The Great Wither was once the tyrannical self-made King of the Nether. He ruled with a grip of iron, his army of Wither Skeletons, Blazes, and Watchers tormenting the vast caverns. Many sought to destroy him, and many failed doing so. The ancient Nether Tribe, of course, destroyed the Great Wither. How they did so is still under evaluation. The discovery of their Soul Valleys is only recent, after all.

The Great Wither was often depicted as adorned in netherite and gold. The centerpiece of his crown was a Nether Star, a mystical jewel of great power. Nehter Stars can be obtained from the lesser Withers created today, as it is a crucial ingredient in creating a Beacon.

The actual creation of the Great Wither, if there was one, is also unknown. Soul sand was created by the Nether Tribe to mark their territories. Considering Withers made today are created with soul sand, this would likely mean that the Great Wither was created after the Nether Tribe created the substance, which was towards the end of their reign. However, tribal records of the Great Wither state he ruled far earlier than soul sand. A popular theory is that the Great Wither was the first and original, born with the Nether itself. Another popular theory is that perhaps the Tribe did not create soul sand but rather rediscovered its creation and repurposed it for their own needs; the pre-Tribe soul sand was used to create the Great Wither.

If true, this would lead to a more important question: Who created the Great Wither? And why?