Ten Things We Still Don't Know About Queen Marika

[@eurongreyjoy2]

Just realizing how heavily Roderika parallels Marika. I mean the grafting and the Shaman jars, the spirit tuning, the hair, the relationship with Hewg...

[@buckyhurdle4776]

Radagon - Marika - Roderika Theres something here lol

[@rexsybimatrimawahyu3292]

​@@buckyhurdle4776Don't start bro 💀

[@oddyssi]

nah let bro cook

[@theshowman4510]

Roderika is probably the representation of a younger Marika when she just a shaman growing into confidence of herself. Hell she carries the last four letters of Marika’s name! A once meek girl losing all the people she loved to have to a flesh ritual. After being help from an outside force finds a power that she can use and learns to have self confidence. But this is where I feel Roderika and Marika paths diverge.

[@victorprati7908]

Nah

[@MarcellusMaize]

I love the idea that Marika herself was just a successful jar saint. It explains why she was able to rise to such a prominent position in the hornsent civilization despite her not being one of them, they probably viewed her as their ultimate achievement of creating their own divine beings (we know that the hornsent were an extremely proud and arrogant people). Only for her to pull an eclipse on them at the top of the gate of divinity and ascend to true godhood by way of slaughtering the people who put her in that position out of revenge. This would also explain why the hornsent considered what Marika did a “betrayal” they genuinely thought they were doing Marika and the shamans a favor by subjecting them to this awful ritual. Really chilling stuff.

[@johnbd9765]

The ascension ritual also looks like a jar saint ritual at massive scale

[@fredscoffee]

@@johnbd9765 Maybe she even needed all the shaman bodies still available as glue for that massive mass of flesh 🙂

[@guilhermesantos8728]

Imagine Griffith wanting to put an end to himself after going through similar events

[@themaniae4803]

A little point. Japanese translation calls the jar saint not in a holy way, but in a "nice person" way. So, nothing holy and no ascention, it was just a punishment with a nice excuse. Even because Shamans are just a key ingredient, the prisoners are the proper victim of the jars. (Of course they are all victims, but in this way Shamas weren't even seen as humans.)

[@poly_g6068]

Never happened. The jar ritual was a torture experiment and nothing else. It never went 'correctly'. It's just punishment.

[@abrogee]

St Trina's death is alot like a flower in nature with her being removed from the body of Miquella like a flower being plucked from it's roots, it's slowly wilting and withering away.

[@_AriseChicken]

More like my surge protector. When it's not plugged in it won't charge my phone and it dies.

[@obezkr]

yeah like flower from berserk! berserk reference

[@ChrisSummers-AlienFaeRE]

​@@_AriseChickendafuq? That's not how love works. .

[@_AriseChicken]

@@ChrisSummers-AlienFaeRE good lord that flew right over your head.

[@AlanAlberti-gt4tm]

Maybe Queen Marika is the friends we made along the way

[@Koscacio]

Next DLC, Torrent reveal to be Marika's souls all this time.

[@xoxowena]

No but I'm actually convinced literally everyone we meet (not literally sorry but ranni melina melenia miquella etc) all are fractures or aspects of Marika and she like the "one great" was one entity that split into many

[@fredscoffee]

Nah Marika is the Marika we made along the way

[@GodWarsX]

bot

[@commissarkordoshky219]

take my like and get out lol

[@PerfectTheCircle]

My favorite two Radagon theories: 1) Radagon was melded into Marika during a jar saint ritual. 2) Much like Miquella and St. Trina, Radagon was always a part of Marika, but she then cast him away because she saw him as detrimental to her apotheosis. Later again they merged (voluntarily or not).

[@themaniae4803]

Or also to do a trick. To rule you need a God and a Elden Lord, and i think Marika didn't really want to share power with others, so why not put herself as both Elden Lord and God? Even because he's called King Consort, a role less important than QUEEN. Ps. Jar saint is a mistransaltion. They are not saint as Holy or a try to ascention, is Saint as Good Person. Literally is a punishment to make people "better person." when in reality was just a torture for prisoners.

[@KodFrostwrath]

The "merging again" part is whats lacking. Theres is never any precedent of that happening in game. They never hinted at any "merging back after casting out your other half".

[@poly_g6068]

@@KodFrostwrath Umm... they HAD to merge, to be in the state we find them in during the game. The game 'does' say that Radagon left Rennala and returned to the Erdtree, to be with Marika. The notion that they had a 4-way marriage was debunked by the DLC by including St. Trina and Miquella separately.

[@Ender13123]

He’s the animus its a metaphor for jungean psychology radagon is Matilda male alter ego who is the “doer”

[@alessandrobaggi6129]

My headcanon is that Radagon, be him an artificial Lord (like Silver Tears) or a random Zamor, houses the soul of the Fell God... that's the only way i see him wielding the Flame and "hating his own red locks". I know it's probably not correct, but THERE HAS TO BE MORE ABOUT RADAGON OTHER THAT "ASPECT OF MARIKA".

[@maureenbouterse]

As of the release of Elden Ring, Queen Marika is my favorite Fromsoft character. She's done inspirational and horrifying things both, caused wide scale devastation in shattering the Elden Ring, and yet she did so because she's oh so very human.

[@themaniae4803]

She was so human, in good and bad way. A lot bad. Mostly bad. Also, is cool how technically she's "dead" during all the game but she guide us more than Gwyn during Dark Souls.

[@bigchungus6827]

@@themaniae4803 I love the extra info we got on her during the DLC. We've always known a lot about Queen Marika the Eternal in the base game, but extremely little about Marika, other than her being a Numen who originate from outside the Lands Between, and Melina's quotes (and I'm still kinda doubting the accuracy of those). The glimpse the DLC gave us into Marika of the Shamans is prob my fav part of the DLC, since it does a lot to show the humanity and kindness she still tried to hold onto after ascending. Can't say I was as impressed by Miq and Radahn 2.0.

[@MinecraftMartin]

Interesting to talk about translations from Japanese. If George RR Martin wrote the foundation of Elden Ring initially, that means Elden Ring was written in English, translated into Japanese, FromSoftware writes what happened next, then the notes in game are translated back to English. If you've ever done an exercise of translating from one language, then back to another, then back again, you'll know how crazy a concept can sound in the end lol

[@themaniae4803]

Even because a lot of rules of Elden Ring are related to Buddhism and Shintoism, so english rules created by japanese culture, translated in japanese and then again in english. Even just "Time is Convoluted" in Dark souls changed all the plot.

