When I entered this village, I saw everyone just dance there without attacking me. I were quite troubled, but just move on due to how happy it seem. Then I rode Torrent and accidently broke a wooden carriage on the road to the top of the hill, and everyone just red-eye me. That day I commited genocide, and was like “Damn, they must really liked that wooden carriage”.
@@23Butanedione Almost every living creatures in the Lands Between want to have a taste of your butt the moment they see you, so either you run away, or commite warcrime. So it is very out of place when you entered a place that does not want to shank you.
Yeah, Dominula was definitely an area that creeped me out the first time, along with the finger creepers in Caria Manor. Of course, knowing the kind of villagers they were, I make it a point to find every celebrant and kill every single one of them. I do Millicent's questline often in my playthroughs, so that is alot of genocide on my part.
What many dont tell you is that midsummer here in sweden is made to not just celebrate summer. But to skin and dispose of intruders bodies wich we do every year
There are at least 13 unnamed dead demigods that were killed before we as the player enter the story. Bernahl killed at least 1, Vyke killed at least 2 more, and Sir Gideon had to have killed at least 1 other. Plus each of the 8 wandering mausoleums have the body of a dead demigod inside them. They also seem to have been built long before the Tarnished came to the lands between meaning all 8 of them had to have died before Vyke, Bernahl, and Gideon defeated their own shardbearer demigods.
But then that would mean that the demigods inside the Wandering Mausoleums couldn't have been the same as the ones who were skinned at Dominula, because they seem to be mostly intact... and nobody would've been able to access them. But then I also recall that most of those dead demigods seem to be missing a head, which would've been removed as part of the skinning ritual. That's odd, and interesting!
Where did you learn about them killing Demigods? Damn, Vyke and Gideon i can understand, they're great, but Bernahl? Didn't know he was that strong, i respect him even more now
@@LSgaming201 But We have to kill Morgot to get to firetop. You know a guy who is still alive when we get to him. So Vyke couldnt kill him which means his journey had to be completly different
Dominula was the place that really revealed just how ominous the reign of Queen Marika truly was. Playing souls games mostly has desensitized me to grotesqueness and decay but Elden Ring is different. In this game, there’s no such thing as hollowing so enemies that look like your typical zombie aren’t just decayed…they could be skinned alive. Dominula is a location where the culture is clearly present. This is made further evident since most of the daggers in the game aren’t designed to stab…but to “peel”, especially when you look closer at the designs of the black knives and Melina’s very own Blade of Calling, which bears a striking similarity to the Godskin Peeler. The skinning is most notably seen in the underground enemies, the crucifixions, the trolls, and even maybe….Godwyn….with his flesh residing under Stormveil… Going back to Dominula, I always wondered what the purpose of these windmills are and then it dawned on me. There is an item in the game called the Bewitching Branch. The description of the Branch reveals that Miquella learned how to “compel” love and affection. The secret to this is revealed when you look at the crafting materials needed to craft the item…blood… This brings me to my theory. There is a flower in the game that has a similar purpose, the “Arteria Leaf”. The description reads it “stirs the blood” and has an “enlivening effect” and if we look close, we can see Dominula’s most sinister secret….they grow all over the windmills…to drift the scent….tempting anyone passing by to come….closer…. “Please, don’t take my skin.”
That's interesting but where does Marika fits into this? The Godskin were against the Golden Order and the villagers of Dominula butchered Marika's nobility.
This theory makes sense. I always figured why the Arteria plant showed up at certain spots, and even with knowing it’s blood red color, this solidified my belief. Must be the places where demigods died, or people were just mutilated in general, and the substance that seeped into the ground birthed a special plant made from the vigor of people.
What’s really strange is how close the village of apparent godkillers is to Leyndell, the seat of a godly royal family. It’s bizarre that the forces of the Royal Capital would allow an obviously heretical festival to happen right on their doorstep, especially one led by a Godskin Apostle, an avowed enemy of the Golden Order.
@@higaiwokeru then in the case, surely someone amongst the Leyndell forces must have realized at some point, "hang on, that doesn't look right. That village of dancing women wasn't there last week" xD
@@Laesis Take a look at the road to Volcano Manor. It’s absolutely littered with the corpses and frenzied remains of a sizable Lyndell assault force. After that massacre, I’m willing to bet that their commanders don’t want don’t want to risk attacking Dominula in case such an event happens again. We’ve seen how strong Godskin devotees can be…
I've seen a theory elsewhere that suggests a Raya Lucaria mage you find nearby these villages may have cursed these ladies to dance as a way to hamper their skinning rituals, which seems like a funny and fitting solution to the problem. Seeing them out here dancing was indeed a bit creepy though.
You should check out the lyrics and meaning of "Hårgalåten", an old Swedish folktale. The devil comes down to a village and plays a fiddle, making all the villagers dance until they die. It's also the inspiration to the movie Midsommar.
Elden ring is the first Fromsoft game I played and was super weary of every new NPC as I had no idea who will kill me next. This village was so weird to me as it was the first place no one was actively trying to kill me, as soon as they set their sights on me. I didn't know what to do with myself. So just that fact freaked me out. Never knowing when the first hit would come...
Dominula actually made me wanna play elden ring more when it was shown in trailers because it captivated me how the women were dancing so innocently in this world and I wanted to know. Now I know lmao
Some have said that these dancers are reminiscent of the witches from Hemwick charnel lane, dancing iland cackling in an almost euphoric ritual in Bloodborne. Others have compared it to the dancing plague of 1518, an unusual result of mass hysteria that remains unexplained to this day. Regardless of the memory this evokes, i feel that both plus berzerk have had a hand in its unholy creation. It is one of my favorite places because it evokes memories of all these things plus RE 4.
