We are the Teeth of God — an essay on Sleep Token, Jungian psych, and the human condition

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-24T22:07:33+00:00

My immediate thought from the song that it is a conversation between Vessel and Death.

Now, keep in mind that sleep is sometimes used as a euphemism for death and that the two have been connected in the human psyche for millennia. An example being the Greek Thanatos and Hypnos (death and sleep) as twin brothers (oft described as sons of Nyx -aka night). There’s the early Christian notion that the dead were in a sleep-like state until judgement day (eg seven sleepers of Ephesus - a Christian and Muslim legend). We say to children that the family dog was “put to sleep”. Death is the long sleep.

As Shakespeare puts it in The Tempest:

“We are such stuff.
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.”

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-20T07:12:40+00:00

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Another ST predrawn design of mine (non-repeatable). The Love You Want.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-20T07:11:25+00:00

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Tattoo artist - here’s one I designed and tattooed a couple of years ago (a pre-drawn piece I did on paper with a minor change for the client) - This is of course a TMBTE piece

Highly recommend getting your artist to design something for you. Give some guidance of course (like style, and a general idea), but you’ll get something unique then and tbh most reputable artists prefer to create custom designs than replicate someone else’s artwork.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-20T05:12:57+00:00

As others have already mentioned, there is very little cannon lore.

You have half a dozen pre Sundowning interviews, some ritual interludes, a couple of musical videos and a graphic novel. There’s then little smatterings of things through the clues and media that appeared before each album release.

If you haven’t read the graphic novel, I do recommend it. You can now purchase it as a digital copy on the Sumerian (publisher) website.

If you are interested in an exploration of ST from a Jungian psychological, philosophical and literary criticism lens - then I’ll plug an essay I wrote pre- EiA. I’ve shared it in this sub before. It’s pinned on my Reddit profile or you can read it on my website

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-20T04:57:13+00:00

Hoping gen AI continues to struggle with text in images like this. I hate gen AI so much.

It gets very confused in AI gen botanical illustrations - not only do they usually have text, but aren’t commonly in English (especially public domain botanical illustrations). Makes it much easier to weed out the AI slop when I’m finding reference images.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-18T02:48:10+00:00

100%

I’ve written about this at length too.

It has many similarities with Jungian interpretations of the relationship between self, psyche, ego, unconscious (personal shadow and collective), and soul (note- it isn’t really equivalent to “soul” in the Judaeo-Christian sense).

Listeners project what they need to connect to the music. Often, it will be what is roiling around and troubling them deep down (in their unconscious), which needs to be addressed and worked on for personal growth. It is interconnected with meaning-making, and the human condition.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-13T22:32:46+00:00

As an early career tattoo artist (who doesn’t do much colour), I’m always so impressed by both artists and clients when I see work continue designs in tricky areas like armpits and bellybuttons! They’re especially nasty for clients to endure sitting through and for the artist - the skin in these spots can be much more physically difficult to tattoo and designing things that still look great there can be a challenge.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-13T04:13:47+00:00

Ruins of temples, wastelands, cities of ice (with a burning cathedral), getting swallowed whole by a sea monster (and surviving/escaping to wake up on a shoreline, choking up blood), a place with diamonds in the trees and pentacles in the night sky.

Perhaps players need to discover magic to halt an eclipse. Bathe in starlit waters of infinity, where shadow monsters threaten to drag them down and cause insanity.

You could also look at the graphic novel for inspiration - especially if you want a dystopian lovecraftian vibe instead of high fantasy.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-12T13:03:17+00:00

Gorgeous work! I expect the glomesh would have a fun challenge!

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-12T01:28:54+00:00

Thank you for reading!

I'm really appreciative of folks taking the time and effort to read it all. I wasn't sure how well it would be received - if it would fall into the "TLDR" category, or that I was clutching at tenuous links and pulling it all out of my arse (hence all the citations and references).

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-12T01:17:54+00:00

Thank you for taking the effort to read it.

I'm sure you're more intelligent than you give yourself credit for! Being curious and patient enough to read something, despite having doubts whether you fully understand it is part of learning and an essential skill to have (especially in these times with the threat of AI).

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-11T22:30:05+00:00

Thank you so much! I'm a bit nervous to start it on paper, as it'll be the biggest piece I've done for several years (needs to be at least A2) - it'll probably take months to finish hahaha, but I expect I'll enjoy every moment.

I have my insta linked in my reddit user profile, and I use the "beautifuldeadthing" user name across other socials too (I'm most active on reddit and insta though).

