Highlights

  • The giant burning enemy featured in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is partially made of charred corpses.
  • This horrifying detail strengthens a popular fan theory that the monster is based on "wicker men," straw-plaited statues purported to have been used for human sacrifice by Celtic druids.

The gigantic burning enemy from Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is partially composed of corpses of people that appear to have died in agony. This horrifying detail about the upcoming Elden Ring expansion was recently highlighted by Bandai Namco as part of its marketing efforts centered on the DLC.

The first and ostensibly only expansion for the hit RPG was officially announced in February 2023. A year later, FromSoftware finally treated Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree to a release date, confirming that the DLC is scheduled to drop on June 21. That information was presented at the end of a lengthy gameplay reveal trailer, which showcased many locations and enemies from the upcoming expansion.

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Among that bunch was a giant walking burning effigy, which can be seen between the 70- and 75-second mark. The official Elden Ring Twitter account has recently offered fans a closer look at this imposing creature in the form of a new promotional screenshot. The image depicts the monster from the side, drawing attention to dozens of charred corpses protruding from its cage-like limbs. The horrific detail was already spotted by some observant fans analyzing this huge Shadow of the Erdtree enemy following the DLC's gameplay reveal trailer.

Giant Shadow of the Erdtree Enemy May Be Inspired by Wicker Men

The monster's overall design suggests that the burning creature is based on a wicker man, a type of large straw-plaited statue purported to have been used for human sacrifices by Celtic druids. Although many modern historians are skeptical about the accuracy of these claims, which mostly originate from Greco-Roman sources who consistently tried painting Celtic pagans as savages, the myth itself made its way to modern popular culture by the way of the 1973 British folk horror classic The Wicker Man.

Given how much Elden Ring draws from Celtic mythology, the notion of its upcoming expansion introducing yet another enemy based on this collection of myths appears to be well within the realm of possibility. FromSoftware President Hidetaka Miyazaki referred to the monster as a "war machine" in one recent interview, suggesting it may have been built during The Shattering, or some older conflict in the Lands Between. Severed giant heads can also be seen hanging from its waist in the February trailer, but aren't clearly visible in this newly shared image.

Given how many elements from the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer appear to be considered blasphemous by the Golden Order, it seems plausible that the giant wicker man also fits that description. That train of thought indicates that the monster is possibly connected to either the Frenzied Flame or the Fell God, both of which are deities associated with fire and opposed to Marika's order in the game's lore.