Why Is Gehrman in the Hunter's Dream?
Gehrman is in the Hunter's Dream because he is bound to it. The Doll says staying there is his purpose, and he begs in his sleep to be unshackled. The game ties the Dream to the Moon Presence but never spells out his deal. Here is what it says and what players infer.
Gehrman is in the Hunter's Dream because he's bound to it and can't leave. The Doll says staying there is "his purpose", and in his sleep he begs to be unshackled. The game ties the Dream to a Great One, the Moon Presence, but it never spells out how Gehrman ended up its prisoner. The common reading is that he was part of the pact that summoned it. (Bloodborne)
What the game says about him#
The Doll gives the plainest answer. Gehrman was a hunter long, long ago, but now serves only to advise them. "He is obscure, unseen in the dreaming world. Still, he stays here, in this dream. Such is his purpose." (Bloodborne)
Gehrman tells the new hunter the Dream "was once a safe haven for hunters", a workshop where they used blood to strengthen weapons and flesh. It's a copy of the Abandoned Old Workshop in Cathedral Ward, the workshop whose weapons his Burial Blade set the pattern for. So the place he's stuck in is a dream version of his own old home. (Bloodborne)
He wants out#
Gehrman's sleep talk shows he isn't there by choice. After Vicar Amelia falls, he mumbles in the garden: "Oh, Laurence... what's taking you so long... I've grown too old for this, of little use now, I'm afraid..." Later, after Rom: "Oh, Laurence... Master Willem... Somebody help me... Unshackle me please, anybody... I've had enough of this dream... The night blocks all sight..." (Bloodborne)
Laurence was the first vicar of the Healing Church, and Willem the master of Byrgenwerth. Gehrman calls on both, which is why players link him to the scholars who started everything. (Bloodborne)
Where the Dream came from#
The Third Umbilical Cord says: "Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a surrogate. The Third Umbilical Cord precipitated the encounter with the pale moon, which beckoned the hunters and conceived the Hunter's Dream." (Bloodborne)
A note in the Lecture Building names who did it: "The nameless moon presence beckoned by Laurence and his associates. Paleblood." Most players take this Great One to be the Moon Presence, the boss of the secret ending. (Bloodborne)
How the game shows he's held there#
The ending makes the binding visible. Once Mergo's Wet Nurse dies, Gehrman offers mercy: "You will die, forget the dream, and awake under the morning sun." Refuse and beat him, and the Moon Presence descends and embraces the hunter. The Honoring Wishes trophy reads: "Captivated by the Moon Presence, you pledge to watch over the Hunter's Dream." The hunter ends up in Gehrman's wheelchair, and the Doll says "And so... the hunt begins again." (Bloodborne)
On screen the chair is never left empty: when Gehrman falls, the hunter takes it. That's why most players see the Dream as needing a keeper, with Gehrman freed only by being replaced or killed. The full set of outcomes is on the endings page. (Bloodborne)
What players read into it#
These are readings, not stated facts.
- He was one of Laurence's associates. Gehrman calls on Laurence and Willem, the note credits Laurence and his associates with beckoning the moon presence, and so many players count him among them. On this reading he's paying for his part in the summoning. (Bloodborne)
- He's the Moon Presence's surrogate child. The cord says every Great One yearns for a surrogate after losing its child. Players read Gehrman, and later the hunter, as the child the Moon Presence keeps. (Bloodborne)
- He carries the Fishing Hamlet's guilt. After the player kills the Orphan of Kos, the Doll says she can hear Gehrman sleeping calmly for once, as if something had eased his suffering. (Bloodborne: The Old Hunters)
Lines cut from the final game, still found in its files, have Gehrman speak of a promise to a dear friend and call the Dream a place where hunters are held to be sent on horrific hunts. They aren't part of the game as released, so treat them as hints at what the developers had in mind, nothing firmer. (Bloodborne)
His full history, from the first workshop to his students, is on the Gehrman page. (Bloodborne; Bloodborne: The Old Hunters)
Frequently asked questions
- Is Gehrman trapped in the Hunter's Dream?
