Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-99.120.249.161-20140404041838/@comment-4511886-20150719214929

80.43.94.207 wrote: I thought one of the devs said the Old Dragonslayer was put in as a throwback? I can't remember where I heard it so don't just take my word for it, but it seems a more likely explanation than anything else to me. That would explain the reason he's in the game. It doesn't hold up as a lore reason though.

I like to think that the Old Dragonslayer comes from another timeline where Ornstein either was corrupted by the Dark, or simply used it instead of lightning, and where he didn't fall to the Chosen Undead. In that case, the "Old" part of the boss and ring would refer to the actual age of Ornstein.

The alternative I see is that there was a line of warriors inspired by him, which would explain how the ring managed to get all the way to Drangleic. The latter works better if you believe the whole "Anor Londo Ornstein is an illusion" theory, which I personally don't buy into.