Something just hit me

[Zelz]

Yes, thats what I was thinking that have some kind of sense or just "know" but yea it really doesn't matter at all just one of those details I was wondering about for whatever reason.

 

[Forest Wraith]

I'm not sure it's an infant from what we can see of it, just some weird tentacled monster. Anyway that doesn't affect the personality and motives of other characters (referring to Rochine).

I was just comparing the impression that I got of it being an Infant with the rather disturbing idea of child-apostles munching on people's heads at the Eclipse. Of course the scene is sad and traumatic enough either way.
The impression that I got from what I could see of a face was that it had some clearly infantile features, plus the way it was born from Gaston's head. I will retract my name of Infant-Apostle though as we obviously can't prove anything at this rate. I think the biggest hole in my idea is the complications of if an infant would have enough of an independent conciousness to use a Beherit. Maybe he sacrificed his Teddy Bear? Although it is still alive so maybe we will see it again in the future.

 

[Aazealh]

the way it was born from Gaston's head.

Well, I agree about the inner face in the mouth having some kind of infantile look, but saying it was "born" through Gaston's head is a bit much I think. It just made his head explode and then fled, it must have got inside his body earlier (obviously) and carved its way up until it reached the brain. Given its size and shape that's probably the only way it can attack its victims.

Other than that you're right about the biggest hole in your theory, I don't see how it could possibly work. I also don't believe we'll see this particular apostle again, but who knows.

 

[IsolatioN]

That would be interesting if Guts were to come across that apostle. Which makes me wonder, do apostles mature/grow? Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but I'm just curious to if an apostle could be so large, then grow larger and stronger as it ages?

Yeah I don't really think it was born from his head either, rather just errupted out of him. My question is, though, how did it enter his body?

 

[Forest Wraith]

Since Apostles apparently gain some form of immortality I would expect that they age at a much slower rate if at all. I would further hypothesize that they gain strength from the souls that they consume.

Yeah I don't really think it was born from his head either, rather just errupted out of him. My question is, though, how did it enter his body?

Through an orifice of course. Although he didn't appear to be aware of it . . . Poor Gaston . . .

 

[Aazealh]

That would be interesting if Guts were to come across that apostle.

Really? I'm not sure it would.

Which makes me wonder, do apostles mature/grow? Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but I'm just curious to if an apostle could be so large, then grow larger and stronger as it ages?

Well as far as we know they don't age, or at least it doesn't show much. Zodd lived for at the very least 300 years, and he's completely unaffected. There's also the case of Wyald that was originally an old man but became young again as an apostle. The only unknown factor here would be Rochine, who looks older as an apostle than she was when she made her sacrifice. So she might have been growing like a normal kid, the process stopping once she would have reached adulthood.

My question is, though, how did it enter his body?

Through an orifice of course like Forest Wraith said, after that if you want details it could really be anything... There are too many possibilities.

I would further hypothesize that they gain strength from the souls that they consume.

What? They're not consuming souls... Some of them eat people but nothing indicates that their souls are consumed, they just go to the Vortex for all we know.

 

[Forest Wraith]

Sorry, let me rephrase that as being the impression that I got from Wyald's death. It appeared as though multiple souls were trying to escape his body, so I am assuming that Apostles are somehow linked to the souls of humans that they have eaten.

 

[Funkmasta Zeph]

Sorry, let me rephrase that as being the impression that I got from Wyald's death. It appeared as though multiple souls were trying to escape his body, so I am assuming that Apostles are somehow linked to the souls of humans that they have eaten.

Those were other damned souls pulling him to hell (like with the Count).

 

[Forest Wraith]

Ahh, see I haven't gotten the opportunity to read all of the current manga volumes so my understanding of details like that is sometimes based on guess-work.

 

[Aazealh]

Ahh, see I haven't gotten the opportunity to read all of the current manga volumes so my understanding of details like that is sometimes based on guess-work.

It's the Vortex of Souls, it's first shown in volume 3.

 

[egg of the king]

Even if Apostles can do what they want, it's still probably an obligation for them to attend such ceremony's.

