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heraldofcrow · 9 months

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Sky Burial and Blasphemy Theory

I believe I may finally have answers for Eileen and Bloody Crow’s implied rivalry.

(I was stumped for a while, but thankfully, I have very smart friends. You know who you are).

Note: I will be using screenshots of retranslated Japanese descriptions and dialogue from the LastProtagonist document. This is to ensure a more accurate reading of Bloodborne’s lore. The document can be found here.

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Sky Burial

(Painting by Ronan Boyle)

Eileen the Crow is, as her name suggests, a crow-hunter, or as the Japanese translation puts it, a “hunter-hunter.”

She and her predecessors dressed as crows to represent the art of sky burial.

What is sky burial?

It’s been discussed many times before in this fandom, but for the sake of context, here is a definition from a Tibetan website:

“Sky burial is simply the disposal of a corpse to be devoured by vultures. In Tibetan Buddhism, sky burial is believed to represent their wishes to go to heaven. It is the most widespread way for commoners to deal with the dead in Tibet.”

This what led us to believe that the first hunter-hunters, those that were said to come from the hinterlands/a remote foreign land, were Tibetan. We do not know if this is the case for Eileen, but either way, she upholds the tradition as a crow, and likely reveres it as a solemn duty.

The choice of crows to represent this practice instead of vultures, though an altered form of symbolism, fits quite naturally as well. Crows and the Carrion Crows in Bloodborne feast on the dead, on blood, and take the bounty with them in their beaks.

Even the common folktale of crows foretelling death and decay as dark heralds is something that could easily be tied to sky burial.

Furthermore, the symbolism deepens when we realize that Carrion Crows have a clear association with blood consumption in-game.

Had they not consistently devoured the tainted blood of the many corpses throughout Yharnam, they likely would not have become mutated. This is a sure sign that these creatures thoroughly eat through carrion, blood and all—much like vultures.

Crows suit the more respectable method of burial, and as such, crow-hunters cloak themselves in black-feathered garb, take down mad hunters, and leave them to be consumed by these birds of carrion.

Another key detail to this tradition is the association that blood may have with the soul. Throughout FromSoftware games, there is a theme that adheres to ancient cultural beliefs about the human/animal life force.

Just as Dark Souls 3 confirmed that Gael sought for the “blood of the dark soul,” or in other words, the “blood of humanity” for his lady’s painting, so does Bloodborne ensure to clarify that human souls are found within their own blood. This very notion is suggested through the explanation for sky burial.

If the soul is in the blood, then a crow consuming the ichorous remains of any body and returning to the skies with this carrion in its beak would mark the “salvation of a soul.”

The human was not damned to the under earth or cremated to ash, but was “lifted to heaven” in the hope of rest, peace, and sanctification.

This is what crow-hunters wish for their befouled and wayward comrades, who sin in their final moments under the influence of blood-drunken impulses. Any warrior lost to such madness would be likely to fear for their post-mortem fate if they were able to think clearly for even a moment.

Crow-hunters understand this, and offer mercy by way of cutting their ruined lives short before giving their souls to the birds of heaven. Perhaps those hunters would find their way to the Dream instead of the Nightmare.

This would have been a sacred ritual, preserved and taught among crow-hunters as something never to be fumbled, twisted, or forgotten. It is their native tradition—something even linked to their religion.

Anything less was considered blasphemy, particularly the savage burial methods of Yharnam.

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Blasphemy

Now, when observing the visual and contextual aspects of the “Bloody Crow of Cainhurst,” it becomes apparent that there is a darker implication to his character—one that is eerily dualistic.

You are required to have a firm grasp on what it is that crow-hunters do, and what the Vileblood royal guards were in service to Annalise for. Yet once the pieces are put into place, we can see the Bloody Crow for what he truly is, and why his methods violate those perpetuated by the crow-hunters.

He is a heretical warrior with a blasphemous personification and purpose. He is the embodiment of sacrilege in regards to the hallowed art of sky burial and the respectful guardianship of ambivalent souls. Every hint given to us in-game contributes to this image of heresy that the Bloody Crow presents.

What are these hints?

They are left among the descriptions for Vileblood assets, particularly the Guard’s armor set and the Corruption + Blood Rapture runes.

I will share a link to this reblog that my friend and I discussed this particular element of the lore on, but to sum up what it is that Annalise’s guards do, we must first understand blood echoes.

As the Japanese states it, they are “the dying wills” of the slain. The “last wishes” of those that have passed on. In this way, we further discern the association with blood and soul in Bloodborne.

Now hunters themselves rely on blood echoes to gain strength, and as we have seen, some of these hunters become addicted to this odd relationship. These are the blood-drunks, or “echo fiends,” and thus are the very hunters stated to be targeted by Annalise’s guards.

To simplify it as acutely as possible, the Vileblood queen’s hunters kill blood-drunks in the same manner as crow-hunters, but with an altered purpose and enterprise. They seek for the writhing “dregs” within the frenzied hunter blood, only to deliver it all to Annalise, who will then consume that unnatural life force.

She does this for the sake of bearing her promised Child of Blood, the heir of Cainhurst and of the Vileblood line.

Now we can put two and two together when studying Bloody Crow.

From his appearance alone, we can deduce that he owes some allegiance to Cainhurst, and to the modus operandi of Annalise’s guards.

He dons their ornate armor, he wields their famed sword, the chikage, and he drops the Blood Rapture rune upon death. This rune is not to be taken lightly. It is a secret resonating with direct servants of the queen.

Blood Rapture itself is a supplement for those guards of Annalise that crave her blood, but cannot yet receive it. They instead find ecstasy in the warmth of blood itself. A brief solution for an unbearable longing.

All of this, in theory, is in direct conflict with the values of a crow-hunter.

The souls of drunken hunters being ripped from their mutilated bodies and brought to a queen for consumption must have been a dark heresy. It violates every principle of sky burial, and twists the nature of a fallen warrior’s salvation.

The Vilebloods could have argued that all of these stolen souls were being used for the better, given to a being that would birth a new and divine form of life, thereby resurrecting the amalgamation of lost lives.

In a sense, it could have the potential to be a form of reincarnation for those warriors.

Yet it does not matter, because a violation of tradition and belief is just that, and if anyone ever blatantly spat in the face of sky burial, it was the Bloody Crow.

