About BERSERK Illustrations File artbook cover

Flash · January 7, 2008

If it had been already discussed then I’m sorry. But I haven’t found similar thread so I’ve decided to start a new one.

Most of you know this picture:

Yes, it’s Berserk Illustration File artbook cover. But it’s not quite a cover, it’s a dust cover. But actual cover looks like this:

Looks like VERY interesting picture with LOT of symbols on it.

I can see the Star of David with symbols on every apex: Brain (Void?) Skull (Skullknight?) Band of the Hawk symbol, Heart (Idea of Evil), Demon child and triangle with brand inside.
In the center of the star there is Femto hatching from behelit.
Also I can see astrological sings and some characters resembling the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
While I can recognize some (few) of the individual symbols I can’t tell what they mean all together. Is this the list of factors witch led to Eclipse and Griffith’s transformation? If so, then why the Idea of Evil is not above the Star but among the other symbols like a common factor?

In short, let’s discuss it. What do you see on this picture and what do you think it means?

Aazealh · January 8, 2008

Flash said:
If it had been already discussed then I’m sorry. But I haven’t found similar thread so I’ve decided to start a new one.

Yeah, actually that's a really old topic. :guts:

Flash said:
I can see the Star of David with symbols on every apex

I believe, given the form and context, that it'd be more proper to refer to it as a representation of the Seal of Solomon.

Flash said:
triangle with brand inside.
In the center of the star there is Femto hatching from Beherit.

Don't forget that the triangle has a tower and a sword at each corner of its base, and a hand with an eye in its palm at the top (that could represent the law of causality?). The beherit is also surrounded by thorns.

And I guess the apex hidden by Femto's head could be debated too. What corresponds to it exactly? The Brand? Or is it a separate thing altogether? Then would Femto stand there, the beherit itself being the only object in the center of the star? Or is the symbol simply hidden?

Flash said:
Also I can see astrological sings and some characters resembling the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Yeah, they're mystical symbols. The whole design seems inspired by the Kabbalah. As for the letters, I can't tell for sure, but if I had to guess I'd say they either don't mean anything in particular, or if they do it's some generic incantation or something similar that doesn't reveal deep Berserk secrets.

Flash said:
Is this the list of factors witch led to Eclipse and Griffith’s transformation? If so, then why the Idea of Evil is not above the Star but among the other symbols like a common factor?

In short, let’s discuss it. What do you see on this picture and what do you think it means?

To be honest, I don't think there's a real meaning behind it. I know this answer is probably going to disappoint you, but I think Miura did it in a large part for the cool factor, and that there isn't anything too profound or pertinent to find in it. Of course, you're right to point out that the central element is the birth of Femto from the beherit, with the elements surrounding it representing things that are related to the event. However, can this be taken as a hint that the Idea of Evil is to be put on the same level of importance/power than the Demon Child? I definitely don't think so.

Walter · January 8, 2008

This image definitely intrigued me when I first saw it several years ago. However, like Aaz said, if this thing had any serious relevance we probably would have seen it in the manga somewhere.

Hmm, I bet I could dig up some really embarrassing stuff from the SKnet archives. I used to have a whole portion of the website dedicated to it. I'll see what I can embarrass myself with after I clock out at work.

Update: Ugh, here's the monstrosity, from the depths of the year 2000! Behold the terror of one bored teenager and one cryptic image!

http://www.skullknight.net/spec/legend.htm

Scorpio · January 8, 2008

Wow. Impressive analysis of the cover. If I had to toss in my two cents, I would say that the castle in the triangle looks like the crest for Midland (if memory serves). And since this is all wild speculation, I'd toss in that the triangle represents the involvement to create Femto, pictured below. If the sword does indeed represent Guts, then the Godhand, Guts, and Midland were all integral parts in Femto's creation. To jump in with both feet, the demon child is griffiths rebirth into the human world, the idea of evil, while not directly influencing Griffith's actions, is what orchestrated everything that Griffith will do. The hawks, the biggest symbol besides Griff, represents two things: the original hawks that got him to where he is, and the reborn apostle army hawks that are now the saviors of the known world (and will most likely play an even bigger role in the future, or at least remain as prominent catalyst for conflict/change. The skull could either be skullknight, or maybe just death. Griffiths return will undoubtedly have a negative effect on mankind. And I guess the brain would be void, but I dont know how that would fit into all this.

