Elden Ring - What killed this giant dragon?

[@ZullietheWitch]

I had many viewers asking about this after the initial video where I measured the drake's corpse, and then recently I saw another comment asking about it, which reminded me I hadn't gotten around to doing a video for it. It feels like it would've been fairly easy to paint a convincing narrative about some of the possibilities, and even strongly push some of them as the most likely, but with how much speculation factors into how players are meant to engage with FromSoftware's storytelling, I think it's fair sometimes to acknowledge when they probably didn't intend for the player to be able to confidently settle on a single answer.

[@cowhale2488]

I love that they leave many things open-ended. Fromsoftware knows that nothing is more exciting than a good mystery. Dark Souls 1 still to this day has many unanswered questions and that's completely intentional. It's fun to speculate on them tough. I would have loved to see the size of the hornsent giants in Shadow Keep compared to the sword or the other giants. Don't know how big they are compared to the colossal skeletons but they could be late relatives to them.

[@R_B_Taylor]

The giant in the throne underground in the Siofra? area would fit the sword

[@arfrados4553]

The dragon name could be the name of the red flower area? Cuz the red flowers of the area could be his blood in the form of arteria leaf's. And my theory is that maybe Marika made an accord with bayle to fight placidusax who made the dragon communion attack his brethren, and bayle helped her attack the giants who most likely was a dragon consuming community.

[@schmendrick6536]

A small detail, and potentially unimportant, but at 3:06 , what if you have the giant unknown sword upside down? The pointed end you have facing downwards actually being the tip of the sword, and the flat bit at the top being where the blade had broken off from the rest of the sword inside the dragon's skull? It would make sense that we can't see the handle anywhere and that the other end of the blade is missing if the handle had somehow been snapped off the blade. If you look at the positioning of the blade when it's connected to the dragon, it even makes perfect sense that the sword had been defensively stabbed into the dragon's throat and through its neck as the dragon lunged to bite someone, leaving the hand of the wielder potentially in the dragon's mouth and incidentally snapping the blade in an effort to get it free or as the dragon fell limp.

[@cowhale2488]

@@arfrados4553 I also considered the idea of the dragon being named Charo but there's practically nothing pointing to that apart from the fact that that area is close to dragons and dragon blood and dragon hunter blood is tied to flowers

[@Tigercomplex]

Given the ancient dragons' beef with the drakes and that Gransax is large enough to wield a sword like that (and possessed a spear even larger than that), I think it's most likely an ancient dragon killed it, but not Gransax. There's nothing else tying him to this area. Instead I think it might have been the Priestess/Florissax, before she took on a human form. She's standing right there anyway, and maybe that drake happened to be the first one killed, so she changed form to teach dragon communion to humans. Or maybe not, it could still be a completely unnamed and unseen actor.

[@jjjoaiii]

Also this giant stone could be fulgurite, as a dragon could have stricken the drake with a lightning.

[@unterhau1102]

​@@jjjoaiii stroked⁉️⁉️⁉️

[@Darkpentagrams]

I was thinking that too, and the fact that she is the one telling us the Dragon Communion was sanctioned by Placidusax and an altar was made here it's likely that it might have been the first shrine of dragon communion, she slew the drake, and ate its heart in front of humans and told them that their Elden Lord has sanctioned the hunt for drakes for their treachery and that she could teach them this knowledge thus beginning the practice of dragon communion for humans. Right on Bayle's doorstep too so it's likely an answer to Placidusax's wounding, he wouldn't attempt a second battle for its risk but considered Bayle weakened enough that he didn't need to send more of his loyal dragons to die for that now that the enemy was contained, Bayle seemingly never going far from his lair except to drop Igon from the skies back down

[@Kronyx-k3r]

@@jjjoaiii i think the word you were looking for is stricken

[@strcmdrbookwyrm]

@@Darkpentagrams Assuming this is true, I'd like to think the heart was shared among a group of people rather than just eaten by one. They could have divided it up as a sort of covenant, and then the heart-eating gradually morphed with time.

[@Blu_Zircon_Harvey]

‘Tarnishing of metal can bring out its strength’ seems like a fitting moral for the base game story

[@theghosty99]

Yep. In contrast to how "purifying" it actually makes it weaker: Marika pulled the (red) rune of death out of the elden ring, and the rose gold of the crucible became the white gold of the golden order.

[@jashloseher578]

Makes me think of that scene from The Two Towers, where Aragorn inspects the ancient sword one of the young men was mustered with. That sword has outlasted so many years of battle and yet it persists. Ugly as it is, it was made exceptionally well, and still carries its strength forward. Tarnished it may be, but it is a good blade.

