Silent Hill Discussion

[ifirit]

Silent Hill 1, 2 & 3 Spoilers

It's been a while since the discussion has come up again. I'm glad, because during that time, I've been reading up on "The Lost Memories." You may recognize the name from both SH2 and SH3, but what I'm referring to is the printed book, released only in Japan (so japanese only), which is the creators explanations of the ideas and events in the first Silent Hill "trilogy." As StarZander put it:

Wow. It's like a Silent Hill bible.

I wouldn't call it a bible exactly, as there are still many unresolved issues and the text is a little hard to understand. Anyway, I just wanted to relay and clarify a few of the major issues surrounding the first three games.

For those who would like to download the scans of the "Lost Memories" you can find them off the Silent Hill Forum. The text is only partially translated and my presentation is based on these translations.

Pyramid Head

Japanese Name: Red Pyramid Thing

Games: Silent Hill 2

Tarot Card: Judgment (XX)

Text Translation:

Manifested by James' subconscious, it takes the form of an executioner of times past.

The creature known as "Pyramid Head" introduced in Silent Hill 2 is an enigma to many players. This is intended to shed some light on the subject.

Originally, the pyramid head outfit was the guise of Silent Hill's executioners. Three years ago when James visited this town, that figure overlapped with his own feelings of guilt, and then later appears as a representation of his desire for punishment in the otherworld created by his subconscious.

Was the "red devil" that Walter Sullivan saw...?

Walter Sullivan murdered a young boy and his sister, and then took his own life. The connection between the "red devil" he saw and Pyramid Head has become a topic of discussion among players. However, Pyramid Head is only a representation of James' need for punishment. No one besides Sullivan himself can really know what he saw.

IMAGE: Valtiel before the fight with God.

Valtiel is the being that Pyramid Head is modeled after. His form appears differently depending on the person who sees him.

IMAGE: the memo written by Walter Sullivan

Sullivan says that he saw a "red devil." What was it that he saw?

Creator's Comment:

Pyramid Head wounds Maria again and again to reiterate the actuality of Mary's death and wake James from his delusion. In other words, to force the crime out of his subconscious.

Translation Notes: In sections concerning Pyramid Head, the word "jibatsuishiki/jibachiishiki" is used frequently, and I think it's hard to translate perfectly into English. Ji = self, batsu = punishment, and ishiki = consciousness, or in the way it's used here, "sense of," so the meaning is that Pyramid Head comes from James' "sense of self-punishment," or "self-punishment-mindedness."

----

Vatiel

Japanese Name: Vatiel

Games: Silent Hill 3; Silent Hill & Silent Hill 2 (apparently)

Tarot Card: Magician (I)

Text Translation:

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.

IMAGE: Valtiel

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.

IMAGE: from the elevator scene

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

SECTION TWO: Watcher

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.

IMAGE: exploring the church

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

IMAGE: Claudia's final scene

Claudia assumes the role as mother and takes the necessary steps to birth God.

SECTION THREE: Messenger

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.

IMAGE: dragging Heather's corpse away

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

IMAGE: Heather stands opposite Valtiel in the church

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

SECTION FOUR: An explanation of 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 way to become closer 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, that distinct shape may again appear before players.

IMAGE: Valtiel before the fight with God

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.

IMAGE: the hanging robed figures seen throughout the game.

The rags the figures 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.

IMAGE: Pyramid Head

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

IMAGE: molesting the mannequin

At the back of the garment Pyramid Head wears, there is a mark stitched into the cloth, which is also a shared characteristic.

SECTION FIVE: Making of Valtiel

(note: the three images here are hand-drawn sketches)

IMAGE: turning the valves

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

IMAGE: from the elevator scene

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.

IMAGE: behind the propeller blades

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.

Creators' Commentary:

The connection to the first game is quite clear, but the relationship with the second isn't so obvious. I wanted to give relevance to the creatures of the series because it motivates me to continue the creative process. In the religion of Silent Hill, those who are close to God through Valtiel borrow his form as Pyramid Head. That is to say, Pyramid Head was born from the townspeoples' ideas about showing devotion to God. In the first game, the ceremonial robes were an homage to Valtiel.

----

The reason I put the Red Pyramid Thing before Vatiel was to make the explanations a little clearer and to not confuse you after reading the Vatiel part.

Anyway, what the text wanted you to know is that Vatiel is an angel, not a god; and that the idea of the Red Pyramid thing is derived from Vatiel. So, in a way, they were trying to say that Vatiel is not Lobsol Vith (the yellow god) and the Red Pyramid Thing is not Xuchilbara (the red god).

