#i really love the theory that gwynevere and rosaria are the same person

[austerulous]

Thinking about Gwynevere…

[ofirithyll-blog]

Head canon | Gertrude is Gwynevere’s daughter and was locked up by Lothric’s will.

So this is going to be…a bit long. Hence why it’s under a Read More. As the preliminary title above states, I believe that Gertrude is irrefutably Gwynevere’s daughter; one of three I believe exist. The second half is a personal head canon but I will be presenting lore to go with my theory: when Lothric took control of, well Lothric, he deemed the Angelic Faith to be heresy:

Armor of the Winged Knights, who swore themselves to the Angels.

Worship of the divine messengers was viewed as heresy in Lothric and unrecognized by any of the Three Pillars of rule.

This is believed to be why Gertrude, the Heavenly Daughter, was imprisoned in the lofty cell of the Grand Archives. ( winged knights set )

 In this declaration, he ordered for Gertrude to be locked up within a cage high above the Grand Archives which had by this time been sealed shut. Leaving her where no one could get to her due to her influence.

In order to get why I think this I really gotta put out a lot of lore bits to you. Remember my head canon a few days ago about Sulyvahn being the scholar that we find disliked the linking of the flame? In Lothric there are the Three Pillars of the King’s Rule and they rank in this order: High Priestess, Knights, and the Scholar at the top. Closest to the King:

In Lothric, the Scholar has long been considered one of the Three Pillars of the king’s rule, and is therefore master of the Grand Archives. ( scholar’s ring )

 With Oceiros locked away in madness and the Queen having fled ( though I personally think she fled after** ), Lothric is clearly the one on the throne. We can also interpret this because his boss room eerily mimics that of what you’d imagine the throne room would be like. There are chairs seated on either side, it is grand in size and decorated. And the place on which the throne would sit is high above; out of reach but clear in sight for all those who sit within this room. That would place both Lothric and Lorian as the one’s making the calls in this city at the time of our arrival. We know from the Winged Knight set that:

Armor of the Winged Knights, who swore themselves to the Angels.

Worship of the divine messengers was viewed as heresy in Lothric and unrecognized by any of the Three Pillars of rule.

This is believed to be why Gertrude, the Heavenly Daughter, was imprisoned in the lofty cell of the Grand Archives. ( winged knight set )

When we first arrive in Lothric upon its lower walls, we find one of these winged knights stalking about in a circle, surrounded by the corpses of both Lothric Knights and one other winged knight. To me this depicts that a war has been occurring. Waged between two factions. We have one of the three pillars trying to uphold the word of the King, smashing down any and all who continued in their heretical belief of the Angels. And the Angels fighting back fervently for their Heavenly Daughter, Gertrude, as well as their belief. It shows that at the time of our arrival there is discourse through Lothric.

Now, continuing forward, we know that Gertrude is the daughter of Gwynevere through a few item descriptions. The main one being from Bountiful Light: 

Miracle taught to the knights by Gertrude, holy maiden to the Queen.

The Heavenly Daughter is said to be the Queen’s child.

 If we look at all of Gertrude’s spells - too - we can see they are a weaker form of all of Gwynevere’s spells. A direct link to her mother there. And even further with that point, we can see that all Way of White spells are weaker forms of Gertrude’s spells: linking her directly with this order that believes in the Gods and the Linking of the Flame. Finally, we can draw the conclusion that this is a daughter of Gwynevere from the feathers found in her cage. These are the same featherstyle that we see connected often to Gwynevere herself. And it is something you see in all of her children’s areas: Lothric and Lorian’s boss room is coated in them, Lothric’s spells even disperse a few, the mangrub staff outside of Rosaria’s bedchamber ( yes I think she’s gwynevere’s daughter ) shoots a miracle that is trailed by feathers. It is an intricate piece of aesthetic design we see that links these children together. You also know they are somehow connected ( Rosaria and Gwynevere at least ) by the random appearance of a mangrub beneath the cage that once held Gertrude.

Gertrude was the foundation and main source for the Angelic Faith:

Miracle of Gertrude, the Heavenly Daughter.

