Greedy Worm

The Greedy Worm is an unkillable monster that debuted in Silent Hill 4: The Room and then reappeared in Silent Hill: The Arcade.

Appearance
Greedy Worms are colossal, very lengthy creatures with streamlined bodies that are easily the width of large sewer pipes. They mainly resemble worms, even having clitellums like the decomposer, however, its tooth-filled maw is more associated to an enlarged leech's. The creature appears to have a slick, slimy exterior.

Character
Although they are not a particular threat or even dangerous, the Greedy Worm is indeed a creature and a manifestation of Walter Sullivan's worlds; the monsters are much more rare than the game's ordinary beasts, but can in fact be seen throughout these various parallel universes, burrowing into the walls and floors of the structures, and can also be seen hanging or even moving about dramatically. They never attack Henry Townshend, or even block him, but they can be attacked, which causes the Greedy Worm to cringe and inhale sharply, but only for a moment before it resumes its ordinary behavior.

Symbolism
The Greedy Worms may link Walter's worlds, spanning universes. However, they do not seem to appear in the Building World, Hospital World or Apartment World, meaning that the idea of Greedy Worms "linking" Walter's worlds could be false since they only appear in 3 out of 6, or half of Walter's worlds.

It can be theorized that the Greedy Worm symbolizes the umbilical cord, although this has never been officially proven. If this theory is true, the Greedy Worm may represent Walter's dismay of being separated from his mother and her "magic cord", as described in a memo found in Room 302 of the Past, although the memo doesn't specifically address the Greedy Worm.

The name may hint at Walter feeling as if he was a lowly parasite to his real mother, with the umbilical cord being a "greedy worm" that stole nourishment from her. These feelings may have originated from the careless treatment and abandonment of him after he was born, and would help facilitate the belief that the room was his real mother.

Subway World


Greedy Worms can be found twice within the Subway World, its first encounter being beyond the turnstiles, where the corridor diverges into two separate staircases that both meet dead ends due to obstruction. The creature drops from the ceiling and hangs low enough to be directly contacted by Henry and is incessantly burrowing into the wall. This is one of only two opportunities the protagonist has to attack the Greedy Worm with a melee weapon due to its proximity. The Greedy Worm is also seen near the end zone of South Ashfield Station, dangling from above and wiggling about. This appears to be the tail-end of the creature, and seems to also be damaged/cut.

Forest World


Within the Forest World, two Greedy Worms can be found in only one area. While most of the Forest World is indeed outdoors, there are a select few areas with a more "building-like" approach, and this is where two Greedy Worms can be found. Both are burrowing into walls horizontally, the first one being approachable while a second one, found beyond a wire fence in this same area, is burrowing through a wall with incredible vigor and cannot be reached.

Water Prison World


At the lowest level of the panopticon, a total of three Greedy Worms can be seen by the huge waterwheel. To the left of the waterwheel, one can easily be seen breaching its upper body out of the water, while another, placed in the front area, will dive from the ceiling and into the water. The final Greedy Worm, found at the right of the wheel, will dangle only one end (seemingly its head) from above.

Silent Hill: The Arcade


The Greedy Worm is a minor boss fought before the Split Worm and found in the Toluca Prison. Unlike its non-threatening The Room counterpart, this Greedy Worm is particularly dangerous, and can only be repelled slightly.

It chases Eric and Tina throughout Toluca Prison, trying to consume them. After it is fought for some time, it disappears around a corner and is never fought again.

Gallery
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