All players of Elden Ring have already crossed paths with Miriel the Turtle, otherwise known as the Priest of Wishes. His calm and laid-back demeanor makes him one of the only NPCs in FromSoftware’s game who means absolutely no harm to you. Merchant of incantations and sorceries, Miriel does not move, does not die, and does not become hostile if you attack her by mistake. Finally, Miriel’s attitude is pleasant, advocating tolerance, understanding, and the fact that he will learn with you, instead of looking down on you. It’s a breath of fresh air in this war-torn universe, and it’s hard not to appreciate it.
Although some have had fun cruelly attacking Miriel in order to recover her Cinerary Pearl, the turtle is the very definition of pacifism. However, a combat simulation carried out by a player shows us that the priest of wishes is much more formidable than we thought.
Miriel against all
Make all the animals of Elden Ring compete against each other? It was the genius idea that BjornTheBear, a YouTuber specializing in experiments of all kinds on FromSoftware’s latest game. He thus put 21 creatures on the battlefield of Caelid and made them compete in order to determine which is the most fearsome animal of the Underworld.
The first round is more than bloody, and 20 animals clash without any mercy. Yes, only 20, because Miriel is resting on the side of the battlefield. No blows seem to land on him, and his lack of interest in battle doesn’t seem to make other creatures want to harm him. Thus, Miriel the turtle wins the first round alongside a dragon… doing absolutely nothing. The hostile creature does not seem to want to attack our favorite NPC at all.
In the second round, it’s a surprise! The last two hostile animals kill each other, leaving Miriel alone. The turtle thus wins the victory brilliantly, continuing to sleep on the lands of Caelid. The third round is however fatal for Miriel, who is killed by a giant spider hand, the first creature to choose to attack the innocent turtle… Scandalous.
Unfortunately, we have to face the facts. Although much more dangerous than we thought, the turtle is still quite weak against the other vile creatures that inhabit the lands of Elden Ring. That doesn’t stop us from adoring her, because she reminds us that in this world of brutes that is the Underworld, there is always a little tenderness.