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@brightsparkiv4

Жыл бұрын

Awesome!

@ajackass5950

Жыл бұрын

Yum time

@ragnarok3279

Жыл бұрын

This was really well done! Do you think that the wraith callers have any tie to the death rite birds, as they use a bell to summon wraiths, kind of like an inbetween of spirit calling and rancor wraith summoning? And also, the only other enemies to use wraiths are Omens, do you think that they may have a tie to this at all?

@MistahPaul

Жыл бұрын

@5:23 this is wrong. The idea of being Tarnished is one of the essential pieces to this story.

@theshackledgamer799

Жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed this one dude. Appreciate the links for other channels as well.

As a bird enthusiast, I do want to mention that the deathbirds' skulls aren't very close to ravens or any other corvid. They're much closer to, for example, sparrows. The proportions make me think of nestlings, for whatever that means.

@jamesn3122

Жыл бұрын

100% it's very uncanny since you really expect a corvid shape. They look very juvenile

@SaaScofagus

Жыл бұрын

That's exactly what I thought. When I first fought one in the weeping peninsula, I thought they were some kind of canary or singer bird. When they scream, it kinda sounds like a tweet.

@richt7525

Жыл бұрын

There are a few corvids that have beaks a bit closer to that shape though, like the jackdaw or some of the jays, which technically count. As for the overall cranial shape, I don't think there's *any* bird that has a skull anywhere close to that. It almost looks like a simian hybrid, tbh, which makes sense considering the creature's distinctly non avian physiology.

@lilyy7318

Жыл бұрын

@@richt7525 You'd be surprised. Look up baby sparrows: the big head and small beak really make me think of baby barn swallows. Obviously it's not 1:1, but I don't see the simian beyond "big brain"

@richt7525

Жыл бұрын

@@lilyy7318 It's more the rounded shape than the size, and in the orbital sockets being a bit more forward facing as though the creature were classically predatory. (i'm aware that corvids are often birds of prey, but I mean in the mammalian sense here) Ditto the lack of a downward slope from the side profile, this one instead has a distinct vertical fall off before the beak starts. It truly looks like a smallish monkey grew a beak to me. Only seems to be missing the suture seams to fit the category.

One idea i have on the wandering mausoleums: The Mausoleums wander around, to prevent the deathroot from reaching the soulles demigods. Roots grow slowly and cant get a grip on something that moves around. Maybe those soulles demigods where decapitated after their death and put into wandering graves, to prevent them from turning into godwyn like abominations. But eventually, when the player reaches the mausoleums, the deathroot managed to get a hold on the mausoleums. And maybe the sound of their bell was used to alarm nearby people that the deathroot got near the soulles demigod. People probably used to clean the mausoleums, before everyone turned into zombies. Because when the player removes the traces of death from the mausoleums legs, it calms down and settles back on the ground.

@alexrocky9147

Жыл бұрын

Amazing comment!

@luisemoralesfalcon4716

Жыл бұрын

So that is the point of the 4 legged rocks which have a building on top? To beat at their legs or something?

@mikkoleinonen9846

Жыл бұрын

I just commented the same, but noticed that you were way ahead of me! This is exactly how I feel about the mausoleums.

@jetfoxproductions

Жыл бұрын

ok if the bell ringing is suppose to indicate that the roots got to the demigods, but the movement is also suppose to prevent the roots from getting to the demigods, which also rings the bell. i would think the bell ringing would mean the demigod is still untouched by the death root, and the bell being silent would mean the roots have got to the demigod. that is if we are talking about the headless corpse inside the mausoleums.

@Nu63

Жыл бұрын

I think you nailed that one.

One thing I noticed is that the death birds can inflict death blight when they scream. Since death birds are presumably far older than the death of Godwyn this implys that the blight had existed before hand or that the death birds were also somehow effected by Godwyn's spread

@NickCombs

Жыл бұрын

More likely the former since that fits into the timeline as we understand it. This makes me wonder if Death itself (that which is trapped in the rune) is the remnant of that ancient outer god and its twin bird envoy. There's a similar theme going on with rot itself being what's left of another "defeated" outer god. And with the Fell God of chaos and destruction, again it is defeated, but cannot be eradicated. All of these examples point to the larger premise that the aims of order and containment that the Greater Will is striving for are inherently unnatural and unsustainable in this world.

