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.
If left alone with the body, Smough definitely would have eaten Ornstein's Liver with some Fava beans and a nice Chianti...
I like to think that's what smashing him and absorbing his power is supposed to be a metaphor for
He'd have to scrape what's left of them off the floor first since he turned him into a pancake during the fight. The only thing he'd be able to turn him into is a meat pie maybe.
When you voll adrich you unlock smoughs armor. Maybe the canibal was canibalised.
My english. Oh god.
Ive never been this early, keep making awesome videos!!
The idea that Smough is actually ripped under his fat armor is one of my favorite details about him
Yes! Almost like Kingpin
He identifies as thicc.
The concept art may just be to illustrate Miyazaki's brief that the armour ought to be able to be worn by the player. That would explain the need to diagram out how the armour is donned on what is ostensibly a normal sized human, not necessarily Smough himself.
Only a shredded monster of a human could Ever wear that fat suit looking armor.
My second favourite thing is where his eyes are placed inside the armor, it makes the armor look way more functional and menacing at the same time
In DS1 we fight Smough the cannibal. In DS3 we fight Aldrich the cannibal. Both in the same arena as well!
Then after Aldrich is dead we can buy Smoughs hammer from the old lady in firelink. Coincidence? I think not.
smough is aldrich, confirmed@@darkhobo
@@dmitrisheley1998 Just like Ornstein he was also an illusion in this fight. Ornstein left to Archdragon Peaks to futher pursue his connection with dragons, while Ornstein became a bishop in the cathedral of the deep, where he continued to gather strength from cannibalism. He later returns to the Anor Londo, as the doll left for him stated that it will always be his home(confirming it was his home in the past), where he now is powerfull enough to consume a god, the Gwyndolin himself. @VaatiVidya
@@mimikrama he returned to Anor Londo and ate Gwyndolin BEFORE we arrived, that's why when we fight him he has Gwyndolin's powers. Why would Aldritch be an illusion? Who would be making it? You misunderstood that video :)
@darkhobo you can?? I thought it was just in a chest in Irithil. Can you get two?
You've been hit by 🕺 You've been struck by 🕺 A Smough Cannibal
Ornstien are you okay?
Ok just when you think the reply is the winner… the reply to the reply smashes him, like Smough’s Great hammer!!
Haha nice
I shall never unsee this comment...
Truck
Man. Realising that the sound in the boss fight is Smough laughing makes him so much more creepy
What did you initially think it was?
Honestly, when I originally fought them I didn't think about it aha. Too focused on trying not to die! But maybe some sort of fighting cry if I'd been asked?
@@movieman6456I thought it was the giant blacksmith laughing at a painting guardian falling off the banisters
@@corncobjohnsonrealthat’s now my personal headcannon.
Its also the same laugh used by the fat Officials in demon souls just changed a bit.
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.
The Ornstein we fight in anor Londo is an illusion created by gwyn, so he's fine
Gwyndolin, not Gwyn
@windexman2280 are you serious?
@@JungleJuiceJoey yes
@@windexman2280 where does it say that?
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.
further adding to this, although it could just be for gameplay The unique giant rat found in the start of the depths has a 100% chance of dropping humanity While the respawning large and small ones have a 5% chance Implying it has way more humanity within it than the others
@@An_Entire_Limeit probably isn't a coincidence since the giant rat in the depths is right belos where the butcherers toss the parts of the humans they don't consume, implied by the pilenof corpses down that hatch right above the rat
@@bradarmstrong6982 Damn, I have never made that connection before but it makes all kinds of sense. One more point for Dark souls environmental storytelling.
Rats having humanity drops is likely showing that they eat a lot of dead bodies or hollows that were all once human The rats in the depths feed on dear hollows or the meat of those killed by the butcher As for why other man eaters don’t drop humanity, maybe unlike rats, they absorb it or something (mimics, giant clams) But it could mean rats are usually always around where humans live, to feed off their scraps
IT DOES happen to humans too.... Aldrich and Slave Knight Gael! Hawkwood tells us: He (Aldrich) ate so many that he bloated like a drowned pig, and Slave Knight Gael swells from eating people/consolidating the Dark Soul within his body.
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
That's how living things succeed. You kill or you die.
@@accelerationquanta5816 Moss: 🧍
@@accelerationquanta5816 It's not the strategy of every plant, though. They often really do not need to kill to survive.
@@Herr_Damit Plants compete for real estate. Saplings that don't grow fast enough in a clearing die because their view of the sun is blotted out by their superiors.
@@accelerationquanta5816it's actually grow or die. Your version is simplistic and close-minded to actual existing life, it's a fantasy that you WAN the world to be that way.
