Souls games, like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Elden Ring, tend to open with a massive list of names. These could be characters important to the lore, including bosses, or just echoes of aeons passed. Following these ෴little threads can help you unravel the nature of the worไld. And, in Elden Ring, this is all the more important. These great family trees determine the fate of the world.

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The many demigod children of Marika and Radagon are the major players. They all have their own reasons to want the shards of the Elden Ring. In this article, we'll take a look at each demigod and the desire that drives them.

Updated July 10, 2024, by Hilton Webster: With the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, the run of Elden Ring (with this one entry, at least) has concluded. And with that DLC, we have answers to many old questions and even a new demi-god in the mix. So let's unravel what makes them tick.

10 Messmer - To Preserve His Mother's Crusade

Messmer is in his first phase, during his introduction cutscene. He is wearing a helm and holding his hand out as he holds a palm-full of fire

In the base game of Elden Ring, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Messmer goes unmentioned. We can theorise all we like that he is alluded to, but the fact remains that he is not present, as if he never existed in 𒆙the 🥃first place. The same is true of the Realm of Shadow in which he dwells, though this is far from a coincidence.

As shown in the story trailer for the DLC and mentioned within Shadow of the Erdtree itself, Messmer took on the crusade against the Hornsent on Marika's behalf. Not just as her general, but as her sacrifice. He was her son, and he wished only to give his mother the world. Such a cleansing, a genocide of such magnitude, should not tarnish her memory. So he, along with the Realm of Shadows, was veiled from the rest of the Lands Between for all of time.

Lore Theories - The Abyssal Serpent

The only thing made clear in the DLC is that Messmer is Marika's son. His father is not mentioned at all, though we can assume it would be Radagon due to his self-same red hair. Like other children of Radagon and Marika, Messmer too seems to have communed with an Outer God, or some other great power against his own consent. This Abyssal Serpent seems to have become his one comfort in the Realm of Shadow, and may have fostered his growing discomfort towards his own mother.

Adding to this, the only statue of Marika that isn't beheaded in the Realm of Shadow is Messmer's own in his Dark Chamber.

9 Godwyn - To Live In Death 💝

Fia in Elden Ring

There are a great many demigods in Elden Ring's long history, and plenty of them still populate the world. But perhaps the most important of them all is never seen alive in the game whatsoever. Godwyn the Golden, firstborn of Queen Marika, is killed during the Night Of Black Knives, triggering the Shattering. Though he doesn't die quite right.

Only his soul perished, and the body of Ranni. His body was laid to rest at the roots of the Erdtree, though it became twisted. It can be hard to say, truly, what Godwyn wants anymore, but the Deathbed Companion Fia claims that he deserves proper death, to be able to live a life 𝓰of death in peace, instead of being stu𝕴ck between two worlds.

Lore Theories

Godwyn's own defiled corpse is what has rotted the roots of the Erdtree, and is possibly the very thing that's corrupted the many catacombs across the land as well. Though he lived a bountiful life, his rival, the Lichdragon Fortissax, followed him into undeath. Though he never says it himself, it's quite possible that Godwyn wants to bring the whole world into that very same Death that he's suffered, though completely this time — as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:evidenced by the Rune of Death dropped by Fia.

8 Godrick ꦡ- To Live Up To His Lineage

Elden Ring Godrick Boss

Time as a concept can be somewhat vague in Elden Ring. With the fractured Golden Order having fostered an Elden Ring without death, immortality graced the people of The Lands Between, and𝐆 a great, long lineage of demigods was born. Amongst t⭕hem was Godrick, a distant descendant of Godwyn.

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During the Shattering, Godrick fled the capital to the castle of Stormveil, and named himself lord. But alas, the guidance of grace faded from the eyes of demigods, passed on to the Tarnished. So Godrick took up grafting, attaching copious Tarnished to himself in hopes of siphoning their grace, a faint hope to live up to Marika's firstborn.

