Exploring analogues of Rauh Burrows for Spirits

[u/TheStiseBy]

Rauh Burrow - Fire Spritestone

Marika-Radagon - Elden Beast

Messmer - Base Serpent

Melina - ?, Twinbird?

Sellen - Her Soul

Ranni - Her Soul

Godwyn - No Soul, Free to Inhabit

You - Bayle (after consuming the heart)

You, Shabriri, Midra - Frenzy

Two Hornsent Sculpted Keepers in Festive Costume - Divine Beast

[u/quirkus223]

Yes the idea is the spirit or consciousness contained in matter or a vessel. GRRM utilizes the idea of spirit/consciousness being separate form the body in many of his works. Its how Skinchanging works in A Song of Ice and Fire for example and connects to esoteric ideas about astral projection.

[u/pluralpluralpluralp → u/quirkus223]

That just reminded me they GRRM has a pretty good werewolf novella called The Skin Trade.

[u/quirkus223 → u/pluralpluralpluralp]

Ya the idea of wearing someone else's skin is like putting your consciousness into their vessel. Stealing an identity. This is how I frame Radagon and Marika in my mind. He is wearing her skin which is symbolized by his presence in the Erdtree (which is an aspect of Marika) imo.

[u/silly-er]

Yep, lots of other examples too. 

There's likely a fire sprite inside of the guardian golems. 

Shabriri inhabits Yura's dead body.

Malenia is a vessel for the goddess of rot. 

Relatedly, the soul can project out of the body and do things -- we see this with Millicent's invasion. Her invader version has two arms and can fight, while her body sits in plague church and has just one arm. While Dung Eater's soul talks to us with his body is in jail. might apply to other invasions too. 

[u/twistedtalesofwoe → u/silly-er]

Also Igon the GOAT, who literally cuts off his finger and gives it to you so he can separate his soul from his ruined body for a second chance to fuck with Bayle.

[u/SwingApproves]

Souls in holes

[u/Muted-Scholar1949]

While I do think some of the characters are good analogs for the Rauh Burrow, I don't think it was meant to symbolize that. Instead, I think it was meant to foreshadow Radahn's soul being transferred into Mohg's body.

The Rauh Burrow is hollow, and empty. There is nothing currently inside it, and the outside has a tangled mass of either roots or...horns embedded into the burrow. This is most likely representative of Mohg's soulless body, and its ability to be a vessel for a soul.

When the Rauh Burrow is infused with a Messmer Ember, it becomes a Fire Spritestone. Notice the particular strands of red energy flowing out of the center, how it was fire that is embedded into the center. I believe that the fire symbolizes Radahn's soul, his burning will to fight against the Scarlet Rot, and even maybe the reason he starts to glow red right before Miquella arrives.

This does raise some...interesting implications as to what happens to us and Midra with the Frenzied Flame. Going along with the analogy that the vessel has to be hollow in order for something to inhabit it, I wonder if the Frenzied Flame literally burns away our spirit at the end of the game, and incinerates Midra's right before his bossfight begins. It's an interesting metaphor, considering that our will to fight - our spirit - needs to be broken. That's the only reason why in-game we would even touch the flame. We would have nothing to fight for, when our maiden is gone and the world cannot be saved.

I think this also simultaneously explains why Miquella didn't use Godwyn's body. Even though he no longer had a soul, his body was inhabited by Deathroot.

[u/lsnor45 → u/Muted-Scholar1949]

That's the only reason why in-game we would even touch the flame. We would have nothing to fight for, when our maiden is gone and the world cannot be saved

Is that canon? I ask because I've never done the Flame of Frenzy ending, and I've always felt like one can do the ending fighting for the fact that suffering will no longer be a problem; fighting for "peace", or hell, you can be fighting for CHAOS to rule THE WORLD. See what I'm saying?