[@Wimbleknob]

​@@theghosty99 yo is that a Quelaag reference??

[@eddyh5]

@@jashloseher578 He was lying to make the kid feel better lol.

[@enokdnb7388]

Sometimes, just as a thing falls to pieces, it unleashes its last flash of great power... Ah, these tiny references to DS2 warm me (:

[@saulgoneman]

The Ancient Dragons started Dragon Communion, and this corpse became the site of the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion, so they seem the most likely candidate to me

[@johnsmiley4215]

Could be the giant drake was killed and that's part of why Bayle lost his shit and attacked

[@khajiitimanus7432]

Makes sense. Another comment said that the material appears similar to fulgurite, which is formed when lightning strikes sand - even if it's not "fulgurite," and instead "verdigris." If that material _is_ verdigris, and if it is partially inspired by fulgurite, then perhaps the ancient dragons invented the material entirely. Neat little idea, maybe. Unrelated, but I wonder how the Fire Giants potentially obtained it, then. Because there is some truth to the placement of the studs on the Verdigris Talisman - it does resemble the Fell God's eye. Further, that big plate wielded by the Fire Giant boss does also look remarkably similar to verdigris. Maybe it's not verdigris, but the similarity is striking. It's not impossible that the Fire Giants traded with the ancient dragons at one point - if we go with the idea that the ancient dragons potentially invented verdigris. The fire giants certainly have their own culture, and the first glintstone sorcerers - the astrologers - were on notably good terms. Not a whole lot of evidence to support that the Fire Giants were often friendly with the dragons, but neither is there too much evidence to suggest they were enemies - it's simply... possible.

[@EldestOrion]

It would be pretty wicked if we got not only Ancient Dragon Spears, Ancient Dragon Glaives, but also a possible look at an Ancient Dragon Greatsword

[@mordvargr1523]

Plus the dragon communion harpoons

[@angeltzepesh1]

​@@johnsmiley4215i think it's mentioned that dragon communion started after Bayle's attack, so most likely the drake got killed after

[@SRFriso94]

The texture of the sword does resemble that of a fulgurite, which occure in nature when sand is struck by lightning. These can be green-ish, depending on the chemical composition of the sand they strike. So the idea that the Ancient Dragons were the ones who struck this drake down, it does have some merit.

[@autruff18]

Im already imagining gransax or other colossal dragon using lightning greased pocket sand 😂

[@captain02rex]

might it have something to do with gransax bolt? Maybe he struck the drake down and for some reason it formed this thing? maybe there was a sandstorm and the lightning attracted the sand particles in the air?

[@dogofwarr]

​@@autruff18most dangerous technique in the lands between

[@strcmdrbookwyrm]

@@captain02rex Maybe that's how it was made. A dragon found that their lightning had created this blade, and decided to use it as a weapon.

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

its not just sand that can form fulgurite but pretty much any kind of soil, including *gravel* given that gravel stone is said to be the scales of ancient dragons in thsi setting, i think its possible that this skull-piercing rod might be an oversized version of one of Igon's harpoons, struck by lightning.

[@gerardomartinez5400]

Love the "So the drake's killer evades justice for another day" at the end 🤣

[@nightscout9979]

If they turned into a Magma Wyrm, they might have faced justice already.

[@ゼロシン]

Not impossible given how regularly we see magma wymrms

[@MrDESACA]

ER Noir: Zulie edition

[@vindikaktus]

Lester Freamon working on a wiretap as we speak

[@realkingofantarctica]

My theory is that the drake found a really cool sword-shaped rock on the side of the road and, naturally, started playing with it, only to somehow suffer a freak accident wherein they accidentally impaled themself through the head.

[@azaroarazenka]

many such cases

[@TREVORVADER]

That’s pretty relatable

[@godly_potatoe69xd19]

And then some Random guys were like “huh, might as well take and eat its heart!”

[@itsukarine]

@@godly_potatoe69xd19 roadkill!!

[@gwyndolinds-en8yt]

I did that once with a metal locker

[@VictorIV0310]

The inabillity to find adequate living space in the realm of shadow, causing it to impale its own neck on a nearby cliff spike, Griffith style.

[@mb2001]

It always comes back to Berserk, huh?

[@Beefonweck]

Its pretty clearly a sword. You can see the tang where the grip rotted away.

[@yasu7409]

spoilers LMAO

[@AMabud-lv7hy]

GRIFFIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@genghiskhan6809]

*insert incoherent screeching over the mere mention of Griffith’s name here

[@nerugiganon]

Love the use of the Gerudo Town music since in BOTW that's where you get the quest to find and photograph the colossal ancient sword in the mountains

[@catguythe3rd758]

It’s a neat coincidence but Zullie uses this music for lots of other videos. I’m not sure they had this in mind.

