabs' backs to begin with.

[@HeavenlyHavoc]

Another interesting thing about deathroot is its location; There's no deathroot anywhere in Caelid. The only deathroot we can find is in northern Limgrave, eastern Liurnia, Leyndell, Mt. Gelmir, and the Mountaintops of the Giants. In other words, the areas most closely connected to Godwyn geographically. There's none in the Weeping Peninsula, because it's too far away. The growths in Farum Azula may hint at something else, however. Remember, Gurranq eats deathroot. He resides in Farum Azula, or in the part of it that exists on land in the dragonbarrow. The Farum Greatbridge is right outside his sanctum. I think Crumbling Farum Azula used to be on land in Caelid before some catastrophe struck to make it what it is now, and it was then that it had been permeated by deathroot. The continent of Caelid has no deathroot anymore because of Malenia's rot choking it out.

[@voronadragon]

I see in descriptions that Godwyn was a friend with Dragons. Then, May be this reason why deathroot be placed in Farum too?

[@myfatassdick]

It would make sense that Farum Azula was once near caelid because the ruins are only in Limgrave and early Liurnia I thought that was weird how it’s close to caelid and the mountains but there’s no ruins there So this comment actually makes that make sense Maybe it was somewhere in the middle of the map Also looking at the map now I realize all the divine towers are built towards the middle of the map

[@Hirotoro4692]

Nah, in-game lore (don't remember the specific item description sources) clearly state Farum Azula was flying long before the age of the Erdtree and Deathroot was even a thing. It definitely was not a 'part of Caelid that took off.' More likely is that the Sanctum area was originally some kind of temple or embassy on foreign soil.

[@Hirotoro4692]

@@myfatassdick nah, there's also fragments all the way up on Bellum Highway which is real close to Altus.

[@HeavenlyHavoc]

@@Hirotoro4692 I'm not sure how deathroot would spread to a floating island unless it's spore based but weirder things have happened I suppose. Mostly I just find the idea of the weird beast dudes with clay pot shields and dragon lightning magic having an 'embassy' highly amusing, so I'm choosing to agree with you there

[@nickerslarge3776]

Bro, the look of Godwyn has fascinated me ever since I first saw him and wondered why no one else ever made seemed to care or wonder as well. So I was excited about your videos on him. I was blown away when you pointed out that I was looking at him, upside down if you will. So thank you so much and keep digging you re killing it.

[@Cherryjango]

It makes sense that we find the 'visage of Godwyn' under Stormveil castle, as it's one of the most infested areas we find. If you didn't go through the front gate of Stormveil, you may remember that the entire side of the castle you ascend is covered in thorns, just like the roots that extend from Godwyn's corpse. The soldiers in the castle are also covered in thorns, and their shields item description mentions that the thorns originate from deep below the castle...

[@AncelDeLambert]

That fucking castle, man, I STILL don't have a good explanation for why the walls are melting like they got hit with a Megaflare

[@bdeedrick445]

I’ve also noticed that a lot of the castle’s structures are marred by deep grooves almost like a giant claw managed sliced clean through the stone to expose the wooden structures underneath. Since there aren’t any enemies in the game large enough to make those markings (besides maybe a Great Dragon), I wonder what kind of battle or siege took place to scar the fortress so deeply. There are also craters in the castle walls that look like they could be from some kind of cannon. Stormveil has a lot of history behind it and I wish we got more exposition on it in the lore.

[@g0lddustt29]

@@AncelDeLambert I don't think they're "melting" I think the stones being erroded from the constant winds against it. The deathroot breaking through probably doesn't help.

[@blakejordan1992]

The thorns really stand out to me too. I wonder how they connect to the whole life within death thing, because they are seen on living dudes in the castle... is it like a disease pulling the living down to become undead or something?

[@OzixiThrill]

@@blakejordan1992 I think the thorns could just be Godrick honoring his old ancestor (while simultaneously harvesting his freshly grown parts for grafting) by altering the gear of the soldiers with it.