And so, in the game itself, we see the culmination of this strife come into full fruition.

—

The Conflict

Eileen, soaked in blood, lies before the Grand Cathedral when we come to the end of her questline. We discover that she has been wounded in the process of hunting down her new “prey.”

Whoever or whatever takes the shape of this “prey” has proven to be too much for Eileen, and though she is older, she is undeniably formidable. This enemy hunter stands apart as an unusual threat.

When we fight him, aiding Eileen, we discover that he shows no signs of normal blood-drunk behavior. He is calm, focused, he stands his ground, refusing to leave the cathedral. He does not rave about and wail in anger, nor does he declare his mad intentions the way an unstable Eileen does in the alternate quest-line.

He has a purpose.

He is the crow that feeds on the blood of hunters, but he does not return to the sky as he was meant to. Instead, he carries his prizes back to Cainhurst and presents them to his queen, blaspheming against Eileen’s covenant and defiling his own honor.

Does he do it purely out of loyalty to Annalise? Does he do it merely to defy Eileen or to torment hunters? Is it vengeance for Cainhurst? For his own life? Is he simply insane in a different way than most blood-drunks?

We could even wonder if he knows that the aspect of sky burial that involves allowing lost hunters to find the Dream is something to be dreaded. Could it hearken to the story of Gideon Ofnir in Elden Ring?

After all, the truth of how gods puppeteer warriors and use them to carry out their schemes can be a devastating thing, sometimes sending the most insightful into a frenzied, desperate state, and Crow does seem to be placed in front of one of the central lanterns. Could this be a possibility?

We may never know for certain, but regardless of his own wishes, he has rebelled against Eileen’s. He is the shame of every crow-hunter before him, so we must put him down after a long and bitter duel.

When we finally overcome this devil, we earn Eileen’s full trust, and her own mantle as a Hunter of Hunters. It becomes our sworn duty to preserve the ancient tradition of sky burial, and to refrain from falling into blasphemy as the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst did.

And that my friends, is my theory on our infamous crow-feud.

—

Thanks to my mutuals (Lore Council gang 🫡) for all the help with this!

#finally getting this ol boy out of the drafts #i was supposed to get a fic chapter up today but ao3 crashed on me #so i’ll do this instead and hopefully i get to the chapter later and asks as well #anyway so happy to share this theory at last #i love it #my fav crows deserve attention and i’m here to give it to them #le crows #eileen the crow #bloody crow of cainhurst #bloodborne #bloodborne lore #bloodborne theory #sky burial #symbolism #mythology #long post #gif warning #CrowNotes

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lifeafterlifeparks · 1 year

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Sky Burial: Learning from Ancient Deathcare Practices

The idea of giving one’s body back to the earth as a form of charity is an ancient idea. One form still practice in parts of the world even today is Sky burial, also known as celestial burial - a traditional funeral ritual practiced by Zorastrians and Tibetan Budists in parts of India, Buhtan, Mongolia, and China. This ancient ritual involves placing the deceased on a mountaintop or other elevated location where vultures and other scavenging birds can consume the body. The remains are believed to return to nature, and the act of feeding the birds is seen as a form of charity.

The practice of sky burial has a deep spiritual significance in Tibetan Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, where it is believed that the body is merely a vessel, and that the soul has moved on to the afterlife. The act of giving one's body back to nature is seen a gift, and a way of showing respect for the natural cycle of life and death. Additionally, the vultures are believed to carry the soul to the afterlife, which is seen as a sacred act.

Sky burial is also a practical solution for those living in remote areas where burial or cremation may not be possible due to lack of resources, such as wood for cremation or land for burial. In these cases, sky burial is seen as a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional burial or cremation.

While sky burial may seem like a gruesome or macabre practice to outsiders, it is important to understand the cultural and spiritual significance it holds for those who practice it. It is a deeply meaningful and respectful way of honoring the dead and giving back to nature.

In India, following the rapid expansion of urban population and the near extinction (97%) of the indigenous vulture population due to agricultural pesticide use – sky burial practitioners have been forced to adapt. They have begun using solar cremation in leu of what the vultures used to provide for them. However, repopulation efforts for the endangered birds are being pushed by arbiters of the religion.

The link between deathcare and conservation has deep roots. At Life After Life, we find ourselves interestingly in parallel with the philosophy to deathcare that these ancient religions hold. At the intersection of many different religious philosophies is a similar vein of thought. One of giving back to the earth. For the past few centuries our culture here in the United States diverged into a deathcare tradition of taking and preserving. It is time to go back to a “circular economy” philosophy of funeral practice.

By choosing eco-friendly burial options such as natural burial, which involves burying the body in a biodegradable casket or shroud without embalming chemicals, the bodies stored nutrients are allowed to return to the earth naturally, without harming the environment. Through Life After Life, this practice allows patrons to remediate pollution and build new, critically-endangered habitat that would otherwise never be redeveloped.

The ancient principles of sky burial remind us of our interconnectedness with the natural world and the importance of respecting and caring for our planet. By giving back to nature in ways that each of us can, we can honor those who have come before us and ensure that future generations have a healthy and sustainable planet to call home.

References:

https://https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/sky-burial

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caustic-light · 2 years

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When it comes to eating meat, I've always liked how the inuit people do it. They hunt and eat animals but also recycle every part of the animal. They don't just do this for ethical and moral reasons but also because the arctic wilds just don't allow for wasteful cultures.

I also greatly admire the tibetan buddhist tradition of "Sky Burials" where a human corpse is placed on a mountain top so it can be used to feed animals, thus completing the "circle of life". Most people find sky burials disturbing but if you ask me, the "traditional" practice of pumping a dead body full of chemicals, dressing them up and putting them in a fancy coffin 6 feet underground is not only wasteful and polluting but also a very harmful application of ones inability to let go of loved ones.

Yeah Imma be real, conserving dead bodies is about the single creepiest thing you could do with them.

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acalavidyaraja · 4 months

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Chö: The Profound Practice of Cutting Ego-Clinging

Machik Labdrön: The Pioneering Chö Practitioner

Machik Labdrön, a prominent figure in Tibetan Buddhism, left an indelible mark on the spiritual landscape during her 95-year journey that concluded in 1153. Her influence extended across la stod, zangs ri, and chi pug, embodying the essence of Mahamudra - Chö.

