Elden Ring Lore | Godfrey and the Tarnished 

Get up to 35% OFF your Displates using code SMOUGHTOWN or link: displate.com/promo/smoughtown/?art=5f9962209770d Thank you all for watching the video, please let me know your thoughts on Godfrey and the Tarnished below

It just dawned on me... Godfrey a massive strong warrior defeated the Lion beast and kept it on his shoulders, could be inspired by Heracles, who defeated the Nemean lion and wore it's skin as cloak

"Godfrey is the penicle of what it means to be Tarnished" That's why he's the last hurdle before the final boss, you need to beat the og Tarnished turned Elden Lord before you yourself attempt to go from Tarnished to Elden Lord.

Godfrey: A beast in a human flesh. Serosh: A wiseman in a beast flesh.

The crazy thing is that these people must have lived for at least hundreds or even thousands of years to be able to interact with all these events

The fact that Gigachad Loux needed a lion to reign him in, because otherwise he was too much of an animal, is probably the single chadest lore bit fromsoft ever made...

Note about the Roundtable and Arthurian Legend. When the Roundtable would meet the members would lay their weapons on the Table to show they give up their weapons so they can speak freely and not threaten each other in the old myths

I think Maliketh and Serosh's armor show a clear beast people that had a whole culture, one that Maliketh lived among at some point. He was Marikas shadow, but clearly he had a major part in it. He was their Clergyman, likely teaching the ways of the Erdtree or of the beasts

Godfrey is definitely one of my favorite characters in the game. He's hyped up as the biggest legend in the Lands Between yet when you first meet him in the flesh he's mourning his dead son in one of the few really "human" moments we see of the characters in-game. His children are also some of my favorite characters as well.

1:30:35 Roderika never saw the Grace (confirmed directly by the Crimson Hood). So she probably wasn't resurrected, she just came there, sent by her family who just wanted to get rid of her for some reason, convinced her she was a hero and hoped she just died

I find it interesting that marika had many "normal" children but 2/3 of Godfrey's children were omens and the third one took on some animalistic characteristics after his death. Maybe Godfrey has the crucible in his DNA

Man, I absolutely get Godrick fanboying over Godfrey.

this video has only further enhanced my love for Godfrey as a character. your little footnote near the end mentioning how it feels like a great honor to be respected by him for our strength truly does feel like a brilliant moment of catharsis

The Long March is probably the most interesting part of the lore to me so this is very nice to see! Love the lore of Hoarah Loux and the tarnished warriors being GW/Marika's plan B for when the demigods got a little too wacky

I started the Game as a Hero of the Badlands having no idea what that meant then I met Nepheli and started to understand ( then I watched your starting class video) and the anticipation of meeting this Horah Loux my Chieftain builds, then you see him have this touching moment with his son(who I believe he was forced to abandon) and you see the pain released by Seroshes Roar, Godfrey speaks elegantly and you have a epic fight reminding you that all of those bad ass Crucible Knights this is their Boss and then HE RIPS SEROSH OFF OF HIS BACK losing all pretense of being a Lord his entire manner of speaking changes and he started beating your ass with his Bare Hands then he congratulates you even in his more Feral state and I honestly almost teared up.

1:08:10 I haven't finished the video yet, but Vyke used to be a Dragon worshiper favored by dragons from Leyndell. It suggests that he was one of the original Tarnished and might imply that the war (and the establishment of the Cult) happened under Godfrey. Unless ofc Vyke returned to the Lands Between when they were in a far better state than when we return and just joined the cult

I love the long-form videos most of all. A two hour deep dive, citing all your references and other members of the community, building on each others theories? Fantastic.

Godfrey is hands down my favorite character in Elden Ring.