[@CelestialDraconis]

​@@catguythe3rd758 Sure, but she's done this sort of thing before, like using 'Inside the Deku Tree' for the "Giant spiders with human faces" Bloodborne video she made, which is a track from Zelda Ocarina of Time that plays during the level with giant spiders. I reckon of all the songs she could've chosen, this was a deliberate choice.

[@sigilyph_with_a_gun1184]

What killed the giant dragons? THE ICE AGE!

[@AuntBibby]

ice to meet u batman!!!

[@maxthepaladin2147]

Let's chill

[@insaincaldo]

Hmm.. just watched that movie with a friend, a day ago.

[@austin.luther]

CHILL! CHILL! CHILL!

[@Snacks256]

Cool party! 👍

[@Nightmare-pj4fg]

4:44 All Elden Ring lore in a nutshell

[@Jonas-ox7eo]

The idea of a sword wielding ancient dragon is among the coolest shit I've heard of in Elden Ring so far

[@portalmanHUN]

I mean Gransax had a weapon so it's not unheard of

[@Darkprosper]

Also Adula in the main game uses a sorcery that summons a giant sword, like a Carian sorcery.

[@nightscout9979]

@@Darkprosper The ancient dragons were no strangers to lightning glaives either.

[@drphalanges1520]

That's why I love these games so much. They just pack as much rad shit as they can into them. Things I've never even considered before!

[@Tobascodagama]

I definitely like the theory that its killer was a giant Ancient Dragon like Gransax. Maybe its killer was even Florissax herself before she assumed humanoid form. It would make sense, the whole story of the Jagged Peak is about the war between the Ancient Dragons and the Drakes.

[@KogasaTatara514]

A theory I've seen is that it could be a fulgurite, petrified lightning, which can have the sort of texture this unknown weapon has, which seemingly links its death to the ancient dragons, which makes a lot of sense given the priestess being there and everything. For my own thoughts about this, it's important to note that the grass in front of the giant dragon's mouth is burnt, implying it wasn't there for very long as it would've just regrown. It doesn't make much sense for it to be an ancient god forgotten about in the modern day, then. Although fulgurite normally doesn't just spawn out of thin air, I do think the apparent freshness of the kill points towards the priestess having some involvement. Perhaps it was Senessax, maybe Bayle, or perhaps even divine intervention from Placidusax himself who struck down the dragon, as the two do have a mental link.

[@themockingdragon135]

I'd bet on it being a dragon too. Because it would make sense for the spear to be made of a copper alloy if it was wielded by an ancient dragon, as copper is an excellent conductor of electricity. Edit: apparently drakes aren't weak to lightning. I genuinely thought they were at some point but maybe I made that 1 up.

[@mattias3334]

We don't actually know how large Florissax was in her dragon form. Maybe she was sized similarly to Gransax

[@KogasaTatara514]

@@themockingdragon135 slight correction, drakes aren't weak to lightning damage, it's 40% like all other resistances for all elemental damage except special exceptions (adula and smarag resisting magic, ghostflame being weak to holy, etc). I'll have to check what the rod at the center of gransax's weapon is like later.

[@Shizn0id]

it's a giant dragon cragblade.

[@warmak4576]

Tru but a giant metal Rod in the sky will attract Lightning Strikes so it can form fulgurite and burn the grass when the Lightning strikes. + ancient dragon weapons are not just a straight sticks.

[@fooguwu]

I like the theory that a dragon wielded the weapon. After all we know Gransax did use a weapon, and the dragons would have plenty of reason to kill such a large drake. no other faction really has beef with the drakes other than the dragons and their followers, so they seem like the most likely culprits

[@henrypaleveda7760]

I think most human sized factions would have as much beef as you or I would with a really large bear. don't care as long a sit is way away from me. but having the misfortune of encountering one? That would set someone on the warpath.

[@thecommentguy9380]

Well all ancient dragons are capable of wielding weapons, we just don't see any giant weapons around because they can just form lightning into their weapon of choice

[@fow3453]

We do know the Giants fought the Ice Drakes for control of the Mountaintops. So I wouldn't totally discard the possibility of Giants having a lasting beef with Drakes. That being said it does seem more likely it was ancient dragons that killed this particular Drake.

