I : The Magician

Valtiel

A mysterious creature that is always lurking near Heather. What is his true purpose?

   Valtiel shadows Heather as if stalking her ever since her encounter with him in the shopping mall.
   While this strange creature observes Heather, he makes no effort to inflict harm upon her; the truth is that he has a unique purpose, a role he plays which enters into the game.
   The fact of the matter is that in the religious tradition of Silent Hill, Valtiel is a saintly being corresponding to an angel.
   Concerning that complex and profound reason for existence, let us consider such things as his design and behavior from various angles.

Whenever there is a shift to the otherworld, Valtiel appears before Heather. It can be said that this being is a guide to the otherworld.

First encounter in the shopping mall's elevator. This is after Heather was found for the first time.

W a t c h e r

To ensure the protection of the unborn deity, he watches Heather, mother of God

   Since the name Valtiel means "attendant" by way of the English word "valet," his existence as an angel is derived from suffixing "-el." In short, he is the being that attends to and watches over God. For the purpose of carrying out his duty of watching and protecting the mother until the time comes for God to be born, he does not harm Heather.

Valtiel persists in watching Heather in the church near the end of the game.

Claudia assumes the role as mother and takes the necessary steps to birth God.
M e s s e n g e r

An angel in the town's religious organization that governs the cycle of rebirth, he appears as a symbol of the otherworld

   Valtiel's intentions have little to do with Heather; his concern is primarily with the god that sleeps inside her. It can be thought that in order to restore God to this world, every time Heather (Alessa) dies, he is the one responsible for resurrecting her many times over. Additionally, the valve handle that Valtiel turns with his left hand represents the idea that "God can be reborn any number of times," which can be thought of as having significance to the basis of the sect's doctrine.

If Heather should die, Valtiel takes action to resurrect the mother of God.

In many places Valtiel is seen turning the handle, which signifies the cycle of rebirth.

Deciphering the meaning hidden in the design of the being that ties together the three works of the series

In the long-standing religious tradition of Silent Hill, Valtiel is worshipped as a being that is close to God. And so even in the previous works of the series, Valtiel has appeared in different forms. In other words this is why Valtiel ties together various events that have taken place in Silent Hill.
   In the case that any events transpire in Silent Hill in the future, Valtiel may again appear before players in another form.

Noting the significance of Valtiel's design, the relevance between the three works becomes clear.

Ceremonial robes

  from [Silent Hill] 

In the school's otherworld, a number of body-shaped figures can be seen. If one looks closely, it becomes clear that there is something familiar about what the figure is wearing. What looks like a body bag is actually the ceremonial robe of the town's religion. This robe is modeled after the appearance of an angel from Silent Hill's traditions, namely Valtiel.

The rags the fgures appear to be wrapped in are actually ceremonial robes.
 

Pyramid Head

   from [Silent Hill] 2 

One notable connection between Pyramid Head and Valtiel is the fact that they both stalk the protagonist persistently.

If the helmet that conceals Pyramid Head's face were to be removed, it would become apparent that the designs of the two are surprisingly similar. When the executioner's outfit that is Pyramid Head was designed, it was modeled after Valtiel, an angel from the indigenous religion.

Pyramid Head's gloves are very similar to Valtiel's.

At the back of the garment Pyramid Head wears, there is a mark where the cloth is stitched together, which is also a shared characteristic.
 
C r e a t o r ' s    C o m m e n t a r y

In Silent Hill 3 the connection to the first game is quite clear, but the point of contact with the second game isn't so obvious. I created Valtiel because I wanted to relate the works of the series through a creature. In the religion of Silent Hill, Valtiel exists as one who is close to God, and Pyramid Head takes the shape of Valtiel's reason for existence. That is to say, the Pyramid Head character was born from the townspeoples' idolatrous ideologies. In the first game, the ceremonial robes were in homage to Valtiel.
(Masahiro Ito)

Making of Valtiel

One of the early designs of Valtiel turning the valve handle. The central hole closely resembles the one in the final church.

A rough sketch of a design in which multiple creatures seem to be intertwined. The hole at the top of the creature's head is the same as in the final design.

There is also a scene in the elevator with a giant propeller and Valtiel. The propeller has a handle as well, which has the same implication as the valve.

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