**Biographical Details:**

- **Birth Date:** Unavailable

- **Death Date:** 1153

- **Death Place:** Unspecified

**Spheres of Activity:**

Machik Labdrön's activities were diverse, spanning la stod, zangs ri, and chi pug. Her teachings and practices found resonance in various regions.

**Sect and Legacy:**

An advocate of Mahamudra - Chö, Machik Labdrön's teachings were not confined to a specific sect. In her 95 years, she propagated the hidden precepts of Chö, contributing significantly to Tibetan spirituality (Blue Annals, R 984).

**Influence on Renaissance Period:**

While the term "Renaissance" typically refers to a European cultural movement, Machik Labdrön's impact on Tibetan spiritual resurgence could be seen as a parallel, revitalizing force.

**Chö Practice:**

- **Visualization Practices:** Chö involves the visualization of offering one's body to demons and ghosts, especially in haunted areas.

- **Lineage Integration:** Chö, initially considered a distinct sect, became integrated into major monastic lineages, including that of Ganden.

**Key Practices:**

- **Tümmo (Internal Heat Yoga):** Machik Labdrön emphasized the practice of Tümmo, focusing on internal heat yoga.

- **Phowa (Transference of Consciousness):** The transference of consciousness, known as Phowa, held a central role in Chö practices.

**Cultural Impact:**

Chö's association with cemeteries, corpses, and ritual implements might have influenced the adoption of sky burial—an intriguing aspect linking spirituality and burial practices.

Machik Labdrön's enduring legacy lies not only in her remarkable longevity but in the profound spiritual footprint she left on Tibet, influencing both Chö practitioners and the broader Buddhist community.

Chö: The Profound Practice of Cutting Ego-Clinging

**Introduction:**

Chö (Tib. གཅོད་, Wyl. gcod), literally meaning 'cutting,' stands as a transformative practice deeply rooted in the prajnaparamita tradition. Introduced to Tibet by the Indian master Padampa Sangye and further developed by his Tibetan disciple, the yogini Machik Labdrön, Chö is an esoteric discipline aimed at dismantling the four maras and, crucially, one's own ego-clinging.

**Origins and Founders:**

- **Padampa Sangye:** An Indian master, Padampa Sangye played a pivotal role in bringing Chö to Tibet. His teachings laid the foundation for this unique practice.

- **Machik Labdrön:** Revered as the yogini who propagated Chö, Machik Labdrön expanded and integrated the practice into Tibetan spiritual culture.

**Philosophical Basis:**

- **Prajnaparamita Connection:** Chö finds its roots in the prajnaparamita tradition, emphasizing the perfection of wisdom. The practice is a dynamic expression of wisdom in action.

**Practice Overview:**

- **Visualization Aspect:** Practitioners engage in a visualization where the physical body is symbolically offered as sustenance to diverse guests, which may include malevolent forces or threatening spirits.

- **Purpose:** The primary aim is to dismantle or 'cut' the influence of the four maras, obstacles hindering spiritual progress, and particularly to sever ego-clinging—a central theme in Buddhist philosophy.

**Significance of 'Cutting':**

- **Ego-Clinging:** Chö's emphasis on 'cutting' extends to the core of Buddhist teachings, targeting ego-clinging—a profound hindrance to enlightenment.

- **Symbolic Offering:** The act of offering the physical body symbolizes a relinquishment of attachment and a fearless confrontation with the perceived threats represented by evil forces.

**Transmission and Spread:**

- **Padampa Sangye's Transmission:** The transmission of Chö from Padampa Sangye to Machik Labdrön illustrates the lineage nature of the practice.

- **Integration in Tibetan Culture:** Chö transcended its origins and became an integral part of Tibetan spiritual practices, illustrating its adaptability and universality.

**Cultural Impact:**

- **Duality of Chö:** While Chö is sometimes regarded as its own sect, it has seamlessly integrated into major monastic lineages, showcasing its ability to coexist with diverse Buddhist traditions.

- **Influence on Rituals:** The practices of Tümmo (internal heat yoga) and Phowa (transference of consciousness) within Chö have left an indelible mark on Tibetan ritual practices.

**Conclusion:**

Chö, with its profound philosophical underpinnings and dynamic visualizations, represents a unique facet of Tibetan Buddhism. Rooted in wisdom and transmitted through enlightened masters, this practice continues to inspire practitioners on their journey towards spiritual awakening, inviting them to courageously confront and transcend ego-clinging for the benefit of all sentient beings.

#mahamudra wisdom #buddhism #tibetan buddhism #education

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mountainrocktrek-blog · 7 months

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Sky burial Ritual in Mustang Nepal

Nestled in the breathtaking landscapes of the Mustang region of Nepal lies a unique and mystical funerary tradition known as "Sky Burial." This ancient practice, deeply rooted in Tibetan Buddhist culture, has captivated the curiosity of travelers and researchers alike, offering a profound insight into the spiritual and ecological dynamics of the region.

For more details https://mountainrocktreks.com/blog/sky-burial-ritual-in-mustang-nepal Address- Z Street - Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal Phone- +977 1 4701233 Mobile, WhatsApp & Viber- +977 9849023179 (Dipak Pande) Email- [email protected] Website- www.mountainrocktreks.com

Thamel #Moonlighthotel #ramadaencore #hotelmoonlightthamel #paknajol #zstreet #mountainrocktreks #MRT2023 #Mountainrocktreks #SkyBurialMustang #JhatorRitual #MustangTraditions #SacredNepal #BuddhistHeritage #EcoFriendlyBurial #SpiritualJourney #HimalayanCeremony #CulturalWonders #BirdsofHeaven #ImpermanenceOfLife

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go2goio · 1 year

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carolinecastro123 · 2 years

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Tibetan Sky Burial: Tibetans practice 'sky burials' where bodies are chopped up and left to be picked clean by vultures 'who take the dead to Heaven'

#interestingasfuck

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ichayalovesyou · 3 years

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hi you know loads of stuff about vulcans, do you know anything abt their funerals? particularly songs/poems they might recite? i know neelix sang part of a funeral dirge in voyager but i can't find any others.

