| “ | Divine beasts are messengers of the heavens, and their rage mirrors the tumult of the skies, of which storms are the pinnacle. | „ |
| ~ Description of the Divine Beast Dancing Lions. |
| “ | O Horn-deck'd beast, from higher sphere deliver'd. Take root inside the tower's sculpted keepers. And perch'd within, we beg of thee; rise. Dance and cavort, cleanse all that thou wilt. Cruelty, woe, and those who plague the tower. Cleanse away the strumpet's vile progeny. | „ |
| ~ Hornsent Grandam awakening her Divine Beast to kill the Tarnished under the belief that they a prodigy of Messmer the Impaler. |
The Divine Beast Dancing Lions or simply known as Divine Beasts and Lion Dancers, are minor antagonists and reoccurring bosses in the 2022 Dark Fantasy RPG game Elden Ring. They are a species of horned lion-like monsters who are revered as divine beings by the Hornsent, the native inhabitants of the Realm of Shadow.
Biography[]
The Divine Beings are greatly revered by the Hornsent as messengers of the Heavens and their rage is said to mirror the turmoil in the skies, of which storms represent the rage's peak. In the settlement of Belurat, during the tower festival, Horned warriors are known to partake in a sacred ritual that involves performing a ceremonial dance known as the Lion Dance in honor of the Divine Beasts. Only the greatest of the Horned Warriors became Divine Beast Warriors, a type of warrior wearing helms bearing the image and likeness of the Divine Beasts while a few were given the honor of being Sculpted Keepers, who also wore the same helms.
When the demigod Messmer the Impaler launched a genocidal purge on the Realm of Shadow, in which he slaughtered any Hornsent and destroying anything in his way, his forces stormed the tower in Belurat. the sacred Lion Dance was immediately used for combat. Despite their efforts in fending of Messmer and his forces, a majority of Divine Beasts were massacred and then gored, and their corpses were hung on the Impaler's own spears before being burned in his destructive flame. Those witnessed this likened it to a funeral pyre for the tower in the settlement.
In the aftermath of Messmer's crusade, the species of Divine Beasts are left on the brink of extinction, with only two left alive. One of the surviving Divine Beasts was put under the control of the Hornsent Grandam, one of the surviving Hornsent, who would placed it to rest until Messmer's forces return so it could unleash its revenge on them for the massacre of her people. When a Tarnished came upon as it slumbers, Horsent Grandam believes them to be one of Messmer's prodigies and awakens the Divine Beast with the order of slaying the Tarnished. However, it failed in the end and was slain. If the Tarnished chooses to kill the other surviving Divine Beast, then it will result in the extinction of the entire species.
Trivia[]
- The Divine Beast as well as the sacred Lion Dance is based on the traditional dance of the same name in Chinese culture, as dancers in China would perform the dance to bring good luck.
- The Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss in Belurat is actually shown to be two people posing as the revered beast. During one of the boss's attacks, they are shown to stand on each other's shoulders.
