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Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight

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"Magnificent... Thou hast filled the Lordvessel. Indeed, a worthy successor, thou shalt be. My patience was not for nil... I beg of thee. Succeed Lord Gwyn, and inheriteth the world's Fire. We have only thee."
— Gwynevere

Gwynevere (グウィネヴィア), Princess of Sunlight, also known as Gwynevere, Queen of Sunlight, is a character in Dark Souls, serving as the leader of the Princess's Guard covenant. She is also a mentioned character in Dark Souls III.

She is voiced by Clare Corbett, who also voiced the Undead Female Merchant and Crossbreed Priscilla.

Appearance

Gwynevere appears in the form of a gigantic, fair lady with red hair and a kind face. A light shines brightly behind Gwynevere's figure. She is dressed in white cloth and rests on a cushion underneath her arm.

Location

Gwynevere is located in Anor Londo, in a room above the hall where Ornstein and Smough battle the Chosen Undead, behind the door with the bonfire in front of it.

Plot

Upon meeting with Gwynevere for the first time, she grants the player the Lordvessel, which enables the ability to warp between most bonfires. Gwynevere can also initiate players into the Princess's Guard covenant.

Killing Gwynevere, which requires a single hit with any attack, will reveal that she is an illusion created by Gwyndolin. Gwyndolin then removes the rest of his enchantment, causing the sun to permanently set in Anor Londo. In addition, any player that darkens Anor Londo will become more susceptible to Blade of the Darkmoon invasions when human. All deaths within Anor Londo will return the player to the first Bonfire in Anor Londo by the Darkmoon Knightess, regardless of the last bonfire used. In addition, all regular enemies will vanish, except Painting Guardians, a few Silver Knights and two new hostile characters.

Lore

Dark Souls

Bountiful Sunlight (DSIII)

The healing sunlight miracle of Gwynevere.

Gwynevere is the first daughter of Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight and one of the deities who resided in Anor Londo during the Age of Fire.[1] She was worshipped by the humans as the "goddess of sunlight" and a symbol of bounty and fertility, while she was also cherished by all the other gods.[2][3] As a goddess of sunlight, her miracles of Bountiful Sunlight and Soothing Sunlight were able to convey the sun's rays to heal, a blessing she granted to many warriors.[2][3][4] She also taught her miracles to her maidens and created holy water with healing properties thanks to her light.[2][5] Gwynevere was venerated in a church alongside the main cathedral of Anor Londo; the structure was also used to contain the Painted World of Ariamis, protected by the Painting Guardians.[6][7]

After her father Gwyn linked the First Flame,[8] his throne passed to his firstborn son who, in a betrayal of his father's legacy, chose to ally with the dragons, the ancient enemies of the gods, and was therefore dethroned, exiled and his name eradicated from history.[9] She abandoned Anor Londo along with most other deities and moved to an unknown location. Sometime after her departure she married Flame God Flann.[1]

Gwynevere Full Body

The illusion of Gwynevere inside Anor Londo.

Following her exodus, the only deity left to protect Anor Londo was her younger brother Dark Sun Gwyndolin.[10] However, he was more than aware of his fragile, repulsive appearance and was psychologically unfit to become the next ruler, still playing the feminine role imposed on him by his father Gwyn.[11] For this reason, Gwyndolin created an illusion of Gwynevere to help him maintain some semblance of divinity and control over the ancient capital.[12] Over time this illusion of the goddess would become a key component in the system that sought a worthy champion to link the First Flame, serving to guide and manipulate potential Chosen Undead, with Kingseeker Frampt imploring them to journey to Anor Londo and seek an audience with the Princess.[13][14] The false goddess would welcome the Undead after they defeated Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough, the cathedral guardians, proving that they were strong enough to fulfill their destiny.[14][15] Gwynevere's illusion would reward them with her divine presence as well as the Lordvessel needed to reach the Kiln of the First Flame, and beseech them succeed Gwyn and link the fading Flame.[14]

The illusion of the goddess would also be used to induct willing Undead into its covenant of the Princess's Guard, upon whom her healing miracles would be bestowed, in their service as a line of defense against those trespassing on the holy presence of their "Princess".[1][5]

Dark Souls II

At some point Gwynevere and her followers reached Drangleic and began creating holy water blessed with her light and healing powers again, artifacts that remain in the region even centuries after the collapse of Vendrick's kingdom.[16]

In Lindelt, a "sacred land" known for its clerics and miracles,[17] her miracles of Bountiful Sunlight and Soothing Sunlight were preserved by the Lindelt Monastery, after they were passed down through the ages and became their property.[18] In addition, the ruling house of Osteria is in possession of a ring depicting the sun and with the same healing powers as the rings of Gwynevere,[19] and it is said that as long as House Osteria remains in possession of the ring the peace and security of its people would be assured.[20] Despite this, the goddess seems to have abandoned the region since time immemorial, as her name has been forgotten and the Magic Academy of Melfia even goes so far as to deny that she ever existed.[21]

Dark Souls III

Irithyll Gwynevere Statue

A statue of Gwynevere inside Irithyll.