Vulcan Funerals

I appreciate the compliment! Unfortunately, aside from the fraction of a funeral dirge we see in Voyager, there is little canonical information on the technical practices. However if you want a funeral dirge for T’Khasi and all the Vulcans who perished when Niro destroyed Vulcan in the Kelvin timeline, check out Nadordatoran na’o T’Khasi by T’Prion. OR if you want to delve into a modern human dirge translated into Vulcan, Denatonia did a cover of How To Save A Life by The Fray (which I nicknamed Remembering A Friend in my head, because of the slight change of lyrics in the translation).

Here is all the information we have on Vulcan funerary practices to make up for the tragic lack of canonical music! (Star Trek II & III, & Star Trek: Enterprise & TNG spoilers ahead!)

The most we know about Vulcan funerary practices we can extrapolate from Spock’s death (and resurrection) in Wrath of Khan & The Search For Spock. As well as the temples Mount Seleya & T’Karath Sanctuary, the existence of Katric Arks, and the knowledge of Surak’s Disciple, T’Klass’s body. On top of all that, parallels to human cultures.

The starting point of a Vulcan death is the transference of the Katra (if possible) or the Vulcan soul. When a Vulcan knows they will die soon, they transfer their Katra to another individual. Sarek’s accusations toward Jim in The Search For Spock, and Spock’s internal commentary in the Wrath of Khan novelization imply a few things. That the carrier of the deceased’s Katra must be trained or at least prepared, and close to the deceased, physically if not emotionally. Spock ruled out Saavik because he wasn’t prepared/close enough, and Jim because he could not get to him in time, choosing then to take the unprecedented act of placing his own Katra into a human, McCoy. I only say unprecedented because Syrran put someone else’s Katra, Surak’s, into Archer’s mind before his death, forfeiting the chance to preserve his own Katra.

It is a notable fact that Katras have a significant mortality rate, resulting in the true and permanent death of a Vulcan, especially when off-world or not amongst their own people. Many things can go wrong. A Vulcan cannot transfer their Katra if they die suddenly and unexpectedly. The Katra can also be lost if they fail to transfer it to another host properly, or if the host dies before transferring the Katra to a practitioner. Who knows how to transfer the Katra to a Katric Ark, like the priestesses at Mt. Seleya. Even then, the only known successful Katric Ark transfer and maintenance of a Katra was Surak’s, all other discovered Katric Arks have appeared empty.

That being said, there may be rituals and alternatives. Such as the deceased’s Katra selecting loved ones to be transferred to over time (whose Katra gets transferred upon death may vary) almost like a sort of Soul Swap Meet. Alternatively a ritualistic releasing of a Katra if one does not believe in the merit of Katric Arks or wish to burden loved ones/future generations with sustaining their Katra. We see evidence of the first example in The Guiding Light, when Spock transfers his deceased father’s Katra from Picard to himself. Although we do not know whether Spock still harbors it, or what became of Sarek’s Katra after the scene.

So what happens to the body once the Katra has left or is no more? The only funeral/burial for a Vulcan we see in-canon is Spock’s. His is more of a generic Federation burial-at-sea with no other Vulcans present aside from Saavik, I do not think we can use his funeral as a quintessential example. Although I do think it’s worth noting he is interred in his Kohlinar robe, this may be a legitimate practice even for those who did not complete Kohlinar to be buried in their robe, or it may have just so happened to be the most appropriate clothing he had aboard to be buried in (by human standards, I’m sure it was at least not disrespectful, I’m sure Saavik would’ve said something otherwise).

The only named body we ever see interred however is T’Klass. His mummified remains entombed at the T’Karath Sanctuary along with the Kir’Shara. This implies that mummification, at least for highly regarded members of Vulcan spiritual/philosophical society, was a sacred (if not common practice).

T’Karath Sanctuary also contains catacombs, we do not know who else is interred there, it may only be a burial place for Vulcans of T’Klass’s stature, or of slightly less importance but still revered, that are also mummified, likely not members of the common population. I have a theory based on the logical philosophy of modern Vulcan, and the way the cycles of life are regarded in the (fan authored) Kir’Shara chapter, The Thread of Life. Vulcans may actually practice a form of Sky Burial for those who are not interred with the same pomp and circumstance as the Vulcan spiritual elite. Sky Burial is a type of excarnation (removing the flesh and organs from the body before burial) practiced in Tibet on Earth, or, perhaps in addition to excarnation, Vulcans may practice cremation.

Possible Burial Styles (Fanon)

Sky Burial/Excarnation- the body is left in a chosen excarnation place (in Tibetan practice the body is taken to a mountain top, like Mt. Seleya on Vulcan) to be stripped of its flesh by natural elements, predators & carrion eaters until only the skeleton remains, which is then interred in local/familial catacombs or other burial places. This idea coming from the Logic in sustaining the ecosystems of Vulcan with the flesh that the Katra no longer has need of, the same result could come from donating one’s remains to science as well (for educational or scientific purposes), perpetuating the axiom that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one, where the need for the body no longer exists other than its natural course of consumption and decay.

Cremation- Fire and heat are no rare commodities on Vulcan, and this practice could potentially be done post excarnation or perhaps in some cases instead of. The Fire Plains are a sacred place that we see in Enterprise, and are part of Falor’s pilgrimage to seek the monks of Kir in the ballad “Falor’s Journey” (as sung by Tuvok in Voyager), I could imagine it being a sacred place of cremation. Perhaps the remains are to be cremated when the Katra is lost or released, whether excarnation still occurs prior is optional. The flames consuming the organic remains is symbolic of sending the body where the Katra has gone, disseminated into infinite oblivion.

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plantsarefun06 · 3 years

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Creation of Lazarus

"But I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger strangling the grief, until the memory of your loved one is just poison in your veins. And one day, you catch yourself wishing the person you loved had never existed, so you'd be spared your pain."

-Ra’s al Ghul ----

Ra’s was born in the Arabi desert, to nomads, in 1430. If you asked any person from that tribe what Ra’s was, they would say “A boy with dreams”. Ra’s had dreams of knowledge, dreams of helping others, he dreamed of having a legacy, and a great one at that.

His dreams led him to leave his tribe. He knew that as a nomad, he would never truly achieve what he wished to and the best course of action was to settle down in a great city and continue the measly education that he got as a nomad, and the great knowledge the libraries of the Sultan provided.

