The Echoes of the Ancients: Are the Old Stories Happening Again?
What if the Pirate Lord is not as independent as we think?
Since the recent revelations about the Sovereigns and the Great Maritime Union, I have been asking myself a question that has been on my mind for a long time:
What if the Pirate Lord is not as independent as we believe?
I am not necessarily talking about a voluntary alliance with the Capt’n, but rather a situation where Ramsey is forced to deal with him, or where he is manipulating events in order to limit the damage.
Why am I asking myself this question? Because several elements have started to accumulate, especially now that we know the Sovereigns serve the interests of the GMU.
We also know that, according to one of the 2025 Orb prophecies, the Grand Admiral of the GMU is simply waiting for the Capt’n’s signal before entering the Sea of Thieves. But in that case...
Why did Ramsey accept a system relying almost entirely on the Sovereigns, knowing that they now serve the interests of the GMU?
What troubles me is not necessarily the idea that Ramsey is involved, but rather that a character as cautious and distrustful as him could have allowed an external structure to gain so much influence within the Sea of Thieves.
Today, the Guilds operate mainly through the Sovereigns.
In other words:
Pirate Lord → Guilds → Sovereigns → GMU
Is this simply a coincidence?
Or did Ramsey already know that they were connected?
In one of the 2022 Orb prophecies, when the Servant shows the Pirate Lord in his hideout, he says a line that has always intrigued me:
“They want to sail together... they will fail together?”
This sentence never really came true.
But what if it was actually referring to the Pirate Lord and a forced cooperation with those who would eventually open the way for the GMU?
I also find it strange that Ramsey allowed the Sovereigns to become so influential.
When they arrived at the outposts, Mollie (the representative of the Merchant Alliance) immediately wrote that she was suspicious of them.
If she was concerned about them, I find it difficult to believe she never mentioned it to the Pirate Lord.
And yet...
The Sovereigns continued to expand their influence without resistance.
Today, in-game, we almost exclusively deal with their representatives.
The trading companies seem to be gradually losing their central role, in favor of a system increasingly controlled by the Sovereigns.
I almost see a parallel with a large corporation slowly replacing small independent merchants.
The main argument against this theory is obviously the following:
The Pirate Lord deeply hates the Shadow Brethren.
So why would he accept working, even indirectly, with the Capt’n?
Two possibilities come to mind:
Ramsey has absolutely no idea that the Shadow Brethren are working for the Capt’n;
or he knows, but considers Flameheart’s threat to be far more important.
Of course, these are only hypotheses.
The Echoes of the Ancients
Another prophecy seems equally mysterious to me.
In the 2022 vision where Belle travels to Sunken Grove with an Ancient, the Servant mentions a “City of Gold.”
However, there is nothing in Sunken Grove that truly matches this description.
On the other hand, several of Belle’s books mention the Great Temple of the Ancients, while the temples found in the Devil’s Roar are explicitly referred to as lesser temples.
This leads me to believe that this famous “City of Gold” could actually refer to the Great Ancient Temple.
Furthermore, another prophecy says about Molten Sands:
“Our most sacred temple, one of nine, now defiled by the name of Molten Sands. The sanctuary where blessings were spoken, and where the magic of these seas was forged like iron in fire.”
This sentence fascinates me.
I wonder if this temple was not the true center of Ancient magic.
Perhaps even the place where the Soulsmith worked.
If Belle was truly searching for the Great Temple, perhaps it was not to discover a simple treasure, but rather to recover the knowledge needed to imprison Flameheart inside an artifact — exactly as the Ancients had once imprisoned other souls.
Furthermore, in one of Belle’s books, it is written:
“If we cannot prevent the time of resurrection, we must change the rules. Fulfill the prophecy and summon Flameheart from the Sea of the Damned. The vessel we have prepared for his soul will be his prison. A way to exile him to forgotten shores, beyond the reach of his son.”
The more I investigate, the more I think that the animals do not only represent specific individuals.
They seem to represent several things at the same time:
- individuals;
- roles;
- bloodlines;
- or even archetypes.
This is how I would interpret them today:
The Ancient Symbols (Being French, I only play the game in French, so the original names of the constellations / titles are probably different... This would need to be checked.)
- The Lone Fish: An Ancient navigator, perhaps the leader of the Sparkfish.
- The Sparkfish: Seers and navigators of the Shroud.
- The Helio-lite Fox: Mastery over storms and the Shroud.
- The Red Macaw: A representation of the Shroud.
- The Soulflame/Soul Forge: An alchemist of souls, the creator of the Eternal Guardians.
- The Serpent: A general or military leader?
- The Ray: An admiral or naval strategist?
- The Bat: A still unknown figure, perhaps connected to the orbs (especially those possessed by Flameheart).