[@padrenuestre]

GRRM didn't write anything related to the actual game plot as it is, he simply wrote a bunch of mythos which then were twisted and tweaked by Miyazaki to his liking. So the original language is always Japanese.

[@MilesRavis]

​@@padrenuestreMartin said it in itw, he litteraly wrote what is the elden ring, what are the runes, and all the shattering war era, if that's not directly related to the actual game plot i don't know what game you did play but it wasn't Elden Ring

[@padrenuestre]

@@MilesRavis so? What you're saying doesn't contradict my words. Whatever GRRM provided was altered to Fromsoft liking, he wasn't involved with the actual game plot, he only wrote the myths (which like you said most likely included the runes, Erdtree, Elden Ring and why not), the barebones for Miyzaki's inspiration.

[@MilesRavis]

@@padrenuestre that's not "most likely", he explicitely said he wrote the shattering, he said it was 5000 years before the game, he said he wrote all the demigods, who want to kill who and why, and also he wrote the night of the black knives, all these events are talked about in the game and if the player have to do all of this it's precisely because of the night of the black knives and the shattering, so no that's no just "myths", no Miyazaki didn't change these events, and yes the shattering that Martin wrote litteraly is the synopsy of the game

[@dgalloway107]

If it matters, the Nox in the games files are called Marika Lineage, and the eternal cities are called Marika Ruins. In the one point oh version of the game, they were called the Empyrean Family as well, also Diallos drops a Numen rune, and many Numen runes are found along the Ainsel, I think theres another one hanging off the side of the Divine Tower of Caelid, I'm not sure if theres more but its clearly not JUST Marika and the Black Knives.

[@MrTavrosNitram]

They're also a player race choice

[@themaniae4803]

Possibly Diallos is a descendant and Roderika too. Also, Numen is a world about Light, while Nox is about Night-Dark, so possibly Nox are a piece of Numen who hated GW and, as rebellion, they cover their golden eyes.

[@bigchungus6827]

@@themaniae4803 We already know the Nox oppose the greater will. They literally made the only weapon known to be capable of killing the Two Fingers, and the GW threw a meteor (Astel) at them in response.

[@Douge11]

I believe that the main reason that Marika sought death is because of how the fingers and metyr are broken. If they had already lost connection to the greater will by the time Marika was chosen, the last message must have been something like “select and empyrean and create a god” and the fingers have been repeating that ever since. But rather than divesting herself like Miquella, she bonded herself to the elden ring to acquire godhood, so when more empyreans are chosen, it flies in the face of what she was told by her two fingers, and fundamentally upsets the foundation of her godhood and her belief in her own divinity. She ultimately decided she was functionally imprisoned and sought death. Coincidentally, Ranni’s plans exposed the flaws of her order, so she shattered herself to create turmoil from witch Ranni could arise as the new god and allow marika’s death, but Radagon and Radahn ruined that. So she still wants Ranni to succeed her, despite Ranni killing godwyn, as it’s her best chance of actually dying

[@HumanGeweld]

Sounds solid

[@metaldragon9935]

One theory I favor is that Ranni specifically targeted Godwin for assassination because Ranni was selected by Marika to be her heir, and Godwin was selected to be her Elden Lord. Ranni, of course, rejects being a puppet god of the current order and thus takes measures to ensure the proposed inheritance doesn't occur. Ranni does want to rule, but only by her own system and not the broken system she grew up in.

[@vincentlorusso689]

I wish there was just a brief flashback cutscene of Marika's last trip to the Shaman Village when you grab the Minor Erdtree incantation or the Golden Braid. I wouldn't even need dialogue or a view of her face. I get why they didn't do it, though.

[@vincentlorusso689]

@cincameron I see where you're coming from, although I'm not sure why you felt the need to include that bit in the parentheses. I want more answers and a part of me wants the exact anime prequel you suggested, too. I would just hate to get answers I don't like. At least our minds are free to speculate.

[@maybemablemaples2144]

​@cincameron lol bro you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

[@EJaDav]

9:10 I’ve always held the headcanon that the Black Knives were betrayed. By Ranni or Marika or even both, then they simply all splintered and chose their own allegiances. Some of them stuck with Marika, while other chose to attempt revenge, some even simply wander with no true purpose.

[@j-plarouche9959]

for the St-Trina's parallel. When we kill MIquella's soul, St-Trina dies. They can exist separately but they are indeed one and the same and different character at the same time.

[@chingchief2721]

I think d is parallel to Marika Miquella is one soul two mind, but d is two souls, one body When miquella die st trina also die But when D died, his brother took control the body

[@j-plarouche9959]

@@chingchief2721 oh your right totally forgot about D

[@Tower-kn1dr]

if we kill St Trina would Miquela then died? Or because he discarde her(?) nothing would happened?

[@DemonRaz117]

9:34 while this is true explicitly, it seems to be implied that Diallos Hoslow is Numen because of his item drop at the end of his questline. Marika's story in the DLC is also a tale told with a lot of blood

[@themaniae4803]

"The tale of House Hoslow is told in blood."

[@mannytprimeministerofthemanate]

Marika wanting to help ranni makes sense if you believe she shattered the Elden ring in rebellion against the two fingers and greater will. Ranni would not only release marika of her duty to the GW but sever its connection to the lands between by taking its influence far away into the nights sky.

[@spiralistichope9216]

The point about Ranni potentially being an Empyrean because of her mastery over spiritual skills is a genuinely fantastic insight, and she is the one who gives you the spirit calling bell too, it fits so well as speculation! It really would explain why she is the only Empyrean besides the twin prodigies who have the game clearly explain why they have that special status, and it also shows the importance of being able to transcend through spiritual power essentially being a necessity to attain apotheosis (as Miquella also shows), tying into Marika's unique status as a Shaman/Miko, something that was also likely a characteristic the Numen possessed more than anyone else, when you consider the etymology behind the name and the information we get about them in the lore. I do wish Shadow of the Erdtree had a description or two outright using the term "Numen," it could have helped tie a lot of theorization together narratively. Oh well. Another great video as usual!

[@BitterSteel69]

Thank god… we had a lore drought for a minute there.

[@KyngD469]

There’s not much here bud. Just more questions.

[@ShadowNetWeaver1]

Something to note: In cut dialogue, there was a period at the beginning of the game where Godfrey actually addresses the Tarnished directly AS THEIR LORD, and he reveals that he KNOWS the Elden Ring will shatter at some point, and commands the Tarnished to be ready for when it happens. This dialogue doesn't contradict anything, but rather was likely unimportant or had no place to be put in the beginning of the game. But what's important is that it hints a little more at Godfrey and Marika's relationship. Before I listened to this dialogue, I was of the mind that Godfrey was just used by Marika as a weapon, but the cut dialogue implies that not only did she confide in him, but also TRUSTED him enough to reveal her intent to shatter the Elden Ring. I now believe that they actually did have a genuine relationship, and Godfrey believed, if not in the Golden Order, but in Marika and her leadership. They planned the Long March of the Tarnished together, which implies that they were more than just means to an end for each other.