Lore Theories

Godrick is a pitiful soul, the last dregs of Gold without Grace wandering The Lands Between in the hope of divine intervention. The act of grafting runs in his family, employed too by Godefroy during the Shattering. Godrick even sought to duel Malenia, suffering a punishing humiliation. Time and again he has been proven unworthy of anything, yet seeks everything eve♔n still. It would be admirable, 💦were he not so pathetic.

7 Ranni - To Bring About The Age Of Stars 💛 ꧙

Ranni the Witch greeting players in Elden Ring

Ranni is one of three special children of demigods. While her mother is Rennala and her father Radagon, she was born an Empyrean like Marika, meaning she had the means to succeed her. But Ranni saw injustice in the Golden Order and the Greater Will's influence on the world.

She sought to end it. Her mother was spurned by Radagon to become the consort of Marika, and her mother imprisoned.☂ Her siblings fought for scraps to create a world that would still serve the Erdtree. And so Ranni so🌱ught a world without them, a world drowned in the dark of space and the light of the moon, and where the only ruler was yourself.

Lore Theories

Ranni is central to the lore in every aspect; past, present, and future. She instigated the Night of Black Knives, she guides you on your journey to become Elden Lord, and she may well usher in a new age for The Lands Between. But of particular interest is her peculiar similarities to Melina. They share a similar face and opposing scars over the eye. Melina's Blade of Calling also functions incredibly similarly to the Black Knives freed by Ranni. Melina even seems to claim Marika as her mother. The connections between her and Ranni are too plentiful to ignore, especially when both want to change the world.

An item description of Messmer seems to imply that 'his sister, too, bore a vision of fire', making it almost sound as though Melina is his sister, furthering the idea that she is the daughter of Marika, though still offering no clarity on her striking similarity to Ranni.

6 Rykard - 💝To Burn The Erdtree To Ash

The Tarnished prepares to confront the God-Devouring Serpent and Rykard, Lord Of Blasphemy in Elden Ring

Rykard was another of the children born to Rennala and Radagon, though he was not an empyrean like his sister Ranni. But while Radahn cared deeply for his father and Ranni for her mother, Rykard had no such affection and was happy even with the knowledge of Ranni's plans.

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When theཧ Shattering came, Rykard knew. He knew that a world held up by The Greater Will would never be a world of freedom. People were just slaves to their dꦓesire, a life lived only to empower them in death. So he formed the Volcano Manor of Mt. Gelmir to burn the Erdtree, and enlisted the help of a godly serpent to do so.

Lore Theories

Though the Rykard we see in-game is a scant memory of his former self, much of his conviction remains. He seeks to remove The Greater Will, though notably doesn't explicitly oppose Outer Gods in general. The Great Serpent of Mt. Gelmir is ancient, possibly a form of god native to The Lands Between, harnessing a form of magic all of its own. If anything, Rykard's absorption into the serpent was a means to return the world to its natural state.

It is unknown though possible that Rykard's Great Serpent and Messmer's Abyssal Serpent are related, if not the same.

5 Radahn - To Protect His Loved One🌄s

Radahn shot of boss surrounded by red

The final of the three children between Radagon and Rennala, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Radahn had no such lofty ambitions. He was a man of flaming hair, taking after his father. It was a point of pride to take after such a champion of the Erdtree, and lived a life of warfare to pay homage. He also adored Godfrey, the first Elden Lord of the Erdtree, and a champion of Marika's campaign.

When the Sha🐎ttering came, Radahn already had a place: the battlefield. With the war prowess of his father and the gravity magic of his mother, he was an unstoppable force. Until he met the Goddess of Rot. Consumed by rot, only the barest notions remained. To halt th🐓e very stars and use gravity to save his horse from his rot-infested form.

Lore Theories

Radahn was short of neither praise nor glory in his life. He comes from a lineage of relation to Rennala, Radagon and Marika, gods and champions all. Yet his red hair of his father's, which he takes such pride in, is a point of contempt for Radagon, hating that he looks so alike to the giants.

Radahn's Redmanes also use fire in their weapons, just like the Giants who oppose the Erdtree. Radahn, though loving of his lineage, would seemingly go to any length to achieve higher glory, even in admiring the techniques of his sworn enemies.