Though not explicitly stated, you can gather this from the translation. The reasoning behind this is that Vatiel is a promonent angel in the town's religion (which is separate from the town's cult, but that is another story). He watches over the town and protects "god." The Red Pyramid Thing is the form that the "townspeople" assume whenever they invoke Vatiel. The form of the Red Pyramid Thing is derived from James' subconscious as he saw it before on his first trip to Silent Hill. But according to the text, the form is that of Vatiel invoked by another person. This explains why there are more than one Red Pyramid Things; more than one person is invoking Vatiel. This can also explain why the Red Pyramid Thing acts so randomly; because they are people, their actions will vary based on the person.

It's a little hard to understand, but this just basically means that the Red Pyramid Thing is just a composite figure from various origins, which makes it unique to the person who sees it.

Vatiel is another story as he appears in his true form in Silent Hill 3. This being has many different roles, but basically he serves as a beign figure to the town's religion. In other words, he is part of the good guys.

Also, despite the idea that the hand crank is not a representation of the gatekeeper to the other world, it still holds a meaning to a cycle: the cycle of rebirth. As stated in the text, Vatiel is the being responsible for the control of reincarnation/resurrection. Everytime Heather dies in SH3, Vatiel is responsible from reviving Heather and she wakes up again at the Happy Burger.

This same idea can also be extended to SH1, since Harry dies in the bad endings and is reset back in the 5 to 2 Cafe during Next Fear games. I always wondered how Dalhia was able to revive him, but it seems that she uses Vatiel to resurrect him.

I think this will require a little more time to sink in, so I will hold further explanations of Vatiel and the Red Pyramid Thing to queries. I will explain the difference between the religion of Silent Hill and the cult in another post.

EDIT:

But why include her in the gravestone bit? Does it have a symbolic meaning or something? If so, then what? I haven't seen the film myself, so I know nothing of what's happening in it. Cool to see that someone had figured that one out.

There is a statue in Rosewater Park dedicated to Miriam K. It explains the reason she was killed for being a traitor. I believe that it is the statue where you unearth the Silent Hill Historical Society key.

[Eccles]

But what I don't see is… have a closer look on all of the gravestones... WHO THE HECK IS MIRIAM K? And why she is also labelled as "traitor"? Is that an inside Konami joke or something else? If anyone knows, please give me an answer, it’s been driving me nuts.

Miriam K is a character from Alfred Hitchcocks 'Psycho'

But why include her in the gravestone bit? Does it have a symbolic meaning or something? If so, then what? I haven't seen the film myself, so I know nothing of what's happening in it. Cool to see that someone had figured that one out.

It's worth putting in because it's an outside reference which Silent Hill *LOVES* (Though there weren't half as many in Silent Hill 2...guess James didnt watch as many horror movies as Harry)

Also: Ifrit just explained somewhat why they put her in the catacombs.

Also, does anyone notice how totally different their Silent hill game stats are in the second run through?

Take SH3 for instance...my first playthrough: 6 hours 37 saves.

My second playthrough? 1:30 hours, 2 saves.

Love it

[ifirit]

Well, I guess it's time for another...

Silent Hill 4 Update:

For a limited time, US Playstion 2 and X-Box owners who pre-order their copies of Silent Hill 4: The Room at EB Games will recieve a FREE copy of the SH4 soundtrack with their purchase. You can find details about this special offer at the EB Games website. [Playstation 2] [X-Box]

In addition to this, you can now download the TV commercials to Silent Hill 4: The Room from www.sh2004.com. (Assuming that you haven't already seen them on television.) There is both a 30-second clip and a 15-second clip. (Please note that an LZH decompressor is required.) Or if you'd like, you can get them off my site.

Lastly, I've rotated the songs again. As always, they will be available for one week, as that is when I rotate them.

[Justamos3]

Do you need to play the first two silen hills to understand the third?

[Nevy]

Justamos3 -- To understand Silent Hill 3, it helps to have played and completed Silent Hill 1 with the 'best ending' ... otherwise, you're kinda left out of the loop on SH3. As for Silent Hill 2, it's practically a completely different story, and has no relation (not that I caught) to either SH1 or SH3.

ifirit -- They also have the same (if not similar) deal at GameStop.com ... do you know if the actual stores (EBgames and GameStop, of course) are having the same Bonus deal, if you pre-order at the actual store location, or is it only available through their websites?

[Illaminus]

The soundtracks to be released along with the game. Is that for US release only?