Throughout the whole journey, nearly every other character you come up against looks down on you for just being Tarnished, treating you as being less than dirt and that you don't even deserve to have a chance at sitting the Elden Throne...but Godfrey recognises the trials and tribulations you have faced in coming this far and is determined to give you an even match: he is the first of the Tarnished, after all. And if he manages to defeat you in his first phase he actually compliments you on your fighting skills. Then by second phase, you're actually proving you can stand against him so he reverts to his 'real' persona because you're probably the first real challenge he's had in his life for a long time, so there's no excuse for him to hold back. Plus the contrast between the noble lord he first faces you as and the blood-soaked beserker he reverts to is fairly shocking, but makes it clear why he was First Elden Lord: to crush Marika's enemies. And his cry of 'A crown is warranted with strength!' is Hoarah Loux's own way of urging you to try and try again, as one of you is fated to take the throne. Also fitting that Hoarah Loux has no fancy title like many of the major bosses, he's just known as 'Warrior', as that's what he started as, and what he died as.

On the axe bit, I think it was actually Sarosh's axe. It's a double axe made in the same vein as beast men. But it's broken to be as it is seen now. I think it's trophy of sorts.

Ah Godfrey the first Elden Lord. A strong and honorable warrior. The fact that he's no demigod nor any magical or any elemental affinity yet his strength can match even the giants. Keep up your journey in pursuit of knowledge my fellow smoughtown the all knowing.

Okay. Having it pieced together that Godfrey took the Banished Knights and other forces under his banner tells me that Godfrey, and probably also Hoarah Loux, gave his foes a chance to follow him in battle. The man lived to fight the most powerful enemies worthy of his strength. What future is there for a man whose sole purpose was to wage war? What words did Godfrey say to Marika when she banished him and we, his loyal fellow Tarnished?

I thank you infinitely for making Sabaku no Maiku's work known to the international Souls community in your videos, I'm sure that soon he will bring even more quality content that sheds light on the still unsolved mysteries of Elden Ring and other FromSoftware works . Thanks so much for your work.

This dude is BADASS! Also technically he would be the second elden lord if you count placidusax. And technically if you go for any of the erdtree endings you are technically the 4th elden lord. It’s very cool how you get to fight all the previous elden lords to really prove your worth as the next successor. You should do a video on on rennala next.

This low key just makes me want to fight serosh alone, without Godfrey. I imagine him having some bomb ass incants.

When Godfrey kills Serosh it looks as if he is absorbing the beasts claws. And when he fights he certainly acts as if he has claws.

I think Demi-Humans and Misbegotten remain the most interesting area for further exploration. What is their relationship with beastmen? Where do they actually come from?

ON your point about roderika coming by boat, her hood says "Roderika never once saw the guidance of grace."

Thy tireless work befits a crown.

