Editing Gravemind (Form)

{{Ratings}}
{{Era|H2|H3}}

{{Seealso Level|Gravemind (Level)|[[Halo 2]]}}

{{Flood Species Infobox
|name=Gravemind (''inferi sententia'')
|image=[[Image:Gravemindcapture.jpg|300px]]
|height=84.8 meters (279.8 feet)<ref>http://nikon.bungie.org/misc/sloftus_scalecomparison/?display=Forerunner</ref>
|distinctions=Massive, with a head and many tentacles; long snake-shaped body; speaks in trochaic heptameter
|species=[[Flood]]
|attacks=
|notable=Gravemind
}}

{{Article Quote|What is that?|[[Cortana]]}}
{{Article Quote|I? I am a monument to all your sins.|Gravemind}}

The '''Gravemind''' <ref>[[High Charity (Level)]], Cortana: "Flood controlled dropships are touching down all over the city! That creature beneath the Library, that 'Gravemind', used us. We were just a diversion."</ref> ('''Inferi Sententia''', meaning "Thinking Dead") (voiced by [[Dee Bradley Baker]]) is the greatest stage in the life cycle of the [[Flood]], and one of the main antagonists of the ''Halo'' series. When it reaches a certain critical mass, it develops a centralized intelligence. It is the Flood personality, controlling all other Flood forms and often speaking through them and even its hosts. It carries with it the genetic memory garnered from millennia of feasting and slumber, making it virtually omniscient. Since the intent of a Gravemind is to consume and absorb every sentient creature in the Galaxy, it is the collection of fallen Flood and other lifeforms.<ref>''[[The Art of Halo]]'', page 56</ref> The Gravemind has complete control over other forms of Flood and can even speak through the [[Pure Forms]] and some [[Combat Forms]], using this ability to taunt its enemies. The Gravemind produces quadrillions of Flood spores.

Only one Gravemind is known to have infested our galaxy before the Gravemind that appeared in ''[[Halo 2]]''. The first was stopped by the [[The_Halos#History|first activation of the Halo rings]], by the [[Forerunners]]. There may be more Graveminds on the other Installations, but it is highly unlikely due to the fact that no known Covenant or Human forces have reached any Installation other than the ones seen in the series.

==Appearances==

===''[[Halo Wars]]''===
 
The Flood on [[the Apex]] Shield World were well on their way to building a [[Proto-Gravemind]], which acted as the primary base of the [[Flood]] in each battle that involved them. If [[Sergeant Forge]] and [[SPARTAN]] Red-Team had not destroyed it, it might have developed into a complete Gravemind like the one from [[Installation 05]].

===''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''===
In ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', a [[Proto-Gravemind]] was shown and disclosed on the level [[Keyes (Level)|Keyes]] and could have very well become a fully-grown Gravemind, had it not been injured by the [[John-117|Master Chief]] and then later destroyed by the [[Covenant]] Special Ops stationed on the ring.

[[Image:Gravemind.jpg|thumb|left|The Gravemind in [[Halo 2]].]]

===''[[Halo 2]]''===

{{Quote|Relax. I'd rather not piss this thing off.| Master Chief's view on Gravemind}}

Due to the brevity of its mysterious appearances in ''Halo 2'', only a small amount of data about it and the nature of the Flood parasite can be inferred. In short, he appears something like a very large Venus Fly Trap, as his 'mouth' looks like the head of the plant while its tentacles look like the roots. The Gravemind is made of countless bodies that were unsuitable for the work of [[Combat forms]] or [[Carrier form]]s. ''[[The Art of Halo]]'' states that Gravemind is “literally built from the bodies of its enemies and its own fallen warriors reassembled into a massive, tentacled, and intelligent entity." This can also be assumed, because when he speaks he refers to the place he inhabits as an empty grave. A grave being a burial ground, where the dead are "stored", but since he is 'alive' he simply implies that where there should be many graves, there is just the Gravemind. Even his name, "Gravemind" suggests this, as he is the "mind" of the "grave".

Gravemind is the controlling intelligence behind the parasitic [[Flood]] hive.<ref>http://bungie.com/Games/Halo3/content.aspx?link=Halo3AboutPage</ref> In this way, he appears similar to a puppet master. Gravemind is located far beneath the [[Library]] of [[Installation 05]] and has tentacles that reach for miles. Gravemind also seems to harbor an intelligence approaching omniscience, since he appears to be capable of absorbing the knowledge of all [[Flood]] hosts.