[@GameRecorder123]

Considering that Farum Azula appears as if it was almost ripped out of the ground at some point, it is possible that the reason we see Godwyn's roots up there is because they were there before? It could also be the epicenter where they first manifested and in the hopes of trying to reduce its effect Farum Azula was sent skyward. Edit: Malekith's presence there could also reinforce this idea

[@thecrow2568]

Malekith protects destined death from being stolen, could it be as you said that farum azula was separated in an attempt to protect it? Perhaps godwin's body was trying to reach for it to get more power?

[@OffTheRocker]

@@thecrow2568 or perhaps Godwyn's body somehow was trying to reach the rune of death in an attempt to kill itself for good if such a thing could have been possible.

[@thecrow2568]

@@OffTheRocker That's sad damn

[@lilporky8565]

Where tf have you been all my life? Every time you put out a new video, I always end up appreciating these games even more than I thought was possible. I'm so glad you're a part of this community, Zullie!

[@Satanos]

I feel like the fact that the Stormveil Godwyn has no eyes is a significant difference though, it's the core feature of all the other growths but it's completely absent there.

[@dadab22]

There is also no undead in stormveil. Perhaps the putrid tree spirit did something, damaging or even killing the growth? Or maybe Sorceror Rogier did?

[@zedsdeadbaby]

That's a really good observation actually

[@TehCakeIzALie1]

Could have something to do with how Darian (?) took the Cursemark of Death from the Stormveil Godwyn. Speaking of which, isn't it strange how he was able to do that? We need to find Ranni's actual body to get her half of the Cursemark, but apparently Godwyn's copies count as the original (or part of it?).

[@ladyabaxa]

@@TehCakeIzALie1 If the face in Stormveil is physically connected to the corpse at the base of the Erdtree than it isn't strange. It would be one HUGE body spreading through the Lands Between like a cancer completely out of control.

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

@@TehCakeIzALie1 Roger mentioned godwyns cursemark was recovered at the roundtable hold, which is also where we meet fia. So I'd say the reason why fia is at the roundtable is to recover that half cursemark, which is why she only needs the other half from you. Most likely godwyns half was in possession of D, which is why Fia murdered him and why his corpse is afflicted by death blight. And he likely received it from his twin brother, who is dying from death blight, much like Rogier ends up. D's twin brother likely took it from godwyns original corpse and got afflicted by death blight then. After all he knows exactly where to find his corpse and Fia after she murders his brother, so it would make sense he had been to the deeproot dethts before.

[@viljamtheninja]

That crab thing reminded me of the Japanese samurai crab, which is a species of crab that seems to have the pattern of the face of a samurai on the back of its shell, supposedly because for centuries, when fishing was done in the area, these crabs had many different kinds of pattern but sometimes they found one that they thought looked like a samurai and those were always allowed to return to the water.

[@mugwort1]

The bakegani in nioh 2 are also a more direct reference to the heikegani, the samurai-faced crab, so it's a plausible influence.

[@JMEon]

Humans influencing natural selection! I believe it was superstitious fear that drove them to release the samurai-esque crabs, right?

[@SiaKoosh]

2:00 this could also mean that farum azula went flying after the murder of godwyn

[@MVCx_xB]

The rune of death he was killed with is still inside him and he's fused to the erdtree's roots, which is why death root, death blight, and those-who-live-in-death are becoming a thing. His manifestations like the face in stormveil or the eyes in catacombs where deathroot are, is basically the tree's roots growing and expanding while corrupted by death. I always thought it was him trying to be revived through the erdtree normally and failing. As for the skeletons in farum azula, my theory is that is has to do with the rune of death being fractured at all - and they are close it's vicinity, so maybe it has a natural aberration and failure that results in undead forming since it's broken.

