The following content was originally created in this thread on Reddit in /r/bloodborne. All credit for the content of this post goes to /u/Aurvant, with only minor changes being made to reflect the difference in format.
Obviously, this story served as a great inspiration for Bloodborne, but, after playing through the game with that story in mind, I started to have a revelation about a seemingly subtle piece of lore. Many of the enemies, NPC's, and some of the armor sets share a very similar design:
They hide their eyes.
The Ashen Hunter Set, Cainhurst Armor, and Choir Set all feature a design that appears to limit or hide the wearers eyes. Are these just protective coverings for battle? Well, the NPC's themselves all seem to wear them for another reason. The first person you meet in the game, the Blood Minister, is shown to have both of his eyes covered. One of them looks as if it has been removed.
The High Ranking officials of the church, The Choir, and Vicar Amelia also have their eyes covered. Mater Willem? His head attire has a covering that shields his eyes as well. This appears to be a common choice of dress by the Scholars of Byrgenwerth and the Healing Church.
But why?
Because they fear the moon.
More precisely, the fear what the moon brings.
Why? Well, what does the moon bring? It brings the Moon Presence and when it shines on scenes familiar and love it sometimes makes them unfamiliar and hideous.
The moon reveals the creatures hidden from Yharnam and it brings the Moon Presence ever closer to the city. When Master Willem and the Scholars of Byrgenwerth asked for "eyes" they appeared to be doing so because they did not want to use the ones they had. Perhaps they felt that the eyes they had were inadequate and that merely looking at the Great Ones invoked madness in humanity. So, they wished for "eyes" that would allow them to convene with the Great Ones in a way that would not be detrimental to them.
Now, this doesn't mean that everyone is afraid of the moon. Arianna and the Skeptical Man don't appear to be affected by what's going in in Yharnam at all. However, it's possible that they are simply citizens and aren't privy to the terrible secrets that the Healing Church has hidden from them. Adella knows and, if you notice, she's also quite mad.
Perhaps some prefer the madness of the moon, but it's apparent that those in charge of Byrgenwerth, the Healing Church, and those who found the revelation for themselves covered their eyes to shield them from the cosmic horrors that the moon brought to light.
Perhaps it made the night bearable. At least, for a time.
What The Moon Brings And Why They Hide Their Eyes
"I hate the moon—I am afraid of it—for when it shines on certain scenes familiar and loved it sometimes makes them unfamiliar and hideous."That is the opening of a short story by H.P. Lovecraft titled: "What The Moon Brings.", and in that story the narrator explains his mistrust for the moon because it has revealed to him a horrible truth that lies just below the surface of a great lake that stretches out before him.
Obviously, this story served as a great inspiration for Bloodborne, but, after playing through the game with that story in mind, I started to have a revelation about a seemingly subtle piece of lore. Many of the enemies, NPC's, and some of the armor sets share a very similar design:
They hide their eyes.
The Ashen Hunter Set, Cainhurst Armor, and Choir Set all feature a design that appears to limit or hide the wearers eyes. Are these just protective coverings for battle? Well, the NPC's themselves all seem to wear them for another reason. The first person you meet in the game, the Blood Minister, is shown to have both of his eyes covered. One of them looks as if it has been removed.
The High Ranking officials of the church, The Choir, and Vicar Amelia also have their eyes covered. Mater Willem? His head attire has a covering that shields his eyes as well. This appears to be a common choice of dress by the Scholars of Byrgenwerth and the Healing Church.
But why?
Because they fear the moon.
More precisely, the fear what the moon brings.
Why? Well, what does the moon bring? It brings the Moon Presence and when it shines on scenes familiar and love it sometimes makes them unfamiliar and hideous.
The moon reveals the creatures hidden from Yharnam and it brings the Moon Presence ever closer to the city. When Master Willem and the Scholars of Byrgenwerth asked for "eyes" they appeared to be doing so because they did not want to use the ones they had. Perhaps they felt that the eyes they had were inadequate and that merely looking at the Great Ones invoked madness in humanity. So, they wished for "eyes" that would allow them to convene with the Great Ones in a way that would not be detrimental to them.
Now, this doesn't mean that everyone is afraid of the moon. Arianna and the Skeptical Man don't appear to be affected by what's going in in Yharnam at all. However, it's possible that they are simply citizens and aren't privy to the terrible secrets that the Healing Church has hidden from them. Adella knows and, if you notice, she's also quite mad.
Perhaps some prefer the madness of the moon, but it's apparent that those in charge of Byrgenwerth, the Healing Church, and those who found the revelation for themselves covered their eyes to shield them from the cosmic horrors that the moon brought to light.
Perhaps it made the night bearable. At least, for a time.
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