Lore
The Great Ones are mysterious beings superior to the human race that have great influence in the world of Bloodborne.
Theories
Title of theory.
Sources
Amygdalan Arm
The arm of a small Amygdala Great One.
Strictly speaking, the Amygdalan Arm is no trick weapon of
any sort, but certain madmen wield them like clubs.
Starts as a large, tough blunt weapon formed of bone, but
when extended, the hand quivers as if it were still alive.
Formless Oedon Rune
A secret symbol left by Caryll, runesmith of Byrgenwerth.
The Great One Oedon, lacking form, exists only in voice,
and is symbolized by this rune. Those who memorize it enjoy
a larger supply of Quicksilver Bullets.
Human or no, the oozing blood is a medium of the highest
grade, and the essence of the formless Great One, Oedon.
Both Oedon, and his inadvertent worshippers, surreptitiously
seek the precious blood.
Oedon Writhe Rune
A Caryll rune that transcribes inhumane sounds.
"Writhe" sees a subtle mucous in the warmth of blood, and
acknowledges visceral attacks as one of the darker hunter
techniques. Visceral attacks restore Quicksilver Bullets.
Human or no, the oozing blood is a medium of the highest
grade, and the essence of the formless Great One, Oedon.
Both Oedon, and his inadvertent worshipers, surreptitiously
seek the precious blood.
Lake Rune
A Caryll rune that transcribes inhuman sounds
This transcription of the Great Ones' inhuman voices ripples
like a watery reflection. This rune means "Lake," and those
who memorize it enjoy reduced physical damage.
Great volumes of water serve as a bulwark guarding sleep,
and an augur of the eldritch Truth.
Overcome this hindrance, and seek what is yours.
Deep Sea Rune
A secret symbol left by Caryll, runesmith of Byrgenwerth.
This transcription of the Great Ones' inhuman voices
depicts downreaching currents.
This rune means "Deep Sea" and grants augmented resistance.
Great volumes of water serve as a bulwark guarding sleep,
and an augur of the eldritch Truth.
Overcome this hindrance, and seek what is yours.
Moon Rune
A secret symbol left by Caryll, runesmith of Byrgenwerth.
A transcription of "moon," as spoken by the Great Ones
inhabiting the nightmare.
Gain more Blood Echoes.
The Great Ones that inhabit the nightmare are
sympathetic in spirit, and often answer when called upon.
Defiled Chalice
Chalice that breaks a labyrinth seal.
Only, this defiled chalice is cursed.
Curses are caused by inciting the anger of the Great Ones,
and used to hex others. Special materials are required to complete the ritual.
To try one's hand at curses, first seek the Bastard of Loran.
Great Pthumeru Ihyll Chalice
A chalice that breaks a labyrinth seal.
Great chalices unlock deeper reaches of the labyrinth.
Pthumeru Ihyll was the title of both the Phumerian monarch and its capital.
This reveals that while early Pthumerians were
mere humble guardians of the slumbering Great Ones,
their descendants felt entitled to name themselves a leader.
Isz Root Chalice
Root Chalice that breaks multiple labyrinth seals.
Root Chalices, used in rituals to break old labyrinth seals,
are said to change the labyrinth's form each time.
According to the Choir, the land of Isz lies in contact
with the cosmos, which allowed the Great Ones to
function on transcendental planes of thought.
Pearl Slug
Material used in a Holy Chalice ritual.
Of all the strange lifeforms that reside in the nooks and
crannies of the old labyrinth, the slugs are clear signs of the
left-behind Great Ones.
Living String
Special material used in a Holy Chalice ritual.
The immense brain that Mensis retrieved from the nightmare
was indeed lined with eyes on the inside, but they were of
an evil sort, and the brain itself was terribly rotten.
But even still, it was a legitimate Great One, and left a relic.
A living relic, at that, which is a precious thing indeed.
