Goblin Slayer (Episode 8) – Whispers and Prayers and Chants
Goblin Slayer wakes up in a large bed. His injuries have been healed and he’s almost ready to return to the sewers. Before he goes, Sword Maiden confides in him about her experience with goblins and hopes that he can save her.
What happened?
When he woke, Goblin Slayer found Priestess asleep beside him. He checked for his things and was about to get out of bed when Sword Maiden walked in. She was pleased to see that he had recovered and sat down beside him. He had been asleep for some time, but sleeping beside Priestess and Sword Maiden had healed him completely. It was the healing effects of lying with a virgin, however, she confessed that she could not be considered pure…
Goblin Slayer guessed what had happened to her, and resolved to kill all the goblins. He didn’t need any extra incentive, but his words were reassuring to Sword Maiden. Priestess woke moments after Sword Maiden left the room and the other members of the party barged in. They wanted to do some more scouting of the sewers, but first, they needed to eat and Goblin Slayer and Priestess needed to get their equipment looked at.
After they had got everything sorted, they sat down and enjoyed some ice cream. Then, on the way back to the temple, they met with Majo and Yaritsukai who had brought a package for Goblin Slayer. It was a bag of finely ground flour…
Goblin Slayer and Priestess met up with the others and headed back into the sewers where they had discovered a strange eye monster that appeared to be guarding a room. It had the ability to disintegrate and dis-spell, which nullified most of their attacks. However, Goblin Slayer had a plan.
High Elf raced into the room drawing the eye’s attention towards her. That gave Dwarf enough time to put the eye into a drowsy state. Goblin Slayer strode into the room and threw the bag of flour to the ground. Everyone retreated to the hall while Priestess put up a protection barrier. High Elf then hit the eye monster with an arrow as one of Lizardman’s skeletal warriors approached. It attacked, but the flame it fired ignited the flour in the room, creating an explosion.
The monster was dead, allowing them to see what it had been protecting. A tall mirror stood behind its burnt body, but it was no ordinary mirror!
What did you think?
All right, this series is just getting better and better. It opened with a glimpse into Goblin Slayers past. After his village was attacked he sought out a way to defeat the goblins and began his studies under a Rhea. This was a very cool scene and I loved how it references the Hobbit with his final riddle – What have I got in my pocket?
As well as that, the scene with Sword Maiden was amazing. It showed just how terrifying the goblins really are. Luckily, most are unaware of this terror, but for those that have lived it, it haunts there lives. Sword Maiden had defeated the Demon Lord. She is basically a legendary hero but is terrified of goblins, and it’s not an irrational fear either. It really added some weight to the threat.
Finally, I still find it utterly bizarre that High Elf and Priestess seem to be dead set on these rules of combat that they’ve made Goblin Slayer sign up to. Do they think the goblins won’t use fire, poison or water to kill them if they get a chance? It makes no sense to me. Let the guy kill them anyway he sees fit!
What have you learnt?
The way they used Sword Maiden to show us how dangerous the goblins are added yet more depth to the story. We’ve seen them already and are well aware of what they can do, but so far, it’s just been to inexperienced rookies and lone people. The fact that they captured and did unspeakable things to Sword Maiden, a legendary hero who defeated the Demon Lord should be a massive wake up call to the entire nation.
Of course, I doubt Sword Maiden has told many of her story, because of the way that it would be perceived. Are there some parallels to what women go through when trying to come forward about their own experiences? It certainly would appear to be that way, and this is yet another way that this story has weaved reality into this fantasy world. It’s dark and harrowing once you see what’s really going on, and that’s true for this world too!
Other reviews in the series
Series Information
| English Title | Goblin Slayer |
| Japanese Title | Goblin Slayer |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Dark Fantasy |
| Demographic | Seinen |
Anime
Season One
Movie
| English Title | Goblin’s Crown |
| Japanese Title | Goblin’s Crown |
| Released | Winter 2020 |
| Animation Studios | White Fox |
Season Two
Manga
| Series | Side Story II: Dai Katana |
| Author | Kumo Kagyu |
| Artist | Shougo Aoki |
| Volumes | Ongoing |
| 1 | The Fortress City |
| 2 | There’s Always Tomorrow! |
| 3 | Help and Help Alike! |
| 4 | I Can Smell Blood! |
| 5 | If You Let Your Guard Down, You Die! |
| 6 | Be Thankful to Everything! |
Actually, the goblins already used poison, both on their arrows/blades (1st episode) and as a gas in the previous episode. And you’re right–the revelation that such a powerful hero had been laid so low by goblins would do much more to tarnish her reputation than it would to make folks take goblins more seriously. The thinking would likely go: well, she might be a Hero, but she’s still just a woman and one who let her guard down. . .
For sure. Goblins will use anything they can to kill/incapacitate their enemy. There’s no point trying to fight a noble battle against them. They will not observe the same rules.
Absolutely agree about Sword Maiden. Given the state of media in this world, you’d imagine some would claim she was to fault because of what she was wearing, where she went, or that she even enjoyed it. It’s a awful situation to be in. Goblin Slayer is the perfect hero for her.
[…] Lynn […]