- Yes. In his sleep he begs Laurence and Master Willem to unshackle him and says he has had enough of the dream. The game never states the exact terms that hold him.
- Can you free Gehrman?
- By beating him. If you refuse his offer at the end and win the fight, the Moon Presence descends, and without three umbilical cords you take his place in the wheelchair. That ending is Honoring Wishes.
- Who put Gehrman in the Hunter's Dream?
- Most players say the Moon Presence. A note says Laurence and his associates beckoned the moon presence, and a Third Umbilical Cord says the pale moon conceived the Hunter's Dream. Gehrman's own part is inferred.
- Why does Gehrman sleep calmly after the Orphan of Kos dies?
- The Doll says something seems to have eased his suffering. The game doesn't explain it, but many players link his torment to the Fishing Hamlet.
Sources
- GameBloodborne, FromSoftware, 2015
- GameBloodborne: The Old Hunters, FromSoftware, 2015 (expansion)
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
All Three Bloodborne Endings Explained: Yharnam Sunrise, Honoring Wishes and Childhood's Beginning
Bloodborne has three endings, all decided in one conversation with Gehrman under the great tree. How to get each one, where to find the Third Umbilical Cords for the secret ending, and what each ending means, with the game's own words kept apart from the fan theories.
Gehrman, the First Hunter: the Old Man Bound to the Hunter's Dream
Gehrman is the old man in the wheelchair who greets you in the Hunter's Dream, and the first hunter of Yharnam. He built the first workshop, trained the first hunters, and at the end of the night offers to free you, or fights you. Here is what the game states and where the theories start.
Laurence, the First Vicar: Founder of the Healing Church and the First Cleric Beast
Laurence was a scholar of Byrgenwerth who left his master, founded the Healing Church and became its first vicar. He also became the first cleric beast. In The Old Hunters he burns in the Nightmare, looking for a skull that can never give him back his memories.
Master Willem: the Provost of Byrgenwerth Who Feared the Old Blood
Master Willem is the blindfolded old scholar in a rocking chair at Byrgenwerth. He led the college that found the old blood, warned against it, and went looking for eyes instead. Here is what the game states about him and what players infer.
Byrgenwerth: the College Where Bloodborne's Story Began
Byrgenwerth is the ruined lakeside college where Master Willem's scholars first found the Great Ones and the Old Blood. The Healing Church, the Choir and the School of Mensis all came from it. Here is what the game says, and what it leaves open.
Orphan of Kos: the Child of a Dead Great One
The Orphan of Kos is the final boss of The Old Hunters, a child of the Great One Kos found screaming beside its mother's corpse. Killing it ends the curse behind the Hunter's Nightmare. Here is what the game states and what players read into it.
Mentioned in4 entries
Is Gehrman Evil?
Nothing in Bloodborne shows Gehrman as evil. He is a worn-out old hunter trapped in the Hunter's Dream who offers the player a merciful way out. But the game also hints at a "curious mania", a bargain with the Moon Presence and a past he may want to forget. Here is the evidence on both sides.
Is Gehrman the First Hunter?
Yes. Bloodborne calls him "Gehrman, the First Hunter", and his weapon and clothes are described as the models every later hunter's gear grew from. There's one wrinkle: Ludwig is called the first hunter of the Healing Church. Here's what the game says.
The Hunter's Dream: Bloodborne's Hub and Its Secret Origin
The Hunter's Dream is the misty workshop where every Bloodborne hunter levels up, buys gear and wakes after death. It is also a prison made by a Great One. Here is what the game says about how it began, who keeps it and how it ends.
Why Did Gehrman Make a Deal With the Moon Presence?
Bloodborne never shows Gehrman making a deal, and never gives him a reason. The pact is a fan reading built from his sleep talk, an umbilical cord and one note. Here's what the game actually states, and the three main explanations players give for why he did it.
Get new articles in your inbox
No spam. New lore drops, canon conflicts, and deep dives only when they’re worth reading.
Some links on Lore Fortress are affiliate links. If you buy through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.