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This page is about the character. For the boss, see Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough.

Dragon Slayer Ornstein is a character and boss in Dark Souls and a mentioned character in Dark Souls III.

Lore[]

Dragonslayer Set

The golden lion armor of Ornstein.

Ornstein is one of the knights at the service of Lord of Sunlight and he 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 so strong that it was able to bury itself deep within a dragon's hide, piercing their stone scales[3], and sending mere human flying[1]. 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"[5] 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 was rewarded with a fragment of Gwyn's powerful Lord Soul[5]. Along with Artorias, Ciaran and Gough, he 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.

Sacred Oath (DSIII)

The tale of Gwyn's firstborn, Ornstein, and the brave dragonslayers who served them both.

Ornstein, as his companion during the war, would also become the first knight of Gwyn's firstborn son[7][4] and the story of the battles of Gwyn's firstborn son, Ornstein, and the brave dragonslayers in their service would become the fighting miracle[4] taught to the Warrior of Sunlight[8], a group of knights that had joined in covenant with the god of war and heir of Gwyn[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 together and moved to an unknown location[11] but Ornstein remained in the forsaken city alongisde Executioner Smough to guard the cathedral where Gwynevere resided[5].

Leo Ring (DSIII)

The Leon Ring of Ornstein.

Together, these two powerful warriors would become the last ritual challenge for the potential Chosen Undead[12]. In fact, the Undead who tried to follow in Gwyn's footsteps to sacrifice themselves to the Flame would have to be tested even before obtaining the Lordvessel and seeking powerful souls. Ringing the Bells of Awakening represents only the first of these challenges[13], and success means gaining access to Sen's Fortress to be tested further. The Undead who manage to overcome the tests and dangers of the fortress and defeat the Iron Golem[14] would manage to access the city of the gods. Once they managed to enter the cathedral of Anor Londo to try to obtain the Lordvessel they would still be challenged by Ornstein and Smough, to ensure that only the strongest of the strongest Undead could have an audience with Gwynevere[15].

However, after centuries of waiting for the Chosen Undead without success, Ornstein grew tired of his duty and left the cathedral and his companion in search of the Nameless King,[16] while leaving also behind the ring that symbolized his membership in the four knights of Gwyn[7]. Ornstein's ring was thus preserved as an relic by Dark Sun Gwyndolin[17] and protected in his manor when Irithyll of the Boreal Valley rose from the ruins of Anor Londo[18].

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. In fact, after abandoning his duty to go in search of the Nameless King[16], Ornstein left his Leo Ring behind, who remained in Gwyndolin's custody[18], thus implying the renunciation of his title. It is therefore possible that Ornstein also gave up the portion of his soul that Gwyn had given him along with his title[5] and that this was used to animate a golem with Ornstein's weapon and armor in a similar way to the Iron Golem[19].

Artifacts[]

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 takes obvious inspiration behind Ornstein; aside from visual similarities between the two (including the two 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", adressing his first and second boss fight phases, respectively. Being a reference to the character Griffith, from the anime/manga series Berserk.

Gallery[]

References[]

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