@realm087

Жыл бұрын

@@alfalldoot6715 Some times I wonder if the Greater Will isn't really an outer God. I wonder if it is above what gods are, somethig even more abstract. We know that the Elden Beast was sent by the Greater Will and it became the Elden Ring. So yes, the Elden Ring is indeed a creation of the Greater Will, and the Greater Will created it with the Rune of Death in it. Unless someone added it to the ring at some point just as we can add the Mending Runes to it. The Greater Will itself doesn't seem to be against the idea of Death. It was Marika who for some reason wanted it gone. The "Red" of the crucible, that was gold with a red tinge, might have been due to the Rune of Death(The most reddish rune). This makes me feel like the Greater Will doesn't really care that much if there is or isn't Death in the world, since there was at least two eras under it's influence where, in one, there was Death, and in the other, there wasn't. Plus, through the flame of chaos questline, we learn that it was the Greater Will who divided what once was all the same, into all the different things. So it might be that ALL of the outer gods, might be creations of the Greater Will. Perhaps even the frenzied flame itself is a sort of "ungrateful child" to the greater will. Plus, from what we know of all the runes, the Elden Ring seem to only control the land of the living. The spirit world, seems to have it's own set of rules that are completely outside of the realm of the Elden Ring. I say this because of from all the themes we see in the game that seem related to the runes. I digressed a bit but I wanted to but these ideas out there before I forget them lol.

@matiasluukkanen7718

Жыл бұрын

The Giants on Mountaintops seem to be impaled and killed with deathblight thorns emerging from their bodies. It would make sense Golden Order under Marika would weaponize Death-Blight against their most dangerous enemies, and then seal it away.

@zsDUGGZ

Жыл бұрын

@@matiasluukkanen7718 it's probably more related to the thorn sorceries (briars of sin and briars of punishment). It would make more sense due to enemies that wield it being quite present before getting to Flame Peak

@alfalldoot6715

Жыл бұрын

@@realm087 Yeah I agree but the reason I think Marika removed the rune of death was probably because of the remaining Godskin forces and she removed it just to make sure they never become a real threat again.

King of lore videos is back. Seriously, I've never seen lore videos with so much content in it while still being thorough with every explanation. Well done.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much. I really hope you enjoy

@GoodLainFR

Жыл бұрын

Agreed, I hope Vati's proud

@jimmyhoffa2816

Жыл бұрын

Indeed. They are very good on depth clearity etc. And ties many things together. Definately one of if not the top lore channel for this generation of souls-blood-ring-demons-born-elden-soft games

@whitewolf9actual

Жыл бұрын

so much passion my friend. cheers.

@scottborgstrom9622

Жыл бұрын

@@SmoughTown 😂

Although Deathbirds were IMO the most annoying field bosses, their lore and appearance always seemed out of place and therefore, pretty interesting to me. Like something way past the current age of the Erdtree, as if they shouldn't be there yet persists.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Yeah they are super interesting lore wise

@VVabsa

Жыл бұрын

@@SmoughTown Especially with the many forms death is handled in the game. Are you eventually going to do a recap of the timeline of events after you covered the dragons? I mean, even Death has had many manifestations throughout ingame history from the deathbirds and ghostflame to Godskin apostle's blackflame and Godwyn's deathblight so I think it would be nice idea for a summary vid after covering everything in depth.

@AC-hj9tv

Жыл бұрын

Spoopy as hell

@09csr

Жыл бұрын

They look really cool though like ravens mixed with curshed porcelain dolls. Ranni's dark moon tend to make quick work of them for me though.

@VileMr.Grinch

Жыл бұрын

The first time I encountered the one in limgrave, the "stick figure" like design and derpy "tweety bird" skull shape immediately made me think of an "uncanny valley" old Mickey mouse episode. You know those very old black and white Mickey mouse movies/episodes, where Pete (or Mickey) had a small boat ? That but Miyazakified. Edit : Yes, I smoke a healthy amount of crescent moon grass, lol

I made a theory on honored madman about the death birds, they’re kind of like lanterns that seeks the spirits of The fallen and the more they collect the spirit the stronger their flames become to The point where they can make wings out of their ghostly flames , they’re like ravens but instead of feasting upon the rotten flesh of the fallen they instead seek the spirit that haven’t been claimed by the erdtree. It also explains their aggressive nature to tarnished since they live in between life and death and The death birds are still animalistic being very confused on what you are.🤔🐱

@battlericky17

Жыл бұрын

“ARE YA ALIVE OR ALIVENT?” The Deathbird that just beat the shit out of me

@alyseleem2692

Жыл бұрын

@@battlericky17 "PICK ONE YA SONUVA#####!" The Deathbird that pecked me to death.

@ThommyofThenn

Жыл бұрын

Loving the random capitalisation!

@battlericky17

Жыл бұрын

@@alyseleem2692 😂😂😂 exactly. I’ll DECIDE for YOU!!!

