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Hermes Trismegistus (from Ancient Greek: Ἑρμῆς ὁ Τρισμέγιστος, "Hermes the Thrice-Greatest") is a legendary Hellenistic period figure that originated as a syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth.[a] He is the purported author of the Hermetica, a widely diverse series of ancient and medieval pseudepigraphica that laid the basis of various philosophical systems known as Hermeticism.
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It was worn primarily by farmers, travellers and hunters, and was considered characteristic of rural people. As a winged hat, it became the symbol of Hermes, the Greek mythological messenger god.[3]
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Cadmus never did get over what he had to endure for having slain Ares' dragon, so one day he provoked the Gods that if they like serpents so much then they should turn him to one. And that's what they did, at his provocation, both Cadmus and Harmonia were transformed into dragons. Cadmus was actually first to be transformed and Harmonia was to be spared but she has chosen to share her husband's fate.
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An Archetype is an embodiment of heroic virtue. Everyone bears one deep in their heart. In facing a looming threat, you face your own anxiety, and so awaken to a higher power within yourself. That... is the truest essence of magic. Yet for it to take that form... Surely, it is a manifestation of the Heroic Embodiment etched most prominently in your heart. This appearance they take on, like extraordinary suits of armour--perhaps this marks another purpose: to protect the wielder from the terrible anxiety being released... It inspires a certain glow in battle. As if facing your anxiety causes determination to surge in you, like blood through veins--throughout both body and weapon.
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The term and concept of "archetypes" originated from the Jungian psychology established by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung.[1]
Archetypes are described as recurring patterns in human thought that transcend cultural boundaries and even geographical limitations, their influence being most easily felt as similar characters in folklore and mythology appearing again and again across cultures, even ones that have had no previous contact.
Additionally, the four main Jungian archetypes that embody the personality, wisdom and transformation is the self, the persona, the shadow and the anima/animus.
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Indeed. It's the world I wrote accounts of in my novel. Until now, you've thought this world a mere fantasy. But it's not. Surely you already know. There's no deadly magic. No prejudice between its people. Now. All you have to do is admit everything you've been through has been nothing but a story. Just a fantasy. Then this can be your perfect reality.
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The True Story of Lies of P - Part 1: The Alchemists (Includes DLC lore)
Introduction
Welcome to The True Story of Lies of P - a reddit series where I aim to explore the roots of the Lies of P story. This isn’t just about puppets, plague, or tragedy. It’s about alchemy. It’s about Gnosticism. It’s about the real ideas that inspired the game’s vision of evolution, transformation, and despair. In this post, we focus on the Alchemists - their leader Simon Manus, Valentinus Monad, Sophia Monad, Markiona, and Paracelsus.
I want to credit Charred Thermos and his series “An Agony of Effort, The True Story of Bloodborne” for inspiring this project.
While this post is technically a theory, I believe it aligns so closely with the game’s structure and symbolism that it may very well reflect the developers’ true intentions.
Valentinus Monad
When we first play Lies of P and leave Krat Central Station, we are greeted by the sight of a statue with its head veiled in cloth, and a corpse hanging from its outstretched hand. This is our first glimpse at the mysterious Valentinus Monad, the leader of the Alchemists before his untimely death in the Rose Estate Incident. Valentinus Monad is a direct reference to Valentinus, one of the most famous Christian Gnostics, and the Monad, the supreme god. Now, you may be wondering who exactly Valentinus was. Valentinus was a man who lived from 100 AD - 180 AD and founded the Gnostic Christian movement, Valentinianism. The influence of Valentinianism spread widely, from the Roman Empire, Ancient Egypt, and to Syria. Now, to answer who the Monad is, I’ll first need to answer about Simon Manus.
Simon Manus
Simon Manus is the leader of the Alchemists and creator of the zombie-like carcass enemies. Simon Manus is a play on words of Simon Magus, the founder of Gnosticism. Simon Magus is also known as Simon the Sorcerer. Simon Magus attempted to buy his way into the power of the apostles but failed, I believe that this is in some way mirrored in Lies of P with how the Alchemists donated heavy sums of money to Krat. In the religious and philosophical movement of Gnosticism founded by Simon Magus, the Monad is the supreme god, with the Monad creating a lesser god that created the material realm, known as Demiurge.
