Why Does Godwyn the Golden Look Like a Mutated Corpse in Elden Ring?

If you‘ve seen Prince Godwyn‘s disturbing in-game model or chilling cameo in Rogier‘s death scene, you‘re likely wondering: why does the once beautiful golden prince now appear as a gnarled, misshapen beast? In this article, I‘ll analyze Godwyn‘s tragic lore and grotesque design to unpack the mysteries around his appearance as the Prince of Death.

The Stolen Rune of Death Distorted His Flesh

First, a quick history lesson. Godwyn was the beloved firstborn son of Queen Marika and legendary hero Godfrey. However, Ranni the Witch orchestrated his assassination using the Rune of Death, stolen from the grim reaper-esque beast Maliketh on the fateful Night of the Black Knives.

This allowed Godwyn‘s soul to die while his earthly flesh continued living in agony, resulting in his warped reanimation as the accursed Prince of Death.

Without a Soul, Godwyn‘s Body Mutated Uncontrollably

You see, it was the lack of a guiding soul that caused Godwyn‘s physical form to mutate into its current aberrant shape. No longer bound to a living soul or granted release through true death, the Golden Prince‘s vacant corpse sprouted twisting horns, fungal growths, and sprawling deathroot. This deathroot seeps underground, spreading Destined Death and Death Blight to those it touches. Truly horrific stuff.

Table: Key Events in Godwyn‘s Devolution into the Prince of Death

East Asian Myths Inspired Godwyn‘s Otherworldy Design

FromSoftware has proudly carried on Japanese gaming traditions through the Souls series. So when crafting Godwyn‘s visual design as the Prince of Death, various East Asian myths served as key inspirations.

Resemblance to the Mythical Japanese Ningyo

For example, Godwyn‘s mangled torso is strikingly similar to descriptions of the ningyo, a mermaid-like yokai from Japanese folklore. Classic ningyo are envisioned with a half-fish, half-human form including sharp claws, seaweed-esque hair, and other aquatic traits. Apart from the horns, Godwyn‘s fused body mimics this style.

The name Prince of Death even mirrors titles used for Xian – a broad category of undead beings in Chinese legends. Specific xian like the Hungry Ghosts prey on victims to absorb spiritual essence when lacking enough of their own…much like Godwyn drains life through Death Blight.

A Shapeshifting Body Empowered by Death

Certain Chinese Henges exhibit shapeshifting between animals and humans. So Godwyn‘s death-mutated mishmash of mammalian and amphibian parts reinforces a body transcending natural law. His spine-riddled wings could even draw inspiration from Penghou, ominous spirit owls within Daoist traditions.

Ultimately, FromSoftware fused ideas across East Asian lore to emphasize Godwyn‘s profound supernatural transformation following his soul‘s demise. Neither fully alive nor dead, beast nor human, the Prince of Death epitomizes the utter perversion of the Golden Order‘s natural life-death cycle.

Godwyn‘s Mythical Influences

Just How "Large" is Godwyn Under Stormveil Castle?

You‘ve likely seen the climatic shot from Rogier‘s questline, revealing Godwyn‘s gigantic face and corpse beneath Stormveil Castle. This has sparked intense debate around the demigod‘s literal scale. But based on my research, the answer is complicated for a few reasons:

His Assassinated Body Seems Roughly 10 Feet Tall

If we examine footage from the opening cinematic, Godwyn appears approximately 10 feet tall while kneeling – so marginally taller than the average assassin. We lack concrete data, but this suggests his original body was larger-than-life yet not colossal.

The Present Mutated Corpse Lacks Official Height Stats

FromSoftware has notoriously kept character heights vague across Soulsborne titles. And while Godwyn initially towered over humans, no precise size details have been given regarding his current grotesquely mutated form. Its gargantuan appearance beneath Stormveil does puzzle size theorists like myself.

His True "Scale" Could Represent Influence Beyond Death

However, one metaphorical interpretation of Godwyn‘s far-reaching corruption is that his body‘s literal stature fails to capture his significance. With Deathroot and destined death spreading globally following the Shattering, the "size" of Godwyn‘s impact obviously spans the entire Lands Between region both physically and spiritually.

So in summary – yes, we see Godwyn‘s face stretch an improbably long distance during Rogier‘s fate. But this likely carries symbolic weight regarding Godwyn‘s central role in the world‘s mythology. His assassination by Ranni broke an age-old stalemate between life and death itself. So while his exact size is unknown, his legendary impact certainly persists on a grand scale even now.

Closing Discussion & Thoughts (as a lore expert)

As an Elden Ring theorist, I believe Godwyn‘s crisis of unnaturally fused body and spirit spawned his disturbing form. Through cultural homages and Death‘s own corrupting forces, he transformed into a mythical shapeshifter who violates expected boundaries. Truly, his tragic assassination upset natural order across the Lands Between in ways we are only beginning to grasp as scholars of the Erdtree‘s fading Golden Order.

Personally, I see Godwyn‘s example as a cautionary tale regarding fundamental constants like life and death which no earthly authority can truly control – no matter how magnificent their rune-fueled ambitions grow. What are your thoughts on this compelling, albeit highly unsettling, demigod? I welcome friendly discussion in the comments!