How can the Godhand be resisted?

I think the Godhand is more to be taken as a “byproduct” of consciousness. If the consciousness’ direction is negative, that means, is filled with negative emotion and thought, naturally a fitting astral entity will accumulate in form of spirits: trolls, ogres and elves are originally a product of human dreams/nightmares and fantasy according to Schierke in chapter 201 as explained in my post “Manifestation of Thought”. After enough thoughts accumulated (probably in the world of though), a new form of consciousness, a new astral creature reflecting them is created (probably in the world of idea). This is cause and effect, that means causality, in action.

This would make everything that happened (the creation of the Godhand included) a product of thoughts and collective consciousness. If we go all the way back to find out the root of the matter, perhaps it’s consciousness that creates fate. The Godhand themselves are an entity of consciousness inside of the world of idea. But perhaps the same applies to all other human beings, if souls also belong to the world of idea: they’d just be much weaker than a Godhand’s consciousness.

If consciousness or desire creates fate, it should be possible for someone to create their own fate or at least, increase the chances to change it. That effect is additionally increased if that person exist on the interstice, where mind affects matter more strongly.

Psychologically, desires can be twisted if negative emotions come into play. Desire and stress together on small scale can push people to do horrible things, and on larger scale, the desire of a group can be twisted and abused for someone’s own selfish goals. This is something that happened during the Birth Ceremony: Humanity’s foolish desire for a savior and Femto’s megalomaniac desire for conquest were both fulfilled. Hence, Neo-Griffith is called the leader of the white blind sheep by Schierke.

But what does “white blind sheep” mean?

The term “sheep” is originally a metaphor from the New Testament. There, it was used to describe the followers and believers of Jesus Christ, with Jesus being their shepherd. In Berserk the same symbolism is used, just with Griffith as the messiah and his followers as the sheep. The term “white blind sheep” refers to the good, but mislead individuals that still have their illusions intact.

Their illusions, specifically the desire for a savior, make these individuals prone to Femto’s/Neo-Griffiths strong influence. An example of this is when Mule submits to Griffith utterly when he first meets him. He’s so taken aback by his own reaction that he is wondering why. There is a (Femto’s) voice inside of his head that tells him this is his destiny.

An example for an “awakened” white sheep is definitely Rickert. Instead of submitting to his influence, Rickert slaps a demigod that is untouchable otherwise. He is proof that the White Hawk can be harmed in theory. Griffith had the audacity to ask Rickert to join him while he also caused his comrades to be slaughtered during the Eclipse. Instead of heartlessly moving on, Rickert honored his comrades’ legacy by forging swords for their sake. It’s also an constructive way to cope with the loss.

Being completely submerged in their dreams and fantasies, rather than seeing the world as it is, is what makes white sheep blind. They believe that a white knight will come to save them instead as to escape their accountability; however, in reality, there is no other savior than yourself. It appears like once this illusion of the world is destroyed, they escape the Godhand’s sphere of influence.

However, not everyone reacts to having their illusions destroyed in the same way.

Farnese sought a new purpose after her world fell apart during the Birth Ceremony. Because she was not obsessively pursuing a specific goal, she was open-minded enough to realign herself. Eventually, she finds growth in her new task to protect Casca.

For Griffith, it was different. What Griffith did during the Eclipse was also an easy escape out of a tricky situation: obtain demonic powers instead of readjusting to his new life, which he was the only one responsible for. It wasn’t Guts who forced him to get inside of Princess Charlotte’s chambers, seduce her (against her will too, considering she was saying no multiple times) and get jailed and tortured for it as a result; It was Griffith’s inability to cope with the loss of his best soldier and friend. Instead of trying to find a healthy way to deal with the loss, Griffith submitted to his desire and fantasy.

I think Rosine was in a similar position, sacrificing her parents to create her escapist fantasy of Misty Valley, abducting children and turning them into moths like her. This escapist theme is particularly prominent during the Lost Children chapters.

There is empowerment and strength to be found once responsibility is taken for one’s life and actions. In Berserk, humanity might have do the same thing as a collective in order to grow and heal. Everyone can contribute to this battle by acknowledging their own dark fantasies and finding ways to battle them, just like Guts has done the moment he set out to venture to Elfhelm together with Casca. His fight assumed a physical form with the Berserker Armor taking over him as he continues to use it. This is his personal struggle against his trauma, agony and doubts; he also isn’t the only one fighting this kind of fight. Maybe this is the key to defeat the Godhand or Idea of Evil along the way: if the Godhand is a product of consciousness, only through consciousness you can defeat them.

Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think about this topic in the comments section below!

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