Anyway, I agree with Aaz. I think it was made just to look cool (which it certainly does), but IF there is meaning, the above is all I got.

CnC · January 8, 2008

Walter said:
Update: Ugh, here's the monstrocity, from the depths of the year 2000! Behold the terror of one bored teenager and one cryptic image!

http://www.skullknight.net/spec/legend.htm

its the reason u luv berzerk!

Anyways I'm with Aaz on all this, it's there to look cool (which it does :serpico:

)

Okin · January 8, 2008

So it looks cool, and it illustrates the major forces of Berserk? I hope we can agree to that extent.

Flash · January 8, 2008

Walter said:
http://www.skullknight.net/spec/legend.htm

Impressive analysis indeed.

Aazealh said:
I know this answer is probably going to disappoint you, but I think Miura did it in a large part for the cool factor

Can’t say anything against it but you were right about disappointment. :judo:

Thank you for explanation :serpico:

Aazealh · January 9, 2008

Scorpio said:
If I had to toss in my two cents, I would say that the castle in the triangle looks like the crest for Midland (if memory serves).

Midland's blazon does feature a tower in its center that resembles the one in the illustration (it's not exactly the same though), however that's not all there is to it. See below:

As you can see, it's a lot more elaborated than that. The tower in the blazon represents the Tower of Rebirth.

Scorpio said:
And since this is all wild speculation, I'd toss in that the triangle represents the involvement to create Femto, pictured below. If the sword does indeed represent Guts, then the Godhand, Guts, and Midland were all integral parts in Femto's creation.

I'm not really convinced that the sword is supposed to represent Guts here, it's far too impersonal for that to me. To give my own little interpretation, aside from what I had previously said about the hand representing the law of causality, I think the sword could symbolize wars, and the tower could represent different things but with the same general notion: countries, human bloodlines, land, etc. The idea here is that causality is used to shape people's destiny (especially branded people) by manipulating lineages and influencing conflicts and politics. What makes me think of this is the Idea of Evil's speech in episode 83 ("[By] merging blood with blood, I created the lineage that would give birth to the man you are [...] I manipulated History").

Scorpio said:
the demon child is griffiths ~~rebirth~~ incarnation into the human world [...] The hawks, the biggest symbol besides Griff, represents two things: the original hawks that got him to where he is, and the ~~reborn~~ apostle army hawks

But there's something you seem to be overlooking here: the artbook was published in 1997, and the illustration itself could very well be even older than that. I highly doubt Miura made references to events that were still several years away in this picture. Rather, I think it simply refers to the Eclipse, since it took place at about the same time the image was created (volume 13 was also released in 1997). The Demon Child was a consequence of Casca's rape by Femto, and the Hawks were sacrificed during the event. That's all there is to it IMHO.

Scorpio said:
The skull could either be skullknight, or maybe just death. Griffiths return will undoubtedly have a negative effect on mankind. And I guess the brain would be void, but I dont know how that would fit into all this.

Obviously, in theory there are a lot of possible interpretations for those two symbols, but given the context, I personally think they're just referring to SK and Void (or the God Hand, by extension).

Okin said:
So it looks cool, and it illustrates the major forces of Berserk? I hope we can agree to that extent.

Well, I wouldn't say it illustrates the "main forces" of Berserk, no. Rather, like I previously said I think they represent things that are related to the Eclipse. The Demon Child or the Hawks can't really be put on the same level than the other entities depicted, for example.

Scorpio · January 9, 2008

Aazealh said:
But there's something you seem to be overlooking here: the artbook was published in 1997[...]

Ah, I did miss that point entirely. Hmm... In that case, I'll agree that all the symbols around the hexagram are just people/groups/things that have a strong link to the eclipse. Causality (at the top of the triangle) dictates the entire event, holding Griffith's dream (a kingdom, lower left triangle) within the grasp of Femto's wings. The sword... then is war? How Griffith has made it as far as he has, and how he will continue to chase his dream. The brand in the middle the means to his end.