@@Yo.Schwifty trash is a strong word as a lot of people get a lot of value out of it. But much like you, most A24 movies dont do it for me at all. The green knight was the first movie that made me consider walking out of a theater 😂
The interesting thing about the village windmill pasture is, that the humans there are all man. They are hold hostage by the demi human, who clearly hijacked the windmill and are now digging there for something (maybe for victims of the festival?). But they are the only man aside from the Godskin Apostle in the village. And they are not red-eyed and crazy they are cowards and will not fight anyone. Maybe once they were part of the village but then something changed and the eternal festival happend, but somehow effected only the women of the village. Forcing the men to flee but still be not too far away. I also think the battle mage in that area has something to do with all of that, but I don't find a proof for that
I wish too share this for anyone who might have seen this for yourself but if you stand still for a very long time especially near your site of grace you may find that the dancers are slowing moving ever closer too you as you wait. I fell asleep while at the grace and woke up hearing laughing and seeing that I was being surrounded by them. Im making more test on this as im writing this too see what else might happen. Added note this is on Xbox One so results may vary.
When resting at a site of grace closer to Leyndell, Melina did say Marika let all her children be free to become anything they wanted but if they failed, there would be sacrifices. So I think all her "failed" children were probably brought to that village to be harvested. Makes me also wonder if Melina was sacrificed at some point since she mentioned she has no "flesh", only soul.
A chill shivered its way down my spine the first time I entered Dominula. Here I am in this decaying world where nearly everyone is in pain and misery and I manage to find myself in a village where people are laughing and dancing. That's not ominous _at all_ ! /s Because of my fear of the villagers, I managed to cheese the Godskin Apostle and kill him in one go. When the women at the top of the village started to aggro on me, I summoned Torrent and took off to the top of the hill, where the Apostle spawned in. I ran in circles around him, smacking him with my Bloodhound's Fang and managed to kill him before he could do his phase change. Hell, I didn't even get a proper look at his character model and had to Google him to see what he looked like 😬
Don’t forget that the primary purpose of medieval windmills was to grind grain for bread, and there are references in past Fromsoft games to characters like Smough who ate their enemies baked into their bread. I think the rakes were probably being used to scratch up lines in the topsoil for planting wheat as well. Add that to the fertility aspect and it becomes a macabre fertility ritual.
Is "Finger creeper" The official name for those albino hand spider things? Because I don't think they're named in-game anywhere. The only "Lore" on them is that they seem to be connected to the Carian family since they show up at the Caria manor and outside the Volcano manor. That doesn't gel with them hanging out at the Mountaintop of Giants and Subterranean Shunning Grounds though.
Description of the Ringed Finger: "Bludgeon made of an enormous finger sheathed in several heavy rings. Thought to have been cut from an ancestor of the Fingercreeper." Since it looks extremely similar to a finger from the hand boys, it's implied to be the name.
the pre-release description of the ringed finger states the finger creepers are the cut off and regrown hands of rykard, which would explain their presence in Caria and Volcano manor. as for those in the shunnign grounds and mountian tops, i would assume this is why the removed that description; they wanted to use those enemies in areas not related to the carians, so the description no longer made sense and they cut it.
When I got there I was like: "Oh, so they have a typical "Evil pagan village" trope from horros. How nice. Lets go!" So anyway, I started sawing whith my Wheel of Ghiza.
One thing that I'd like to point out in regards to dominula and the godskin apostles; the concept of flaying is one that GRRM often returns to. Of course there is the boltons from a song of ice and fire/game of thrones, a noble house where flaying people alive is their prefered method of torture, going back to their history where they regulalrly did this to members of House Stark and wearing their skins as cloaks. But GRRM has employed it before in his sci fi stories he wrote before ASoIaF, unfortuenately i dont remember the name of the story. I any case, in that story humanity was forced underground by nuclear disaster. There are several different groups that live relatively isolated from each other, and some of those groups developed psychic and telepathic abilities as a result of radiation induced genetic mutation and a very shallow gene pool due to small numbers of individuals. There abilities manifest as "skin changing" the ability to mentally project onto and control other creatures. In response other human groups took to skinning captured members of the skin changer group and wearing their skins as cloaks. Seem familiar? I dont have a grand thesis for this comment yet. But i do think its extremely interesting how the concept of flaying and subsequently using the skin of sentient beings to make robes seems to be a through line for the works GRRM is involved in.
Aw jeez guys Im sitting watching this on a nice Tuesday morning and now Im seeing Hannible Lecter out of the corner of my eye.... Key-ripes man! And that music you got playin in the background?? Friggin nopesville lol
HEY! Here's a speculation... Could maybe be something to it? So their weapons all give a small amount of runes upon landing attacks right? And runes aren't just for leveling, it's also currency, yes? So I assume that effect applies to them using those weapons as well. Who crafted these weapons? Because that sounds like an incentive program to me. Get paid to hit living things. Just a thought! Carry on.
As someone from Sweden an familiar to Midsommar but not quite that "horrorful" as in that movie, I knew i was feeling home somehow in Dominula 😛,......and why is the dance emote not available for our Tarnished?
9:20 well exactly because if these folks serve the Godskin, it's exactly why this place feels... well... out of place. Because the Godskin are the god's destined death existing only to end them which was why Marika had to take care of the Gloam-Eyed Queen and her Rune of Death. So this place is could be seen as a symptom. A symptom that Marika has caused in her desperate attempt to contain the Godskin and preventing their Blackflame from taking her offspring.
