Unified Tribe Theory

[u/Henry_lentejas]

Throughout the map of Red Dead Redemption there are a multitude of tribes, societies, sects, cults and gangs that could all be linked to each other by their origins.

“The Night Folk”, a criminal gang coming from inside the Lagras swamp, which is associated with voodoo by the 4 symbols painted on the trees, is also associated with the pagan ritual to the west of the map, as the symbol on the ground in the ritual is one of the symbols of the swamp.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg, in the pagan ritual we find the severed head of a goat, which is connected to the village of Butcher Creek, all the inhabitants suffer from deformities and mange, the official explanation is that it is because they drink contaminated water from the Elysian Pool mine, but what if there was another parallel theory that also fits?

In a house on the outskirts of town a glowing satanic pentagram appears under the ruins of the floor at night, perhaps intended to curse someone through the bed, but what if this curse had spread to all the inhabitants?

The town of Butcher Creek reinforces this theory as there is a large population of goats, an animal associated with Satanism, which even behave in strange ways.

But the subject goes even further, the pagan ritual is located west of Lake Owanjila, an area with many mysteries and secrets, another of these secrets is an Indian site, in which there is a human skull nailed to a stick, along with some rocks and tents made of skin.

There are mainly two Indian streams on the map: The “Wapiti tribe”, an Indian reservation to the north, and the “Skinner brothers”, a criminal gang similar to the “Night Folk”, the latter are known for sacrificing people in brutal ways, mutilating and even placing animal skulls on the corpses, just like in the pagan ritual, which is located just a little north of the Skinner area, in Tall Trees.

And finally mention the witch of Red Dead Redemption, who in the region of Ambarino has a small shelter made of logs, with human skulls, animals, potions, candles and a bubbling cauldron.

What this theory tells is that all these gangs and entities could have been united in one in the past, but due to the different perception of each one they ended up separating and settling in different places all over the map, and this may have happened many years ago, taking into account how well settled these cults are and the ruins of some related buildings.

[u/imopentotrying]

Interesting but sometimes I think people spend way too much time creating theories and connections where there were never meant to be ones. The goat head connects to Butcher Creek because they have goats? They behave in strange ways? What ways are strange? Don’t say they will attack the player, the goats found throughout the game do the same.

I’m not crapping on this but people love to go so far above and beyond in things where they just connect things for no reason. There’s a goat head here, it’s connected to the place that has goats and is “cursed”, except the mission there clearly explains it’s not cursed, it’s pollution. The writers specifically answer the question of what’s going on and yet people still say, no ignore that fact completely, and I never understand that. There is something about the mark under that building but again that would not seem to lead the players to think all the gangs are connected.

Edit: forgotten words

[u/ChuyMJ12 → u/imopentotrying]

Agree with you. Plus, these aren’t even theories, they’re hypothesis that may never be proven and are possibly false because just knowing a little bit of American history and cults tells you these different easter eggs are just that, easter eggs, referencing myths and legends from the Wild West era.

(Knowing American history possibly helps to explain why some folks create theories like this. Culturally, there’s a tendency to equate non-Christian beliefs with evil. Thus voodoo, Palo Mayombe, witchcraft and minor religions such as Satanism = Evil in the minds of most Americans).

[u/Kaineferu]

Great post, man!

[u/piangero]

Another thing I wonder about, is...wasn't the Skinner gang supposed to be "new" in the area? Or am I remembering that wrong. In some areas in the Tall Trees, I think you can find human skulls lodged into tree trunks, of the MASSIVE and old trees. So I suppose it's not necessarily Skinner's doing that? If so, who?

[u/CreativeHuckleberry]

You are absolutely right when you say that they are connected.

Because of all the 100s of wars in our history and various empires that have ruled over tribes and even made meny extinct. Those tribes that where left have lost the Knowledge the entrie backstory where it comes from and what it is.

From worshipping the Universum-Planets-Stars-Weather, giving them names, making them into animals or people/woman-man, and that became the new "religion" as we know it today.

Pagan that is a name used for people living out in the countryside, that are not part of the society that early christians belived was worshipping false Gods.

However it was their religion and they where worshipping what created them, same as early christians did.

Both sides where right, but they did not know they where worshipping the same God's and this lead to wars.

Those that came from the north saw different signs in the dark skies, and those oppoiste did not see them.

This lead to different beliefs.

There is one guy i watched that linked all religions together from all history Santos Bonacci