r/DarksoulsLore

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This is an alternate viewpoint from the conventionally held theory that Seath fathered Priscilla and (somehow) Gwyndolin. I am assuming Priscilla is Velka's daughter, fathered by Gwyn, which if you disagree with, that's completely understandable.

Thematically, I believe this is appropriate as Seath is something of an alchemist seeking to artificially manufacture life, and the prospect of the natural generation of life seems like it doesn't really fit with him.

It presumes Gwyndolin is Gwyn's son, and it takes into consideration the fact that the first born son of Gwyn has an extreme affinity for Dragons

This theory depends mostly upon a read of environmental details, as should be evident from the image. Yes, I'm aware of the spelling mistake, no I will not be changing it, as I think it adds to the MS paint aesthetic.

This theory would also explain why humans would be capable of partial (and potential total) transformation into Dragons

Theme of Degeneration

In mythology, it is a recurring theme to think of the past generations as greater than the current ones. A great example comes from the Iliad, where characters speak about Heracles with great respect, as someone more heroic, more powerful, and more godlike than those around in their modern time, and in the recounting of the Iliad, characters such as Achilles would be treated the same by the Greek listeners. A degeneration of man has occurred, we are now shorter, weaker, less godlike.

This theory meshes well with those notions, and explains why someone like Gwyn could go Hollow, despite being a god, as the gods are not substantially different from the humans, just bigger, stronger, and more powerful.

Pygmy Admixture?

One potential reason why the godlike beings of the older age could be shrinking in size is the proliferation of the Pygmy race

Could the Dark Soul be stripping away the more Dragon-like aspects of the inhabitants of Lordran? Does becoming a Dragon divest someone of their portion of the Dark Soul.

Conclusion

I'm throwing darts at a board, what are your thoughts?

Literarily, it seems Havel's antagonism to Seath was modeled on the legend of the Basilisk.

The Basilisk is a serpent (king of serpents, by etymology) who kills things by looking at them and/or turns things to stone with its gaze. Seath is legless, and so symbolically more serpent than dragon. He turns things into stone by trapping them in crystals, or even making beings of crystal.

The Basilisk can be killed by the crowing of a Rooster. Havel, etymologically, comes from Rooster. The crest on his helmet resembles a Rooster crest, and Havel fights alongside Gwyn to bring about the dawn of humanity. As my friend pointed out to me, his characteristic weapon is even a talon!

The most humorous bit of this connection is how the classic myth is subverted. The Basilisk turns people into stone - but Havel is 'the Rock', and already wears armor of stone. It doesn't prevent him from moving around! Meanwhile, Seath is stuck in place (mostly).

And of course, Seath is scaleless. That is the root cause of his problems. Havel is 'scaled' in his rock armor, which is either Ancient Dragon scale, or something made to look like it.

Does this tell us anything about the lore? Directly, not so much. But it shows us two different methods of pursuing immortality, and heavily contrasts them.

Seath wants to live forever. To that end, he harms the lives of others. Does he achieve immortality? No.

Havel's connection to immortality is the dragon cult. There, men gain immortality without harming others. They give up their own lives (become stone), and lose death with it.

This is the literary reason path of the dragon is positive, I think. Its the recognition that true immortality could only be gained by accepting the paradox that it can't be gained. The duality of life and death cannot be transcended, unless it is rejected.

That's all I got.

I just got done watching Qwibbz's ds3 video, and I'm confused about something. So the Unkindled are woken up because the previous lords of cinder aren't relinking the flame, and they were woken up because Lothric didn't link the flame, that much I get. But he said that when we gather the ashes of the lords we get transported into the same future as the Dreg Heap/Ringed City, which doesn't make sense to me. The unkindled were woken up because in that moment the first flame was fading, so why, when we complete our goal and gather the ashes of the lords of cinder, do we get sent FAR into the future when the flame is fading again after god knows how many other cycles? Or am I misunderstanding something? Thanks!

Enjoy

Figured I'd provide this since there are some out there who seem to think the English is only an accessory to the original script and doesn't actually contradict anything in the Japanese (it does, a number of times).

Only way to get the point across that it does, is to let people discover it for themselves.

One of the most interesting pieces of Lore that I've seen in any magical setting is the nature of Miracles in Dark Souls. This idea of Faith being a catalyst for their Stories to manifest into their reality always fascinated me. If Miracles are Stories then what secrets do they hold?