[@ultragamer4465]

No. The fragment from the rune of death used during the night of black knives is in the blades used by the assassin. The curse mark carved into him to kill his soul was recovered by Darian (D). The other half is in Ranni's body

[@ultragamer4465]

As for why he appears everywhere it may simply be that his body as it is still alive is being subsumed by the tree but as it is the body of a demigod they're somehow merging and so those who would normally be dead are now being animated to move just as Godwin's corpse is still growing and moving. It maybe his influence that allowed Marika to shatter the Elden Ring in the first place

[@ICouldntThink0faName]

He was killed by a black knife infused with a fragmet of the Rune of Death. That rune is still safely stored inside Malekith until we kill him. The reason Godwyn is so messed up is only his soul was killed, while Ranni's body was destroyed. Godwyn's corrupted form has then been growing like a twisted cancer, infused with death as a soulless husk. Not truly dead, but not alive either.

[@FelFawn]

@@ultragamer4465 cool theory

[@johncra8982]

No it's likelier that the deathroot ended up in Farum because Malekith was consuming it in the Lands Between. It probably spread from him across different parts of Farum.

[@conspiracypanda1200]

I've said this before but I'll mention it again here: When I first saw Godwyn's face under stormveil I thought its owner must have melted. Later, finding Godwyn's true body and learning a little of his lore, I (wrongly) thought that the extra face under stormveil must have sloughed off his corpse like so many layers of rotten flesh, probably when they were moving his corpse around for his burial ceremony, but because it was cursed with undeath it just grew and grew and grew down there in the dark... Learning that these faces are actually just growths to monitor and infect the dead is somehow far less disturbing to me.

[@MightyGuts7423]

But the latter circumstance seems so much worse though lmao? The former was unintentional. Morbid as it is. The second issue potentially spells doom for the lands between.

[@somethinganonymous1723]

Somehow these are both equally horrifying

[@JoeFanik]

And now there’s another Godwyn in the Shadow Realm. Still trying to wrap my head around it

[@ronwinters3571]

From what I can tell the death ending has you combine the systems of the Ring and Roots with a rune that is Godwyn (as its descibed as being him Reborn). This possibly fixes the growths and makes this form of deat "proper". I also mentioned the Basilisk in a previous comment, how they might of been cruicible creatures. I hope we can fight non-infected Basilisk someday

[@query8265]

i hope to fight them too and get my revenge for all the times they mugged me in the hero's graves they would probably be super weak without deathblight though

[@ronwinters3571]

@@query8265 They would be spewing fire instead as seen with the crucible breath incantation. When its used by the crucible night they'll sometimes jump back and spit with the reverse of the animation the basilisk have. Meaning basilisk before death blight spit fire and had to be mindfull of it. The ones now jump forward and spew as they're already infected.

[@xavierescano4559]

pretty sure the mending rune of the price of death turns elden ring into dark souls by making undead a natural occurence

[@Robthetank001]

I can imagine something similar to the Dreg Heap in DS3 at the end of time, where Godwyn has eventually spread and consumed the world

[@Integritys_Sum]

But at least *ranni* doesn't have to let anyone tell her what to do 🙄

[@SamiPaju]

I revisited the corpse of Godwyn below Stormveil Castle last night and noticed that when you hit it, it sprouts blood. I don’t think deathroot elsewhere does that. So that implies the visage if Godwyn in Stormveil is somehow special and not just another instance of deathroot.

[@wermm2]

This concept of the souless god's body becoming something like a virus that's infected the very world itself thats slowly corrupting everything is so cool and horrifying. I really hope it gets expanded on in the dlc. The tragedy of the scheme to yank control of the world away from the Greater Will catastrophically backfiring into a deathroot apocalypse is amazing

[@lilostich_]

I think the DLC is going to be about Miquella, Godwyn and maybe the Black Flame. Since Godwyn is the prince of death, growing like a parasite on roots, and Miquella is the one who created the haligTREE, symbol of life and innocence, surely there must be an oppositional relationship between the two Maybe Miquella can stop the growing or something. I still think that everything going to shit is a much cooler concept

[@raulparrado1547]

I really would like that the DLCs expand about Godwyn, Miquella, The Gloam-eyed Queen and the rune in the Moon

[@Remi617]

Maybe the roots are in Farum Azula because they can sense the Death Rune in possession of Maliketh and are trying to grow towards it like plant grows towards sunlight.

