Dark Souls hides weapons in Enemy Tails because of a Japanese myth
While there are many obvious references to medieval European fantasy, one of Dark Souls' most famous characteristics comes from Japanese myth.
The Dark souls The series is known not only for its notoriously difficult difficulty, but also for its weird fantasy world that draws inspiration from Western mythology and classic fantasy novels. The ever-changing world of Dark souls is inhabited by all manner of undead entities, supernatural abominations and more, all suffering from the absence or corruption of the various gods in the frame.
While some of Dark souls'enemies are a common sight in Western fantasy such as the Lord of the Rings, It is Dark souls'The Japanese influences that make the world stand out among various other classic medieval fantasy games. Including the various references to another dark fantasy manga, Berserk, Dark souls takes a large amount of influence from Japanese mythology. Along with the obvious references to the sun goddess Amaterasu, the sun and fire being major symbols, Dark soulsThe most unique game mechanic – cutting off an enemy's tail and turning it into a weapon – comes from the classic eight-headed dragon myth Yamata-no-Orochi.
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The story of Yamata-no-Orochi is more the story of the Shinto god of storms, Susano-o-no-Mikoto, the younger brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu. After being cast from the sky, Susano-o encounters aged gods who complain about having to sacrifice their eighth and final daughter, Princess Kushinada, to be eaten by the eight-headed dragon, Yamata-no-Orochi. Susano-o offers to kill the dragon in exchange for Kushinada's hand in marriage, hiding it by turning it into a comb to hide in her hair. Susano-o then prompts the monster to drink copious amounts of sake with the help of Kushinada's parents.
Once Yamata-no-Orochi dips his eight heads into eight sake vats, he falls asleep in a drunken stupor. Susano-o then slaughters the beast to the point of coloring the river red, until he discovers that his sword breaks against the dragon's fourth tail. Upon examination, the fourth tail is not a tail – it is actually the legendary katana known as Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. Susano-o takes the sword and returns it to his sister Amaterasu to implore her forgiveness in the heavens.
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For Western players, the idea of ​​cutting off an enemy's tail to receive a weapon seems very strange, but players familiar with the Japanese myth will fully understand the reference to Yamata-no-Orochi. Almost all weapons found by cutting a tail in Dark souls end up being extremely powerful in the hands of the most inexperienced players. Infamous, the tail of the Red Drake in the first Dark souls The game can be fine-tuned with a bow and arrow to drop the Drake Sword, a blade that can carry the player for most of the first half of the game.
The slaughter of dragons is a theme common to many forms of folklore, with the entire origins of the Dark souls tradition revolving around the ancient war between gods and dragons. Susano-o, god of storms, also clearly influenced a major figure in the Dark souls canon: the eldest son of Gwyn, who was exiled from his house and from the annals of history. Strongly implied being the unnamed king in Dark Souls 3, Gwyn's firstborn is also known as the "Storm King" and famous for his dragon slaying skills (even for training Ornstein). But, like Susano-o, the Nameless King is a multifaceted figure who was exiled from his home after siding with his enemies.
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Vladimir olivares
(139 articles published)
Vladimir Olivares is a United States-based writer, illustrator and short filmmaker. Passionate about comics, manga, movies, video games and television shows of various genres, he is well acquainted with the history of classic comics and is familiar with many other forms of graphic novel media of various genres. , ranging from fantasy, noir, and science fiction, from both Western authors and Japanese manga. Vladimir is currently working as a freelance writer for Valnet, Inc., covering comic book resources. Follow him on Twitter at @ valolivares123. and check out his art page on Artstation.
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