At some point in time, after her younger brother Dark Sun Gwyndolin assumed the title of "Chief Deity"[22] and built Irithyll of the Boreal Valley on the ruins of Anor Londo to house the descendants of the gods,[23][24] she returned to her ancient home.[25] Here the goddess was venerated with multiple statues displayed throughout the city[26] and became the progenitor of several children with royal blood such as Rosaria, Mother of Rebirth[27] and the Dancer of the Boreal Valley.[23][28] The goddess would return to her quarters in the old cathedral of Anor Londo,[25] protected by the remaining Silver Knights who had once protected her illusion and whose shields she would once again bless.[29][30] Eventually she also left Irithyll, leaving her Sun Princess Ring behind.[25]

Sometime later, Gwynevere reached Lothric and became the queen of the kingdom, marrying into the bloodline of its monarchs.[31][32] The goddess resumed her role as a divinity, producing holy water with healing properties and being worshipped by humans as a symbol of fertility and bounty.[31] Her "angelic daughter" Gertrude also became her holy maiden and her healing miracles were taught to her personal knights.[33] During the long tradition of supporting the linking of the Flame by the kingdom of Lothric, the goddess alone cared for the Cemetery of Ash, the resting place for the Unkindled, beings who had failed to link the flame and whose graves saw no visitors.[34]

Divine Blessing (DSIII)

The holy water produced by Gwynevere in Lothric.

She eventually became wife to King Oceiros, the last monarch of Lothric, and supported the kingdom's desire to produce an heir worthy of linking the First Flame,[31][35] giving birth first to Elder Prince Lorian, raised to become a knight,[36] and Younger Prince Lothric, expected to become a "champion" and sacrifice himself to the Flame.[35][37] However, when Prince Lothric and his brother refused to link the fading Flame and they chose to wait out the end of the Age of Fire,[38] King Oceiros went mad in his attempt to produce an heir worthy of their sacrificial destiny. The king discovered the heretical faith of the paledrake Seath among the scholars of the Grand Archives and became convinced that a crossbreed heir would have the strength to link the Flame.[39][40] Oceiros eventually became a deformed humanoid dragon[41] and with him the queen had her youngest child, Ocelotte. After producing the potential champion, Gwynevere quietly disappeared from the kingdom of Lothric.[31][32] Realizing that the Flame would soon go out and it would be necessary to bring back even the Unkindled to search for a new champion, the queen enshrined her ring in the Cemetery of Untended Graves, so that one day an Unkindled might profit from its use.[42]

In the final days of Lothric, the citizens of the kingdom forgot even the miracles of the goddess of sunlight, and ended up recounting childish but earnest stories to try to recall her blessings and the back of her figure, as the last image of their queen before she left.[32]

Artifacts

Character information

Health and souls

Health Souls
NG NG+ NG NG+
2 3 0 0

Defenses

Physical Defenses Elemental Defenses Resistances
Regular Defense Strike Defense Slash Defense Thrust Defense Magic Defense Fire Defense Lightning Defense Poison Toxic Bleed
135 135 135 135 110 96 101 S S S

These stats are sourced from FuturePress's Official Dark Souls Strategy Guide.


Dialogue

Trivia

  • "Gwynevere" is an English version of the French name "Guinevere", which is a version of the Welsh name "Gwenhwyfar" which translates from Welsh as "White Phantom".
  • According to the Arthurian Legend, Guinevere was the queen of Britain and was married to King Arthur. Her portrayal in literature has ranged from villainous and traitorous to a virtuous and noble woman.

Gallery

Videos

Gwynevere_Unused_Animations-0

Gwynevere Unused Animations-0

Music

Dark Souls — Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight by Motoi Sakuraba

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ring of the Sun Princess description.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Divine Blessing description.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Soothing Sunlight description.
  4. ↑ Bountiful Sunlight description.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Soothing Sunlight#Availability and Bountiful Sunlight#Availability
  6. ↑ File:Gwynevere_Statue_Anor_Londo.png
  7. ↑ Painting Guardian#Location
  8. ↑ Kingseeker Frampt dialogue.
  9. ↑ Soul of the Nameless King and Lightning Storm and Golden Crown and Ring of the Sun's Firstborn description.
  10. ↑ Darkmoon Seance Ring description.
  11. ↑ Dark Sun Gwyndolin dialogue and Reversal Ring description.
  12. ↑ Darkmoon Blade Covenant Ring description.
  13. ↑ Kingseeker Frampt dialogue.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight dialogue.
  15. ↑ Lordvessel description.
  16. ↑ Divine Blessing (Dark Souls II)#Availability
  17. ↑ Archdrake Staff description.
  18. ↑ Bountiful Sunlight (Dark Souls II) and Soothing Sunlight (Dark Souls II) descriptions.
  19. ↑ Ring of Restoration#Effect and Sun Princess Ring#Effect
  20. ↑ Ring of Restoration appearance and description.
  21. ↑ Divine Blessing (Dark Souls II) description.
  22. ↑ Soul of Pontiff Sulyvahn description.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Dancer's Crown description.
  24. ↑ Greirat of the Undead Settlement dialogue.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Sun Princess Ring#Availability
  26. ↑ https://darksouls.fandom.com/wiki/File:Irithyll_Gwynevere_Statue.png
  27. ↑ Soul of Rosaria and Bountiful Sunlight (Dark Souls III)#Availability
  28. ↑ Soul of the Dancer and Soothing Sunlight (Dark Souls III)#Availability
  29. ↑ Silver Knight Shield (Dark Souls III) description.
  30. ↑ Silver Knight (Dark Souls III)#Locations
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 Divine Blessing (Dark Souls III) description.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Projected Heal description.
  33. ↑ Divine Pillars of Light and Bountiful Light descriptions.
  34. ↑ Hidden Blessing description.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Cinders of a Lord description.
  36. ↑ Lorian's Armor description.
  37. ↑ Lothric's Holy Sword description.
  38. ↑ Soul of the Twin Princes description.
  39. ↑ Soul of Consumed Oceiros description.
  40. ↑ Oceiros, the Consumed King dialogue.
  41. ↑ Oceiros, the Consumed King appearance.
  42. ↑ Ashen Estus Ring description and Opening (Dark Souls III) narration.
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