[@thecommentguy9380]

@@fow3453 yeah the dragons picking up a spear to skewer the giant drake is more likely, considering if it was a giant then that spear would have done more than lodging itself to the back of the drake's skull

[@ForeverLaxx]

What's interesting to note is that some of the lightning attacks the Ancient Dragons use take the form of "blades" of a sort, so it's not too far out of the realm of possibility that this sword could have been used by one of them. It wouldn't be the first time FromSoft has had large creatures wielding swords, after all.

[@86fifty]

3:43 - once I figured out what I was seeing here, my friggin jaw dropped. Being able to do this and show us the SCALE of some of these items! ABSOLUTELY BLOWS ME AWAY. Love seeing size-mods like this.

[@chrysalissaturniidae7731]

the corpse is also riddled with dragon communion harpoons, which might lend more credence to the sword being wielded by an ancient dragon, perhaps who was leading a gaggle of faithful communing human ducklings

[@Demokaze]

I'm leaning towards Florissax slaying the drake in her ancient dragon form and then setting up shop here in front of her trophy. But dragon communion isn't restricted to humans as Theodorix was a troll, a lesser giant. So it can't be ruled out that a big guy was among the drake warriors or that the humans didn't use a large ballista/catapult.

[@avlaenamnell6994]

@@Demokaze if she was the one that killed it herself, i feel like she would of mentioned that, she feels too disconnected to the corpse in her dialogue to be its killer IMHO But a giant drake warrior could be interesting.

[@Demokaze]

@@avlaenamnell6994 I just find it more likely that an ancient dragon tore open its chest and ate its heart. Because if a giant did that then I recon there would be records of a massive magma wyrm since if he could fell that then smaller drakes would be like snacks. Whereas if an ancient dragon ate its heart there would be no consequences.

[@avlaenamnell6994]

@@Demokaze Hmmm good point, it probably is more likely, but i aslo feel like those actual actual giants basicaly totally unmentioned theyve got to of done something or be something.

[@rkmugen]

The drake was trying to show off, doing stunts on his mountain bike, took a wrong turn, and flew head-first into a metal picket fence, with a single metallic picket impaling him through the skull. Rather than helping him out, the other on-looking drakes shrugged, saying "welp... Verily, that is what thou dost reap!"

[@boredman123]

I bet Hawkeye Gough was so arrow-happy he sent one to a different universe.

[@StarManMatt1]

0:46 Mario wrote this line for Zullie.

[@joenoodle6914]

Lmao

[@mushroomy9899]

i don’t get it..

[@mushroomy9899]

nevermind lmao

[@Beefonweck]

For people saying its not a sword: You can very clearly see the tang where the grip was once attached (probably rotted away) and there is a very clear fuller in the blade.

[@DondlFondl]

"The injury that killed it likely to be the giant sword in its skull" Now no need to flex your deduction skills Zullie

[@thebaseandtriflingcreature174]

"Hmmm... giant swords aren't usually kept in dragon skulls."

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

​@@thebaseandtriflingcreature174 But they are, apparently, occasionally kept in snake skulls

[@dragonfire72]

2:24 also, the Verdegris Discus gets more powerful when youre heavy or overloaded, and as anyone who's looked at Fire Giant knows, he's a pretty heavy guy.

[@swampylogs]

The little medallions on Moore's armor as seen at 1:55 also match the fell god symbol

[@MrPsymind]

After watching another vid the other day, my theory is that the "sword" is actually a lighting rod. I like to think that the dragon was so fierce and durable that the only way they found to kill it was jamming a rod in it's head somehow and then casting lighting on it. The internal shock was so big that the dragon's heart exploded :)

[@fourdayz1414]

Oh this theory is wicked

[@Epsonea_482]

An even BIGGER dragon, duh

[@Aurosteel]

beg for likes harder, PLEASE

[@OMIMox]

"CURSE YOU BAAAAEL (and whatever dragon this was)!!!" -Igon, probably

[@avibhalla1488]

It could always be wielded by one of the massive giants in caelid, That would also explain why their corpses are there, because they fought in the war against the dragons at the jagged peak, before it resided within the land of shadow and when it was right next to caelid

[@ZullietheWitch]

The Caelid giants are the same as the Mountaintops ones, only actually almost twice as large, so the sword would be even smaller to them.

[@Sinhsseax]

@@ZullietheWitch What if you assume it's a different type of sword/weapon though? Like a greatsword (so the blade would be a bit longer still than what's left of it) or maybe even a swordspear.

[@ZullietheWitch]

@@Sinhsseax The larger type of weapon you assume the blade is, the smaller the thing wielding it would have to be. So conversely, in order for it to fit the Caelid giants, it would have to have been one of their sewing needles. Partly I assumed it was likely just a straight sword because the tang on the blade is fairly short, though admittedly, some of it may have just eroded.