Brings down multiple pillars of light in vicinity.

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 in Lothric. ( divine pillars of light )

 Her rendition of what an Angel showed her ( leaving her both blind and mute, and let’s remember how faiths in Dark Souls heavily belief and listen to the blind ) scribbled on a scroll was the beginning of this faith; with Gertrude as its symbol. I mean, all throughout Lothric there are minute signs of worship and belief of the faith. Through both their queen being Gwynevere - a goddess who since Dark Souls 1 has pushed us to link the flame - winged angels throughout Lothric. Statues seeming to be small, petite angels. That shows us that this faith has been here for quite some time. Far before our arrival or even Lothric’s birth I imagine. Hell, I believe that Gertrude is one of Gwynevere’s first children, born before she married Oceiros ( duh ), and went with her mother to Lothric ( further evidence of her presence here that Gwynevere is possibly the queen ) when she moved.

We also discover a painting in if I remember right Archdragon Peak, hidden behind an illusionary wall. Before it we find the Winged Knight set, and it’s a painting depicting a heavenly angel; feathers, wings and floating. Within this same room we find a shield that is known as the Sorcerer’s bane:

A treasured antique of the Way of White, known to some as the Sorcerer’s Bane.

The large blossom design that graces the shield is said to be a sacred flame, and the shield is blessed with high magic protection.

 I do not think this shields placement is anything but purposeful. If there is a war waging between these two factions, it would seem wise that this shield be used against those who side with Lothric. After all, he is known for spells. So is Sulyvahn and the scholars in general. What better way to protect themselves than with such a shield? Hence why it was hidden away with a painting that was now considered heresy.

Now, lastly, furthering my proof that Lothric was the one who sentenced her incarceration: the crystal chime:

A sacred chime, once the possession of Gertrude, the Heavenly Daughter, and defiled by the scholars of the Grand Archives.

The power of crystal granted the scholars a degree of success. In this case, their work enabled this chime to be suitable for casting both miracles and sorceries.

 This chime was Gertrude’s! The item description literally tells us as such. We discover it behind a book case, in a corner tucked away, discarded. Where it has obviously been corrupted by the use of the scholars within the Grand Archives. Who do the scholars follow faithfully? Lothric. Who permitted their defilement of this holy symbol? Lothric. Well, perhaps not he, per say. Perhaps it was Sulyvahn, though I do feel that it would make more sense for Lothric to have turned a blind eye to this corruption. I mean, once she’s been sentenced to hang high above the very same archives, of course he’d strip her of her means to heal or cast any sort of miracle.

On top of all of this: there are three heavenly ascended angel knights guarding the entrance to Gertrude’s cage. Outside we find the Hunter’s ring, which is another secret faction dedicated to eliminating the enemies of the king:

The hunters serve Lothric on the fringes and in the shadows. For generations, rulers of Lothric have relied especially upon the Black Hand hunters to punish enemies in ways that the king's Three Pillars cannot. ( hunter’s ring )

  We can surmise by its presence that the blackhand who’d gone to dispatch Gertrude - to eliminate their holy cause - perished to these winged knights. Below, we discover the cage with not one but two openings to it now. One high above and another right before her. We find a corpse and this is where we get her spell…yet I do not think that is Gertrude. I believe evidence shows us that she perhaps escaped: maybe somehow through the help of her sister, Rosaria ( naw I don’t think gertrude is rosaria ).

All in all, Gertrude got the shitty end of a stick handed to her. For she went blind and mute before coming to Lothric I believe. And it is here that her faith - and the hope of the gods reign to continue - is denied and she is locked away. Her things destroyed by the whimsy of man. You guys, I just really love Gertrude.

** PS - the reason I think that Gwynevere fled after is simple. She’s a woman that has - as I stated - who has pushed us to link the flame. When the scholars convince her son to throw his purpose away, to turn his back upon being a lord of cinder, she is in direct opposition of him. Who’s to say that it wasn’t Lothric who locked his father, Oceiros, away? If this is so, then I can see why she’d flee. Who’s to say he’d not turn on his own mother after locking up his own elder sister like a criminal. I guess that’s another head canon by itself, though.