Feel Her Love

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2, episode 4.

In the fourth episode of season 2 in “The Last of Us,” Ellie and Dina stumble upon the chilling phrase “Experience her love” written in blood by the Seraphites, following a brutal attack by the W.L.F. Their journey to find the Washington Liberation Front, specifically Abby, begins here in Seattle. Spotting a W.L.F. mark on a nearby TV station, they decide to wait until nightfall and stealthily enter the building. However, they are taken aback when they discover that all the Wolves within are deceased.

a symbol of the Seraphites, smeared with blood, and the words, “Experience her affection.” This suggests that the brutal massacre was orchestrated by the apparently peaceful religious group they encountered in the woods. However, it’s unclear what “Experience her love” means, and why it holds significance for Ellie.

“Feel Her Love” Is A Saying Used By The Seraphites In The Last Of Us

It’s One Of Several Seraphite Mantras

In episode 4 of The Last of Us season 2, Ellie discovers the phrase “Feel her love” scrawled in blood at a scene where W.L.F. members were killed. This expression is often used by the Seraphites, yet it’s usually written in the blood of their enemies. This situation illustrates the fundamental contradiction within the Seraphite religion: while the prophet established this group on principles of love and unity, following her death, these teachings have been twisted by the Elders to foster violence, control, and subjugation.

The Seraphites utilize several phrases; one such phrase is “May she guide you.” This phrase serves as their equivalent to the Christian mantra “Peace be with you.” Among the Seraphites, they use this expression to convey kindness, fellowship, and well-wishes towards each other. On an occasion where the W.L.F.’s leader Isaac is shown tormenting a bare-naked Seraphite with a searing Williams-Sonoma saucepan, the victim persists in her defiance, repeating, “She guides me.

“Feel Her Love” Connects To The Seraphites’ Worship Of The Prophet

The Prophet Is The “Her” Of “Feel Her Love”

The emotion of loving their prophet is what the Seraphites express through their worship and devotion. The prophet they love, referred to as “she” in both “Feel her love,” and “May she guide you,” is the woman who founded the Seraphite religion. Following a catastrophe, this religion was established by a visionary woman who envisioned an ideal post-apocalyptic society. She built the Seraphites around the principles of rejecting old-world technology and embracing rural skills such as farming, woodworking, and carpentry. However, after her arrest and execution at the hands of the W.L.F., the Elders assumed leadership of the religion, escalated conflict, and selected several young girls from among the community’s children to serve as their “wives.

In their current actions – hanging, dissecting, and marking with blood what they call their symbol – the Seraphites are performing acts that are a stark contrast to the message the prophet initially imparted. It’s ironic that despite their fixation on the prophet and her teachings, they seem oblivious to the fact that she never envisioned her doctrine of love being twisted into a bloody spectacle at a crime scene. In essence, The Last of Us season 2 is subtly exploring a central theme in Ellie’s revenge storyline: the futility of a cycle of violence that continues endlessly.

In the TV adaptation of “The Last of Us,” the creators had the liberty to independently introduce the Seraphites, whereas in the game, we only see things from Ellie’s point of view. On her initial day in Seattle, she encounters murals with a mysterious religious cult’s symbolism for the first time, featuring a prophet and the phrase, “Feel her love.” This is a significant aspect of the Seraphite faith, but due to its misinterpretation over time, it has taken on an opposite meaning: “feel her wrath“.

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2025-05-05 12:19