[@Sinhsseax]

@@ZullietheWitch I suppose you're right, when it comes to it still being a type of sword. A swordspear could still be bigger than that, since the blade is so short as compared to the handle. But maybe I'm assuming too much then, even if it was nice to come back around to Dark Souls where swordspears are dragon killing weapons. After all, Fromsoft would've probably left more indication if that was the intention. Either way, I think the Caelid and Mountaintop giants are the same race, just with extreme genetical difference. It would make sense, if they're these kind of divine "first of the creation" type figures like Ymir that they're each unique. So it would make sense for a theoretical giant to exist inbetween that was the right size to be the culprit.

[@cheerosukolpat3154]

Maybe It's dagger / tip of spear / arrow for those giants come to think of It. Is that Giant's mouth fits to consume drake's heart ?

[@_hank9508]

Kind of weird to have a fresh looking corpse impaled by an ancient, rusted sword. You'd think a drake like that would have rotted away as well, given that all that's left of the giants are their skeletons and this not being an ancient dragon. We know that drakes are turning into skeletons when they die, since there is a skull of one in the godkin duo arena.

[@allinairhanson6886]

The sword could easily have been ancient and rusted already, though it is indeed strange

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

its most likely not rusted. Its fulgurite.

[@LunaDeaminac]

It might be that the dragon skeletons are caused by a specific death ritual though, like burning the remains in Ghostflame, rather than naturally rotting down the way things do in reality. That area is pretty far from the church of the bud too, and the Rot God seems to be the only thing that actually makes things really decay? The handling of death has changed a fair amount over the different eras in the lands between. After all, Dragon hearts keep beating after death so perhaps their body only get broken down when something is specifically done to them. Also, considering that whole area seems to exist in a weird outside of time state, it could be that those skeletons/fossils are billions of years old and that Drake would only need to be a few hundred for the metal to corrode, corpses my just last longer?

[@shakycam3]

It kills me that the largest dragon in all of Souls has no freakin name!

[@RCStormOrb]

Another fun video exploring posibilities, thank you! Always so calming with the music and the slow transitions/ movements.

[@Bageltheking]

I still firmly believe Igon somehow killed this dragon while preparing for Bayle

[@KidCypherTV]

if he took that mf down then Bayle was screwed from the get go

[@gakulon]

​@KidCypherTV Igon's just really bad at dodging laser attacks

[@warmak4576]

That was Igon în his prime but then he took a Bayle to the leg.

[@CPU9incarnate]

This dragon may have at one point been Bayle. Bayle's heart, and the associated items, imply that using dragon communion with Bayle's heart will lead you inevitably to becoming him. The dragon priestess even alludes to the fact that Igon is not particularly different in character. Perhaps, by stealing his thunder, we saved him from a worse fate.

[@warmak4576]

@@CPU9incarnate ye but did he grow 2 placidusax heads on his back too?

[@purevessel]

I suspect the "sword" isn't a sword at all but an arrowhead used by a gigantic ballista operated by dragon communion warriors.

[@timmyturner6817]

“I’m too large I can’t drag on anymore.”

[@alfinkp2165]

"summoning dragon"

[@justaguyontheinternet3893]

It was either a weapon wielded by Gransax or another legendary gigantic dragon (because they were at war with the drakes) or it could be fulgurite from either Florissax’s lightning, Senessax’s or another ancient dragons.

[@professorhazard]

@4:45 Zullie: "This reminds me of a puzzle." 🎩

[@InternetHydra]

...we must now DEMAND to get sword-wielding dragons in Elden Ring 2.

[@VolcanoHeadProdution]

I mean magma wyrms already do that Tbf

[@eviltoad746]

​@@VolcanoHeadProdution Magma Wyrms are just lame dragons though

[@PierceArner]

I expect that it was meant to be one of the Dragon Harpoons that the Ancient Dragons used to hunt with, and also would be context for Bayle having once been human (given his body proportions being similar to the Dragonkin Soldiers), before killing and starting to feed on his own kind as he became draconic. Florissax taking mortal form and eventually gaining a human heart to serve the Tarnished as her Lord is a heavy thematic juxtaposition to Bayle becoming as Draconic as possible and losing his hunanity entirely as Dragon Communion is known to cause.

[@anthemlog]

Great video. And you've always had great choice of music for your videos too!

[@agxryt]

Thanks for posting Zullie! Your posts are always novel insights to me!

[@salvorhardin320]

Vert de gris is how the green substance on copper is named in french. It solidifies copper instead of eroding it like rust. It means "green on gray".

