Introduction
Before I begin to dig into the Lost Prophecies of Osiris, I have a message from Ikora Rey:
Well, here’s what you missed. It started because of his Lost Prophecies. A misnomer—the prophecies were always accessible to those who cared about them, but the Followers proclaimed them “lost” to a City that had censored all Osirian material. And even then the City didn’t truly lose them, for when the Speaker ordered me to destroy Osiris’s writings, I placed the documents in my private library instead. I don’t believe in burning books, regardless of my opinion of the author.
As to why he had to write the prophecies in iambic couplets? Simple: vanity.
West of Sunfall 7
There are many similarities to the Prophecies of Osiris and those of the prophet Isaiah (that’s right I’m one of those Osiris zealots)
The prophecies of Isaiah contain three common literary forms.
Poetic Parallelism: About 1,100 examples of poetic parallelism are found in Isaiah’s writings. When pairing ideas, he underscores their connection by expressing them in similar grammatical form. For example: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6).
This is very common among the prophecies of Osiris as stated previously, he wrote in Iambic couplets.
Dualism: When a symbol has a dual meaning—one fulfilled in its current context as well as in a past or future context—it is called dualism or a type and shadow. For example in Isaiah 13 Isaiah talks about the destruction of Babylon, which is a type of the destruction at the Second Coming—It will be a day of wrath and vengeance—Babylon (or the world) will fall forever.
I believe most if not all of Osiris Lost Prophecies, contain dualism, types and shadows. I’ll present that evidence in each segment as i examine each prophecy.
Symbolic Language: Isaiah often used symbols in his writing. For example, the plural phrase “daughters of Zion” often refers to cities and villages in Israel, but the singular “daughter of Zion” refers to Jerusalem.
An example from Osiris is Prophecy 2’s use of the phrase “Mortal angels”, which refers to Guardians.
Finally with that background, here is Brother Vance with a word on the prophecies interpretation.
The theory in vogue right now with the Followers of Osiris is that the first five verses refer to the Black Garden, the coming of Ghaul, the Traveler’s awakening and Ghaul’s subsequent defeat. It’s a convincing interpretation, even conceding that prophecies are much easier to interpret in hindsight.
There’s just one thing: if Osiris used the Infinite Forest to develop his prophecies, and the Infinite Forest cannot accurately simulate Light, how did Osiris predict the Traveler would wake? The forest’s very inability to predict this very thing is what prevented Panoptes from breaking ground with its apocalyptic calculations.
I must assume: 1) Either verse 5 does not refer to the Traveler’s awakening, or 2) Osiris has prophetic resources at his disposal other than the Forest. What they are I have no idea.
Travelers Judgement 5
I believe both 1 and 2 are possible. The verses are types and shadows of multiple things and it’s also possible that Osiris has had visions. After all, our guardian had a vision when they lost their Light. There are also the grimoire cards associated with Osiris called Vision 47 and Vision 81. And not to mention that according to Ghost Fragment: Titan, Ikora herself has had visions.
/ But the Warlocks have had a vision.
/ Yes. That new one, what’s her name. Ingora?
/ Ikora.
Ghost Fragment: Titan
I expect this series to encompass multiple posts, as there’s too much information to put into just one. For this one I will review my direct, linear interpretation of the prophecy verses, and will come back for their dual meanings in a later post.
Garden Progeny 1
Two siblings cleaved by time and space, reflections never found alone,
The ending of the eldritch race—a path long seen but never known.
Garden Progeny 1
When we look at the title of the weapon associated with the verse, Garden Progeny 1, it seems pretty clear that we’re talking about the Vex.
We know when we first entered the Black Garden our ghost said
WHERE ARE WE? IF THIS IS THE BLACK GARDEN, IT’S NOT ON ANY MAP OF KNOWN SPACE AND TIME.
The Black Garden — Transcript
We can already see that this place has been cleaved off from the normal rules of the universe.
The two siblings line infers that these two came from the same lineage or parent. The Vex don’t have parents, but they are organized into behavioral units or subtypes. Each with distinct behaviors and objectives. i.e. Hezen Protective, Hezen Corrective, Sol Divisive, etc.
It is possible that Garden Progeny is in fact a reference to the Sol Progeny, which were located in the Black Garden. And may I point out that the word Progeny means descendant or offspring.
The Sol Divisive and Sol Progeny were Vex literally separated from their brethren within the Black Garden.
To reflect means to cast or throw back a body without absorbing it. That is to say, that though these siblings are separated by time and space they see each other, they see themselves as though present.
