Talk:Abyss Greatsword/@comment-29413910-20160803231738/@comment-96.54.236.16-20170421024223

It's been months since you posted, so maybe you grocked this since, but the connection is exactly what they both scale with: humanity.

There's a connection to Eastern elements behind that. Fire is associated with attachment and clinging, as well as growth; the element is can be rendered as either fire or wood. That's why there are so many roots in Izalith and the Bed of Chaos is a Tree; it's also why in Naruto the Will of Fire is located in the village of leaves. Especially in Buddhism, this attachment is connected to the "dark" nature of humanity because humans desire and grow attached to things.

In the case of Manus, his humanity went wild because he really loves that broken pendant for some reason. This is similar to how the Witch of Izalith lost control of her replica of the First Flame. Of course, Gwyn was also too attached to the Age of Fire to let it die, leading him to link with the First Flame; although his surrender of control was voluntary.