I love these videos, they really help give perspective, though I don't know if I agree that the Demigods are weaker now then they use to be in the Erdtree's prime. Sure Radahn is mad but a crazed wild animal can be just as dangerous as a brilliant traction. Rennala has her kids and Ranni's illusion to bolster her strength. Godrick is arguably stronger than he has ever been before since he started Grafting, he is the runt of the litter. Melania has blossomed into a full Goddess no longer a demigod. Its more that they have changed and become dark Reflections of their former selves, not weaker.
Stuff like this shows GRRM's influence on this game's lore. He did amazing work imho. So much Elden Ring lore has relations to Game of Thrones. Radagon and Marika being the same person (like Cersei wanted to be with Jamie), and the Bolton flaying (Bolt-On theory) and the Godskinners and their methods of skinning the Gods. Unsure who Dominula could be related, maybe the houses that supported the Boltons, like the Freys? idk for sure though Alt Shift X's videos did help by providing a lot of concise information.
What of the crucifixes that look alot like the ones the in limgrave with the screaming dudes? The crucifixes also look alot like the stake of Marika crucifixes. I have a theory that it represents treachery against the erdtree (more than just regular crimes, like witches being burned at the stake, perhaps the practiced sorceries?), after all there are those people who scream at night on those crucifixes and since the festives literally skin gods it would sure make sense there were a few of those crucifixes in town, it also strikes me as odd that it seems like leyndell didn't try to stop them regardless of hosting gods and demigods, maybe Marika's hand is in this or perhaps they are a recent occurrence to take advantage of the weakened state of lands between. Edit: It's also possible that they are offerings to the festives or the godskins (Maybe they are skinned on the crucifixes?) but the ones in limgrave are so far from dominula and the closest godskin is in caelid so that couldn't possibly make sense. The crown/headband of flowers they have also has an odd similarity to the guilty hood's thorns but that is a reach as the flowers don't seem to have thorns.
dominula was one of my favorite areas in game. it was so different from what i had been experiencing prior. it was really nice and i really liked the women's clothes. it was amazing and i love the scary atmosphere.
I applaud you for not giving away any spoilers for anything past this village. You easily could've mentioned other bosses and their flaws at the end, but choose to keep it within the confines of bosses that would be defeated upon reaching this village.
I was going through A Plague Tale: Requiem recently and was surprised at how one location and event calls back this village. Windmills, flower wearing dancers celebrating a festival, rats…
I think it's less likely that they skinned gods in the village, and more that the apostle there has founded a new chapter of their godskin cult with human women who slaughtered the village.
I feel like Dominula Village might be a reference to the Dancing Plague of 1532. Considering the style of the clothes and rats here and there, it makes the connection much more horrifying.
HUH, this is so much deeper than I though... and to think the only reason I unalived each and every one of them because of how much I hate the godskin (thanks to the godskin duo)
Yeah, I slaughtered every one of them when I first entered the village. The location, the music, and more IMORTANTLY what appeared to be a bowed thieve’s cross. Typically used for crucifying lowly criminals. The flowers didn’t fool me, I knew from the start that a place like this was different from the quiet jarburg. I butchered these butchers, and skinned their godskin. Good riddance I say!
I don't know how much knowledge you have of Swedish midsummer celebrations, but it is not anything similar to what we see in Dominula. While the movie Midsommar does build on traditional Swedish midsummer celebration, people usually don't wear traditional garb or flower wreaths like we see in Dominula. The dancing aspect is also quite different from what we see in Dominula as well, as dancing is more for children.
My Theory Messer cleansed the Land of Shadows. Melina cleansed the Lands Between. Both flames. The God skinners and Destin Death destroyed the other Gods and minor gods as Godfrey battled the Lands Between. Then later Melina was burned by the removal of Destin Death and it burned the first Erdtree Tree Shell which is why the Ashe still remains on the streets of the Capital. The Tree recovered while she was reborn with no memory but her Mother now well aware she was able to burn the Erdtree and Help against the Golden Order itself.
Burning the bodies and using the bones in the windmills to grind bonemeal would be a perfect opportunity for fertilizing the fields. The char from flesh as well.
Something I think is interesting is that Marika removed death from the Lands Between and gave it to her shadow to wield. It’s possible these women were originally of the Godskinner’s ilk and were finally able to return to their original practices And for some reason, I feel this is George R R Martin’s influence. The practice had a his sort of vibe to it
I don't think I can readily believe that the women of the village were personally skinning gods themselves. I understand that the Godskin Apostle area boss does imply that, but I think there is more lending credence to my speculation that the women of the village only skinned the mortal men of the Lands Between, not the gods themselves. That being said, I really wish they were a bit more specific when describing what they mean by God in terms of the Godskin Hunt and what have you. The game has established that there is a clear difference between Gods and Demigods, with the only person being referred to as just a God, being Marika. All other forces in the game have either been referred to as Demigods or Outer Gods and given the cosmic and somewhat metaphysical nature of the Outer Gods, I highly doubt they were hunting and skinning them.
It also has some paralells to christianity. Nowdays Festivals are not so obviously connected with church and religion, but each sunday in catholic is referd as a festival of the week. With easter being the Highlight festival. And it was the humans that crucified Jesus the son of god. (crosses were actualy T shaped, like in the gamey and not in the nowdays common cross shape)
Not to shun "elden ring book of knowledge", but you should make a book too. They only pulled that in response to lore videos. Just saying, I'd buy it .
Another unsettling detail is just how close Dominula is to Leyndell, the royal capitol. All these ritualistic murders of potential royal family members were happening just a stone's throw away and seemingly nobody knew about it or did anything to stop it, since the Apostle is still there.
ngl the most unsettling part about the village was that it's way too welcome for visitors to come like it doesn't feel like a refresher at all that there aint no enemies tryna kill you (yet / when provoked) since you're kinda used to dead silence as your friend (and the site of grace) in tough times
First thing I immediately thought of when I heard the Chants and had seen the Maidens was Midsommar. One of my Favorite Movies. This Village and The Movie gets more eerie and intense as you progress and realize everything that is happening and has happened.
