Horkos

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Horkos, also known as Orcus, is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Origin

While named Horkos in several localizations, this demon is an interpretation of the the Roman god Orcus according to official profiles.[1]

The pig-headed design is likely based on a spurious claim found in Barbara Walker's book The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, citing Robert Graves, that another form of his name is Porcus (Latin for pig), that Orcus was a sacrificial boar, and that Orcus was portrayed as a pig-headed demon in the Middle Ages;[2] several things in the Megami Tensei franchise are influenced by Walker's book.

Design

The scepter, crown, and mantle are meant to show his status as king of the underworld.[3]

Gameplay

Shin Megami Tensei IV

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Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

EnemyAlly

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Last Bible Special

EnemyAlly

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Compendium

Compendium Entries
Shin Megami Tensei
(A-Mode DDS) 		Origin: Italy

A malevolent Roman god. He is one of the gods of the underworld, and has a pig's head and bat wings. He's daring but violent, and will massacre enemy troops in order to eat them. He sometimes appears as a giant dragon with fangs of iron.

Shin Megami Tensei:
Strange Journey 		A god of death originating in Greek lore.
During medieval times, he was depicted as a demon with the head of a pig who ravaged corpses, most likely because sacrifices to him used pigs. Horkos was thought to be the king of the Orcs.
Shin Megami Tensei IV A death god originating in Greco-Roman lore.
In those days, he was depicted as a demon with the head of a pig, most likely because sacrifices to him commonly used pigs.
Devil Survivor: Overclocked A god of death originating in Greco-Roman lore.

In those days, he was depicted as a demon with the head of a pig, most likely because sacrifices to him commonly used pigs.

Devil Survivor 2 A god of death originating in Greco-Roman lore.

In those days, he was depicted as a demon with the head of a pig, most likely because sacrifices to him commonly used pigs.

Game Appearances

Shin Megami Tensei if...

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Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

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Trivia

  • During development of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, a "Cave Horkos" (ケイブ・オーカス) was considered for use as a boss. This would be fought in Area 3 before Horkos, and is stated to be Horkos fused with a cave.[4]

Nomenclature

Names in Other Languages
Language Name Meaning
Japanese オーカス Ōkasu Orcus; this spelling is based on the English pronunciation of Orcus rather than the Latin pronunciation.[5]

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eirikr, Orcus/Horkos Infodump. Published May 28, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2024. Tumblr.
  2. ↑ "Greco-Roman death god, also known as Phorcys or Porcus, a sacrificial boar.1 In the Middle Ages he was made a demon with a human body and a pig's head.
    1. Graves, G.M. 2, 107." The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (1983), Barbara Walker. Published by Harper & Row. p. 742. ISBN-13: 978-0-06-250925-3.
  3. ↑ "王錫Typo of 王笏[sic]と王冠、マントは、オーカスが冥府の王であることを示すためのもの。" Translation: "The scepter, crown, and mantle are for the sake of showing that Orcus is the king of the underworld." Kazuma Kaneko Works I (2004). Published by Shinkigensha. Japanese. p. 24. ISBN-13: 978-4775303153.
  4. ↑ Page description: A table of bosses and where they would be encountered. Megaten Maniacs (2017), Nobuyuki Shioda and Masashi Uchida. Japanese. p. 133.
  5. ↑ "オーカスは英語読み。ラテン語読みではオルクス。" Translation: "Ōkasu is the English reading. In the Latin reading, it is Orukusu." Kazuma Kaneko Works I (2004). Published by Shinkigensha. Japanese. p. 24. ISBN-13: 978-4775303153.
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