What’s up guys, I’m Dave Klein. Today, we’re going to talk about the two star-crossed
lovers who would forever be remembered by their symbols of their affection for one another.
Those who would try and defy the odds for a forbidden love… the Prince and Princess
of Alken and Venn.
In a time before Drangleic existed, the Kingdoms of Alken and Venn stood on the same land Drangleic
stands today. “The Kingdoms of Alken and Venn long ago flourished on these very ground.
They were both founded by the same man, but were reduced to rivalry and spite.”
Not much is said of these two kingdoms, however, I believe the land of Alken existed where
Belfry Sol now stands, and the land of Venn existed where Belfry Luna now stands. While
the two kingdoms were founded by the same man, there was tension between them, and I’d
imagine like the story of Romeo and Juliet, it was considered taboo to talk to someone
of the other kingdom.
There was, however, a Prince in Alken and a Princess in Venn who fell madly in love,
amidst this turmoil. “To this day, the forbidden love of the
Prince of Alken and the Princess of Venn manipulates these marionettes.
Surely, they never imagined that their dolls would outlast their own kingdoms.”
In order to show their love for one another, they created bells, and bell keepers, in their
respective kingdoms. “The twin bells symbolize the bond between two lovers who could never
be united. The bell keepers are their eternal guardians. For this is their love; this is
their curse.”
So – why do I think Alken is Belfry Sol and Venn is Belfry Luna? Stay with me here
as this can get a little confusing…
“The princess made me to guard the bell of Alken.
In Alken, the bell of the princess. In Venn, the bell of the prince.”
I believe the Prince created a bell that was given to the Princess as a gift, that she
has created marionettes to protect, and resides in Venn. This is the “Bell of Alken” as
it was made by the Prince, yet it resides with the Princess in Venn.
“ This is the bell of Alken The Bell belongs to the princess, it do.
The princess, she made me, yes. Just like so.
To guard the bell for the Prince’s honor.”
Remember, the Princess is from Venn. So – it would make sense that the Prince
Bell would be in Venn, or Belfry Luna.
Meanwhile, in Alken, the Prince is guarding the Princess Bell.
“The prince made me to guard the bell of Venn.
A great not to bring is that I believe the Prince resides in Belfry Sol, and the Princess
in Belfry Luna. The sun being associated with masculinity, and the moon associated with
femininity. Gwyndolin – from Dark Souls 1 – was raised as a woman due to his affinity
with the moon. It seems this theme has continued into Dark Souls 2.
Now, while the Prince and Princess secretly loved one another, they were never wed…
and eventually, the Prince was promised to another… A girl infatuated with him.
“Pst, have you heard? You know why they’re extracting that poison,
do you? Well, apparently, there’s this monster lady,
right? And the poison does wonders for her body.
You know, health, beauty, and that sort of stuff.
And I thought human women were so petty.
There’s something I heard from the other prisoners.
That creature, she was human once, you know? Yeah, in fact, she was wed to that prince
of that nearby castle. But her husband? She had feelings for another.
The princess was desperate, and sought eternal beauty.
Hoping that it would restore the prince’s affection, you see what I mean?
Before long, the Princesses ire transformed her into a monster.
Now, listen here, when do you think this all happened?
Long ago, when this very land was called something else.”
Mytha, the Baneful Queen was married to a prince of a nearby castle. The Earthen Peak
adjoins to the Iron Keep, and the Iron Keep contains Belfry Sol, home to the Prince of
Alken. So – it seems Mytha was married to either the Prince of Alken, or the Iron King.
According to Mytha’s soul, “Mytha, the Baneful Queen [sought] the King’s affection,
even poisoning herself to attain beauty, despite the monstrous consequences. All for the compelling
madness known as love.” Mytha was married to a “King” and became
the “Baneful Queen”. It seems that Mytha was, indeed married to the Iron King, who
did not return her affection. Gilligan even quips to the player,
“That damn hag just can’t let her old flame go.
She’s gonna get us all burnt.” A clear homage to the Iron King.
Yet another lover lies in the mix… that of the Covetous Demon (Jabba the Hutt)
Excuse me, the Covetous Demon. (Covetous Demon footage).
The Covetous Demon is found within the Earthen Peak, and it’s said “there once was a
man whose deep affections were unrequited. He transformed into the Covetous Demon, which
only made him lonelier than ever before.” “That thing ended up as a monstrous fiend,
what was it to begin with, and why did it never leave the queen? Perhaps it was entranced
by some perversion of love.”
Yet another person lies within this love … square? Love… pentagon?
At this point, this is what we know for sure. The rest is fairly speculative, and I want
to thank the various people listed who commented on my videos and helped bring this theory
to my attention. I think it’s a great theory, and makes a lot of sense. So – let’s get
into it.
It’s very likely the Prince of Belfry Sol is one-in-the same with the Iron King. While
there isn’t any concrete evidence to cement this, there are some connections that we can
find that help support it.
Given Mytha was said to be in love with both a “Prince” and a “King”, it’s possible
before the Iron King was a king, he was the Prince of Alken.
Opening up the doors into the Iron Keep, you’ll notice these are the same doors used at Sinner’s
Rise, where The Lost Sinner resides – connecting both The Iron Keep with Sinner’s Rise. And
– bare in mind, the Sinner’s Rise lies within close proximity to Belfry Luna.
It’s also worth noting that between No-Man’s Wharf and Heide’s Tower of Flame is a broken
down door that also matches up.
Going down this rabbit hole a little further –
As indicated by the iron doors in Sinner’s Rise, it seems possible Sinner’s Rise could
have been built by the Iron King. If that is the case – do you think the Lost Sinner
– who, as indicated by her soul description – is a girl – could have possibly been
the Princess of Venn? Or is this stretching it too far?
Now, the question arises – what about the Covetous Demon? Was he the Prince from the
tales of the Prince and Princess? I don’t believe so. According to his soul, “his
love was unrequited”, and, while the Prince and Princess could “never be united”,
they did return each others love, and even built bells for each other to symbolize this.
It seems to me: The Covetous Demon was in Love with Mytha, who was in love with the
Iron King, who was in love with the Princess of Venn, who returned his love. But – they
could never be together.
And, that’s a mouthful.
So – why do I think Alken is Belfry Sol and Venn is Belfry Luna? Stay with me here
as this can get a little confusing…
“The princess made me to guard the bell of Alken.
In Alken, the bell of the princess. In Venn, the bell of the prince.”
I believe the Prince created a bell that was given to the Princess as a gift, that she
has created marionettes to protect, and resides in Venn. This is the “Bell of Alken” as
it was made by the Prince, yet it resides with the Princess in Venn.
“ This is the bell of Alken The Bell belongs to the princess, it do.
The princess, she made me, yes. Just like so.
To guard the bell for the Prince’s honor.”
Remember, the Princess is from Venn. So – it would make sense that the Prince
Bell would be in Venn, or Belfry Luna.
Meanwhile, in Alken, the Prince is guarding the Princess Bell.
“The prince made me to guard the bell of Venn.
In Venn, the bell of the fine Prince. In Alken, the bell of the Princess.”
But, this is how I interpret it. It gets pretty confusing – so, if you disagree with me,
let me know and tell me why.
That wraps up this lore video on the Prince and Princess of Venn and Alken. Who do you
think the Prince and Princess were – and do you think we meet either of them in the
game? For more lore and Dark Souls videos, make sure to check out my other content. And,
I’ll see you guys next time. Peace.