Great video. I think the bit about Godfrey returning to being Hoarah Loux after the Long March is a bit of an assumption. Hoarah Loux's remembrance states "[a]fter the Long March of the Tarnished came to an end, Godfrey divested himself of kingship, becoming a simple warrior once more." Nowhere does it say the he returned to being Hoarah Loux, only that he divested himself of kingship [lordship] and became a simple warrior. Serosh remained 'at his side' until both he and Godfrey died before the events of Elden Ring, as evidenced by the opening cinematic of the game which depicts Godfrey and Serosh chained and impaled in front of a tree. Though the voice-over calls him "Hoarah Loux, cheiftain of badlands," Serosh's very presence in the scene indicates that the depiction in question is Godfrey. As we personally witness when fighting Godfrey, his transformation back into Hoarah Loux requires Serosh's death. Once the demigods are laid low during the Shattering and grace is given anew to the tarnished, Godfrey and his followers are brought back to life and called back to the Lands Between. When the player encounters Godrey in the game's penultimate boss fight, Godfrey is still kept in check by Serosh (in phantom form, because Serosh had been slain and was not tarnished, hence not resurrected in the flesh as Godfrey had been). Only after the player has defeated Godfrey/Serosh does he finally return to being Hoarah Loux in a) a last ditch effort to best the player and again become Elden Lord himself, or b) to ensure that the player is truly strong enough to bear the burden of lordship by defeating him at his full strength as Hoarah Loux. In any case, Serosh being in phantom form during phase one of the fight raises all kinds of interesting questions. In short, Godfrey is Godfrey as long as Serosh keeps him in check, whether he is the Elden Lord or not. Godfrey only 'regresses' back into Hoarah Loux when he breaks his pact with Serosh whilst fighting the player character. If his name/persona of Godfrey only applied while he was Elden Lord, he would have simply been called Hoarah Loux during his boss fight (because he was not Elden Lord at the time of the fight). This is further evidenced by the axe of Godfrey, which reads: "Weapon of Godfrey, Elden Lord. It was broken in a battle fought as leader of the Tarnished during the Long March. This weapon is symbolic of Godfrey's vow to conduct himself as a lord, later becoming an emblem of the golden lineage. In the days of the past, a crown was warranted with strength." Godfrey, as a Tarnished, still wielded the axe and led his people through battles during the Long March, despite having lost the title of Elden Lord to Radagon. Cast aside by Marika, Godfrey still held on to both his pact with Serosh and the principles he'd held during his reign as he helped establish the Golden Order's hegemony. There is no Axe of Hoarah Loux, because as we have seen Hoarah Loux solely uses brute strength and kinetic energy-- the old ways. 'In the days of the past, a crown was warranted with strength.' Godfrey returns to face the player character as Godfrey, subdued by Serosh's bite, and wielding his axe. His last act as Godfrey before killing Serosh is laying the Axe of Godfrey down for good. Godfrey/Hoarah Loux fit perfectly into Elden Ring's theme of dual identities. (Marika/Radagon, Miquella/St. Trina, Rani/Renna, Morgott/Margit, etc.) I could also argue that of the badlands/chiefdom period mentioned came before Godfrey was Elden Lord, but this comment is already plenty long. Regardless, I hope this seems like less of a nitpick, and more of an earnest effort to nail down the timeline of one of Elden Ring's most interesting characters. The hard work and dedication you put into your videos is evident, and greatly appreciated.

To this day after so many years of watching your videos, listening to them when I sleep. I'm still amazed at how good they are, truly my favourite souls(ring) lore youtuber. Great job man, all the best.

I think the remembrance of Hoarah Loux is also talking about you, the player. The long march is the game, he divests his name as Godfrey in his battle with you, explicitly. You end the real long march of the tarnished.

Something to maybe consider as well with the storm hawk king vs. The storm lord. In dark souls there was a distinction between Lord's and Kings. With those who held the title of Lord being at the apex of any hierarchy and having some significant role in the formation of the age of Fire (gwyn, WoI, Nito), age of dark (Lord of man), or age of hollows (the lord of hollows)

You have no idea how much this video completely 180'd my mood. Thanks.

Isn't nepheli not related by blood to godfrey ? My memory is blurry but i thought i recalled reading somewhere an implication saying that the name "loux" is the name taken by members of a clan of warriors within the tarnished, remember, hoarah is a chieftain... they are familly in spirit, not in blood. Which could be one of the reasons why there was no issue in Gideon "adopting" her and becoming a surrogate father. Ofc, i would need to find the source to really put it on the table, but i was wondering if you yourself had any confirmation that they are of the same blood.

And it looks like the first Elden Lord is going down, let’s see if Radagon puts up more of a- OH MY GOD PEOPLE, HERE COMES HOARAH LOUX WITH THE STEEL CHAIR

This inspires me to make many new characters based on the lore of the starting classes, more than the starting classes video did. Thank you

you are a masterful scholar. I find myself completely absorbed into all your videos, regardless of the topic. I find Godfrey to be the most tame part of Elden's lore, but I can't stop listening to what you have to teach us about him.

If you look at Gurranq during the boss fight he actually wields a Cinquedea of his own.

This is the one we've been waiting for. Godfrey, the first eldenchad!

Usually, I find the lore of from software games incredibly hard to follow, and scrolling through item descriptions isn’t how I enjoy stories(nothing wrong with it, it’s just not for me), but it’s always so well done and enthralling whenever I do catch a piece. Thank you for making such an amazing world and story more accessible

Fantastic as always, friend.