When Seath told Lord Gwyn about the Lighting Spears I always get lost in imagination wondering what story he told. Did he simply tell him about Lightning or did he tell him a prophecy about his rise to power? Which would make the entire setting much more interesting. As this implies the Dragons knew of Gwyns rise to power before Humans even existed.

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The Darksign as a Witch's Necromancy

Undead characters are moving cadavers, visually there's little difference between them, Hollows, and corpses on the ground. There is, however, a tangled network of roots propagating directly over their heart. In Dark Souls 3, this tangle of roots has started to grow into entire trees. Even corpses which we would otherwise consider truly dead are supporting the growth of literal trees.

Typically, the Witches of Dark Souls are associated with fire, but thematically, is wood all that different from fire? Forget the actual physics of the real world, and consider a metaphysical connection between wood, and the fire that burns it, one might say that wood is just a solidified form of fire, waiting for some ignition to release the fire it contains within it. The visual similarities of Chaos flames, and the tangle of an undead's roots are easy to see. This thematic connection seems like it is taken seriously in universe, Lost Izalith, a city covered in lava, is likewise covered in a tangle of tree roots. And at its core, the Witch of Izalith has transformed herself into a giant tangled tree, not too dissimilar to the trees that hollows eventually grow into becoming.

Back to the darksign, the symbol itself is clearly that of a fire burning around in a ring, so suggesting the darksign itself is a Pyromancy (I understand the technical term Pyromancy doesn't come around until Salaman), as opposed to a sorcery or miracle. The tangle of roots can be interpreted as a life-giving magical spell, keeping an otherwise dead body from truly dying. This would also align with things the Witches were getting up to, namely adding a parasitic life to a host. It seems to me that the darksign is a form of necromancy, a parasitic life burning up the dark soul within man to feed a parasitic life force that keeps the cursed human from truly dying.

EDIT: I completely forgot the biggest smoking gun for the link between Necromancy and Pyromancy, literal Necromancers in the catacombs that attack you using Pyromancy!

Gwyn, up to no good, but how?

But this isn't the only thing the darksign does, the undeath it afflicts on a being is not the purpose of it. Through the deaths and rebirth, the souls and humanity of those cursed gets drained away from the undead, it is a curse that turns them into fuel. Not an absurd statement, as bonfires themselves are fueled by the bones of the undead, and bits of humanity added to it.

The darksign is operating as a means of burning humanity, keeping darkness at bay, and empowering the other figures of the age, namely Gwyn. Nito and his Way of White Church literally has women going around spreading the darksign (as seen in the opening cinematic), Paladins weaponized by it, and hunts that cut down the undead they created.

But again, the darksign is a Pyromancy, not a Miracle. It has to do with Life, not Light or Death. How could Gwyn or Nito manage to craft it? Well, THEY couldn't, but a Witch could. So how does Gwyn manage to take advantage of it?

Is there anything that could unite the realms of Izaleth, and Anor Londo under a political alliance that would bring both of them together untied against the Dragons, that could also get Gwyn access to powerful life-giving Pyromancies? Yeah, a marriage.

Velka

The Painted Realm is in Anor Londo, in Gwynevere's cathedral. Gwyn has children, yet their mother is unaccounted for, not mentioned by anyone anywhere. The Crow Yatagarasu, in Japanese mythology, is a Divine Messenger, and a symbol of the sun. Velka, then, has serious association with the sun in this regard. I think it is reasonable to assume that Velka was Gwyn's wife.

Further, I think it is reasonable to say that Velka was a daughter of the Witch of Izalith, married to Gwyn to form a political alliance. As far as daughters in the game, if we say that the body Ceaseless Discharge guards is a fake left by Quelaana, then there is one daughter of the Witch of Izalith unaccounted for. You may ask why Velka is the goddess of sin, instead of something Pyromancy related, but by joining Gwyn at Anor Londo, she would be leaving her old life behind to join Gwyn's dynasty.

Miyazaki is a fan of Western Mythology, and would be familiar with Japanese Mythology, the duel association between Crows (a crow/raven distinction is pedantic and unserious) and both the Sun and Witches would make perfect sense as a blend of the two traditions.

The Way of White, and Gwyn's Sin

Back to the way of White, we can see how their order operates. Knowledgeable and cynical male Clerics, such as Petrus, are actively exploiting magical women. The male figures possess catalysts that don't require faith, whereas the magical darksign-spreading women that they exploit absolutely require great faith.