According to numerous sources the Vex are never truly separated from each other
Hyper-intelligent time-spanning thought mesh.
Sol Divisive
The Vex share one mind across a million units! That’s why they react so fast…
Ishtar Collective — Transcript
We understand the Vex as a network of thoughts, unified and vast.
Hezen Corrective — Grimoire Card
Linked by a network unlike any on Earth, they operate in unison, directed by a single unfathomable purpose.
The Vex — Grimoire Card
Another thing about the Black Garden. Remember in the mission a Strangers call, when the Exo Stranger says
Exo Stranger: Have you heard of the Black Garden?
Ghost: We’ve heard the legends.
A Stranger’s Call — Transcript
At that point of course we hadn’t heard the legends but perhaps a better line would have been “We’ve heard the prophecy.”
We know that Osiris was attempting to tell the Vanguard about the threat the Vex posed, that he resolved to write down his teachings, and that the Speaker later ordered the prophecies burned, though Ikora kept a collection for herself.
Maybe this prophecy really was the first clue to the Vanguard that the Black Garden existed. Osiris was attempting to explain that though we saw Vex in our Sol System there were more elsewhere. He was trying to warn us.
The second line, regarding the Eldritch race…
The Eldritch Abomination are a race in Dungeons and Dragons with incomprehensible morality and unfathomable intellect. They inhabit realms alien to them and take forms based on when, where, and near what they arrive.
But while Oryx traveled to observe the Deep destroy an ancient fortress world, Crota conspired with his sisters to learn their secrets. “I too will experiment with a wound,” he said. With his sword Crota cut open a new wound, into a new space. In here he thought he might obtain a secret power.
Out of this wound came machines called Vex. They invaded Oryx’s throne world.
XXXVIII: The partition of death
Though the Eldritch can take on many forms their base form consists of a boiling mass of limbs and organic matter, often with tentacles.
"Multiple analyses confirm: the milky radiolarian fluid found in Vex chassis is organic in nature."
Kairos Function Vest
When Eldritch enter a realm they are often innocent, or rather have a neutral sense of morality, but it is quickly shaped based on their initial experiences.
“I’ll cut them apart,” Crota said. But just then, the Vex ritual-of-better-thoughts manifested a Mind called Quria, Blade Transform. Quria deduced the sword logic.
I have to kill everything, Quria resolved. Then I will be powerful.
XXXIX open your eye : go into it
While many Eldritch scoff at the idea of religion, some are curious and may chose to undertake worship.
By directing worship at the worms, Quria learned it could alter reality with mild ontopathogenic effects. Being an efficient machine, Quria manufactured a priesthood and ordered all its subminds to believe in worship.
XXXIX: open your eye : go into it
On rare occasions cults arise, believing that the Eldritch will grant them power or kill them last.
“We are unique emanations of the same shared Light.” —Cult of the Aeons
Aeon Swift
And so after encountering Oryx, the Vex predicted their own annihilation and sought to prevent it. It is a path they have long foreseen, but never known.
In the words of Praedyth
They think this is the end of them, a path with no escape. And yet, here they are, there they were, and there they will be, and there they will have been. For them, there is no paradox. There is only the pattern. And the pattern needs the Vex to see it to completion. And so the Vex must be. For the mind of the Vex, is that faith?
Paradox Daily — Transcript
Welcome to the end of the Vex. Their “immutable” future.
Enslaved to a will they don’t understand. A will long dead here. Dead eons ago. But then, they won’t end, will they? Because you’re here.
Paradox Daily — Transcript
The Conqueror 2
To Tower comes a war in red; an orphan sounds the empire’s call.
Mortal angels mourn the dead while lightless light wraps night in pall.
A clear reference to the Red Legion and Dominus Ghaul.
From the Emperor’s Invitation, found in the Limited Edition Booklet:
[The Consul] found the perfect vessel to carry his poison: a lonely, crippled orphan child. Into that child he poured his jealousy, his cruelty, and his desire to see the great brought low.
Had the child only escaped him, had little Ghaul only crawled off the heap where he was found, so much might have been saved.
The symbolic language of the second line in the prophecy is really something.
Mortal angels could refer to either or both the Guardians and the Ghosts. The reference to pall is really well done. It is a cloth spread over a coffin or tomb, which is associated with the death from before. The lightless Ghosts and Guardians covering the dead. But there is also a second meaning, a pall is a dark cloud or covering of smoke.
I think back to our Guardian looking over the City as they made their escape. The smoke covering the City. This verse is simple, but does a wonderful job of painting the picture of what’s happening.
Will continue to update over the week. Doing a verse at a time.