[The Bear's Lair] The Apocalypse of John, Darksiders 2 and the Bible

In the eighth appointment with the column of the Bear's Lair, dedicated to antisocial players not very fond of multiplayer but passionate about mysteries, the occult and mythology, let's talk about video games: this time we will explore the obscure and eschatological themes that characterize the close relationship between Darksiders 2 and the Bible.

For those who missed the article in question, we recall that in a previous meeting we analyzed the heavy influence of biblical myths in Darksiders 1; now we will find out how much they have in common Darksiders 2 and the Apocalypse of John, Alias Book of Revelation.

What happens after Darksiders 1?

So where were we left with the first chapter? War, protagonist of Darksiders 1, after being framed and sentenced to one hundred years in prison for unleashing the Apocalypse ahead of time, unveiled the angelic conspiracy of Azrael, Abaddon e Ulthane, he discovered the altars ofArso Council, and then he had a very busy and above all eventful day.

Yes, we can say this, given that: he killed the murderer sent by the Council, but then he died at the hands of Uriel, however, he immediately resurrected - again thanks to Uriel that broke the Seventh Seal-, and finally closed the first chapter with a badass scene, while in the background the others Horsemen of the Apocalypse they swooped down to Earth like meteors.

In the second chapter do we start playing from this point?
No! Ah, did you think it would be that simple?
You should have learned about this column by now, come on.

The story narrated in Darksiders II it happens during the hundred years of imprisonment inflicted on the main character of the first chapter; the protagonist of Darksiders 2 it is in fact Death, the most formidable among the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who will move into the depths of the Abyss to avenge his brother Guerra, the knight condemned for having prematurely unleashed theApocalypse.

The adventures of War in search of redemption and above all in search of the truth, in summary, they have not yet happened when we start playing Darksiders 2.

Darksiders 2 and the Bible

In the path that the game offers us we come across a ton of biblical themes, reinterpreted by the game's authors. We come to discover that the Four Horsemen, in fact, they are the last survivors of the Nephilim race, born from the union between Angels and Demons.

I Nephilim were belligerent and cruel, to the point that four members of this same race decided to oppose their fellow men, with the help ofArso Council: thus the four were born Horsemen of the Apocalypse, endowed with immense powers to eliminate all Nephilim. The Deathamong other things, he enclosed the souls reaped during this genocide in a special amulet.

Death rides

Our hero, Death, it's not just a cupo meditator: he is also a skilled investigator, and this is the skill that we will put to good use during the game. The knight, in fact, does not believe in theArso Council; believes that War is innocent, so he decides to investigate on his own.

As we progress through the game, we shed further light on what we already understood in the first one Darksiders, and in the course of the investigation we learn that our path will have to lead us toTree of Life: a portal to all worlds, as well as a source of infinite knowledge.
It reminds me a lot Yggdrasill, effectively.

Biblical death and genocide

We will also have the opportunity to come to terms with our past, when the amulet with the anime I gave Nephilim will break, and the spirits of our fellow men slaughtered by Death and his brothers (and sister) will end up right inside us.

Our journey will continue, between an accusation coming from our past and the heavy consequences of what was essentially a brotherhood on a global scale; we will discover that in a certain sense we ourselves have created that entity which, in addition to being our nemesis, is also destroying all creation: the Corruption.

No, there is no mention of bribes, although it must be said that even that type of corruption can be equally harmful to our civilization.

A plot revealed

We will find that theArso Council he has always lied to us, and has kept a great many secrets from us about the Nephilim race and their power. We will also visit the XNUMX. Paradiso and Land, we will meet the Guard of the Underworld including the grudge (for the moment) Uriel and we will fight alongside Abaddon, gaining on the latter a slightly different perspective than that of the first chapter, in which he is one of the main opponents.

Among the noteworthy meetings that take place in Darksiders 2, we can not forget the one with Lilith, mother of all the Nephilim and therefore also of the Knights of the Apocalypse; it is she, the Mad Queen, who reveals to us that the souls contained in the amulet are now in Well of Souls, and that we can bring back to life the lineage of Nephilim. Wink wink.

The ending of Darksiders 2

In the end we will have to make a choice: or rather, Death he will have to choose and we can do nothing but follow his decision. In Well of Souls, in fact, we could have brought the Nephilim exterminated, as suggested by Lilith, but obviously Death he prefers to be loyal to his brother and colleague because he chooses to resurrect the human race so from save War.

That is how Death, taking off the iconic mask, he throws himself into the Pozzo to offer one's soul to his fellow men Nephilim, as meager compensation.

But that's not all: Lilith's plan actually it was Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness, who wanted a army of Nephilim at his own orders; for failing to convince us to resurrect the Nephilim, mum Lilith she is punished… diabolically. In a literal sense.

Lilith: I await your punishment.

Lucifer: This time, Lilith, you will get no pleasure from it.
(And get that smirk off your face.)

That's how it dies Death?
He was right Lovecraft, when he wrote that with strange aeons even Death may die?

No, because - after an unspecified period of time - the Seventh Seal is broken into Darksiders 1, and therefore all Horsemen of the Apocalypse they are summoned, and if necessary called from the dead. Also Death himself, not only War.

Let's move on to Jewish and biblical mythology

Disclaimer: as I have already written in the previous articles of this column, when I speak of religions, of sacred narratives and mystical traditions, I refer to them as mythology not out of disrespect or because I'm an atheist (spoiler: I'm not).