The Gravemind  we see in this game appears to be capable of utilizing Halo's teleportation grid to transport anything, and indeed himself (or at least a part of himself), anywhere on the ring and beyond to a limited distance. Being a Flood organism, how he uses the grid has been speculated on. The most common theory is that since he holds [[2401 Penitent Tangent]], [[Monitor]] of [[Delta Halo]] captive, he can probably use it to access the teleportation field on Delta Halo. However, [[2401 Penitent Tangent]] is not an organic life form and so Gravemind must have assimilated someone who had knowledge of the grid and used it to manipulate the grid, also if he had assimilated someone with the knowledge of the transporter ring. This could also suggest that the Gravemind had assimilated a Forerunner to have that kind of knowledge. Gravemind boards ''[[High Charity]]'', the [[Covenant]] Holy City, by means of boarding ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]''. Once Gravemind crashes ''In Amber Clad'' into a wall in ''High Charity'', he uses [[UNSC]] Pelicans that were aboard the ship to spread the infection throughout the city, as seen on the level ''[[High Charity (Level)|High Charity]]'' during the opening cut scene. Still, there is a lot more about this enigmatic character that we do not know. It can be seen that he somewhat has two "mouths"; an outer mouth like an Elite and an inner mouth like a [[Human]].

[[Image:Gravemind holding Arbiter.jpg|thumb|The Arbiter struggles in the Gravemind's grip.]]
Gravemind more than once speaks in rhyme, specifically in Trochaic Heptameter In the post-credits end cinematic of ''Halo 2'', Gravemind recites this verse to [[Cortana]]:

:''Silence fills the empty grave now that I have gone,''
:''But my mind is not at rest, for questions linger on.''
:''I will ask and you will answer.''

Strangely enough, in ''[[Gravemind (Level)|Gravemind]]'', the level named after him, there is no contact at all with him, apart from the cutscene in which he is introduced, or his [[Flood]] minions. The name of the level is "Gravemind" possibly because the Master Chief is following an assignment given by the Gravemind. It could also be because at the level's opening cutscene, for the first time in Halo an intelligent Flood form is formally recognized and its name is Gravemind.

===''[[Halo 3]]''===
{{Quote|"I am a timeless chorus; join your voice with mine, and sing victory everlasting."|Gravemind.}}
[[Image:SCAN0056.JPG|thumb|left|The Gravemind in the ''[[Halo 3]]'' Instruction Manual.]]
{{Quote|"Do not be afraid...I am peace...I am salvation."|Gravemind to Master Chief.}}
The Gravemind is one of the two primary antagonists in ''Halo 3'', the other deferentially being the [[Prophet of Truth]]. His presence can be felt earlier in the game, as he speaks through [[Cortana]] in periodic visions to [[John-117]] (damaged visions of [[Cortana]]). The Gravemind himself turns up later on in the game when first, a [[Covenant]] [[Flood Ship|battle cruiser]] taken over by the [[Flood]] crash-lands on [[Earth]] and promptly begins to infect the city of [[Voi]]. After [[John-117]] and the [[Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter]] clean up the mess, [[High Charity]] (along with the Gravemind) arrive at the [[Ark]] via a [[Slipspace]] jump. Gravemind allied with [[Master Chief]] and the [[Arbiter]] to stop the [[Prophet of Truth]] from activating the [[Halo array]]. Once they reached the Citadel's control terminal, [[Truth]]'s infection is initiated and Gravemind informs him that his "transition" to godhood is nothing more than a delusion and he is food for the [[Flood]] and nothing more. The [[Arbiter]] warns Gravemind not to infect [[Truth]], as he will have his revenge and allow him to see the "[[Demon]]" crush his plans. However, once the rings were deactivated and [[Truth]] was killed, Gravemind once again turns against them. [[Master Chief]] and the [[Arbiter]] managed to escape from their foe and discover [[Cortana]]'s solution to the [[Flood]] -- a [[Installation 04 (II)|replacement Halo ring]] made by the [[Ark]]. To activate it, the Chief infiltrates [[High Charity]] to retrieve [[Cortana]], who has the [[Activation Index]] from the first Installation ([[Installation 04]]).

As the Chief traveled deep into [[High Charity]], he faced multiple Flood forms and heard the Gravemind taunt him, showing demonic visions of the UNSC AI being tortured. The Gravemind became increasingly frustrated at the Spartan's progress, becoming suspicious of what Cortana is hiding from him, threatening to "feast upon [the Chief's] bones". After rescuing Cortana, he learned of her possession of the Index from Installation 04 and sent numerous Flood forms to kill them, but the Chief succeeded in destroying the city, presumably killing the Gravemind; however, it's discovered that he is attempting to rebuild himself on the replacement Halo built by the [[Ark]]. Too late, he was unable to stop Chief and Cortana from inserting the Index into the Control Room to fire the premature [[Installation 04 (II)|replacement Halo]]. But before he resigns to his eventual fate, he warns the Chief and the Arbiter that this defeat will only slow, not stop, the Flood's progress. In the end, the Gravemind is destroyed once and for all as Halo's activation destroys the Halo itself, and the Flood.