The Monad
The Monad is the supreme god of Gnosticism and created Demiurge, a lesser god, commonly depicted as evil, responsible for the flawed material plane that we live in, and is the very same god from the Old Testament. In Gnostic belief, they believe that Jesus the Saviour, aka Jesus Christ, was an Aeon, which is an emanation of the Monad. These Aeons are divine beings in a hierarchical order, the higher in the order the closer they are to the Monad. One of these emanations was named Sophia, which leads to the next character.
Sophia Monad
Sophia Monad, the daughter of Valentinus Monad, is named after the gnostic Aeon Sophia. The name Sophia Monad appears to be more of a reference to Sophia rather than being based on her. Sophia in Valentinus Gnostic belief is the youngest Aeon and stands in the centre of the system. In Valentinus Gnostic belief, Sophia attempts to have a child but projects an abortion, a formless substance. In gnostic belief, Sophia is cast out of Plemora, but in Valentinus Gnosticism, her aborted formless substance is named Sophia Achamoth and is cast out of Plemora while Sophia stays. Sophia Achamoth ends up becoming the mother of Demiurge, the evil lesser god. The Valentinus Gnostics believe that they are the children of Sophia, not directly but spiritually.
Markiona
Markiona, the Puppeteer of Death, a character who loves dominating people can trace the origin of her name to Marcion. Marcion preached of two gods, one of malevolence, and one benevolence, and believed that the god Jesus was sent by and preached of was not the same as the god of the Old Testament. The name Markiona appears to rather be a reference to Marcion rather than being based on him, similar to how Iosefka from bloodborne is a name reference to the surgeon Joseph Lister.
Giangio
When you first find Giangio and talk to him, he introduces himself as a pharmacist, nearly saying alchemist, and is understood to be an alchemist pretending to be a pharmacist, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. When you beat Lies of P, it is revealed that his name isn’t Giangio, but rather Philippus Paracelsus and pretending to be an alchemist pretending to be a pharmacist. Paracelsus was orchestrating events in Krat and in the post-credit scene calls it the “Krat Experiment”. Paracelsus’ fake name is based on Giangio/Farmer John from the original Pinocchio book. Philippus Paracelsus shares the name with the real life alchemist Philippus Paracelsus, and this is confirmed by a voice line stating “Many substances can be poisonous, the precise dose is what separates medicine from poison,” which is in direct reference to Philippus Paracelsus’ quote, “All things are a poison, for there is nothing without poisonous qualities. It is only the dose which makes a thing poison.”
The True Story of Lies of P - Part 2: Alchemy and the Philosopher’s Stone
Introduction
Welcome to The True Story of Lies of P - a reddit series where I aim to explore the roots of the Lies of P story. This isn’t just about puppets, plague, or tragedy. It’s about alchemy. It’s about Gnosticism. It’s about the real ideas that inspired the game’s vision of evolution, transformation, and despair. In this post, we focus on Alchemy - alchemy symbols, blue vitriol and ergo’s relation to it, the Philosopher’s stone, and connecting Pinocchio and Carlo to the Philosopher’s stone.
I want to credit Charred Thermos and his series “An Agony of Effort, The True Story of Bloodborne” for inspiring this project.
While this post is technically a theory, I believe it aligns so closely with the game’s structure and symbolism that it may very well reflect the developers’ true intentions.
Alchemy Symbols
From the beginning of Lies of P, the presence of the Alchemists are unavoidable. The first major symbols appear with the statue of Valentinus Monad, the former leader of the Alchemists (covered in part 1). In the statue’s hand is a book. On the cover of the book is a serpent eating its own tail, ouroboros, with the serpent encircling the alchemy symbol for Blue Vitriol. Ouroboros symbolises eternity, life, death, and rebirth and was adopted as a symbol into Gnosticism (covered in part 1) and Hermeticism, the philosophical and religious belief which popularised alchemy in the western world. In alchemy, ouroboros represents eternity and endless return. By placing these symbols on the book, this is connection Gnosticism, Hermeticism, and Alchemy together and is what connects the real life Gnostics that the alchemists are based on to alchemy through these symbols.
Blue Vitriol
Blue Vitriol, a symbol of the game’s alchemists used widely, similarly to ouroboros. Blue Vitriol in real life is copper sulphate, made from dissolving a copper compound in sulfuric acid, also known as spirit/oil of Vitriol. Sulfuric acid was used to dissolve base metals, all except for gold, purifying the gold. This represents a step in the process of creating the Philosopher’s stone, albedo. Blue Vitriol is a blue substance with a crystal structure, having an uncanny resemblance to ergo. Blue Vitriol is ergo, or rather, the alchemical symbol and name of Blue Vitriol is ergo and not copper sulphate. Spirit/oil of Vitriol, being sulfuric acid, can be made from Blue Vitriol. Electrolysis of water with dissolved Blue Vitriol separates the copper substance from the sulfuric acid, so if the Lies of P version of Blue Vitriol is ergo, then in this process elixir is made. Elixir Simon Manus refers to it as being the “cure”. This elixir is what brought back Champion Victor and “completed” Laxasia.
