Moon Presence

Lore

The Moon Presence is a nameless Great One in the world of Bloodborne, a being synonymous with the Blood Moon, Paleblood and the likely source of the Hunter's Dream. Its actions are the primary instigator and driving force behind many of the events and situations that have arisen in Yharnam and throughout that world's history.

The Blood Moon
The Moon Presence is absolutely synonymous with the blood moon. Whether it actually is the blood moon or whether it resides on the blood moon is unclear. When it is seen descending in the Hunter's Dream, it appears at the same time that the Blood Moon becomes visible, indicating that when the Blood Moon descends, so does the Moon Presence. However, its physical form actually descends from the moon, indicating it is a separate entity, that the moon is simply a place in which it lives which it seems to exercise control over. Interestingly, the moon in Bloodborne does not appear to be in space as it is in our reality, but rather the moon seen in the sky is actually within the atmosphere, so low to the ground that clouds are able to pass in front of and behind it. The Moon Presence is perhaps then, a manifestation of the moon, a physical form for an abstract idea.

The Blood Moon and therefore the Moon Presence have appeared multiple times in the history of Bloodborne. We know from the artefacts and descriptions found concerning the Pthumerian civilization under Queen Yharnam that long ago the Blood Moon was seen in the land of Loran. Its appearance, mixed with the use of Old (Great One) Blood, triggered the scourge of beasthood.

Beasthood
Beasthood was understood to be a contagious plague that transformed those afflicted with it into hideous and blood thirsty beasts. In reality, it would appear that the proximity of the moon and therefore the Moon Presence mixed with use of the Old Blood is what triggers the transformation in humans and Pthumerians, into beast like creatures. The beast like creatures which humans and Pthumerians become themselves have many physical and thematic ties to the Moon Presence's actual appearance. The beastly paws with talon like claws, the quadrupedal movement, the tail and the exposed ribcage all resemble the scourge beasts and silverbeasts encountered in the waking world and nightmares. A similar phenomenon is seen in the citizens of the Fishing Hamlet, where its village men and especially the snail-women, strongly physically resemble Kos, a legitimate Great One in close proximity to the villagers whose phantasms and blood were clearly being utilized in one form or another.

An Heir
Despite the unfathomable nature of the Great Ones, one clear goal seems to unite them all. All Great Ones lose their natural born children through one means or another and like all Great Ones the Moon Presence appears to be primarily motivated with finding a surrogate to replace its lost offspring. With this knowledge in hand we can understand some of the events of Bloodborne's history with more clarity. The Pthumerians were a superhuman race, more akin to Great Ones than humans are. Their Queen, Yharnam, was the bearer of a special baby through the use of special blood. Special baby's draw the attention of Great Ones who seek to make the baby their surrogate. By drawing near, the Moon Presence triggered the scourge amongst the citizens of Loran, a Pthumerian civilization, because of the Great One blood which had distributed amongst the population. The physical death of Yharnam's baby in utero may have caused the Moon Presence to retreat and thereby bring an end to the scourge for the time being.

The rediscovery of Old Blood in the tombs below Yharnam by the scholars of Byrgenwerth once again set off a chain of events that would lead to the Blood Moon. The Old Blood was distributed to the population of Yharnam by the Healing Church, and the slumbering consciousness of Queen Yharnam's baby Mergo was awoken by the School of Mensis through their ritual. These two circumstances caused the spread of the scourge amongst the population of Yharnam when the Blood Moon drew close.

Paleblood
Whether the Moon Presence intentionally causes beasthood is unclear, however, long before the events of present day Yharnam, the Moon Presence made a contract with Gehrman who became the first in a long line of Hunters. The Hunter's role was to hunt the beasts created by the use of Old Blood and the proximity of the Blood Moon, to absorb their blood and to have the lingering will of that blood channelled into strength by the Moon Presence's automaton servant. The fate of the majority of Hunters was to succumb to the effects of the Old Blood and the blood lust it conceived transforming them into more dangerous and hideous beasts than any of their prey. As noted earlier, the primary motivation of Great Ones is to create a surrogate child for themselves; a legitimate offspring and heir. Towards this end it can be construed that the Hunters and the Hunter's Dream was created in order to artificially conceive of an heir for the Moon Presence. It is true that the fate of most Hunters is to become a beast themselves, but there appear to be special hunters who are largely immune to the effects of the scourge. These hunters have paleblood flowing through their veins. In reality, human blood is separated into several groups (platelets, red blood cells, white blood cells and plasma). White blood cells are a body's natural defence against infection and disease. They multiply and adapt to squash out threats to their host. Perhaps paleblood in bloodborne acts in a similar way. Where this paleblood comes from is uncertain though. The Moon Presence appears to be synonymous with the term and the Doll herself is filled with paleblood.

The Surrogate
Hunters come to the Doll in order to strengthen themselves against the beasts. But as we know from the Childhood's Beginning ending, the strengthening of a Hunter has the, perhaps unintended, consequence of drawing them closer in essence and even appearance, to the Great Ones. Hunters are echo fiends: beings who imbibe the echoes or will of ancient blood to become more like a Great One – a fitting surrogate. Within the Hunter's Dream there is a sole human occupant, a Hunter who is trapped there without recourse. Gehrman considers the dream a nightmare, and being there torments him. Should the player defeat Gehrman in combat, the Moon Presence will reveal itself and descend in order to embrace the player to itself, in an almost loving way. Should the player have consumed the umbilical cords of past Great Ones, they will be able to resist the Moon Presence's influence and be reborn as a Great One themselves. If they did not, then they will become a pawn of the Moon Presence, and in essence; its surrogate child, just as Gehrman was before them. This is the purpose of the Hunter's Dream and the Moon Presence's actions then: to find a surrogate for itself, like all Great Ones. The Hunt draws those who are strong, the Dream strengthens them further, transforming their weakness into strength such that they might become a suitable surrogate for the Moon Presence who seemingly orchestrates it all.

If the player resists the Moon Presence, then it is a threat to the established order and powerful enough to disrupt it, so must be eliminated. In all cases the Doll appears to be a tool, without willpower – though autonomous from the fate of the Moon Presence. It was created simply to nurture the Hunter's of dream, whatever form they may come in.

Theories

The Moon Presence is the Source of the Scourge of the Beast

The Moon Presence is the Hero of Bloodborne

https://www.reddit.com/r/bloodborne/comments/8a0byn/theory_the_moon_presence_is_the_hero_of_bloodborne/

The Motives of the Moon Presence

https://www.reddit.com/r/bloodborne/comments/7l0vjy/what_are_the_motives_of_the_moon_presence_spoiler/

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