[@thexdfacedgamer2306]

*The **_"Jack the ripper"_** of the Elden ring series: Whom ever owned that large sword-*

[@z_jaydee6040]

something to note is that the shape is very much like the swords found in all the forges.

[@peralynth]

Zullie: Uploads My brain: Happy

[@lemonlordminecraft]

Ok, I’ll come clean, I did it

[@Zephy_Sky]

One of my favorite mysteries in this game. Thank you for the video !

[@Berserker56]

Thanks Zullie, i love these vids and the music you play in them.

[@RashFever26]

I like to think that it was Florissax herself that killed it, in ancient dragon form she might've been as big as Gransax

[@Lord-of-Gaming-007]

If that's true, she would be the Ultimate Waifu

[@koelo_4962]

It could also be a harpoon or a ballista bolt, from which the wood rotted, instead of a sword. That would widen the likely culprits allowing even human sized enemies to build an oversized ballista and trick the dragon to land in front of it.

[@abigcupofwater]

Hell, it could be a Gough/Kalameet reference.

[@haldalas]

Man, imagine the sheer scale of a ballista that big. It would be like a small city almost

[@stuartcarter4139]

The reason verdegris is chosen is, incidentally, that Malenia is supposed to correspond to Venus, whose metal is copper Much like Radahn, whose planet is Mars, god of war, and has iron-like qualities (tell me scarlet rot isn't just rusting) or gravity powers (magnetism? pushing and pulling?) There's a lot of alchemy going on in this game 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Xandros999]

What does Malenia have to do with verdigris though? I think you skipped a step.

[@stuartcarter4139]

@ forager brood member wears the verdegris armor, a literal form of rotting copper, all of the eochaid stuff is made of copper and pertains tangentially to malenia by association... the association is probably not explicit mind you but there are many once you look for them

[@stuartcarter4139]

@@Xandros999 wouldn't let me @ you for some reason

[@Xandros999]

@@stuartcarter4139 Okay but, we see "rotting" copper and it gets rusty. Besides The forager brood while they look like kindred of rot don't actually associate with their rotten kind, and the rot goes back to the Rauh epoch and that seems where they originate, way before Malenia. Rauh does seem to have strong ties to rot for reasons that aren't super clear to me. OTOH can't think of anything that links Malenia to Eochaid. (but Rennalas hat seems to have an eochaidian style) I know there are strong themes of alchemy in Elden Ring but I think this is a hard sell.

[@stuartcarter4139]

the connection is not explicit but copper oxidizes into verdegris, and copper is ruled by venus and shares her properties (beauty and tendency towards corrupting things and people, essentially) this becomes a little bit easier to see when you see that radahn is related to iron, not just because his gravity powers reflect iron's magnetic properties, but also the fact that he spends his entire arc during the base game essentially rusting to death, and he is a god of war like mars (who rules iron) it sounds horrendously schizo but that's alchemy for you as for eochaid, the connections are less clear the question would be how are elemer of the briar, eochaid, the regalia of eochaid and it being a copper sword, elemer being at the shaded castle, and the obsession of house marais with malenia connected? don't know but it's a lot of coincidences adding up

[@testedhawk]

The fact that the Ore Greatsword is literally *just a piece of the main arrowhead* genuinely blows my mind It's like an ant walking around with a broken tack that was left lying around

[@bobinolabobine2778]

"That thing was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of Verdigris" -a random drake looking at the corpse

[@RandomlyAwesomeGamer]

Another thing that might support the Fell God's connection to Verdigris is that metal rusting is a redox reaction, which is to say a _burn_ . It'd be a nice little connection for a fire god to bestow metal with a rust that makes it stronger, even though the zeitgeist is more hardwired to link such corrosion to decay.

[@GuyWithAnAmazingHat]

The thing about Fromsoft scale is that everything is artistic scaling for atmospheric grandeur, such as locations in the distant background when visited, loads in a proper gameplay location that often has different sizes for landmarks; Human(oid) characters are also not always 10 feet tall, they are only scaled for better visual tracking, hit/hurtboxes and to look more imposing as an enemy or boss.

[@AverageKeyEnjoyer]

4:22 Hawkeye Gough shooting down the malicious Kalameet

[@agucci]

Sword in stone? Step aside, King Arthur, we've got a sword in a _dragon's head!_ 😂🎉

[@Firehawk4000]

The plot twist that it fits perfectly in Gransax's hand blew my mind and I now refuse to take any other answer.

[@Bern_il_Cinq]

Seeing the giant climb on top of the sword got a "Woah!" out of me. It really added a sense of scale.

