Many outer gods influence Elden Ring's world, and the Fell God is arguably the most mysterious. The Fell God is a deity of fire in Elden Ring, mainly associated with one of its most powerful bosses: the Fire Giant. The Fire Giant that players encounter as a boss in Elden Ring is the last of his kind, an ancient race that lived in the Mountaintops of the Giants region.
The Fire Giants worship this Fell God, but they weren't the only living beings in the mountaintops, as they shared the lands with other races like the Astrologers and Ancient Heroes of Zamor. It is crucial to learn about the history of the Fire Giants' society from Elden Ring if players want to get more insights on The Fell God.
Elden Ring: History of The Fire Giants
It is a well-established fact that the Fire Giants lived in the mountains for ages, but they had a few neighbors. Astrologers from Elden Ring were one of the earliest to share the mountain lands with the Fire Giants, as seen in the item description of Sword of Night and Flame that says that the Astrologers are the predecessors of sorcerers.
The Fire Giants and the Astrologers lived peacefully for a while, but the former had conflicts with other races, most notably the Ice dragons. Borealis's Mist incantation from Elden Ring sheds light on this battle with a description that says the Ice dragons were the lords of the mountaintops until the Fire Giants defeated them. As Ice dragons are modern dragons, it's safe to assume that the age of the Fire Giants started after the time of the ancient dragons.
Forge of the Giants is one of the most prominent construction sites made by the humongous people of Elden Ring. The term "forge" implies that this site was used for metalwork and smithing, which can be confirmed by the descriptions of many items like the Hammer - saying the practice of smithing originated among the giants. The Troll's Hammer from Elden Ring says something similar, pointing out that trolls are descendants of the giants, and these hammers were once used as ceremonial smithing tools.
Many experts believe smithing was a divine practice in the Fire Giants' society, as it involved using the mighty forge. The Forge of the Giants in Elden Ring hosted the Flame of Ruin, a force powerful enough to burn the Erdtree that is considered a physical embodiment of The Fell God.
Elden Ring: The Fell God Explained
The Fell God is mentioned in the description of many weapons and incantations, including Burn O Flame. It says that the Fire Giants borrowed power from this Fell God, and that they're bound to serve the Flame of Ruin for eternity. The Fire Giant boss is a testament to this, as he still guards the flame and must be beaten for players to progress further.
In addition, the Fell God is a part of the physical body of the Fire Giant, as it is believed the deity resides in their bellies. The Fire Giant in Elden Ring has a massive eye in its abdominal region, as well as an opening that spews deadly flames. The Flame of The Fell God Incantation forms a ball of raging fire, which is said to be inhabited by the Fell God.
This means the Fell God resides inside each Fire Giant, giving them power on the battlefield. Interestingly, the trolls in Elden Ring also have a gaping hole in their bellies, adding more evidence to them being descendants of the giants. This suggests that the Fell God abandoned trolls after they betrayed their giant brethren in the fight against The Golden Order.
The Fell God is represented by a single eye in Elden Ring, and many items share that feature - including the One-eyed Shield. The shield's description says that Queen Marika slew a deity worshiped by the Fire Giants. Elden Ring suggest this was an exaggeration though, as the Flame of Ruin remains; another form of the Fell God.
Another intriguing aspect of this outer god in Elden Ring is that many consider it to represent destruction and sacrifice. Players can witness this firsthand during the second phase of the Fire Giant boss fight, as the Fell God only appears when the enemy sacrifices his own leg.
The Fire Giants versus The Ancient Heroes of Zamor and The Erdtree
The Fire Giants had many enemies during their time, but none came close to the Zamor people. The Zamor community can be seen as a mortal enemy of the Fire Giants, who also lived in the Mountaintops of the Giants region in Elden Ring. The Zamor are ancient people who worship the winter, as seen by Zamor Curved Sword's description.
Furthermore, the Zamor Armor is described as the armor of the Ancient Heroes of the war against the Fire Giants; their enemies since time immemorial. Zamor Ice Storm sorcery from Elden Ring also mentions this war. These two groups are destined to always be in conflict as one represents ice, and the other fire.
The conflict between the Fire Giants and Zamor ended with the dawn of the Erdtree when forces of The Golden Order swept through The Lands Between. Godfrey, The First Elden Lord, led the forces of Leyndell and defeated the Giants so that he could add the Mountaintops of the Giants to the reign of the Erdtree. The Zamor played a critical role in this victory, as they sided with the Leyndell forces to vanquish a common foe.
The armies of The Golden Order were heavily prepared for a conflict against the mighty Fire Giants. The description of Smithing Stone 7 from Elden Ring says it was found in the polar region and used to hone the weapons of the champions who fought the Fire Giants. Moreover, the Flame Protect Me incantation in Elden Ring is thought to be used by these champions in the war.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.