[@bigchungus6827]

Here's the thing though. It's cut dialogue. That could mean that it was cut because the devs couldn't find a place to put it, but it could also mean that it was cut because they decided to set up the story in a different way. For what it's worth I generally do agree that Godfrey was at least partially aware of Marika having a plan when she sent him off (though the timeline doesn't exactly check out with the idea of him knowing about the Shattering because he had already been long banished by the time Marika married Radagon, then had the Twins, who lived long enough for Miquella to start making the Haligtree and Malenia to be trained by the blind swordsman who sealed the Rot Goddess, then the Night of the Black Knives happened, and *then* Marika Shattered the Ring), but using cut dialogue as substantiation for that seems unreliable.

[@bigchungus6827]

Addendum to this; Marika's lines as stated by Melina could support that she was making plans with Godfrey, but we don't know who she said them to (if anyone), or if Melina is a reliable narrator in the first place. Tellingly, if they are accurate, Marika does refer to Godfrey as specifically her lord, which is a rare showing of affection in the game. Pretty much the only other example that comes to mind is Ranni's dialogue regarding Blaidd, Iji, and the player.

[@lordcumulon]

I always thought that Marika unintentionally got Godwyn killed by letting Ranni get a piece of the rune of death. This would make her responsible! I just dont see why she would let Godwyn die if she knew it was going to be him.

[@themaniae4803]

Even because, if she wanted Godwyn dead she literally has a giant dog with a Death sword as her pet. And Maliketh killed other Demigods before.

[@killeryhiltons8499]

Ranni is to blame lol.

[@epiccthulu]

8:19 There is more evidence supporting that the Black Knives serve Miquella because they are guarding the haligtree alongside the alburnics. Now, Ranni betrayed them and Miquella. Godwyn was supposed to have a proper death as a martyr according to the finger maiden in his zone. If not Radahn, then it was Godwyn he wanted to die a true death, for the eclipse. But Ranni didn’t tell them she only gave half of the rune, that the victims of the black knives were ALL killed with half of that death rune. Remember, the tarnished completes the rune of death meaning no one else did 16:57 And Rennala would have been essential for this. Evolving and adapting, if we defeat every boss…only three carians are left standing (well…rykard’s head is technically laying down). Making Rennala the rightful ruler of the lands between in the stars ending

[@davekat]

My belief is that Marika was the only successful Jar Saint due to the ingredients she was bonded with, that being something to do with each of the outer cosmic forces. Embodying every force made her already divine, and then these traits are later inherited by her children. Melenia=God of Rot, Godwyn= Greater Will, Messmer=Abyssal Serpent, Melina= Death Bird, Ranni= Dark Moon, and so on. The ritual she performed at the top of the tower was not just her claiming godhood, it was her creating a new Great Rune to serve as the foundation of the Elden Ring so it could never be separated from her. The seduction was her beseeching the Greater Will for power to create a new order and a new world suited to her vision. She believed that her new world would be beautiful and wanted it to be eternal so she would never lose anyone she loved ever again. And so she plucked the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring during the ritual at the tower after the slaughter of the Hornsent. This was the betrayal that caused the Greater Will to forsake the Lands Between. When Ranni stole a fragment of the Rune of Death and killed Godwyn with it, Marika snapped and broke herself and the world because none of her past efforts mattered. I believe at the moment we unseal the rune of death again that is the time that Marika physically dies, but not the Radagon half. I believe her spirit is the Guidance of Grace and she is guiding only those capable enough to make a new order. At the end we can still use her shattered body despite her death as the vessel of the Elden Ring, or we can choose another path such as Ranni dissolving Marika entirely.

[@Kameraspie]

But if this is the case the godskin godhunt would have been before this as the gloam eyed queen was in control of the rune of death and was chosen by the fingers (it never explicitly says 2 or 3 fingers chose her) as an empyrean. Just an interesting thought that the story gets a bit more challenging with timelines since SOTE

[@poly_g6068]

@@Kameraspie The Gloam-Eyed Queen was chosen by Metyr. We can see Metyr's fingerprint in the blackflame sigil when casting blackflame incantations.

[@CreepyPlume]

infused shamans look grotesque, marika looks perfectly fine..idk how you people think she is multiple persons infused together

[@davekat]

@@CreepyPlume My belief could be wrong, it's just that my mind goes to thinking about what is it about Marika that makes her special? I don't think it's just that she's an Empyrean, a term which I question the validity of in the first place. The Hornsent looked up to and worshipped Marika at some point as evident by the statues found in the Land of Shadow. The only way I can think of as to how this would have happened is if the Hornsent finally got the recipe correct and produced a Jar Saint. What about Marika allowed her to become a true god? Even though Miquella performed his own ritual at the Gate of Divinity, it's my belief that he's still not on the same level as Marika. The one thing I still have no clue about is who or what is Radagon? How does he interact with this theory of mine?

[@bigchungus6827]

@@davekat I think there's two issues with that theory. We don't know that Destined Death was ever part of the Ring. The first mention of it is Maliketh fighting the Gloam Eyed Queen to steal it from her, seemingly shortly after the start of Marika's reign, and there's no mention of how she acquired it. The second is that the festive grease, among some other items implies that the Erdtree (and thus presumably the Golden Order) lived with or at least tolerated the hornsent for a while. There's statues of Marika as far down as the abyssal woods, which heavily implies that this happened before Midra started communing with the Frenzied Flame and the Hornsent Inquisition came after him. Also, the divine aspects of her children leave room for substantiation. Mesmer was cursed with the abyssal serpent, whatever that actually is, and he his sister (Melina) were said to have "bore visions of fire", but that could also be explained by them being Radadong's kids. Messmer has the same hair color, and the fire giant whip description implies Radagon's connection to fire giants, as does Melina being kindling for the Fell God's forge. Malenia was born connected to the Goddess of Rot, sure, but that's kinda where it ends? Mohg and Morgott were omen, but only the Hornsent consider those horns divine; Ranni studied moon magic, as did all Carians, but as Ymir says, the Moon is simply the closest celestial body, nothing more, and she seems to have not been cursed or influenced by any outer being while alive; Rykard was seemingly born entirely human and surrendered himself to the serpent later; Radahn seems entirely human as far as we know, as does Godwyn; Miquella was cursed with eternal nascency, but we have no indication of that having divine connections

[@Shwizzynet]

17:47 Also, if she wanted us to defeat Ranni instead of helping her, you’d assume we would no longer be able to see the grace at a certain point in Ranni’s quest.

