Big thanks to Khairane Houssame for allowing me to use their amazing art for the thumbnail! Check out their stuff: https://houssamekhairane.artstation.com/projects/B3oN8z

I have to admit, when you cut back and forth between them, it does seem really easy to imagine the Brain of Mensis and One Reborn being two halves of a single intended being. And the thematics of mind without body and body without mind fit extremely well, too.

Miyazaki really loves large amounts of people being merged into a single being, people becoming one with other people is so common in souls games at this point that I feel like it's normal lol

I consider it worth mentioning that the Yharnam Stone appears to resemble a hardened and bloody placenta with a fetus inside. This seems to be Mergo's physical body left behind.

The analysis is solid, and I largely agree.  It's interesting though, that none of these lore channels ever dive into what Insight actually is.  They are correct that none of the principle players in the game understand it, but all seem it ignore that we the players can.  If we look at the game mechanics around Insight, including it's use as a currency as the Messenger shop, changes the game world, changes enemy behavior and interacts with Frenzy we can actually form a really solid foundation for what Insight actually is.

The first thing to understand is that there are essentially three planes of existence in Bloodborne's world.  The physical plane, namely ours.  A plane of pure consciousness (or spirituality, if you want to use the terminology the video above opts for), which is where the Great Ones reside, and the plane of Dream/Nightmare which is between the two and where they can interact.  Dream has aspects of both other realms, and is essentially a waystation between the two.  The old Great Ones have abandoned their bodies, because their consciousness is not tied to their physical form.  This is also why physical death is not the same obstacle for them that it is for humans, and thus how Mergo and the Orphan can still exist in dream despite their physical bodies being dead.  It is this last point that causes so many problems in Bloodborne's world, as humanity is bound to our physical flesh in a way the Great Ones are not (anymore).

Insight is a discrete, calculable thing in universe.  It couldn't be used as a currency otherwise.  So, what then is it?  It is a measure of one's footprint in the psychic, consciousness realm.  Ordinary humans have zero insight.  We are creatures of the purely physical.  As you gain insight, your mind kind of literally expands and you begin to perceive and influence the psychic realm.  This is why the game world changes with sufficient Insight.  You are able to see past veils and perceive hidden truths because they are of the psychic plane, and the larger footprint you have in that world the more a part of it you are.  This is also why enemies attack patterns change.  With sufficient insight, you register on their psychic senses as well as their physical ones.  Which makes you vulnerable to attacks of a psychic nature as well as physical ones.  This is why enemies don't use these attacks when your insight is low, they wouldn't be effective.  It is also why frenzy build up increases with insight.  Frenzy is a purely psychic assault, lacking any physical component.  It is powerful enough to effect you even when you have zero insight, but the more insight you have, the more psychic presence you project, the more vulnerable to it you become.  It's even why the Doll goes limp at zero insight.  The Doll is being animated by a Great One, a being purely of the psychic.  It can interact with us in Dream, because we can both reach that place.  It can use it's reality altering power to bring the Doll to life.  But only WHEN IT REALIZES WE ARE PRESENT.  Without insight, this Great One doesn't even realize we are there, it can't even perceive us, and doesn't waste it's power.

And this psychic presence can be taken, by enemies, or traded, by you.  It is something that you can manipulate.  You can offer some of it for goods to messengers, or have it ripped from you head by brain suckers.  Ironically, eyes on the inside let you project your mind outside.  But insight cannot elevate you, it cannot ascend you.  You can achieve the ending after defeating the Moon Presence even with zero insight, and no amount of insight changes either of the other endings.

There’s a crazy surge in Bloodborne and Sekiro content and I love it

Amygdala in the internal dev id is called FalseGod so that matches your amygdala theory.

The Choir: "What if one brain but more?"

School of Mensis: "What if more brain but one!"

In regards to Micolash duping the school of Mensis, consider that Micolash is intimately familiar with the nature of Rom's ascension. And, as is said of Rom, "true enlightenment need not be shared..."

If this IS the truth of the Brain, I like the idea that Micolash doesn't have the Moon rune and we do, only because by making contact, we're treating the defiled scholars with respect while Micolash was the one who used them. Sort of a sad tale of being the last kind being to the Brain and letting it rest.

Honestly, I could never bring myself to kill it. Once it's not driving me mad, it always felt so helpless and was clearly being used, considering the chains

The Nightmare Frontier… I now believe it was named as such because it is the literal frontier Byrgenwerth, and later Mensis, were trying to cross. And at the end of that nightmare is an Amygdala.  