The Way of White was propped up by the gods of the world, an institution they use to keep the status quo. I would suggest this organization reflects the way they operate as well. I believe that just as the Way of White exploits women to spread the darksign, Gwyn exploited Velka to create the darksign. Gwyn is the kind of person to do whatever it takes to achieve his goal, and I believe the Way of White reflects this ruthless behavior.

Being the victim of Gwyn would also thematically tie Velka in with the idea of sin, particularly the sin of the gods, and with her opposition and active hand in opposing Gwyn's domain. She remains involved in the fight against Gwyn until the time of ds3, because she has a personal stake in whats going on. The linking of the flame, the extension of the Age of Fire, and the spread of the darksign isn't just some thing happening in the world around her, this is HER story, and she wants to right what was wronged.

For purposes of brevity, the First Born Son, (i.e. Gwyn's son) will be referred to as FBS or the FBS. I will also presume the FBS is the same person as the Nameless King.

I also presume that much of what Hawkshaw theorizes about the plot against the gods is true, and I credit him with a lot of the assumptions I'm working with.

The Nature of the Departure of the FBS

The FBS leaves Lordran after Gwyn links the Flame. Following his departure, his statues are destroyed and his shrines dismantled, yet his followers remain active. His cult is suppressed, not abandoned. Moreover, the FBS himself continues to watch over his followers, implying he never truly abandoned Lordran.

This does not look like a peaceful departure. It suggests the FBS was removed by a force strong enough to defeat him and politically powerful enough to erase him from history.

Gwyn's departure

The war with the dragons and demons has recently ended. Humanity has been brought into Gwyn’s order, and the Four Kings effectively serve as powerful administrators of the human world.

Gwyn departs to link the Flame. He understands the danger involved, having already seen the Witch of Izalith fail at a similar undertaking. Presumably hoping to survive the process, Gwyn splits his soul beforehand so the linking will not completely consume him.

Crucially, Gwyn does not entrust his son with his soul.

Instead, he distributes fragments of his power among Seath, the Four Kings, and even the Four Knights, something stated by Ornstein’s ds1 soul description.

Ornstein

The DS3 Leo Ring states that Ornstein was the FBS’s first knight, likely meaning his foremost or most trusted knight. Ornstein and the FBS share strong thematic links: lightning-infused spears and dragon hunting. Their relationship likely predates Ornstein’s induction into Gwyn’s Four Knights.

The Four Knights appear to have been assembled gradually, with various candidates accepted or rejected over time. Ornstein likely established his own reputation before Gwyn elevated him.

So what happens when Gwyn names Ornstein one of his personal knights, grants him a ring, and gives Ornstein, rather than his own son, a fragment of his soul? It looks less like a reward and more like a political maneuver. Gwyn is attempting to redirect Ornstein’s loyalty away from the FBS and toward himself.

Gough

Gough is the leader of the Dragonslayers, possesses a unique medallion from Gwyn himself, maintains ties with the giants, and is arguably the strongest of the Four Knights. Above all, he is fiercely loyal to Gwyn. Even after Gwyn is long gone, when he talks to the chosen undead he wishes them Lord Gwyn's blessing.

If Gwyn’s soul fragments are meant to stabilize the kingdom during his absence, then Gwyn’s loyalists become critically important, and Gough is fiercely loyal, and certainly the army of giants and Anor Londo would have his back.

Gwyn's Political Strategy

Why split up his soul at all?

If Gwyn successfully links the Flame and returns alive, he would not want any single individual holding enough concentrated power to threaten him. If the FBS received Gwyn's soul, or even a portion of it, he could potentially overthrow the existing order. Even if Gwyn did nothing, the FBS, a war veteran and hero who would be next in line for the throne, could conceivably displace Gwyn.

The fear of a son supplanting his father is a classic mythological theme, especially within divine dynasties. To plan against this, Gwyn splits his power between multiple powers, keeping it away from his son without compromising the status quo.

Seath is politically isolated, and the Four Kings are mere administrators. But Gwyn has the loyalty of the Black Knights, along with the Four Knights, especially Gough. With their help, Gwyn would overpower them individually even if they hold a portion of his power.

Gwyn deliberately creates a balance of power designed to prevent his son from succeeding him uncontested.

The Plot is Hatched

Gwyn leaves to link the Flame and never returns.

The FBS becomes king in name, but Gwyn’s political order remains intact through the web of loyalties and power-sharing Gwyn established beforehand. The FBS inherits the throne, but does not become the patriarch of the pantheon.

At this point, the FBS begins conspiring with Velka.

