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Miriel, the tortoise priest from Elden Ring, may have actually been inspired by George R.R. Martin’s childhood pets.
As pointed out by Twitter user Nate E-K, it’s possible that the idea for a religious figure tortoise in Elden Ring could have come from George R.R. Martin’s love of the reptile. According to a book excerpt featured in Nate E-K’s tweet, the A Song of Ice and Fire author (which later went on to become Game of Thrones) "kept tiny turtles when he was a young boy because the housing project in New Jersey where he lived did not allow cats or dogs as pets."
ELDEN RING PLAYERS: "lol turtle pope, that's gotta be Miyazaki, what a wacky dude"ME: "hm. Well, perhaps..." pic.twitter.com/J1TXcYNsHvMarch 16, 2022
The idea to give Miriel the turtle a job in Elden Ring, could have also been influenced by Martin who “housed his turtles in a toy tin castle and pretended they were kings and knights, gave them names, and made up stories about their adventures.” Of course this hasn’t been officially confirmed by Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki or Martin themselves but it’s a nice theory if nothing else.
If you haven’t yet met Miriel yet, here’s a brief introduction to the turtle-like creature. This probably goes without saying but don’t read on any further if you want to meet the tortoise priest yourself without any spoilers.
Firstly, it should be pointed out that Miriel is a tortoise and not a turtle, however, the land-based creatures are related to their water-dwelling shelled cousins. Elden Ring players will be able to find the religious reptile in Church of Vows where they work as Pastor of Vows. Whilst visiting, Miriel will offer to share their knowledge of Sorceries, Incantations, and Radagon with players.
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