[[Image:Gravemind_Halo3.jpg|thumb|left|Gravemind in Halo 3. (Not quite a physical appearance, but his presence is felt in this Moment)]]
It should be noted that the Gravemind never appears in-game in his physical form, as he did in ''Halo 2''. The most that is ever seen of Gravemind are a number of tentacles in the control room of the Ark. Despite it having a good amount of dialogue spoken directly to the Chief (and by extension, the gamer, through [[moments]]), Gravemind's head is never seen. It is possible that Gravemind had changed a great deal, since the first time he met the Arbiter and the Chief, since the tentacles seen are different from those he used in ''Halo 2'', being a lot thicker in appearance and resembling the tentacles of an octopus rather than the roots of a Venus Fly trap. In the level [[Cortana (Level)|Cortana]], it was shown that he tried to stop the Arbiter and the Chief from escaping with Cortana in their possession, but failed when one of his tentacles were scorched by the escaping [[Pelican's]] engines. The game's instruction manual however, shows it to be the same form as it was seen in ''Halo 2''. In the locations where his tentacles appears, the locations were mostly cramped, leaving no room for his head to appear. However, he reaches up a second time, as the Pelican's wing is trapped in flood biomass. This time, it seems as if he actually frees the ship on purpose, when he could have extended several and captured the ship and its inhabitants, though this is a result of him weakened due to High Charity blowing up.

==Personality==
[[Image:GRAVY.JPG|thumb|left|Gravemind tentacles.]]
{{Quote|"Now the gate has been unlatched, headstones pushed aside. Corpses shift and offer room, a fate you must abide!"|Gravemind}}

The Gravemind has an obscure and complex personality. At first, when it is seen by the [[Master Chief]] and the [[Arbiter]], it is calm and collected, if not seemingly sad or mournful, and speaks with a sullen tone in his voice. He is also seen to be logical here, as he analyzes the Chief and the Arbiter, and tries to convince the Arbiter of what the [[Halo Array|Halo Rings]] actually are, to which the Arbiter retorts with stubborn pride. The Gravemind shows no irritation to this, or to the bickering of [[2401 Penitent Tangent]] and the former [[Prophet of Regret]].

Later in ''Halo 2'', however, the [[Gravemind]] shows a more emotional side as he basks in his victory in ''High Charity'', and displays a sinister air of anger when surrounding Cortana with his tentacles, demanding answers from her. 

In ''Halo 3'', his personality is expressed greatly, although ironically he is never seen, only a number of his tentacles, which gives him a sinister edge. He is shown to have a calm and collected personality, especially towards the beginning, however, as soon as the Prophet of Truth and his forces are destroyed, the Gravemind immediately bursts into a victorious, maniacal laugh, giving a short monologue in iambic heptameter, an analogy of his coming. 

In the level Cortana, a broader spectrum of his personality is asserted. He begins with his calm and collected voice, as well as a slightly confident tone. As the Chief finds his way deeper into High Charity, however, the Gravemind becomes more irritated by his progress, and begins to shout at him. Once Cortana is rescued, the Gravemind begins to emit a series of mangled, animal-like roars and speaks in an infuriated tone.

In the final level of ''Halo 3'', Flood Dispersal Pods crash onto the newly built second Installation 04, and the Gravemind begins to speak again, this time in an angry, yet confident tone.

By the end of the game, the Gravemind gives a short monologue in a disheartened tone, cryptically admitting that he knows he can do nothing to stop the fate he believes was unjustly forced upon him.

The mostly collected and impassive tone that is frequently heard from it can be justified by his implied near omniscience; often knowing what is happening, and having a clear picture of what will occur later, gives it little reason to worry about matters, and it only becomes truly irritated or angry when something occurs that he has not foreseen, or is close to defeating him. Such examples are what Cortana keeps hidden from him, the knowledge of the Ark and of the [[Activation Index]], and the Chief and Arbiter's mission to activate the [[Halo Array]].

He is also known to be quite manipulative: in ''Halo 2'', Gravemind tricks the Chief into being a decoy to distract the [[High Prophet]]s as he attempts to take over High Charity, and in ''Halo 3'', he convinces the Master Chief and the Arbiter to help him kill the [[Prophet of Truth]], but is hostile again immediately after the firing of the Halo array is stopped.

It is also notable that the original Gravemind was able to convince the Forerunner AI [[Mendicant Bias]] to join his cause and turn his fleet upon the [[Forerunner]]s by telling him that the Flood are the next step of evolution and that the [[Forerunners]] are denying it.