I believe Velka is Gwyn’s wife and that Gwyn exploited her, just as he exploited those around him. Velka’s obsession with sin begins with Gwyn’s “first sin”: extending the Age of Fire at the expense of humanity. If you disagree, I will not elaborate at this moment.

The FBS, denied both his father’s soul and his rightful inheritance, conspires with his mother to overthrow Gwyn’s established order and claim his place as ruler of a new age.

I also believe Gwyndolin is involved. Key items tied to the conspiracy are hidden behind illusionary walls, suggesting access to illusion magic far beyond what Havel alone could plausibly wield.

The Plot Expands

Havel joins the conspiracy. As a bishop of the Way of White, he would have ample reason to despise Seath, who is abducting maidens from the Way of White for his experiments.

By joining the conspiracy, Havel brings miracle-users and religious influence into the movement. Havel may once have been loyal to Gwyn’s order, but Gwyn is gone now.

The undead also align themselves with the Everlasting Dragon hidden in Ash Lake. This makes sense: the undead would resent Gwyn’s curse and seek a form of immortality through dragons that could free them from the affects of the undead curse before they go hollow.

The FBS himself eventually allies with dragons, as confirmed in ds3. I believe this alliance predates the conspiracy itself, though the exact reason remains unclear.

Still, it ties the FBS even more deeply to the anti-Gwyn coalition.

The Plot Fails

The conspiracy begins its attack underground, targeting Nito’s domain. This threatens one of the pillars of Gwyn’s order and allows the conspirators to seize the Rite of Kindling.

The FBS would need the Rite, if only to deny it to his enemies.

But the conspiracy is betrayed. Why and how isn't the focus right now.

One longstanding clue is the placement of Black Knights throughout Lordran. Many stand guard near corpses or locations associated with the conspiracy. But there is an odd man out, a Black Knight standing atop the tower near the Undead Parish.

Why guard that location?

If the FBS was part of the conspiracy, the answer becomes obvious: the Black Knight is guarding the FBS’s shrine.

Below ground, the conspiracy collapses. Above ground, Gwyn’s loyalists mobilize against the FBS. Seath and the Four Knights move to preserve the existing order.

With the element of surprise lost, the FBS cannot win.

The Four Knights, especially Gough, may have refused to kill Gwyn’s son out of loyalty or respect. Instead, they force him into exile.

Before departing, the FBS leaves Sunlight Blade at Gwyn’s tomb.

Velka is likewise declared a rogue deity and driven into hiding, though she continues operating within Lordran indirectly.

Erasure of the FBS

After the failed rebellion, the FBS is systematically erased from history.

Only Gwyn’s loyalists would possess the political and cultural power necessary to suppress the memory of Anor Londo’s rightful king. Seath or Nito alone could never accomplish this.

The FBS’s statues are destroyed, his shrines dismantled, and his legacy buried. Yet traces remain: hidden followers, surviving miracles, and the FBS himself quietly watching over Lordran from afar.

Timeline Concerns

Disparity itself emerges from the First Flame, including the flow of time.

Throughout the series, time is repeatedly associated with light. Filianore’s egg, for example, demonstrates that light and time are deeply connected.

As Gwyn’s Flame fades, time itself begins to distort and compress. Large spans of history lose their coherence. Centuries blur together. This is effectively how Solaire describes how time in Lordran. So if you think this seems like it happened too far in the past to make sense, I would suggest that the flow of time is convoluted.

Anybody got any? A list? Cool ones? Thanks.

It should be no surprise that the Kingdom of Lothric is at least several centuries old, founded at an unknown time after the end of DS2. And even in the stagnating, ashen world we find it in, it has stood the test time. The Lothric royal bloodline has spanned around 1 to 2 scores of generations, with many successions of Kings.

THE LOTHRIC ROYAL ENTERPRISE

Since its very beginning, the society of Lothric was founded on the importance of the Linking of the Fire. And it was the great responsibility of every king to produce an heir, a champion, a hero worthy enough to become a Lord of Cinder, and preserve the world (as we know it).

What many people forget is the fact that Prince Lothric was present during the kingdom's humble beginnings. And its very possible that the kingdom was named after him, not vice-versa. And there is a strong reason for this.

A FEAR OF KNOWING

According to the description of the Lothric Scholar Robes:

大書庫の賢者は魔術師であり また灯火に傅く敬虔な者でもあるという つまり彼らは、知ることを恐れているのだ

"The scholars of the Grand Archives are sorcerers, but are also said to be devout servants who bow before the Flame. In other words, they fear knowledge itself."