And when you defeat Amygdala, inside that room within the narrow tower at the back of the arena? Along the walls there appears to be a stylized depiction of a uterus. I’ve wondered about it for a while, but if the Nightmare Frontier was formed by the pursuits of Byrgenwerth scholars, then what we see within is likely a reflection of their literal dreams and goals. I will need to take a look again, but if they were trying to birth an Amygdala this entire time,  then perhaps that tower at the back of its arena in the Nightmare Frontier depicts some of this story.

The depiction of the uterus has a clear meaning in my mind. It is simultaneously meant to symbolize the desire to birth a Great One, as well as the belief that control over birth is something they can attain.

Micolash is the distillation of how destructive and cruel that path and belief is. I’m now of the belief that he purposely withheld knowledge from the other scholars to keep himself separate from the One Reborn because… perhaps he knew it would fail. Perhaps it was his intention. His ambition is great, and I don’t think he would have settled for becoming an Amygdala. He wanted to become a Great One closer to Rom, Ebrietas, or… probably Kos. He does seem particularly fascinated with Kos.

I love this theory!  I never have heard anyone point out that The One Reborn has "failed Amygdala" in the code, that's so cool!

I would add my own take that it was calling upon Mergo specifically that causes the ritual to fail. Mergo is a child of the "formless one" Oedon, which I have always taken to mean that they are so truly beyond comprehension, so ascended, that even if you were able to catch a glimpse or fraction of their truth, it would utterly destroy your sanity. By using Mergos' umbilical cord, the scholars did just that. They got a "peek" behind the curtain, and it gave them "stillborn" minds, a very interesting way to describe what became of them, as the messengers themselves are often linked with the innocent souls of dead children.

Stillborn or stillbirth refers to the death of a baby in the mothers womb after 20 or so weeks of pregnancy. The scholars were granted audience with a great one which itself was "stillborn", and thus were "blessed" with stillborn minds. The brain then, is rotten and deformed because Mergo's very nature is cursed. He died as a baby in the womb, his physical form becoming the yharnam stone. But his consciousness persisted into the nightmare. Trapping him as an eternal newborn.  

As for the Pthumerians involvement, I always saw it as a sort of treacherous bargain. They never intended to give the mensis scholars what they really wanted, they were just taking advantage of their greedy desire for ascension. Manipulating them into providing the materials to conduct their ritual. What I mean to say is, I think you are absolutely right about the brain and the body being intended for each other but ended up disconnected, a consequence of the rituals cursed nature from the start by virtue of Mergo. But the devlopers chosen title of "The ONE Reborn," has always stood out to me as an attempt on the Pthumerians part to regain their lost god by providing it with a new vessel. Mergo's tragedy robbed them of their child of blood, an infant god, the one meant to lead them into their own grand ascension. They new how to create amygdala's and so assumed they could just do the same ritual again, failing to consider the ramifications of involving Mergo specifically.

But that's just my take. Anywho, amazing video! I adore Bloodborne, keep up the good work!

(P.S.using white wards track was just pure chefs kiss.)

Scholars - "The pthumarians text translates to the great ones gave them eyes on their brain. We need to ask for eyes on our brains to be lifted into a new age!"

Mergo - "I'll do it but that's not what they meant"

Scholars - "Nani?"

I think the key point of failure of the mensis ritual lies within their notion of “mind” and “body” as separate things that require separate instantiation (that then get joined together).  The game seems to favor a picture of embodied consciousness, which would make an attempt to separate mind from body (as mensis tries) an incoherent task, which tracks with the disastrous failing of the mensis ritual.

Something I noticed when fighting Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen is that one of her attacks seemingly calls upon Mergo.

During the fight once she has broken free of her shackles she will caress her stomach. This in turn summons a blue arcane field (I forget what it does, I usually avoid it like the plague). The player character is also restrained by a blue ring of arcane energy if they strike at her too many times.

Given the queen’s usage of blood magic, the blue arcane power can be inferred to be Mergo aiding its mother. The caressing and the physical striking  seem to alert Mergo to the fact its mother is in danger or requires its aid. This lends credence to the theory that the Great Ones are still connected to their original bodies in some way.

This is why I think i'm never gonna stop learning from bloodborne. You've done it again.

11:28 it's a very interesting take that it's multiple amygdala, but take into account that the amygdala arm weapon that was 'ripped from a great one' while all amygdala are missing a limb shows that it is more likely one being rather than multiple

It is no coincidence that the key to the Upper Cathedral Ward Orphanage is located in Yahar'gul. Not to mention the fact that deformed infants are still found in the area.

I'm convinced that the "Age of Stars" ending in Elden Ring is the origin of Bloodborne where the outer gods are banished until humanity chooses to draw them to the world once more... 😶

This is a very fascinating theory. I can’t believe I never noticed before the connection between One Reborn and the Brain, it makes sense they were two halves of a failed creation.

Somewhere I read the in game files label the Amygdala “false god.” That coincides with the idea they were created.