@battlericky17

Жыл бұрын

@@ThommyofThenn death bird has “i type in capitals to scream” energy

I always saw the wings on the Masoleum knights armor as very reminiscent of the Eclipse Shotel, especially since their greatshield have the eclipse emblazoned on the front

Imma be honest smough, I think you are one of the best elden ring lore youtubers out there and there are LOTS of people doing this. I love just sitting down, getting some tea and listening to you explain all this stuff while i go "woah how did i miss that?!". If you are done with elden ring one day you should really branch out to other games, but ofc thats just my thought. Keep it up man love the content

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Hammy 🙏you have no idea how much that means to me

I love the fact that the raptor set is literally an altered version of the bandit set, this just adds lore to my favorite class in the souls series (and in Elden Ring). After all it would make sense that, as a bandit, you would want to appear menacing to the people you steal from and what better than death itself. Maybe some of them reached a point were they too became followers of such cult thanks to all the riches it gave them just with the attire, or maybe the bandits already revered such gods of death; either way it makes the class feel more complete!

@OG-ColorfulAbyss.

Жыл бұрын

The only good part of the Raptor set is the cape. The hood/mask looks cool too admittedly but they do not match. Cape is like a faded deep blue, whereas the hood is black and has splotches of blood literally identical to the cape on the Nightrider chest piece.

It's interesting how the blue, and red-feathered branchsword, and the spears the Death priests wield, look like the seven-branched sword from real life. I wonder why the devs decided on that design, and how it connects to the game lore, considering the tree/branch motif is usually connected to the Erd Tree, or Halig Tree, and deathbirds are remnants of "ancient" times pre-Erd Tree. It would make sense that they have some form of their own tree that they lived on (birds, trees, makes sense) from which this motif could've been drawn. But certainly the 'Helphen' three would've been older than the Erd Tree. Perhaps it's a reflection of the crucible (which is more connected to the red colour, than the Erd Tree).

@scottekers5651

Жыл бұрын

That would certainly be an interesting theory. The Crucible representing primordial life, while the Helphen represents primordial death.

Down the line you should consider making a book/audio book similar to the Plaeblood Hunt Bloodborne book. You do a very good job of getting from one point to another linearly while simultaneously connecting everything between them. I think of everyone making elden ring lore content you seem to be the best at thoroughly covering topics. But even if the book isn't for you, the videos on their own are fantastic, great work! 100k coming soon!

@errantvice7335

Жыл бұрын

I miss Redgrave ;x;

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much 🙏I actual have been considering such a project tbh

@sergeysmyshlyaev9716

Жыл бұрын

But please, don’t repeat the mistake made by Paleblood Hunt: wait for DLC

You are really owning Elden Ring lore my dude. I think every FromSoftware game has its standout lore theorists and creators, and while lots of smart and talented people are making Elden Ring content and certainly you're not operating in a bubble, your videos are just a head above everyone else's.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Josh! Thanks for the very kind words 😍I hope I continue to provide quality content

Your videos continue to be thought provoking and fantastic! It's curious the ghost (55:04) refers to Marika's "unwanted child," while the pests are similarly referred to as the "unwanted children" of Malenia. On the opposite side is Millicent rejecting Gowry as a parent given the choice she makes at the end, as well as Renna's rejection of her own fate that was initially set by her bloodline. Meanwhile, Renalla has tons of children but never the one she wants. And as a non-serious addition, Miquella may fill the "unwanted child" criteria though it would have been himself just not wanting to be a child forever. For some reason, I feel like Renalla's boss fight has much more lore implications than I've seen anyone discuss. The fact that her eyes and demeanor completely change once we break the seal (seemingly a spell cast by Ranni) opens many questions, given the significance eyes and their color hold in this world. Given her relation to Renna, Radagon, and her possession of a Great Rune, I still feel her lore is far from understood beyond being a once powerful, heartbroken queen.

@evanholt1752

6 ай бұрын

I've always understood Renalla's second phase to be an illusion/summoning by Ranni of Renalla in her prime, similar to how Genichiro summons sword saint Isshin. That's why Renalla is unharmed and non hostile following her fight with her, we weren't really fighting her on the full moon lake, just a memory of what she used to be.

Something I haven't seen anyone talk about yet. The walls of Farum Azula seem to be made out of Beastmen corpses? It seems they used skeletons as bricks. Timeline wise this is probably the earliest burial ritual, even before the Deathbirds.

14:15 A double headed eagle serves as a divine intermediary and/or servant, implying a quasi-godly status for the animal itself in Hittite culture (c.17-12 BC). Certainly throughout these lore videos I've noticed how the evolution of the Lands Between loosely follows a chronological pattern of our own world.