[@guythasawesome]

I think that's more of a mechanical aid for the player to not get lost, so in lore the player's wants and desires are guided by the grace which at that point are to help ranni, so the guidance of grace points to what will help us achieve our goals

[@AstralJustus]

@@guythasawesomebut the grace doesnt help with every quest. It couldve pointed to another quest instead

[@guythasawesome]

@@AstralJustus but it does point to quests essential to getting endings

[@JudyQ411]

I always thought Radagon and Marika were one being for two specific reasons: 1. Ranni was an empyrean and had to shed her body because she hated being tied to the two fingers. Makes more sense that she was born into divinity, hence why her body was 'tainted' by the two fingers from the beginning. 2. The big turtle says that it was weird how Radagon was called back to the capital to become the 2nd elden lord when he was just a champion. Either Marika capitalized on this happy coincidence of Radagon marrying Rennala and sought whatever knowledge he gained from her, or Marika specifically sent him to learn more about the stars (and then come back and include intelligence in golden order fundamentalism).

[@themaniae4803]

For the n.2: She probably called him back because she needs a Elden Lord because Magic says you rule only with an Elden Lord... and that was a great move, because she is also God and Elden Lord and she can rule without other will than hers. (Not a case Godfrey is called King in japanese, while Radagon King Consort, someone NOT at the same level of the Queen.)

[@dimosdimakopoulos3884]

A Kage Bunshin basically, left to wander enough time so as to grow into a new personality.

[@CPTWIGHT]

Always here for another Fatbrett video

[@mitchellbutler2307]

I'm sure Tarnished Archaeologist will eventually do a whole video about this, but the overt Babylonian imagery of the Hornsent and Ancient Dynasty civilizations makes me certain that the devs want us to identify young Marika with Inanna/Ishtar: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inanna Ishtar, tellingly, is both a goddess of love AND war. Given her association with abundance and the language used around her, I feel confident that Marika rose to power as the leader of some kind of fertility cult in Hornsent society (with all the sexual impropriety that implies). Eventually, she gathered enough influence to carry out a scheme that would lead to her ascension as a god and the birth of the Erdtree. After that, well...we know how the war goddess bit came into play. Elden Ring to a large degree is a fantasy version of real-world Western history and mythology. Ishtar has long been an obsession for anthropologists for the way she persisted throughout different civilizations, with many arguing that she eventually became or merged with the Greek Aphrodite. Marika herself remains a consistent object of worship in Elden Ring even as the world changes around her.

[@killeryhiltons8499]

Well said.

[@bigchungus6827]

Keep in mind, the tower is called enir-ilim. The old Akkadian name for Babylon was bab-ilim, literally translated to "gate of the gods" (i.e. divine gateway), and some of the design aspects of the tower do also resemble the myth of the Tower of Babel.

[@animeturnMMD]

19:29 And taking in consideration that you meet the mother of fingers in the DLC who is suppose to rely the messages from the greater will to the fingers and you learnt that to begin with she or it has lost its connection to the greater will meaning that the mother was who was giving orders to the fingers and not the greater will it makes everything even more confusing.

[@CheerfuEntropy]

consider the unusual texture unique to both radagon and marika. cracked and hollow, containing an elden ring, it does kind of point toward pottery. I recall this being mentioned in a video, if it was brett, oops, its all a blur, but in case it wasnt i thought i'd mention it

[@jackjones7062]

There's a quote from Marika that Melina says that makes me thik Radagon and Marika werent always one entity "O Radagon, leal hound of the golden order. Thou'rt yet to become me. Thou'rt yet to become a god"

[@shellshocksound]

What about the line that literally comes after it? "Let us be shattered, both, mine other self?" I mean, the two of them being separated entities that later fused is still a valid theory. I just find it jarring that some people tend to leave that part of the quote out when using it as evidence to support that theory.

[@Synchro-tq1mo]

And let not forget about the item description that implies radagom is a descendant of the giants

[@ToadimusPrime]

I think the DLC pretty much answers this, without saying it directly. They very much seem to have been two separate people who even had 2 children before becoming one person. And it's also hinted at that they separated at some point again, and then joined as one once again when they married.

[@kalzero3319]

So, my interpretation of this dialogue is that Marika is still the dominant personality in control of their shared body. Marika is still the god, and she is talking to Radagon, who has yet to become the dominant personality and seize Marika's godhood. Radagon is a part of Marika(Mine other self) but isn't a god yet. I believe Radagon and Marika have come into conflict with each other(see the shattering of Eldne Ring cinematic) and are wrestling ea h other for control of the godly body they share. When Marika was speaking to Radagon "the leal hound of the Golden Order" in this dialogue, she is still mostly in control of their shared body, but Radagon has plans to take complete control of their shared body and take Marika's place as the god. She tells him that she will shatter the Elden Ring and therefore shatter both herself and Radagon. By the time we make it into the Erdtree, Radagon is fully in control or, at the very least, he is now the more dominant personality. Marika knew what Radagon was up to and that this hostile takeover of her godly flesh would eventually come to be, so she shattered the Elden Ring/Golden Order and set up an elaborate plan to bring the Tarnished back as a final gamble to kill the now in control god Radagon and free herself from the "cage" of godhood. She even enslaved a blacksmith named Hewg and cursed him with the task of creating a weapon capable of killing a god(Radagon and herself) for her returned Tarnished warriors(including the ultimate Chad and her Warlord ex-consort Godfrey.

[@jackjones7062]

@@shellshocksound I forgot that was the last bit of it, but Darian and Devin seem to be in a similar situation where they share the same soul but they don't act as one entity per se, maybe Marika and Radagon share 1 soul but were born separate and merged later

[@CJusticeHappen21]

Queen Marika won Elden Ring. She got out. We're living in the aftermath of that victory, where Radagon is trying to keep the game going long, while the Silver Mimic that was constructed in Marika's place refuses to play along with the deception any further.

[@Skintopster]

Won my ass she is currently trapped inside the Erdtree hoping that the Tarnished can even breach the damn thing, even if only to fall to the Elden Beast.

[@CJusticeHappen21]

@@Skintopster What's left of her is locked inside the Erd Tree. We never meet Marika. We only ever see the parts of her that she leaves behind. She is unattainable.