The Philosopher’s stone
The Philosopher’s stone, as depicted in the Ripley Scroll, is made from 3 processes, Nigredo (Meaning blackness), Albedo (Meaning whiteness), and Rubedo (Meaning redness). Nigredo represents death and decay, Albedo represents purification, and Rubedo represents the final stage and success of creating the Philosopher’s stone. This process is mirrored in Lies of P with how Champion Victor died and rotted, only to be resurrected with the elixir, purifying him to some degree but he was never “completed” like Laxasia was. The same goes for the carcass enemies, with them being “revived” but never as purified as Champion Victor. Laxasia’s purification was “completed” with this being represented by her form being white. However, she never was truly completed, which we know as she was held back by her love for Simon Manus, with this being represented in game with the black around her eyes representing the last of the Nigredo (blackness) that hasn’t been purified yet. The aim of the Philosopher’s stone was to transmute base metals into gold and create the elixir of life, an elixir that could cure all diseases and grant immortality. There is something I haven’t told you, there is another process of creating the Philosopher’s stone, Citrinitas (Meaning yellowness) and represents the transmutation of silver to gold and is the step that connects Albedo to Rubedo. This step is represented in Lies of P with gold coin fruit, which was used to cure Antonia from the petrification disease, a step towards creating the elixir of life and curing all diseases.
Pinocchio and Carlo
Geppetto was distraught after the death of his son, Carlo, and turned the corpse of his dead son into a puppet, replacing the rotted organs and representing Nigredo. Pinocchio, on the other hand, is a puppet made by Geppetto made to realistically look like Geppetto, and containing the soul of Carlo in his ergo. Pinocchio in the beginning has dark, almost black hair, representing Nigredo. The corpse of Carlo becomes more of a puppet, representing Albedo. Pinocchio lies, becoming more human, and as the more human he becomes, his hair starts to grow and then turn white, the white hair representing Albedo. At the end of the game, Geppetto asks for Pinocchio’s heart. Hearts pump blood which is red and if Pinocchio gives Geppetto his heart represents Rubedo and revives the corpse of Carlo into Geppetto’s personal puppet to use as he pleases, which represents the Philosopher’s stone with Caro being “revived”. If Pinocchio refuses and has long white hair, he battles the corpse of Carlo and when he defeats the nameless puppet, it ends up killing Geppetto. From the death of his “father”, Pinocchio cries, signifying the rebirth of Carlo as Pinocchio with Geppetto’s death being a representation of Rubedo.
The True Story of Lies of P - Part 3: The Immortals
Introduction
Welcome to The True Story of Lies of P - a reddit series where I aim to explore the roots of the Lies of P story. This isn’t just about puppets, plague, or tragedy. It’s about alchemy. It’s about Gnosticism. It’s about the real ideas that inspired the game’s vision of evolution, transformation, and despair. In this post, we focus on the Immortals - the angel, ergo, and the immortals.
As always, I want to credit Charred Thermos and his series “An Agony of Effort, The True Story of Bloodborne” for inspiring this project.
While this post is technically a theory, I believe it aligns so closely with the game’s structure and symbolism that it may very well reflect the developers’ true intentions.
The Angel
The humans wished for an angel to come to Krat, an angel was curious about these humans and pretended to be one of them and became one. The humans wanted the immortality of the angel, but not everyone was granted immortality. Humans who were granted immortality died with hope in their heart, and the others who lived hated the angel instead of dying for this. The survivors tore the angel apart but there are still immortals who survived the blessing and wish for the resurrection of their god. This story parallels Gnosticism, the angel being Demiurge. In certain Gnostic beliefs, Demiurge is seen as an ignorant creator who created a flawed world due to his ignorance, in Lies of P, this is paralleled with how the angel, in their ignorance, gave the humans immortality.