[Eccles]

A little on the psychological aspect of Silent hill 2.

Unlike Silent Hill 1 which mostly relied on body shocks to scare you (who didnt leap out of their chair the first time they saw the kid fall out the locker?) Silent Hill 2 went deeper into the human brain to try and shock and unnerve you on a whole new level.

One of the ways they did this was to tap into Sigmund Freuds idea of the two basic instincts that make people tick; Eros and Thanatos.

Freud said that Eros was the sex drive...the concept that people are constantly acting in ways that can be seen as preservative, either to themselves or others: going to the gym, eating healthy food, having sex and so on.

Thanatos is just the reverse...the idea that people are constantly acting in ways that can harm them or get themselves killed; drinking, smoking, having sex and so on.

Freud suggested that these two work in perfect equilibrium...and that if one of the two was more powerful than the other, serious psychological disturbances would occur.

Now, Silent hill 2 works on this concept. They appeal to the sex drive whilst also empathising the death drive...

Take maria. She represents James' sexual feelings (it's obvious that he has some degree of feelings for her, not to mention the fact she's Mary's clone)...the way she acts towards James is usually very sexy and alluring (save for two instances I can think of. The first being when she snaps "I'm not your mary" and the second when youre in the asylum basement...although even then she calms down and holds James) and yet whenever you get the idea that a relationship might be formed between Maria and James...bang, she's dead. Now, this also represents a torture for James, but in psychological terms it's appealing to the eros/thanatos equilibrium.

They also did this when they came to designing the monsters. A lot of the monsters in SH2 are meant to depict sex and death as a combination...that's why the dead nurses are wearing such sexy outfits (it's a common male fantasy...the kinky nurse...how better to shock someone by demonising their fantasies?). Also, the mannequins are supposed to appeal to people who have leg and/or latex fantasies (hence the shiney, curvy legs).

Like I said, the principle behind this was to toy with peoples basic instincts and unnerve them on the lowest, most commonplace possible level.

Also, while I'm talking about monster design; The fact that the humans appear as monsters also represents James' vision of Mary. They look human...but horrible, disfigured humans...just like the dying mary did. Similarly, the straight-jacket skins could be indicative of Mary's predicament: trapped inside their own skin with no way of escaping, doing all they can to avoid James once they know for sure they can't go on.

(There's an interesting story behind how they were created. The monster designer saw his friend walking towards him wearing a hooded top...he had his hands in his pockets and was strutting...so the monster designer jotted this down and created the straightjacket skin)

The original design for pyramid head was also a lot different than the final design. They initially created him to look like Venom from Guilty gear X:

http://www.sammystudios.com/games/ggx2/images/S_char_venom.jpg

http://www.sammystudios.com/games/ggx/images/venom_img_04.gif

http://klub.zary.com.pl/WWW_Klientow/GGx-%20pliki/Fotos/Male_Tapety/320x214/VENOM_small.jpg

but they realised that this didnt fit the image they were looking for: All it was was a man in a hood, and that doesnt make for a very good scare factor. So they went nuts and gave him a pyramid helmet...According to the DVD:

"The triangles represent the monsters role in the game and the sharp edges and corners suggest the possibility of pain".

They dont say what the monsters role is exactly, but this gives us something to consider. I dont think the PH has much to do with Angela...because she doesn't see him (or at least, she doesnt SAY that she sees him: Considering silent hill 2 works on the 'hell is what you bring to it' concept, I think they were made for James and nobody else).

I think he's representative of James' thanatos...considering maria engages his Eros, then it seems only right that the Pyramid head is appealing to his bloodlust: since PH is the only other person who sees Maria and Maria is the only other person who sees PH.

I'd love to go on...and I could go on for hours, just like I did with my FF7 term paper (in fact, I'm thinking of deconstructing the series like and making it into a term paper) but right now I need to go to bed. So goodnight, y'all...

Class dismissed. You can go outside and play now.

[I-n-j-i-n]

The funny thing is, I don't find nurses to be very attractive at all. Nor the curvy legs. It'd be funny if that has anything to do with me thinking that SH2 was one of the least scary SH games I've played.

And they really thought PH's big head is scary? Maybe it would've worked if it was bleeding or something.

But goddam. SH4 seems to have taken the big-headed thing a bit far. That one screenshot of the giganto-woman-head.

That actually freaks me out.

[StarZander]

The credits songtitle is "Angels Thanatos". What would this mean then?

