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Ever since the release of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Elden Ring, its many characters have become beloved icons of the community. The cruel jests of Varré, the unbeatable Malenia, and the pathetic Godrick. Yet quite literally towering a𓆏bove all other characters is the very centrepiece of the entire game: The Erdtree.
Always ꦇwithin sight in the open world, the Erdtree is a cultural symbol of The Lands Between, entwined with every aspect of its history. That said, it was not always known as the Erdtree and likely did not even have the appearance we are used to. Its history is long and weaved, inseparable from the Gods that define it.
The Primordial Crucible
Within the game, the history of the world is learned almost exclusively from the perspective of the Golden Order, with scant pieces of otherwise heretical lore strewn across the far corners of the world. In these small, hidden pieces of lore, however, we learn of something called the Primordial Crucible, an ancient form of the Erdtree.
Elden Ring is set within the Age of the Erdtree, though the Primordial Crucible existed long before this. At this point in time, there was simply the Great Tree which can be assumed to be the central Erdtree that now shines over the entirety of The Lands Between. The Great Tree still seemed to be the cultural symbol of the land, with people fighting for its glory. This is further evidenced by the abandoned colosseums that are spread across the world, relics of a bygone era.
Another aspect of the world that was common during the age of the Primordial Crucible were what are now known as the Fell Omen. During the Age of the Erdtree, the most prominent of the Fell Omen are Morgott and Mohg, who were sealed away underground, seen as blasphemous creatures. This lends further credence to the fact that Fell Omen are the natives of The Lands Between, or somehow closely associated with the Primordial Crucible, which is why they are so reviled by the Golden Order. In a rather twisted manner, we can see that Crucible Knights have fashioned themselves after Fell Omen, modelling their armour and abil𒆙ities after them.
The final major aspect of the Primordial Crucible are Ancient Dragons. The dragons that currently roam the world of Elden Ring are weakened descendants of the Ancient Dragons. The majority of Ancient Dragons we see are within Farum Azula, Placidusax prime among them. Placidusax is said to have been an Elden Lord in a time before Elden Lords existed. This implies then that they were once the victor of the Primordial Crucible, and with the arrival of the Greater Will, slumbered in ꦓFarum Azula to await the return of their lord. Though their own lord is never specified, it can be assumed this refers to the 🙈Great Tree that was taken over by the Greater Will to become the Erdtree.
The Primordial Crucible is seemingly seen as the birthplace of life within The Lands Between, and so all life found within Farum Azula, where many who praised the Primordial Crucible ended up, can be seen as creations of the Primordial Crucible the same way Demi-Gods are creations o﷽f the Erdtree
The Arrival Of The Greater Will
Though the Age of the Primordial Crucible defined The Lands Between, the arrival of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the Greater Will would usher in the Age of the Erdtree. From this point on, we never hear mention of the Great Tree again, so it can be naturally assumed that the♒ Great Tree and the Erdtree are one and the same, though with different rulers.
Acting as its vessel, the Greater Will sent a sparkling star to The Lands Between containing the Elden Beast. The Elden Beast would go on to become the Elden Ring itself, housed deep within the core of the Erdtree. With this, it is assumed the Erdtree took on its current form, spreading its influence throughout its vast roots that spread across the entirety of The Lands Between. From here, the Minor Erdtrees were born, creating a shared appearance and spread of power acrosꦿs the whole land.
It is unknown what power controlled the world during the Primordial Crucible, though now the Elden Ring and its composite runes are what gave rules and order to the world. The Erdtree was now🏅 more than simply a cultural and religious symbol of the world: it was also the core of the world, holding the very rules of reality as determined by the Greater Will.
Queen Marika, And The Culture Around The Erdtree
Marika, known devoutly as Queen Marika the Eternal, was born an empyrean. It is still vague as to what determines one being born an empyrean, except that it gives one the ability to commune with Outer Gods and grants them a Shadow to protect them. Though it's unknown when exactly Marika communed with the Greater Will, it is clear she did and was made their vessel as a result. Following her ascension, she sought to enforce the rule of the Greater Will and the Erdtree and did so rather successfully.
In an effort to make her rule eternal, she removed the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring, and gave it to her Shadow, Maliketh, to keep safe. Having removed natural death from existence, she formed 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the Golden Order to destroy remnants of the past and any and all that opposed the Erdtree. To this end, the Fell Omen were killed or locked away beneath Leyndell, the Travelling merchants were all imprisoned for praising the Frenzied Flame, and the Fire Giants were hunted to near extinction for holding the fire capable of burning down the Erdtree.
