[SPOILER] Nidhogg

[Cilia]

Mid 3.0, but now I'm just being pedantic.

Keep it together; you're going to be senpai for green tanks in a few days!

Err. Abridged ver.: yes and no.

More complex answer: unlike Midgardsormr, Nidhogg didn't leave a corpse behind. Instead, the only thing that remained of him was his eyes, which yes, are stated to be the source of a dragon's life essence and Nidhogg's specifically to contain his rancor. The difference between what Midgardsormr and Nidhogg did was that Middy used the aether from sealing our Blessing to reconstruct his body without a host, while Nidhogg's rancor (hate, rage, etc. for people who don't follow the baroque language of the English version) possessed Estinien and reconstructed his body.

Of course, since Nidhogg was little more than hate and rage by the end, it makes little difference, but aside from Midgardsormr's initial comment he is referred to only as Nidhogg's "rancor" and "shade." Functionally there's no distinction, but technically Estinien-Nidhogg is different from the genuine article. (I think the Japanese version even calls him a "demon dragon" as opposed to a celestial dragon or somesuch.)

[Frederick22]

snip

But appart from his rancor, doesnt contain his life essence?

[Cilia]

But appart from his rancor, doesnt contain his life essence?

Sort of...?

Let's think back to Hraesvelgr and Nidhogg sharing eyes (basically). Nidhogg was on death's doorstep before Hraesvelgr gave him one of his eyes, but that didn't color Nidhogg's psyche at all. Then Nidhogg's corporeal body disappeared after Estinien gouged out said eye. Thus, clearly dragons need an eye - any dragon's eye - to maintain a corporeal form. Nidhogg had none, and vanished from the world accordingly. Except his eyes.

Think of it like blood or vital organs. You need them to live, but they don't have to be yours - any compatible ones will do. If you don't have them, you die, end of story. Your organs, even though you died, can still be used to save another person's life by transplanting them in, though; you'll remain dead. Now, if your will / emotions lingered in your organs and was able to possess people, you could pull a Nidhogg.

Back in fantasy land: Nidhogg had (or once had) emotional settings besides "hate and rage," while that's all that lingered in his eyes after his death. Thus, Estinien-Nidhogg isn't Nidhogg reborn, but his lingering hatred possessing Estinien's body and somehow reconstituting Nidhogg's form.

[Frederick22]

Sort of...?

Let's think back to Hraesvelgr and Nidhogg sharing eyes (basically). Nidhogg was on death's doorstep before Hraesvelgr gave him one of his eyes, but that didn't color Nidhogg's psyche at all. Then Nidhogg's corporeal body disappeared after Estinien gouged out said eye. Thus, clearly dragons need an eye - any dragon's eye - to maintain a corporeal form. Nidhogg had none, and vanished from the world accordingly. Except his eyes.

Think of it like blood or vital organs. You need them to live, but they don't have to be yours - any compatible ones will do. If you don't have them, you die, end of story. Your organs, even though you died, can still be used to save another person's life by transplanting them in, though; you'll remain dead. Now, if your will / emotions lingered in your organs and was able to possess people, you could pull a Nidhogg.

Back in fantasy land: Nidhogg had (or once had) emotional settings besides "hate and rage," while that's all that lingered in his eyes after his death. Thus, Estinien-Nidhogg isn't Nidhogg reborn, but his lingering hatred possessing Estinien's body and somehow reconstituting Nidhogg's form.

But what about Midgarsomir then? His body was just a corpse, so far we know.

[CyrilLucifer]

I don't know. I get the feeling that the direction the game is going will end up being something like "Nidhogg has truly been dead since Ratatoskr was betrayed." Which is true, in a sense, since the old Nidhogg is dead and all that is left is an empty shell that embodies of hate.

Edit: aww, darn, Cilia ninja'd me.