[@noatrope]

"The effect of this cannot be understood without being there. The beauty of it cannot be understood, either, and when you see beauty in desolation it changes something inside you. Desolation tries to colonize you." - Annihilation, by Jeff Vandermeer

[@hellomate639]

That quote is interesting, and somewhat reflects a rather archetypal theme of "evil can only mimic and mock, not create on its own." So, what does evil do? Try to use beauty to seduce you to it.

[@noatrope]

@@hellomate639 Hm. When the quote is on its own, maybe. In its original context, "desolation" isn't evil, though - dangerous, yes, threatening, wild, alien, growing and spreading into a world to which it is unnatural and transforming it into something Other, but not malicious or even particularly hostile. (Like Godwin.)

[@SamuraiMorshu]

More and more I feel reassured that my decision to embrace the Frenzied Flame is a good one.

[@MagicOmelet]

But Melina angery now

[@shira_yone]

@@MagicOmelet hoes mad

[@crim1188]

@@MagicOmelet Me-who now?

[@charlospop6583]

EVERY DAY WE STRAY FURTHER FROM THE ELDEN RING

[@DreamskyDance]

but but but...everybody is maidenless in that ending including you. And Melina angry, and even worse you betrayed Ranni.. :(

[@thesenate6796]

I encountered Godwyn's face under Stormveil castle on my first playthrough, without knowing who or what it was. I got so unnerved and got the feeling of "I'm not supposed to be here."

[@kurtgrgelwrx8376]

the fact that the root growths with the skeletons on them have Godwyn's eyes is insanely creepy

[@finaldarkfire]

This gets even more interesting/unsettling when we consider that Godwyn is essentially a soulless husk at this point thanks to the Black Knives. It really gives the implication that killing the 'soul' of a demigod turns their body into basically some kind of virus factory, or maybe even that something ELSE (maybe the Destined Death?) has taken control of Godwyn's soulless body and is using it to spread this corruption.

[@doodlebug4360]

The way I see it, he's transformed into a form on cancer that has infected the erdtree and through that... the lands between.

[@CM-hx5dp]

There is SOMETHING in godwyns corpse... Try to kill Fia after you beat her champions. Rancor skulls will manifest and attack you, and Fia Explicitly says that she's not the one doing it, you can still kill her, but SOMETHING is trying to defend her. It may be whatever is left of godwyn, it maybe something else entirely, born of the corpse.

[@rand0m508]

It reminds me of princess mononoke (which this game is at least a little inspired by), where they chop of the forest god's head and it just becomes this monstrosity that makes everything die around it indiscriminately. It's not less powerful without the head, just less inhibited

[@xRickAstleyx]

he wasnt supposed to be able to die. his death was a huge break in the rules. burying him at the foot of the great tree is spreading that profanity into the lands between and allowing life within death. this is why golden order nerds like D hate deathroot and undeath so much... its a corruption of the strict order of the world imposed by the greater will that they love

[@siegwardinspirit]

I'm assuming the latter. Empty demigod husk that can't be resurrected because its soul is dead dead, it's basically free real estate for any foreign power.

[@Jack567898]

Maybe that is why some followers of the frenzied Flame have Grace in their eyes. The Erdtree wishes to be burned down.

[@dogmat8733]

He’s always watching wherever you go, waiting for you to meet your demise and to be claimed by his roots. Easily one of the most terrifying concepts explored by FromSoftware next to alien space gods impregnating women.

[@RuneDrageon]

The thing is, he is completely unfeeling and uncaring, there is no will or sentience left in him since that was killed off. It is only a growing undead cancer now, eating and growing, spreading its influence.

[@henrikh3089]

Is the space god from Bloodborne? I wish it would just come to pc already :(

[@dogmat8733]

@@henrikh3089 Correct. I to wish it could come to PC.

[@YUNGLOAF921]

That is the most terrifying video title I’ve seen from you

[@mcprawn]

For those wondering, the title has been changed. It used to be *"Godwyn is growing"*

[@Chordat3]

@@mcprawn that's a much better and horrifying title tbh

[@arisrayden]

amazing content zullie. all the details you catch is incredible. i hope we'll one day get to hear your voice on one of these videos, you created quite the mystery with your presentation aesthetics. cheers

[@Melanittanigra]

For such a big game I wish they would have expanded on this stuff more. Hopefully the DLCs are large and numerous.