I don't think the other demigods were also children of Marika, at least not all of them. More likely they make up the Golden Lineage, the descendants of Godwyn and ancestors of both Godefroy and Godrick.
Very likely. The ghost we talk about in the mausoleum knights video does specifically call out children of Marika but it's possible any tied to the golden lineage would work.
@@square-table-gaming It is also said that all the Demigods are the children of Marika, but obviously Godrick isn't. So it may be that "children" here means "descendants".
If you consider that Godrick the Grafted Was a "far descendant" of Marika, and seeing how he shares many physical characteristics with Gatekeeper Gostoc and other tall, pale people in Leyndell and Stormveil, it is my theory, that all of these Enemies, all those little f*cks you cleave through in Leyndell, are descendants of Godwyn the Golden, at least to some degree. As to why I think Godwyn specifically? Well, the Omen twins were hidden under the surface in Leyndell, and since their curse seems hereditary, I assume Morgott swore celibacy, whereas Mogh fathered a few omen. Everyone descendant from Radagon has Red Hair, which the tall pale people don't have, theirs is blond or white. Miquella would share that characteristic, but seeing that he is, in fact, an eternal child, I wouldn't want him to be the father of all these kids, and depending on which age ge got stuck, he might not even be fertile yet.
Personally, I think the skull on the celebrants skull being too large to be human may be an ogres. We know of one ogre, Anastasia and she seems somewhat human sized. Anastasia also seems somewhat like the celebrants, crazy murder woman and all, so I presume that as we see no males in Dominula that the skulls on the celebrants skulls are the ogre skulls of males or perhaps anyone unwilling to participate in the mad festival.
![FendiDa Rappa - Clock Dat ft. Shamar Marco [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3NBU8KHdxYY/mqdefault.jpg)
imagine how cute it would be if their dance was avaible to player as emote that doesnt end untill player does something
Bravo sir.
Actually a missed opportunity
I feel like there would have been a million people that would have used it from behind that gate in liurnia during invasions 😂
@@bobjim245 The AFK farmers 🤣
@@sonoranherphaven1761 does anyone else have the option to translate this comment? I’m cracking up
When I entered this village, I saw everyone just dance there without attacking me. I were quite troubled, but just move on due to how happy it seem. Then I rode Torrent and accidently broke a wooden carriage on the road to the top of the hill, and everyone just red-eye me. That day I commited genocide, and was like “Damn, they must really liked that wooden carriage”.
"I was quite trouble"
Huh???
They must have kept their _chickens_ in that marriage.
@@23Butanedione Almost every living creatures in the Lands Between want to have a taste of your butt the moment they see you, so either you run away, or commite warcrime. So it is very out of place when you entered a place that does not want to shank you.
@@23Butanedione shut up dude
You didn’t commit Genocide, you just selectively excluded a specific race of people from existing anymore.
I like this place because it feels like a mini-Beserk filler story
Seeing as how even distant relations of Marika count as demigods, there could be a ton of unknown potential victims.
Wondering Mausoleums also contain the remains of dead Demigods in a similar vein.
Yeah, Dominula was definitely an area that creeped me out the first time, along with the finger creepers in Caria Manor. Of course, knowing the kind of villagers they were, I make it a point to find every celebrant and kill every single one of them. I do Millicent's questline often in my playthroughs, so that is alot of genocide on my part.
This is where the fun begins!
-Anakin Skywalker
What many dont tell you is that midsummer here in sweden is made to not just celebrate summer. But to skin and dispose of intruders bodies wich we do every year
I like the small spelling mistake that proves this is true
Shouldnt you be disposing of those "foreign invaders/refugees" who see your womenfolk as r*pemeat and shit on your country and culture?
Is that true?
@@themorningguy906 have you ever heard of someone who went to Sweden and lived to tell the tale?
@@nickb1241 wait .... Yeah that sounds true , isn't Sweden in like Australia or something?
Hope the people living there get cured
There are at least 13 unnamed dead demigods that were killed before we as the player enter the story. Bernahl killed at least 1, Vyke killed at least 2 more, and Sir Gideon had to have killed at least 1 other.
Plus each of the 8 wandering mausoleums have the body of a dead demigod inside them. They also seem to have been built long before the Tarnished came to the lands between meaning all 8 of them had to have died before Vyke, Bernahl, and Gideon defeated their own shardbearer demigods.
But then that would mean that the demigods inside the Wandering Mausoleums couldn't have been the same as the ones who were skinned at Dominula, because they seem to be mostly intact... and nobody would've been able to access them. But then I also recall that most of those dead demigods seem to be missing a head, which would've been removed as part of the skinning ritual. That's odd, and interesting!
Why do you think Vyke had to kill demigod?
@@Tower-kn1dr Same reason we as the player do. To claim great runes and fix the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord.
Where did you learn about them killing Demigods? Damn, Vyke and Gideon i can understand, they're great, but Bernahl? Didn't know he was that strong, i respect him even more now
@@LSgaming201 But We have to kill Morgot to get to firetop. You know a guy who is still alive when we get to him. So Vyke couldnt kill him which means his journey had to be completly different
Dominula was the place that really revealed just how ominous the reign of Queen Marika truly was.