@evantyvst6484

Жыл бұрын

I recommend you check out The Tarnished Archaeologist’s channel, he makes similar connections in his videos. Particularly on real world archaeology connected to environmental storytelling in Elden Ring

Loved all the new data, esp the axe and "psychpomp" lol The death birds have 3 characteristics you didn't discuss. Their skulls seem to have a similar quality to the astels with their skulls busted open. Only there's no manifest evidence of a death outer god. Secondly, the left eye socket (same eye destroyed as Marika's tho this is probly unrelated), is crushed up in the skull and this wound follows all along its neck and body, almost filleted. Except, given its burnt out eyes and the visual of the whole wound. It truly looks like damage from severe electrical shock, like lightning. This to me is just one of the supporting evidences that the dragons new Order superceded the culture of Death-birds. They were destroyed by Lightning. Lastly, their bodies esp heads are obv infant birds... A full-grown death-bird would become one of the twin-birds no doubt. They were destroyed in infancy. Final thoughts go to Iji. I have now decided. The reason he is not dying like others, i.e. ghostflame over black flame. It's because he wears that helmet. So when he dies he will not be reabsorbed into the Erd Tree. Iji is 100% outside the influence of Grace. He will pass into the natural realm of the dead. Oh yea, so awesome you gave Aesir Aesthetics a shout out 👍!

Yo I just noticed Godfrey in the opening cinematic images, is in the exact same state as Marika, crucified with a weapon piercing their side, that's very interesting

@Stargazer9725

Жыл бұрын

its the death of the christ, after he was crucified the soldiers stabbed him with a spear to make sure he was dead.

@joshlong6733

9 ай бұрын

Yeah they are both symbolized as christ being crucified.

It dawned on me, but what if the Blue-Feathered and Red-Feathered Branchswords have some connection to the Twinbird Kite Shield image? Like the Blue-Feathered Branchsword could be connected the dark/Death Bird and the Red-Feathered Branchsword could be connected to the Phoenix. And what if the feathers on both Branchswords actually came from the dark/Death Bird and Phoenix themselves?

@tobro1227

Жыл бұрын

I thought as much when he showed the feathered branchswords after the shield and said they were dropped by the deathbirds. seems kinda obvious when you look at them that the feathers came from the twinbird

I hope we get to meet Rhosus as an NPC one day. He seems so interesting both in design and ideology.

My favorite part of these lore videos is how different creators come together and share their own views and ideas to help each other out. The sense of community it creates is truly amazing. Also as a side note, I remember reading somewhere that the Winged Scythe weapon referencing angels is actually talking about Death Birds, could that argument hold any weight? I haven't really found any concrete information about the matter.

I just realized that you aren’t at 100k yet and that’s insane to me… your videos are so in depth and well made, you deserve so much more

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much dude 🙏we are getting there for sure!

I wonder how the ghostly candletrees scattered about the Lands Between fit into all of this? In terms of gameplay they function similarly to the statues of Rosus, guiding us to undiscovered dungeons, but I’m not sure if the locations pointed to by the trees hold any thematic significance like how the statues of Rosus point towards catacombs. (I think I only discovered a candletree before its location a single time on my first play through) But the method of their guidance, having us follow in the footsteps of a spirit that perhaps is itself following the guidance of the candletree, quite obviously calls to mind death and the spirit world. These trees only seem to be directly mentioned in a single item description, the Candletree Wooden Shield, where it states that the depiction of a lit candletree was prohibited, as it was “thought to represent a surreptitious prophecy of cardinal sin,” so there’s possibly some connection to the burning of the Erdtree? It’s easy to see why a tree with fire in its branches would be considered sacrilegious to those who worshipped the Erdtree, but I wonder if it goes deeper than that? The description of Helphen’s Steeple mentions a “lampwood” which is perhaps another way to refer to a candletree? The sword doesn’t particularly resemble the candletrees in design, and the steeple of the Helphen lampwood is also said to be black, where the candletrees are bluish-white. Although this description only explicitly states that the steeple itself is black, so perhaps the rest of the Helphen isn’t? Or the candletrees could merely be projections, offshoots or descendants of the lampwood? The image on the candletree wooden shield is very similar to the branchsword talismans and the death ritual spear, so I don’t think the lack of resemblance between Helphen’s Steeple and the candletrees necessarily means the two aren’t directly related. So perhaps the prohibition on depicting candletrees goes beyond the mere visual similarities of a candle-laden tree and a burning one, but relates to how the Helphen lampwood/candletree provides an alternative to the guidance of Rosus, and thus a form of death beyond the purview of the Erdtree?

Excellent video! Some thoughts - I'm not sure the Deathbirds are Crows or Ravens - the skulls look more reminiscent of Sparrows or Owls. Owls in certain mythologies were said to carry the spirits of the dead to the afterlife and in some old European myths, Sparrows were said to be omens of the dead that also had the capacity to carry spirits. Either way, thank you for making all of the connections. I love the Deathbirds and the associated Ghostflame lore - I had no idea there was this much interwoven lore related to each other.