You know, I've always interpreted the line of "when the last worthy opponent fell, The hue from Lord Godfrey's eyes faded" as After that last battle, He more or less lost His will to will to live, a loss of purpose and meaning. I somewhat take the guidance of grace, much like hollowing from Dark Souls, to be much more literal and something internal rather than external.

I am here, ready for another lore goldmine, and - good lord - almost 2 hours of content. This is perfect!🎉 Thank you for the hard work!

Godfrey is one of my favorite characters in Elden Ring. Him being the pinnacle what it means to be Tarnished is such a great fight symbolically and in gameplay. However I always assumed Placidusax was already defeated and gone by the time Godfrey/Hoarah Loux was chosen by Marika to aid her in taming the Lands Between. Placidusax himself is never given the title of Stormlord or even having the castles and fortresses that come to bear the Storm name, and while I don't doubt that Placidusax could easily be given that title. Titles have a very clear level of importance within Elden Ring, for some characters they are introduced by title first and then the name follows with many continuing to use the titles rather than the name. Something else I thought was that Marika's rule began with the era of the Crucible where she waged war to crush opposition and bring the people and creatures under heel, and given the more warring nature of the Crucible Era, we know many societies stood against her at first. Well regardless, even the idea of Placidusax and Godfrey going head to head is an epic battle I wish we could see. I imagine that Godfrey himself didn't walk away unscathed given Placidusax's power. Something I do have trouble deciding is when was Godfrey forced to leave. Godfrey was pretty much Marika's ultimate weapon next to Maliketh and yet he is never mentioned having taking place in the battle with the sorcerers. In fact Marika seemed to want Radagon to handle the battles as he became the new champion by which most came to idolized. He isn't even mentioned when the dragons attack the capital, instead his son Godwyn is the one to be credited with victory and befriended a dragon. We know Marika had always planned for Godfrey and his warriors to return to the Lands Between and to take the Elden Ring. I think personally Godfrey left around some time after Radagon and Rennala married, but before the attack by the dragons. Godfrey's grace was taken when the last of his great enemies were defeated, but we don't exactly know what Godfrey would consider a worth opponent. Given his strength and barbarian nature, it is possible that he chose not to personally take his axe against Liurnia as he didn't think of them as worthy enemies or perhaps he was ordered not to since Marika would have Radagon take to the field and then marry Rennala.

Godfrey: Alas, I have returned to be granted audience once more! Me: Awesome! Go for it. Godfrey: I-wait, what? Me: Dude, you were the first Elden Lord, why would I wanna fight you when you totally deserve it most? You were and still are our king, without you Marika would have had nothing. Godfrey: *tears up* It’s nice being appreciated… Me: *hugs* I know Papa Bear, I know. Gideon: I too would like to- Me: Shut up ‘all knowing,’ don’t you have a daughter to fail? Gideon: Hey! She betrayed me! Me: Maybe you should find a good Albanauric woman and start over then huh? Gideon: …now you’re just being mean. Godfrey: I’m so confused.

Hey man been a bit since I watched you, you're doing freaking great keep it up chief ❤

Very nice including the small details especially the one about grace guiding Godfrey to us when we arrive. I didn’t think many people caught that.

Masterful work as always

This is your first video I’ve seen and I was blown away. I am very deep into the lore and you pointed out stuff I never thought about as well show items I’ve never known about. I thought I knew everything about this game. Instant subscriber.

banished knight armour and armaments can also be found in round table hold...in abundance. i believe the original purpose of the hold was for the banished knights as a sanctum, training and council chamber, knights of the round table style.

Seeing a lot of stuff from the Tarnished Archaeologist here. Glad to see he's made an impact.

I doubt it was the Crucible's emergence that kickstarted Marika's campaign to reach godhood. No life could have existed before the Crucible, (except the Elden Beast if we can call it that) it is primordial, wich means it's really really ancient, probably predates everything in the Lands Between except the Elden Beast ofcours. The Crucible is also referred to as the Crucible of Life and it's red tinged gold also said to be close in nature to life itself. So probably life emerged thanks to the crucible. There is no way Marik, Godfrey or even Placidusax predates that.

