Elden Ring | Unraveling the Mystery of Radagon

Radagon is a character about whom very little is known and understood. Despite appearing near the end of the game, he’s only ever talked about from the perspective of others who all seem to have skewed versions of the truth. In this video, I attempt to unravel the secret origins of the red-haired champion.
This video contains spoilers for Elden Ring developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Elden Ring Soundtrack by Tsukasa Saitoh, Shoi Miyazawa, Yoshimi Kudo, Yuka Kitamura, and Tai Tomisawa.
Royalty Free Music:
Illusory Realm by Darren Curtis Music
• Free Abstract Dream Mu...

[@maureenbouterse]

I love the implication of the Greater Will shooting itself in the tail end by accidentally seeding doubt into its god in the Lands Between. Marika turning out to be the anti-Gwyn was also a really nice twist, and is proof that, even though Fromsoft recycles a lot of themes and ideas, they can add something fresh to each iteration. Edit after finishing the video: I also think that both Marika and Radagon are deeply tragic figures, each in their own way. From Radagon's and Marika's scar and soreseal referencing a 'solemn duty' I'd posit that Radagon didn't want to leave Rennala or their children. But that, faced with the choice between love for his family and duty to the Golden Order, he chose duty. Same with Marika. She likely didn't want to marry or have children with Radagon either. Didn't want to be beholden to the blind belief part of her that she now despised. I'd reason that Malenia and Miquella are actually triple cursed: 1. Radagon breaking his sacred vow to Rennala had dire consequences (as did Radagon mysteriously 'forgetting' to take back the Rune of the Unborn). 2. The lack of the Rune of the Unborn left Miquella and Malenia "vulnerable". 3. This vulnerability is, in part, also related to them being born of 'one god'. So all of this combined, means that other Outer Gods managed to snag the twins before the Greater Will could. Thus did one woman's growing doubt result in the shattering of the world itself. I fucking love Elden Ring, and I hope we get more lore videos from you.

[@bgill6623]

Miaquella and Melania being taken by other outer gods does make alot of sense, it would also explain why mohg wanted Miquella, more likely than not the blood God commanded him to do so.

[@pious83]

The idea of a Rebis definitely seemed to me what From were going for with Radagon & Marika. I initially saw it more as two sides of the same coin. But posing them as eventually becoming separate individuals, at odds with each other. Adds a lot of weight to much of the dialogue revolving around them. As well as the significance of the statue changes at various points in the world.

[@scheherazade2291]

As far as his relationship with his children, it did seem at one point that he had a good relationship with Miquella. But this is a great video. Makes a lot of sense and pieces together all the smaller theories that I had come to.

[@Toto-95]

Wanna hear my toughts ? i watched dozens of elden ring videos and almost everyone just talks and talks without saying anything useful. Just ASMR mumbling. But you buddy, you offer concised, researched and plausible explanation and analysis for things. Your channel is cruely underrated and i sincerely hope you'll keep up the grind and eventually find the success you deserve cause this is gold

[@josiahgarber3761]

I would say that instead of being created to bear the curse by the Greater Will, Radagon was made to fix Marika’s mistakes. He was given the red hair to show her needless aggression against the Fire Giants, and his goal was always to bring the world to its true shape, to understand and uphold the core tenants of what the Elden Ring should be

[@tyler9123]

I love this idea of marika and radagon being one, but at odds when the ring was shattered. Your channel is criminal under-subbed.

[@georgehouliaras7239]

The more I see of Elden Ring, the more I want to play it. But I'm waiting for a complete edition with all it's future dlc. FromSoft's dlcs are simply phenomenal. I feel like I have to experience everything on my first run because if I get the game now and platinum it and return later for the dlc, it would just be a letdown because I would already know the game inside and out.

[@killer11843]

No

[@pious83]

Considering virtually all From DLC's take place in entirely new areas to the base game. I don't see where the letdown would be?

