The True Nature of Humanity?

So what are everyone's ideas about the tiny black sprite found on corpses?
Is it something to do with the Fire? The Darksign? The Pygmy? The Age of Dark? Mankind? The Dark Soul itself?

My personal theory is that they are some sort of fragments of Pygmy's Dark Soul, spread out among the human populace - after all, the image of it certainly bears a resemblance to many other souls in the game, except that it is black (i.e. Dark), and it is intimately related with humans... and rats, but let's just ignore that...
Because everyone else's humanity comes from mere fragments they can lose it all and become Hollow. However, the player's base humanity comes from the true, original Dark Soul itself, meaning you can never go Hollow. However, you can still lose the fragmentary humanity that you gain from others.

Of course, this is all just wild, unconfirmable conjecture. But what are your thought and opinions? Do you agree with me? Do you have a completely different theory? If so, then this is the topic to state it on!

I think the fact that rats drop it is no coincidence. In the world of Lordran, humanity is looked at as vermin by the powers that be.

Lots of people believe that humanity has something to do with the original Dark Soul, due to its appearance, as you've said. If we trust Kaathe, then we are all descendents of the first human, the one who found the Dark Soul, so your theory is possible.

Side note: anyone realise the icon of wearing a ring of sacrifice is humanity?

Jy4answers, the ring of sacrifice can be obtained by giving humanity or twin humanities to the crow, in which many call snuggly. As it is, it could be created with similar fashions to that of the bite rings as well.

Anything you find or obtain in dark souls is never a coincidence. Everything is placed by FROM for a reason. As is, the Rats, Skeleton Babies, and Medusa creatures of the Archives are no exception with their drop of Humanity. The corrupted experiments of the Archives were that of maidens, and most maidens that have been transformed were ripe with Humanity, as similar stance as the White Maiden in Ash Lake. The Skeleton Babies, as well as the Skeletal Giants, seem too out of place to be similar to the giant skeletons we see in the tombs. Humanity could be used to create skeleton giants, as a sacrificial necromancy ritual... Along with the odd waters of Nito in the Tombs

And the Rats? They nibble upon the undead and living, perhaps they have eaten and absorbed the black spires that way. The land is filled with the dead, perhaps the rats have eaten such corpses, in which some of them are filled with humanity. Their is said to be crooks and thieves in the Depths, yet only two, Kirk and the Merchant by Blighttown, are seen. Prehaps most have died by some cause, in which the sewage rats eat most of the dead, if not all.

Another reason rats drop humanity could be because rats have the same basic physiology and similar organs as humans. Although the idea of them getting it from corpses could be true as well, the rat in the tunnel connecting Firelink shrine to Undead burg almost looks as if it's eating off that corpse near the steel bars.

I'm pretty sure they eat corpses, so Acidic_Cook is probably right. Some people say From Software puts too much attention to these little details. I say its the reason their games are golden.

Ok, this is just a theory of mine i would like to share.

In my opinion, The Pygmy is the descendant of all humankind and possesses the Dark soul, which was then divided amongst descendants. This gave humans their humanity. As i specualate that humanity are very small shards of the Dark soul the pygmy acquired.

And which Acidic stated, which i agree with,
is why other beings have these "shards", are because they may have just absorbed them from the dead. Although i believe that only those undead branded by the dark sign is able to loose and acquire humanity.
And i speculate that it is because of the dark sign that the humanity is able to materialize and be absorbed by another life form, when a branded undead seemingly dies. And relying on information from Darkstalker Kaath, is that these shards/sprites might be the reason of why the dark sign exists. As Kaath states that the pygmy awaited the age of fires withdrawl. And has we can see within the game, the age of fire is subsiding. Maybe the dark sign is the cause of these dark sprites, which we call humanity? And maybe it's the dark souls awakening, to brand the descendants of the pygmy with the Dark sign and usher in the Age of Men, the Age of dark.

This is just something i've been thinking about. And sorry if grammar is horrible. Kinda got carried away there Haha :silent:

Or perhaps the dark sign is a brand set by the flame itself? their is not really connection to what the Dark Sign is, but it can be said that it is more so the flame than the dark. As it connects from rebirth, which the Flame of Disparity derives from, the Dark Sign allows fallen warriors to come back as anew. That is also the reason why hollows have the firekeeper scar, and is mroe so that than actual humanity. As the dark sign also removes souls as well, it can be said that it is not part of the Dark Soul, as humanity and souls are different to each other. humanity is found in the whole of humans, as humanity is both defined as the whole of man, and the other is human nature. As the undead are not human, as they are not living, it can be said why the undead are in more need of it that the living.

The Flame has the essence of the dark, as it has the essence of light, death, life, heat, and even cold. As it uses the Dark Souls in which is humanity, and all humanity is of the dark, it can be said that the flame derives from the Dark. As for humanity coming from the pygmy, it would be more so that humanity was more so dispersed towards the undead, in the essence that the undead are the children of the pygmy, or the descendants if you will. As they came when the flame was lit, it shows those of the feeble hollows, and not the humans we are. thus, it can be said that it is directed to that we, the undead, are descendents of the Pygmy, and not humans.

Hm, it seems that the Pygmy threory is now pointing towards the Firekeeper more so than the God of War. Well, I am only human. It is more usable than the God of War, it seems. Eh, it was either or, that I knew was obvious.

Very intriguing. You blew my mind away when you mentioned the firekeeper scar. I should've connected those dots, hmmm...
You obivously have more insight in these matters then i do
if only i could be so grossly incandescent -Hahahaa

This has gotten me all wired up, and my mind is racing ahead lol. A coherent text is next to impossible, givin my state of mind now, hmm... *mumble...*grumble*...

(P) is Miyazaki, the director/producer.
(I) is the Interviewer.

1. 
   (I): Our next question. Is furtive pygmy that only appears in the prologue the main
   
2. 
   protagonist that had inheritted the lord soul in a different world?
   
3. 
   (P): Its bit of a spoiler but first of all its "pygmy" (小人 in jp can be read differently)
   
4. 
   (I): pygmy
   
5. 
   (P): "It aint written anywhere so how could I know". The image is something like a human
   
6. 
   ancestor. It found the Lord Soul and humanity is like a fragment of it. Kinda like
   
7. 
   an ancestor, so the descendants have a part of that soul.
   

Just a confirmation on the rats theory - the player can collect humanity from the undeadlittle by little as the crestfallen warrior tells yuo and the gameplay mechanics show. By nibbling corpses the rats simply eat these small fragments (since the player didnt take the humanity from the corpses the rats ate).