As for the hexagram itself, I hate to cite wikipedia, but I found a freemason quote interesting.

Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, we read: "The interlacing triangles or deltas symbolize the union of the two principles or forces, the active and passive, male and female, pervading the universe... The two triangles, one white and the other black, interlacing, typify the mingling of apparent opposites in nature, darkness and light, error and truth, ignorance and wisdom, evil and good, throughout human life."

So, with the creation of Femto in the center, he is both the yin and the yang (or basically a god). And as I said, the other images are just important people/groups/things that have strong links to the eclipse. Once the eclipse has started, Guts really doesn't have much of an impact on its course (besides surviving), so I guess it would make sense he wasn't represented.

Anyway, thought I'd revise my ideas since my timeline was off by quite a bit.

Aazealh · January 9, 2008

Scorpio said:
So, with the creation of Femto in the center, he is both the yin and the yang (or basically a god).

I think you're being hasty with your conclusions here. Standing in the center doesn't "make" him the yin and the yang, that's not how it works. They are forces that transcend all things. And the place in which they meet would more likely represent perfect harmony/balance/unity, but certainly not a God. You can't just slap meanings on concepts issued from thousand years old beliefs.

Furthermore, the hexagram in the picture doesn't correspond to the description you provided. The triangles appear to have the same color (or absence thereof), and more importantly, the symbols that stand on each apex don't follow the logic presented. One triangle has the brain (Void?), the Demon Child and the Hawks on it. The other has the skull (SK), the heart (IoE) and whatever one thinks stands at the top. Which is light and which is dark? Which is male and which is female? Which is earth and which is heaven? And how do they oppose themselves exactly?

As you must have guessed, I myself considered the usual occult meanings attributed to the Seal of Solomon and how they could work here, but I haven't found anything really conclusive. It just doesn't seem to be pertinent to me. The most plausible interpretation while staying in the same line of thought would IMHO be an alchemical one, with the center of the hexagram representing transmutation. However it only partially works, as the triangles are still supposed to represent opposing elements.

Scorpio said:
Once the eclipse has started, Guts really doesn't have much of an impact on its course (besides surviving), so I guess it would make sense he wasn't represented.

Yeah, of course. And he is in fact represented twice, albeit not directly. He's part of the Hawks, and he's branded. These two symbols include him.

Flash · January 9, 2008

Aazealh said:
The most plausible interpretation while staying in the same line of thought would IMHO be an alchemical one, with the center of the hexagram representing transmutation. However it only partially works, as the triangles are still supposed to represent opposing elements.

Very interesting! :isidro:

But what about "branded" triangle? Can it be also interpreted in the same alchemical way? If things are as you say then looks like it’s kinda unnecessary here, isn’t it? I mean why did Miura draw the group of symbols instead single insignia?

Aazealh · January 10, 2008

Flash said:
But what about "branded" triangle? Can it be also interpreted in the same alchemical way? If things are as you say then looks like it’s kinda unnecessary here, isn’t it? I mean why did Miura draw the group of symbols instead single insignia?

No, I don't think the above triangle can be interpreted like that. Like I said before, I think the general design was inspired by the Kabbalah, and more specifically by some representations of the Tree of Life. See below:

A very simple representation of the Tree of Life that I cleaned up of text and such.

A modified version that's exactly like our illustration. Remove the bottom Sephirah as well as the original links between each of them, put a Seal of Solomon instead, and you're good.

Flash · January 10, 2008

2 Aazealh

Though I remember your first answer and therefore I suspect this speculation is likely leads me to nowhere nevertheless I can’t resist the temptation to continue on this matter. After quick googling I‘ve found some info about Tree of Life. Here is supposed meaning for each sephira in current version of Tree of Life.

I slightly modified (should I say spoiled :guts:

) your picture to show meanings.

