"The Gleam of Kiirium" was largely bereft of many of the revolting themes and sickening tropes that had characterized Asenec's body of work. Instead, the poem had a significantly more somber and romantic tone, leading some critics to surmise that the work was not actually composed by Asenec. Some theorized that "The Gleam of Kiirium" was the work of an anonymous admirer of the Croke's who had published it in an effort to make the poet more accessible to a wider audience, while others posited that the poem was an expression of redemption indicating that the Croke had not ended his dark and hate-filled life without a glimmer of light. More recent speculation suggested the poem's origins could be traced to an authorless tome unearthed at the Great Duinarbulon Mausoleum, though the archaeologist in charge of the dig, Henrietya Antilles, purportedly rebuffed such claims.