- The Widow: Magic, manipulation, and power. (Wanda seems today to be taking on the role once held by the Widow. I even wonder if some current characters are “echoes” of older figures. Wanda, for example, seems to share several attributes with the Widow: manipulation, soul magic, and the use of the Soulsmith.)
- The Owl: King of the Ancients.
- The Butterfly: The carefree prince, heir to the Ancient kingdom, and son of the Owl.
- The Panther: Exile, banishment, and the use of the Shroud. According to ancient accounts, she is presented as the daughter of the Widow and the Owl, and the sister of the Butterfly. According to The Eternal Flame book, she used the Shroud to exile her enemies into the Devil’s Roar.
- The Great Warrior
I find it interesting to compare the Great Warrior with the Owl.
Not because they are necessarily the same person.
But because they tell exactly the same tragedy from two different perspectives.
-
Owl / King of the Ancients:
A romantic relationship changes his kingdom forever; a political catastrophe follows. -
Great Warrior / Ancient hero:
A forbidden relationship with the Sea Queen leads to a supernatural catastrophe.
They seem to represent the two pillars of Ancient civilization:
- royal power;
- military power.
What is interesting is that both of their destinies are changed because of a romantic relationship that eventually causes a catastrophe far beyond their own personal stories.
Rare seems to use the same narrative pattern across two different eras.
The Butterfly and Ramsey
Finally, there is one last idea that I find particularly interesting.
The Butterfly Prince disappears in the Emerald Waterfall.
The 2025 prophecies seem to associate this location with the Athena’s Fortune Tavern.
Ramsey is also a navigator who later becomes a guide for future generations.
And one detail catches my attention:
There is actually a ship set called the Butterflyfish.
If:
- the Fish represents the guide or navigator;
- the Butterfly represents the missing prince;
then the name of this ship set becomes very interesting.
If the Fish symbolizes the navigator or guide, and the Butterfly represents the lost prince, then the Butterflyfish could symbolically represent someone who carries both roles:
A navigator who became a guide.
And that is exactly Ramsey’s journey.
The Fish:
The one who shows the way.
The Butterfly:
The one who was meant to inherit.
Ramsey does both.
He shows the way.
And, in a certain sense, he inherits the knowledge of the Ancients.
What if current characters are not reincarnations of the Ancients, but their “echoes”?
Rare seems to regularly tell the same stories across different eras, with characters who occupy similar roles rather than being the exact same individuals.
- Wanda mirrors the Widow, not necessarily because they are directly connected, but because they appear to fulfill a similar function: that of a manipulative figure using soul magic and influencing the fate of others.
- Flameheart could also be an echo of the Soulsmith, not because they share the same role, but because they share the same obsession: surpassing the natural limits of death and finding a way to overcome time itself.
- Ramsey could also symbolically take on certain aspects of the Butterfly: that of an heir, a guide, and a keeper of knowledge. In the same way that the Butterfly was meant to represent the future of the Ancients, Ramsey has become the one who carries the legacy of Athena's Fortune to future generations.
Is Ramsey destined to repeat the story of the Butterfly, or to succeed where the Butterfly failed?
Another question then comes to mind: what if the Capt'n had a connection, even indirectly, to the downfall of the Pirate Lord?
To this day, we still do not know who was responsible for the three daggers that cost Ramsey his life, nor under what circumstances the attack took place.
If the Capt'n was involved, it would completely change our understanding of their relationship. Ramsey might not simply be an independent opponent, but rather someone forced to deal with a threat he has known for a long time.
This parallel reminds me of the story of the Widow and the Butterfly: an ancient figure manipulating an heir in order to seize power. Perhaps the current story is not an exact repetition of the past, but rather a new echo of the same struggle between those who seek to preserve a legacy and those who seek to control it.
- Belle could represent another aspect of the Ancient legacy: knowledge, understanding of ancient forces, and the search for lost wisdom. In this interpretation, she could be an echo of the Fox — not because she possesses the same powers, but because of her connection to the mysteries of the Shroud and forces beyond mortal understanding.
The conflicts of the present could therefore be seen as a repetition of the mistakes that led to the fall of Ancient civilization — mistakes that could, in turn, bring about the end of the Age of Piracy through the war that appears to be approaching with the arrival of the GMU.
The animals would therefore not only represent individuals, but also archetypes that continue across the ages.
In this interpretation:
- Wanda would not simply be the new Widow.
- Ramsey would not simply be the new Butterfly.
- Belle would not simply be the Fox.
- They would instead be modern carriers of ancient roles — echoes of a history that seems determined to repeat itself.
Ultimately, the question may not be whether a character is truly connected to a specific Ancient figure.
The real question may be:
Which ancient role is this character now beginning to repeat?
What do you think?
