Before I start I want to shout out /u/DanPachi and /u/Chiffmonkey with their evidence and for providing me with potential leads on this Egyptian theory stuff. Lastly shout out to /u/Mohamed_Ibrahim18 for his theory on the chiral world. Everything after this more speculation and talking out of my ass. Potential spoilers or not. I believe this theory is only a small piece of a larger puzzle that is the game. A lot of this theory is the belief that Kojima isn't adapting Egyptian Mythology and Ancent Egyptian customs/culture directly but being heavily inspired by it. He is also inspired by different periods of Egyptian Mythology like Horus originally being one of the 5 children of Nut then becoming the son of Osiris and Isis. Remember that Kojima is a big Egyptian fanboy ever since Zone of the Enders.
Let's begin!
The setting of the game takes place in 2 worlds. The living world which is where the main game-play takes place. The living world is represented in the trailers as lush natural vistas and decaying environments/buildings plagued by the apparitions. The second world is the underworld or as the Egyptians called it **"**Duat". This is represented by the underwater segment in trailer 3. It appears in the real world partially through the apparitions, oil, and timefall. Trailer 4's description talks of a world utterly transformed by the Death Stranding. What does that mean?
I believe that the 4th explosion Sam mentions in trailer 3 is an explosion that causes the the real world and Duat to layer on top of each other or mirror each other. This causes instability in both worlds. Death Stranding can literally mean that death is at a stand still. How does Egyptian mythology play into this? In Egyptian mythology when people die they must journey across Duat to be judged by Anubis in the presence of Osiris. So while Duat is layered with the living world, hints of it seep into the real world with the angered apparitions and timefall. The angry apparitions are souls of the dead who did not make the journey for the final judgement because of Death Stranding. The journey as a soul is most likely impossible to undertake alone now because of this event. Where does Sam Bridges (Norman Reedus) and the living world fit in?
Sam Bridges is a porter who not only transports goods but also embalmed corpses "mummies" in their journey to reach the final judgement (scales).This journey is talked about in the Book of the dead and book of gates. In Ancient Egypt, the duty of embalming a corpse and carrying out the funeral rites is called Sem (heh) Priest. Sam is probably a Sem Priest porter or something. His job as a sem priest porter is to help the soul reach the final judgement. The reason why the apparitions are attacking Sam and his buddies are because they are alive and/or they are transporting mummies. They aren't supposed to be mingling with the dead.
The journey itself and the soul is paved with many dangers in "Duat, a land full of gods, demons, and monsters, many of which were out to kill the soul that tried to pass through. These creatures would prey on the souls of the dead." Also based on the trailers, they preyed on the living. That giant figure standing and the creature swimming above water could be those demons and monsters in Duat. When Sam dies from a voidout he is transported directly to Duat and not the mirrored chiral world. His soul splits in two which is his ka (the body where his soul presides) and the ba (his soul). This is seen in trailer 3 in the underwater scene, the body laying there is his ka and the one awake is his ba. When Sam comes back to life his ka and ba combine to form the Akh. He becomes an effective being who can die repeatedly with knowledge of how to combat the apparitions aka DOOMS. So far him and Lea Seydoux are the only ones confirmed to be Akh's.
On to the some of the characters in the trailers.
Mads Mikkelsen is based off of two gods well one if you know the story well enough. The Mads you see in trailer two with the soldiers is most likely based off of Osiris, god of the underworld and agriculture. He granted life, the sprouting of vegetation and the flooding of the Nile River. He is also described as "He Who is Permanently Benign and Youthful" and "the lord of silence". (oh boy the implications). The hooded figure you see in trailer three is also Mads but he is no longer Osiris. He has been killed by his brother Set and has been reborn as Horus the younger/child. This hooded figure is different from Troy Baker's character in trailer 5 simply by the behavior and different clothing (?). This is a possible reach. The shhh finger movement is also used as a symbol of Horus.
Troy Baker is based off of either Ra or Set. Most likely Set.He is the foil and enemy of Osiris and Horus but he is also not a bad person, think of him as a trickster type deity. He is responsible for killing Osiris. In Egyptian Mythology he goes through many changes good and esteemed god > Bad (kills Osiris) > protector of Ra but has negative personality. Set is a cocky god who demanded to be treated with respect. I'm giving background on Set so you can kinda understand who Troy Baker is potentially playing.
The five floating figures are potentially Ra, Shu (air), Tefnut (moisture), Gebnut (earth), and Nut (sky) with Nut being the one in the middle. My conjecture is because Nut gives birth to Osiris, Set, Horus the Elder, Isis, and Nephthys.
Expanded Evidence
Based on the theory I have I think the order of the trailers is 2 > 5 > 3 > 1 > 4.
The Robotic arms, crying, and the eye of ra/horus are all connected. The robotic arms that Sam and his gang have are amulets of the Eye of Horus also known as the all-seeing eye. The eye symbolizes protection, royal power, and good health. It is also used to protect the Pharaoh in the afterlife and ward off evil. The robotic arms sense danger and the mummies are basically Pharaohs undertaking their journey. The robotic arms that Mad's and Troy's character have are the Eye of Ra which represents his destructive and aggressive abilities. The Eye of Ra can also be personified by other goddesses. I'll expand on that in a sec, this discovery blew my mind. So as we've noticed, characters with DOOMS shed a tear. The Eye of Horus when shattered is represented by six pieces. One piece which is 1/64 or the tear drop represents touch. We can maybe correlate that they can sense or feel when the apparitions are nearby.
Back to the Eye of Ra. When Ra was super pissed at mankind because they weren't following laws or preserving justice, he sent an aspect of his daughter, "the eye of ra" down towards earth in the form of a fucking lion. What did Troy Baker summon? An Analion.
The oil or water that causes aging/timefall could be inspired by "nun" which is the primordial water that is the beginning and end of all things.
The color black is often associated fertility and resurrection in Ancient Egypt. It can also be associated with chaos and outsiders. The outsiders being the apparitions.
The color red can be associated with life or also represent chaos, rage, and fire. It was also closely associated with Set.
Edit 1: Gold is associated with the skin color of the gods and symbolizes power. The gold masks on the embalmed corpses are a way for the soul to remember what it looks like.
I had a theory that was borderline reaching based on the handprints of naked Norman Reedus. The handprints could symbolize a leopard print. The relation to egyptian mythology was the Opening of the mouth ritual and how sem priests would wear leopard print during the rituals.
I had more stuff to write but I haven't slept yet and I'm running on fumes so If I remember anything when I wake up, I'll edit the post. Feel free to dissect and research some more stuff. There's a lot of stuff in the book of the dead. If this stuff proves to be key plot points in the story, Kojima is a fucking god. I still don't know what he meant by reconnecting the world or how it will play out. A lot of this is conjecture and again, only uncovers part of the overarching story, themes, and potential gameplay.
Edit 2: Guillermo Del Toro and Lindsay Wagner's character are still unknown factors IMO.
Edit 3: i just remembered, when Troy Baker summons Analion there is an upside down rainbow in the background. I should have mentioned that upside down rainbows are more evidence of Duat.
Edit 4: I believe that the babies are not any gods because there are now confirmed to be multiple babies. I think they are Ankhs and holy shit I just discovered a potential lead.
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