[@shanec9672]

You know, I agree, but that's the thing. Good fiction and storytelling in general leaves you wanting more. Once you're satisfied by knowing everything, all your interest fades, and it doesn't occupy any space in your active mind anymore. Think of sekiro; the story hinted at Tomoe so many times that people assumed that there must be a DLC coming, but we never got one. However, this kept the character we never get to meet alive in our imaginations, which kept our interest in the world alive. Leaving these spaces for your imagination to fill in the blank is critical to a story feeling real and interesting, and is in line with how fromsoft never gives you the full picture in any of its titles, which is usually perfectly appropriate for your status as a character in any of their worlds. I hope we get answers too, but I want to be left with some questions. All the catharsis is on Christmas day, but all the excitement is on Christmas eve.

[@skatefast10202]

@@shanec9672 Could not have said it better myself.

[@BOBBYJOE96]

Fromsoft isn’t known for explaining everything in detail. They give hints and leave the rest to the players. And We can’t trust a word out of miyazakis mouth about stuff ever since the “pick the amulet” of dark souls 1.

[@Zyckro]

@@shanec9672 Well said, and I completely agree. Considering all of the Outer Gods we haven’t seen, I see no shortage of the unknown. Bloodborne had Oedon, so I presume these outer beings will be similarly kept a mystery.

[@ryn2024]

Thats the thing, there are so many concepts and ideas that are yet to be explored in depth in the game that they could make a DLC about any of them. The crystalians on what they are waiting for, the death rite birds and their god, Miquella's ascension, the dragon god, the formless mother and so on.

[@pixy8897]

All Souls games had their mysteries that we got DLCs to explain then a little. But oh boy. Elden Ring looks to have even more mysteries than the SoulsGames before.

[@MVCx_xB]

i hope they do a better job at explaining it than in ds3 because the mysteries ds3 were plagued with were usually unanswered by the ds3. There were a few big plot points but for unanswered questions in lore of the original game, there was so little.

[@g0lddustt29]

@@MVCx_xB What do you mean? Ringed City answered the biggest question of the series as to what happened to the furtive pygmy and the origin of the darksign.

[@BlueJerry2]

Ranni also mentioned that she couldn't just slay her own soul without killing herself in the process, she stated that she and another demi god needed to die at the same time to cause each of both ranni and Godwyn's soul to split in half individually and not destroying one or the other completely. I hope we get ro see and fight Godwyn in another DLC beside shadow of the Erdtree

[@McCrackles]

I think the second face was given legitimacy by the short Rogier questline where you can see him discovering the face and somehow dying from the death curse in front of it with the entire animation following it.

[@Hermaniac8]

The best part is that it isn't even "Godwyn" himself doing it. His soul is dead! This is just the effect of his corrupted undead demigod body all by itself, existing as an anathema to life and goodness.

[@emeraldmann1329]

Whalefall

[@Gabranicus]

I don't see how it's anathema to goodness

[@Rantandum]

Finding this for the first time will always be a core memory I associate with this game. Looking for secret areas in the castle, stumbling on all this death and corruption. And at the end, there's this.....GIANT DEAD FACE just sitting there. It's freaking haunting.

[@HTheHunter]

It's interesting that in all other locations Godwyns roots are spreading, as you mentioned, his eyes are present. But even it's a very big and has even the form of Godwyn, the head/corpse below Stormveil Castle has no eyes/eyeballs. I'm wondering if these empty eyes on that corpse have a deeper meaning, because after this video it's seems even more odd that it has no eyes/eyeballs. I have a feeling that this is not the end of the story around that corpse.

