I’m a big fan of giving my favourite characters mythological counterparts to compare them to. I’m a mythology nerd so it’s kind of my cheat code to do some fun analysis.
Along that familiar line of thinking I’m considering P2 Daniil Dankovsky, who I’ve always thought presents an interesting challenge. You see, Victor Frankenstein, a character I’m sure we can all agree shares a not-inconsiderable similarity in creative inspirations with Daniil is textually compared to the mythological figure of Prometheus. A figure who, despite his intellect and drive, was punished for bringing humans a new method of technological revolution in fire.
But starting from Prometheus never got me far with analysis of Daniil’s character arc. Of course, this comparison hinges on the accomplishment of technological progress resulting in punishment. And Daniil, however smart, however much he has strived for it, has not yet cured death like Victor did.
The figure from myth I personally find more interesting to compare Daniil to, or I suppose, just the glimpses of Daniil we get through Artemy’s eyes in the game, is Loki. Specifically Loki’s punishment after the death of Baldur. But much like Dr. Frankenstein and Prometheus, I would claim this similarity lies in the plotline of the myth, rather than the mythological figures personality traits.
Daniil’s many failures and the unforeseen consequences of his actions, map quite closely onto the deceit of Baldur’s blind brother Hodr. Through Daniil’s interference in the running of the town, the outbreak doesn’t get better. The “solutions” he tries to give the townspeople only cause the death and destruction of the sand pest to grow worse over time. Like in many myths, Loki is not capable of the great acts of violence gods like Thor are, but it’s his words which wreak havoc. His inability to safe guard the towns drinking water supply, his brutal quarantine measures, his failed vaccine, his failures and their consequences only continued to pile up. Like Daniil said himself, he was not running around the streets shooting people all 12 days like the rumours said. But is commanding the town to lock the sick in their homes to die alone any less brutal of a killing blow?
But ultimately, the crime he is most likely to be remembered for is one of horrifying brutality. Not just that, but brutality treated like a game. Brutality done for something no one could truly argue is worth the life that was taken.
A holly arrow shot through Baldur’s heart, a bullet which killed a messenger who was simply delivering papers.
Why? Ultimately in the end, the motive feels meaningless. Envy or a desire to study a strange tower. Neither of them matter, both actions still feel like a pivotal moment in their respective stories. A marker of how far each character’s morality has slipped silently in the background.
Is the judge of their actions themselves innocent? Ha! No! Laughably far from it. But a death is a death. It is poignant that this time Daniil took the weapon into his own hands, while Loki on the other hand is not the one holding the bow his guilt is no more obscured.
So both the mythological Loki and Daniil Dankovsky end their story facing a lifetime of punishment stretching out before them. For this murder and for the crimes and cunning which defined them beforehand.
Will Eva be the Sigyn figure for him? Easing his suffering? Catching the snake’s venom in a bowl before it hits Daniil’s eyes? That depends on Artemy’s actions, if he was able to save her in this version of the story. That is, if it really matters at all.
Maybe it doesn’t. After all, there is another serpent in this story. And Eva has her own compelling mythological analogue.
Then, does Daniil become both the punished and the punishment? I don’t think so. If there’s one thing we know about the characters in the world of Pathologic it’s that they look different from every angle. Ultimately this is just one direction his story can go from one point of view. Is he a victor or a villain? A trickster, deceiver or a hero? A murderer or a healer? He seems one way from this angle, but will surely look completely different through his own eyes in a few short days.
I look forward to playing Pathologic 3 alongside you all. Thank you for reading my analysis!
P.s. this is my big glowing warning sign reminding you this post is in reference to Daniil’s cringefail Pathologic 2 character arc exclusively
The Theme of Family in Pathologic - a quick bit of analysis.
To me one of the most compelling themes in Pathologic is family, and how a persons connections to people represent their connections to a place.
Through my direct experience playing patho 2 and indirect experience learning about patho 1 and the demos (I’ll get to them eventually I promise) I found each of our 3 healers relationships (or lack thereof) to family communicates a lot about how each of them sees the town.
(Spoilers for the franchise below)
Daniil brings up his family in passing what? A handful of times? He has a family back in the capital somewhere, but he’s clearly an independent, high achieving young adult without the strongest ties to them. His personality makes it feel as though he’s been determined to handle his business on his own for a long time, judging by how quickly he steps up to take control of the town and how proud he is of his own personal achievements disconnected from anyone else.
On top of that he expresses a desire to not get married (he’s married to his work and all that). He’s just not that much of a family oriented person. Even if I do enjoy what I’ve heard of his interactions with the towns kids, to me his character stands in contrast to the close knit families and noble dynasties of the town. The other people in power in the town are that way because of their influential families, each bears their family name like a badge of honour. Then we have Mr. Daniil D. Dankovsky here whose name seems to almost symbolize him standing on his own, no ties to any name but his own. (Thank you little children playing your game with these characters, fantastic naming scheme 10/10) His disconnect from a recognizable family name also reinforces his place as a mostly unwanted outsider in the town.