His studies led him to a physician. Ra’s requested to become a physician, he wanted to help others, this would offer him an opportunity to study and learn about diseases and ailments, firsthand, and offer him chances to help the sick and injured.

The physician asked for one thing. “I am infirm and soon for the grave. My daughter, Sora, she will need a husband to look after her.” That’s when he heard a yell from the curtain behind the clerk’s desk. A woman swiftly pushed back the curtain to scold her father. “I thought we agreed you’d stop trying to marry me off!”

The girl, clearly about his age, looked at him, let out a quick huff before grabbing his wrist in a vice-like grip and dragging him behind the clerk’s desk, behind the curtain, into what he could now see was a closet, with medicines and serums lining the walls, all filled with cobwebs and dust, clearly having not been used in a while.

“I’ll be honest with you Ra’s… I don’t really like boys much… but I can offer you companionship and support. And if we get married it will make my father’s last days much happier.” He was evaluating what she said as she said it when she quickly looked over to the shelves “And him stop pestering me.” She mumbled more to herself than Ra’s. At that he let out a light chuckle and having thought over her offer gave her his thoughts.

“I admit, I’m more interested in the pursuit of knowledge than women. We might be able to come to some… mutually beneficial arrangement.”

Sora gave a light smile to Ra’s, and he returned it. They both understood the agreement they both had created.

----

Within the year, as they all had expected, Sora’s father had died.

Despite them knowing that the time was drawing near, it was still hard. Sora would never admit it, but she shed a tear at his funeral, watching the bird fly through the skies as he was laid out in the Tower of Silence for a sky burial, traditional for his Zoroastrianism.

To cope Ra’s delved into his studies and found a project of the late physician. He had seen him look over it many times, but he had never been allowed to read the texts. He would simply watch as the physician would spend hours pouring over the texts, before the physician would finally come over and teach him about traditional medicinal herbs and serums and their effects. Ra’s forever acknowledges that he learned more in his months under the physician's tutelage, than he ever did in the library.

He learned of how diseases spread, and the common ways they would extend across the city in the matter of weeks. How if they started within the markets, they would quickly spread across many of the peasants, and other middle-class folk, but they wouldn’t get much farther, and how if the diseases started amongst the slaves, they would spread much faster due to the unsanitary conditions, and they would often then be picked up by someone of upper class, as they traditionally had slaves, and spread.

He was eternally grateful for the lessons he was given. They helped him serve the city in incredible ways. Ra’s performed near miracles for anyone who needed it. His reputation started to grow, some upper-class citizens would refuse to come, because Ra’s would cater to slaves, but others would request the treatment of Ra’s and would always find themselves healed within the week.

But these texts that he found of the physicians, seemed to have some pages with herbs and brews, but the majority held drawings of people, dressed in unfamiliar clothing, all bright, with texts in a script he couldn't begin to understand. He looked among the pages and found what looked to be a cypher in the physician's handwriting. The physician had part of the unfamiliar script figured out… no not script… it was CODE! The texts were coded!

All he would need to do was complete the cypher and he would discover what the texts were for.

----

Ra’s poured hours into the texts and completing the code, with no such luck.

“It’s no good. These codes your father was working on have me beat. I can’t break it…” He called to his wife, who was currently working in the front of the shop after it closed about an hour ago, she was preparing for the next day, he supposed.

“Perhaps I can help?” She poked her head in from behind the curtain to peer at him being over the table.

“Thank you, Sora. A warm bowl of goat’s milk and nutmeg would be most refreshing.” Ra’s commented back to her, without lifting his eyes from the texts in front of him.

He could practically feel the glare she was giving him. He wasn’t entirely sure it wouldn’t burn him with the intensity he could only feel from it, and he wasn’t even looking at her.

“I mean with the code. I learnt much from my father and knew he was struggling to complete his final great work, just as much as you. You’re not married to a servant girl, Ra’s. Warm the milk yourself, and let me see those figures.” The defiance in her tone was thick and her anger was subtle yet tangible. He didn’t understand it but that defiance, and strong will made him want to love her.

He knew that their relationship was built on the agreement of companionship, and for the safety of Sora after her father’s death, but he would be lying if he said that he didn’t love her. Love the way she would snark him when he would ask her to do things, that he could do himself, love how she would hum as she cooked the dinner that they ate every night, her loved how she would ever so lightly furrow her eyebrow when she was concentrated on work.

Ra’s let out a small smile and turned to meet his wife by the curtain. He bent down to kiss her forehead, “Sora… I believe this is going to be a beautiful marriage.” He gave her a light hug before giving her another kiss on her forehead and mumbling to her just loud enough for her to hear, “I’ll go warm some goat’s milk for the both of us, and you can look over the codes, until I get back, and we can work on them together.” He gave her a light squeeze before unraveling himself from her and going off to warm the goat’s milk, and Sora heading over to the table to study the texts.

----

“More code?” Ra’s asked no one in particular. He and Sora had stumbled upon a trapdoor underneath a floor mat in the medicinal closet while cleaning. Ra’s could tell from the hinges alone that it was used regularly. When they opened the hatch they saw that it led down a small ladder, the ladder led to a room, an underground cave almost, despite it being quite dark he could make out the sound of lightly sloshing water and summarized that there was a pool in this cave.

They both held small candles, and when holding them close to the wall they saw it. It was a wall full of more texts! They were familiar enough with the code to recognize that the code from the texts upstairs matched the one in front of them.

A glint of recognition and understanding was in Sora’s eyes. “My father was working on a map of the Tibetan mountains, using the wisdom of the stars and other maps from the libraries of the Sultan. And figuring out the meaning of the code from texts of the ancients. A code showing…” She stopped speaking, her eyes running over a few things before stopping.

“And code of what?” Ra’s questioned Sora’s sudden quietness and turned to give her his whole focus. Her eyes were completely fixed on one drawing. It was of the silhouette of a man, behind him was a circle of purple. The way it was positioned it seemed to be describing the man emitting the purple. Like he was glowing.

He refocused his attention on his wife’s face as she turned to him, “One which tells the way to achieve something men have long dreamed-” he saw the emotions his wife’s face held. Emotions he had never seen in her face before, it was complete and utter disbelief,

“-a wish to change reality.”