[@MrHydra12]

That and it still has one eye, which is the third eye (mentioned a LOT in ancient Taoism and Chan). Probably has similar real world lore behind it, kind of like Shabriri and the river demon of Japanese lore (think it was an especially evil kappa iirc that was blind and corrupted water from upstream, named very similarly)

[@Tsukuyomi127]

@@MrHydra12 I guess what you called the Third Eye is "天眼" in Chinese, whose concept comes from the lore of Taoism and Chan. "天眼" literally means Sky's Eye and "天"/Sky is an even more powerful being than gods in Chinese context. Chinese have many Greek-like gods who possess such an eye, usually in their foreheads. The eye's ability is to see through all the barriers in the universe.

[@pinkvillajuice]

The face in Stormveil is missing eyes either bc Godrick took them & tried to graft them onto his body, or more likely Rogier popped them. If you click on Rogier's blood stain in front of the face, he has the deathblight animation, so I think Rogier went down there to "kill" that face or what ever creature it was that had that face, and once the eyes where torn out, they released deathblight which is how Rogier died there.

[@deifiedtitan]

I always took the whole thing as kind of mundane for the setting; Godwyn’s soul is obliterated, so he’s braindead and simply doesn’t exist, but his demigod body is still alive and still grows. He’s essentially a cancer that will always grow in the Lands Between as long as his original body is in the roots of the Erdtree. No malicious plot or grander scheme, it’s just “undying body there, grows continuously”. Super mundane

[@nick012000]

Well, until the Tarnished lights the Erdtree on fire, anyway. ;)

[@deifiedtitan]

@Not a weeb Pretty much. It’s like it’s just part of the nature of the place now.

[@NinjapowerMS]

I can see it turning into another force if there's another Elden ringing sequel.

[@Wulfspyder]

@@nick012000 I don't think the deeproot is affected by burning the Erdtree though. He's still down there.

[@malum9478]

@Not a weeb lol fromsoft almost never have badguys. especially in dark souls/elden ring, almost everyone is a "misunderstood this" or are victim of circumstance. ds2 is the only one that had the nuts to straight up have a villain in the form of nashandra. elden ring at least has dungeater and mogh tho. so there's that. but they're hardly main villain material. possibly gideon.

[@GARGANTUANMASKEDFISH]

My personal impression is that the corpse below Stormveil is the 'legitimate' corpse and what we see in Deeproot Depths is Godwyn's body attempting to reconstitute itself using the dead.

[@Clunkers707]

thats what i think too

[@GoldStarLord]

Can't belive he has eyes everywhere ive never noticed that, but that one in stormveil castle being a growth from godwyn both explains and raises some questions about Rogier having that blood splatter where he's stabbed by the death effect in front of it. That makes me wonder what was he doing to it that caused him to get a death curse? Did he try to remove it/cleanse it or was it an active almost living growth that he killed but in doing so got death cursed?

[@FulminicMantra]

Interestingly, if you strike the head/corpse in Stormveil, it bleeds.

[@kalilmyers9498]

Personally, I think Rogier got the curse mark of death off of that growth under stormveil, and Godwyn’s body reacted as it’s technically “alive”. Then he gives the curse mark to D, since he can’t adventure anymore. He slips up by telling Fia, who needs the curse mark, and she kills D to collect it from his body.

[@kalilmyers9498]

@@TheRagnarose Completely agree, I just found it weird that we could get as close to the growth as we want and even attack it, and we don’t get a reaction. So I figured Rogier did something that we didn’t do, like if removed something from the face, then it would be gone by the time we got to it, and Rogier would have set off some form of defense, since Godwyn’s body is still “alive”.

[@Walamonga1313]

What if Rogier removed the eyes from that one?

[@thomasstevens2252]

@@kalilmyers9498 duh it's missing it's eyes.

[@moty1906]

I saw a theory that Godwyns shape looked exactly like the fully explored map. This now makes sense since Godwyn maybe spread all over the map and then took over the shape of the map. Wish I had more info of this but I forgot and the lore is so much to remember haha

[@alinalisan3361]

the theory is that his body is shaping itself out to resemble the map yeah

[@josiahgoodman8875]

Oh my god. The tail beach that got removed from liurnia...