And so

1- Crown
2- Understanding
3- Wisdom
4- Judgment
5- Mercy
6- Knowledge
7- Glory
8- Victory
9- Kingdom

I can’t find any connection between first 6 Sephiras and insignias around the Seal but last three Sephiras have drawn my attention. It’s Glory, Victory and Kingdom and they are located around “branded” triangle. Also there is brand inside the triangle and the symbol of God Hand (supposedly) on the top. Also triangle has no visible connections with hexagram and even lying in a different plane (perpendicularly to the plane of the seal). So if we take all those things into account than we can assume that “branded” triangle is connected to someone else but Griffith/Femto. And I think that someone is Gaiseric. If we return to Sephiras than we could see that Glory, Victory and Kingdom could be related to Gaiseric as well (he was conqueror and established his own empire). Also Gaiseric connected to GodHand via Void (Hand and Eye symbol) and the brand could be the symbol of sacrifice during the Incarnation ceremony 1000 years ago.
Maybe my speculation above is kinda farfetched but I’m almost sure that when Miura drew this picture he’d already developed whole Gaiseric/SK story and he possibly could incorporate some of its elements into this cover.

CnC · January 10, 2008

I think you're reaching a bit here, on the speculation. You feel the triangle by itself is connected to Gaiseric but the rest applies to Griffith/Femto? I doubt it.

Flash said:
Void (Hand and Eye symbol) and the brand could be the symbol of sacrifice during the Incarnation ceremony 1000 years ago.

How are you getting Void from the hand and eye symbol?

And the brand _is_ the mark of the sacrifice from 1000 years ago, at least thats what the corpses at the bottom of the tower would indicate, but it really doesn't tie back to this picture.

Scorpio · January 10, 2008

Aazealh said:
Which is light and which is dark? Which is male and which is female? Which is earth and which is heaven? And how do they oppose themselves exactly?

I saw those images as being separate from the hexagram, simply as things surrounding Femto. So their meaning and the meaning of the hexagram were different. But its true I made an assumption on center of the hex=god, sorry about that.

I'm afraid I don't have much else in me, so I'll resign myself from the speculation. Though it was fun to throw out some crackpot ideas. The image certainly does seem like there should be more to it, but thats probably the feeling it was meant to inspire (without really giving anything away).

Flash · January 10, 2008

CnC said:
How are you getting Void from the hand and eye symbol?

Yeah, I know it’s not like obvious connection (if there is one) but Void after all is the assumed leader of the God Hand :void:

CnC said:
You feel the triangle by itself is connected to Gaiseric but the rest applies to Griffith/Femto? I doubt it.

I know my speculation isn't looking like a solid theory but in general I was talking about the triangle being a separate element of the picture. If you’ll interpret the illustration in the way Aaz did (alchemical interpretation) then you’ll see that the Seal and its elements are looking like the finished group of symbols referring to the Eclipse. But triangle is not connected with the Seal and even slightly distanced from it. In my opinion it can be interpreted as two separate (but connected) meanings: one fore the Seal and one for the triangle.
Maybe triangle is not referring to Gaiseric. I can see weak points of this speculation and not insisting on it. But the triangle having its own meaning is quite plausible for me.

Walter · January 10, 2008

Flash said:
via Void (Hand and Eye symbol) and the brand could be the symbol of sacrifice during the Incarnation ceremony 1000 years ago.

I dunno, the eye in hand seems to represent the Idea of Evil more than anything to me, since it's often used as a symbol of omniscience or power - the final word. Especially given its placement at the TOP of this whole diagram. But then it could just be a general symbol of power. It's not like these all have to have corresponding characters.

And btw guys, no one needs to be branded during an Incarnation ceremony. Who was branded during Griffith's? *ERRRRRRRRRP!* No one. The world was sacrificed by the Beherit Apostle. The Hawks were branded during Griffith's SACRIFICIAL ceremony. I know you guys are thinking about those corpses at the bottom of the Tower of Rebirth, but based on the above reasons, I think that was for something else.

Aazealh · January 10, 2008

Flash said:
Here is supposed meaning for each sephira in current version of Tree of Life.

