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"A cleansing fire always burns little Mandus, but it purifies and it makes anew."
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So it seems – but not in the way you think.

Weyer, in response to being asked if he was lost.

Johann Weyer (Dutch: /joːɦɑn ʋiːr/) was the apprentice of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, and a real-life figure. He is mentioned several times by Agrippa and Alexander of Brennenburg throughout Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and he is the protagonist of the short story "With the Blessing of a King", from the Remember short story collection. Since he is heavily based on the real-life Johann Weyer, he was probably born in or around 1515.[1]

History[]

Early life[]

Johann Weyer was born in 1515 in the town of Grave, a town in the Duchy of Brabant in the Habsburg Netherlands.[1] He was one of at least three sons born to merchant and municipal official Theodorus Weyer and Agnes Rhordam.[1] In his youth, Weyer became a pupil of the scholar and occultist Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, and traveled with him for some time with him, still staying in close contact with him even after Agrippa's supposed death in Grenoble in 1535.[1] Weyer turned out to be exceptional and outgrew Agrippa in many ways, becoming far more learned than his mentor.[4] Despite surpassing his mentor, they were very loyal to each other, and Agrippa expressed his deep pride in Weyer.[4]

In the 1530s, Weyer expressed his interest in Mithraism and the orbs.[4][5] This prompted Agrippa to share his discovery of one such temple and artifacts in the quiet East Prussian hamlet of Altstadt.[4]

Events of "With the Blessing of a King"[]

In January 1558, Weyer, after obtaining the permission of the King of France, entered the reconquered city of Calais to retrieve an orb, a goal unbeknownst to the locals. Soon after, he was accosted by two French soldiers and their captain on patrol. Despite showing the soldiers his royally administered permission to access the occupied city, they insisted on accompanying him to his destination.

They made their way to an old church, which also hosted an English soldier hidden by the priest, both of whom the captain killed mercilessly. In the church catacomb, the captain openly suspected Weyer's stated purpose and extorted him into promising a share of the treasure for which he guessed Weyer was searching.

Weyer then asked the French soldiers to help him open the tomb. Sokal, one of the soldiers, raised the slab after pulling out a star-shaped soapstone, although the slab falls and hits his shoulder. Weyer then retrieved the orb from the tomb with the captain and Sokal’s compatriot. The Shadow then awakened and killed the captain and the other soldier. Sokal and Weyer managed to seal off the chamber, and Weyer escaped Calais with the orb.[6] At some point after obtaining this orb, he somehow learned to harness and control the orb's powers, and during his lifetime, he amassed an entire collection of orbs.[2] It is possible that he used the powers of his orbs to prolong his, and Agrippa's, lives.

Events of Amnesia: The Dark Descent[]

It is unknown when and how Weyer and Agrippa met and befriended Alexander of Brennenburg. Although since Alexander was recorded as coming from the Rhineland, which if true, would have put him in close geographic contact with both men.

It is almost a certainty that the reason that Alexander decided to claim the ruined castle in Altstadt was because of its secret association with the Mithraic arts and the orb located there. This had been uncovered by Agrippa in 1525, who would have likely shared it with him.[4][5] Alexander then took the orb and brought it to Brennenburg, and the three commenced their work.

Weyer studied the Orbs with both Agrippa and Alexander, the latter of whom grew to trust both men to the point where he told them his deepest secrets.[7][8]

The three men started to work on a Traveler's Locket.[7][9] When it was finished, Weyer performed a ritual to open the portal created with the Locket, the orb, and Vitae, travelling to The Other World[8] from which Alexander hailed.[10] This enraged Alexander, as he wished to return to his own world and had been betrayed by the two men whom he had trusted most.[8] Alexander then trapped Agrippa, who was too afraid to follow Weyer to the Other World, inside the body of a dead husk so that he could not do the same.[2]

Weyer and Agrippa’s motives for their betrayal are unclear. It is possible that they were disturbed by Alexander's methods of torture , or that his secrets convinced them that he could not be entrusted to return.

Sometime later, Agrippa channelled Weyer who told Alexander that he was trying to repeal his banishment from The Other World, but that he needed him to release Agrippa so that he too could help.[8] He then provided Alexander with a recipe to a tonic which would allow Agrippa's head to be cut off and brought to The Other World without killing him. Weyer even provided Alexander with several Kaernks, so that Alexander could get hold of one of the ingredients for the tonic, Tampter.[8] Fearing that Weyer was trying to deceive him, Alexander refused to immediately free him but kept Agrippa as a hostage in the case that Weyer would appear again.[2]

Due to the ruined state of the Other World in 1839, it is possible that Weyer was simply lying in order to save Agrippa. However, it is a possibility that he entered into negotiations with Empress Tihana; additionally, it is also possible that Alexander was from a different world entirely.

False Daemons

The False Monarchy of Demons By Johann Weyer

A while later, Alexander tried to perform the ritual since he was fearing he would soon run out of prisoners. The ritual was a failure, and Agrippa's orb was split into six pieces. Needing to get his hands on another orb, Alexander turned his attention to Daniel and his orb.[11]

At the end of the game, if Daniel gets the good ending by throwing Agrippa's head through Alexander's portal, the game ends with Daniel walking towards a group of hovering blue lights while Agrippa appears to be talking to Johann and assuring Daniel that he'll be safe.[12]

Quotes[]

  • "I am sorry. Je suis désolé…"

Trivia[]

  • Johann Weyer was a real-life figure, just like Agrippa. As in the game, Weyer was a disciple of the real-life Agrippa.[1] They studied physics, witchcraft, demonology, the occult, theology, astrology, and alchemy.[1]

References[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 "Johann Weyer." Accessed 31 August 2023. Last revised 5 October 2023. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Weyer.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Dialogue (TDD)
  3. Explorer Note (1) (Rebirth)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Letter Regarding the Discovery of an Orb (TDD)
  5. 5.0 5.1 Local Folklore, 'A Visit Undone' (TDD) – "Heinrich is known to have passed away in Grenoble some ten years later."
  6. Remember: "With the Blessing of a King"
  7. 7.0 7.1 Regarding Explosive Mixture (TDD)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Agrippa Channels Weyer (TDD)
  9. Machine (TDD)
  10. Memory Capsule: Laboratory (TDD)
  11. Shattered Orb (TDD)
  12. Amnesia: The Dark Descent/Endings – "Agrippa's Ending"

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