[@xaitat]

Lmfao crackhead theory

[@kaint8974]

While this video may have been made 2 years ago so I highly doubt anyone will read this, the whole idea of godwyn still being able to grow is very interesting to me. During the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending, which is considered one of the worst ones you can get lore wise as you're literally ending all known life in the lands between might actually be a secret salvation, as it effectively kills off godwyn as well, not allowing his deathroots to eventually corrupt the entirety of the lands between, and is a great segway into indicating the tarnished to then find new lands to conquer, followed by the pursuit of Melina, setting up for a great sequel.

[@Charcosombrio_22]

I read it.

[@slamfistlord9242]

I think Godwyn is one of the key figures that shows just how desperate the Greater Will has become by the time of the game itself. Things are extremely bad, and all kinds of other ontological forces, such as Godwyn himself, or the Omen/Crucible affiliated, are resurging trying to exert their wills over the Lands Between as well. Pushed this far into extremis, it's sent the call for us, the Tarnished, willful revenants more motivated by Marika's geas than any kind of actual control the GW can exert, to at least have a chance of remaining dominant in the end.

[@thomasstevens2252]

no marika called/resurrected us the greater will truly abandoned the world after the shattering both the two fingers and the elden beast are doing things of their own separate goals

[@catmadethat]

What even is the Greater Will? 🤔

[@thomasstevens2252]

@@catmadethat something greater that has a will

[@Mindboggles]

@@catmadethat big brother of the Great Will

[@radcut7404]

@@Mindboggles Younger brother of the even greater will

[@BeesQuestionMarkk]

I feel like Godwyn looking so aquatic and slowly moving to consume the world draws parallels back to Aldrich, and how he dreamt of the world being consumed by a deep ocean, or something of the like.

[@Leonardo-so7db]

Basically bloodborne

[@itoast1231]

Fromsoft has said that they are taking alot of influence from all there soulsbourne titles

[@MightyGuts7423]

@@Leonardo-so7db - How is that Bloodbore?

[@Leonardo-so7db]

@@MightyGuts7423 If you ever played bloodborne you should know the answer

[@MightyGuts7423]

@@Leonardo-so7db - The guy is referencing Dark Souls 3 though. Aldrich is not a character in Bloodborne. And the ocean didn't play that big a theme in Bloodborne either.

[@bearVshark100]

I never figured Godwyn was an active participant in the never ending stream of demigods trying to take over the world.

[@TerryHesticles87]

Godwyn is officially the scariest thing FROM has conceived. What a whole bunch of NOPE

[@pilot3605]

Honestly, nothing in this game strikes me as scary. Godwyn in particular makes me sad: the lore paints him as a really good person, and look what they did to him

[@AzraelSoulHunter]

Good job Ranni. Nothing like leaving the world without anyone's supervision with THIS growing around.

[@muratticugaratti1571]

yeah sheesh the best ending that people talk about

[@HalfLight6420]

Starting to think Lord of Frenzied Flame is the way to go

[@misterStevePikk]

I simped for the villain, I see that now

[@srinjoy_79]

That's how Ranni has been portrayed. She is selfish. She killed her body just so she could stop being an emperyean, while it's mostly to get away from under the control of two fingers, it can also be seen as not wanting to take the responsibilities of a ruler, a lord. Her last cutscene of bringing forth a huge moon and then running away with the tarnished also reinforces this idea. It's not necessarily a bad thing. It seems she doesn't want to rule and wants to leave all that stuff to someone else.

[@allozaur2]

And we kill Maliketh too, the only guy trying to do something about this

[@extremelyboredtatsumaki.495]

The black knives accidentally created an eldritch being of death. Good job, girls!

[@Neptunequeen42]

Wait, the basilisks in dark souls 1 were notably a source for eyes of death. These basilisks literally have the eyes of death.

