The world ofRed Dead Redemption 2is as expansive as they come in the gaming industry, buffed up with content that can keep players glued to their screens for hours on end. Rockstar’s rendition of late 19th to early 20th century Cowboys is a more immersive game than meets the eye, and engages gamers with a wry sense of humor and an impressive lineup of secrets expertly deployed in the Western-themed action. Since its release,Red Dead Redemption 2has had a few secrets that players have found difficult to wrap their heads around, and Lake Owanjila’s Tree Faces belongs to this category.
There’s been idle speculation about what these wood carvings symbolize. It is commonplace for trees to carry deep meanings behind them in media, from theWeirwood trees of theGame of Thronesmega seriestoRed Dead Redemption 2’s very own Whiskey trees. The Faces in the Trees continue along this path, and it is a phenomenon that has made many players pause in their tracks. Connecting the dots between these faces hasn’t come easy, as deep a secret as Rockstar embedded in the game, and there’s no definitive explanation just yet for why these depictions exist. However, some deductions make too much sense to ignore and could explain the meaning behind the faces.
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Faces in the Trees Could Be a Nod to America’s History
The trees nearLake Owanjilaare a keen point of interest forRed Dead Redemption 2’s completionists, with five particular trees holding a secret that needs unraveling. Rockstar incorporates a lot of American history in its gameplay, and the tree faces are another mechanism, with the first clue to their hidden meaning coming across the map from the Lake at Annesburg. A rather unassuming boulder has a message written in the Old World Script etched into its surface, and it lies along the coastline near the town. Upon decryption of the old tongue, players discover that the Vikings made contact with the Native Americans long ago before deciding to leave due to their peaceful nature.
Proof of their presence in America lies in the form of anancient Viking tomb near Annesburg, and these two peoples account for two of the Faces in the Trees—the Viking and the Native American. Given the nod to America’s history inRed Dead Redemption 2, players can decipher the rest of the faces.
The final two faces are believed to represent Central Americans and European explorers who came to inhabit the lands of America after the first three groups. While the historic angle is peddled by many, this isn’t the only theory concerning Lake Owanjila’s tree faces, as some fans believe they represent the five belief systems inRed Dead Redemption 2: Paganism, Voodoo, Viking Mythology, Natives, and Chelonianism. Others think the faces are crudeportraits of John, Arthur, and Micah—although there isn’t much evidence other than a few odd scars to back up such claims.
The religion and inhabitant theories are rather closely related, with the Vikings and Natives a common factor in the explanations. These are currently the more plausible premises concerning the faces in the trees since the riddle has no official solution from Rockstar. Asides from the tree faces,Red Dead Redemption 2has many Easter eggsfor players to find and decipher a hidden meaning, and unraveling the comprehensive riddles is one of the more fulfilling adventures in the game. The tree faces are a real head-scratcher, but more comprehensive reasons might emerge in the future.
Red Dead Redemption 2is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