Playing souls games mostly has desensitized me to grotesqueness and decay but Elden Ring is different. In this game, there’s no such thing as hollowing so enemies that look like your typical zombie aren’t just decayed…they could be skinned alive. Dominula is a location where the culture is clearly present. This is made further evident since most of the daggers in the game aren’t designed to stab…but to “peel”, especially when you look closer at the designs of the black knives and Melina’s very own Blade of Calling, which bears a striking similarity to the Godskin Peeler. The skinning is most notably seen in the underground enemies, the crucifixions, the trolls, and even maybe….Godwyn….with his flesh residing under Stormveil…
Going back to Dominula, I always wondered what the purpose of these windmills are and then it dawned on me. There is an item in the game called the Bewitching Branch. The description of the Branch reveals that Miquella learned how to “compel” love and affection. The secret to this is revealed when you look at the crafting materials needed to craft the item…blood…
This brings me to my theory. There is a flower in the game that has a similar purpose, the “Arteria Leaf”. The description reads it “stirs the blood” and has an “enlivening effect” and if we look close, we can see Dominula’s most sinister secret….they grow all over the windmills…to drift the scent….tempting anyone passing by to come….closer….
“Please, don’t take my skin.”
This is some top tier theory crafting right here
That's interesting but where does Marika fits into this? The Godskin were against the Golden Order and the villagers of Dominula butchered Marika's nobility.
This theory makes sense. I always figured why the Arteria plant showed up at certain spots, and even with knowing it’s blood red color, this solidified my belief. Must be the places where demigods died, or people were just mutilated in general, and the substance that seeped into the ground birthed a special plant made from the vigor of people.
@@odd-eyes6363 There is a theory that Marika is also the Gloam-Eyed Queen.
@@river7874 I thought the theory was that Melina was the Gloam-Eyed Queen, especially with the Frenzied Flame ending
What’s really strange is how close the village of apparent godkillers is to Leyndell, the seat of a godly royal family. It’s bizarre that the forces of the Royal Capital would allow an obviously heretical festival to happen right on their doorstep, especially one led by a Godskin Apostle, an avowed enemy of the Golden Order.
Perhaps they moved there after/during the shattering
@@higaiwokeru then in the case, surely someone amongst the Leyndell forces must have realized at some point, "hang on, that doesn't look right. That village of dancing women wasn't there last week" xD
Shows how far the powers that be have fallen
@@colossaltitan3546 To be fair, if they moved in during that time, I'm sure they had more pressing matters to deal with.
@@Laesis Take a look at the road to Volcano Manor. It’s absolutely littered with the corpses and frenzied remains of a sizable Lyndell assault force. After that massacre, I’m willing to bet that their commanders don’t want don’t want to risk attacking Dominula in case such an event happens again. We’ve seen how strong Godskin devotees can be…
I've seen a theory elsewhere that suggests a Raya Lucaria mage you find nearby these villages may have cursed these ladies to dance as a way to hamper their skinning rituals, which seems like a funny and fitting solution to the problem. Seeing them out here dancing was indeed a bit creepy though.
Now I really wanna see a "I will make you dance" sorcery in the DLC that works on PvP just like the Fortnite disco ball.
@@Nestorglass "May I stop dancing sire?"
*looks at 17 boogie bombs in my inventory*
"You may not."
@@Kazrel "feel the wrath of Rennala, the Giant Disco Ball Queen" *funky beats start blasting all across the lands between*
You should check out the lyrics and meaning of "Hårgalåten", an old Swedish folktale. The devil comes down to a village and plays a fiddle, making all the villagers dance until they die.
It's also the inspiration to the movie Midsommar.
Elden ring is the first Fromsoft game I played and was super weary of every new NPC as I had no idea who will kill me next. This village was so weird to me as it was the first place no one was actively trying to kill me, as soon as they set their sights on me. I didn't know what to do with myself. So just that fact freaked me out. Never knowing when the first hit would come...
That’s when you hit first. Let THEM fear you!
I can’t believe this is the happiest place in elden ring.
If From Software made happy places, their games would be easier.
Dominula actually made me wanna play elden ring more when it was shown in trailers because it captivated me how the women were dancing so innocently in this world and I wanted to know. Now I know lmao
Dead women bro...
He he he he
Some have said that these dancers are reminiscent of the witches from Hemwick charnel lane, dancing iland cackling in an almost euphoric ritual in Bloodborne. Others have compared it to the dancing plague of 1518, an unusual result of mass hysteria that remains unexplained to this day. Regardless of the memory this evokes, i feel that both plus berzerk have had a hand in its unholy creation. It is one of my favorite places because it evokes memories of all these things plus RE 4.
No, its cleary a midsommar reference
@@DumbseekerFrampt no its not... midsommer is a trash horror film lol
@@Yo.Schwifty yes, if you are a 12yo kid
@@Yo.Schwifty trash is a strong word as a lot of people get a lot of value out of it. But much like you, most A24 movies dont do it for me at all. The green knight was the first movie that made me consider walking out of a theater 😂
Thought they figured out it was that hallucinogenic mold growing on the rye?
The true horror of Dominula is farming the celebrant weapons
Truth
The interesting thing about the village windmill pasture is, that the humans there are all man. They are hold hostage by the demi human, who clearly hijacked the windmill and are now digging there for something (maybe for victims of the festival?). But they are the only man aside from the Godskin Apostle in the village. And they are not red-eyed and crazy they are cowards and will not fight anyone.
Maybe once they were part of the village but then something changed and the eternal festival happend, but somehow effected only the women of the village. Forcing the men to flee but still be not too far away.
I also think the battle mage in that area has something to do with all of that, but I don't find a proof for that
I wish too share this for anyone who might have seen this for yourself but if you stand still for a very long time especially near your site of grace you may find that the dancers are slowing moving ever closer too you as you wait. I fell asleep while at the grace and woke up hearing laughing and seeing that I was being surrounded by them. Im making more test on this as im writing this too see what else might happen. Added note this is on Xbox One so results may vary.