As Miquella's Promised Consort

While Radahn met his mortal end at the Wailing Dunes, his soul was eternal. Shadow of the Erdtree reveals to us the vow between Miquella and Radahn (though it may have perhaps been one-sided) - that Radahn would become Miquella's promised consort, allowing the latter to ascend to Godhood, ushering in a new age of compassion.

While we see only inklings of it is in the base game, this tells us something new about Radahn. He loved battle, not war. He harboured no hatred for h🐷is enemies and would follow Miquella unto even 🌸Godhood.

In the original release of Elden Ring, 𒀰the Longtail Cat Talisman mentions Radahn as having a pet cat, further showing his more gentle demeanour outside 𝐆of battle.

4 Mohg - To Crea𝓀te His Own Dynastꦺy

Elden Ring Mohg Lord Of Blood Boss Fight

Perhaps the most distinct of the demigods, Mohg was born to Marika and Godfrey, though as an accursed omen that was tℱo be shunned and buried below the city. For the sin of birth, Mohg was denied the grace of the Erdtree and a life with his family. So he made a new one, a communion with the Formless Mother.

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If he wasn't to be given grace by his own family, he would create a better world. But Mohg was no empyrean, and thus could not be a vessel for the Formless Mother. So he kidnapped his half-brother Miquella, in hopes he could house the Formless Mother, and give Mohg a dynasty that could far surpass the Golden Order.

Lore Theories - The Formless Mother

While others follow the Greater Will of Marika, and seek t🌞o unravel it entirely, Mohg took a different path in contacting the Formless Mother directly. Yet in the Realm of Shadow, we see she is already present for the Bloodfiends. Does this mean the Formless Mother is native to the Lands Between, or that she is something greater altogether, an undeniable truth of reality that manifests in times of strife? Little can be said directly, but Miquella 🍰seems to have noticed.

Manipulation By Miquella

The base game gave us what seemed to be a fairly cut-and-dry scenario with Mohg's kidnapping of Miquella, but it seems Mohg has been unfairly maligned. Miquella charmed his brother, taking him from his Haligtree bark to Mohgwyn cocoon.

Why? Mohg's contact with the Formless Mother seems to have been a pathway to the Realm of Shadow, one Miquella found a way of opening with the help of his own blessed blood. Claims of compassion abound, Mohg became a means to an end. A noble sacrifice for Miquella's world without worry.

3 Morgott - To Be Worthy Of Grace 💟

Morgott stares down the Tarnished Warrior as they prepare for battle in Elden Ring.

Twin to Mohg and child of Marika and Godfrey, Morgott strove to take a different path than his brother. While also born an omen and shunned by the Erdtree, Morgott sought desperately to be worthy of that grace. Maybe, if he just showed enough reverence for long enough, he wo🅰uld become worthy.

But that time never came. And maybe beneath it all, he understood. That an omen like he could nev🐠er be Elden Lord, despite being born of a god. And so he declared himself Lord of Leyndell, a halt to all seeking audience with Marika. If he could not succeed his mother, then no one could.

Lore Theories

Morgott feels like the opposite of his brother Mohg in many respects, seeking the love of The Greater Wills rather than forming his own new world. Omens are natural to this world, unlike the Erdtree and The Greater Will, yet Morgott professes undying loyalty to them. It could be in reverence to his own mother that lies within, a rage that his siblings would fight for glory rather than unity, or maybe even his father — Godfrey's — return. Yet, he still defends the Erdtree to his dying breath.

2 ⛎ Malenia - To Protect Her Brother

Malenia, Blade of Miquella, putting her helmet on in Elden Ring

Malenia is a legendary figure across the game. Impaled swords are scattered🍸 across the land, epitaphs of wars since passed, many won by Malenia. Child of Radagon and Marika, Malenia was born an empyrean, though afflicted with the Scarlet Rot from her very birth. Every battle was against her opponent and the rot within her.

