Nihilanth

File:Nihilanth.jpg

The Nihilanth

Nihilanth is the final boss character and the primary antagonist in the computer game Half-Life. It is the controlling intelligence behind the invasion of Earth shown in the game. Hovering silently in an enclosed cavern dozens of stories tall, Nihilanth has been commanding the forces of Xen and holding open a dimensional rift connecting Xen to Earth, enabling its creatures to attack.

Physically, Nihilanth resembles a gigantic, oddly-proportioned fetus, with its head alone outsizing the rest of the body, and its brain cavity forming most of the head's bulk. Its legs, minuscule in relation to its body, appear either to be vestigial, or are the remains of amputation. The creature sits on a large mechanical levitating contraption consisting of a large base with spikes underneath. Like the rest of the intelligent Xen races, Nihilanth has a third appendage protruding from the middle of its pectoral chest region. Its unusually long arms end in disproportionately huge hands and fingers, and it wears metallic wristbands, which look similar to bands worn by the Vortigaunts; contributing to the evidence that Nihilanth was once a slave to an obscure higher power (presumably the Combine, as Nihilanth moved his army to Xen to escape them) just as it is a master to the Xen races (see transcripts of speech below). Its torso has what appear to be surgical scars, a subject of much debate for fans. Template:Spoilers Nihilanth attacks by launching energy balls, which come in two types: a swarm of blue-colored electrical orbs that causes immense damage, and a slow-moving, green-colored orb (similar in appearance to the teleportation portals constructed in the Black Mesa Research Facility) which homes in on and teleports its target to other sections of its lair populated by Xen aliens. It also uses these green orbs to teleport Vortigaunts and other Xen creatures into its main chamber to help defend it against intruders. A series of gold-colored "energy spheres" orbit around Nihilanth's head, rendering it impervious to damage. These are consumed as Nihilanth attacks or summons assistance, but specialized crystals within the upper portion of its chamber replenish the spheres as they vanish. If some determined invader destroys these crystals and does sufficient damage to its body, Nihilanth's head opens up like a flower, revealing a shining, vulnerable brain. Sufficiently damaging its brain destroys Nihilanth.

Gordon Freeman was tasked with killing the Nihilanth because it was the only force holding the dimensional rift open after the satellite delivery rocket was used by the Black Mesa Gamma Labs to reverse the resonance cascade. It is believed that the Nihilanth's death triggered the portal storms, and Marc Laidlaw has said that they continue to the present day.[1]

Transcript of the Nihilanth's speech

There are several cryptic phrases either spoken or telepathically broadcast by Nihilanth once Gordon Freeman reaches Xen, but are difficult to understand in-game. Below are transcripts of several speech files extracted directly from the HL1 data packs, followed by speculation as to their possible meaning. Note that these transcriptions may not be entirely accurate, as the exact contents of Nihilanth's speech are fairly difficult to make out due to unclear articulation.

• "Comes... another...": Said when Gordon enters Xen, this might mean that Gordon Freeman is another human to enter this world, as evidenced by human corpses found on the way.

• "You are man...he is not man...for you he waits...for you...": Most interpret this as a reference to the G-Man, who the Nihilanth implies is not human.

• "The last...you are the last...you are..." / "The last...I am the last...": It is unknown what is meant by Freeman being "the last." Some theorize that Freeman is the last "free" human or the last person alive who can stop the Combine, which hints at the plot of Half-Life 2, but this is impossible as the plot for HL2, along with the Combine, wasn't even thought of when the original game was launched, making this theory an example of apliccability. The second reference may be to Nihilanth as the controlling intelligence keeping the portals open, and therefore the last obstacle to be faced, or that the Nihilanth is the last of his species.

• "Win... you cannot win...": Said when Gordon enters Gonarch's lair. The most obvious interpretation would be that this is some sort of taunt to discourage Gordon. However, it might as well not at all be about Gordon's ability to slay the Nihilanth, but rather about his ability to stop something we don't yet know about.

• "Done...what have you done...": Said when Gordon enters the level "Interloper." Possibly blaming Gordon for the resonance cascade that opened portals between Xen and Earth, which resulted in chaos for both worlds. This could also refer to the destruction of the Gonarch, due to its timing.

• "Die...you all die...you all die...": Probably spoken out of anger, may be related to above phrase.

• "Now die...now die...now...": Said during the battle with Nihilanth. Probably said just to intimidate Gordon.

• "Their slaves...we are their slaves...we are...": Probably a reference to the Controllers/Xen Masters.

• "The truth...you can never know...the truth...": Seems to suggest that the overall plotline will remain filled with unanswered questions.

• "Thieves...you all are thieves...you all are...": Similarly vague. Possible reference to one of the crystals from the Nihilanth's chamber that was taken back to Earth, along with countless Xen specimens for zoological study.

• "Deceive you... will deceive you": Quite possibly this is a reference to the G-Man and the way he employs (and uses) Freeman. It could also be a reference to Dr. Breen, the Black Mesa administrator seen in Half-Life 2.

• "Alone, not you... alone, not you... alone": Very vague. Possibly saying that Gordon is not alone, perhaps a reference to the G-Man, Adrian Shephard, the U.S. military's invasion of Xen, or even the impending Combine invasion.

• "FREEEEEMAAAAAANNN!!!!!": The Nihilanth screams out Freeman's name at the very beginning of the game's final battle, indicating that it knows Freeman by name. (Assuming that the messages are delivered via telepathy, this is quite credible.) The reason for this shouting of the protagonist's name could be a way for the Nihilanth to coax Freeman into terminating its life, which would end its suffering.

Notes

• The material that makes up the crystals protecting the Nihilanth is the same as the crystal sample which Gordon Freeman placed into the anti-mass spectrometer, triggering the resonance cascade in Black Mesa and portal storms across Earth. Valve Software originally intended to make this connection more obvious, but never did.
• Nihilanth's name may hold a meaning. Nihil is nothing in Latin and -anth is end in Sanskrit. Putting these two together would mean "nothing-end" or "nothing ends"; the name of the level where Nihilanth is first encountered is "The End of Nothing," so it may be a reference to a continuation of the storyline into Half-Life 2 and how killing the creature accomplishes nothing positive in the long run.
• Other suggestions about the name include the first part of the name being in reference to nihilism, while -anth is a common suffix that is related to flowers — possibly a reference to how his head opens up like a blossom.
• In Half-Life 2, various Vortigaunts refer to the Nihilanth being destroyed in the first game. They say that Freeman has given them newfound hope, for since the "lesser being" has been destroyed, the greater being must follow also. This could also be a partial reference to how the Nihilanth resembles a giant fetus, whereas the greater counterpart may resemble a more alien physique.