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
Lionel wears fat armor in Elden Ring despite being normal. I think they flipped it as the fat armor wearers in Elden ring are good.
Yeah also the Knights of Catarina
@@TrillShatner Lionel's Armor and the Catarina set wasn't made to look obese, it was a functional choice made to deflect and redirect blows.
@@jacoboddie5364 do not insult the noble knights of catarina in such a manner. To insinuate that such warriors as Siegward and Siegmeyer would perform such a vile act is truly vile.
The Loathsome Dung Eater
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
Good point, as it is really interesting. We talk about that in the Ash Lake video at least!
@@Hawkshaw Bro i just noticed that i actueally learned that from you a couple years ago lol my bad
How the hell is that a sunflower? I looked at it from the front and back and don’t know where it is
@@amirferdhany3177The blunt ends of the hammer are the discs of the sunflower while the corners of the hammer are receding peddals
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 bread'......so i thought "ah....Smough IS a giant." Lmao
Huh, that's actually a really interesting spot!
It is common practice to use bonemeal in the feed of livestock, this is all it is likely referencing.
@@jogglenoggle9579 that does make sense. I always wondered wtf bonemeal was used for. I thought it was some kind of fertilization thing. Neat. Every day's a school day lol
@@mikewatkinson1996 you're still right! Bones are often used for fertiliser, especially in conjunction with blood & offcuts
@@jogglenoggle9579 ahh the reason i thought that is bc i used to forklift/load a lot of different fertilizers and plant foods and bonemeal was a common item. Very interesting. Thanks!
Smough is honest to himself and the world around him, that much I can respect. I don’t really like eating people much though
To be fair, they're dead anyway. He executes them on the job. It doesn't really matter what happens to the corpses, unless someone is interested in burying them.
The worst part is the hypocrisy
Here’s another hint he may be a giant: He ground their bones to make his bread 😜
So you only like eating people a little bit then
@@st.haborym I mean, Who HASN’T walked by a murder scene on an empty stomach?
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.
Might make sense why he smashes ornstein in the fight, because he doesn't respect or care about him because he isn't the real ornstein
I think someone also mentioned finding Ornstein's armor somewhere close to the Nameless King and it was hinted that he was loyal to the Firstborn who sided with the Dragons.
I wish the Ornstein illusion was as easy to kill as the Gwynevere illusion...
@@cameronchandler7861it’s more than just that cause before all the events of ds it’s hinted that ornstein never liked smough couldn’t do nothing about it since they were co workers
Vaati came up with that very idea about Ornstein years ago.
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.
Never knew about Frampt only offering 1 soul for Smough's items. I'm sure there's some hidden meaning behind that!
I always wanted Smough's unique habit explained. Starting the video now, but i have faith Hawkshaw will come through for me.
Did he?
Second that did he?
@@wispfire2545yeah smough steals flesh and bones to “kindle” himself. To quote office: “he always leaves me smiling and satisfied”
"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.
"He'll grind your bones to make his bread" "Oh-hohoho no. That would be a Giant!"
“See, ogres are much, much worse.”
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.
I'd like to imagine that Smough and Astor of Carim would hold secret dinners and indulge themselves in flesh eating along with Aldrich
It's crazy how deep the lore of DS1 goes, just in the silent details. This game is truly an artwork in every aspect!
Souls games in a nutshell ♥️ 👌
"You are in this court, but we do not grant you the rank of knight."
You’re the only creator that I listen to both when I’m trying to sleep and when I’m deeply, deeply interested in listening. Keep on keeping on friend.
We are truly humbled, and really happy our videos provide that for you! Thank you
@@HawkshawWe?
@@MatsYoo Editors and whatnot
The way I see it, Smough's theme of eating is akin to the dark just like burning is akin to the light. That's why throughout the series you get items like the Bite Rings, Dorhys' Gnawing, Irina talking about little creatures nibbling at the flesh, bloating through excessive consumption, which of course is all represented by the greatest sin of all related to humanity, greed.
Except he isn't human, and his prey are not humans. They are criminals within the society of Anor Londo, city of gods. There is a similarity, but not much of one.
@@alyseleem2692 My point is that the theme of eating is human in nature, which is heretical to the gods in the world of Dark Souls as it represents the opposite side of burning for power.
@@slightlytwistedagain Good point. Taking versus sacrifice. " Fear not the Dark, my friend, and let the feast begin." Smough's philosophy of seeing others around him as food and entertainment is indeed closer to the Dark. What that says about us Undead, however, is better left unsaid.
I beat Smough for the first time a few weeks ago. Videos like this feel like a victory lap of my accomplishments. I never would have picked the game up if not for the lore.