@bondmiles

Жыл бұрын

I think they are babies. Destroyed in infancy by Lightning.

You bless us with another HOUR of lore. Truly top tier.

Looking forward to this one! The death birds always felt quite important, considering they had their own outer god and subsequent flame type, but felt a lot more underrepresented compared to others who had those. Cheers as always Smough!

Back again!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Aiden!

@battlericky17

Жыл бұрын

BACK AGAIN BWAI! Smoughtowners

@NeahThe14th

Жыл бұрын

With a brand new invention

Can I recommend to anyone reading this: The Tarnished Archaeologist. His videos are absolutely golden and so informative. You will not regret the search!

@antoineblanchard9124

3 ай бұрын

Yea i like him too. I prefer this one for the quantity of details into one videos while tarnished archéologist gives a lot of hindsight of our current world into the one of elden ring. Both great creators

Thank you very much for your work, this made me realize how intricately connected the death rites are within the game, the Helphen spirit world may also have links with the Regal spirits which would highlight a possible whole other world hidden from us. But even so this makes me even more confused about this game, so much is unknown and so much théories can be made that I really have no idea about what all of this means. The repeated symbolism about the dead needing guidance and leadership really gives Godwyn I think a much more important role as I initially thought. If the spirit world and those who live in death are more closely connected than we imagined then being the Prince of Death could be a really big deal. I’ve always believed that in the DLC we would access Miquella’s dream and in the end we would defeat him but He would achieve the eclipse and engulf the sun which would revive Godwyn’s soul and perhaps all the demigods too And if that’s the case if the Regal ancestor spirit horns state that death can grant strength, then Godwyn could really be a force to be reckoned with.

I wish someone would make a series off of the events leading up too the shattering. The lore behind elden ring could become a show as big as GoT or anything like that.

Could 'Those Lost in Death' be compared to 'Those who Live in Death' in the same way Rani and Godwin are two sides of a world where death is not incorporated into order. What I mean is; Rani is soul without body and Godwin is body without a soul. Just like 'Those Lost' are spirits without bodies and 'Those Living in' are bodies without a spirit. It also makes sense to me that, since the rune of death was split in two, we would have two types of things which reflect a breakdown of ordered death. Love the videos, keep up the good work!

This is a much needed video. Death takes many forms and it's great to listen to your insight. Also yooooo congratz in the ad. That was a smooth transition. Haha

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Hahaha thanks Kyle

Death birds to me more resemble vultures than anything else. They can feed on the dead and use their power. Less benevolent guides and more using the power. idk if that makes sense but they do seem massively like vultures

@HestyThrones

Жыл бұрын

I forget where but I heard somewhere, and I sort of agree, that deathbirds might've once been full fledged birds before the erdtree. They fed off death but still acted as benevolent guides. It was only after the era of the erdtree that they became twisted and malformed, desperate to feed.

Amazed as always at how much you manage to pull out of such a seemingly small subject. Every time I click on a new video of yours thinking 'I think I got the basics of this lore subject' and I end up pleasantly surprised at all the stuff I missed. As to omissions in this video... nothing in particular really. Lots of thought provoking stuff, and eagerly awaiting your dragon video. The one thing mentioned that I might need some elaboration on is the soulless demigods housed in the wandering mausoleum's. Because if Godwyn is the first of the demigods to die and all these came after, awesome. Makes sense that after the way it went 'wrong' with Godwyn's corpse, they would take extra precautions with any subsequent deaths (because that's what the mausoleums strike me as: precautions against another Godwyn, up until their residents are resurrected in full). However, what I cannot help but wonder is 'who are these demigods?' Where did they come from? Because all demigods in the story are such due to their relationship to Marika/Radagon, and they've been imprisoned for almost as long as the Shattering. So were these soulless demigods alive and well and have simply died, unremarked upon, during the ages of the shattering? That's my confusion. I feel like I missed some pretty basic lore here.

@TheTwilightmaster6

Жыл бұрын

I go off of the intro stating that Radahn and Malenia were “Two of the mightiest to remain”, and think that means there were more demigods produced, probably from the Golden Lineage of Marika/Godfrey. But during the Shattering, they led wars with their own factions and were defeated, and then interred to prevent another Godwyn.

