Most of us here at SKnet, myself included, are at the mercy of translators to explain the deeper connections and subtleties of the kanji used in Berserk. We'll always get a general understanding of the words, but often that's just not enough to satisfy me. In my studies, including the translations we have, and with Puella and Aaz's help, I've seen a coorelation between many of the major elements of the series that just can't be denied. I've written this as sort of a guide to the major correlations between the Idea of Evil, the Abyss, the Beherits and the Beherit-Sword, that would otherwise be lost without a focused study.
While many of the inner workings of the Berserk universe are still unknown, we can draw a common theme from those we do know: water. This may sound insignificant at first, however once one takes into account all the various instances of its usage, one begins to see that it all stems from the same source.
Causality, the most influential force in the Berserk world, has twice been alluded to in metaphors of water. In Albion, the Skull Knight tells Guts that this world is like the moon's reflection on a river, and that only the moon itself can alter its reflection. After Femto's Occultation, Slan says that Skull Knight is a fish swimming against the flow of causality, and that a mere jumping fish cannot alter the flow of the river. By themselves, these are merely clever and practical metaphors for causality. However, the Skull Knight and Slan’s choice of water as the primary metaphor here can easily be seen as intentional and collaborative, given the other examples of it spread throughout the series.
Flora explains that the universe expands in three dimensions, not only two. At the deepest point of the world lies the Abyss, a sea of primordial water. The Abyss is the cradle for the Idea of Evil, a name which contains perhaps the most enigmatic and revealing use of “water.” “The Idea” in Idea of Evil translates to “origin / source,” in the context of “source of water”. But, not just any water: primordial water. For those unfamiliar with the term primordial, it refers to the giant ocean in ancient times where all organisms lived.
Knowing that primordial waters are what humans evolved from, reading them in conjunction with female amniotic fluid seems natural. It should come as no surprise then, when the Skull Knight refers to Slan as “Harawada no Shouki”, or “Courtesan of the Uterine World,” in reference to the Qliphoth being her womb (or Uterus), and perhaps also at Slan, a member of God Hand’s origin: The Abyss.
Another intrinsic connection to the primordial waters is the scene of Griffith sinking deeper and deeper into the Abyss. He sheds his last tears, which we see falling into the Abyss, creating a splash, a ripple, then rising to the surface as beherits: formed from primordial water. The Idea of Evil then refers to them as “Ikai e no yobimizu” or “drops of primed water [opening a portal leading to another world],” in reference to their dimensional summoning capabilities.
The name of the Skull Knight’s hidden weapon, “Yobimizu no Tsurugi” also contains this word. However, when Skull Knight says the word, it’s a bit different. His sword, covered in Beherits, changes the “Yobi” kanji (originally word for “to call”, or in this case the portal opening) to another slightly different one, amplifying its meaning. In this way, the Beherits no longer summon a dimensional plane but cut through it.
In conjunction, these examples reveal the underlying vein through the course of the series. The primordial waters of the Abyss are at the core of every major mystery surrounding the Idea of Evil, the most powerful and influential element in the series.
While many of the inner workings of the Berserk universe are still unknown, we can draw a common theme from those we do know: water. This may sound insignificant at first, however once one takes into account all the various instances of its usage, one begins to see that it all stems from the same source.
Causality, the most influential force in the Berserk world, has twice been alluded to in metaphors of water. In Albion, the Skull Knight tells Guts that this world is like the moon's reflection on a river, and that only the moon itself can alter its reflection. After Femto's Occultation, Slan says that Skull Knight is a fish swimming against the flow of causality, and that a mere jumping fish cannot alter the flow of the river. By themselves, these are merely clever and practical metaphors for causality. However, the Skull Knight and Slan’s choice of water as the primary metaphor here can easily be seen as intentional and collaborative, given the other examples of it spread throughout the series.
Flora explains that the universe expands in three dimensions, not only two. At the deepest point of the world lies the Abyss, a sea of primordial water. The Abyss is the cradle for the Idea of Evil, a name which contains perhaps the most enigmatic and revealing use of “water.” “The Idea” in Idea of Evil translates to “origin / source,” in the context of “source of water”. But, not just any water: primordial water. For those unfamiliar with the term primordial, it refers to the giant ocean in ancient times where all organisms lived.
Knowing that primordial waters are what humans evolved from, reading them in conjunction with female amniotic fluid seems natural. It should come as no surprise then, when the Skull Knight refers to Slan as “Harawada no Shouki”, or “Courtesan of the Uterine World,” in reference to the Qliphoth being her womb (or Uterus), and perhaps also at Slan, a member of God Hand’s origin: The Abyss.
Another intrinsic connection to the primordial waters is the scene of Griffith sinking deeper and deeper into the Abyss. He sheds his last tears, which we see falling into the Abyss, creating a splash, a ripple, then rising to the surface as beherits: formed from primordial water. The Idea of Evil then refers to them as “Ikai e no yobimizu” or “drops of primed water [opening a portal leading to another world],” in reference to their dimensional summoning capabilities.
The name of the Skull Knight’s hidden weapon, “Yobimizu no Tsurugi” also contains this word. However, when Skull Knight says the word, it’s a bit different. His sword, covered in Beherits, changes the “Yobi” kanji (originally word for “to call”, or in this case the portal opening) to another slightly different one, amplifying its meaning. In this way, the Beherits no longer summon a dimensional plane but cut through it.
In conjunction, these examples reveal the underlying vein through the course of the series. The primordial waters of the Abyss are at the core of every major mystery surrounding the Idea of Evil, the most powerful and influential element in the series.