Wow, you blew my mind on several occasions right here. You made me realize so many things i didn't notice on many locations i have visited countless times. Castle Morne, Stormveil, Roundtable hold, our very beginning into this game as the Tarnished . This game is amazing, even IF this is all speculation, this wolrd seems so organic and rich with stories to tell. Excellent job of research and analysis, i love your channel ! Thank you Fromsoftware and Thank you SmoughTown

I sure would love to see the badlands once and learn what mighty foes could give godfrey a run for his axe. But i cant help but feel bad about striking down Godfrey since he is in a way the father of all tarnished (and cut dialogue suggest that he truly loved Marika and hoped to see her again)

LETSGOO, Been waiting on this one for days now! SmoughGeoff dropping yet another BANGER video :D

Damn bro u go so much deeper in the lore details than any other lore channels. Good work , Nice video.

1:30:40 the description of roderikas hood says Roderika NEVER saw the guidance of grace, that explains why she came here with cohorts while the guidance of grace brought us

Easily my favourite channel for lore. Unmatched in your strength truely

Perfect timing thank you! :) I need this for my flights tomorrow

I was eagerly awaiting this video as Godfrey/Horah Loux is by far my favorite character in ER! Tarnished Archeologist has gotta be the most interesting lore channel anywhere and is the one ER content channel where you just wind up learning a lot about the real world as well as Elden Ring. Anyone who likes Smough should probably watch Tarnished Archeologist as he has a great cadence and methodology and has an audible reverence for the clever level design- really happy to see them referenced so heavily in this lore vid, great stuff Smough

Time to start a new run through, love the documentaries man

Coming to YT and seeing that not only is there a new SmoughTown, but it's about Godfrey and is 100 minutes long? Oh hell yeah, about to settle in for this one!

In DS3 we are also fighting Storm dragon. It is pretty unusual in design for DS3, but aligns well with the depiction of the Storm King on crests of Stormveil

Just a nit-pick from me, when you call the vessel held by depictions of Marika and other statues an amphora, I believe it looks closer to an oenochoe or a protocorinthian jug. Those vessels are made for pouring, serving and offering liquids, whereas amphoras are more of a commercial vessel

So glad that you made another lore video.

Oh man, cant wait to watch this. Gonna save this gem for when I'm on my cleaning shift. Many thanks, Mr SmoughTown o/

Really enjoy your content bro, this game, its lore and world have hooked me completely.

Let’s go 🎉. Always love how easy you make all the information to understand and retain . Thank you for all your hard work and keep it up 💪🙏😁

Oh man, this is such an exciting video and glad it's finally here! I watch your vids quite a bit during cardio and they make the time fly lol. Godfrey, in particular, has to be one of my favorite characters not just because he's total beast as a warrior but also because he's one of the very few FromSoft characters who breaks with the norm of roasting the player but instead treating us with respect as a fellow Tarnished warrior worthy of being addressed with dignity. Hype!

I love Godfrey/Horah Loux. His legendary status and amazing feats are littered throughout our journey. We get tiny glimpses of how mighty he was. We go through the game fighting monsters, horrors, madmen and everything in between. Almost everyone treats us either as a tool or as a lesser being. And after all the fighting, when we finally arrive at His arena, the first thing we actually see of Godfrey with our own eyes, is him cradling his dying child/progeny in an act that shows empathy and maybe even love, which is almost unheard of in our journey. And the first thing he tells us is we should rest assured that the Elden Ring is close - which almost sounds like he's on our side. And then when we fight him, he has no elements, no status effects, no insanely delayed attacks, no long combos, no pseudo input reading, and in his second phase, it isn't even a duo fight. He fights us 1 on 1, in what can only be described as "honorable combat". He is not even condescending towards us during or after the fight. He is a Gigachad in lore, character, and actual gameplay. ❤

OOOO baby Smoughtown doing a lore breakdown on one of my favorite characters!!!

very cool video! thank you mate for your ongoing lore deep dives, it's been such a fun journey

The Long March reminds me of Xenophon's "Anabasis" of the Ten Thousand, who fought for a Lord and then had to march through a now hostile land until they reached the ships that would take them to safety. Perhaps a lot of the fighting took place inside the Lands Between as they were fleeing. Some did not make it to their ship and were enslaved.

