Even though Bloodborne has been out for seven years, its story remains one of the most mysterious of all the Soulsborne games. Unless players are perceptive and explore every corner of the world, it is likely they may have missed details that provide major implications to the history of Yharnam and its beastly scourge.
The key to discovering more about Bloodborne and Yharnam’s past lies inside the Chalice Dungeons. This optional area holds many secrets that can be missed even if players choose to fully explore the dungeons because, in true FromSoft fashion, much of the lore requires a deep dive into the enemies and items found within them.
What are the Chalice Dungeons?
Put simply, the Chalice Dungeons are a set of optional multi-tiered dungeons. They can be visited from the Hunter’s Dream, but require players to acquire the necessary materials first. These items include chalices and sacrificial materials that are found in the main game for a time, but eventually can only be discovered by going further into each dungeon.
There are four different base Chalice Dungeons in Bloodborne: Pthumeru Chalice Dungeons, Hintertomb Chalice Dungeons, Loran Chalice Dungeons, and Isz Chalice Dungeons. All of these have different variations such as Root Dungeons, and additional rites that create more challenges for players. However, the main lore behind the Chalice Dungeons lies in the base dungeons.
The in-game lore behind the dungeons is mostly provided by Alfred, a hunter for the Healing Church who describes the dungeons as a tomb of the gods, originally discovered by Byrgenwerth and housing a holy medium that led to the founding of the Healing Church. Alfred’s description states that those living above ground found a secret hidden in the tombs below Yharnam that effectively created the sacred blood healing, but implies the Chalice Dungeons also harbor the secrets of the beastly scourge.
Through reading descriptions of the Holy Chalices, players will come to find that the dungeons were used as tombs of the Great Ones, and it is unclear whether the tombs are meant to contain the beings underground or keep others from discovering the secrets of the Great Ones. The Healing Church and its different sects have dedicated themselves to exploring the tomb of the gods and discovering as much as they can about the Great Ones in an attempt to utilize the sacred blood and possibly ascend to a higher form of being.
Who are the Pthumerians and Queen Yharnam?
As players progress through the dungeons, they will encounter different bosses at the end of each level - some familiar and some never before seen. Among these different bosses are the Pthumerians, which are described as an ancient race of super-humans who carved out the labyrinths that became known as the Chalice Dungeons.
The cities and environments that are in the Chalice Dungeons, specifically Loran, bare an eerie resemblance to Old Yharnam. This seems to imply that the cycle of discovering the Great Ones and blood ministration possibly began with the Pthumerians eons ago, and has since continued as the people of Yharnam and the Healing Church explored what the Pthumerians discovered. Players are essentially able to see each stage of the downfall of society via the beastly scourge impacting Yharnam, the burning and quarantine of Old Yharnam, and the complete destruction of Loran.
Because there are only a few remaining Pthumerians, all of whom look to be decrepit versions of their former selves, it is suggested the discovery of the Eldritch Truth wiped out this race. Even though it is never directly stated whether the use of blood healing causes or cures the beastly scourge, the two are connected, and the state of the former civilizations found within the Chalice Dungeons shows that any association with the Great Ones will likely lead to the downfall of society.
One of the few remaining Pthumerians is Yharnam, who acted as the queen of her race but eventually met her downfall because of her association with the Great Ones. Players would recognize Queen Yharnam from a couple of scenes in the main game in which the queen is seen worshipping the Blood Moon, and eventually found mourning outside the Mergo’s Wet Nurse boss fight. Though this character is never confronted or even mentioned during the course of the story, it is clear she has connections to the Great Ones and the city of Yharnam, which was named after her.
Bloodborne’s lore implies that Mergo is an infant Great One who was born to Queen Yharnam and Oedon, the formless Great One. However, it is assumed that Mergo died or was taken from Yharnam shortly after birth and became a symbol of worship for the School of Mensis. Mergo’s existence also created a One Third Umbilical Cord, which allows the player to have audience with the Moon Presence Great One and eventually become a Great One themselves. So Queen Yharnam mourns the loss of her child and her race, both of which were taken from her, in some form, by the Great Ones. Upon returning to Queen Yharnam after defeating Mergo’s Wet Nurse, the queen bows to the player, which can be seen as a sign of gratitude.
If players choose to explore the Pthumeru Chalice Dungeons to the fifth and final depth, they will encounter Queen Yharnam as the final boss. Interestingly, unlike other encounters with Yharnam, she appears to still be pregnant with Mergo and has her hands bound. Though there is no explanation for her appearance in the dungeon, theories suggest she is bound in order to control her during her pregnancy with a Great One, and the battle occurs in a reality where time stands still. Upon defeating Queen Yharnam, the player acquires the Yharnam Stone key item, which looks to resemble a lithopedion - or stone baby - that likely represents her lost child.
How the Chalice Dungeons Explain Bloodborne’s Story
It is entirely possible to understand most of Bloodborne’s convoluted story by thoroughly examining all the bosses, items, and locations found within the game and its DLC. The story behind the beginnings of the scourge and how the people of Yharnam began to make contact with the Great Ones must be traced back to the tombs of the Chalice Dungeons. The Healing Church and blood healing would not exist if not for the discoveries made in these tombs.
Just as the main story of Bloodborne states that gaining insight leads to discoveries and ascendance to a higher plane, the story behind the Chalice Dungeons revolves around the discovery of ancient and supernatural beings. However, both stories end with civilizations being unable to fully understand the true purpose of the Great Ones, which leads to their demise. Both the Pthumerians and the humans of Yharnam are unable to control or comprehend what is being kept in the labyrinths beneath the city, and their hubris and desire to contact the Great Ones is what ultimately led to their societies’ downfalls.
Bloodborne is available now on PS4.