[@ksherif7866]

The mention of seemingly a green tinged metal door brings to mind both the exit door of the dragon man boss fight in the dlc, and the entrance door to the beastial sanctum in caelid. Both assumably being a part of the empire that held control of ancient farum azula. This now brings the ancient dragons to at least a tangential relationship with rot.

[@axe2069gaming]

I concur with the Farum Azula connection, being as it looks like the blade has been coated in gravel stome.

[@Not____Applicable]

The fact that there are still discoveries being made like this in this game amazes me. I sure hope we get a sequel.

[@GenericProtagonist118]

I love how Elden Ring's worldbuilding is basically speculative archeology at this point. We have a massive dead drake with a sword in it's skull, the only culprits we have are long dead giant beings who riddle the landscape and a singular dead dragon.

[@ITBEurgava]

Granssax : "Folks, I am going to show you how to do our communion. Pay attention."

[@senpai690]

Zullie: "What killed the biggest Dragon?" Me, with my Rotbrain: "THE ICE AGEEEEE!!"

[@nightscout9979]

If that's a sword, the hilt was seemingly destroyed, leaving only a tang with a short, narrowing design. Perhaps this was actually some kind of harpoon or arrow, and the "tang" is just the point where it was slotted or notched into something. Alternatively, it was part of a spear or polearm. Regarding its origin, the verdigris might source from a poison outer god, as the Scarlet Rot is implied to have swooped in where it wasn't before with Romina. If the Mountaintops giants would have had an awkward time wielding the weapon, perhaps it was actually ammunition for a ballista or other siege device from their culture? If the dragons created it, perhaps it was a crude tool created by necessity, and only later in the civil war did the ancient dragons refine weapons like the Bolt of Gransax. Thanks for taking another look at this drake and the weapon, Zullie! For a future video idea, are there any game files implying that Enir-Ilim once had a different layout? BonfireVN recently made a video comparing trailer footage to the final game, and people commented that Enir-Ilim's shadowy silhouette looks quite different. Perhaps Belurat was different too.

[@theDoctorwitTardis]

What's notable is that the drake's body hasn't even begun to decompose. Sure, ancient dragons seem to be free of rotting away as evidenced by one of their number at the Caelid temple of dragon communion - dead yet untouched by the passage of time. Compare that to the drakes we meet in Caelid - the rotting alive Ekzykes and Greyol. Even in the DLC there's nigh fully decomposed ghost flame drakes. Whatever killed this drake, it must've been relatively recent. Definitely not as ancient as the Titans of old buried by sediment throughout the lands between.

[@merekgrimaldus9865]

Plot twist the sword is actually the culprits spare pocket knife

[@HeyItsCrafted]

I saw a theory online that the “sword” is actually just a huge chunk of fulgurite (a type of rock that forms as a result of lighting striking something, often referred to as “fossilised lightning”), and I found that really interesting

[@Kavriel]

This game's lore is truly layers upon layers upon layers. It's so fucking deep. As a secondary world, it doesn't shy away from any other popular creation.

[@TheBonePirate]

when i climbed on it in-game, i didn't think it was a sword at all, i thought it was a massive scale version of the drake hunting harpoons

[@shirokun002]

Copper or "gold with a reddish tint" is the color of the crucible, and it's also very conductive, and verdigris happens when copper is exposed to oxygen, water or salt water and it also happens to bronze and brass...

[@Xandros999]

I think it would be interesting to look at what "copper" hasn't "corroded". Is it just the crucible arms and armor?

[@saternates7495]

Some tarnished decided that it was best to drink some Giant Potion to make them larger and ooga booga gransax

[@marcogalavic]

I really love the music you put in these videos

[@saffral]

Corrosion also occurs faster at higher temperatures (but lower than the point where the molecules break apart such as molten metal in a crucible), which might be a point towards associating verdigris with a fiery outer god.

[@Darkmirror7]

inb4 it all boils down to "we just wanted a cool setpiece" and that was all the thought that was put into the sword and dragon.

[@quincykunz3481]

I love how much of an absurdly eldritch vibe this discovery gives off. Fromsoft gives us a dragon corpse so large it can really only be understood as part of the landscape, then subtly hides the sword in its head with enough corrosion that it takes a while to realize "Wait... Oh, gods that's not a rock. Who could even- when did- ...what the HELL could even DO that?!" Then they let the unsettling lack of answers for something that SHOULD be freaking world-defining just linger.

[@hellxapo5740]

Verdigris... Interesting. Do you think that one green door, unopenable, to the right of the Anor Londo gates, near the Red Eyed silver knight could be made of Verdigris?!?