The intent is to detach oneself from matters of personal faith, and to consider every religion as equal Greek myths or Romans, of the Norse mythology or a fictional novel. Then everyone chooses to follow religion X or not, and this is not the place to discuss it.

In the previous article we have already underlined most of the characters, plots and details that bind Darksiders and the Bible, especially with the book ofApocalypse of John.

Two subplots, however, are explored further in Darksiders 2I Nephilim e Lilith. Neither entity was invented by the game's authors.

I believe Nephilim

I primi, and Nephilim, are mentioned in theOld Testament Christian and in Torah Hebrew, which - to sum up with the hatchet, in short - share a good part of the texts. I do not want the most religious of Christians and Jews, but I would like to avoid going further.

 

According to one of the most common interpretations of the term Nephilim, it would be - in a nutshell - del fruit of the union among the children of the true God, that is the Angels, and the daughters of men, that is, mortal women. According to other interpretations, the children of God would be the fallen angels who, apparently, in that period walked quietly - and not only - among mortals. In short, they were not alone Zeus e Loki the deities affected by satyriasis.

Still others, finally, translate Nephilim with giants or titans, and here we could get involved in the similarities with the Greek and Roman myth.

Nothing is ever simple, direct or with only a couple of clear and distinct meanings, when it comes to mythology, religion and the like! Suffice it to say that, with some agility, we could connect the Nephilim to ours Sardegna.

How? Just follow another of the interpretations of the term and indicate i Nephilim in the residual populations of Neanderthals, which for millennia have shared some territories with the increasingly widespread Homo Sapiens (i.e. us), and remember that the masks of the Mamuthones they seem to depict ancient, hairy, squat, silent creatures with rather primitive features.

Lilith: from Mesopotamia to the present day

The other real character that I would like to examine in more detail, among those used in the saga in Darksiders, is that of Lilith.

Also present at the dawn of Jewish religion, as well as in the very ancient religions of Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia) including the Babylonian one - just like the theme of Great Flood-, the figure of Lilith was initially a female demon, whose portfolio included the storm, death and disease.

Various over the centuries female demonic figures flow into this entity, enriching it with nuances and contradictions: from lamassu (which will then become the Lamia Greek!) a Lilita, also passing by Ishtar / Inanna, Astarte (also known as Astaroth, especially by gamers of a certain age), Asherah and many others, all united by the lethal charm, with extremely feminine beauty, from fertility maternal and from spirit of rebellion.

La Lilith at Darksiders it incorporates these features quite well, don't you think?

The apocalypse in Darksiders

On the occasion of the announcement ofDarksiders II release, has been issued a live-action trailer, which narrates the last hours of humanity, under the blows of the premature Apocalypse.

I leave out the apocalyptic theme for once, and I dedicate this - worthy, in my opinion - trailer that opens with Lord Jeor Mormont, the father of the hero of the Friend Zone alias Jorah Mormont, in the guise of a monk ... saved from Death.

The biblical myth in the Darksiders saga

In just over a month, that is November 27, 2018, the next chapter of the saga is expected to be released: Darksiders 3, developed by Gunfire Games and published by THQ Nordic per PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

In the third Darksiders we will wear the armor of Furia, knight of the Apocalypse, who will have to get rid of the Seven Deadly Sins, crossing an enormous setting with character post-apocalyptic, From 'Empyrean until'Inferno, and saving the few humans who survived the Apocalypse.

Some sneak peeks on Darksiders 3

From this we deduce two things. First, Darksiders 3 will be set around the same time as Darksiders 2, that is, between the condemnation of War and its retaliation.

Second, Furia it actually replaces Famine, as well as -from what we know- Conflict took the place of Pestilence / Conquest. The latter knight, who logically should be the protagonist of an eventual Darksiders 4, is essentially the most interesting.

While researching to write the article in this column focused on Darksiders 1, in fact, a series of similarities, similarities and even mirror reversals with respect to the biblical myth.

Now, if none Vatican task force broke down the door of my house in the previous article, in which I emphasized the overthrow of the Pietà by Michelangelo with the Antichrist supporting Mary's character, I think I can confidently recap, in short, what we saw in greater depth when we analyzed Darksiders 1 together.

The fourth horseman in Darksiders 4?

I state that the developers have made it known that they are already thinking about how to design Darksiders 4; Conflict he will use twin sword and pistols, and apparently we could see the fourth component of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse dropped into the mechanics of devil may cry.

So, we said. The fourth horseman, according to scholars, it is a positive force linked to Divine justice, and some say it may even refer to Jesus Christ: this knight is dressed in white, wears a crown, is greeted by the thundering voice of God and holds a toxon (bow), a term that should refer to the rainbow that marked the end of the Great Flood and the beginning ofAlliance with Noah; the bow, moreover, is probably the favorite weapon of Jesus Christ which, according to the Psalm 44/45, he uses it to overthrow entire peoples.

I Jehovah's Witnesses provide an additional link between Jesus Christ e Darksiders 2, but I don't intend to challenge any further the celestial fury, then go and read it in the article already published. I sincerely hope this column does not cost me a bull of excommunication.

If you don't get in trouble with the Papacy, then the appointment with the Bear's Lair è per Next Wednesday. If you don't hear from me, you will know why.