I slightly modified (should I say spoiled ) your picture to show meanings.
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/5859/tolberserk2rn3.jpg

And so

1- Crown
2- Understanding
3- Wisdom
4- Judgment
5- Mercy
6- Knowledge
7- Glory
8- Victory
9- Kingdom

Uhh, but that's not the correct order at all. Did you just switch it upside down and made up your own order (replacing Yesod by Malkuth, among other things)? I'm afraid that can't work. It's really quite important to keep the upper parts and lower parts at their place, and there's a precise order to go through each of them too. Like I told Scorpio earlier, you can't just slap meanings on concepts that are so old, precise and rigid.

This is the correct order and place for each Sephirah, and this can show you the importance of their position. It's all highly symbolic and can't be modified without losing all relevance and/or credibility. You should know that by having nine elements instead of ten, the Berserk illustration already critically distances itself from the Tree of Life, as it traditionally must be composed of ten Sephiroth. Changing the originally complex and meaningful links between them and adding an hexagram only further stresses out this point.

So while there is a graphical resemblance to me, taking the comparison farther does not seem very pertinent in regard to what it entails. I think it would require far too much twisting and bending, only to make very little and superficial sense in the end, and while showing some core contradictions.

Flash said:
I can’t find any connection between first 6 Sephiras and insignias around the Seal but last three Sephiras have drawn my attention. It’s Glory, Victory and Kingdom and they are located around “branded” triangle.

The problem here is that like I said, you changed the order of the Sephiroth. The upper 3 Sephiroth are supposed to be Kether, Chokmah and Binah (standing for Crown, Wisdom and Understanding, though all Sephiroth have more than one meaning depending on how they're considered). You're also only considering the Hermetic interpretations of the Sephiroth here. And of course, if you can merely find 3 correspondences even after changing things around, the logical conclusion to be reached would be that this comparison is vain and totally inconclusive.

Flash said:
Also there is brand inside the triangle and the symbol of God Hand (supposedly) on the top.

Who said this was the symbol of the God Hand? Of course it's easy to link them together since it's a hand, but I think the GH is more likely represented by the brain, which would itself be a symbol representing Void. It's been said several times before, but I think the hand with an eye in its palm is probably meant to symbolize a superior power. And since the Idea of Evil is already in the picture, I like to think that it represents the law of causality (inflexibly overlooking everything).

Flash said:
Also triangle has no visible connections with hexagram and even lying in a different plane (perpendicularly to the plane of the seal). So if we take all those things into account than we can assume that “branded” triangle is connected to someone else but Griffith/Femto.

Why? It's the same illustration, and it's not like the upper triangle is far from the hexagram or anything (and that "different plane" argument seems lousy to me). In fact, Femto's head covers its lower part. Futhermore, the triangle adds some important elements to the rest, the Brand being the clearest one. It's a vital part of the Eclipse, one that can't be done without. Not to mention that by itself, the triangle doesn't seem to mean much. All the symbols it features other than the Brand are rather generic, even the eye-in-hand one.

Flash said:
And I think that someone is Gaiseric. If we return to Sephiras than we could see that Glory, Victory and Kingdom could be related to Gaiseric as well (he was conqueror and established his own empire). Also Gaiseric connected to GodHand via Void (Hand and Eye symbol) and the brand could be the symbol of sacrifice during the Incarnation ceremony 1000 years ago.

Wow, now honestly I think this is quite far-fetched. You're just mingling everything together here, and basing it all on unproven speculation. The Incarnation ceremony from a thousand years ago? Was there even one? And why would it be connected to SK or Void? We're not even sure that Void was a member of the God Hand at the time (going strictly by the numbers and assuming no member of the God Hand died, Void became part of it 864 years before Femto). The destruction of Gaiseric's capital city is still shrouded in mystery, keep that in mind. Then, how are you linking Gaiseric to Void exactly? I mean, I know it's a popular theory that SK and Void knew each other while they were both still human, but that's also completely unproven. And again, why would the eye-in-hand refer to Void when we have a brain in the same picture, right next to a skull? Why not put the skull among the triangle's symbols, if it's supposed to represent Gaiseric? It doesn't make sense to me. And you can add to that what I pointed out earlier about the Sephiroth and how you interpreted their signification. Overall, I think there are far too many problems (my list isn't exhaustive) with your theory for us to give it any credit.

