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  • Subject: GRAVEMIND SPEAKING THROUGH CORTANA... IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
Subject: GRAVEMIND SPEAKING THROUGH CORTANA... IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

I'd die to become immortal,
That's why I play Halo Reach

Now, many people already think that Gravemind was speaking through Cortana in the Halo 3 trailer. What if that's not the only place he used her to communicate.

I am referring to the Cortana letters.

In the first (and probably most major) Cortana letter, she finishes by saying "Oh, and your poet Eliot had it all wrong: THIS is the way the world ends."

Now, on this forum, when people analyze this bit of text, they think; "oh, this is the way the world ends, this obviously means..." and they focus on that last line. I, however, would like to draw your attention to where she says "Oh, and your poet Elliot had it all wrong".

Now, you're probably asking "WTF? why does he want me to look at that?"
Well i'll tell u why. Cortana is a man-made construct. She was created from a blueprint of Halsey's brain. She has a human mind. Why, then, would she say "your poet Elliot had it all wrong"? Your poet? Why refer to Elliot as "Your poet"? The answer: it's Gravemind talking using Cortana as a 'guise' of sorts.

I also have another piece of evidence. At the end of that letter, it says "From a friend of a friend". This can be construed in two ways.
1. friend of a friend, as in Gravemind a "friend" of Cortana, basically using her as a host.
2. friend of a friend, as in referring to the Master Chief, and since when these letters were recieved, Halo had not yet been released, this may have been a clue to people as to who Bungie's next hero was.

Here is the entire first Cortana letter, just if you'd like to collect any more evidence from it.

I have walked the edge of the Abyss.
I have governed the unwilling.
I have witnessed countless empires break before me.
I have seen the most courageous soldiers fall away in fear.
[I was there with the Angel at the tomb]

I have seen your future.
And I have learned.

There will be no more Sadness. No more Anger. No more Envy.

I HAVE WON.

Oh, and your poet Eliot had it all wrong:
THIS is the way the world ends.

a friend of a friend


As well as this theory, i'd also like to ask something else.
Could Gravemind possibly be a Covenant AI?
It is possible, but since i don't have the books available to me at the moment, i'd like other people to comment and provide evidence.

[Edited on 6/8/2006]

  • 06.08.2006 9:17 PM PDT
Subject: Gravemind speaking through Cortana... in more ways than one
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Hmmmm....Nice theory although a little confusing hahahaha

I have defied Gods: The covenant, an unstoppable force that has always achieved victory

I have defied Demons: How was master chief called by the Arbiter infront of the Gravemind...Oh yeah! Demon...

The gravemind speaking through cortana

  • 06.08.2006 9:23 PM PDT

a friend of a friend is apparently a reference to bungie's game marathon. not to mention, although cortana was based on dr. halsey, she fully realizes that she is not human.

[Edited on 6/8/2006]

  • 06.08.2006 9:34 PM PDT
Subject: GRAVEMIND SPEAKING THROUGH CORTANA... IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
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although i personally dont believe that this is happening, your evidence backs up what you're saying. the first few lines of that letter can correspond to gravemind too if you think about it. it makes sense though. good job! i havent seen anyone else bring that up.

  • 06.08.2006 9:36 PM PDT
Subject: Gravemind speaking through Cortana... in more ways than one

I'd die to become immortal,
That's why I play Halo Reach

Posted by: still life
a friend of a friend is apparently a reference to bungie's game marathon. not to mention, although cortana was based on dr. halsey, she fully realizes that she is not human.


I've never played marathon... or any bungie game other than halo and halo 2.

Don't blame me, it's my computer's fault. it can't even handle Mister Chief's Mayo.


And by the way, i made the title in caps because it seems to be the only way anybody pays attention to any posts these days. the number of people who post completely irrelevant and pointless stuff is disgraceful. Caps lock is the only way to get attention among spam.

[Edited on 6/8/2006]

  • 06.08.2006 9:37 PM PDT
Subject: GRAVEMIND SPEAKING THROUGH CORTANA... IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
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I have governed the unwilling.


The flood survive by governing the unwilling.

[Edited on 6/8/2006]

  • 06.08.2006 10:44 PM PDT
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I think I deserve a little credit here too... considering everything he posted here I;ve already posted.... twice... There are a lot of other things in the Cortana Letters as well...

http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=7260581
http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=7222658





[Edited on 6/8/2006]

  • 06.08.2006 11:50 PM PDT
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I have governed the unwilling - i control all the flood hosts
I have witnessed countless empires break before me - I have defeated the forerunners/elites/prophets/hunters/humans?/ etc........ (of old)
There will be no more Sadness. No more Anger. No more Envy - as a flood you have no such worries ala "The faculty"

  • 06.08.2006 11:53 PM PDT
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I read it all since Topics in caps always captures my attention :)

Good theory, i'm happy too see im not the only smart person around here.
-Im joking about beign the only smart person.