[@KestalDoern]

Your reasoning is hard to understand, as you clearly know about DLCs from other games. They're always stand-alone experience and don't change the base game much. Why rob yourself of that wonderful journey, that is first playthrough of Elden Ring? It's absolutely magical and nothing else will ever come close to that.

[@georgehouliaras7239]

@@KestalDoern It's hard for me to imagine playing Dark Souls 1 without Artorias, Kalameet and Manus on my first playthough. Or Dark Souls 2 without Sir Allone, Raime and the Ivory King. Dark Souls 3 without Friede, Gael and Midir, Bloodborne without Ludwing, Lady Maria etc etc. I just think that these things are best when experienced on the first run without knowing a lot about the game. I will inevitably play the game anyway, waiting a bit for all the dlcs doesn't bother me. It's just my weird preference.

[@Runesword361]

This was a well put together piece with great effort on the part of your presentation. I believe it's persuasive enough to have sway over our understanding of the game's events and story.

[@darthacez]

After reading that the Greater Will is an alien, I am stuck at which ending is better Age of Order or Age of Stars. For Age of Order Everybody especially the Greater Will and the gods are hold accountable for their crimes and Age of Stars the influence of Greater Will is removed and Ranni is completely free but her actions started the story because of her selfish reasons and what threat these stars have on the Lands Between. What are your thoughts on this Strictly Fantasy ?

[@Digsidian]

I very much like the idea that Radagon was created by being imbued with the Rune of the Unborn. That it was important to his creation. To me, that really helps explain why Malenia and Miquella are cursed. Despite being Empyreans, they're imperfect without the Rune of the Unborn being involved in their birth. If you further go into how they are cursed because they are the children of a single god (I don't remember if that's an in game line), maybe Marika wasn't forced to have children with Radagon, and Radagon simply created them like Marika did him.

[@MysteryKar]

malenia being created out of a single god even checks out with millicent and her sisters being created out of malenia and no one else

[@TheJackal917]

Oh boi, I loved your Soul Reaver series and waited for From games. Alas, my patience is rewarded.

[@nottwo]

Thought I had about the speech from Marika that Melina relays: the way she speaks here reminds me of Saint Teresa of Avila wrote in the Interior Castle. She’s challenging the ways of the church but framing it in this super pious language to get away with it.

[@MrCdog85]

This is along the lines of what I had been thinking, but much more well pieced together. Brilliant video!

[@shyy2103]

I loved your KKC videos. Now watching ER content from you is like a treat. I hope you keep making more souls content. Loving it so far.

[@freaknr1]

Your videos are such high quality! It's a shame your Elden Ring videos haven't done as well as your Legacy of Kain and fantasy-content, but they probably got lost in the sea of Elden Ring-content, even though they are so well made.

[@daniell1483]

I've always thought that Radagon and Merika were two beings in one body. It seems strange to me that some people think Radagon was his own person that just so happened to fuse with Merika. We actually see the two struggling for control over their body, one trying to destroy the Elden Ring, the other trying to mend it. I don't think it gets much more explicit than that.

[@robertsoto5713]

Dude I’ve been trying to say the same thing . But u put in words and in a way ima use in my arguments from now on . Haha awesome video

[@karlwikman3874]

I like To think Marika was so bored of rulership that she split herself in half, and sent out this other half to experience the outside world for her. Then she got bored of that and called him back to her.

[@MediaphusioN]

I think you basically nailed it.

[@aloxeno]

interesting video!

[@Runesword361]

All about it! Let's dive in.

[@vernaute2803]

I thought this was a vaati video at first and was confused by discrepancy in the voice narrating the intro

[@Blakobness]

It's interesting that the twins both came out with defects, almost as if it's a sort of cautionary tale or reference to the tendency of inbreeding of certain royal lines. One who's growth and development is stunted, as you would represent physical biological defects of inbreeding, while the other is riddled with malady in a way perhaps representing physiologically the impairments that you might see. Somehow though Godwyn manages to avoid these things, but I guess having your soul murdered and body left in the world as an unliving plague isn't so much a better fate.