@Tower-kn1dr

Жыл бұрын

@@TheTwilightmaster6 there was definitivly more demigods since level up girl says that Marika said they are gonna be forgotten if they will lose, and also Godrick exist

Just wanted to chime in, I'm sure it's probably been mentioned before but I think the fact that the Tibia Mariners and the Death Rite Birds share the same boss music is an interesting way to make the connection between the two as well. I'd like to see some OST analysis in the future, I feel like Elden Ring's soundtrack could use a closer examination in relation to the world and the associated characters. Otherwise bravo man, this channel has been a main go-to of mine for lore and I can't wait to see more in the future!

the fact that soulsborne content creators are willing to share info rather than be all territorial is so wholesome

Decapitation definitely is part of Erdtree society, as the Shaded Castle is the home of house Marais, a family of executioners that seem to employ decapitation. And they're located in the Altus Plateau. If they were against the Erdree before the Shattering, they would've been destroyed by Lyndell's forces.

@azazelsiad3601

Жыл бұрын

They all but were though. Remember they took in Melania and it was actually her curse that caused their downfall. While it wasn’t rot in particular she still brought pestilence to the Shaded Castle. Hence why you can find her prosthetic and a portrait of her, meaning they likely served the Erdtree until the shattering and even afterwards to some extent and only turned away when Melania inadvertently brought their downfall.

great video! love these lengthy takes, never be afraid of making long videos, I find them to be your best work

I just want you to know that the transition into the advertisement was absolutely perfect.

i’m so excited for this you have no idea. ghost flame is my favorite thing in game

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Thanks for taking the time to make these great lore videos! They're exactly what I want when I think of learning about and enjoying elden ring lore. Thanks again for all the hard work I look forward to every one!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

That’s amazing to hear 🙌hope you enjoy this one too

I appreciate your long-form videos. Often I learn something new from something you say in passing, which isn’t the primary focus of the chapter, but is something I hadn’t noticed before.

My guy pushing out the lore videos like a maniac, past few nights you got me too sleep dude need to listen to them again then smash this one seeings as I don't have work tomorrow xx

Yes! Crunchy, V-Limit and you, Smough, are three content creators I discovered after steeping myself eyes deep into this wonderful game. I love listening to all y’all talk about these games, it’s so clear you’re very passionate about storytelling and sharing your ideas with your communities. Keep it up, brother. 👍

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much dude - they are both tremendous creators

Always love these videos and deep dives, they have made me get back into Elden Ring to explore more

I look forward to these vids so much! I love the deep dives. Also love that you shout out sources.

I drop whatever I’m doing whenever SmoughTown uploads. Your thoroughness and academic voice is such a boon to the games you cover. Fantastic work. I’m super interested to hear your take on the histories of Caria and Raya Lucaria. I’ve been really intrigued about their relationship since I learned about the Liurnian Civil War.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Kitty 🙏really glad to hear that. I have had the Carian royal family on the backburner for a while! Promise I’ll get there

@kittyvalbuena182

Жыл бұрын

@@SmoughTown looking forward to it!

Thank you for another very interesting and insightful lore video. It's clear you put a lot of research into them. Watching them one learns not just the lore, but story-buildings blocks that are applicable outside of this particular context.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks as always for your support Mio, it doesn't go unnoticed

Extraordinary video. Please keep more coming. Very much obliged to keep supporting you and witnessing the advancement of this channel.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

I’m really pleased to hear that. Thank you so much 🙌

Just wanted to say I watch all your videos. Multiple times, sometimes. Very well made. Sick stuff. Thanks for the content, man.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much dude 🙏you don’t know how much that means to me

These videos have been amazing. Not a single one fails to be glorious.

Man I hope the utube algo-gods favor you. This is just fantastic. Thank you. This is fresh. HELLO!

Downloaded the first iteration of this video earlier before work and thought it was without sound at parts it entertained me through the day, now I’m downloading this one and look forward to listening to it again and again as I do all your videos for weeks to come, keep up the great long form content always looking forward to what you put out next!!!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! And apologies for the reupload

And we back baby!!! So nice it had to be uploaded twice 😏😏😏

@brightsparkiv4

Жыл бұрын

Well said!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Cheers for the support Ricky and sorry about that

@battlericky17

Жыл бұрын

@@SmoughTown youre completely fine brother! No need to apologize, if anything THANK YOU for the attention to detail. You are 1 in a million.

@battlericky17

Жыл бұрын

@@brightsparkiv4 🫡🫡🫡🫡🫡

Having your videos on the second screen while gaming is the equivalent of falling asleep at church and waking up during a sermon and not knowing what the fuck is going on.

@SmoughTown

4 ай бұрын

hahaha

Huge fan of the content. Videos are always great quality

Smoughtown back at it with another absolute banger. Best lore channel in the biz, baby.

best content on youtube, period. love these videos.