[SLyGeN]

The funny thing is, I don't find nurses to be very attractive at all. Nor the curvy legs. It'd be funny if that has anything to do with me thinking that SH2 was one of the least scary SH games I've played.

And they really thought PH's big head is scary? Maybe it would've worked if it was bleeding or something.

But goddam. SH4 seems to have taken the big-headed thing a bit far. That one screenshot of the giganto-woman-head.

That actually freaks me out.

AAH!!

i only played a bit of Silent Hill 1, and i never saw anything like THAT!

[SleazyC]

The soundtracks to be released along with the game. Is that for US release only?

I'm not sure about the US release containing the soundtrack, but I managed to snatch up one of the Limited Edition Silent Hill 4 OST's from the Konamistyle website (someone picked one up for me while they were in Japan) and it is amazing. The main theme song is great, if you have seen any of the trailers, you have heard it its a song called "Room of Angels" I def. suggest importing the album if you can find a copy of it.

[I-n-j-i-n]

I really hope the SH4 soundtrack comes with the game again (for the Xbox version too hopefully).

Buying an entire soundtrack for ambient music + cover sounds stupid to me.

[Eccles]

The funny thing is, I don't find nurses to be very attractive at all. Nor the curvy legs. It'd be funny if that has anything to do with me thinking that SH2 was one of the least scary SH games I've played.

Well it was very touch and go with Silent hill 2 going psychological...a lot of people didn't find it very scary at all because they opted to wage psychological warfare on you rather than shocking you.

Personally I think they got the right mix of shock and psychological horror in SH3 (voices in the morgue, anyone?)...it's just I think SH3 is the least scary because (a) it's so easy, ( it's so short and © it's just silly in parts.

And they really thought PH's big head is scary? Maybe it would've worked if it was bleeding or something.

They didn't necessarily think that giving him a big head would be scary, but that if they dehumanised him further than just covering his face he'd be scarier. And they were right, it was scarier than just a man in a mask. People know how to kill a man...but very few know how to slay demons.

It's one of the reasons the Daleks were so terrifying when Dr.Who came out...these small, unthinking, unquestioning, emotionless killing machines...they wouldn't have been half as scary had they been humans running about screaming 'EXTERMINATE! ANIHILATE! DESTROY!" or if they had had human voices rather than monotone (emotionless again) robotic ones.

The credits songtitle is "Angels Thanatos". What would this mean then?

This would mean something along the lines of "Angels deathwish"

If I recall correctly this one comes after the water ending...though I dunno, so I wont speculate as to the meaning until I know for sure.

The titles of the tracks mean quite a lot...especially in SH2.

'Magdalene', for instance, is the music that plays when you find Maria dead in the jail cell. The title almost certainly refers to Mary Magdalene; a prostitute from the bible who was the woman who found Jesus had come back to life (or at least that his tomb was empty)...only rather finding that someone lives again you're finding that someone had died again. again. again.

The reverse will...the track that plays when James goes nuts and tries to resurrect Mary (rebirth ending, for the 2 people in the world who havent gotten there yet)...obviously this is referring to the fact that it was someone/somethings (God, fate, chance, science, whatever you wish) will for Mary to die and James is reversing this.

True: the music that plays when you find out why you're in Silent Hill (I gots to say, I love the way they had mary talking to you over the radio at this point...that was classic)

You could say the same about SH1:

Not tomorrow (1 and 2) play when youre talking to lisa (1 plays when she does her 'I get it now' bit and version 2 plays when she starts bleeding)

My heaven is the music that plays when you fight Samael/the godess, She (or 'house of the rising sun' as Stan calls it)

Killing time...now this can be taken in one of two ways. Killing Time as in 'to waste time'...or Killing time as in 'time to kill things'; I'm leaning towards the latter, since it's the music that plays when you get the bad ending (having killed Cybil and Alessa and having let Dhalia and Kaufmann die).

[I-n-j-i-n]

^

Yep. You got the Magdalene part completely correct. Though her being a "prostitute" is possibly just sexual politics that has been trumpheted by the Church. But I'm going on a tangent here.

IMO, one of the most intriguing parts of SH is not always the monsters, but the salvation of the hero and how some things oddly seem to have been made out to help out the main characters in SH games.

In SH1, it was made a bit obvious with all the Metatron references. I like the way Metatron seems to help the survivors in the most obscure ways possible.

Hell. Even in SH3, the seal of Metatron seemed useless. But was it really? There's so much mystery in how the archangel works in the SH games. Pretty interesting really.