Ergo
As I’ve explained in Part 2, ergo is a more magical version replacing Blue Vitriol, which is made from copper and sulfuric acid. I’ve explained that the sulfuric acid for making ergo is the elixir, but this leaves one question unanswered, what is the other part? The other part is star fragments and the flesh of the angel, both being the same. The star fragments aren't necessarily made of the flesh of the angel, but rather the flesh of the angel is the same material as the star fragment. In So Said Pistris II, the angel is described as “The undying substance. The breath of metal that lives forever.” I believe that the last part isn’t merely a metaphor, but rather the angel is made of a metal substance. Sulphates are Vitriols that are made from sulfuric acid and a metal elixir replacing the sulfuric acid leaves there to be a metal needed, which is the very flesh of the angel. The elixir itself though is an imitation of the angel's blood, which is what granted immortality.
The Immortals
Little information is known about the immortals other than that they want to bring back their god (the angel) back, seek new members, and a member is Philippus Paracelsus. Paracelsus is the only immortal we can actually interact with in game and we can see that he has very pale, almost white skin, the same colour as the angel’s. This represents that he has gone through albedo already, from the angel’s elixir blood. A sign that Paracelsus is truly immortal is due to his blue-green hair, the same colour as ergo. The immortals, like Pinocchio in the Rise of P ending, have gone through the process of the Philosopher’s stone, which can make an elixir giving immortal life and eternal youth like what Paracelsus has. Pinocchio is called a new brother as Carlo is resurrected into a body, which similarly to the angel, has a body with the breath of metal that lives forever and eternal youth. From So Said Pistris III, we are told that the Immortals who are still alive wish for the resurrection of God, which is the angel. People do believe that Simon Manus is an immortal, but I believe not. Typically, a middle name is the father’s name or the mother’s maiden name. We know from Simon Manus’s Confession that his father was never a normal person, he is an immortal, and in So Said Pistris it’s referring to the father of Simon Manus who witnessed the events himself as he is an immortal.
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“Like yourself, I am an illiterate Barbarian, but I speak the language of plain sense and an honest heart. Why will you persist in hopeless obstinacy? Why will you ruin yourself, your family, and nation? The love of freedom and abhorrence of slavery? Alas! my dearest Gelimer, are you not already the worst of slaves, the slave of the vile nation of the Moors? Would it not be preferable to sustain at Constantinople a life of poverty and servitude, rather than to reign the undoubted monarch of the mountain of Papua? Do you think it a disgrace to be the subject of Justinian? Belisarius is his subject; and we ourselves, whose birth is not inferior to your own, are not ashamed of our obedience to the Roman emperor. That generous prince will grant you a rich inheritance of lands, a place in the senate, and the dignity of Patrician: such are his gracious intentions, and you may depend with full assurance on the word of Belisarius. So long as heaven has condemned us to suffer, patience is a virtue; but, if we reject the proffered deliverance, it degenerates into blind and stupid despair.”
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"Edward Kelley is an English alchemist. Having mastered the secret of turning lead into gold, he uses Amrita to turn humans into monsters and reanimate corpses. He has a Guardian Spirit named Uroboros and is able to disappear, disguise himself as another, and steal other people's guardian spirit to use for his own purpose. On the orders of John Dee, he stole Saoirse-who is able to detect Amrita-from William, and set out for Japan, a land full of high-quality Amrita lying fallow. He is cruel and determined, willing to do anything to achieve his goals. He thrives in the chaos of war, taking sadistic pleasure in human suffering."
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John Dee is the English politician secretly controlling Edward Kelley. The son of a courtier to the king, he studied alchemy, astrology, and mathematics at college before becoming more deeply involved in scrying with crystal balls and other aspects of the occult world, which was also where he met Kelley. After long years of research, he discovered a technique for using Amrita to transform soldiers into Yokai. He secretly put the method into practice when the English army faced the Spanish Armada, with the result that the English army achieved a historic victory. Half—crazed with ambition, he paid no attention to the affected soldiers slowly rotting away and dying after their return. Instead, already planning global hegemony, he set out for Japan, where more and better Amrita lay dormant for the taking.
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Sir John Dee is the mastermind of the Amrita project, aiming to raise England to dominate the world with himself as its true puppet-ruler from the shadows. He creates Edward Kelley as a sentient, disposable weapon, and sends him to Japan with the intent of annihilating everything he can and killing countless people to harvest Amrita with the knowledge he can just create a new Kelley if the need arises. Torturing to death on a large scale those involved in the first stage of the Amrita project, he also has others abducted to brutally experiment on them in order to create new demons in order to harvest more Amrita.
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u/burem0n0 avatar
burem0n0
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2y ago
his motives still makes no sense. why is he doing this? what does he want? why does he keep getting revived? and why are there clones of him in england? and why was william in prison in the very beginning?
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