Glad you started to get sponsored! Definitely deserve it!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Really appreciate that

lets gooo, I just checked a couple houres ago if a new video is out and after watching a movie it is. man you are the best elden ring loretuber by far

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Ernst. Your support means the world

Now I can enjoy my weekend, thank you very much for yet another gem! Happy Saturday!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Enjoy Cyrus!

Honestly, deathbirds remind me more of vultures rather than crows. Their long necks and bold heads especially

@jamesn3122

Жыл бұрын

Their bodies are so freaking weird, not bird-like at all. They have wings, and 4 legs. So like a dragon?

"A psychopomp" Thank you for dropping that word! I wish more people would use that word! 🤩

So glad you unloaded again I was in the middle when it stopped working, great vid

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks stacie and sorry for the take down

Thanks for dropping all of these awesome lore vids they are so extensive and thought provoking. Keep being awesome

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Cameron! I will do

I love that you give shoutouts man. That earns a like from me everytime, although the content is more than enough as well.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Ryan, so many incredible creators out there

Yessss, I was waiting for you to drop this 10/10 as always, thank you Mr Town of Smough ♥️

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Benis! It's my pleasure

@BENIS8D

Жыл бұрын

@@SmoughTown I had a thought after watching the video, wouldn't it be cool and possible that all the skulls that you hit on the Big Rock Masouleums legs are the skulls of the beheaded soldiers that that demigod commanded? Hence why it keeps moving, its some sort of eternal curse that binds them togheter? Thanks again for your service to the lorepart of this community ♥️

Just found your channel recently and I am grateful for all your hard work! These are amazing.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Great tips!! I'll def check out more of your videos. Just started writing and making soft. I feel soft softs will help get to the next

The way I pulled this up on the TV, and sat down with a cuppa like it's a documentary.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Awesome Mio!

One thing I was curious about is the interaction between using holy enchanted attacks against those who live in death. When they are defeated by such an attack, their attempt to resurrect themselves using the ghostflame is prevented outright. Is it that there's an interaction between the Erdtree and the Deathbirds' "spheres" where using holy attacks on those who live in death is akin to forcing an Erdtree Burial upon them, thus taking them out of the sphere of the death birds and Ghost flame?

Thank you again for your dedication to giving us incredible and frequently rewatchable content. ✊🏾✊🏾

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

My pleasure! Thanks so much for watching

One of my favorite channels no cap. But no seriously love the content very well done videos 👏 . Love SmoughTown!!!

i love when you talk about psychopomps, spirits who guide and shepherd the dead

I am loving these videos man! Really do keep them up!! ;)

Been hoping for this exact video, thank you so much!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Enjoy Gary!

This man cannot miss. Another week, another hour+ of insightful AF content and lore, wrapped up in a nice little bow of credited content creators and inspirations. With every video, SmoughTown solidifies himself even further as the Elden Ring Lore GOAT. Geoff is 🐐. I really hope you keep this format in the future with other games. You put so much passion into your work that I'll watch your content even if it's about a game I don't like or care about, unlike Elden Ring of course XD

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks as always for your support! You are the GOAT!

What a legend only one ad in the beginning . Your so damn underrated

What is rancor? "A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness." The most major thing that bothers me with Deathbirds and ghostflame alike is that spirits they rake from the kilns and those which emerge from the ghostflame are expressly told to be rancorous and vengeful in nature, filled with bitterness over some "wrongdoing". What is this wrongdoing that has been inflicted on them, I wonder? There is no mention of peaceful afterlife with Deathbirds and ghostflame. It is always linked with spiritual suffering. It is bitterness and these strong feelings of the rancorous dead that causes the projectiles/spirits to be attracted towards the living in the intent to harm and hurt them. Unlike, let's say Dark Souls where in description it is left open if humanity sprites feel either strong positive emotions or negative ones while pursuing others. Ghostflame spirits are in all their manifested instances full of wrath and strong negative emotions, and seek retribution by hurting others. Only other non-Deathbird related references and instance of rancorous afterlife spirits are in those devoured by Rykard, and residing in Dung-Eater. They are not in peace. And many if not all would agree that to be devoured by Rykard or molested by Dung-Eater is a hellish fate that would certainly fill your soul with strong negative emotions. So Deathbirds and their god are in questionable company already. Every homing "spirit" projectile we encounter is result of some cursed, dark and detestable rite that causes suffering to spirits in question. Dung-Eater, cursed Wraith-callers, Rykard, Death-birds. Thus, "afterlife" of Deathbirds seems to be similar ruse as Rykard's talk of his family, an afterlife of bitterness filled with hatred over betrayal; rancour. The idea that Deathbirds expressly operate on the dead in order to produce these vengeful spirits seems very disturbing, echoing Lovecraft's idea of whippoorwills, psychopomps who instead of helping dying spirits, devour the leaving soul for their own purposes. Deathbirds don't seem to guide the dead they burn to any notable goal, promised land, or towards spiritual fulfilment, but only to aid themselves, to absorb these hatred-filled spirits unto themselves to gain their dark wings.

