Dragon Slayer Ornstein is a character and boss in Dark Souls and a mentioned character in Dark Souls III.
Lore[]
The golden lion armor of Ornstein.
Ornstein is one of the knights at the service of Lord of Sunlight, and one of those who took part in his Lord's war against the Dragons.[1] He wore a golden armor made to resemble a lion,[2] and wielded a great cross spear which, combined with its wielder's great strength, could bury itself deep within a dragon's hide, piercing their stone scales; and send mere human flying.[1][3] Both his armor and his weapon were imbued with the power of lightning to be effective against dragons.[1][2]
During the war against the dragons Ornstein fought valiantly together with Gwyn's firstborn son,[4] obtaining the title of "Dragon Slayer Knight" and becoming one of Gwyn's most trusted knights.[5] Once his Lord won the war, exterminating the ancient dragons and conquering the world,[6] Ornstein, along with Artorias, Ciaran and Gough, became part of the Four Knights of Gwyn as their captain.[2] As a symbol of his association with the order he gained a magical ring with the lion symbol, which strengthened counter attacks with thrust weapons,[3] making his fighting style with his cross spear more effective.
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The tale of Gwyn's firstborn, Ornstein, and the brave dragonslayers who served them both.
Ornstein would also become the first knight of Gwyn's firstborn, having accompanied him during the war against dragons.[4][7] The story of the battles of Ornstein, Gwyn's unnamed firstborn son, and the dragonslayers in their service, were manifested as miracles of war; these were taught to the Warriors of Sunlight, a group of knights that had joined in covenant with the god of war and heir of Gwyn.[4][8][9]
At some point after Gwyn linked the First Flame and Gwyn's firstborn son was dethroned and exiled,[10] nearly all of the deities abandoned Anor Londo and moved to an unknown location.[11] Ornstein seemingly remained in the forsaken city alongside Executioner Smough to guard the cathedral where Gwynevere, the Princess of Sunlight resided.[5]
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The Leo Ring of Ornstein.
Together, these two powerful warriors would become the last ritual challenge before a Chosen Undead could be rewarded with the Lordvessel.[12] Only after a lethal and lengthy trial, which involved ringing the Bells of Awakening and surviving Sen's Fortress,[13] could the Chosen Undead be granted entry into the city of the gods. Here, guarding the chambers of Gwynevere, Ornstein waited alongside Smough, and oversaw those seeking an audience with the Princess of Sunlight.[14] However, after centuries of waiting for the Chosen Undead without success, Ornstein grew tired of his duty, and left the cathedral under his companion's watch, to search for the Nameless King,[15] while leaving behind the ring that symbolized his membership in the Four Knights of Gwyn.[7] Ornstein's ring was preserved as a relic by Dark Sun Gwyndolin[16] and protected in his manor when Irithyll of the Boreal Valley rose from the ruins of Anor Londo.[17]
Theories[]
- It is possible to theorize that the Ornstein faced by the Chosen Undead in Dark Souls is merely a golem animated by its powerful soul. If so, after abandoning his duty to search for the Nameless King,[15] Ornstein left his Leo Ring behind, which remained in Gwyndolin's custody,[17] implying the renunciation of his title. Furthermore, there is precedent to strong beings' essence being used to power great golems, in the form of the Iron Golem.[18]
Artifacts[]
- Ornstein's Set
- Dragonslayer Set
- Dragonslayer Spear
- Dragonslayer Spear (Dark Souls III)
- Sacred Oath
- Sacred Oath (Dark Souls III)
- Soul of Ornstein
- Leo Ring
- Leo Ring (Dark Souls III)
Trivia[]
- Ornstein seems to hold a consistent presence across all three Dark Souls games in some form or another:
- He appears as a boss alongside Smough in Dark Souls.
- The Old Dragonslayer is a boss in Dark Souls II that dons a black version of Ornstein's armor and utilizes dark magic. Whether the Dragonslayer is Ornstein himself or an impostor is unknown.
- The Dragonslayer Armour is noticeably inspired by Ornstein; aside from visual similarities between the two (including both possessing a red plume), the Dragonslayer Armour utilizes lightning in some of its attacks. It is also revealed in the Dragonslayer Set description that Ornstein left Anor Londo in search of the Nameless King.
- Ornstein's name, alongside the Leo Ring, are homages to Russian-American composer, Leo Ornstein, an experimental composer of the early 20th century.
- Ornstein's data names in Dark Souls are
"Griffith"and"Griffith_large", addressing his first and second boss fight phases, respectively. It is possibly a reference to the character Griffith, from the anime/manga series Berserk, which was a source of inspiration throughout the development of the series.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dragonslayer Spear description.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ornstein's Set description.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Leo Ring description.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sacred Oath (Dark Souls III) description.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Soul of Ornstein description.
- ↑ Opening (Dark Souls) narration.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Leo Ring (Dark Souls III) description.
- ↑ Sacred Oath#Availability
- ↑ Sunlight Medal description.
- ↑ Soul of the Nameless King and Lightning Storm and Golden Crown and Ring of the Sun's Firstborn description.
- ↑ Ring of the Sun Princess and Darkmoon Seance Ring description.
- ↑ Kingseeker Frampt dialogue.
- ↑ Bells of Awakening#Plot
- ↑ Darkmoon Knightess dialogue.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Dragonslayer Set description.
- ↑ Silver Knight Shield (Dark Souls III) description.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Leo Ring (Dark Souls III)#Availability
- ↑ Core of an Iron Golem and Dragon Bone Fist description.