Smough the Cannibal | Dark Souls Lore

Lordran's Hungry Boy. One of Miyazaki's favourites. The one, the only, the executioner cannibal... Smough.
Welcome to another lore episode, this time focusing on the Dark Souls Boss Smough. This is a deep dive into his history, his relationship with Ornstein, Gwyn, Anor Londo and Lordran, and his design that made him the director's favourite..

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Soundtrack:
Shadow of the Colossus OST - Prologue ~To the Ancient Land~
Hades OST - Mouth of Styx
Sekiro OST - Great Serpent
Journey OST - Threshold
Fire Emblem: Rekka No Ken OST - Inescapable Fate
Abzu OST - No Destinies Ordained
Ico OST - Continue
Dark Souls OST - Ornstein and Smough
Dark Souls 3 OST - Dancer Of The Boreal Valley
Avatar: The Last Airbender OST - Tsungi Horn

#darksoulslore #darksouls #gaming

Hawkshaw.

[Hawkshaw]

If left alone with the body, Smough definitely would have eaten Ornstein's Liver with some Fava beans and a nice Chianti...

[goatlover]

Adding to the idea that eating humans are what caused Smough’s size, the giant rats found everywhere where drop humanity showing that they had at some point likely consumed a human. If rats grow gigantic from eating humans it stands to reason that it could happen to a human too.

[mangoman]

Man. Realising that the sound in the boss fight is Smough laughing makes him so much more creepy

[yargum]

The idea that Smough is actually ripped under his fat armor is one of my favorite details about him

[zainkhan]

In DS1 we fight Smough the cannibal. In DS3 we fight Aldrich the cannibal. Both in the same arena as well!

[hatefulbit]

I never realized Ornstein fingers were moving when Smough brought the hammer down. I'd hate to fight alongside anyone who would end me just for a buff.

[skilletborne]

If we're talking about lotuses, it's also worth mentioning that they blot out the sun and forcefully smother all other plantlife where they grow

[IAmSippycup]

You've been hit by 🕺
You've been struck by 🕺
A Smough Cannibal

[Illier]

Lots of cannibals are depicted as obese in their armor as a symbol of their gluttony for power. The Loathsome Dungeater also gas thick armor as well by eating and defiling human spiritual energy

[mikewatkinson]

I always thought the line 'He ground the bones of his victims into his own feed' was a reference to Jack and the Beanstalk where the giant says '...be he alive or be he dead ill grind his bones to make my i thought "ah....Smough IS a giant." Lmao

[WCS]

kinda sad you didnt talk about the shape of his hammer, it's a reversed sunflower, its very interesting knowing the relation the game have with the sun

[shanebox]

Something I hadn't thought about until this video, is in regards to Smough's actions towards a defeated Ornstein during their boss battle where he simply smashes Ornstein's body.

We know Ornstein left the capital thanks to the armor in DS3, so maybe Smough knew that this wasn't the real Ornstein fighting beside him. Thus, not caring for the safety of Ornstein, knowing that it is only an illusion.

[mrreemann]

I love how Miyazaki takes fairly straightforward concepts and uniquely "hides" them within his work. The concept of devouring other people to gain their strength is a somewhat well known concept in IRl society, whether you have heard of it in relation to the cannibal tribes of Fiji or somewhere else.

Miyazaki took this concept, saw how much it had in common with video game tropes of "acquiring EXP to level up" and implemented both into his game for comparison. Smough, the ireedeemable, insane, butcherer cannibal of men.... standing next to another butcherer cannibal of men. And then much like you did in your video, he linked it to the illusions and falsehood that Gwyn used to prop up his Age of Fire. If Smough was a cannibal all along, and yet still served as knight... what else did Gwyn hide or allow in secret? What other vile acts kept this Age of Fire going?

The entire Age of Fire is sustained by blood sacrifice, but it was also started from blood sacrifice. The stone dragons were placed upon the pyre and fed to the flame of progress. With the dragons dead, Gwyn had to seek new sacrifice.

Someone could argue that the Age of Fire did not end because it went on for too long, but instead that there was no appropriate fuel for the flame any longer. All that could have been burned, HAS been burned. We see that in Dark Souls 3. So desperate for new fuel, they will cast old ashes back into the flame, hoping against hope that these meager scraps can sustain the flame, just a little bit longer.

Just another moment in the warmth. Just a few more seconds of blessed light.

[colorgreen]

Smough is honest to himself and the world around him, that much I can respect. I don’t really like eating people much though

[anubis]

The armor states that it can even be worn by humans which implies that he is not human (kind of an assumption), but if he is actually a giant (and not human) he isn't actually a cannibal, he eats humans but isn't human himself. My other thought is that the hammer from DS3 states he was the last knight to defend anor londo meaning the real ornstien isn't there when we fight him in DS1. Since, Ornstien and all the gods aren't there, it could be why the gods allowed smough to stay a knight as they were going to flee the city anyways. Who is going to assault the capitol with someone with that reputation guarding it? I think the gods only left him as a knight because the fire was fading, and they had bigger fish to fry.

[sirbill_greebi]

"He takes no care over the room, destroying pillars of the beautiful capital with each attack."
11:56: Ornsitein destroys part of the pillar first.
Irony.

[benval]

I always wanted Smough's unique habit explained. Starting the video now, but i have faith Hawkshaw will come through for me.

[jonathanferguson]

"He'll grind your bones to make his bread" "Oh-hohoho no. That would be a Giant!"

[uhlan]

I believe Smough was originally from Catarina. Catarina Knight armor is not only bulbous, but also features the maker's mark of the Nameless Blacksmith Deity (the flower symbol which appears all over Smough's armor). Both armor designs are also drawn from natural imagery (Smough's being a blooming flower, Catarina knight's being an onion). The design of the Catarina armor is described as being "ridiculed" outside of Catarina - so why would such finely crafted, and more importantly, exotic armor be created solely for an executioner in this style? To humiliate him? All that effort, design, embellishment, and grandeur is not humiliating at all, it is of the highest honor. I believe this armor was designed specifically with Smough's heritage in mind by a Blacksmith Deity adored by the people of Catarina.

We also know that the people of Catarina never really had much of a connection with the gods themselves (one of their miracles, Emit Force, is mentioned as specifically being "foreign to the Way of White"), and Smough was granted this position partly because he was such an outsider. Catarina knights are famously loyal and duty-bound (Smough never abandons his post).

Finally, the potential of Smough having giant heritage is also brought up. We know that Catarina has some connections with the giants (look at the relationship between Siegward and Yhorm in DS3). Smough doesn't strike me as a giant, given that we can encounter full-blooded giants in the game itself and physically speaking, they don't seem to fully match. But what if Smough were half-giant? What if that relationship between Catarina and the giants is more than just amicable? And this could also explain his mysterious childhood, perhaps rejected by all societies for his mixed heritage? Such a childhood would surely be full of abuse, and abuse in childhood is often the catalyst for great cruelty in adulthood. Such a strange offspring would be a fitting selection for executioner. So, I believe this is evidence that Smough has, at least partially, Catarina heritage.

[level]

I love his armour making him look overweight when he’s actually ripped.

Like Smough was so hated by the people of Anor Londo that even the smith commissioned to craft his armour specifically designed it to make him look worse.