[@alessiobilleci7246]

Most likely a subtle (not so much tho) way for miyazaki to suggest how Godwyn is essentially the Nito of elden ring. Miyazaki does this often: put many bosses/characters and themes that resemble one another to better explain each story,like,the flames of the prince of death are the same as the omen wraiths,wraiths are cursed souls upon dying and being unable to return to the erdtree, while in ds3 the deep souls or soul dregs were literally corpses of dark souls,stagnating forming the deep sea Aldrich dreamed about,again the deep is connected to death/dark and water, which ofc is kinda connected to nito and now to Godwyn

[@whateveryousayfam5240]

Zullie dropping heat as always

[@AgentPothead]

So like 4k hours in souls games across consoles and pc and I had no idea the basilisk eyes were just decoys.

[@sebastianmelendez5572]

I don’t know if you will ever see this, but I was thinking about how you mentioned the growth spreading to even Farum Azula…. And recall how Godwyn’s corpse is right under the Erdtree, at its roots specifically, maybe the Erdtree, which showers the entirety of The Lands Between with light and life, has actually also been spreading Godwyn’s corruption through its roots? We know the Minor Erdtrees and much smaller Erdtree saplings (where you find the Golden Seeds) are directly protruding from the Erdtree below, so it would be a cool twist: where the symbol of control from gods above (the Greater Will) has actually been corrupted long ago, paints a more sinister picture for this iconic landmark! And as for Farum Azula and its disconnect with the Erdtree’s roots because it’s floating… What about the showers of golden petals that span the entire map every so often? Could they also serve as seeds to spread the Erdtree’s blessings (they increase your rune acquiring), but also Godwyn’s death rot? I think that might be the case, and a good explanation as to how Godwyn’s influence has reached to some truly insane places. Just a thought.

[@actionchie]

I agree that the golden petals we see throughout the game could act as seedlings, spreading seeds of the Erdtree (or even Godwyn) throughout The Lands Between. That could explain the death root in Farum Azula. That or Garum Azula wasn't floating in the sky until after Godwyn became the Prince of Death.

[@Ezekiel_Allium]

Nepheli describes how the winds of stormveil have been tainted. She ascribes this to the process of grafting, but some item descriptions call this into question, suggesting something else is the cause, and well there's a massive source of deathroot under the castle. I think Godwyn has started spreading spores or a magical corruption that functions the same way, which would explain why the death root surfaces at all. If we run with the fungus comparison, the only reason the network would ever surface would be to produce a fruiting body to spread its spore

[@proboz]

@@Ezekiel_Allium What item descriptions call it into questioning? Not being a dick, legitimately interested!

[@qwery486]

@@Ezekiel_Allium The item is the Marred Leather Shield! It seems like Nepheli and others simply didn't know what resided below - it's rather hidden as opposed to the well-known art of grafting that was present throughout the castle, most notably on Godrick himself.

[@blakebailey22]

How are there undead in Farum Azula? Wouldn't Maliketh stamp out anything violating the system of death the Elden Ring established?

[@Xeronoia]

At the copy of godwyn's face beneath stormveil, there's a npc bloodstain for Rogier. It shows him reach out to touch it, and doing so kills him. Also he won't be back at the spot you first meet him anymore, and won't have moved to the round table yet either until after you beat Godrick. When he does spawn in the round table, you can see he has roots growing out of his legs - the event he refers to when he says half his body was infused with death is interacting with Godwyn's face. I don't know if he is meant to have tried to do something to it and thats what caused it, or if anyone/the area would be inflicted with deathblight. If the latter though, it seems to me like touching the face (standing on it, in the players case) should cause deathblight buildup in order to be lore accurate. Unless its meant to be that because Rogier is a graceless tarnished, and the player character isnt, the greater will wasn't offering any form of protection to him. Why it would protect the player from the face under stormveil but not other sources of deathblight I'm not certain, though it is worth noting (as a gameplay thing mostly, tbh) the player character can never become afflicted with death the same way other characters do and they always come back right as rain.

[@Walamonga1313]

That face has no eyes, in contrast to every other. My theory is that Rogier removed/popped them somehow and that's how he got afflicted

[@hardluckmk.52]

For a DLC that claims “all manners of death wash up on the lands of the shadows” or something there really isn’t a lot of death related stuff but there is more than i thought