3:20 When that heavenly Lyendell Capital music starts

Aw yeah bro, this is going to be a most illuminating insight into an individual incredibly important in inheriting insight into intertextual information.

Thank you so much for your hardwork! You make amazing lore videos

Another interesting connection is that Farum Azula is likely (at least partially) named for Farum Brigantium, aka The Tower of Hercules in Galicia, Spain. This Lighthouse not only has mythic connections to Hercules (whom is an obvious inspiration for Godfrey), but also toBreogán, a similar character in Irish Celtic mythology - another major influence on Elden Ring. Analyzing these stories may give us some more context on the history of Farum Azula & Godfrey

Love me a new SmoughTown drop, gotten me through many tedious work days.

The only movie night I need....an extra long Smough lore-dive.

I look at characters like Godfrey, Melania, and Radann, and I so badly wish that from the software would actually make a character-driven game where we get to play as the awesome characters instead of just an avatar. And I'm not just saying that because I dislike avatars Amazing work on the video Smough🥇

11:14 Nepheli’s questline in particular brings up a few questions about the rightful heritage of Stormveil: - The rulers of Stormveil would inevitably be the Golden Order after any such conquest, but the seat of the Golden Lineage would have to Leyndell, where Godrick planned to return as lord “bathed in rays of gold”, not Stormveil. - Since Godrick is a true born direct descendent of the Golden Lineage how could he not be the heir to Stormveil? Kenneth calls Godrick a usurper in Stormveil, and there is something about how Godrick only came to Stormveil after the shattering? How could Godrick be a false usurper unless Godfrey’s descendants weren’t the rightful rulers of Stormveil? - Loux could be a title or an adopted surname. - Gideon only offered guidance for the part of her life past the recall of the tarnished, and some time after that until he found her- the entire time before their exile and during exile she could have had someone else. - Nepheli doesn’t help us anywhere else except Godrick (which was upon instruction from Gideon) - not against any other demigod, or Morgott, or Fire Giant or even Gideon himself. Why would Nepheli Loux appear specifically to kill her “ascendant” Hoarah Loux and recognise you as Elden Lord over her actual father and, in all honesty, rightful Elden Lord. It’s just my theory but I believe Nepheli loux is not Godfreys descendant but shes the last descendant of the stormhawk clan that built Stormveil, of which lineage is the rightful by which Haight supports her claim to rule Stormveil. Not as a descendant of Godfrey - Godfrey was the cause of the terrible massacre she described witnessing as a child whilst he was still untamed by Serosh, her father could’ve been the lone revenger of Castle Morne. I think the answer to the real identity and proper lineage of the Storm is in the Death Lightning description: “ Incantation that channels the power of the ancient dragon Fortissax, now corrupted by Death. Strikes surroundings with a *storm* of Death lightning. Inflicts Death blight upon foes. Charging extends duration of the *storm*. **It said that this golden lightning was wielded by Godwyn**, who befriended Fortissax.“” This golden lightning, which was Godwyn’s trademark is seen wielded by the oldest remnants of the Stormveil culture for example, Commamder Niall and the weapon art in the Stormhawk Axe and is seen even in the “heart of the storm” in Placidusax’s Arena. Going back to Nepheli, the first time you meet her she’s standing over a banished knight with this dialogue: “Be proud. You were a fine warrior. **Your only mistake was your choice of master**. Let the winds lift you, to a higher place.” This further reinforces Godricks illegitimacy because the original allegiance of banished knights served the Storm Lord and Niall being their commander, manifesting golden lightning, and