Kin Coldblood
Coldblood of inhuman kin of the cosmos,
brethren of the Great Ones.
Use to gain unspeakable Blood Echoes.
Dare not to delve into the world beyond humanity, the
eldritch Truth touched upon long ago at Byrgenwerth.
Great One Coldblood
Relic containing the Blood Echoes of a Great One.
Use to gain cosmically nightmarish Blood Echoes.
Like a true revelation, this uncanny relic defies
understanding.
Great Ones Wisdom
Fragments of the lost wisdom of the Great Ones, beings that
might be described as gods.
Use to gain Insight.
At Byrgenwerth, Master Willem had an epiphany:
"We are thinking on the basest of planes. What we need, are
more eyes.".
One Third Umbilical Cords
1.00
One of the heirlooms used to contact the Great Ones,
originating in the child of the Vilebloods.
Long ago, in an encounter with the Great Ones,
a contract was established, establishing the hunters
and the Hunter's Dream.
1.01+
A great relic, also known as the Cord of the Eye. Every
infant Great One has this precursor to the umbilical cord.
Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a
surrogate. The Third Umbilical Cord precipitated the
encounter with the pale moon, which beckoned the hunters
and conceived the hunter's dream
Use to gain Insight and, so they say, eyes on the inside,
although no one remembers what that truly entails.
Description 2
A great relic, also known as the Cord of the Eye. Every
infant Great One has this precursor to the umbilical cord.
Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a
surrogate, and Oedon, the formless Great One, is no
different. To think, it was corrupted blood that began this
eldritch liaison.
Use to gain Insight and, so they say, eyes on the inside,
although no one remembers what that truly entails.
Description 3
1.00
A great relic, also known as the Cord of the Eye.
Every infant Great One has this precursor to the umbilical cord.
Keep one to fend off foul spirits, or use it to obtain great Insight.
Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a
surrogate. Provost Willem sought the Cord in order to elevate his being
and thoughts to those of a Great One, by lining his brain
with eyes.
1.01+
A great relic, also known as the Cord of the Eye. Every
infant Great One has this precursor to the umbilical cord.
Provost Willem sought the Cord in order to elevate his being
and thoughts to those of a Great One, by lining his brain
with eyes. The only choice, he knew, if man were to ever
match Their greatness.
Description 4
A great relic, also known as the Cord of the Eye. Every
infant Great One has this precursor to the umbilical cord.
Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a
surrogate. This Cord granted Mensis audience with Mergo,
but resulted in the stillbirth of their brains.
Use to gain Insight and, so they say, eyes on the inside,
although no one remembers what that truly entails.
Brain Fluid
Greyish amoeba-shaped brain fluid. Wobbles and bounces.
Extracted from a patient whose head expanded until that
was all that they were.
In the early days of the Healing Church, the Great Ones
were linked to the ocean, and so the cerebral patients would
imbibe water, and listen for the howl of the sea.
Brain fluid writhed inside the head, the initial makings of
internal eyes.
Ring of Betrothal
The inhuman beings known as the Great Ones imbued this
ring of betrothal with some special meaning.
In the age of the Great Ones, wedlock was a blood contract,
only permitted to those slated to bear a special child.
Rune Workshop Tool
Runesmith Caryll, student of Byrgenwerth, transcribed the
inhuman utterings of the Great Ones into what are now
called Caryll Runes.
The hunter Who retrieves this workshop tool can etch Caryll
Runes into the mind to attain their wondrous strength.
Provost Willem would have been proud of Caryll's runes, as
they do not rely upon blood in any measure.
Augur of Ebrietas
Remnant of the eldritch Truth encountered at Byrgenwerth.
Use phantasms, the invertebrates known to be augurs of the
Great Ones, to partially summon abandoned Ebrietas.
The initial encounter marked the start of an inquiry into the
cosmos from within the old labyrinth, and led to the
establishment of the Choir.
