GOBLIN DEATH! is a series of light adventure and dark fantasy novels focusing on a young and inexperienced nun who wants to become an adventurer but runs into trouble when goblins wipe out her first party. ; she is saved by the mysterious Goblin Slayer, a brutal goblin slayer, whom she later joins as they adventure together. The world of the series is a fantasy world with many different creatures and races, among them the Gillmen, a small race also known as “sea elves”. In this article we will tell you who they are and how they are related to elves.
Article details: Gillmen are a minor race in GOBLIN SLAYER!. They are sea-dwelling, fish-like people with humanoid features such as arms, legs, and the ability to speak, but they are clearly fish. The Gillmen are descendants of the Octopus Lord from the Star Sea, and in the context of GOBLIN SLAYER!, they are a major Lovecraftian reference to Cthulhu and Innsmouth. They are a benevolent race who do not seek conflict, and although they are called “sea elves”, they are not actually related elves.
The Gillmen are a minor race in GOBLIN SLAYER! Lovecraftian references abound
As a fantasy series, it’s natural that GOBLIN SLAYER! There are many strange races and creatures that you can find in fantasy novels. We have already talked about Rheas and in this article we will discuss a small race in the series – the Gillmen.
As we said, Gillmen are a small race in GOBLIN SLAYER! and so far they only appear in Volume 8 of the light novels. They are sea dwellers that basically look like humanoid fish. They have arms, legs, and can speak, but they also have fish faces, fish eyes, fins, and other fish-like features. They live under the sea and from what we can understand, they are a very benevolent race who do not seek to fight, although they do carry weapons with them.
Goblin Slayer and his party met a few Gillmen before their fight with the Sea Serpents. Residents informed them about problems transporting fish so the group set out to find out the cause. They were told about “sea elves,” referring to the Gillmen, but it turned out the Gillmen had nothing to do with it; they even stated that they would never attack the ship, explaining that it was the Sea Serpent’s fault, which the group eventually confronted and defeated.
Not much is known about the Gillmen, but the series does reveal that they are descendants of the ancient Octopus Lord, who came from the Sea of Stars. And here’s everything we know about this race. What follows is an analysis of their relationship with the elves, as well as an analysis of their nicknames in the series.
The Gillmen, ironically, are not related to goblins, despite having their own moniker
We’ve already said that Gillmen aren’t one of the most popular races in GOBLIN SLAYER!, which really makes sense. There’s a lot of prejudice in the world of GOBLIN SLAYER!, so a fish-like, sea-dwelling race is more ideal for those who hate anything and anyone who’s different. Luckily, they live under the sea so they don’t have much contact with surface dwellers, although that doesn’t stop people from blaming them for the fishing problem, as we explained earlier.
Now, due to the prejudice we have been talking about, the Gillmen are called “Innsmouth”, as well as “Fishmen” and “Sea Elves”. Now, the first nickname is clearly a Lovecraftian reference, as Innsmouth is related to the mermaids of Lovecraft’s lore; this is further enhanced by the mention of their ancestor, the Octopus Lord from the sky, an obvious reference to Cthulhu, Lovecraft’s most famous god, who also has octopus-like features and to Earth from space. Additionally, this is not an entirely unique reference, as such a reference was made in Digimon Adventure 02, when Hikari was brought to the Dark Ocean; there, we see that she is actually in Innsmouth, and she meets a strange race of sea dwellers (who turn out to be corrupted Divermon), while Dragomon’s silhouette watches from the horizon; Dragomon looks like Cthulhu and is modeled after Lovecraft’s god.
But, in addition to the first nickname, there are two additional nicknames. Okay, the first thing is relatively self-explanatory—they’re humanoid fish, so despite being derogatory, this nickname really needs no further explanation; they themselves hate it and if they aren’t Gillmen, they prefer to be called Pisces Gays, as we heard in the anime. The other moniker, “sea elf,” is a bit more problematic; and yes, they hate it too.
Specifically, when Goblin Slayer and his group were adventuring, people told them about how they were getting less fish recently and blamed it on the “sea goblins”. Upon arriving at a cave, the group meets two Gillmen and Goblin Slayer immediately asks if they are goblins, which angers Gillman. He explains that they are not elves, nor are they related to them in any way, implying that the name is just a derogatory term given to them by other races. Sure, they are green and strange, but they really don’t look like elves at all, and they are a very benevolent and peaceful race, so have no connection to elves.
And this ends our story. about Gillmen in GOBLIN SLAYER!.