[@Skintopster]

@@CJusticeHappen21 That's completely false what the fuck are you smoking you illiterate git?

[@rmartinez1993]

​@@CJusticeHappen21 just like gwynevere ;-;

[@GarrMatey428]

In the Black knives armor set: "Traces of power yet remain in its CONCEALED VEIL, which MUFFLES the SOUND of footsteps." Assassin's Gambit: "Grants near INVISIBILITY and SILENCES footsteps." Assassin's Approach: very similar but the description includes "Incantation of the TWO FINGERS' SERVANTS, who ONCE SERVED as assassins for the ROUNDTABLE HOLD. The assassins were charged with ELIMINATING TARNISHED who had STRAYED FROM GRACE." I dont know what this means yet or if theres more connections... but I bet theres something there besides Ranni and Rykard's involvment (You buy the Assassins Gambit in Gelmer from Bernahl... the RECUSANT, who was considered a CHAMPION (like Godfrey?) capable of becoming a LORD until his maiden threw herself into "the" fire. so... we have a former Lord-to-be turned enemy/blasphemer who supplies the enemies of the Two Fingers WITH incantations stolen FROM the Two Fingers who may have supplied the Dark Knife Assassins under the guidance of... who? The most likely answer is either Ranni or Rykard but again... If Marika is involved in the given order, she may have just GIVEN the damn things to Bernahl so the Night of Black Knives could happen, setting it all in motion. maybe?

[@bigchungus6827]

Ranni also gave Rykard a weapon capable of countering Maliketh, at least partially - the Blasphemous Claw. Tellingly, she gifted it to him on the night of the black knives, presumably shortly before carving the cursemark into her own flesh. Keep in mind, it's made explicitly clear that Ranni timed her death so it would coincide exactly with Godwyn's, otherwise it wouldn't have been possible for each of them to die partially, so at minimum Ranni had to have been heavily involved in the execution of the event, and Rykard had to have known enough to have been in Maliketh's sights if he hadn't been abandoned in Farum.

[@noamias4897]

16:15 there’s a very unique relationship status represented by that “/“. Not that of a step mother being so close to their step daughter that you can equate it to a biological relationship, but literally being both a biological and step child lol

[@BallScriggly]

31:35 it’s amazing that there’s enough evidence to go both ways, it feels like we’re looking through the history of this foreign world through a bystander which is so cool

[@lordtrinen2249]

There are Finger Ruins near Shaman Village. I think the Fingers are operating under outdated orders to establish "Order" in the Lands Between and saw young Marika as a suitable figurehead. They gave her knowledge and power that allowed her to trick and manipulate the Hornsent into worshipping her. And I'm still partial to the idea that the Golden threads we see during the godhood ritual are part of the Erdtree seed gifted to her by the Fingers.

[@Warrior-Of-Virtue]

13:10 I have wondered why Godfrey attacks us here. Going by the (I think) generally accepted theory that the Tarnished were originally an army that followed Godfrey into the unknown, you would think our character would immediately recognize him as their former Lord and Commander and acknowledge him as such.

[@rafsandomierz5313]

He is but every tarnished has been risen by Marika and they all are rivaling for the throne and bringing new age. Godfrey is also pissed about Morgott dying when we meet him so him acknowledging Tarnished doesn't matter to him that much. That's also the whole reason why tarnished like Gideon try to out you if you find something interesting or conflict with plan of bringing age they want.

[@themaniae4803]

Think this. Tarnished are the ex army of Godfrey, yes, but ORIGINAL TARNISHED. We are descendant of them. Centuries or Millenials are passed and, as the game say, once all Tarnished were warriors, then other classes started to appear. (Clerics, Deathbed companions, Sorcerers. Gideon looks everything than a Warrior.) Even because we find an Ancient Tarnished, one who really was in Godfrey's army, Istvan (The one who help us in Demihumans cave and then we kill during Volcano Manor Quest)

[@bigchungus6827]

@@themaniae4803 Does it really matter if we're the original tarnished or not? Fundamentally, even if we were originally Godfrey's warriors, at this point in the story, we killed his son and are directly opposing his goal. Only one person can become the Elden Lord.

[@Deflamed_Sphere]

@@bigchungus6827 yeah all the tarnished were meant to reach the throne(though some aren't doing it) and besides he can respect that you just need to get past him to beat the punch he even gave his respects

[@Deflamed_Sphere]

@@themaniae4803 you could also be an ancient tarnished really like Vagabond gives that vibe and that cut content has you talking with him on the plan before the shattering happens however you can decide to be one of the descendants if you like like roleplay is there and classes and races and what not it doesn't matter if you are part of his soldiers or not you have a goal and that is reaching the elden ring for who knows what your goal is you have a flame of ambition

[@Synchro-tq1mo]

The black knife assassines are like the furies in greek mythology , since their captain is named Allecto they punish criminals and enact revenge , they dont have any particular loyalty

[@psychomammoth9640]

Perhaps in how Marika could not save her shaman people and thus seeking her anger towards the hornsent in Messmer’s crusade, she was wrought with grief by the death of her golden child. A victim of Ranni’s plans, and thus grief and pain having her shatter the ring. Seeing as how even in godhood she could not stop tragedy.

[@brianudall7447]

I just finished watching your entire series of Elden Ring videos, and let me say they are all great. These last few especially have provided an especially deep dive into Marika’s character. That being said, I don’t think they’re perfect, and while watching them I had an epiphany that I think recontextualizes a lot of Marika’s later actions. It’s made clear by her own dialogue that she wanted to look into her Golden Order and what it was founded upon, and it’s obvious that the things she found about it lead to her destroying what she had built. You posted forth the idea that she found out the Two Fingers connection to the Greater Will wasn’t as ironclad as she was led to believe, and while that is a good guess, I think the revelation was more personal to Marika. A lot of people talk about the similarities between the Golden Order and the Hornsent civilization. How they both are rife with violence, abuse, torture, the works. Who’s to say that Marika didn’t realize that exact thing during her period of introspection. I think the realization that Marika had, the one that drove all of her future actions, was that her empire wasn’t all that different from the one she was born in. That by allowing her desire for revenge to taint her ambition to build a better world, she’s ultimately become no better than her tormenters. And she has a deep regret about it. This also gives another reason as to why she directed us to Castle Morne at the beginning of the game. She’s essentially saying “See this. This right here. Don’t do this.”

[@TheActualMrLink]

Regarding Godfrey and his relationship with Marika, I believe he did indeed love her. I realize it’s cut content, but there’s cut dialogue when Godfrey kills you (likely when he’s going sicko mode based on the tone) saying that he wishes to hold Marika in his arms once more. Furthermore, he addresses himself as “Godfrey, the First Elden Lord” seemingly as a point of pride.

