Elden Ring has no shortage of unusual NP's for the player to encounter, often with equally unusual names, but the story behind the Loathsome Dung-Eater's name is actually pretty straightforward. The Lands Between are filled with other Tarnished characters for the player to meet, who are supposed to follow the guidance of grace to their destinies, whatever that may be. The one thing that all of these Tarnished characters share in common is that they have all died once already, but through the power of grace are reborn to fulfill their purposes across The Lands Between, which in the player's case is collecting Elden Ring's Great Runes and becoming Elden Lord.
The game's opening cutscene gives players a look at several of the more high-profile Tarnished characters that can be met across the Lands Between, with most of them actually being tied to specific endings too, potentially a clue about their significance. Another clue seems to be that the images shown of each character seem to represent their original deaths, such as Gideon being shown in a stone coffin, or Horah Loux, impaled, bloodied, and strung up to a tree. All of these characters can be encountered by the player throughout the course of the game, although it will likely take a while to encounter them all, given how long Elden Ring takes to complete.
The Loathsome Dung-Eater, as he is referred to by the opening cutscene's narrator, is one of these notable Tarnished, although for very different reasons than the rest. The Dung-Eater was reviled because of his obsession with the Omen race, his armor was styled in such a way as to represent an Omen without its horns, similar to what was done to any Omen that were not of the Erdtree's royal line, as described by the in-game item Omen Bairn. He also used the seedbed curse to defile people after he'd killed them, to cut their souls off from returning to the Erdtree, and possibly even turning their bloodline into Omen themselves, similar to Elden Ring's boss Margit, The Fell Omen.
Elden Ring's Loathsome Dung-Eater Was Executed Publicly
The nature of Loathsome Dung-Eater's crimes in Elden Ring must have led to his arrest and subsequent execution, although it's unclear what the exact circumstances around this were. What is clear, though, is that he was strung up before a crowd, who proceeded to pelt him with feces and other projectiles as he hanged, as was a common practice in Medieval Europe. It is from this punishment that the Dung-Eater earned his title, since being covered - literally - in dung is definitely likely to leave a lasting impression on any and all who see it. It's also a common tactic to give particularly dangerous or abhorrent individuals derogatory or belittling names in an attempt to discredit them.
It would seem that although Elden Ring has some horrifying enemy designs, it is actually its NPC's that are the true terrors of The Lands Between. As is to be expected, the ending associated with the Dung-Eater is similarly dark, offering the inhabitants of The Lands Between a very grim future should the player decide to align themselves with this disturbing character. Players would also do well to remember, that while the Loathsome Dung-Eater may not sound like a fearsome character, he is one of the most dangerous individuals in Elden Ring.