Empty Phantasm Shell
Empty invertebrate shell that is said to be a familiar of a
Great One. The Healing Church has discovered a great
variety of invertebrates, or phantasms, as they are called.
Shells with slime still harbor arcane power, and can be
rubbed on weapons to imbue them with their strength.
Tomb Prospector Hood
Attire of tomb prospectors who explore the old labyrinth on
behalf of the Healing Church.
The Healing Church traces its roots to Byrgenwerth, and is
therefore aware of the ruins' true importance.
They contain much more than mere hunter trinkets, indeed,
they hide the very secrets of the old Great Ones, sought after
by those with the insight to imagine greatness.
Bone Ash Mask
A mask made of bone ash, worn by the oldest keepers.
The keepers, who mind the slumbering Great Ones, gained
eternal life, preserved in ashen form in a ceremony of flame
that cremated body and soul.
The long, pointed hat is a symbol of the old keepers and is
considered evidence of their companionship, forged in a
certain sin.
Bone Ash Armor
Armor made of bone ash, worn by the oldest keepers.
The keepers, who mind the slumbering Great Ones, gained
eternal life, preserved in ashen form in a ceremony of flame
that cremated body and soul.
Now, their frail armor is white and sinewy, a window into
an arcane lost art.
Mensis Cage
The School of Mensis controls the Unseen Village.
This hexagonal iron cage suggests their strange ways. The
cage is a device that restrains the will of the self, allowing
one to see the profane world for what it is.
It also serves as an antenna that facilitates contact with the
Great Ones of the dream.
But to an observer, the iron cage appears to be precisely
what delivered them to their harrowing nightmare.
Choir Garb
Attire of the Choir, high-ranking members of the Healing
Church.
Members of the Choir are both the highest-ranking clerics of
the Healing Church, and scholars who continue the work
that began at Byrgenwerth.
Together with the left behind Great One, they look to the
skies, in search of astral signs, that may lead them to the
rediscovery of true greatness.
Kos Parasite
When the carcass of Kos washed up on the coast,
its insides were teeming with tiny parasites, unlike any found in humans.
This atypical weapon can only be clasped tight and swung,
but a Kos Parasite is said to stimulate phantasms inhabiting a lumenwood
Milkweed Rune
A Caryll rune envisioned by Adeline, patient of the Research Hall.
A translation of the inhumane, sticky whispers that reveal the nature of a celestial attendant.
Those who swear this oath become a Lumenwood
that peers towards the sky, feeding phantasms in its luscious bed.
Phantasms guide us and lead us to further discoveries.
Micolash, Host of the Nightmare dialogue:
"Ah hah hah ha! Ooh! Majestic! A hunter is a hunter, even in a dream. But, alas, not too fast! The nightmare swirls and churns unending!"
"Ahh, Kos, or some say Kosm… Do you hear our prayers? As you once did for the vacuous Rom, grant us eyes, grant us eyes. Plant eyes on our brains, to cleanse our beastly idiocy."
Befuddled Villager dialogue:
“Byrgenwerth, Byrgenwerth… Blasphemous murderers, blood crazed fiends. Atonement for the wretches… by the wrath of mother Kos. Mercy for the poor wizened child, mercy. Oh please, atonement for the wretches.
Lay the curse of blood upon them, and their children, and their children's children for evermore. Each wretched birth will plunge each child into a lifetime of misery…
Mercy… For the poor wizened child… Let the pungence of Kos, cling like a mother's devotion.”
Byrgenwerth Lore Note:
Location: On a Bookshelf on the same floor as the Lunarium Key door:
"When the red moon hangs low, the line between man and beast is blurred. And when the Great Ones descend, a womb will be blessed with child
Lecture Building Lore Note:
Location: After picking up Note 1, progress to the next room. The note is behind a cage on a table:
"Hunt the Great Ones, Hunt the Great Ones."
PREV: The Executioners
NEXT: The Keepers