Gertrude, the Heavenly Daughter (Japanese: 「天使の娘」ゲルトルード, Hepburn: `Tenshi no musume' Gerutorūdo, lit. 'Angel's Daughter Gertrude') is a mentioned character in Dark Souls III.
In-Game Description
- The Queen's holy maiden Gertrude was visited by an angel, who revealed this tale to her.
- Despite losing both her sight and her voice, she was determined to record the tale. Ordinary men cannot decipher her fragmentary scrawl, nor comprehend how it became the foundation of the Angelic faith of Lothric[1].
Plot[]
In the Grand Archives, her corpse can be found inside a large elevated birdcage, surrounded by feathers and clutching onto her miracle[2][3]. Her most faithful winged knights appear to be guarding the entrance to the cage and the surrounding structure.
Lore[]
The healing miracles of Gertrude.
Gertrude was the holy maiden of Gwynevere, Queen of Lothric[4][5], and she was also said to be the Queen's child[6]. She taught her healing miracle to the knights of the kingdom [6] and they became part of the miracles in use in Lothric[7], implying that she had a great influence on both the army and clergy of the realm.
The heretical miracle of Gertrude.
One day Gertrude saw an Angel[8], a lucent humanoid creature created by the evolution of the fermented humanity of the pilgrims of Londor[9] that were arriving to the kingdom of Lothric[10][11]. Gertrude learned the story of this creature, capable of manifesting pillars of light together with a belief completely opposed to those of the culture of Lothric[2]. The holy maiden was convinced by this enlightenment and began to spread the worship of the angels[2][3], earning herself the title of "Angel's Daughter"[6],. However this faith was viewed as heresy in Lothric, as it opposed the worship of the ancient gods and the duty to continue linking the First Flame and was consequently unrecognized by any of the Three Pillars that govern the realm[2][3].
The defiled chime of Gertrude.
Due to the danger that her new faith posed to the kingdom, despite her position of closeness to the Queen, Gertrude was imprisoned in the ceiling cell inside the Grand Archives[12][3]. Here she was subjected to the experiments of scholars, that even toyed with her sacred chime, using the power of crystals to make a catalyst that was suitable for casting both miracles and sorceries[12]. Eventually the abuses of the scholars led the woman to lose both her voice and her sight but she remained determined to write down the story of the Angel, even if in the form of incoherent scrawls[2].
Even though Gertrude was still in captivity her confused writings somehow reached the rest of Lothric and became the foundation of the "Angelic Faith" that venerated angels despite the Three Pillars' condemnation of heresy[2][3]. Over time, this heretical faith also spread among the knights of Lothric who, despite maintaining the symbols and armor of the kingdom, swore themselves to the Angels[13][3]. These soldiers even went so far as to create iconography and art of their new faith, depticting themselves as angelic executioners under a solar eclipse[14][15] and their strong faith led them to develop angelic wings similar to those of the objects of their worship[16]. Seen as heretics despite the fact that they still wore the insignia of Lothric[15], these knights, now called Winged Knights, armed themselves with weapons more befitting of executioners and came into conflict with the Three Pillars and Lothric's loyalist army[17][18].
In the final days of the reign of Lothric and the First Flame, Gertrude died, still in her cage, surrounded by feathers and clutching onto her writings[19]. However the Winged Knights continue to patrol various locations within Lothric and even the Castle, and Gertrude's most loyal Knights, that managed to develop large feathered wings, remained positioned to defend their saint's resting place[20].
Theories[]
The propaganda of the Winged Knights.
- It is possible possible to theorize that Gertrude could have been leading the Queen's royal guard or a fraction of Lothric's army, in the same way the High Priestess had a personal guard[21]. This is because her healing miracle were taught to knights[6] and they were also part of the miracles in use in the army of Lothric[22]. This would also explain how an important portion of Lothric's army was convinced by her incoherent writings and belived in her story and faith.
- It is possible to theorize that what the Angels communicated to Gertrude was the announcement of the end of the Age of Fire and the beginning of the Age of Dark. This is because not only was her faith was banished as heretic by the Pillars of Lothric[2] , a kingdom whose entire culture revolved around the linking of the First Flame[23], but because the angels are the result of the evolution of the pilgrims of Londor[24], a realm based on trying to start the Age of Dark[25]. However, a further truth that could have justified the so violent reaction of the Pillars of Lothric is that the Angels and the miracle of Gertrude were able to manifest "light"[26] despite the angels being creatures of darkness, thus demonstrating that a possible Age of Dark wouldn't have to be as "dark" as feared without the First Flame.
- It is possible to theorize that some of Gertrude's knights attempted to reach the chambers of Prince Lothric to either kill him and prevent any Unkindled from recovering his Cinders or to convince him of their beliefs and usher an Age of Dark, even without success as they were all killed by his brother Lorian. In fact the room of the bossfight of Lothric and Lorian is covered by large, white feathers and the only creatures to possess such wings and that could come so far into the prince's chambers are only the Winged Knights and the Knights of Gertrude[27]. The presence of a large number of Lothric knights and barricades before the prince's chamber, directly facing the structures presided over by the Winged Knights, also implies a recent fight between the two groups.
Artifacts[]
Trivia[]
- Gertrude's title uses the kanji "天使の娘" that can be literally translated as "Angel's Daughter" or "Angelic Daughter".
- Gertrude's role uses the kanji "聖女" that can be literally translated as "Holy Woman" or "Saintess"[28], the same used to describe Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight's holy women[29].
Gallery[]
See also[]
- ↑ Divine Pillars of Light description.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Divine Pillars of Light description.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Winged Knight Helm description.
- ↑ Divine Blessing (Dark Souls III) and Projected Heal description.
- ↑ See Queen of Lothric
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Bountiful Light description.
- ↑ Bountiful Light#Availability
- ↑ File:Master_of_the_sky_(2).jpg
- ↑ File:Pilgrim Larva Side.jpg
- ↑ Opening (Dark Souls III) dialogue and Yoel of Londor#Location.
- ↑ Yuria of Londor and Yoel of Londor dialogue and Atonement description.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Crystal Chime description
- ↑ Winged Knight Armor appearance.
- ↑ File:Winged_Knight_Painting.png
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 File:Winged_Knight_Painting_Detail.jpg
- ↑ File:Gertrude_knight.jpg
- ↑ Winged Knight Halberd and Winged Knight Twinaxes description.
- ↑ File:Winged knight (2).jpg
- ↑ File:Corpse_in_birdcage,_holding_miracle.PNG
- ↑ Winged Knight#Location and Gertrude's Knight#Location
- ↑ Lothric Knight Greatshield description.
- ↑ Bountiful Light#Availability
- ↑ See Lothric#Firelinking Duty
- ↑ See Angel#Lore
- ↑ See Londor#Lore
- ↑ Divine Pillars of Light and Angels attacks produce light.
- ↑ File:Rise.jpg
- ↑ Bountiful Light description.
- ↑ Bountiful Sunlight description.
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