How interesting is it that these scholars, who devote themselves to the pursuit of knowledge, have a fear of knowing too much? Despite being men of sorcery, they are also men of faith. Faith in the Flame. They are as much a part of Lothric as the venerable Knights and the High Priestess. And thus, they also place value on the Firelinking. However, there was one scholar who wasn't.

THE FIRST SCHOLAR

ロスリックと大書庫のはじまりにおいて 最初の賢者が伝えたとされる魔術

凄まじいソウルの奔流を放つ

最初の賢者は火継ぎの懐疑者であり また密かに、王子の師でもあったという

"A sorcery said to have been passed down by the First Scholar at the beginning of Lothric and the Grand Archives.

Unleashes a tremendous torrent of souls.

The First Scholar was a sceptic of the Linking of the Fire, and is said to have secretly served as the Prince's mentor."

While the First Scholar of Lothric is no longer around, it is clear that his faith did not hold firm in the Firelinking. A scepticism that would later rub off on his pupil, the young Prince Lothric, only much later. As he was around during the Kingdom's beginning, it puts into perspective just how old the Prince really is. But more importantly, how much of a tragedy his character is.

THE TWIN LORDS

Another common misconception is the idea that Lothric and Lorian had rejected becoming Lords of Cinder altogether. In truth, however, the original text clarifies that they rejected BEING (たる) Lords of Cinder rather than BECOMING Lords of Cinder. As in they rejected their positions, their titles as well as the responsibilities they entailed. Their duties to preserve the Flame and the world.

Prince Lothric was a withered infant, born into illness. However, this was not the true "curse" that plagued the young prince. His real curse was the fact that he was fated, even before he was born, to fulfill his family's earnest but tragic wish: to link the Fire and become a Lord of Cinder. The royal family wished for a hero who would save the world. Lothric was meant to be that hero.

However, two sons were born that day, twins. The first was healthy, but the second was sickly. Despite this, the royal family decided that the younger prince would become the kingdom's true hero. The older prince, Lorian, was raised as a knight for the purpose of becoming the Sword of Prince Lothric; his brother's guardian.

Lorian loved his brother deeply, and was most certainly saddened knowing that he would one day lose him. Which is why Lorian took it upon himself to embrace his brother's destiny. The day eventually came when Prince Lothric would link the Fire, and Lorian decided to join him in this tragic yet heroic end. Together, the brothers would burn as kindling for the sake of the world.

This is how the Princes became martyrs and the event that, I believe, marked the origin of the enterprise/workings/undertaking (営み) of Lothric's royal bloodline. And most importantly, its how the kingdom would become known as Lothric, the Firelinking Kingdom.

THE LOTHRIC CURSE

Yet, over the course of centuries, this noble enterprise would no longer be as heroic in the end. As the Fire began to fade more quickly and the need for Lords of Cinder increased, even more pressure was put on the kings of Lothric to create worthy heirs. And little by little, the enterprise started drifting farther into abhorrent acts, until it would abandon humanity all together.

THE CONSUMED KING

As we know, it doesn't matter if you are righteous (Abyss Watchers), malicious (Aldrich), big (Yhorm), or small (Ludleth). To link the Fire and become a Lord of Cinder, the only thing that matters is the strength of your soul. At the end of the day, it is power that makes a Lord.

King Oceiros is the latest and certainly the last king of Lothric. And it was the enterprise of Lothric's royal lineage that would eventually drive him mad. In his later years, he became obssessed with dragons, specifically their sheer strength and power. And he would attempt to harnass this power to create an heir with the strength of dragons. This obssession would lead him to form ties with the heretics of the Grand Archives, who were adherents to a distorted faith in the White Dragon, Seath the Scaleless.

A long time ago, Big Hat Logan attuned himself to the mind of Seath and, in doing so, was able to make the dragon's godlike power his own. King Oceiros wished to acheive such enlightment, and went about becoming one with Seath. Of course, we know that Seath was not sound in mind, as he was a creature driven mad by envy, endless research, and lonliness. In a way, him and Oceiros are kindred spirits.

Over time, Oceiros' body would slowly become more warped into a monstrous pale dragon. Similar to Seath himself, he would also start to lose his sight. It seems that his research did yield something of value, as we learn that him and his enigmatic Queen produced a child of dragons, Ocelotte.