----

They soon were able to decipher enough code to learn that the Tibetan mountains was the location of the Temple of Guardians, the holders of two pieces of magical jewelry that possessed the ability, when combined, to grant a wish that could alter reality.

Sora and Ra’s had both packed enough for a 3-week trip on horseback, to the Tibetan mountains, and back. Ra’s had won the argument over who would be going, Sora wanting it to be herself, but eventually agreeing Ra’s would be better suited for the job, considering he grew up as a nomad, much to Sora’s chagrin.

He had been on trek for a week and was taking a rest on the side of the dirt road to fill his canteen with water from a stream he saw nearby, when he saw a flash of light blue and white out of the corner of his eyes. He immediately drew one of the daggers that he carried at all times and started to look around for what he saw.

He hadn’t fought anyone in a decade, last time being a practice spar with his uncle the night before he left to go live in the city alone, and even then, he was only okay, but he did know some forms of martial arts and weaponry in theory. He read about it in some of the texts from the library, while theory may not have anything on experience, it was better than nothing.

He was beginning to think he had either come down with a fever and been hallucinating, or he had simply been seeing things, when after five minutes of surveying the area, he could see that no one had been there.

He walked up to his undisturbed horse and grabbed the reins. Upon lifting himself on the horse he heard a light *jingle*. He looked down to find a small drawstring bag tied around the tip of his saddle. He was used to seeing little drawstring bags, like this one, around the shop. Sora often used them to hold the herbs they used for medical purposes, but he didn’t know why she would have packed it, or why it jingled when it was shaken.

He slowly picked it up, examining it as if it were going to spontaneously catch fire. He slowly undid the knot and overturned the contents of it in his gloved hand.

Out fell two earrings and a ring…

A ring that was a black as dark as the night sky he saw as a nomad child, with a pawprint, greener than any grass or any tapestry he had seen before…

And a pair of earrings red as the blood he had seen countless times as a physician, and five distinct spots, black as the ring…

Both the ring and the earrings looking exactly like the drawings he had seen of the Black Cat miraculous and the Ladybug miraculous he had seen in the texts.

Ra’s had learned many lessons in his life, but one of the biggest, most important of them all: There are no coincidences in the world.

Ra’s had no doubt in his mind that in his hand, he held the two most powerful objects in the universe, two objects that would grant him a wish.

Slowly, a grin grew on his face. He immediately seized the reins of his horse, and turned him around, heading faster than he ever had back to the city.

His father-in-law's final project was finally completed on its way to being completed.

----

The look on Sora’s face was one he had only seen once before, when they first discovered the small area underneath the shop, complete and utter disbelief.

“This… these jewels… are they really the Black Cat and Ladybug miraculous?” She asked wide-eyed, just looking at what Ra’s had set on the counter after barging into the shop, in a ridiculously loud manner, might she add.

“I do believe it is, they practically feel powerful!”

Sora slowly inched her hand toward where the earrings fell on the counter. The moment she gently brushed her finger against one of the earrings, a bright pink light emitted from it, one that forced both Sora and Ra’s to cover their eyes.

Once the light dimmed, they saw something that was not in the texts.

Both Sora and Ra’s were in a state of shock. It was broken when the thing floated up to her face and began to speak, “Hello my name’s Tikki. I’m the Kwami of Creation!” She said, giving a little twirl in the air.

Ra’s, finally able to speak again, asked, “That does not explain much. What is a ‘Kwami’ and why did you suddenly appear when the earrings were touched by Sora?”

“Ooh. A Kwami is an entity tethered to this plane of reality by the jewelry that is sitting on your counter. I’m the entity of creation. When everything came to be, I came to be with it, not before, not after, some people confuse that.” The ‘Kwami’, as they both learned it was, giggled before continuing with the explanation they both needed, “I’m the thing that gives power to that jewelry, without me, that jewelry is just some antique junk.” She finished her explanation.

It made more sense than just ‘magical jewelry’ to have some entity tethered to it. “If you touch the ring Plagg will come out!” She exclaimed before going over to Ra’s and pulling off his glove and grabbing his hand. She pulled his hand from his side and he willingly allowed the ‘Kwami’ to lift his finger to touch the ring.

A second burst of bright light, green this time, came from the ring. This time Sora and Ra’s expected it so it wasn’t too bad. They only had to blink a couple times before they heard a yawn, “Well that was a good cat nap!” The other ‘Kwami’, who he was guessing his name was ‘Plagg’ from what ‘Tikki’ said, “Do you all have some cheese, I’m starving!”

Sora was the one who pulled herself together enough to answer ‘Plagg’s’ question, “There is some food in the cabinet under the basin. You may find what you are looking for there.” Sora gestured to the curtain and both Kwami got the memo, before floating off where Sora indicated the food would be.

Both Ra’s and Sora locked eyes. Their silent conversation led to them both leaving each other's gaze to eye the ring and earrings. They both agreed that they had no idea what had just happened.

----

“That is not a good idea.”

That was the only thing that was said after Sora and Ra’s took them to see the basement beneath their shop that held the texts and the pool. Both of the Kwami were faced away from the texts as ‘they should not see them’. Ra’s gave them an indignant look at their immediate dismissal of their want for a wish.

“This could help hundreds maybe even thousands of people, how is this not a good idea?”

“You don’t understand, the wish has major repercussions, you can always ask for a way to heal the injured and dead, but that wish will have untold side-effects.” Tikki tried to explain to both Ra’s and Sora. The sincerity in her voice was deep, but they did not hear the sadness that lingered in it as well.

“Will you not allow us to make the wish?” Sora asked, tilting her head to the side, as if analyzing the situation.

“We cannot stop you from making the wish, but we must tell you, it will have repercussions, and the one who makes the wish will feel them deeply.” Sorrow again seeped into Tikki’s voice; this time Ra’s noticed it as well.

“Then I will make the wish, I have memorized the incantation and only one of us can make the wish itself.” He pulled the now silver ring and black earrings from his pocket. He placed the ring on his left middle finger. He prepared to force the earrings through his ears, worst case scenario he could use whatever came of the wish to heal himself, only to be pleasantly surprised when the earrings glided through his ear as if he did have a piercing.