[@isaachammer8096]

You never miss Professor Brett. I am so glad I found your channel because you expand on so much lore not just for Elden Ring, but GOW and The Last of Us, etc. You are the GOAT fr

[@danielashiru5363]

I’ve always theorized that Marika was playing 4D chess throughout our playthrough. Now that we’ve played the dlc and got more info this theory can be further supported. After realizing the error of her ways in attaining godhood as well as the greater will, Marika realized the fallacy of her order and decided to scrape it all. We know Marika has a by any means necessary type of action so she was willing to gamble it all in this long term plan of stopping her while also getting rid of the greater will/outer god all together. We dub it as Marika crashing out but I think she saw this as the only way of getting rid of the outer god, especially since the erdtree was basically a parasite. Which also relates to her involvement in the night of black knives. Ranni was also apart of the plan as well but that’s for another day. I think this theory is pretty strong and can be backed up since the varying perspectives correlate. We know Marika constructed an elaborate scheme as for what it’s not clear but she started something and wanted to make sure it was finished by any means necessary 🤷🏿

[@adanm603]

at 16:20, my opinion is that we are led to all 3 empyreans to allow us the choice of how we can aid them, despite only 1 option being available

[@marcosmoreira25]

Great video as always. I don't know if its a good idea, but I'd love to watch a deconstruction of villany about the Illusive Man from Mass Effect.

[@BobBlibor]

There's a good theory about Ranni also being a child of Marika and Radagon, that Radagon left with Renalla, and that the Cuckoos being called cuckoos is a hint - cuckoos are birds that leave their offspring in the nest of other birds. There's other reasons to believe it - Ranni being blind in one eye (which means a god resides in her blind eye), the hair color on her corpse, even the fact that she is linked to Godwyn. There's good argument to be made that Ranni is the only person who could've gotten Godwyn killed in the way it happened, because she's partially linked to him.

[@Dashas21]

Thank you for these videos. It has been a blast listening to everyday back and forth from work! Great and breathtakingly deep analysis. Intense like a real documentary. Mindblowing work!

[@KashimoJoestar]

31:08 cut dialogue of Godfrey confirms this, he did love Marika

[@5chneemensch138]

Cut content is not to be considered canon unless backed by other uncut sources. It is cut for a reason.

[@dagnirglaurunga1620]

​@@5chneemensch138it's the best we have.

[@fourdayz1414]

@@dagnirglaurunga1620 yeah but its not like it was cut because it conflicts with the story presented. The lines were voiced and practically finished yet they specifically chose not to put it in. Kind of like consort Radahn’s lines, except Godfrey’s would have told us more about him. That said, I’m still on the side that Godfrey truly loved Marika. He went to war for her, tamed his beastly side for her, watched his sons get imprisoned, came back to fight for her even after she banished him. That’s a lot to go through for someone you don’t love. If anything I think the lines were cut because they wanted us to come to that conclusion ourselves. I’m pretty sure its not the first time they’ve done that but I can’t remember what dialogue/item description was changed because it was too on the nose.

[@dagnirglaurunga1620]

@@fourdayz1414 Marika loved him too, if you pay attention to how she talks to him in the echoes you'll get it, refers to him as my lord.

[@Darkwatersea]

Maybe Ranni is the one who is actually controlling the guidance of grace while allowing the Tarnished to take out her rivals etc. The Tarnished that succeeds would be strong enough to be a lord a possible requirement for her own ascension. I'd argue that the first merchant you encounter is a low level agent of Ranni stationed to monitor the exit from the chapel of anticipation into the lands between. That is how he knows Blaidd and how Ranni hears about someone riding Torrent so quickly.

[@grantopo]

I believe it's the Golden Braid that says Marika offered it to Metyr as a thank you after having an audience with her, It's not directly implied so you may interpret that it wasn't Metyr who she had an audience with. But yeah that's the only time I can think of Marika interacting with the fingers What's for sure is that in the beginning, she just followed the guidance of the Greater Will with blind faith, but as she established her reign she started being like ok, let's pause for a second and look at what we're really preaching here: no more blind faith, time to study and understand the Golden Order. That's why fundamentalism requires inteligence and probably what lead her to be unhappy enough with the order that she wanted to destroy it

[@Avidire]

The crazy thing about Marika is that what do we know about her actions that was her actual decision and not by the influence of Metyr or the Elden Beast? There is so much speculation about her and not one of us truly knows what she was like when she was still functioning.

[@themaniae4803]

It's very difficult. Metyr was hidden away who knows how long, while the Elden Beast as far as we know only awakened when we entered the arena and began to manipulate Radagon. Following the logic of the runes that we see with Fia, Dungeater and Goldmask, a rune is born from the death of someone, so it wouldn't be strange to think that Elden Ring was born from the death of the Elden Beast and remained dormant until Marika hurt it. Also, it would be very anticlimactic to find out that Marika was manipulated/possessed by others. The beauty of her character is that, for better or worse, she was very human.

[@Warrior-Of-Virtue]

My best guess is that the Black Knife Assassins are just sell swords whose loyalty is to whoever's paying them at the moment.

[@gypsiboy85]

i think radigon is like a created machine gohlum that marika can use as a physical body but when she used him the "greater will" gave him life and his own will, but merika could still control him but so could himself which left him with the internal conflict of life and death which is why all their kids are both alive and dead

[@enfisu586]

I think where Elden Ring leaves gaps it wants us to fill them not from a lore perspective but a thematic one. Rather than asking was Radagon always part of Marika, we should ask what is being conveyed by M/R's dual nature? What is it saying about her? About her relationship to the golden order and the ethos/hierarchy it represents? Then the question of whether Radagon was always part of her becomes even more interesting.

[@tristanneal9552]

On the subject of Marika being a miko, I'd like to point people towards this concept: Kamigakari. "A state of trance in which a spiritual being (kami) possesses (kakaru) the human body by entering and speaking through it. Kamigakari may be experienced spontaneously or induced through ascetic practices. Women experience kamigakari more often than men. Kamigakari has been a common feature of Japanese folk religion since ancient times." Perhaps Marika becoming a vessel for the Elden Ring/Beast is akin to a miko becoming a vessel for a kami.

[@ayuvir]

On the topic of the hornsent. What if they did stuff her in a jar, and whatever ritual they were doing actually worked and what emerged was a Marika with a connection to the Greater will and a split personality, Radagon. One of the topics this game teased and didn't really go too far with was the practice of Grafting, you see it at the start and then a few enemies but the only other time you'd actually encounter a sort of grafting was the ritual the hornsent were doing by putting people inside of jars. What if Marika had been grafted Radagon only to later split with him during the Carian uprising?

