Highlights
- The Omen in Elden Ring represent a disturbing and pitiful category of creatures, including iconic figures like Morgott and Mohg, with inhuman features such as horns, tails, and wings.
- Omen individuals are connected to the Primordial Crucible, the state of the world before the Erdtree, and are viewed as untouched by the Erdtree due to their animalistic traits. They face prejudice and have their inhuman appendages removed at birth, usually resulting in death.
- Despite being superior to regular humans in terms of strength and access to Crucible powers, Omen are discriminated against because they do not adhere to the social institutions established around the Erdtree, exemplifying the harm in the world of Elden Ring.
The world of Elden Ring is filled with disturbing and unsettling creatures, but the Omen are among the most frightening and pitiful. This category encompasses central figures like Elden Ring's iconic twins Morgott and Mohg, as well as a number of minor and unnamed characters, many of whom lurk beneath the surface of The Lands Between. Understanding the Omen is critical for grasping the greater existential and sociological questions of Elden Ring. In typical FromSoftware fashion, Elden Ring makes the player do much of the heavy lifting when it comes to understanding the lore.
This can lead to some players exhibiting a greater deal of dedication and thus gaining more knowledge about the game when compared to others. However, there are certain elements of the Elden Ring lore that most players will be somewhat familiar with, regardless of the amount of research performed. Among these familiar concepts is Elden Ring's Primordial Crucible, which is described on a number of different items and spells. The Primordial Crucible is what the citizens of The Lands Between call the state of the world before the Erdtree, when all life was blended together and there was a perceived lack of order. It's important to note that those living in The Lands Between view the Primordial Crucible as base and barbaric, representing the gruesome and ugly world that would exist without the Erdtree's grace.
The Omen Are Connected to the Primordial Crucible
The physical disparity between Omen and other beings in The Lands Between should be immediately apparent. Omen are born to humans but sport inhuman features. Horns are the most common signifier of Omen individuals, but some are known to have tails and wings as well. Like The Gloam-Eyed Queen and other Elden Ring figures, the Omen are shrouded in mystery, but this is by design within the game's world.
Since the Omen boast animalistic physical traits, they are viewed as connected to the Primordial Crucible and thus untouched by the Erdtree. Since civilized society in Elden Ring is centered around the Erdtree, it's not hard to imagine the prejudice that Omen-born individuals would have faced. As such, most of these individuals have their inhuman appendages removed at birth, which usually results in death - a fate better than living as an Omen, in the eyes of many denizens of The Lands Between. Omen born into nobility often retain these animal-like traits, but they are exiled to the Subterranean Shunning Grounds beneath Leyndell.
Elden Ring's most notable Omen are Morgott and Mohg, twins born into The Golden Lineage and thus shuttled underground to live in secrecy and shame. The brothers would choose very different life paths, with Morgott choosing to reject his Omen blood and defend the Erdtree, while Mohg embraced his status as an Omen after communing with an Outer God. Like all other Omen who survive until adulthood, these twins are colossal in stature and wield incredible strength, making them formidable in battle.
Omen are indicative of prejudice and fear in the world of Elden Ring. There is nothing inherently wrong with them; on the contrary, they are actually superior to regular humans in their strength and access to Crucible powers. Yet, they are discriminated against because they don't adhere to the social institutions established around the Erdtree. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC may shed some additional light on the Omen, perhaps featuring some as friendly NPCs to show that they aren't all fated to die as children to grow into madness. As it stands, they are one of the saddening elements of Elden Ring's lore, exemplifying the harm that has come to many of those living in The Lands Between, under the guise of peace, order, and prosperity.
Elden Ring is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.