[@borgyborg9399]

from the thumbnail, I would guess it was the giant sword in its head

[@edanpino-xt1ph]

Verdigris does have a parallel in iron as well, known as patina. When steel or iron rusts, you can clean it off. And when you do, there is a protective patina where the rust used to be. That patina protects the iron or steel from rusting further

[@aro0011-d5w]

I really like these "to the point" lore videos.

[@Solibrae]

Interesting, great to see that the sword would be a good fit for Gransax!

[@Gaetan-Furminieux]

2:43 Fire Giant, at this moment : "RULES OF NATURE !" 😂

[@GrandStyles]

I think it's the ancient dragons as the Bolt of Gransax is wielded like a weapon that Gransax was said to bring crashing down. Considering the ongoing rivalry between Ancient Dragons and Drakes following Bayle's betrayal, this makes the most plausible sense.

[@CPU9incarnate]

I wouldn't take if for granted that "verdigris" isn't literally just bronze. It would make sense that in very ancient times, even what we would consider primitive technologies would be revered as divinely inspired. Especially since, if associated with the god of flame, it would allude to a sort of promethean gift by which humanity began its dominance over beasts, and eventually, dragons.

[@LycanKnight124]

As another person commented, ancient dragons were capable of wielding weapons, both physical and lightning based. The priestess was a former anxient dragon named Florissax, who could've very well been around Gransax's size and used a large "sword" or "lance" of sorts to slay the drake. The Land of shadow was was connected to the lands between before it was removed and hidden away by Marika, so it could've been gransax's doing too.

[@taylorcentauri8641]

"So what do you think killed it?" "Dunno. A whole bunch of organs got carved out of it - but I reckon it might be the giant sword to the back of the head that did it in." "Stellar work."

[@scarypoltergeist]

I don't think the heart was consumed, it's the "fire" that's in the big bowl no? I don't know what the fire has to do with the ritual, but I would guess they are dragon hearts themselves and serve as a catalyst for modern dragon communion. A bigger fire and therefore a bigger heart is used for greater communion spells.

[@theformation3781]

Two more things to support the verdigris=giant god thing, the massive discus fire giant wields also vaguely has a patina on it and it's a very faded greyish green, and (this is a reach but i spent some time to comb through armor) the verdigris armor set looks like it forms a singular eye in the middle, which you might think is a fairly common design choice, but no other helmet even vaguely forms a singular eye. In fact the only armor that even connects the eye slits in a way that doesn't emphasize the eyes themselves is the generic knight helmet, and when you compare that to verdigris helm you can see that the latter actually opens up in the middle instead of closing up or staying the same.

[@alekid2086]

I think the rocky parts of the sword might be important. It reminds me of the cragblade ash of war, which shares its name with the Dragon King's Cragblade from Placidusax.

[@FaeQueenCory]

I'm glad some other people have begun to notice the verdigris in Farum Azula. It's just more connection to the Hornsent and Farum Azula.

[@TheB00kwyrm]

I don’t know why I never considered what a logistical nightmare it would be to eat a dragon heart before I saw that chest cavity, that shit’s huge

[@MillerntorMayo]

how on earth did i not notice that giant sword despite running up and down that big ol drake for ages

[@lilobama3492]

“a bit much for even the largest fire giants” The PC with the Berserk Greatsword: 🤺

[@TotalConScience]

While not likely to happen given no relative sources nearby, i like to think gravity magic was used to drop the weapon tungsten rod orbital strike style on the resting Drake's skull. Freezing the last expression of surprise. There is the valley below with aliens using teleport magic and holding magic. Can't tell which is older at this point

[@keystrix3704]

These are just so relaxing to watch.

[@LordRaine]

3:10 I actually disagree with the assertion that it's too large to be a weapon wielded by the Fire Giants we see on the mountaintop: it's about the size of an Ultra-Greatsword for them, and we can wield those as humans. In all honesty, though, I think the culprit would be a dragon that doesn't fit in the existing pantheon: because as you note, it's heart is gone, and the sword is a match for Gransax. A giant may have slain it, taken dragon communion, and then become another giant dragon itself.

[@Idras74]

We see a mountain sized ancient dragon wielding a giant metal spear, so it could have been a sword wielding relative who did this drake in.

[@Mister_Eiffel]

Interesting video! One thing to bear in mind is that swords come in all shapes and sizes! Maybe the blade embedded in the drake is too short to be a longsword from these buried giants, but it may have been a shorter sword or dagger. Though I do like the idea that it was a weapon wielded by dragons such as the bolt of Gransax. It's also odd to me that all drake corpses are relatively intact if such large predators preyed on them.

[@frosthewer]

Forget headcannon, now we've got headswords to deal with