"Not the beeeeeeeees!!!" sure as hell came to mind when I first stumbled upon this village!
When resting at a site of grace closer to Leyndell, Melina did say Marika let all her children be free to become anything they wanted but if they failed, there would be sacrifices. So I think all her "failed" children were probably brought to that village to be harvested. Makes me also wonder if Melina was sacrificed at some point since she mentioned she has no "flesh", only soul.
A chill shivered its way down my spine the first time I entered Dominula. Here I am in this decaying world where nearly everyone is in pain and misery and I manage to find myself in a village where people are laughing and dancing. That's not ominous _at all_ ! /s
Because of my fear of the villagers, I managed to cheese the Godskin Apostle and kill him in one go.
When the women at the top of the village started to aggro on me, I summoned Torrent and took off to the top of the hill, where the Apostle spawned in. I ran in circles around him, smacking him with my Bloodhound's Fang and managed to kill him before he could do his phase change. Hell, I didn't even get a proper look at his character model and had to Google him to see what he looked like 😬
Don’t forget that the primary purpose of medieval windmills was to grind grain for bread, and there are references in past Fromsoft games to characters like Smough who ate their enemies baked into their bread. I think the rakes were probably being used to scratch up lines in the topsoil for planting wheat as well. Add that to the fertility aspect and it becomes a macabre fertility ritual.
"Stories we find scary, disturbing or flat out disgusting"
*Cue dung eater's music*
;)
Is "Finger creeper" The official name for those albino hand spider things? Because I don't think they're named in-game anywhere. The only "Lore" on them is that they seem to be connected to the Carian family since they show up at the Caria manor and outside the Volcano manor. That doesn't gel with them hanging out at the Mountaintop of Giants and Subterranean Shunning Grounds though.
Description of the Ringed Finger:
"Bludgeon made of an enormous finger sheathed in several heavy rings. Thought to have been cut from an ancestor of the Fingercreeper."
Since it looks extremely similar to a finger from the hand boys, it's implied to be the name.
the pre-release description of the ringed finger states the finger creepers are the cut off and regrown hands of rykard, which would explain their presence in Caria and Volcano manor.
as for those in the shunnign grounds and mountian tops, i would assume this is why the removed that description; they wanted to use those enemies in areas not related to the carians, so the description no longer made sense and they cut it.
When I got there I was like: "Oh, so they have a typical "Evil pagan village" trope from horros. How nice. Lets go!" So anyway, I started sawing whith my Wheel of Ghiza.
Totally fair, you see stuff like that the only reasonable response is, "so anyway I started blastin'"
Perfectly sound move. I went the genocide route as well.
Someone was busy harvesting for Windmill village items lol...
Good video!
just saying, the boss of the windmill village should have been a dance battle with the witches
so you want a dancing minigame like Genshin Impact?
@@prenthelloworld I want something like that room in the Lego Star Wars kamino level where all the long-necked aliens are dancing under a disco ball
Mad celebration during times of despair is nothing surprising. Just research the Dancing Plague of 1518.
One thing that I'd like to point out in regards to dominula and the godskin apostles; the concept of flaying is one that GRRM often returns to. Of course there is the boltons from a song of ice and fire/game of thrones, a noble house where flaying people alive is their prefered method of torture, going back to their history where they regulalrly did this to members of House Stark and wearing their skins as cloaks.
But GRRM has employed it before in his sci fi stories he wrote before ASoIaF, unfortuenately i dont remember the name of the story.
I any case, in that story humanity was forced underground by nuclear disaster. There are several different groups that live relatively isolated from each other, and some of those groups developed psychic and telepathic abilities as a result of radiation induced genetic mutation and a very shallow gene pool due to small numbers of individuals. There abilities manifest as "skin changing" the ability to mentally project onto and control other creatures.
In response other human groups took to skinning captured members of the skin changer group and wearing their skins as cloaks. Seem familiar?
I dont have a grand thesis for this comment yet. But i do think its extremely interesting how the concept of flaying and subsequently using the skin of sentient beings to make robes seems to be a through line for the works GRRM is involved in.
george richard raymond martin moment
It all goes back to Martin's infatuation with old norse myth.
@@thederper5836George Rail Road Martin
Very cool insight. Haven’t read his earlier works. Him writing sci-fi sounds amazing though. Thanks!
Who were these god not worthy of the title to be defeated and skinned by such as weak as these cravens
Aw jeez guys Im sitting watching this on a nice Tuesday morning and now Im seeing Hannible Lecter out of the corner of my eye.... Key-ripes man! And that music you got playin in the background?? Friggin nopesville lol
HEY! Here's a speculation... Could maybe be something to it? So their weapons all give a small amount of runes upon landing attacks right? And runes aren't just for leveling, it's also currency, yes? So I assume that effect applies to them using those weapons as well. Who crafted these weapons? Because that sounds like an incentive program to me. Get paid to hit living things. Just a thought! Carry on.
As someone from Sweden an familiar to Midsommar but not quite that "horrorful" as in that movie, I knew i was feeling home somehow in Dominula 😛,......and why is the dance emote not available for our Tarnished?
Village of windmills is Finland in a nutshell
Andrew Ryan: "No gods or kings, only man."
Godskin: "I like the cut of your jib."
9:20 well exactly because if these folks serve the Godskin, it's exactly why this place feels... well... out of place. Because the Godskin are the god's destined death existing only to end them which was why Marika had to take care of the Gloam-Eyed Queen and her Rune of Death. So this place is could be seen as a symptom. A symptom that Marika has caused in her desperate attempt to contain the Godskin and preventing their Blackflame from taking her offspring.