[Eccles]

Yep. You got the Magdalene part completely correct. Though her being a "prostitute" is possibly just sexual politics that has been trumpheted by the Church. But I'm going on a tangent here.

Yeah, they probably were...it's just I was always told Mary magdalene was a hooker, so thats now I repeat it when talking about her.

[I-n-j-i-n]

Yep. You got the Magdalene part completely correct. Though her being a "prostitute" is possibly just sexual politics that has been trumpheted by the Church. But I'm going on a tangent here.

Yeah, they probably were...it's just I was always told Mary magdalene was a hooker, so thats now I repeat it when talking about her.

Well, the theory was that Jesus actually married Magdalene (sounds like the Harry, Mary situation), and had kids.

And you need to have sex to have kids. And the Church hates sex. So what do they do? Brand Magdalene as a prostitute. Makes perfect sense in a way.

[flipsideshooze]

And they really thought PH's big head is scary? Maybe it would've worked if it was bleeding or something.

They didn't necessarily think that giving him a big head would be scary, but that if they dehumanised him further than just covering his face he'd be scarier. And they were right, it was scarier than just a man in a mask. People know how to kill a man...but very few know how to slay demons.

but... man... seeing a dude, standing htere, totally motionless behind those bars in a mask (when we first see pyramid head)... that would be a whole lot scarier, i do believe...

that's just my two cents though, cause i love the theories you've given

[Kadosho]

On the note of PH, odd fellow. *and most obscure moment (a bit of a "ahem" subject to speak of)

+====

Another note on Metatron, its given that of the "hero" or "anti-hero" what they want to do, how to change this world. Its why they are there in the first place, as a test.

+====

But for Heather, it was more re-awakening to being who she actaully is, even though at a cost.

+====

How Silent Hill, it reflects on you and all about it.

[Justamos3]

I want to find a game that will scare my ass. So far I hve narrowed it down to Eternal Darkness or something from the Silent Hill series. Suggestions?

[Eccles]

I want to find a game that will scare my ass. So far I hve narrowed it down to Eternal Darkness or something from the Silent Hill series. Suggestions?

Silent hill 1 is more of a body shock game...though it can be quite block and looks kinda dated (some people have issues with that, for some reason).

SH 2 looks a lot more realistic but works on scaring the player on an entirely psychological level. It'll either be one of the most disturbing things you ever played...or just a really creepy game. I dont think I've found a middle ground.

SH3...it's not a prerequisite that you play SH1 before SH3, it's just that SH3 will make a lot more sense if you play SH1 first (despite heather giving a total plot synopsis half-way through, the game uses a lot of clips from SH1, that make a lot more sense if you see them in context)

[I-n-j-i-n]

^

100% correct. I would actually recommend SH2, then moving onto SH1 then SH3. It just seems to flow better that way IMO.

As for Eternal Darkness, it's great in a way that it's pretty spooky, except you'd have a much better arsenal than found in RE and SH games. Especially the way you can target body parts. Also ED feels more of an epic than anything. Cool to see another person join the ED bandwagon.

[Global-Trance]

The funny thing is, I don't find nurses to be very attractive at all. Nor the curvy legs. It'd be funny if that has anything to do with me thinking that SH2 was one of the least scary SH games I've played.

And they really thought PH's big head is scary? Maybe it would've worked if it was bleeding or something.

But goddam. SH4 seems to have taken the big-headed thing a bit far. That one screenshot of the giganto-woman-head.

That actually freaks me out.

W

T

F

.

.

.

I'm going to love Silent Hill 4.

[Eccles]

From the story I am writing about Silent Hill (the third one...the one that's gonna be a series of reports).

Looking over the archived diaries of residents I found recurring references to a 'demon' that supposedly stalks Silent Hill:
"I must be going insane. I coulda sworn I saw the executioner today...but I dunno why, I never did nothin wrong in my life, not to warrant him turning up."

"I saw something strange today when I was playing with Carly. A funny looking man with a triangle hat on...he was just watching us play, but it made us feel weird so we went inside and told daddy. He says we were going crazy and acted kinda nervy...but I know I'm not mad, I saw the man"

"The worst demon is the one with the pyramid helmet. He just doesnt give up until he's killed...of course, you could try running from him...but then all that happens is you die tired."

