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I :
The
Magician
Valtiel
A mysterious
creature that is always lurking near Heather. What is his true purpose?
Valtiel shadows
Heather as if stalking her ever since her encounter with him in the shopping
mall.
While this strange creature observes Heather, he makes no effort to
inflict harm upon her; the truth is that he has a unique purpose, a role he
plays which enters into the game.
The fact of the matter is that in the
religious tradition of Silent Hill, Valtiel is a saintly being corresponding to
an angel.
Concerning that complex and profound reason for existence, let us
consider such things as his design and behavior from various angles.
Whenever there is a shift to the
otherworld, Valtiel appears before Heather. It can be said that this
being is a guide to the otherworld. |
|
First encounter in the shopping mall's elevator. This is after Heather
was found for the first time. |
W a t c h e r
To ensure the
protection of the unborn deity, he watches Heather, mother of
God
Since the name Valtiel means "attendant" by way of the English word
"valet," his existence as an angel is derived from suffixing
"-el." In short, he is the being that attends to and watches
over God. For the purpose of carrying out his duty of watching
and protecting the mother until the time comes for God to be
born, he does not harm Heather.
 |
Valtiel persists in watching Heather in the church near
the end of the game. |
|
Claudia assumes the role as mother and takes the
necessary steps to birth God. |
 |
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M e s s e n g e r
An angel in
the town's religious organization that governs the cycle of
rebirth, he appears as a symbol of the otherworld
Valtiel's intentions have little to do with Heather; his concern is
primarily with the god that sleeps inside her. It can be thought
that in order to restore God to this world, every time Heather
(Alessa) dies, he is the one responsible for resurrecting her
many times over. Additionally, the valve handle that Valtiel
turns with his left hand represents the idea that "God can be
reborn any number of times," which can be thought of as having
significance to the basis of the sect's doctrine.
 |
If
Heather should die, Valtiel takes action to resurrect
the mother of God. |
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In
many places Valtiel is seen turning the handle, which
signifies the cycle of rebirth. |
 |
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Deciphering the meaning hidden
in the design of the being that ties together the three works of the series
In the long-standing religious tradition of Silent Hill, Valtiel
is worshipped as a being that is close to God. And so even in
the previous works of the series, Valtiel has appeared in
different forms. In other words this is why Valtiel ties
together various events that have taken place in Silent Hill.
In the case that any events transpire in Silent Hill in the future,
Valtiel may again appear before players in another form. |
 |
Noting
the significance of Valtiel's design, the relevance between the
three works becomes clear. |
| Ceremonial robes |
from
[Silent
Hill]
|
|
In the school's
otherworld, a number of body-shaped figures can be seen. If
one looks closely, it becomes clear that there is
something familiar about what the
figure is wearing. What looks like a body bag is actually the
ceremonial robe of the town's religion. This robe is modeled
after the appearance of an angel from Silent Hill's traditions,
namely Valtiel. |
 |
The rags
the figures appear to be wrapped in are actually ceremonial
robes. |
|
| Pyramid Head |
from
[Silent
Hill]2
|
One notable connection between
Pyramid Head and Valtiel is the fact that they
both stalk the protagonist persistently.
If the helmet that
conceals Pyramid Head's face were to be removed, it would become
apparent that the designs of the two are surprisingly similar.
When the executioner's outfit that is Pyramid Head was designed,
it was modeled after Valtiel, an angel from the indigenous
religion.
Pyramid Head's gloves are very similar to Valtiel's. |
|
At the back of
the garment Pyramid Head wears, there is a mark
where the cloth is stitched together, which is also
a shared characteristic. |
|
C
r e a
t o r
' s
C o
m m e
n t a
r y
In Silent Hill 3 the connection to the first game is quite
clear, but the point of contact with the second game isn't so
obvious. I created
Valtiel because I wanted to relate the works of the series
through a creature. In the religion of Silent Hill, Valtiel
exists as one who is close to God, and Pyramid Head takes the
shape of Valtiel's reason for existence. That is to say, the
Pyramid Head character was born from the townspeoples'
idolatrous ideologies. In the first game, the ceremonial robes
were in homage to Valtiel.
(Masahiro Ito) |
Making of
Valtiel
|
One of the early designs of Valtiel turning the valve handle.
The central hole closely resembles the one in the final church. |
A rough sketch of a
design in which multiple creatures seem to be intertwined.
The hole at the top of the creature's head is the same as
in the final design. |
There is also a scene
in the elevator with a giant propeller and Valtiel. The
propeller has a handle as well, which has the same
implication as the valve. |
084-085 |