The Gravemind is not violent until it is absolutely necessary; this is what makes a Gravemind a key point in [[Flood]] evolution. Ironically this is unlike the previous Flood stages.  He is able to put aside differences when it is necessary.  The end of the Halo 3 level The Covenant is an example of this, as the only choice he has is to make a short alliance with the Chief and the Arbiter so they can kill their common enemy, the Prophet of Truth.

The Gravemind later tells the [[Master Chief]] and [[Thel 'Vadamee]] that by activating the [[Ark]] the only thing that will be accomplished is adding time to a sentence he did not deserve. This seems to suggest that the Gravemind does not understand why the living races hate the Flood, and that he believes that the Flood is just the next step in galactic evolution.

==Quotes==
''See [[Gravemind/Quotes]]''

==Trivia==
*In certain parts of the Gravemind's cut scene in ''Halo 2'', a second voice that resembles that of a child can be heard behind the Gravemind's deeper voice. This may be that the Gravemind may had even absorbed Forerunner children
*In several Forerunner data logs, the controlling intelligence of the Flood is referred to as a [[wikipedia:Social_insect|Compound Mind]].
*In both ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', he says "We exist together now. Two corpses in one grave." Both sentences are said in Flood-infested ''High Charity''.
*The Gravemind resembles Audrey 2 from ''Little Shop of Horrors''. He is a plant-like alien with tentacles who is fed (or in Gravemind's case absorbs) [[Human]]s to grow and is bent on world (galactic with Gravemind) domination. This also draws parallel to Audrey 2 and his buds, which are similar to Infection Forms. Also, Audrey 2 uses his caretaker to get him "food" so he can grow, Gravemind uses Master Chief and the Arbiter on ''High Charity'' to distract the Covenant while he spreads his minions essentially getting more "food" to eat/absorb. The Gravemind is also parallel to the character of the monster, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, as he starts off calm and collected, (''Halo 2'') but starts to become more sinister throughout the game, just like the monster. In addition, the Gravemind has an identical function to the [[Wikipedia:Zerg_Overmind#The_Overmind|The Overmind]] from the StarCraft franchise, both bent on galactic conquest and also controlling their respective species. Similarly, the [[w:c:deadspace:Hive Mind|Hive Mind]] creature from the survival-horror game [[w:c:deadspace:Main page|Dead Space]] is very similar in appearance and function to the Gravemind as it telepathically controls it's Necromorph underlings to bring about the slaughter of humanity.
*Originally, the Gravemind was meant to have skulls as teeth, this was cut from ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'' due to issues with speaking for the character.{{fact}}
*Whenever the Gravemind starts to speak during game play in Halo 3, the view will turn greenish brown and zoom out. The player will also slow down, much like when Cortana speaks. (which can become very annoying at times.)
*It is possible to see part of the Gravemind's "roots" throughout the level of Cortana and High Charity, as well as on the Halo 3 multiplayer map, [[Cold Storage]]. It is said on the ''Halo 3'' Legendary Edition DVD commentary that he loses these roots all the time like shedding hair, forcing him to grow new ones.{{fact}}
*[[Jason Jones]] of the [[Bungie]] staff initially didn't want the Gravemind to speak in an iambic rhyme but was persuaded by [[Joseph Staten]]. 
*Bungie staff and fans jokingly call it the "Little Shop of Horrors Reject", after the story in which a man creates a blood drinking plant batch and ends up having the plants grow so large as to kill and eat him.
*He was initially going to be a much bigger presence in ''Halo 2'' and would have his big introduction in the level [[Forerunner Tank]], but due to time constraints, Bungie removed the level and instead made a long cinematic for his introduction.
*The Gravemind is never seen in person in ''Halo 3'', unlike in ''Halo 2'' where he appeared before the Arbiter and Master Chief, and was implied to have been seen by Cortana after the ''Halo 2'' credits.
*According to a quote made by Bungie developer Jason Keith, found in [http://www.2old2play.com/Blog/Comments/352/17564] and [http://blog.ascendantjustice.com/halo-3/hindsight-halo-3/halo/], it is implied that the Flood Hive of High Charity and the Gravemind were one and the same during ''Halo 3'', thus making the level [[Cortana (Level)|Cortana]] a boss fight, in a sense.
*The only characters to directly converse with the Gravemind in the games are [[Cortana]] and [[Thel 'Vadamee|The Arbiter]].

==Gallery==
<Gallery>
Image:Gravemind_Halo3.jpg|A Gravemind Moment.
</Gallery>

==Sources==
<references/>

{{flood}}


[[it:Mente Suprema]]
[[Category:The Flood]]
[[Category:Characters]]