The Last of Us introduced viewers to a new group of survivors known as The Seraphites in the third episode of season 2.
In Touch rounds up the key points about the religious cult and their conflict with the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), according to the details from the show and the video game franchise.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
Who Are The Seraphites in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2?
The Seraphites are a cult-like religious community founded by a woman known only as The Prophet who claims to have seen a vision regarding the outbreak of the Cordyceps brain infection.
In The Last of Us: Part II video game, a torn note suggests that The Prophet believed the infection was “divine retribution” for the sins of humanity.
Inside The Seraphites’ Strict Beliefs in ‘The Last of Us’
The Seraphites have very strict views on relationships, gender and sexuality. They practice arranged marriages at times and the Elders also had to give their permission for members to have children.
The Last of Us: Part II game introduces two former Seraphite siblings named Lev and Yara (both are expected to be key players in future seasons of the show) who fled for their lives from the community after Lev declared his true gender identity. Prior to the two teenagers’ departure, Lev – who formerly had a feminine name – had been told he would have to be a wife to one of the Elders. In response, he shaved his head and changed his name, no longer hiding who he truly was from them for fear of retribution. Yara left the Seraphites with him.
Why Do The Seraphites Whistle?
The Seraphites seem to reject most technology created prior to the outbreak as a part of the “old world,” and thus, they don’t use radios to communicate. Instead, they developed a series of whistles to share quick and simple phrases with each other from afar without alerting others to what they are saying.
In the episode “The Path,” a bald Seraphite (Michael Abbott Jr.) with a scar on both of his cheeks goes over some of the whistles with a little girl (Makena Whitlock) who shares similar scars.
“No one falling, all clear, keep moving,” the girl says after she’s asked to identify one of the whistles.
“Good,” the man replies. “Once we get resettled, we’ll teach you to whistle.”
Inside the WLF’s War With The Seraphites in ‘The Last of Us’
The Seraphites and the WLF share a long history of tension and outright aggression against each other on both sides.
A war broke out between them after The Prophet led a group of Seraphite soldiers to attack WLF trucks while they were driving down a supply route.
The Prophet was finally captured and sentenced to death by Isaac Dixon (Jeffrey Wright), the leader of the WLF. But that didn’t stop the war between both factions. Following her execution, the Elders of the group assumed control and The Seraphites treated The Prophet as a martyr, building shrines and painting her pictures on walls and buildings.