And of course, gotta make a quick mention of popular fanon real quick. The very popular “fix Daniil’s life au” where he and Artemy raise Sticky and Murky together is just extra heart warming considering how separated from family Daniil is within the games. I’d say he seems pretty good with kids, but he’s focusing so much of his energy into a career we know he’s unfortunately destined to lose all progress on in the end that it leaves you wondering “What will be important to him after the loss of Thanatica?” And honestly I think “Maybe he’ll finally realize how fulfilling building family bonds can be.” Is a beautiful answer to that.
Then we got Clara. Clara shows up in the town notably missing a family. She’s a little girl all alone, stealing to survive because she has no one. Well, I suppose that mental image would be a whole lot more uniquely sad if we weren’t in the Town on Gorkhon where every second kids parents died of the plague a few years back. But unlike Daniil, I believe Clara having no biological parents actually connects her more to the town instead of just not having a strong connection to the parents one does have. Clara is a outcasted character in the beginning, she isn’t expected to have any strong family bonds, so she kind of fits into the crowd of orphaned children. She’s also more directly a child of the earth than others, which I guess ties her more to other miracles of the steppe then the town, but hey at least people like her are known of within the town.
But there is a position empty in the town, a vital role which must be filled, the third young mistress, someone to inherit Katerina’s position. Clara was implied to be created for a purpose, but overrode that purpose in many ways, by being a force of healing in the town yes, but also perhaps by seeking out a family she was not born into and taking on a responsibility for the town from there.
To me Clara’s adoption and how quickly she grows to care for her adoptive parents is very beautiful. As her mysteries are pealed back so is her perceived lack of humanity. She needs a family just like anyone else. It makes me wonder about the other kinds of people said to be formed of clay, if any of them ended up seeking out family dynamics of their own? Sorry if my understanding of her lore is a bit wonky, at this point I’m kinda theorizing off of lore crumbs lol.
Now time for the big finale of this analysis, the man who embodies this theme more than any other character, Artemy. As I mentioned in a previous post, Artemy’s relationship to the theme of family is one of the most compelling parts of patho 2 to me. Although I’ll be focusing less on his kids today as opposed to that post.
Completely unlike the other two healers, Artemy is connected to the town primarily by family ties. He’s Isidor’s boy, even if some npcs seem to not remember which son he is. To Artemy his last name is that badge of honour, that ticket to relevance as an authority figure that we see in the ruling families as well. To others he tends to simply introduce himself as Burakh, Burakh the local healer, sounds about right to them so he gets through situations quicker. Even after all three of his close family members are dead and buried his family connections still help him throughout the game. Trust, authority, familiarity. His name grants him all of these.
He is a menkhu, a title he inherited through blood connection, although proving himself is still an important aspect of being granted that title. His place as a spiritual leader among The Kin connects him to presumably countless generations of his ancestors. I’d be remiss not to mention the implications of the actual exonym The Kin (to be perfectly honest I’m not sure if Khatanghe literally means the same thing as “The Kin” in their language but I’m gonna assume it does because of its similarity to other family-related words in the language). A side effect of the cultural perception of the entire community as a family in The Kin is Artemy’s family circle being expanded greatly. Even before the passing of his father he had The Kin, his kin, in a literal sense too. Whereas the town seems to emanate this somewhat hostile, individualistic single family household kind of culture. Families feud with each other, what’s good for one family is prioritized over the good of the whole. But Artemy grew up partly within a cultural context where those barriers don’t separate people quite as much.
Of course, Artemy is not descended just from the people of The Kin, and that is a very deliberate choice. Artemy never knew his mother yes, but he grew up in the town likely because of her influence on the family. He is his mother’s son, he is a member of a friend group of townspeople, he is just as tied to the community of the town as he is to The Kin. In my interpretation since he grew up alongside Grief, Lara and Rubin he might as well be their pseudo-sibling.
All these family connections further complicate the difficult decision at the end of patho 2. In a way the game is asking you to choose one family over the other. When viewing the stories conclusion through this lense Sticky and Murky being your actual adoptive children becomes the least relevant of any family connection funnily enough. They’ll be there at your side regardless, but they also aren’t your only family.
Although like many members of the fandom I agree the diurnal ending, saving the children you were meant to protect, preserving the town’s future, keeping the livelihoods of all the people you’re closest to intact, is the more fulfilling ending, I can see the appeal of the nocturnal ending as well. Artemy balances far too many responsibilities, family ties, and deep bonds for it to be an easy choice. But surprise surprise, the devs said it best: his is a story about love. I think the games exploration of the impossible choices love sometimes leaves us to make is phenomenally compelling. And in a way, I believe Artemy is the only person who truly knows the town and The Kin well enough to be left in charge of that choice, he is a child of both worlds. That’s why I believe family bonds and connection to place is so intimately linked in Pathologic. Artemy is undoubtedly at the heart of this theme, not because his individual connections are stronger then anyone else’s, but because each bond of family pulls him in a different direction, and it’s your decision which ones must be discarded and which ones must be saved.
