The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, also known as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, is the name used to refer to the supernatural deities known as Pestilence, War, Famine and Death.
Origins[]
It is believed that the Horsemen came about through the events described in The Book of Revelation, which goes over the events leading up to the apocalypse and the end of the world. It is the final book in the Christian Bible. The book describes a scroll or book held by God that is sealed with seven seals. The Lamb of God opens the first four seals, each releasing one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Exactly how accurate the old texts are to canon is hard to say, as they have long been a "lack of consensus" amongst the scholars who have studied them. Pestilence has, however, implied that the Apocalypse has already begun.
Information[]
There are currently only two horsemen that have physically manifested in the city of Los Santos, that being Pestilence, and Death. The other two are said to be present as well, although not in physical form. Pestilence says that if they ever were to manifest in physical form he'd be disappointed, but that it's not out of the realm of possibility.[1]
The horsemen consider each other kin or something close to family. Pestilence even refers to the other horsemen as siblings or brothers that he'd have to babysit if they ever got tied in with humans to the same extent as Death did with Norman,[2] heavily implying that tying oneself to a mortal soul is highly dangerous business to get involved in.[3] Pestilence tied himself down to a mortal soul in the case of Isaac, but kept himself hidden by removing Isaac's memories and eventually himself when Isaac died. Comparatively, Death merging with Norman was more of a mutual agreement, explaining why Norman has managed to retain his memories and part of his humanity. Pestilence insinuated that the reason for Death taking such reckless actions is due to their immaturity and the immaturity of humans.[4]
The First Horseman - Pestilence[]
- Main article: Isaac Smith
Pestilence, also known as Conquest, is the First Horseman of the Apocalypse and is considered the oldest and most mature of the group.
After starting his feud with Norman Bones, Pestilence called upon his siblings to help, but it was decided as the 'doctor' of his kind he would be the one to handle the current situation regarding Death.[5]
Pestilence's Horse[]
In the old texts, the first horseman is described to be riding upon a white horse, which is different from its current form. Pestilence's horse currently takes the modern shape of a black Peyote. The horse has taken on many names throughout the years, some which are related to big plagues like The Black Death, but one of the names that stuck with Pestilence was one given by the Greeks - Phobos, the God of Fear and Panic.
The Second Horseman - War[]
The horseman of War has yet to manifest withing the city in a physical form. Some people still speculate War to be a member of The Faceless or at least having close ties to the terrorist organization.
According to Pestilence, War is not getting involved with the dealings of Norman as they are busy dealing with their own intentions. War has not matured much since the old days, as many wars still play out roughly the same. War has the power to remove the inhibitions of humanity. Once that filter is gone, humanity quickly devolve into blood-lust, where individuals turn onto even those who are closest to them.[6]
Some have believed War and Conquest to be the same being, but according to Conquest himself, war isn't always about conquering, but more about causing destruction and pain in a fight where there are no winners.[7]
The Third Horseman - Famine[]
Just like War, the horseman of Famine has yet to manifest within the city in a physical form. Pestilence describes Famine as being "meticulous".
Famine has adapted to the modern world and does not only to deal in famine as a mean of a lack of food, as there are other forms of hunger that cannot be quenched.[8]
Famine may be in the process of making a move in the city, but their whereabouts remain unknown. Pestilence recently lost track of them, disclosing in a conversation with Sean; "I'm not sure what hunger has manifested but, I don't like it. And whilst I'm not mad, I'm certainly disappointed." When asked if this meant that Famine was currently "out and about", the answer remains uncertain.
The Fourth Horseman - Death[]
- Main article: Norman Bones
Death is the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse but was the first to physically manifest within the city in the shape of Norman Bones. Death has been described as being patient and rather quiet.[9]
As the final horseman, Death's role is to end what the others have started and claim the souls of the dead. He holds power over his own domain known as Purgatory, where people first end up after they die.
Death is currently merged with the soul of Norman, something that Pestilence describes as unnatural and a disturbance in the balance that needs to be dealt with.
Death's Horse[]
Death has been described as riding upon a pale horse, which in the current universe has taken the form of a white Peyote named Thanatiforos, the Greek word for deadly or lethal.
Trivia[]
- Although now being the shape of cars, the "horses" of the horsemen are still sentient beings and have been witnessed to be driving on their own.
- Since Norman was the first horseman to appear within the city he was also the first to pick a car to ride in, which ended up being white or "pale". This was before Pestilence came around who most likely picked a black car to make it easier to differentiate between the two.
Gallery[]
