Dirge (Shadow of the Colossus)

Evil-doer
Full Name	None
Alias	Dirge The Tenth Colossus Harena tigris Sand Tiger Naga
Origin	Shadow of the Colossus
Occupation	Colossus.
Powers / Skills	Strength Size Speed Stealth
Hobby	Wandering.
Goals	Kill anyone who comes near it.
Crimes	Attempted murder
Type of Villain	Necessary Evil

“	Thy next foe is...An isolated sand dune...Its tracks are well hidden...Shaking the earth, its gaze is upon thee...	„
	~ Dormin

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

History

Past

Dirge and the other fifteen 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 who 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 kills all of the sixteen colossi (tricking Wander into releasing his essence so he may be reborn). Wander agrees, and sets off.

Dirge is the tenth colossus to be encountered, residing in a secluded sandy cave to the west. Once Wander enters the cave where Dirge is hiding, it emerges from the sand and attacks Wander, chasing him down by swimming through the deep sand, delivering a powerful bite if it catches up. Dirge is incredibly fast, the only way Wander can outrun Dirge is by riding on his horse Agro. When Dirge surfaces to ram Wander and Agro, Wander must use his bow and arrow to shoot an arrow at Dirge's eye. If Wander is successful, Dirge will go out of control, roll on his back, and slam into a wall. Wander must then climb onto Dirge and stab the monster's two vitals. After getting stabbed enough, Dirge will regain consciousness and dig back under the sand, enraged. Wander just repeat this process several more times until Dirge 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 possess Wander and later be banished by Lord Emon.

Dirge's corpse can be seen as the credits roll.

Gallery

Images

Dirge vs. Wander and Agro.

Dirge's gaping maw.

Dirge's game over screen.

Concept art.

Videos

Shadow of the Colossus Dirge Boss Fight - 10th Colossus (PS3 1080p)

Trivia

• Dirge is one of the more difficult colossi, as it can deal great damage in rapid attacks.
• Dirge seems to be one of the more violent and wrathful colossi, as it actually seems to try and eat Wander and Agro as opposed to simply fighting them. It is also the second truly sadistic colossus (after Barba and before Cenobia).
  • In addition, unlike Barba and Cenobia, who were sadistic overall and showed only a glimps of their lust for destruction during the fight, Dirge is outright ruthless on-screen and seems to harbor a special hatred for Wander in particular.
• Dirge has the largest eyes of all of the colossi, although this may be due to its eyes having an important role in defeating it.
• Dirge may be based on the Mongolian death worm, as shown by its ability to move through sand extremely fast as if it was swimming.
• Should Wander return to the cave after defeating Dirge, its body has been moved to the center of the arena. This is so the pillar of light that emits from Dirge can be seen through the hole in the ceiling of the arena.
• Dirge is the first of the only three colossi to have their own exclusive music track, with the theme "A Messenger from Behind" being unique to Dirge, which plays while it chases after Wander and Agro.