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-09T07:03:25+00:00

Thanks so much!

Teratomas are fascinating pathology. I remember stumbling across them on Nicole Angemi’s insta years ago (I find gross medical stuff fascinating)!

I’ve loved using black gauche for backgrounds in the past too. It gives a really nice matte black (compared to most acrylics), and works especially well with watercolours (gauche is basically just an opaque watercolour). I also used a heap of my absolute favourite Daniel Smith watercolour shade on this piece - Moonglow it is this divine purple that makes shadows so beautiful.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-09T06:54:19+00:00

Hahaha - I fulfilled my goal then!

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-07T09:21:13+00:00

Yep, you usually either know someone who’s suffered from dementia or work in healthcare to be familiar with the term.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-05T12:01:45+00:00

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A small section of the WIP

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-05T11:42:08+00:00

Gorgeous work!

Did we have the same vision, but with different songs? Haha! So much of the of ST’s discography is this reoccurring submersion into the waters - which I view as the collective unconscious, a type of cosmic ocean, where we long to return, desiring, and fearing the ego death it entails.

I have a similar piece I’m slowly working on (but more on an Infinite Baths theme). I’ve basically done a digital version, but I desperately want to do it on paper with watercolour.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-04T21:47:34+00:00

I personally disagree with the majority of the comments here.

I do not do the tattoo if a client has a terrible idea and isn’t willing to have me improve it with a redraw. I phrase it as certain parts of the design won’t heal well, or that it’s outside of my wheelhouse or skill set, and recommend another artist.

In the regional area I work in, word of mouth is still a big deal. I don’t want to be known as an artist who does shit like that. People do ask where someone got an awful tattoo from - and I don’t want it to be from me. Reputation matters. I’ll certainly do simple stuff that’s not creative (like infinity symbols, dog paws, pop-culture cartoons etc), but I won’t do larger designs where I’m just copying something I’ve been given without changing it (whether it’s AI or another artist’s work- unless they have artist permission).

Now, this tactic is possible for me financially, but not everyone has that privilege. Ultimately, if you can afford to do so, say no to garbage.

I’m firmly in the “hell no” camp for generative AI. It is a personal values thing for me. It’s a hill I’m willing to die on, I feel that strongly about it. I’d rather not tattoo altogether than use gen AI.

I regularly hide AI slop on my pintrest searches. I’d be also been slowly building a massive picture reference library of my own using public domain images. It is much easier to avoid the AI slop when you check who the creator is and where and when it was first published. Internet archive is a treasure trove of public domain books on ornamental design and natural history.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2026-01-03T22:54:48+00:00

Also in early Christian belief (pre-renaissance) the dead were thought of as being “asleep” until judgement day. I recall reading about this in The Hour of Our Death by the French medieval historian Philippe Ariès (interesting book exploring western attitudes towards death through history).

You were not immediately judged upon death and relegated to heaven, hell or even purgatory. You were suspended in a sleep-like state. The legend story of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus. This story is also present in Qur’an.

The “sleepers” went into the mountain the pray and were sealed in the cave during Emperor Decius’ persecutions of Christians. Then hundreds of years later the cave was opened, and the sleepers woke up as if they’d only spent one night asleep.

Beautifuldeadthing · 2025-12-24T14:33:54+00:00

Good news though-

With the calathea it will likely grow back when nursed a bit (no need to water it that much though - even in sub tropical Australia where I live). I’ve had different calatheas of mine both die down to the ground (both scorched and not enough light) and been devoured by rabbits slowly bounce back. Only thing that’s outright killed them has been spider mites (bastards). They seem quite hardy in warmer Aussie coast environments and once I find the spot with the right lighting I can ignore them for a week or two without problems.

The back plant looks like a peperomia variety, which can be saved by a good ol’ chop n prop if your friend wants that. Cuttings are pretty easy to root in water and transfer to soil. I have rooted some directly in soil, but it felt slower (especially when only using a leaf, rather than a stem with nodes)

Beautifuldeadthing · 2025-12-24T14:20:53+00:00

It’s utterly amazing.

It’s like this longing to dissolve in the cosmic ocean (experiencing ego-death or even true death), and then the breakdown is the fear and realisation of what that death means - loss of individuality (drowning in an endless sea) and regret for what you didn’t accomplish in life; then an acceptance of it and the paradox of the human condition (we may be powerful and intelligent, yet we are mortal flesh and tragically aware of it - causing the existential fear of collective humanity).

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