Flash said:
Maybe my speculation above is kinda farfetched but I’m almost sure that when Miura drew this picture he’d already developed whole Gaiseric/SK story and he possibly could incorporate some of its elements into this cover.

We can't know for certain whether he had developed the whole Gaiseric story or not, but what's sure is that most of what we currently know about it comes from volume 10, so clearly your interpretation of those symbols can't be disputed by the time at which the illustration was made. However that doesn't mean it's correct, nor does it lend it any more credibility than it would have had otherwise.

Anyway, I hope I'm not sounding too harsh here, because that's not my intention. But there's so much to say that I have to directly cut to the point, otherwise writing the post would take me hours.

Scorpio said:
I saw those images as being separate from the hexagram, simply as things surrounding Femto. So their meaning and the meaning of the hexagram were different. But its true I made an assumption on center of the hex=god, sorry about that.

Ok, that's what I figured you had done. I can't affirm that they're definitely connected, but frankly I would find it very odd if they weren't related to the hexagram, considering they stand on each apex of the star as well as in its middle. It just doesn't seem likely at all to me.

Scorpio said:
I'm afraid I don't have much else in me, so I'll resign myself from the speculation. Though it was fun to throw out some crackpot ideas. The image certainly does seem like there should be more to it, but thats probably the feeling it was meant to inspire (without really giving anything away).

Well that's fine man, while I didn't necessarily agree with what you said, it's always nice to hear various thoughts and ideas about this sort of stuff. At least I can say that I'm fully in agreement with what I highlighted in this last quote. :guts:

Flash said:
I was talking about the triangle being a separate element of the picture. If you’ll interpret the illustration in the way Aaz did (alchemical interpretation) then you’ll see that the Seal and its elements are looking like the finished group of symbols referring to the Eclipse.

I don't know about that. The Brand is a crucial part in Occultation ceremonies... It wouldn't make sense to use it to refer to another event while not featuring it in the drawing symbolizing the Eclipse.

Flash said:
But triangle is not connected with the Seal and even slightly distanced from it. In my opinion it can be interpreted as two separate (but connected) meanings: one fore the Seal and one for the triangle.
Maybe triangle is not referring to Gaiseric. I can see weak points of this speculation and not insisting on it. But the triangle having its own meaning is quite plausible for me.

I think the triangle is just referring to more general things, like I said in my previous posts. The law of causality, ruling the deep mechanisms of the world, along with forces that can shape this same world, like wars/conflicts and whatever one sees represented in the tower.

Scorpio · January 10, 2008

Aazealh said:
Well that's fine man, while I didn't necessarily agree with what you said, it's always nice to hear various thoughts and ideas about this sort of stuff. At least I can say that I'm fully in agreement with what I highlighted in this last quote.

It's not that I'm giving up because I'm frustrated that I'm wrong, I'm just running out of remotely plausible ideas. If I get struck by some sudden inspiration I'll definitely be back (it just doesn't seem too likely).

CnC · January 10, 2008

Aazealh said:
But there's so much to say that I have to directly cut to the point, otherwise writing the post would take me hours.

No doubt. It's an interesting subject to discuss, but unfortunately I feel it's still just a cool homage Miura made while creating the image.

It would be cool if Femto/Griffith's rebirth from one plane to the next (pentagram to triangle) meant something, but I'm just not seeing it.

Aazealh · January 10, 2008

Scorpio said:
It's not that I'm giving up because I'm frustrated that I'm wrong, I'm just running out of remotely plausible ideas.

Yeah, I understood that well, don't worry. :guts:

Flash · January 11, 2008

Aazealh said:
Anyway, I hope I'm not sounding too harsh here

Not at all :serpico:

I must admit that Ive made too many assumptions and several mistakes. And involving sephiras into my speculation was not so good idea after all :guts:

Aazealh said:
and that "different plane" argument seems lousy to me

May I ask you why so? Let me give here a little illustration of my vision of the cover:

So I assume that such position of the objects on the cover is hinting for its own meaning for the triangle.
Or I got it all wrong again?