[@themaniae4803]

Jar saint is a mistranlastion. They are not Saint in a Holy and Trascendental way, but Saint as Good person. Jars were just a torture for prisoners with the """holy excuses""" to turn them into better people. After all is a culture of Inquisitors, i bet they did a lot of bad things to their own people.

[@Dramscus]

I firmly think that Radagon and Marika used the Rune of the Unborn to create a body for Radagon. When he gave that to Rennala he merged back into Marika. Rennala was truly in love with him and knows that egg was essentially his body and she carries it always as the last remnant of him that's separate from her love.

[@ted.3602]

The gods seem to always have extreme versions of illnesses and disorders it's possible Marika has DID (the multiple personality's theory) and when she became a god the power gave Radagon the ability to change the body to his self which drove him even more mad that he couldn't "fix" his red hair on command, I'll have to watch the rest but I think it would be cool if he was always there annoying her with his perfectionism

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

I believe Marika seduced the hornsent with the promise of Power; she was a Miko, one of the people who were connected to the spiritual, and the hornsent were OBSESSED with their pursuit of Godhood. Perhaps she showed them the way to the ritual, to the construction of the gate of divinity, guided by the secrets of the finger ruins, or perhaps with simply the spiritual knowledge of her people. I believe she told them what they wanted to hear; that she could bring them divinity. But when she led the ritual, she only brought it to herself, crafting her Great Rune.

[@ravendelacour1917]

I believe the guidance of Grace leads the Tarnished to Castle Morne because it initates the Frenzied Flame ending through Irina/Hyetta's quest line. If Marika's goal is to die, then I believe that the Frenzied Flame ending is fine by her. If she is to die, so can the world as far as she cares.

[@squishlet]

One interesting thing I’ve thought regarding Marika, Radagon and Miquella/St Trina: I don’t think that gods themselves can wield power in the world of Elden Ring. Rather, gods must influence the world through their mortal avatars/followers. And I think this applies to ascended gods like Marika and Miquella as well. So when Marika became a god she separated herself into Marika/Radagon so that her Marika half could take up divinity while her technically mortal Radagon half wielded its power. A sort of sneaky exploit, so to speak. Which is why divine Marika ultimately sought to destroy the ring later: her two halves no longer saw eye to eye, but her divine half could not wield the own power and had no choice but to destroy it. Miquella saw this and decided that the fundamental problem was placing divine in the hands of someone with mortal foibles. So he instead simply rid himself of those foibles and sought to wield power as a god by simply mind-controlling the mortal who would channel his power.

[@TheJmoreno126]

Weirdly enough, all these videos have given me more clarity about Elden Ring's story... but I learned nothing new... Not saying that the videos were bad, just saying that Elden Ring really is a library with half written books.

[@gilgachi7645]

I really like your video about queen marika , the best part is the comments triggered by you, just to know how the fans see a character in different POVs but the evidances is still the same is a sign shows to me that the story tellling in this game are far more superior and geniuse then any average works out there either it is a game movie or story ..love to see it keep up the good work.

[@di11_9]

Kind of sad the game most likely won't get a sequel as I feel like there is still some things to expand upon like the lands beyond the lands between and what it would be like ruling it and having Marika by your side maybe you get invaded or you invade other places. I feel like they purposefully left it open ended for a possible sequel but unlikely sadly. Edit: Thinking about it a prequel would make more sense as well, playing as Godwyn fighting the giants and the Misbegotten and taking over stormveil castle would be nice to see.

[@TheAAJYu]

It’s good that you caught the new Grace appearing in Ranni’s room pointing you to where to continue her quest. Although, one notable thing that can happen is that you can attack Ranni right after putting on her ring but before talking to her at the end of her questline. Thus, it again brings ambiguity to whether Marika is directing you to aid or kill Ranni.

[@margaretmoonlight616]

while it is cut dialogue and so its canonicity is dubious at best, godfrey does have cut voice lines where he talks directly to marika, says he’s returning to her, and calls her “dearest.” i think that lends more evidence for the love theory than the cold hearted seduction one, because we don’t have any real evidence implying the latter

[@TrueFear169]

I just realized, Ranni and Marika are the only two Empyrians that we see have shadows, so did Malenia and Miquella get shadows that were eventually discarded or died, or did the the two fingers favor Ranni in a way?

[@Roshek777]

Interesting observation. I'll also add that Miquella is the only one of the empyrians that has an other self, Trina. And Malenia's great rune description states that "...her Great Rune should have been the most sacred of all." So maybe, in a way, all 3 empyrian children were imperfect, part of the whole that Marika was, that is - possesing the greatest rune of the elden ring, having an other self, and a shadow granted by the fingers.

[@arghscuffelbut3226]

Perhaps their lack of Shadows could be considered a sign of lack of favour from the Greater Will; Malenia is born a vessel of Rot (an outer god opposed to the Greater Will) and Miquella is perpetually "immature" (an incomplete vessel) Otherwise, the presence of a Shadow could be an exclusive sign of favour (a distinction akin to being declared *the* Crown Princess, rather than *just* a Prince)

[@padrenuestre]

@@arghscuffelbut3226 did the two fingers even chose Miq and Malenia like they did Ranni and Marika or were they granted an Empyrean status "automatically" because they were born from a single god?

[@themaniae4803]