all the evidence in Castle Sol implicate Godwyn the most with their armor containing dragon symbolism and thorns which Godwyn is associated it with judging from him founding the dragon cult and the Marred Leather Shield. Godrick refers to the dragon as a “trueborn heir” and in the Deeproot Depths, the Finger Reader Crone refers to him as “Lord Godwyn - a Scion of the Golden *bough*” The word bough translates to a main part of a tree or in this case “true lineage”. In the Japanese text, the same npc calls Godwyn the “Prince of Gold”, The true heir to the Seat of the Sun aka Farum Azula(evidence being Destined Death being sealed there, all the skeletal Beastmen using the Sun Realm Shield, and of course the Sun being constantly present.) Godwyn was also the founder of the ancient dragon cult which, judging from the prayer book with the oldest dragon cult incantations being found in Farum Azula with the presence of Deathroot, began there. It reads: Ancient Dragon book Prayerbook - “Prayerbook of the capital's ancient dragon cult. **A lost tome that never reached the Lands Between**. Contains red lightning incantations.” It’s also strange that Godfrey is not mentioned once to have participated in the War with the Ancient Dragons with the Sword Monument detailing the routing of the Ancient Dragons being the only one not referred to as a “Defense of Leyndell”. Read these texts: - (Veteran's Armor) “Old armor that has seen many battles. Niall was a lone survivor who commanded spirits to defend his long-passed master. This aging general could not die, nor did he have anywhere to fade away.” - (Veteran’s Prosthesis) “Bladed prosthetic leg enwreathed with the power of lightning, instead attached to the fist. Commander Niall, veteran of Castle Sol, offered this prosthesis in exchange for the lives of defeated knights held prisoner. He went on to lead these men as an army of no nation.” - (Oleg Ashes) One of the two knights known as the Wings of the Storm. After his banishment, he attracted the notice of the Grace-Given Lord and later, having slain a hundred traitors as the Lord's hand, Oleg earned the hero's honor of Erdtree Burial - (Engvall Ashes) One of the two knights dubbed the Wings of the Storm. Despite his banishment, he rejected the invitation of the Grace-Given Lord, instead keeping watch over a masterless castle for many years, gaining renown as a hero of the fringes” Given that Godwyn is the only demigod that fits the description of “long passed”, founded the dragon cult, all the evidence in Castle Sol, and wielded the same Lightning as Niall who lead the banished knights, Who else would Niall and the banished knights originally have had an allegiance to? I’d highly recommend Tarnished’s Archeologists video on Godfrey and the crucible. It shows there is strong evidence that he was not the original master of the Fortified Manor, meaning the Stormveil Architecture had to have been made before his time. Speaking of Stormveil, a lot of people claim that the damage is due to dragons or meteors but the damage or “mottling” seen externally on Stormveil, can be seen internally that tangibly couldn’t have come from the outside. This suggests that Godwyn’s curse(weird skybox in Fortissax bossfight) is manifesting itself on the castle. Mottling is a heavy theme with Godwyn because mottling is what happens to a body before death and usually occurs during the final week of life, although in some cases it can occur earlier. All of this should you believe it paints a picture of Godwyn as the Storm Lord with the Stormhawk king being his regent similar to Serosh and his title of “Lord of Beasts”. Nepheli’s dialogue of “first hawk” and the Stormhawk king heeding summons to anyone reinforces this. I also believe this is why you start to see a storm weather again in the Duskborn ending, because Godwyn has been resurrected.

Another fantastic video! I found TA in the first place due to you so I was expecting a lot of references to their work in this video and I wasn’t disappointed!

