Written by Hairong 2022 Cohort
The Dired May Bells is an item player could find to lead to many different endings in the game Disco Elysium. Players will find it on the rooftop of Whirling-in-Rags until the end of the story. Although this flower is tiny and not worth mentioning among the many props in the game, its special meaning makes it unforgettable to everyone who has experienced the game.
The story of May Bells
In the real world, the May Bells have different names; one is from Jacob’s Ladder called Lily of the valley, and others like: May bells, Mary’s tears, and May lily. It is easy to see from the name that the flowers bloom during May. To celebrate the spring season, people from Germanic cultures take May bells as a tribute to Ostara, who is the goddess of the spring equinox. “Germanic peoples threw lilies of the valley into celebratory bonfires as a sign of respect and to show that they believed in her divinity.”
The meaning behind the May bells
In many cultures, May Bells have different meanings. It is well known for its symbolism which is absolute purity, youth, sincerity, and discretion. In the Bible, the May bells have been described as Eve’s tears when she was banished from the Garden of Eden. Her tears dropped and changed to May Bells.
How it appeared in the Disco Elysium
Once the players pick up the flowers from the rooftop of Whirling-in-Rags, a secret mission starts, and the player could first ask Klaasje about the bloom. However, she doesn’t know much about it. Moving to the plaza of Martinaise, the old guy wearing a uniform could solve the player’s problem. He will explain that they were commonly given to Royal soldiers embarking on a campaign. The other guy standing behind him will add that the revolutionaries also wore them as a symbol of the communist revolution. While on the last map, the May Bells is a contribution item to the primary investigation quest.
A guess as to what did it mean in Disco Elysium
In terms of explaining the main idea of writing a fragile flower in the Disco Elysium, it is necessary to introduce the game’s background. The ZA/UM, the production company for Disco Elysium, was first started by Eesti Vabariik. The place is full of scars left by the Soviet Union and is surrounded by many powerful countries. Therefore it has been a growing ground for various ideologies. They swayed and drifted with the tide, but in the end, only the rose gold sky was brought to this place, just like where the story begins – Revachol.
In the shadow of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, many undisguised horrors have been brought to the Eesti Vabariik. Throughout the game, players will find several references to Communism, which run until the end. According to the story, the communists were tortured and experienced something similar to the Holocaust. They wear a May Bell on their chest to symbolize their beliefs. When the player first collects the May Bells from the roof, it is the key to the story. Combining the flower language of the May Bells, which was offered to the communists with pure, sincere hearts. Flowers have been used to symbolize a beautiful concept. Although there are many social ideas in this gameland, communism will not be the most special, but it makes Revachol what it is. A pure and sincere Babylonian tower exists in the past and influences Revachol’s future path. May the May Bells rest with the pioneers.