Tu Fui, Ego Eris

 is a line spoken in Silent Hill 3. It is written and spoken in Latin and translates into: "As you are, I was; as I am, so you shall also be". The line is spoken by Heather Mason, having read it in the fairy tale scattered in notes throughout Hilltop Center, to make the Glutton monster disappear. Prior to the words, the Glutton is impassable and cannot be harmed by Heather.

It may be noted that this phrase is also found transcribed on a plaque within the Capuchin crypts of Rome, Italy, in an ossuary that allows visitors to view the skeletons of deceased monks so as to reflect upon their own mortality.

Fairy tale, beginning

 * "Once upon a time, there was
 * a monster living at the gates
 * of a village.
 * It was a very scary and
 * a very bad monster.
 * It would catch people
 * and crunch them up with its big teeth.


 * The villagers were afraid of the
 * monster, and no one would dare
 * approach the gates.
 * Everyone was stuck inside
 * the village.


 * When the king heard about this,
 * he summoned his knights.
 * The knights eagerly rode out
 * to defeat the monster.


 * 'Ha! Take that!' 
 * Their swords slashed and their
 * spears flashed, but the monster
 * wouldn't die.
 * The monster tossed the knights
 * into its mouth one by one,
 * horses and all.


 * What was the king to do?
 * He fretted and fussed and paced the
 * floor, but could think of no solution.


 * Soon after, the village priestess came
 * to the castle. She was a very kind
 * and good person. The king asked
 * her to defeat the monster guarding
 * the gates."


 * Location: The first part of the fairy tale is found in front of the Glutton on the first floor of the Hilltop Center office building.

Fairy tale, continued

 * "The priestess accepted the king's
 * request and went to the village gates.
 * But when she saw the monster, she
 * tried to convince it with words
 * instead of killing it.


 * 'Shut up, you! I'm going to eat
 * you up!' 
 * The monster didn't listen to
 * a word the priestess said.


 * But she kept trying to convince
 * the monster to give up.
 * 'It's wrong to eat people,
 * you know.' 


 * The monster grew very angry at
 * this and attacked her, killing her
 * with a single mighty blow."


 * Location: The second part of the fairy tale is found behind the painting in the Otherworld Gallery of Fine Arts.

Fairy tale, final part

 * "The king and his people shed tears
 * at the death of the kind priestess.
 * God took pity upon them and,
 * granting their wishes, healed the
 * priestess.


 * The priestess opened her eyes just
 * as she had done every morning of
 * her life. She went once more to the
 * monster's lair.


 * 'Fool! You wish to die again?' 
 * 'No... this time it's your turn.' 
 * The priestess had come to defeat
 * the monster once and for all.


 * As the priestess was very very
 * kind, she felt sad about this task.
 * But it had to be done.


 * 'Swords and spears won't work.
 * Arrows and bullets will just bounce
 * off. You can't kill me',
 * the monster laughed.
 * But the priestess used neither
 * sword nor spear. She chanted
 * but a single spell.


 * TU FUI, EGO ERIS.
 * Do you know what happened then?
 * The monster let out a huge cry
 * and then died and vanished!


 * Thus the villagers were able to use
 * their gates once more. Everyone
 * lavished their gratitude upon the
 * priestess, and they all lived
 * happily ever after."


 * Location: The third and last part of the fairy tale is found in the Otherworld Elberton Life Insurance.

Symbolism
It is possible that the fairy tale was written by Claudia Wolf herself as a young child, or it may have been one of Claudia's storybooks. Heather remembers borrowing it from a friend, which may be Claudia, as Heather has Alessa Gillespie's memories.

It is possible that the priestess in the fairy tale represents Claudia, who is the "high priestess" of the Order. The monster itself could represent Harry Mason, as Heather reads the fairy tale not long before she discovers her father has been murdered. (This would also explain why the monster never attempts to hurt Heather.) Claudia views Harry as a "monster" for stealing her childhood friend Alessa away from her, and this is evident when Claudia mockingly says Harry's name to Douglas Cartland ("That man, Harry Mason, stole her away and kept her hidden from us").

It is possible for the monster to reflect entrapment, in that the monster is barring people from being free. This may symbolize Claudia wishing to defeat the monster (possibly Harry) so that everyone can be free, attaining to her belief of a paradise that Harry is preventing.



The act of killing the monster in the fairy tale apparently "had to be done". This strongly relates to Claudia's feelings toward Harry, who she believes must be murdered to birth God, in turn, giving everyone (in the fairy tale, the village) happiness. If the fairy tale was written by Claudia, then it would also correspond to the priestess being a "very, very kind" person; Claudia does not see herself as evil or self-righteous, but believes she is doing good for the world by trying to resurrect the Order's god and bringing salvation and Paradise to the people.

The priestess also uses words to indirectly kill the monster; likewise, Claudia uses the Missionary to indirectly murder Harry. Heather has no choice but to remove the monster, as it blocks her way out of the Hilltop Center, thus she can be seen reiterating the role of the priestess.

The priestess' resurrection may also be a reference to Valtiel and the fact that he always resurrects Heather if she dies. If this were the case, Alessa/Heather can simply be considered the priestess and the Glutton as the beast. The priestess being Alessa/Heather is implied by the Book of Lost Memories, but isn't actually confirmed.