Valus

"Raise thy sword by the light...and head to the place where the sword's light gathers... There, thou shalt find the colossi thou art to defeat."

- Dormin

The First Colossus, nicknamed Valus, is a major antagonist from the video game Shadow of the Colossus. It is the first boss encountered in the game and a vessel for the essence of Dormin.

Past
Valus, along with the other sixteen Colossi, were created by Lord Emon to contain the fragmented essence of the defeated evil Dormin. He set them all to wander the Forbidden Lands, destroying anyone that comes their way, so that Dormin could never be resurrected.

Shadow of the Colossus
When a young man named Wander trespasses in the Forbidden Lands and asks the disembodied spirit of Dormin to resurrect his deceased lover Mono, Dormin agrees under the condition that Wander kill all sixteen colossi (tricking Wander into releasing his essence so he may be reborn). Wander agrees, and sets off.

Valus is the first colossus he encounters, wandering a fielded area in the cliffs to the south. When it sees Wander, it will attack him by trying to step on him and slamming down its massive stone club. Wander must escape to behind it, climb up on its left leg, and stab it to make Valus kneel down. Once there, Wander can jump up and scale Valus' back, making his way to the colossus' weak point on its head (and right arm if in Hard mode), as Valus attempts to shake him off. Once Wander gets to Valus' weak points, he must stab them until the giant dies, collapsing to the ground and releasing the fragmented essence of Dormin contained within its body.

This fragmental part of Dormin will bring Wander back to the Shrine of Worship, where he will be prepared to face his next foe. It will later combine with the other fifteen parts to form Dormin, who will posses Wander and later be banished by Lord Emon.

Valus' corpse can be seen as the credits roll.

Trivia

 * Valus is often considered the unofficial mascot of the game, as he appears on the game's box art, most merchandise, and is the first colossus encountered.