So I did some more research into this thing that'd freaked out so many townsfolk. It turns out that what the people were describing is a kids horror story...a monster going by the alias of 'The Executioner'. Supposedly the reincarnated soul of an old hangman gone nuts, he takes out anybody who he doesn't see as worthy to live in 'his' town. I asked some kids about him and they all knew who he was...one of 'em even recited a rhyme about him; I managed to look up the full version of the poem...but I warn you, it's somewhat morbid:

-Executioner (Anon)-
He doesn't think. He doesn't feel.
He doesn't laugh or cry.
All he does, from dawn till dusk...
Is make bad people die

He makes sure you hearh im coming.
To fill your heart with dread.
For when you hear his awful noise.
You know you'll soon be dead.

You can take up arms against him
and try and try and try
but you will not succeed, my friend
because he cannot die.

Dont try to run, dont try to hide
Dont find someone to tell
If you do, the executioner
Will send you straight to hell.

He doesn't think. He doesn't feel.
He doesn't laugh or cry.
All he does, from dawn till dusk...
Is make the sinners die
-----

Did I mention it was morbid? 
There're several variations on the poem, but this seems to be the earliest recorded (and most consistent) version I've been able to find. I think it's worth noting that no matter what version you read, they all start and end with a verse talking about how emotionally detached executioner is from his work; all of them varying from the one in the above poem (for instance: He never thinks, he never feels, he never laughs, he never cries. He does, however, make sure that whoever sees him dies. (J.Gaskell, sometime in the 1900s))

The earliest mention of the executioner as a monster is in 1820, when two came at once. Firstly in the form of a picture by artist Allen Smith, which depicted a large man with a red pyramid-shaped helmet weilding a large sword in front of masses of hanging bodies. The second sighting comes from a townsperson calling himself Harold Agannis...he claimed to have seen "a man in a large redde [sic] helmet who did not move, standing as if dead. I watched him for nigh on three hours when he did vanish before mine eyes."
Sadly, however, there's no way to tell which came first. Did the guy see the executioner and from this inspire Smith? Or did Smiths tortured images put the ideas into Agannis' head?
It could be either...and frankly, it's not important, just know that the executioner made his debut some time in 1820.

As for what he's supposed to represent...that was ever so slightly easy. They don't call him executioner for nothing...during the civil war, the hangmen in Silent hill prison wore triangular hoods when they were performing the executions. It seems that whoever came up with the monster did so by demonising the executioners from the war. This is also supported when you consider the monsters role according to accounts/the poem: taking sinners and bringing them to the ultimate justice.

Naturally I have more to do. but this is just a clip from one of the story's I'm writing (I wrote the poem during my lunch break today...pretty good, ne?)

[Eccles]

what...nobody liked the pyramid head poetry? I know it was cheesy, but surely not that bad...

Alrighty, a little synopsis of what I wrote, there (Cause I got nothing better to do).

I took the liberty of referring to Pyramid head as 'executioner' owing to his origins in Silent hill jail/toulca prison.

The young girls diary referring to her playing games with Carly was based off the letter from the lost days that's in SH3 (one of the lines in the song reads: "Am I still friends with Carly?/I'm sure that I'm still laughing/Aren't I?/Aren't I?) Though in retrospect (and listening to the track through *good* speakers it could also sound like Colleen...if so, I'll change it.

The first (and last) verses of the poem are a slightly altered version of a verse on a M:tG card. I can't remember what it's called (Phyrexian reaver, I think) but its a relic card and carries the verse "It doesnt think, it doesnt feel it doesnt laugh or cry. All it does from dawn till dusk is make the soldiers die". Incidentally, the guy who I credited with writing an alternative version of the poem (J.Gaskell) is one of my friends, James.

The picture painted in 1820 is the one in the historical society (to be honest I forgot the name, so I worked round it).

Harold Agannis is the name of a guy who stars in an interesting ghost story. Apparently Telly Salavas (Kojak) got a lift from Mr.Agannis in a blacked out skylark...and just before Salavas got out, Agannis said to him "I have to go now and face my destiny."

So the next day Salavas called the Agannis family (obviously he'd known the guys name when they'd talked as they drove) only to find that Harold Agannis had been dead for several weeks. Apparently he'd been driving his skylark and had hit an oil tanker on the stretch of road he'd dropped Salavas off on...the impact and explosion only burned him so the driver of the tanker broke his neck to save the pain.

Absolutely no relevance to the story, mind you, I just think that Harold Agannis is a good name to have put in there as an in-reference.

And yes, I think that's it. You can figure out the rest easy enough.

[Global-Trance]

what...nobody liked the pyramid head poetry? I know it was cheesy, but surely not that bad...

Sorry I didn't respond sooner. Good stuff, Eccles. Silent Hill + Poetry = Win