  • 06.09.2006 12:08 AM PDT
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There will be no more Sadness. No more Anger. No more Envy.[

maybe its refering to prophits??

  • 06.09.2006 12:17 AM PDT
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I just got my new Logitech Speakers and ran the xbox 360 download trailer in Dolby 5.1 digital (awesome). I havn't seen other people post hearing it but cortana clearly is screaming painfully "NOOOOO" and you can hear the Graveminds voice clearly as she speaks.

  • 06.09.2006 3:54 AM PDT
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CORTANA has helped you through halo all the way from :-
Giving info
Helping keys land
Stoping halo
Fireing the MAC gun
Disabling the bomb and giving it back (halo 2 space)

How can she be a traitor???

I agree that it is graveminds voice, not hers but she might not be letting him do it intentionally

[Edited on 6/11/2006]

  • 06.11.2006 12:52 PM PDT
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She dosent want to be a traitor.Gravemind is controlling her.Id like to post a theory a HBO(As in Halo Bungie Org)member made:
There's been alot of head-scratching over the final
cutscene in Halo 2, where Cortana is left with Gravemind.

After reading a couple of forums, I have a theory. In
the last section of Halo 1, (Hitchhikers may be escaping convicts) there has been speculation on why Cortana lied to Foe Hammer. One theory is that Cortana changed/went rampant after leaving the core of the
first Halo. Guilty Spark is angry that Cortana was in the core (and this is were I go out on a limb) because THERE WAS ALREADY A CONSTRUCT IN THE CORE.

Why else would the Forerunner have an entire computer control centre, when 343 Guilty Spark is perfectly capable of teleporting to isolated systems and fixing them from there, which would make them less susceptible to hacking from certain individuals such as Cortana. And why else would 343 Guilty Spark be so angry that a HUMAN (based on Dr Halsey's HUMAN neural patterns) AI is in the core.

Namely, because the Flood is engineered to hack human
thought patterns. Get the picture?

Halo itself is a prison for the Flood gene, but perhaps the core could be a prison for the virtual aspects of them. Possibly the core held segments of code made by the Flood (or even a Flood AI, we all know that Flood can interact with computer systems). In the case of a Flood AI, it could possibly function like a 'real' Flood by latching onto any AIs in the core (Cortana does look a little green when she's in the core, doesn't she?). Therefore, the newly corrupted Cortana could be controlled by the Gravemind. So Gravemind could have influenced her decision to stay on High Charity. And now that he has her all to himself, presumably he will pump her for information.

  • 06.11.2006 1:20 PM PDT
Subject: Gravemind speaking through Cortana... in more ways than one
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Posted by: Mexican Rascal
Hmmmm....Nice theory although a little confusing hahahaha

I have defied Gods: The covenant, an unstoppable force that has always achieved victory

I have defied Demons: How was master chief called by the Arbiter infront of the Gravemind...Oh yeah! Demon...

The gravemind speaking through cortana


The first part is referring to the Forerunners. They built Halo - A weapon designed to control the flood. Gravemind survived the last time the rings were activated.

Yes, the Covenant refer to the Master Chief as a Demon. That does not explain how Gravemind "defied" Demons, however. I have not read the books (something which I keep meaning to do) but it leads me to wonder if Gravemind had an encounter with the other spartans.

  • 06.11.2006 1:33 PM PDT
Subject: GRAVEMIND SPEAKING THROUGH CORTANA... IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
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it just shows how deep bungie is prepared to go with thier storyline

  • 06.11.2006 1:41 PM PDT
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i know this is kind of off subject a bit but judging from what i heard the trailer takes place in an african plain where the covenet has control of earth. well this is my question. is there any humans left to be able to cooperate with in halo 3 or are u just by yourself?but back to the gravemiind bit i think when gravemind is refering to gods and demons. The gods are the covenent (Arbiter) and demons are the humans (master cheif) becuase remember that one cut scene where gravemind had both the master cheif and the arbiter well maby since he is flood and whants to eat them but since he is the intelligence behind the flood maybe he "denied" eating them thats my theory

[Edited on 6/11/2006]

  • 06.11.2006 1:46 PM PDT