Both the Kwami moved to the outstretched hands Ra’s offered and sat down. Ra’s failed to notice the tears in Tikki’s eyes, and the downcast look on Plagg’s face.

The moment he uttered the last syllable, the rush to Ra’s was undeniable. He felt immense amounts of power seeping into his veins.

“I wish to have the means to heal any injury and return any person from death.”

And everything went quiet. All the power he was feeling only moments ago, felt like it was running off him, like dirt would in a shower.

He looked over to see Sora sitting in the ground shielding her face, much in the same manner she was when they first met the Kwami.

Both the earrings and ring started to burn lightly, so he ripped them off and threw them behind him, before running over to Sora and helping her stand.

Ra’s felt at his ear, where he just ripped the earring out, noticing the earrings didn’t leave so much as a scar.

Looking to check over Sora, he saw out of the corner of his eyes a bright green glow.

Both Ra’s and Sora looked over to see a neon, toxic green color at the bottom center of the pool.

It was mesmerizing how the green stretched from a small center at the bottom of the pool out, almost like tentacles, or tree roots growing out in the dirt.

He continued to watch until the entire pool was filled with the green, when he saw the same white and light blue flash out of the corner of his eyes. He tried to turn quickly and catch it, but the only thing he saw was an empty room.

A room empty of both the Black Cat and Ladybug miraculous.

----

Life went on relatively normal for Ra’s and Sora. They cleaned out the basement and removed the texts, as they were no use to him anymore, and cleaned the area.

When finding a name, they settled on one- Lazarus Pit - from a biblical story that Sora’s father mentioned in one of the texts.

He had said ‘he wanted to be able to do the same as the Christian’s god, and revive the dead. And if the wish truly worked, it would be able to, they had yet to try the pit and test the magic that quite obviously resided within it.

----

As time went on, and the pit remained below their feet, Ra’s continued his work as a physician, continuing working miracles without the use of the pit, which was an actual miracle. His reputation grew both of his physician's duties, and of the great mind he held. He was referred to as “the greatest mind of his age” by some.

Ra’s had heard him referred to as this on occasion, but he didn’t realize just how far word of his miracles went until the Sultan’s guard requested his aid in healing the prince who had fallen ill.

As the guards left his shop, leaving him with the letter asking him officially of his aid he immediately turned to Sora with quite possibly the largest smile he ever had on his face, “If I could cure the prince-- our reputation would be made, I’d have the funding to push my research forward-”

He was cut off by Sora who he only realized was rubbing her temple with her hands at his rant, “The prince is nothing but a cruel young aristo-- I’ve caught him leering at me in the Bazaar!”

“Don’t do this Ra’s. We can do without the Sultan’s money!” Sora pleaded to him. She held a look of concern on her face that Ra’s completely ignored, rather thinking about what he could possibly do with the benefits of healing a prince.

“You’re wrong! When I walked through the desert, I nurtured a dream. This is my way to fulfill it!”

Ra’s turned away from Sora, and headed down below the shop, to the Pit.

----

Everything went wrong. And Ra’s had no idea how.

Everything was going fine.

The royal guards had brought the sick prince to his shop as requested by Ra’s. The moment he saw the prince Ra’s knew that he was on his deathbed… he knew the only way to help him was using the Lazarus Pit.

He had the guards bring him down the ladder and he followed them, with Sora by his side.

They dipped the prince in the Pit. They let him wade. It was only seconds, maybe a minute, at most, before the prince burst out from under the water. Certainly not sickly like he was, to the point of not being able to walk, not like he was when he arrived.

For the briefest moment Ra’s lived in this fantasy where the Pit healed the Prince, and Ra’s got the reputation he wanted, the funding he needed, and got to continue the research that he always wanted to. He lived in this fantasy where he and Sora worked side-by-side, studied medicine, and became great physicians known for their miracles.

This fantasy ended when the prince left at Sora his eyes, we're not the same as they were when he went in; they were yellow and feral. There was a snap before the guards were able to subdue him. They only realized that the snap was from Sora’s neck. And Sora laid on the ground with scratch marks on her face, her head bent at an unnatural angle, and a small drop of blood dripping down her cheek, from her mouth.

Ra’s fell beside her body, unmoving, he saw out of the corner of his eyes, the prince stopped struggling in the guards' arms and seemed to gain some form of coherency of the situation, but he could not look away from her. He didn’t even breathe until the guards grabbed him as well and put a bag over his head.

Everything went wrong.

----

They said he killed her. The Sultan was told by the prince’s guards that his son had killed the wife of the physician that treated him for his illness.

That he had snapped her neck. In return the guards were killed. They could not have the truth be spread. It could cause uprising if such rumors were told to others. So, the moment he was told the story, directly from the prince’s guards who had been there, and he got assurance that they had taken the husband -the physician- and put him in the dungeons, and after that assurance was placed, he had his personal guards slit their throats.

It wasn’t hard to say it was the husband who did it. Without the guards to tell what happened, and the physician in such a state of shock he wouldn’t even talk, no one questioned what the Sultan said.

How did this happen again?

Why did the prince look like that?

He looked feral?

His eyes were near yellow?

Why would he attack her?

Why would he kill her?

Why did he seem to be fine after a minute or being restrained?

Why?

They were the only questions Ra’s was asking himself of late.

He was completely unreactive on the outside but was perfectly aware of what was happening. He was perfectly aware of how the Sultan was placing the blame on him. How the Sultan was saying he killed Sora. He killed his wife.

And yet he knew that regardless of the fact he was innocent, he would still be blamed and persecuted for her death. So, he sat still and continued to ask those questions in his head.

How did this happen again?

Why did the prince look like that?

He looked feral?

His eyes were near yellow?

Why would he attack her?

Why would he kill her?

Why did he seem to be fine after a minute or being restrained?

Why?

He knew he was being gagged, tied up, and dragged from his cell from the dungeons beneath the castle. He knew that this is when they would punish him. It would be death.

How he would die?

He did not know.

Likely a public flogging, beating, or torture of some kind before then bend him over a rock and to take his head off.

And to be honest, Ra’s couldn’t feel anything, he was completely numb as his knees, calves, and feet were dragged over the dirt, and cobble leaving long scars. He knew they were supposed to sting, and burn, and just hurt, but he couldn’t feel a thing. He knew that was a bad sign, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

He didn’t start to see anything until he saw it. There was a cage in the center of the courtyard, black iron, probably burning hot with the sun as it is, but that is not what caught his eye. It was the body of Sora that laid in it.

