![]() Airgetlám means “silver hand,” and refers to the fact Nuada lost his arm in battle and had it replaced with an artificial one by Dian Cecht. Her flowing red locks and prosthetic arm clearly reference Nuada Airgetlám, a legendary Irish hero. Inspiring MaleniaĮven characters with names from other etymological origins, like Malenia, are distinctly Irish-coded. Of that figure, how many are even playing Elden Ring? It’s very cool to see FromSoft integrate something into the lore that only a small number of players would naturally pick up on.Įlden Ring doesn’t just coincidentally overlap with these elements of Irish culture by accident 500 times a minute - it openly embraces its Irish influences in a way very few triple-A games have done before. There are only 5 million people in Ireland, and only about 30-40 percent of that demographic would have strong enough Irish to notice this connection. When you look into the etymology of these names, you'll soon learn that "Neil" (pronounced "kneel") is an anglicized spelling of the Irish name "Niall" (pronounced "Nile").Ĭommander O’Neill resembles Commander Niall in more ways than one. While Commander Niall is a major boss in the Mountaintops of the Giants, there's a minor boss in Caelid's Swamp of Aeonia called Commander O'Neil. If you've ever met someone from Ireland, it is statistically pretty likely that their surname was O'Something - O'Connor, O'Rourke, O'Brien. What's more intriguing than that, though, is how this fact subtly informs a completely different part of the lore. What’s in a name?Īnyone with even vague knowledge of Irish names will instantly recognize Commander Niall as being from the Emerald Isle. This is why it's so worth drawing attention to how much Cool Shit™ in Elden Ring directly pertains to Irish history and mythology. But other than that, the most worthwhile Irish representation in triple-A video games is largely attributable to FromSoft. There are rare exceptions, like Red Dead Redemption 2's Sean MacGuire and Moira from Overwatch - even if she sounds more akin to a news anchor than someone you might bump into down the pub. (Don't even get me started on The Saboteur's Sean Devlin, Fallout 4's Cait, or Red Dead Redemption 1’s Irish.) Alcoholism, excessive use of the word "feck," and fanciful accents don't make a character Irish. Why does this matter? Well, Irish characters in video games are usually pretty lackluster. The spelling is there the context is there the Irish influences elsewhere in the game are there. While some people from other countries likely thought "Siofra" was just a made-up word, it's a popular name for girls in Ireland and traditionally means "fairy" or "elf." It's no longer a case of the word possibly being etymologically Irish. This is one of many Irish references in Elden Ring, and FromSoftware games across the board. It’s pronounced "shee-fra." Not “see-oh-fra.” Not “show-fra.” Not “sioff-er,” or however some of the more ambitious chancers are saying it.Įxploring Siofra in Elden Ring. This intensely memorable passage to a new subterranean world is the Siofra River Well. The sprawling, picturesque area we’re about to discuss may no longer be a secret, but the pronunciation of its name sure seems to be. But eventually - after a hundred, maybe a thousand years - you reach the bottom of the shaft and everything starts to make sense. You'd be forgiven for likening it to a journey through all seven circles of Hell, except in this instance, the Devil's ruling is death by a thousand bores. The ensuing elevator sequence is drawn out to the point of absurdity. Like most of these setpieces in Elden Ring, the ordinary only exists as a gateway to the extraordinary. ![]() Just past the towering runebear who spends all of its time claw-punching trees for shits and giggles, there lies a small circular structure. ![]() You’ll find it deep in the lurid haze of Mistwood. ![]()
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