Walter said:
Who was branded during Griffith's? *ERRRRRRRRRP!* No one.

I hope Im not too offtopic here but during Griffith's Incarnation ceremony there actually was brand. In episode 163 we can see huge brand formed from a flames in refugee camp. I think we can consider it as branding of the world wich Beherit apostle have sacrificed (i.e. the world he knew).

Aazealh · January 11, 2008

Flash said:
May I ask you why so? Let me give here a little illustration of my vision of the cover:
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/4791/planewd8.th.jpg
So I assume that such position of the objects on the cover is hinting for its own meaning for the triangle.
Or I got it all wrong again?

Well, I had understood what you meant about different planes, but I have two things to say about it. First off, I think it's actually not so clear in the image where the triangle stands. It's true the perspective is different for it than it is for the hexagram, but I find it more ambiguous than just it being on a perpendicular plane. See how Femto and the beherit appear to have almost the same perspective than the triangle, for example. Secondly, and more importantly (it's what made me disregard the argument), I don't find the idea of the triangle overlooking the hexagram to be a hint that they're unrelated. Rather, like I said, it seems to me as if it's an indication that it is overseeing the event, or playing an important part in it. What do you think about that?

Flash said:
I hope I’m not too offtopic here but during Griffith's Incarnation ceremony there actually was brand. In episode 163 we can see huge brand formed from a flames in refugee camp. I think we can consider it as branding of the world wich Beherit apostle have sacrificed (i.e. the world he knew).

You are correct. However, Walter obviously knows about this, and if you read what he said again, you'll notice that he's talking about people specifically. Did someone receive the Brand on his body, like the skulls at the end of the Tower of Rebirth? The answer is no. :guts:

Flash · January 12, 2008

Aazealh said:
Did someone receive the Brand on his body, like the skulls at the end of the Tower of Rebirth? The answer is no.

Darn! Missed again! :judo:

Aazealh said:
Rather, like I said, it seems to me as if it's an indication that it is overseeing the event, or playing an important part in it. What do you think about that?

After giving it another thought I’ve come to conclusion that you are right. :guts:

But then I’ve started to think further in this direction and voila! another wild speculation. :void:

What if the triangle indeed represents some key element of the Eclipse? Let me give here another interpretation of the triangle and its symbols.
The brand – sacrifice.
The tower – you’ve already mentioned above that the tower is not looks like Midland’s blazon though reminds its central part. But let’s assume for the moment that tower represents Midland indeed.
The sword – within this speculation I interpret it like “warrior”
The Hand and Eye symbol – the law of causality

And I suggest interpreting the whole group of symbols like “Midland warrior driven by the causality to become a sacrifice”. In short I think the triangle is "Guts". Lower symbols represent his origin (Midland) and his occupation (warrior). Hand and Eye symbol showing the influence of causality. After all Guts was an important part of the Idea’s plan. The Eclipse just couldn’t happen without him.

This interpretation also can partly explain large size of the triangle and its position. In context of the transmutation formula it possibly could be interpret as “important sacrifice”.

Daijyashin · January 12, 2008

Aazealh said:
Secondly, and more importantly (it's what made me disregard the argument), I don't find the idea of the triangle overlooking the hexagram to be a hint that they're unrelated. Rather, like I said, it seems to me as if it's an indication that it is overseeing the event, or playing an important part in it. What do you think about that?

Assuming that for example the upper triangle is overseeing the lower events, is the hand with the eye more important than Void's brain or the Idea of Evil? I wonder if the Idea of Evil is under the law of causality's control or viceversa. I always wondered about this paradox.

About BERSERK Illustrations File artbook cover

Administrator

Administrator

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.

Ad Oculos

The Ultimate Battle Creature

Administrator

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.

Administrator

Administrator

Ad Oculos

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.

Administrator

Administrator

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.

Ad Oculos

Administrator

Administrator

Berserk is Divine and Human