6:31. Ok I’m sick of hearing new things about game I beaten multiple times 😂 I gotta slow down
I love these videos, they really help give perspective, though
I don't know if I agree that the Demigods are weaker now then they use to be in the Erdtree's prime.
Sure Radahn is mad but a crazed wild animal can be just as dangerous as a brilliant traction.
Rennala has her kids and Ranni's illusion to bolster her strength.
Godrick is arguably stronger than he has ever been before since he started Grafting, he is the runt of the litter.
Melania has blossomed into a full Goddess no longer a demigod.
Its more that they have changed and become dark Reflections of their former selves, not weaker.
I think radahn is definitely weaker
Just reminds me of Hemwick Charnel Lane.
Stuff like this shows GRRM's influence on this game's lore. He did amazing work imho. So much Elden Ring lore has relations to Game of Thrones.
Radagon and Marika being the same person (like Cersei wanted to be with Jamie), and the Bolton flaying (Bolt-On theory) and the Godskinners and their methods of skinning the Gods. Unsure who Dominula could be related, maybe the houses that supported the Boltons, like the Freys? idk for sure though
Alt Shift X's videos did help by providing a lot of concise information.
Kind of reminds me of hemwick Village from bloodborne don't know if I got the name right
I think its a reference to the dancing plague of Straßburg
After I killed the Godskin apostle, I never entered that village again, just the vibe creeped me out...
What of the crucifixes that look alot like the ones the in limgrave with the screaming dudes? The crucifixes also look alot like the stake of Marika crucifixes.
I have a theory that it represents treachery against the erdtree (more than just regular crimes, like witches being burned at the stake, perhaps the practiced sorceries?), after all there are those people who scream at night on those crucifixes and since the festives literally skin gods it would sure make sense there were a few of those crucifixes in town, it also strikes me as odd that it seems like leyndell didn't try to stop them regardless of hosting gods and demigods, maybe Marika's hand is in this or perhaps they are a recent occurrence to take advantage of the weakened state of lands between.
Edit: It's also possible that they are offerings to the festives or the godskins (Maybe they are skinned on the crucifixes?) but the ones in limgrave are so far from dominula and the closest godskin is in caelid so that couldn't possibly make sense.
The crown/headband of flowers they have also has an odd similarity to the guilty hood's thorns but that is a reach as the flowers don't seem to have thorns.
dominula was one of my favorite areas in game. it was so different from what i had been experiencing prior. it was really nice and i really liked the women's clothes. it was amazing and i love the scary atmosphere.
I wonder if the celebrants skull would fit on the headless demigods in the mausoleums
Woah... that's a really interesting point.
Considering the size related to the character it's certainly possible
I thought they were cannibals. They got blood around their mouths and some bite you and others bite themselves.
Interesting, I can't recall being bitten but they do spit up their own blood at you.
I killed so many of these litte dancers farming in dominula☠️
On the bright side, no waste created, all reused recycled
Mt. Gelmir too please!
Every time I see one of the Celebrants with gold glowing eyes in the video, I want to kill it. Give me that sweet sweet rune boost.
I applaud you for not giving away any spoilers for anything past this village. You easily could've mentioned other bosses and their flaws at the end, but choose to keep it within the confines of bosses that would be defeated upon reaching this village.
I was going through A Plague Tale: Requiem recently and was surprised at how one location and event calls back this village. Windmills, flower wearing dancers celebrating a festival, rats…
I think it's less likely that they skinned gods in the village, and more that the apostle there has founded a new chapter of their godskin cult with human women who slaughtered the village.
I feel like Dominula Village might be a reference to the Dancing Plague of 1532. Considering the style of the clothes and rats here and there, it makes the connection much more horrifying.
HUH, this is so much deeper than I though... and to think the only reason I unalived each and every one of them because of how much I hate the godskin (thanks to the godskin duo)
I remember the first time I ran into this village... Those creepy people are freaky.. this game is really good for so much content
absolutely love your videos. patiently awaiting the next.
Thank you! It'll be up next Saturday
Hey STG! Thanks for this cool video. I like this video bc u make video. 👍
Yeah, I slaughtered every one of them when I first entered the village. The location, the music, and more IMORTANTLY what appeared to be a bowed thieve’s cross. Typically used for crucifying lowly criminals. The flowers didn’t fool me, I knew from the start that a place like this was different from the quiet jarburg. I butchered these butchers, and skinned their godskin. Good riddance I say!
I don't know about you, but if i wanted a good festival in the lands between, I'd take THE RADHAAAANNN FESTIVAAAALLL over Dominula any day xD
I'm not the only one who gets Bloodborne Hemwick charnel lane vibes?
Def not
I don't know how much knowledge you have of Swedish midsummer celebrations, but it is not anything similar to what we see in Dominula. While the movie Midsommar does build on traditional Swedish midsummer celebration, people usually don't wear traditional garb or flower wreaths like we see in Dominula. The dancing aspect is also quite different from what we see in Dominula as well, as dancing is more for children.
My Theory
Messer cleansed the Land of Shadows.
Melina cleansed the Lands Between.
Both flames.
The God skinners and Destin Death destroyed the other Gods and minor gods as Godfrey battled the Lands Between.
Then later Melina was burned by the removal of Destin Death and it burned the first Erdtree Tree Shell which is why the Ashe still remains on the streets of the Capital.
The Tree recovered while she was reborn with no memory but her Mother now well aware she was able to burn the Erdtree and Help against the Golden Order itself.
The Celebrants are definitely creepy. I find the finger creepers and the demi humans to be the creepest.
Dominula is the Lavender Town of Elden Ring.
Burning the bodies and using the bones in the windmills to grind bonemeal would be a perfect opportunity for fertilizing the fields. The char from flesh as well.
