my thoughts on the different eras of Ghost lore... ❤️💚💜💙🖤
as a fan librarian of the band Ghost lore, i know better than most people just how much the lore has actually changed and contradicted itself over the years, and a very useful mindset i've developed is that i've come to think of each era of Ghost lore as its own individual canon. the present canon is treated as a singular evolving continuity with the same characters, but we all know the changes between eras go beyond minor details. each era has its own purpose and perspective, and a different version of events and interpretation of the characters. in my head, i call the different eras of lore the "gospels" of Ghost.
i think it's a useful framework because the differences between each era are so interesting! they are all great starting points for headcanons and AUs and stuff in their own ways! i think it it's very convenient to be able to say "my headcanon / AU / etc is based on this particular era of lore" in order to quickly communicate "this is what version of events / interpretation of the characters i'm going with."
here are some of my notes on the key details and differences of each era:
"Gospel of Primo" (Era 1 / Opus Eponymous)
Papa Emeritus I was a zombie over a century old.
the Ministry HQ is based in Linköping, Sweden.
the Ministry was an open and self-admitted evil satanic death cult trying to manipulate people into advocating for the apocalypse through music.
the Ministry is an ancient organization that has existed since the first council of nicaea.
though there are elements of humor, Papa is shown to take the cult very seriously.
"Gospel of Secondo" (Era 2 / Infestissumam)
character of "Papa" is no longer undead.
Papa Emeritus II was a member of the cult elected by The Clergy to become the next Papa.
the Ghost Project moves away from the apocalyptic themes and shifts to more positive messaging with a focus on satirizing christianity.
shows more of the Ghost Project as an entertainment business. Papa and the Nameless Ghouls are shown enjoying the rock star lifestyle.
"Gospel of Terzo" (Era 3 / Meliora)
Papa Emeritus III is revealed to be the younger brother of Papa II. Papa III is 3 months younger than Papa II. they have different mothers. Papa I is not related to them.
Sister Imperator is introduced as the leader / prophet of The Clergy.
Sister Imperator says they are "7 years into the Ghost Project", indicating the band's founding date as being in 2008.
the cult's mission is world domination.
the cult is shown to be more of a serious religious organization, having bishops, cardinals, a seminary school, and Ministry locations around the world (such as in Poland, where Papa III served as a cardinal).
Papa is indicated to have actual religious and spiritual significance in the church, though he is still below Imperator in terms of powers.
introduces Papa Emeritus 0 / Papa Nihil.
"Gospel of Cardi" Era 4 / Prequelle + Era 5 / IMPERA
introduces the concept of the Papal Bloodline, which has existed for millennia. Papas I, II, and III are now all brothers and Papa Nihil is their father.
the Ministry's HQ has moved from Linköping, Sweden to Los Angeles, California.
once again more focused on the Ghost Project as an entertainment business.
Sister Imperator orders the assassination of Papas I, II, and III.
Cardinal Copia is hinted, then confirmed to be the secret child of Sister Imperator and Papa Nihil.
includes the lore of Seven Inches of Satanic Panic + follows the version of Sister + Nihil's story as shown in the music videos for Dance Macabre, Kiss The Go-Goat, Mary On A Cross, and The Future Is A Foreign Land.
reveals Sister met Nihil in Los Angeles, California in 1969. Sister met Nihil, brought him into the already-existing Ministry, started the band with him, got pregnant, and broke up with him in the same year.
includes the lore of Metal Myths.
introduces Mr. Psaltarian.
"Gospel of V" Era 6 / Skeletá
introduces V, twin brother of Cardi.
Papas I, II, and III are now the brothers of Papa Nihil. Cardi and V are Nihil's only children.
the Ministry HQ has moved again to a new unknown location.
introduces Judith and shows other employees of the Clergy working..
introduces Marika, Clergy employee, sister of Nihil and wife of Mr. Psaltarian.
includes the lore of the Sister Imperator comics.
reveals Sister's backstory as an american who was abused by her stepfather, a corrupt christian priest who murdered her father and little sisters.
reveals the ghost twins first shown in Prequelle Era are actually Sister's younger twin sisters who died.
reveals Nihil's origin as a performer in a traveling circus family from eastern europe.
Sister met Nihil in europe in 1958, returned to the USA with him in 1960, started the band Ghost with him in 1968, and then left him in 1969.
Sister Imperator is shown to be the sole creator of the Ghost Project and its concept. "Papa" is a character she made up, the iconic white eye is shown to be a contact lens, and at this point there is no mention of a cult or "the bloodline".
for over a decade, Sister Imperator was a vigilante serial killer who murdered sexual abusers and corrupt clergymen.
it's revealed that Sister took Cardi and V to europe to be raised by their aunt Marika.
a lot of people will see these changes and say "well that's stupid and confusing" and maybe it is, but i think there's a lot of fun and interesting inspiration you can take from the canon lore, and people shouldn't just flat-out dismiss it. i care about understanding the facts of the canon lore because i think it's helpful to understand where ideas come from and where they diverge. do whatever you want, but you have to know the rules to know how you want to break them (or to know that you're even breaking them in the first place).
it's also very helpful to remember that while Ghost is an extremely popular and successful band, it's actually not a large media franchise like comic books or TV or films, which often have many writers who are trying to write faithful interpretations or transformative re-interpretations of already-existing characters that they did not create. Ghost still belongs to its creator and Ghost only has one writer. the characters in Ghost are all TF's OCs, and all of the Ghost lore that we see is just a glimpse at the world / story that exists in TF's imagination that he wants to show us.
and that's relatable, right? fan-created OCs are the heart and soul of the Ghost fandom. we can't / don't share everything about our characters and stories that exist in our minds, and our ideas change all the time too when we feel like we've come up with something better / more interesting / more fun. how many times have you rewritten the lore for your OCs?
(and y'know, unlike comic books, the lore / storytelling isn't the main purpose of Ghost, so the lore will never be fully explained anyway)
so yeah. this is basically my point of view as someone who is obsessed with the ~deep lore~
though i am super autistic and a sticker for canon-compliance, i just want to say that i'm not the boss of anyone and people can still do whatever they want. my main reason for pointing out certain fanon ideas as non-canon is that i care about people understanding the difference between what's actually shown in canon and what was made up by the fandom. the lore is already confusing enough as it is, and it's frustrating to see the way Ghost lore has turned into a big game of fandom telephone.
a lot of the official lore has been lost or is at risk of being lost. i don't want fanon to be all that's left, not when the existing lore is actually so interesting and fun. when i post about what's canon and what's not, im not trying to change anyone's minds. i post for people who *want* to hear something they haven't heard before. and i wish there was more appreciation for the lore TF actually created.
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