FAILURE

However, it seems that the people of Lothric were not pleased with the result. Why this was the case is never known. Perhaps the child possessed no power whatsoever, or perhaps the people simply could not perceive it. Oceiros clearly saw something in the child, but then again, its not like his opinion carried a lot of weight, as he had been seeing very little these days.

Regardless, the kingdom did not produce a worthy heir to link the Fire. And not long after, the Queen of Lothric decided to disappear from the kingdom and abandon her title all together. Perhaps she no longer wished to be around her husband, who had fallen into madness? Perhaps she no longer believed in Lothric's "noble" undertaking? Or perhaps some circumstance behind her youngest child was too much for her to bear.

We find the king alone in a ruined temple in the royal garden and we hear the distorted, almost inhuman babbling of an infant. When he hears us enter he addresses us as a fool, possibly mistaking us for one of his subjects. He suspects that we have finally come to realize the power of his dear Ocelotte, child of dragons. However, he makes clear that he will not let him go, as the child is all he has left now. His everything.

His hands appear to be cradling something, but there is nothing to be seen. He tells the child to come out and that there is nothing for him to fear. But the child never does. One can only wonder, can the child simply not be seen by anyone, or perhaps a more unsettling query: was he ever holding the child to begin with? Was it all a delusion fabricated by a fractured, obssessed, and lonely mind? Like Seath, was Oceiros just another broken soul who never really understood what it was he truly lacked?

THE LORDS' RETURN

With the king failing to produce a worthy heir, the Linking of the Fire had become threatened. And with no one worthy champion to be found, the kingdom was left with no other choice. With the toll of the great bell, the old Lords of Cinder were awoken from their graves. And now, the fading Flame is now forced to use its own cinder to stay alive. Only in truth, upon awakening, the Lords decided to abandon their thrones, believing that this world was no longer worth preserving.

And one of these lords was Prince Lothric himself, along with his brother. It seemed that as a consequence of linking the Fire together, their souls had become tangled, becoming inseperable. And the once healthy Lorian was now left crippled and mute upon awakening.

Perhaps after seeing the state of his kingdom and the world around him, Prince Lothric and his brother had finally lost all faith in the duty of Linking the Fire. They finally had enough of the long line of sacrificial lambs and desired for it all to fade into nothing. And so, he and his brother had decided to reject their mantles as Lords of Cinder, eschew everything, and await the End of Fire.

A PLACE TO DIE

When we find him, he appears to sit on some kind of tomb. A place where many flowers have been strewn to pay respects. Perhaps it is the memorial dedicates to the princes themselves? He is well aware of who we are: Ash without Fire, collector of kindling. But he makes clear that he has no desire to be a lord, and that we too should rest now.

Still commited to his duty, Lorian enters the fray to protect his dear brother. And though broken, he fights admirably, but is still no match for us. When he falls, Lothric is quick to join his brother's side. He reminds Lorian that he is his sword, the Sword of Prince Lothric. He humbly asks his brother to rise again, for that is their curse.

The brothers muster what little strength they have left to support each other in one final attempt to put our ambitions to rest once and for all. But we are undettered, and through sheer resolve, we manage to slay both Lorian and Lothric. And in his dying breath, Prince Lothric claims that we are just like them: bound by a curse.

The curse of Linking the Fire.

Xanthous Crown for Ring of Favor and Protection.

Why that particular pair? I have ideas but I'm curious to hear other people's notions.

The hedgehog-rabbits in Eleum Loyce seem to be a reference to a philosophical concept called "The Hedgehog's Dilemma" (or "Porcupine's Paradox").

Hedgehogs are drawn together by a desire to nestle for warmth but are drawn apart by the pain their quills inflict upon each other.

Humans are also drawn together by a desire to feel the warmth of love, yet drawn apart by the pain they inevitably cause one another.

This simultaneous push-and-pull that Humanity engenders is much like the "Unity of Opposites" or "Logos" referenced by *Disparity* in the opening cinematic. It is especially noteworthy in Eleum Loyce because Alsanna's relationship was the only one typified by greater attraction than repulsion, rather than vice-versa.

I also believe that Dark is compared to "Logos" ("Word") by the Pus of Man, who spew ink and drop charcoal.

(Controversially, I also believe these enemies are a reference to the epithet, "snowbunnies," as a further reference to the books, "The White Goddess" and "V.," that I believe the trilogy draws inspiration from.

Another example is "Rose of Ariandel," being a reference to the folk song "Rose of Allendale" and "Yorshka" being a reference to the White Rose of Yorkshire.)

Sorry if this was a bit scattered. I just wanted to share a few ideas.