Something I think is interesting is that Marika removed death from the Lands Between and gave it to her shadow to wield. It’s possible these women were originally of the Godskinner’s ilk and were finally able to return to their original practices And for some reason, I feel this is George R R Martin’s influence. The practice had a his sort of vibe to it
I don't think I can readily believe that the women of the village were personally skinning gods themselves. I understand that the Godskin Apostle area boss does imply that, but I think there is more lending credence to my speculation that the women of the village only skinned the mortal men of the Lands Between, not the gods themselves. That being said, I really wish they were a bit more specific when describing what they mean by God in terms of the Godskin Hunt and what have you. The game has established that there is a clear difference between Gods and Demigods, with the only person being referred to as just a God, being Marika. All other forces in the game have either been referred to as Demigods or Outer Gods and given the cosmic and somewhat metaphysical nature of the Outer Gods, I highly doubt they were hunting and skinning them.
It also has some paralells to christianity. Nowdays Festivals are not so obviously connected with church and religion, but each sunday in catholic is referd as a festival of the week. With easter being the Highlight festival. And it was the humans that crucified Jesus the son of god.
(crosses were actualy T shaped, like in the gamey and not in the nowdays common cross shape)
What about the meat dumplings you find? Flesh of the gods?
The First time Entering this places creeped me Out so much xD Especially because Not long ago i watched the Movie Midsummer 🤭
Not to shun "elden ring book of knowledge", but you should make a book too. They only pulled that in response to lore videos. Just saying, I'd buy it .
What's everyones problem with these old ladies. What's wrong with singing and dancing around a flower decorated pole?
Look at the shape the women dancing make from an eagle eye angle.
Another unsettling detail is just how close Dominula is to Leyndell, the royal capitol. All these ritualistic murders of potential royal family members were happening just a stone's throw away and seemingly nobody knew about it or did anything to stop it, since the Apostle is still there.
As terrifying as the godskins sound didn't stop them from b*** slapped by Maliketh
Of course the village with dancing happy old ladies is the scariest
.. Who would be happy in the lands between in.the first place?
ngl the most unsettling part about the village was that it's way too welcome for visitors to come like it doesn't feel like a refresher at all that there aint no enemies tryna kill you (yet / when provoked) since you're kinda used to dead silence as your friend (and the site of grace) in tough times
Yeah I purged that town when I first saw it and it will be sure to happen every time now lol
I love that dance!
First thing I immediately thought of when I heard the Chants and had seen the Maidens was Midsommar. One of my Favorite Movies. This Village and The Movie gets more eerie and intense as you progress and realize everything that is happening and has happened.
Could you do lore on the iron maidens
We've done some digging and we're not sure there's enough to support a whole video, but you never know!
I don't think the other demigods were also children of Marika, at least not all of them. More likely they make up the Golden Lineage, the descendants of Godwyn and ancestors of both Godefroy and Godrick.
Very likely. The ghost we talk about in the mausoleum knights video does specifically call out children of Marika but it's possible any tied to the golden lineage would work.
@@square-table-gaming It is also said that all the Demigods are the children of Marika, but obviously Godrick isn't. So it may be that "children" here means "descendants".
I’m not even gonna lie
The first time I went there I thought they were all getting sturdy
Just a thought but aren’t the body’s in the mausoleums headless? They look desiccated so it’s hard to tell how much skin they have or had.
I remember seeing a Celebrant biting a chunk of their arm off before attacking me. Scary stuff.
The village reminded me on the Part in bloodborne, i think it was called hemlock streetway? There were also women in a craze dance ang gaggling.
Windmill village reminds me of the Charnel Lane location in Bloodborne. All women enemies driven mad dancing in circles
Aren’t the finger creepers hands of Rykard?
Tune in on Saturday to find out
If you consider that Godrick the Grafted Was a "far descendant" of Marika, and seeing how he shares many physical characteristics with Gatekeeper Gostoc and other tall, pale people in Leyndell and Stormveil, it is my theory, that all of these Enemies, all those little f*cks you cleave through in Leyndell, are descendants of Godwyn the Golden, at least to some degree.
As to why I think Godwyn specifically? Well, the Omen twins were hidden under the surface in Leyndell, and since their curse seems hereditary, I assume Morgott swore celibacy, whereas Mogh fathered a few omen. Everyone descendant from Radagon has Red Hair, which the tall pale people don't have, theirs is blond or white. Miquella would share that characteristic, but seeing that he is, in fact, an eternal child, I wouldn't want him to be the father of all these kids, and depending on which age ge got stuck, he might not even be fertile yet.
Hear me out imagine this town with lavender town music
For me it was the singing and the dancing. The sounds they make are really unnerving lmao
If anyone's wondering what specific Myuuji song is playing, it's "Lights Out."
We made sure to shout out Myuu and link in the description!
Ppl when Swedish/Slavic culture: OMG GUYS SCARY MIDSOMMAR REFERENCE 😱😱😱😰😰😰😰😰
😂 I think it's more about timing than anything else. Also, I believe Miyazaki has said he is an Ari Aster fan.
1:25 someone spent quite some time farming the Dominula village 💀
I think ill stick with shenpai calling them the dancing lesbians
Village of windmills. Sounds a lot of the Netherlands.
Personally, I think the skull on the celebrants skull being too large to be human may be an ogres. We know of one ogre, Anastasia and she seems somewhat human sized. Anastasia also seems somewhat like the celebrants, crazy murder woman and all, so I presume that as we see no males in Dominula that the skulls on the celebrants skulls are the ogre skulls of males or perhaps anyone unwilling to participate in the mad festival.
The feeling was odd
Wow I've enjoyed this video the new music is bravoda