It's not really an obligation for them. It's rather that they are sated/derive sustenance, power from the sacrifice of humans, and are naturally drawn. We know that some of them prefer human flesh over other kinds of flesh (vol23--evil army minion), and Wyald states that he was going to "wait till the Eclipse" to have his way with Guts until he decided to kill him anyway (vol 11). As far as the physical manifestation of the apostles before the nexus between astral realms was complete that was mentioned above, well I'm curious about that too. We know that the apostles have corporeal (human-like) forms, and that they walk the earth amongst humans. Were they drawn to the lake? Or did they simply materialize there as the astral realm became more salient? It's really hard to say. What we do know for sure is that they suddenly seem to appear. What we also know for sure is that at least some of them (if not all) had foreknowledge that the eclipse was imminent, given Wyald's words. We also see glimpses of some of the apostles beforehand, and of course there's the Rickert scene where spome of them congregate and eat the band. All this in mind, I'm apt to believe that they were drawn there physically, and had to "get there", rather than materialize.

What? They're not consuming souls... Some of them eat people but nothing indicates that their souls are consumed, they just go to the Vortex for all we know.

I've wondered about this. Does everyone who dies go to the vortex then? Or just those "caught up with demonkind"?

 

[Aazealh]

It's rather that they are sated/derive sustenance, power from the sacrifice of humans, and are naturally drawn.

Don't assume too much, nothing in the manga says that somebody else sacrificing someone in their presence would bring them anything, including during an Eclipse. I think they just hold it as sacred, seeing the God Hand and all, plus there's a special buffet. That and like you said, they're probably naturally drawn to it.

As far as the physical manifestation of the apostles before the nexus between astral realms was complete

There's just one astral realm for all we know, I assume that was a simple mistake.

We know that the apostles have corporeal (human-like) forms, and that they walk the earth amongst humans. Were they drawn to the lake? Or did they simply materialize there as the astral realm became more salient? It's really hard to say.

I don't think it's really hard to say, and you proved it yourself in your post. But I'd like to point out the fact that we're not sure of what the place the Occultation ceremony took place in is. It's reductive to simply call it the astral realm, and it seems to be rather unique.

I've wondered about this. Does everyone who dies go to the vortex then? Or just those "caught up with demonkind"?

That has already been discussed and answered in the past, please search for it. Basically and from what Griffith says in volume 23, everybody seems to be going there. Vargas sure did, and he wasn't branded, nor an apostle. There are a few hints indicating that some people might not join it, like what Flora tells Schierke in volume 27, or to a much lesser extent what Guts tells Theresia in volume 3 (as his knowledge of such things is supposed to be rather limited).

 

[egg of the king]

Don't assume too much, nothing in the manga says that somebody else sacrificing someone in their presence would bring them anything, including during an Eclipse. I think they just hold it as sacred, seeing the God Hand and all, plus there's a special buffet. That and like you said, they're probably naturally drawn to it.

There's just one astral realm for all we know, I assume that was a simple mistake.

I don't think it's really hard to say, and you proved it yourself in your post. But I'd like to point out the fact that we're not sure of what the place the Occultation ceremony took place in is. It's reductive to simply call it the astral realm, and it seems to be rather unique.

That has already been discussed and answered in the past, please search for it. Basically and from what Griffith says in volume 23, everybody seems to be going there. Vargas sure did, and he wasn't branded, nor an apostle. There are a few hints indicating that some people might not join it, like what Flora tells Schierke in volume 27, or to a much lesser extent what Guts tells Theresia in volume 3 (as his knowledge of such things is supposed to be rather limited).

Thanks Aazealh. Sorry, I should have searched for the topic. I guess we'll have to wait till more is revealed regarding this side of the berserk world.

You're right about the sacrifice issue, but I wouldn't hesitate to amend that the manga does say that the sacrifice of a loved one, which is generally coalescent with the shedding of one's humanity, is the main catalyst to becoming a demon. I think I;m wrong about the sustenance thing, definitely. There is something about eating/raping humans that is derivative for apostles--oh, maybe I;m delving too deep? It's just what demons do?--I think they derive something out of it, perhaps it's just the satisfaction of desire or compulsion.

 

[Aazealh]

You're right about the sacrifice issue, but I wouldn't hesitate to amend that the manga does say that the sacrifice of a loved one, which is generally coalescent with the shedding of one's humanity, is the main catalyst to becoming a demon.

Yeah, you have to sacrifice something you care most about to become an apostle.

There is something about eating/raping humans that is derivative for apostles--oh, maybe I;m delving too deep? It's just what demons do?--I think they derive something out of it, perhaps it's just the satisfaction of desire or compulsion.

They're monsters, "evil" and cruel (and in this, they are terribly human), or at least those that eat and rape people are. I'm sure they get some satisfaction out of it (the fulfillment of primal urges?), but that's all there is to it as far as I can tell. Besides, I don't think speculating on hypothetic deeper motives would yield anything significant.