But her brother Miquella sought to solve this, even temporarily, and created the Unalloyed Gold Needle to hold the Scarlet Rot at bay. And it worked, until Miquella was whisked away to the Realm of Shadow away while Malenia was at war with Radahn. And with no one to remind her of the pride she had or to keep the rot away, she was left at the base of the Haligtree, to await her beloved brother's return.

Malenia's battle against Radahn, originally without clarity, is vague no more. She confronted Radahn to make him live up to his vow as Miquella's consort, and was met with battle.

Lore Theories - The Goddess Of Rot

Malenia feels like a fabled hero throughout The Lands Between, monuments scattered about detailing her endless victories. Yet she seems to have disappeared, with whispers of her becoming the Goddess of Rot. Though she unleashed that power to defend her life, this rot within may well have been the influence of an Outer God. The Scorpion's Stinger, found at the Lake of Rot, deals Scarlet Rot damage and was fashioned from the remnants of an Outer God, and Miquella's goal was to remove this very influence from the world. Her own perseverance against the Scarlet Rot within her was an act of devotion to her ailing brother.

In Shadow of the Erdtree, we see even more in regard to this. Malenia was not the first to call upon the Goddess of Rot, just the first to commune with them. Romina, as a result of Messmer's crusade, lost her Church of the Bud, and in trying to bring life to her ashen plants, summoned the Goddess of Rot.

As The Blade Of Miquella

Carrying the moniker of Blade of Miquella has become all the more bittersweet for Malenia. She fought so hard to keep Miquella's dream alive, to foster a world where he could become a god. Yet it seems even she was unaware of Miquella's plans with Mohg. She let herself become the Goddess of Rot to bring Radahn back and sacrificed her very self to usher in Miquella's new age. And she died alone. Yet her faith in Miquella never once faltered. She loved her brother.

1 🐈 Miquella - To Become A God

Elden Ring shadow of the erdtree image showing a young miquella kneeling by a chair

Twin to Malenia, Miquella was the other child of Marika and Radago෴n. And just like his sister, he was also born an empyrean with a cursed body. For him, his body would not age, and he was stuck in the form of a young child eternally. But this did not dampen his ambition. If anything,♋ it spurred it on.

Miquella deemed these afflictions to be that of Outer Gods, and so dedicated his life to beating back their influence. He grew the Haligtree from his own blood, creating a home for his beloved twin and all those suffering prejudice in The Lands Between. And then came Mohg, a half-brother Miquella found a means to an end with. His brother's Formless Mother would be his access to the Realm of Shadow, and with that the godhood to usher in his age of compassion.

There is a cu🔯t ending from the base game, the Age of Abundance, that was likely related to Miquella. This has seemingly been retrofitted into♈ Shadow of the Erdtree.

Lore Theories

The tale of Miquella is a tragic one. He is seen only once in the game; his bare, seemingly lifeless arm drooping from Mohg's cocoon. His life is a mystery, much of it lived away in the Haligtree. However, the Eclipse at Castle Sol mentions Miquella plenty, possibly in attempts to resurrect his brother Godwyn, and Shadow of the Erdtree has indeed confirmed that he and St. Trina are one and the same. Where others warred amongst themselves, Miquella actively sought the betterment of the world. So much so that he used his power to convince everyone else his world would be for the best as well.

Forsaking St. Trina, And The Ascent To Godhood

As you travel the Realm of Shadow, you find Miquella's Crosses, remnants of his body and soul that he has forsaken to allow himself to become a god. This includes 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:St. Trina, his other half reminiscent of Radagon being the other half to Marika. To t🍌ruly become a god, Miquella knows he must abandon all earthly attachments. There cannot be 🐓a body to return to, a soul to reclaim. He can only be a god if he views the world unbiased. Yet why has he become a god at all? If he has given up, what defines him?

This, St. Trina argues. She is Miquella's love, and without her, he does not have the love that gave him his goal of godhood. She was locked away beneath the Cerulean Coast, was so powerful his fear of her. Love was what attached Miquella to the world. St. Trina knows this and asks that you kill him. Godhood is a prison, and Miquella would have nothing left.

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