Sif the Great Grey Wolf

A massive wolf protecting its master's grave, forcing the player to become the transgressor.

Sif, the Great Grey Wolf (Japanese: 灰色の大狼シフ, Hepburn: Hai'iro no Dairō Shifu) is a character and boss in the 2011 action role-playing game Dark Souls. A wolf that has grown to a massive size, it protects the grave of its deceased master, Knight Artorias the Abysswalker, and the Covenant of Artorias, a ring that allows its wearer to traverse the Abyss. The fight with Sif has been cited by critics as one of the most memorable in the game due to the role reversal of the player as a transgressor. Sif also functions as an optional ally in the game's DLC.

Quick Facts

Series: Dark Souls
First game: Dark Souls (2011)
Creator: Hidetaka Miyazaki
Species: Wolf
Weapon: Greatsword

Lore & Background

Sif is a large, silver-colored wolf that is several times the height of the player. Its gender is unspecified in the game itself. In the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, during which the player character is taken back in time hundreds of years earlier, Sif is shown to have been slightly larger than a normal wolf during its time as the companion of Knight Artorias, when it accompanied the knight to slay a primeval human known as Manus, Father of the Abyss, who had been resurrected and driven mad by the sorcerers of Oolacile.

When Artorias is overwhelmed by the power of Manus, his shield arm broken and useless, he uses his Cleansing Greatshield to form a magical barrier around the wolf and save it. If the player rescues it, it can be summoned to fight Manus. In the ensuing years, it continued to survive and grow to tremendous size to protect Artorias' grave. Sif fights by grabbing Artorias's sword from in front of the grave and holding it in its mouth.

It has a strong memory, as it remembers the player if they saved it during the DLC beforehand, but still engages the player in battle. If Sif is reduced to low health, it begins limping in pain and struggles to perform its attacks. When Sif is killed, the player obtains the Covenant of Artorias and Sif's soul, which can forge several weapons.

Reader's Guide

Sif is a boss in Dark Souls. The player must fight Sif to obtain the Covenant of Artorias, a ring that allows its wearer to traverse the Abyss. In the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, if the player rescues Sif as a pup, it can be summoned to fight Manus, Father of the Abyss. Sif has a strong memory, as it remembers the player if they saved it during the DLC beforehand, but still engages the player in battle. There is no means to avoid the fight, a fact some critics called a negative aspect.

Did You Know?

A 25 inch (63.5 cm) tall statue of Sif, including different swords and an art print, was released in 2018.
Game Informer awarded the fight against Sif the award for best boss fight of 2011.
An Easter egg of Sif appeared in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria as a quest enemy called Cracklefang.
Game journalists and Bandai Namco have commented that Zacian, the legendary Pokémon of Pokémon Sword and Shield, may have been directly inspired by Sif.