Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-7889951-20140404025550/@comment-16047389-20140404172759

I agree with the idea that the Gods, and possibly other Lordran beings (i.e. Ornstein) may exist beyond their physical form. I believe that the personalities and memories of the Four Great Ones are retained in their new lives, which is why the Lost Sinner feels such guilt and why The Rotten is an amalgalation of bodies as a single entity. But, I do have to point out two flaws with your theory on the shattering of the Lordvessel being how they escaped.


 * Only part of Gwyn's soul was in the Lordvessel, the other is picked up by the Chosen Unded after they fight.


 * Seathe's soul isn't aqcuired at all. We only aqcuire his part of Gwyn's soul.

To me, this could mean several things. The first theory, and the one I most believe in right now, is that the Gods (the deities in Lordran that weren't humans or giants) exist beyond death and reform into different forms after an undetermined time. This would allow the idea that the Four Great Ones died to the Chosen Undead, then to Vendrick, and then again in Dark Souls 2.

The second theory is that your theory is completely correct, but since only half of Gwyn's soul was left in the Lordvessel, when he came back as the Iron King, he came back with only half his soul. The also means that since Seathe's soul hadn't been collected at all, he most likely retained all of his memory and power.

The other theories I have don't have nearly as much evidence to support them.