Following this, the Age of the Erdtree flourished. The Golden Order became not just a militant organisation but a religious one. They enforced the Erdtree's growing culture. This was essential, as Death itself was central to the Erdtree's life. Upon natural death, one's essence was absorbed by the Erdtree, giving it power. With the Rune of Death removed, Erdtree Burials were created. These were reserved for those who served the Erdtree and Marika diligently, being buried at its roots and their Remembrance hewn into the memory of the Erdtree. In this sense, no one truly died, being taken into the Erdtree and being reborn t🦩hrough their self-same Remembrance.
With a firm religion formed around the Erdtree and its Minor Erdtrees spread throughout the land, its presence became impossible to deny. Any who did try to deny the church were slain by the Golden Order and went back to rather ironically empowering the Erdtree. The only land that managed to hold its own against the Golden Order was the Liurnia, with Rennala eventually marrying Radagon of the Golden order and establishing peace between both lands. It feels fitting then that the power that would begin the end of the Erdtree would be the child of Rennala an𒊎d Radagon.
Destined Death, And The Corruption Of The Erdtree
At the formation of her Rule, Marika removed the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring. This left it incomplete but still functioning, but that imperfection would also be its undoing. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ranni, child of Radagon and Rennala, was born an Empyrean and given a Shadow of her own in Blaidd. She felt for her mother who praised the Moon and Stars and opposed the harsh rule imposed by the Greater Will through the Erdtree. As such, she sought to bring the Rune of Death back to The Lands Between and bring an end to the rule of the Erdtree.
In this sense, she started successfully. With the Knight of Black Knives, she caused the first-ever death of a demi-god, her Black Knife assassins using weapons coated with the Rune of Death to kill Godwyn. This success was short-lived, with Godwyn dying ♑only in soul (and Ranni only in body). In accordance with the beliefs of the Golden Order, Godwyn was given an Erdtree Burial, and this caused a great sickness within the Erdtree.
From the Deeproot Depths where Godwyn was buried, the essence of Death spread from his corpse and into the roots of the Erdtree, spreading across The Lands Between into countless tombs of those given Erdtree burials. Without the Rune of Death to regulate its spread, Death cursed the roots, causing the dead within to no longer to consumed by the Erdtree, weakening it significantly. These people cursed by the spread of Death became known as Those Who Live In Death and were seen by the Golden Order as a revulsion, in opposition to the Erdtree's principles.
All of this would lead to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Shattering, the Elden Ring destroyed, and its various runes cast across The Lands Between. Following this, Marika was trapped within the Erdtree alongside Radagon as punishment, with Radagon attempting to restore the Elden Ring to its former glory. The Elden Ring shaไttered, and the Erdtree closed off to all comers, anyone could replace the missing Rune of Death with whatever Rune they so desired.
Death is a slightly complicated matter in Elden Ring. Though your character 'dies' they return to life because the Rune of Death was never restored, and can be assumed you are resurrecting because you are given the Grace of the Erdtree.
The Fate Of The Erdtree
Ultimately, the Erdtree is a vessel. In the past, it was the Great Tree and home to the Primordial Crucible, and whatever power ruled it. Now, it is the Erdtree, home to the Elden Ring and the Greater Will, the Outer God that controls it. What comes around it, be it the colosseums in which they fight or the religious militancy of the Golden Order, the Erdtree is a symbol. Though usable practically, it's only a tool to guide the power that is centred within it, rather than having a strict will of its own.
Within the Golden Order, a prophecy exists claiming that a great flame will destroy the Erdtree, burning it to nothing but ash. Within the game, we see this manifest in many ways. Rykard utilises the flames of Mt. Gelmir to amass his strength, the Fire Giants have their great cauldron of flames, and the Frenzied Flame is madness i🌼ncarnate, capable🌟 of burning anything and everything. Yet this is only the destruction of a symbol, a vessel that holds power.
There are only two ways in which the Erdtree is truly changed. One is to burn it down with the Frenzied Flame, leaving nothing but ash and chaos. The other is to accept Ranni's Age of Stars, denying the divinity of the Erdtree at all, and replacing it with the faint glimmer and the Moon and Stars. Without having ever seen the Erdtree in another form, it can be difficult to imagine it in another appearance, let alone one without the power of the Greater Will. Yet if it once existed through the Primordial Crucible, then it can exist in another form without the Greater Will. If anything, it's entirely possible that Miquella and his Haligtree are central to understanding what ꦗthe Erdtree would be without div🅘ine interference.