[@MysteryKar]

funnily enough, assuming that melina is also a demigod (which she basically outright says when she mentions her mother inside the erdtree) the children marika had with both elden lords present patterns that are both the same and opposite: a pair of cursed twins and a single normal child, and while mohg and morgott were shunned even though their "curse" was harmless, miquella and malenia were adored despite having much more dangeroud afflictions (at least in the case of malenia), godwyn and melina also mirror eachother, godwyn being stuck without a soul while melina is a bodiless spirit

[@sablemae8853]

Is it me or does it seem like the leelhound of the golden order radagon hounded Godfrey from the lands between.

[@thenobody7509]

I feel like radagon was always apart of Marika because thats just what my mind goes to when I think of an empyran someone who is both Male and Female. Mean a great example of this actually is miquella who is said to also be saint Trina. Once again Male and Female. Now this being said it isn't out of reason to guess that if these two sides separates and one of them dies then the other would also die which might explain why radagon left his family. Marika was holding both their lives hostage.

[@alial-redhaal-jarah1871]

I think that Radagon was good.

[@FenrisRM]

glad you cover elden ring too! i wonder tho, why Melina and Miquella are cursed the way they are. i mean it could all just be a bin inbreeding joke but cmon...

[@axolotlsgonewild]

Well I have an few thoughts about it. In some ways the twins seem to be reflections of time. Miquella exists in physical statis, frozen at an age of perceived innocence. While Melina exists in a state of atrophy, her body wearing out beyond her time. Both stuck, waiting for the catalyst to push them beyond the point they are in. Or maybe they are a foil of Merika, of her destructive need to change and Radagon's obsessive need to preserve things the same.

[@PWNINSWAGMASTER]

Ok when it is factually said that Radagon has yet to “become” Marika, I dont know why you think it makes any sense for that to be open for interpretation but not the statement that Radagon’s hair color MIGHT be a “curse”, because the word “curse” is used metaphorically FAR more often. And the interpretation you chose seems like a stretch. What I think is that Radagon is half giant/half zamor and was not well-treated since we know the giants and the zamor hated one another. I think he was then picked up by the golden order for selling out the giants in a way that gave Marika the advantage in that war. He was allowed to join them so that he can serve as champion & commander in training and possibly as a backup elden lord if Godfrey was to ever die or be removed of his position. I also think Radagon is an inferior warrior as well as commander to Godfrey, so once Radagon got his first job as war commander he was incompetent. I believe that is why Lieurnia and the Golden order came to an impasse for two wars straight, because it seems laughable that the Golden order can win wars against dragons and giants but not a bunch wizards. I also don’t believe Radagon was always rebus to Marika not just because she said he hasnt yet become a God or her, but also because nobody has been able to explain to me why Melina, a stated daughter of Marika, can freakin fire-bend the giant’s forge before we get bizzarely teleported to Farum Azula. Now you could argue that this was just inherent in the “curse”, but that doesnt explain why Radagon as a boss is vulnerable to fire AND ice… almost as though there’s a ying yang between both much like the rivalry between the giants and the zamor. If it was a curse from the influence of ONLY a fire giant, you’d think he’d be suceptable to frost while strong to fire, but he’s not, he’s weak to both. And although you make a fairly convincing point with the rune of rebirth(given the scarseals), I think that may have more to do with Melina and Ranni’s relationship than Radagon and Marika’s relationship. Besides, why was Radagon’s scarseal held by a zamor boss? That seems to have an implication that no one has actually considered.

[@Tezca-Coatl]

yet ANOTHER radagon video ...

[@insertedgynamehere___969]

*_Radagon is Marika_*

[@healsyeah]

i really hate how a lot of lore in fromsoft games are basically speculation AFTER digging for as much facts as u can

[@MadAtreides1]

It was a nice theory until one remember Melina's recount of Marika's words: "Radagon, thou art yet to become me"

[@daku_sth4057]

You didn't watch the entire video did you?