You're likely stuck at a literal dead end. If you've spent any time exploring the northern reaches of Scadu Altus in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, you’ve probably stumbled upon the Shadow Keep’s Back Gate. There’s a statue there. It’s headless, imposing, and looks like it’s hiding something massive. It is. But unless you have the O Mother gesture, that statue is just a wall.
Getting this gesture isn't just about completionism. It is the literal key to accessing one of the most hauntingly beautiful and lore-heavy areas in the entire expansion: the Hinterland. Without it, you miss out on the Finger Ruins of Dheo and a significant chunk of Ymir’s questline.
Most people walk right past the location where this emote is hidden. Honestly, it’s tucked away in a spot that feels almost too quiet for how important it is. You don't get it from a boss. You don't buy it from a merchant. You find it on a corpse that looks like every other corpse in the Land of Shadow.
Tracking Down the O Mother Gesture
To find the O Mother gesture, you need to head to Bonny Village. This place is a nightmare. It’s filled with those "Greater Potentates" and those horrifying jars that really drive home how messed up the lore of the Hornsent is.
Start at the Bonny Village Site of Grace. From there, you want to head north, crossing the ravine using the rickety wooden bridges. You aren't looking for a fight here, though the local wildlife and the occasional butcher-knife-wielding psycho might disagree. Keep pushing north until you reach the very outskirts of the village.
Look for a lone tree. Underneath it, you’ll see a discarded item on a body that is slumped over in a pose of prayer. Pick it up. That’s it. That is the O Mother gesture.
It’s a simple animation. Your character drops to their knees, arms outstretched in a plea for mercy or perhaps a plea for a mother’s return. Given what we know about Marika’s origins—which you’re about to discover if you use this gesture correctly—the context is heartbreaking.
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Why Bonny Village?
You might wonder why such a critical item is just sitting in a random village. If you pay attention to the item descriptions in this area, you realize Bonny Village is where the "sainthood" process happened. This is where the Shamans (Marika’s people) were whipped and stuffed into jars. The gesture being found here suggests a final, desperate prayer from someone who survived the initial purge but was left with nothing but grief.
How to Use the Gesture at the Shadow Keep
Once you have the O Mother gesture, warp back to the "Shadow Keep, Back Gate" Site of Grace. This is the room right before the Commander Gaius boss fight. Instead of heading out to the open field where that gravity-wielding jerk is waiting on his hog, turn right.
You’ll see a small room with an altar and a statue of Marika.
- Approach the statue.
- Open your menu.
- Select the O Mother gesture.
- Perform the emote.
The statue will slide to the side with a heavy, stone-on-stone grind. It reveals a hidden path leading out to the Hinterland. This is the Shaman Village. It’s golden, peaceful, and absolutely silent. It’s a massive contrast to the rest of the jagged, shadow-soaked world.
Common Mistakes
I’ve seen players try to use the "Erudition" gesture or "Inner Order" here because they're used to the base game's puzzles. Those won't work. The game specifically checks for the "O Mother" ID. Also, make sure you are standing relatively close to the statue; if you do it too far back by the Grace, the trigger won't activate.
The Lore Behind the Prayer
The "O Mother" isn't just a command for a door. It’s a window into Queen Marika the Eternal. For years, we saw her as this distant, almost cruel deity who shattered the Elden Ring. But the Hinterland proves she started as a victim.
The gesture is a reference to her own lost mother, or perhaps the concept of the Grandmother that the Shaman Village worshipped. When you reach the Shaman Village, you find the "Minor Erdtree" incantation. The description says Marika bathed the village in gold, but there was no one left to heal.
It’s heavy stuff.
Finding the O Mother gesture is basically the moment the DLC stops being about Miquella and starts being about the trauma that built the Golden Order. It’s the most "human" moment in the game, ironically found through a mechanical emote.
What to Do After Opening the Secret Path
Don't just run through. The Hinterland is visually stunning, but it's also where you advance Count Ymir's quest. If you’re trying to get the maternal staff or fight the hidden remembrance boss, Metyr, Mother of Fingers, you have to pass through here.
- Visit the Shaman Village: Grab the Golden Braid. It provides the highest Holy damage negation in the game. It’s essential for the final boss fight.
- Head to the Finger Ruins: You need to ring the bell in the center of the ruins to progress Ymir's dialogue back at the Cathedral of Manus Metyr.
- Fight the Fallingstar Beast: There’s one lurking in the craters nearby. It’s a tough fight but yields great upgrade materials.
Honestly, the O Mother gesture is the single most important non-combat item in the expansion. Without it, you’re missing the emotional core of the story.
Go to Bonny Village. Find the tree. Get the emote. See the truth of the Erdtree for yourself. It’s worth the detour, even if the pot-monsters make your skin crawl.
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Next Steps for Players:
If you have already obtained the gesture and opened the Hinterland, your next priority should be traveling to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr in eastern Scadu Altus. Speak with Count Ymir; he will give you a map that correlates with the Finger Ruins you can now access via the hidden path. Completing this thread is the only way to unlock the Metyr, Mother of Fingers remembrance boss fight, which is arguably one of the most mechanically unique encounters in Shadow of the Erdtree.