He started to feel the burn of the metal as they forced him in the same small cage as Sora. He was forced to curl in on himself as her body lay not 6 inches from him. Sat up against the side of the cage, with rope tied around her neck and waist, keeping her sitting upright, and facing the rest of the unbearably small cage. Her eyes still opened in the same shock they were in when he first was beside her body.

He felt as the cage was lifted up, the burn of the hot metal only worsening, as they carried the cage out to the city walls, to leave him in the desert to die.

----

His eyes never stayed off Sora’s for long. He remembered what her eyes looked like…

… these are not her eyes.

Sora’s eyes held none of what it used to. Her eyes held confidence, charm, they held stubbornness and defiance. All the things that made Sora the woman she was. All the things that were devoid in those eyes.

Those eyes were open and held only one thing: fear. And that was unlike Sora at all. Sora was never afraid.

But maybe she was of death. Maybe her eyes held fear because she realized what was going to happen…

...because she realized she was going to die.

----

Ra’s didn’t know how long he sat in that cage outside the city walls, staring into the unfamiliar eyes.

All he knew was that the trance was broken by the sound of creaking metal. The hinges. And the feeling of hands going under his arms and pulling him up. He had the strength to turn his head and be met with a face that was faintly familiar.

“Who are you?” He weakly rasped out. “Sabih, I’m a slave for the al-Hafiz family. You saved my mother from dysentery four months ago… I figured I owed you the same.”

And that’s all they said. That’s all they said when he walked back towards the al-Hafiz property. That’s all they said after Sabih settled him in the stables and fed him some water and leftover scraps. That’s all they said as Sabih handed Ra’s a small bag with some water, and food in it. That’s all they said before Ra’s returned to the outside of the city walls, and left on a search for the nomadic tribe he was born and raised in.

He didn’t know what to do, but he was going to figure it out, but not do it in that city.

----

It took him a few weeks, and some manual labor in return for supplies, before he found his uncle’s nomads and took control. It was relatively easy.

By the time he had found the nomads he had been able to sort through his mind. Find his priorities.

And right now, he wanted one thing: he wanted the great city to burn.

He wanted them all dead, he just had to be smart about it. He was thankful, now more than ever for the lessons Sora’s father gave.

It would be easy, he would start by giving a disease to the slaves, if the disease would spread quick enough, it could be passed down the classes and severely weaken the city. Especially if the slaves were hit first, considering that the city was built with them as their foundation.

----

The city was ravaged. Those who didn’t die of disease were killed by Ra’s and his men. When the priests of the Zoroastrian Delegation asked if they spared them and their Holy Towers of Silence. Ra’s turned to the man who was the messenger of the request and bared his teeth.

“Kill the priests. Burn their sacred buildings!”

Ra’s stood in before the destruction he caused. He returned to the city a very different man from when he first arrived there.

A man with a different dream…

Ra’s walked back to the old shop. One that he spent much time in. Leading the others down to the opening below the shop to allow them to see the Lazarus Pit.

“Uncle, you are still the leader of our tribe, but the tribe I am describing will stretch farther than the sands of Arabi. Stretch into every land… past the wall of every city.” Ra’s spoke keeping his voice low and authoritarian. His uncle let off a chuckle.

“Oh, nephew. Just like your father. You were always the dreamer. What you speak of it too… fantastical.” His words made Ra’s a bit angry, but a bit smug at the same time. His uncle had no idea what the Pit in front of his very eyes was capable of.

“*tch* My father never had half my vision, Uncle, nor half my talent.”

His uncle just sputtered in response, “But… it would take several lifetimes for one man to accomplish what you speak of!”

Ra’s just smirked at his words, “Yes, uncle. Yes indeed. And it will be quite some journey.”

“I don’t understand.”

Ra’s focused on the pit, reminded of Tikki’s words…

“You don’t understand, the wish has major repercussions, you can always ask for a way to heal the injured and dead, but that wish will have untold side-effects.”

“We cannot stop you from making the wish, but we must tell you, it will have repercussions, and the one who makes the wish will feel them deeply.”

He truly did. The creation of this wish helped him achieve one of his life’s greatest desires, one of his greatest loves, and in return he lost the love of his life, Sora.

And if you are to use the Lazarus Pit to heal physical injuries, you will suffer from temporary loss of sanity.

Truly a balance.

“You will learn in time. Time is something we have a great deal of. The destruction of this city… has unleashed a demon.

And I… Ra’s al Ghul… I am truly the Demon’s Head!”

----------

Heavily based off of Batman Annual Vol. 1 26

‘al Ghul’ translates to Demon’s Head in Arabic. Notice how that ‘al Ghul’ is only used during the quote at the beginning of the story(yes I did use a quote from the Nolan movies. It fit really well), and at the end when he loses it.

This is the closest I could possibly get to DC canon on Ra’s al Ghul’s origin. In the original Ra’s does not create the pits he simply finds them, with the help of maps left behind by the physician. I wrote this because I really wanted a Miraculous created Lazarus pit, but one that also had Sora in it. I really like her for the scene with the goat’s milk (that is comic accurate, you can check) and what happened to her was NOT deserved. I also wanted to show the human side of Ra’s, and how rage drove him to be such an evil person.

Also a headcanon of mine is that any miraculous jewelry that is some sort of piercing, does not actually require a piercing to wear, it will just go through the skin as if there was a piercing.

The ‘light blue flash’ that Ra’s thinks he hallucinated was a holder of the Rabbit miraculous leaving both the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous to him. This is done because the Lazarus pits are necessary to a stable timeline, not because whatever holder of the Rabbit miraculous is active, thought it was a good idea. They were practically forced.

Ra’s and Sora were closer to each other than anyone else, she was referred to as the love of his life, and they really had a deep bond and when Sora was killed he was broken. In the comic I based this off of, Talia even says, “[...]the death of Sora broke your grandfather’s heart… and forever darkened his soul.” when speaking to Damian.

#maribat #ra's al ghul #sora al ghul #lazarus pit #ml tikki #ml plagg #miraculous fandom #prequel #the blindness of marinette

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