Yes exactly the lore is one of the many reasons why the souls genre is loved 😍 ❤️
I always loved his laugh during the fight.
Hwihihihihwi!
You are crazy it is scary 😟
Can't wait to watch this, currently playing through dark Souls on switch. Delighted we getting these videos again.
Oh crap, you too!?
I’m surprised you didn’t see the “grinding bones” to eat as an allusion to western stories of giants
Babe wake up! It’s Hawkshaw lore time!
I need me one that I can say that to!
maidenless
1:52 - Thank you, seriously. I know that the 'ough' makes sense as 'off' but I've said "sm-oe" since I played the game so "sm-off" was killing me haha
I think that the Smough we fought in Ds1 might also be an illusion, or he somehow survived until DS3 because you get his armor after killing Aldritch, implying he ate Smough. His hammer states that he was the last knight guarding the ruined cathedral, but back then in Ds1 he wasn't a knight and the cathedral wasn't in ruins.
Smough is an executioner and a knight, lower case, and not one of the Four Knights of Gwyn (an illustrious title reserved for the most elite).
17:04 that Avatar throw back of the white lotus hit my mind. Fantastic video.
The reference to "ground bones" is a reference to Jack and the Beanstalk where the giant tells Jack he will grind his bones to make his bread.
Who HASNT looked at Smough and thought of the giant that Fe-Fi-Fums -- he ground my soul to make his bread
Even after all these years since DS1 came out, I’m still learning new lore and connections. Amazing job at navigating the labyrinth of Dark Souls lore 👍
Man i didn't notice Ornstein was still alive O_O
Smough: FIVE SECOND RULE
You’ve been hit by You’ve been struck by The Smough Cannibal
It’s amazing that I can watch these videos after years of playing and still discover something new. Cannibalism on an individual and global level is so clearly present in dark souls and continues to get even worse in ds3.
I am shocked you guys haven’t dived into Demon Souls. I have been getting into the remake and the lack of deep dives into demon souls is making me sad. Please do some demon souls! Or bloodborne. Or both :)
Fr tho
He’s probably an XBox guy lmao
@@blazaybla22i have xbox but I wanna get a ps5 just for bloodborne lol
Finally some background intro music, with Shadow Of The Colossus, SOTC.
These throwback lore videos on the classic soul games are a nice treat!
Big golden boi absolute unit
In a world where you gain power by dispatching foes, allowing an executioner- much less smough -shows how someone like Aldrich to overtake anor londo
So basically, cannibalism=more gains? OH YEAH!
Dark Souls has the best lore in videogame history period.
Hawkshaw has done it again, another banger of a lore video! Great work!
Thanks for subtitling your videos. It's so rare nowadays but amazing for those of us who need them ♡
I love ur uploads man. You're by far my favorite channel.
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.
Today is a national holiday here in Italy, so thanks for the gift man
God I love seeing these videos pop up on my feed, great job as always my dude!
this channel never disappoint. thanks for the work bro
This video is so beautiful and you told the story so gracefully, giving an awesome final note
Hey smough were is the guy you just executed? Smough: I eated it😋
It's amazing how each area of the game reflects an aspect of the heresy induced by Gwyn's attempts to prolong the age of fire. From rats to butchers to swamp men growing huge and bloated off of humanity, flesh and dung. There's the catacombs which focus on various rites that seem like failed attempts to keep the dead from rising. Seems like returning the bones of the dead to the flame was the only successful means. Then there's also the slow reveal of the demons as former humans. Which begs the quest: was Gwyn's fire already encircling the souls of those humans? Did the chaos flame replace the flame of Gwyn in the demons? Most demons have two twisted, fleshy lumps on their backs. Some express as wings while others look more like two dark signs...
Smough in the last minute: "we live in a society"
You are definitely the greatest Dark Souls Lore guide to ever exist. You are the GOAT I been watching you sense the start man keep it up
Ever since your awesome Video"Ash Lake, Havel and the Plot against the Gods", which i have watched many a time, i have held a special admiration for Smough's armour. And with this new video here, you have truly trumped yourselves yet again! Like always, it was a beautiful watch
Ah the good ol F.E. music too great touch
I don't see what the issue is with Smough staying despite the discovery of his habits, nor does it imply that he possesses special importance. Why? One reason: The victims are all from those he executed. And if his habit wasn't noticed for so long, then it is evident they weren't going to be buried in the first place, but thrown away. Who cares where they go? They're already dead. True, it is a grotesque and horrid habit to have, but Smough hasn't strayed outside his profession. He is still only killing those who the gods want dead. What happens to the bodies is his business, as it has always been. Of course, he can no longer dream of being one of the " Four Knights", but he can keep his post, as disgraceful as it already is. Also, which part of "flesh and blood of his victims" implies his family?