I have a bit to expand upon. The War of the Dragons likely did happen during Godfrey’s reign and it’s said to have been the only time Leyndell was ever nearly fully routed because Gransax was wrecking house. But Godwyn the Golden and Fortisaxx had an encounter that left Fortisaxx and the other dragons not only on peaceful terms with Leyndell but fully willing to become part of Leyndell. Lansseax became a priestess who helped found the Cult of the Dragon as “The worship of the ancient dragons does not conflict with belief in the Erdtree. After all, this seal, and lightning itself, are both imbued with gold.”-Gravel Stone Seal. However Gransax was struck down in battle after the dragons were routed by Godfrey but out of respect for such a powerful enemy and in respect for their new ties they enshrined him and his weapon within their walls. This isn’t like 100% factually what must have happened but judging by the lore we have it had to have occurred while Godwyn was still alive and before the golden order. Fortisaxx became Godwyns closest and most loyal friend and even corrupted himself in an effort to fight back death upon Godwyn. But most of all Ancient Dragons respect strength above all else, they are vain creatures and can’t turn down a challenge once made. But that doesn’t always mean physical strength, it was Godwyns strength of character that was likely made peace possible between them.

I kinda want someone to make a lore video about the appearance presets the draconian, nightfolk and numen respectively

I live the idea of grace in this game. Not just that it is a source of continued life in game but the fact that it's a metaphor for having purpose in real life is a source of vitality and strength to continue and endure.

Always turn notifications on for these videos.

woooowww, I was blown away once more by the quality of your work, words and images choosen so perfectly!

Horah Loux defeats a hard enemy/rival/adversary Let's it live on, becomes its friend or adopts it into his group He is a Shonen Anime protagonist confirmed

I don't think the banished knights served Placidusax. They use dragon communion incantations not dragon cult incantations, if they served Placidusax and the Ancient Dragons, they would use some short of red lightning incantations like the beastmen from Farum Azula. Instead they only use dragon communion, wind and ice storm attacks for what I remember. Their presence in Farum Azula is most likelly associated with their admiration for the dragons, like is common between dragon communion members, I think they are more related to Castle Morne, Stormveil and the The Stormhawk King.

You’ve been helping me go to sleep with these videos. Much appreciated for the hard work and depth of these videos. Keep it up!

Godfrey is possibly my favourite character in the game alongside Radahn, Fortissax, Vyke, Nepheli and Maliketh. I love the contrast in his personality when he’s this regal Elden Lord and when he’s a simple warrior, shown in his bossfight as well as his boss themes and that there’s so much to discover about his character and anything that links with him like Serosh or the Crucible Knights. Not only that but his bossfight is easily my pick for the best in the game if not in all of souls-like

Y’know the more I hear about how the tarnished were treated the more I ask why TF would I want to help the greater will or the erdtree or the golden order or the majority of the people of the lands between.

Godfrey is one of my all time favorite characters in Elden Ring, along side Malenia, Radahn, Alexander, Patches, Boggart, Zorayas, and Melina.

I love these videos. Your deep dives into the lore and the way you share and build on theories with other creators is awesome. Plus, it makes work go by much quicker when I have awesome Elden Ring content to listen to. Thanks for always bringing us such in-depth research.

Every time I watch one of your videos I find a better way to articulate the complex array of stuff we see in this world. Great work, yet again!

Looking closer at Serosh, there's a lot of similarities to Maliketh. The hair and armor for sure. The Two Fingers could have based Maliketh on him.

One thing I’ve never been clear on: do Marika’s statues in her churches all show her in a hanging position because they were built after her imprisonment in the Erdtree, or did she just hang around like that in the past often enough to inspire that carved position, as well? 🤔

Excellent video as always. I really had never truly considered the nature of the tarnished, and it’s amazing that Godfrey had such a selection of warriors with him. Numen, draconian, and even the ancestors of the night folk whom I think are the mimics

Can you do a video or short of some kind of Bernahl? I find him quite interesting. His cape seems to indicate he used to fight for Godfrey, his beast armour seems to indicate he had some link to the age prior to the Erdtree, and the stones draped over his back are reticent of the Carian knights. We also encounter him in service to Rykard, obviously. We know of Rykard and Ranni’s pact, so the last two make sense, but the previous evidence shows his allegiance to be much older and more fluid. It just seems to me he’s a knight of little loyalty who seeks any power he can cling to.