—Greil to the Black Knight, shortly before his defeat
Greil is the father of Ike and Mist and the founder of the Greil Mercenaries. He was originally known as Gawain, one of Daein's Four Riders and once called the "Divine Knight". For a time, he and Elena lived peacefully in Gallia. During this time, they had two children, Ike and Mist. Greil also met Titania, who had been sent by Crimea to study in an officer exchange program.
Quick Answers
What led Greil to found the Greil Mercenaries?
How did Greil's past as Gawain influence his life?
What role did Titania play in the Greil Mercenaries?
Why was Greil known as the 'Divine Knight'?
How did Greil's time in Gallia shape his family?
Profile[]
Born in Daein, Gawain was a knight of legend, known as a powerful swordsman throughout all of Tellius. He eventually became one of Daein's Four Riders and was considered their strongest general, being known as Gawain "invincible". While in service to Daein, Gawain taught very few people, but one of his greatest protégés was Zelgius, a soldier under his command.
In the year 626, he fled from Daein alongside his fiancé, the priestess Elena after she was entrusted with Lehran's Medallion by the heron Lillia. They eventually settled in Gallia where Gawain discarded his name and took on the name Greil. Shortly after, he would father two children: Ike and Mist.
Greil killing Elena under the influence of Lehran's Medallion.
Greil lead a happy life until one day he made the mistake of touching Lehran's Medallion. Unlike his wife who could safely hold it, the chaotic energies of the medallion caused him to go on a berserk rampage. Going on a mindless slaughtering spree, the Medallion was eventually wrest from his grasp by Elena at the cost of her life. With his sanity restored, Greil discovered his wife impaled by his sword. Devastated by his loss, he forbade Ike from touching the Medallion and entrusted it Mist as she, like her mother, could safely touch it without losing her mind. To ensure that he could never cause such destruction again, Greil slashed the tendons in his dominant sword hand and vowed never to touch a sword again. He also hired an assassin Volke to immediately kill him should he ever lose his mind again.
Greil eventually founded the Greil Mercenaries and earned a living by performing tasks for various villages in Crimea. Though he no longer wielded a sword, he still proved to be a daunting warrior with his signature axe Urvan. Sensing the danger that Daein posed upon news of the invasion, he quickly had Ike take on more responsibility within the company, and eventually fled with the mercenaries to Gallia in order to protect Princess Elincia from Daein during The Mad King's War.
Path of Radiance[]
Ike and Mist mourning over Greil's grave after his death.
In Chapter 7, Greil is summoned in the middle of the night to a duel against the Black Knight, a mysterious warrior. The Black Knight gives him the sword Ragnell so he can best him in combat. Greil immediately recognizes his voice and obliges to continue dueling against him. However, he tosses the blade back at the Black Knight while continuing to duel with Urvan. Despite the fierce duel he displays, Greil is defeated and sustains heavy mortal wounds. Despite his best attempts, Greil dies as Ike hauls him back go camp.
He is later buried with Urvan serving as his grave marker.
In Game[]
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance[]
Boss Appearance[]
- Prologue
Base Stats[]
Growth Rates (Unused)[]
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70% | 50% | 20% | 80% | 40% | 35% | 40% | 25% |
Fire Emblem Engage[]
Bond Ring[]
- Hero from beyond Elyos who founded the Greil Mercenaries. A well-trusted and top-notch mercenary with superb skill in battle. He is Ike and Mist's father, and he sees all of the mercenaries as family.
| ||
 C Rank
|
Str +1 | |
|---|---|---|
 B Rank
|
Str +1 Def +1 | |
| World |  A Rank
|
Str +1 Def +1 Bld +1 |
 Radiant Hero
|
 S Rank
|
Str +2 Def +1 Bld +1 |
Fire Emblem Heroes[]
- Heroic Exemplar
- The first leader of the Greil Mercenaries. Father of Ike and Mist. Will meet his family again at the Day of Devotion festival. Appears in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.