Adding the Tsungi horn was an amazing touch
Smough
He's so thick
I will always call him "Smow" because otherwise I can't refer to the fight as Oreo and S'mores
I didn’t even notice he’d been laughing during the battle, what a despicable frog man
This was a fantastic vid, was waiting for a good Smough deep dive like this 🤙🤙
Your videos are always a treat
Yall keep making beautiful DS1 videos for us :) And we are honored
Salary of an executioner was little, but no tax, you get the affect of the deceased that is not taken by the church or crown, large stewarded land. I love how the hammer is described as flower petals by miazaki but the hammer looks more like 6 simplified Smoughs,
Also the elevator is probably not custom for Smough but the god elevator, similar to the two stepped stairs outside
Nothing better than when a new hawk Shaw video drops, especially when it’s new DS1 content!
I never thought I'd hear uncle iroh's theme in a dark souls lore video
Very nice lore. I learned a lot, and I've watched quite a few DS1 lore vids the last two years. Thank you!
That video was absolutely phenomenal mate wow
Every time I fight O+S, they're Giggles and Cat by the time I'm done. Always a rewarding fight in the end, but infuriating in the moment
Awesome video! I love how well made and well explained your videos are, soulsborne has such interesting and massive lore that Its insane how much has been thought. Fantastic!
Fascinating and well voiced. Great vid
Amazing video! One of my favorite souls bosses ever
So like its pretty clear his hammer is meant to look like an estus, because estus is undead. Dark souls 3 confirmed that beyond a shadow of a doubt, and a hammer is pretty good for juicing.
Another absolute masterpiece
Love the video and the use of Shadow of the Colossus music for the intro.
I appreciate you making DS1 lore videos to this day. Have a good one HS.
I just killed those bosses 2 nights ago. After coming from Elden Ring I was prepared for some bullshittery and let me tell you even many years after the games release and it’s remaster, I can assure you there was some bullshittery.
So eloquently confirmed my suspicions. Great video 👍
Never get tired of these amazing videos
que video bom, parabéns e obrigado Sr. Hawkshaw! I love your vids, u inspire me to look at theses games and stories in such diferent ways i wouldnt ever imagine, thnk you
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.
I love how the second the lotus is mentioned, ATLA music starts playing
_He CHONK._
Honestly pretty incredible analysis, great video
I love that you used Shadow of the Colossus's music in the beginning ❤
I was hoping you'd make a video on Smough, wish there was more given about him in game
Amazing! My favorite character from DS1, I HAD to have that hammer the moment i saw it!
so close to 100k awesome video m8!
10:18 😂 I love the mashup you did matching the music
The laugh at the end was bone chilling, great video.
Tough and through and though are all incredibly similar for how they sound
This was a great watch and really shines a light on the consuming nature of Lordran. When pointing out how even the Lords consumed their followers it makes me think of the very the economy of Lordran. An economy that is driven not my metals but by souls. Souls aren't just dug out of the ground like gold, they have to be taken from someone either living or dead. Which could also explain Anor Londo's loss of influence. Lordran is the land of taking souls and this can and will cause a population drop. Through death, soul harvesting, and humans leaving to avoid getting caught up in the soul-game. If the population drops low enough the effective might of the Gods and further on the Lords becomes diminished. In a world of Soul consuming medials, it is the ones with power in places with massive populations that get to become "gods" purely through access to souls. Which could explain the supposed exodus of Gods from Anor Londo. The humans are far more numerous in the outside world. And that outside world may not have had as many soul devouring beings prior to the exodus. Back to Smough, it's possible that that may be the difference in the eyes of the gods. They consume the soul but when Smough consumes the corpse he is taking the soul, the humanity, and the flesh. If he is of the clan of the gods and even possibly part giant he still by nature wouldn't have 'dark' within him. Aldrich and Gale imply, at least to me, that one can consume the dark within another by devouring their flesh. That may also be why he doesn't mind the world going dark, he's slowly been building a tolerance to dark.
First of all, nothing implies Smough executed or ate humans. His jurisdiction is Anor Londo; Anor Londo is the home of the gods. His prey are their criminals. That is why he can be classified as a cannibal. Secondly, you are using an aberration to interpret the nature of an entire society. I think you can tell how far off that could lead you.
That laugh at the end was actually a bit chilling. Great Vid.
One funny detail I would like to add: When Ornstein absorbs Smough he also chuckles the same way as he does, when he performs the arse-dive attack funny right...
I wish there was more to tie him to the the sludgey fella