From Medieval Medicine to Cosmic Microorganisms
How a Video Game Inspired Me to See the Universe Differently
A simple quest in a video game had me searching for marigold, linen, and water, but it also made me realize how interconnected life is — from the herbs medieval people used for healing to the trillions of microorganisms living within us.
Playing as Theresa in Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s A Woman’s Lot DLC, developed by Warhorse Studios, I found myself stumbling through the dark, chaotic night after the raid on Skalitz, desperately avoiding Cuman soldiers.
Tasked with gathering water from a mine to clean my brother’s wound, I couldn’t help but think about how that water, likely teeming with bacteria, might not be as helpful as Theresa believed. Combined with the marigold and linen, it made me wonder how medieval people could trust these remedies without knowing the science behind them.
That thought stuck with me. Medieval people often relied on plants like marigold for their healing properties without understanding the microorganisms behind infection and health. This realization sparked a journey into understanding not just how humans have always sought to survive, but how we are connected to the world — and possibly to something far greater.
Marigold and Medieval Medicine: A Remarkable Intuition
In the medieval world, people used herbs like marigold for healing. They didn’t know about bacteria, viruses, or the microbial world, yet their practices often worked. How did they figure it out? Trial and error likely played a role, but intuition and observation also guided them.
This reminded me of a scene from Outlander where Claire, a nurse from the 1940s, tries to explain alcohol’s antiseptic properties to Highlanders in the 1700s. She asks for “alcohol” by its scientific name, confusing the locals, before simplifying: “Do you have alcohol?” Suddenly, they understand — they know alcohol but lack the framework to explain why it works.
Similarly, medieval people didn’t know about microorganisms, but their actions, like using marigold, hinted at an innate understanding of the invisible.
The Mites in Your Eyelashes
This train of thought led me to a fascinating realization: even today, we’re living among invisible organisms. Tiny mites called Demodex live in our eyelashes and on our skin. They’re harmless most of the time, feeding on dead skin cells and oil. We don’t see them, yet they play a role in our body’s ecosystem.
But these mites are just the tip of the iceberg. Our bodies are home to trillions of microorganisms — bacteria, fungi, and viruses — that outnumber our human cells. In fact, the microbiome within us weighs as much as our brain and contains more microbial genes than human genes.
For example:
- Bacteria in our gut help digest food and produce essential vitamins like B12 and K2.
- Fungi, such as yeast, maintain a balance in our skin and mucous membranes.
- Viruses, often seen as harmful, can actually help regulate the microbial community by targeting overpopulating bacteria.
We are more than human; we are symbiotic ecosystems, relying on these microorganisms as much as they rely on us. What if we are similarly interconnected with the universe itself?
From the Micro to the Macro: Are We Microorganisms for the Cosmos?
If we can host trillions of invisible organisms, could we ourselves be part of a larger system? Philosophers, scientists, and even storytellers have explored this idea for centuries. In many ways, we could be to the universe what microorganisms are to us — small but integral pieces of a vast, complex whole.
This idea resonates deeply with ancient traditions and modern storytelling.
The Godhead and CHIM: A Cosmic Perspective from The Elder Scrolls
In The Elder Scrolls series, the concept of the Godhead imagines that all of reality is the dream of an ultimate being. Within this dream, those who achieve a state of enlightenment called CHIM realize they are both part of the dream and capable of shaping it.
CHIM requires embracing the paradox of being both real and unreal. Achieving it allows individuals to transcend their limitations, much like gaining awareness of one’s place within a larger system. This mirrors the premise of The Matrix, where characters awaken to the realization that their reality is an illusion created by a larger system.
Just as Neo confronts the Matrix’s illusion and bends its rules to his will, achieving CHIM involves seeing through the dream of the Godhead while maintaining individuality. Both paths require a paradoxical understanding: to transcend, one must embrace their role within a constructed reality. In this sense, CHIM represents the ability to manipulate the underlying structure of existence while remaining aware of its illusory nature.
If the Godhead dreams the universe, are we not akin to Demodex mites on the “eyelashes” of existence, playing our role within an incomprehensible whole? CHIM, like enlightenment in Hinduism, asks us to accept this paradox: we are both the dream and the dreamer, individual yet connected.
The Macrocosm-Microcosm Connection
Many ancient traditions, including Hinduism, suggest that life operates in repeating patterns across scales. Hindu philosophy speaks of Brahman, the ultimate reality, which encompasses all existence. If everything is interconnected, could humanity be a microscopic part of a cosmic being?
As Kingdom Come: Deliverance gains renewed attention with its highly anticipated sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, developed by Warhorse Studios, set to release on February 4, there’s no better time to reflect on how history and storytelling intertwine.
Whether you’re delving into medieval survival mechanics or exploring the deeper connections between the microcosm and macrocosm, these stories remind us of our place in the grand narrative of existence. If you’ve ever pondered the mysteries of life or just enjoyed a well-crafted historical RPG, consider diving into Kingdom Come: Deliverance — or its upcoming sequel — to experience these themes firsthand.