Base Stats[]
Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯
 | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heroic Exemplar | |||||
| Group | |||||
 Armored | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 22/23/24 44/47/50 | 10/11/12 38/41/45 | 4/5/6 14/18/21 | 9/10/11 35/38/41 | 5/6/7 27/30/33 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
 Faithful Axe+ New Moon |  Axe | ||||
Skills[]
| Type | Name | Prerequisite | Default | Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Iron Axe | - | - | - |
| Steel Axe | - | - | - | |
| Faithful Axe | - | - | - | |
| Faithful Axe+ | - |  | - | |
 | New Moon | - | | - |
| Luna | New Moon | - | | |
| Aether | Luna | - | | |
| A |  Fury 1 | - | - | |
 Fury 2 | Fury 1 | - | ||
 Fury 3 | Fury 2 | | ||
 Fury 4 | Fury 3 | | ||
| B |  Wary Fighter 1 | - | - | |
 Wary Fighter 2 | Wary Fighter 1 | - | ||
 Wary Fighter 3 | Wary Fighter 2 | | ||
| C |  Armor March 1 | - | - | |
 Armor March 2 | Armor March 1 | - | ||
 Armor March 3 | Armor March 2 | |
Overall[]
|
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
|
Base Set[]
Counters[]
Skill Inheritance Options[]
Meet Some of the Heroes[]
| Heroic Exemplar Greil | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Greil is the founder of the Greil Mercenaries and the father of Ike and Mist. | ||
|
Sadly, he perished in a duel with the Black Knight, but his legacy didn't end there, as he passed on his leadership and style of swordsmanship to Ike. | ||
|
And now, Greil has been summoned to the Day of Devotion festivities, where he'll be reunited with many familiar faces! | ||
|
I can't begin to imagine how proud he'll be to see how his children and old allies have grown... This really is a Day of Devotion miracle! | ||
| Closely Associated Characters | |||
| Ike | Greil's son. Greil trained Ike mercilessly in his style of swordsmanship, raising him to be an outstanding warrior. | ||
| Mist | Greil's daughter. The medallion she carries is a memento of her mother. | ||
Quotes[]
—Greil, to Ike when he was defeated by the Black Knight
Heroes[]
Non-Canon Appearances[]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
Greil appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a Sticker.
- Sticker Info
| Name | Image | Artwork from | Effect in The Subspace Emissary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greil |  |
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance | [Throwing] - Attack +14 Usable by: Marth, Ike |
Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)[]
Greil is illustrated in the trading card game Fire Emblem Cipher with the following cards:
Choose Your Legends Placement History[]
| Round | Placement | Character Version | Votes |
|---|
| CYL1 | 281 |  Path of Radiance |
762 |
| CYL2 | 161 ↑80 |
Path of Radiance |
1,550 ↑788 |
| CYL3 | 119 ↑42 |
Path of Radiance |
2,258 ↑1,008 |
| CYL4 | 221 ↓102 |
Path of Radiance |
674 ↓1,584 |
| CYL5 | 222 ↓1 |
Path of Radiance |
401 ↓273 |
| CYL6 | 228 ↓6 |
Path of Radiance |
401 |
| CYL7 | 259 ↓31 |
Path of Radiance |
183 ↓218 |
| CYL8 | 250 ↑9 |
Path of Radiance |
213 ↑30 |
| CYL9 | 247 ↑3 |
Path of Radiance |
162 ↓51 |
Etymology[]
'Greil' may refer to the 'Holy Grail' of Arthurian legend which Sir Perceval seeks.
'Gawain' is the name of King Arthur's nephew and most trusted knight. In earlier Arthurian stories he is portrayed as the quintessential knight, but in later versions his portrayals become more negative, especially in regard to his treatment of women. All sources agree that he is killed in Arthur's second-to-last battle against Mordred. Later writers say that his death there was due to a wound he had received from Lancelot (see Alondite). Gawain had challenged Lancelot because Lancelot accidentally killed Gawain's younger brother, Gareth. Interestingly, in legend, Sir Gawain fights the Green Knight in a duel, whereas Greil fights the Black Knight.
Trivia[]
- Ike's second coloration in the Super Smash Bros. series is based on Greil's outfit.
- Ike's Brave Heroes appearance is based strongly on Greil.
- If hacked on to a playable unit, Greil is able to use Aether. This makes him one of only two characters able to use Aether in Path of Radiance, along with Ike.
- Greil's use of an axe to fight the Black Knight, who was using a sword, put him at a disadvantage in accordance with the Weapons Triangle.
- Greil's shares his English voice actor, Frank Todaro, with Reyson in Heroes.
- Greil is also the first of the Four Riders to become playable in Heroes.
- The swordsmanship style created by Greil and used by Ike that was mentioned throughout Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn is called "Secret Art of Aether" in the Tellius Recollections volume 1 and 2.[1]
Gallery[]
- See main article: Greil/Gallery.