Elden Ring's Roundtable Hold is an area of many friendly NPCs, one of them being Hewg. His sole purpose is smithing weapons, and he is quite different from the many Tarnished around the Hold. He is a prisoner and appears to be one of the Misbegotten.
The lore around Hewg has not been touched upon as much as characters like Elden Ring's Marika, Ranni, and Miquella. He can be a character easily taken for granted, but there is more to him than meets the eye. Hewg seems to have a unique relationship with Marika, and the fact that he appears to be a Misbegotten is quite telling.
What Can Be Known Of Hewg, Through The Misbegotten
The Misbegotten are an oppressed race in Elden Ring. While they may seem feral, since they often attack players on sight, there is more to them. They are often used as slaves, such as in Castle Morne, and with Hewg at the Roundtable Hold. Their designs are diverse with some having tails and others having wings. Based on these designs, they also often have a sort of hierarchy. Some can be seen at the Haligtree, praying. Fans also find that their very name, Misbegotten, is important, as it translates to "badly designed."
The Winged Misbegotten Ashes state that their kind was punished for "making contact with the Crucible." In Elden Ring's lore, the Crucible is described as the power of creation itself and where all life blends together. It is something that existed before even the Greater Will came to the Lands Between. Other gear and spells have hinted that what is now deemed as a curse was actually seen as a blessing once. Before the Greater Will came, the Misbegotten were respected and even perhaps worshipped.
Hewg, like other Misbegotten, is a slave. At certain points in the game, he can be seen praying to Marika for forgiveness. He has been put under orders by Marika herself to craft a weapon that can kill a god. While Roderika calls this a curse put upon him, Hewg himself is very dedicated to the purpose Marika gave. No matter what Rodrika or the Tarnished may tell him, he is ready to die to fulfill Marika's wish. The question many fans ask is why? Other Misbegotten have proven no love for their masters.
A Deeper Look At Hewg
It is possible that Hewg's respect for his purpose and Marika are out of fear. At one point, he mentions that smithing makes him forget the "sheer terror of her." He could mean Marika, and since he works for her, that option does seem to make the most sense. If true, it paints a sad picture of what Hewg's life was like before the Shattering. It would make sense that he worked for Marika before then, because Marika gets imprisoned afterwards.
The fact that Hewg has to craft a god-slaying weapon has made many fans believe Marika hopes the weapon he crafts will kill the Elden Beast. This gives a more premeditated perspective on the Shattering, and puts more into question about Marika's plot; like why chose Hewg to make such an important weapon since he is Misbegotten? It's possible Marika believed only someone like the Misbegotten would be willing, since they are oppressed by the Greater Will.
Other hints of Hewg's story before the Roundtable Hold is in his relationship with Roderika. He was able to tell she had a gift for spirit tuning, train her, and even mentioned he knew someone else in the past that had her gift. Who this person could have been is unknown. He might be speaking of Marika again, or someone else.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