@xxeman445xx

Жыл бұрын

That would coincide with them serving an outer god, they have no reasons to be a grim reaper type outside of some gain for themselves

Looking forward to this one, your Godwyn video was gold.

Was here super early for the first upload, amazing video!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Legend! Appreciate you checking out this one as well!

Really great video. One thing I have to mention that I haven't seen anyone talk about yet is that the instrument the Tibia Mariners wield is an alphorn. I wasn't able to find any connection between this instrument and funerary practices (at least in Swiss culture), but historically it was used for communication between cowherds residing on alps. I feel like this ties in nicely with the themes of the mariners as psychopomps. Like Swiss farmers, they are using their horns for communication (summoning Those Who Live in Death) and filling the role of a shepherd for the dead.

Wow... Thanks Smough. I enjoyed this - very much appreciated.

looking forward to learning from the rest of your videos. Subscribed!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Awesome, thank you!

Yet another excellent video! Thank you so much for all of your hard work.

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the support Dato!

Love your stuff! Makes me want to hop back on elden ring every time i see one of your vids❤ cant wait to see whats next

Excellent work as always!

Another fantastic video man. So well delivered and put together. Well done!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

My privilege dude, thank you so much for the kind support.

@TheJLAMAR23

Жыл бұрын

@@SmoughTown for sure my man, I look forward to the dragon one!

great thanks for that! Very clear and articulate!

Finally, my most anticipated topic yet!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Hope you enjoyed!

Ahhh Smoughtown, one of my favorite towns to visit! Love your work & vids, thanks for the quality in depth looks you put together!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Much appreciated Jay!

The Twinbird is that Outer God’s Elden Beast. Also the Phoenix And the Crow/Raven of the Twinbird matches the eyes of the gloam eyed queen/the ice witch to me. The eyes match the colors of the flames. Could be a different worship of the same thing. The thing about Melina/the ice witch/the gloam eyed queen and their opposite eyes being closed but also matching/corresponding with the colors of a lot of the lore is very interesting.

This was great I can’t wait to get your long form take on the dragons their design is so awesome in this game

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

It's gonna be a banger

Great work on this one

This is a certified chef kiss moment 🤌🏿

I find it interesting that most "envoys" of outer gods are "twin" or "2 parts of one whole. Twin birds and 2 fingers commune with their God. It also makes me think of placudisax, who you find with his two heads pointed to the sky, in resemblance to the two fingers. The 3 fingers kind of break this notion, until you notice Placudisax has 3 more stumps that look like had heads attached. Maybe there is something about being "2" that allows them to tune in better to certain Outer God's, while other configurations such as the 3 fingers or Placudisax, tunes the envoy to different "types" of outer God's, i.e. chaos flame.

@matiasluukkanen7718

Жыл бұрын

If there are five different combinations, would it also mean there are five Outer Gods in total? Or that both Greater Will (2) and Frenzied Flame (3) used to be one God, the One (5), which Hyetta refers to? And that somehow this one Outer God was fractured into two separate Outer Gods. Similarly how Radagon/Marika are same entity but have different goals, (shatter Elden Ring/preserve Elden Ring).

@ladonmccabe

Жыл бұрын

@@matiasluukkanen7718 it seems like there are maybe more than 5. I can't think of them off the top of my head. BUT, to go off what you're saying: what if some "different" gods, are actually just different aspects of the same God? We have radagon and Marika, as well as Miqulla and Trina. And if you want to talk configurations, what about the formless mother? There's no envoy seemingly, but mohg uses a trident to commune with the blood God, by stabbing up (which pointing up seems to be important to the act of communion), and the trident is 3 pronged. Maybe "3" is used to commune with chaotic gods, while "2" maybe more orderly gods. And with placisudisax (spelling?) having up to 5 heads once, I wonder what kind of gods that "tuned" into.

@ladonmccabe

Жыл бұрын

@@matiasluukkanen7718 sorry, I didn't read the whole comment before commenting (dang "press to read more", just show me the whole comment!). It seems like we share a lot of the same ideas, so I agree with you!

Sincerest thanks for covering Family Heads, I have a strike build wielding that and Bastard's Stars, another stellar video Sir Smough!

@SmoughTown

Жыл бұрын

Thanks as always for your support dude!

Definitely should post these on spotify! Would be a just as great an experience as watching the video. Also would be great place for the podcast

Excellent work

Great video! thank you so much!!