1-Godwyn's death=Deathblight and Those who live in death everywhere and the break of the "perfect cicle" of eternal life created by Marika, all her direct children cursed or dead, 2 of her half's children starting to rebelling against the sistem and Miquella/Malenia doing their things, 3 empyrean=Fingers maybe wants to push her aside, Radagon taking more and more power.... as Ranni says, she was pushed at her limit. 2-Yeah, and just want to add a point. Saint Trina possibly looks so... less complete because she was torn apart by Miquella, while Radagon was separated in a peaceful way. 3-Until more research, yeah, who knows. 4-THANKS. Also, about the Nox-Assassin's relationship, they are said to be scions of the Eternal Cities, and look a moment, which city we found very connected to the Eternals? Sellia, who looks very similar to Ordina, where we find a lot of assassins. And Sellia is said to be a city where sorceres created Night spells to kill other sorceres. 5-For Morne, i think she wants us to take the sword that, technically, was created after the last battle of Godfrey, maybe a challenge to see if we are strong enough or a way to take Godfrey's inheritance. Miquella i think, I THINK, in one of her few moment of love, wanted to protect him from Godhood, and yeah possibly protect everyone from Age of Compassion. For Ranni also yes, but Ranni is not going to kill Greater Will, just moving the Elden Ring away. 6-As you say, we have no answer about the Fingers. As cretures who talk to GW, at least from what they say, they were probably similar to seers. Also, taking Dark Souls, in my opinion they resembled the role of the Primordial Serpents, creatures highly regarded and kept as advisors. 7-In truth, it's pretty in the mood of the game that we don't know the relationship between GW and Marika... if there was a relationship. GW is a being above everything else, away and care pretty little about the world. It's like "God" in Demon Souls, something we know very little and the story is not about that. 8-Nothing to say, but nice the idea Ranni was chosen for that. Even because she's the only girl, and Miko were only girls. (Classic Miyazaki thing, women magic/nature is different, only women can be Firekeepers, etc etc) 9-Jar Saint is a mistranslation, they have nothing to do about ascention. For relationship with Hornsents, maybe she was something like Midra, a not-hornsent with a great influence. 10-Possibly he would have had to fight Radagon and Elden Beast anyway. Next that? Possibly an Order all about strenght and fight, even just a "I have the Elden Ring. Come and fight me to conquer it."

[@Illier1]

Honestly I think Marika and Radagon were thrown into a vessel together and they fused together. The idea comes from the Alchemical Rebis, the White Queen and the Red King. They became the perfect being in the eyes of the Hornsent. Perhaps they reached out to the Golden Order to make them whole and used them in their revenge, at least Marika did.

[@Ametsuchi1234]

Radagon is a manifestation of the greater will when she took in the elden ring

[@MissMaiaa]

I think Marika could have been mixed in her jar with whatever her children are cursed with. Each of them afflicted by outer gods or different eras of time/civilization. It only makes sense that she’s been trying to rid herself from whatever the hornsent may have (in her eyes) tainted her being with via the jar ritual. She seemed to have sympathy for some of them - except for Morgot & Mohg. Probably because they remind her of the past yet she still didn’t have their horns cut off - which could have killed them. My guess is because she knew they were innocent but still guilty by association. Her mind seemed to have been fractured the moment she saw what became of her village and started to understand truly what she had become. I think she’s been trying to “kill 2 birds with one stone” by undoing herself. Which creates the whole butterfly effect of events in the lands between. (Edit) sorry forgot to say a l awesome video! Just subscribed 😊

[@GrandStyles]

Really enjoyed your Elden Ring content and will be sticking around for whatever else it is you do. Cheers!

[@jeffwoodie4395]

This definitely doesn't help answer any grand questions - quite the opposite- but I've come to consider ALL information told to us by ANY NPC as coming from an unreliable narrator. This includes even the opening cinematic, any and all story trailers, etc. I think item descriptions are solid and the true "voice of the game" but everything else is suspect and when something someone says poses a question like "well, then what about X?" then that question or explanation should heavily defer to the details laid out in the items. Honestly, I think the "true" story questions that are left marred by warring bits of evidence, can maybe only be answered by stripping away unreliable information, info that comes from characters with a particular perspective or bias, etc. I don't know where that leaves things if you discount all spoken dialogue, since there are cosmic-sized holes in the item descriptions too, but maybe it clarifies some of the noise in the end. A good example of this, I think, is turtle pope. His whole dialogue tree is chock full of interesting tidbits, some of which isn't really available elsewhere. But literally NONE of it is reliable because it's so clear that his own understanding of foundational knowledge is just missing, so he's filling in the gaps himself, speculating as he's "explaining" topics he has very little or limited understanding of.

[@jeffwoodie4395]

Also-this includes Ranni as well, who seems at times to be very forthcoming but catches herself on several occasions as having a loose tongue, bringing up the question of how truthful she actually was during those times she doesn't "catch herself"...

[@jeffwoodie4395]

And last, I think, the game is based heavily on myth and mythic characters like Godwyn and Godfrey who seem to be ageless and from a time far removed from "current day" Lands Between. And as such, I wonder how much those mythic stories and deeds are actually.... real. Like, do I believe the mythic stories of Olympus in modern day 2024? Not really, though they are interesting and perhaps shed light on the civilizations of the past and perhaps the eternal qualities of the human condition. But are they true enough to be taken seriously/literally? Are they mythic stories that make up the distant past of the Lands Between true enough in their in-game presentations to take seriously/ literally or are they just stories to scare or manipulate the people of the Lands Between in the current timeline?

[@mattsherman4964]

I’d love to see a video of you analyzing some more Elden Ring characters, (especially Radahn cause he’s my favorite besides Messmer but you already did him) you seem to have the most intellectual videos on the story and lore and I love them!

[@cricketgaming2746]

I have throughly enjoyed your Eldin Ring videos and hope you make more in the future. I am looking forward to your future content

[@hinkelstein1494]

There is another connection between the Hornsent and Marika, specifically through the Specimen Storage Room. While we can superficially link the tablets stored there to those in Marika’s bedchamber, the connection runs much deeper than most people realize. The Black Keep consists of two parts: the newly built Messmer Keep and the older storage room. The symbol we see atop the storage room is also part of Messmer’s emblem, which combines both his fire insignia and the symbol of the storage room. In addition to the specimens and tablets, we frequently encounter Hornsent ghosts who, even in death, continue to manage the collection within the storage room. We can infer their purpose from other sources that describe Hornsent archaeological studies in ancient Rauth. The Horned Warriors we encounter in Rauth and the Dancing Lion are part of an expeditionary force tasked with retrieving artifacts from Rauth to be studied by the Hornsent scholars-scholars who were ultimately murdered during the crusade. The presence of both stone tablets and scrolls made from birch bark suggests that they were actively translating these artifacts. One of the translated texts, which reveals the prophecy of Miquella, suggests that the tablets and scrolls hold similar prophetic significance. This explains why Marika has them in her bedchamber; she was studying ancient Rauth lore to gain insight into the future. It seems likely that Messmer and the Hornsent had a scientific cooperation agreement, aiming to learn more about the Crucible, prophecy, and Rauth in general. However, after Marika ordered Messmer to eliminate them, the Fire Knights simply executed all the researchers.

[@catastoic]

TBH Radagon = Marika lore is the biggest bs of Elden Ring, thats why so many people try to justify other means this could be explained, it's so unnatural and stupid that people don't want to accept. We will fight for human Marika and try to build her world but Radagon = Marika is so bad that we won't accept this side of her writers bs.

[@bloodandbonezzz]

8:30 The didn’t kill Iji, the went to protect him, the color of the flames lets you know he was killed by a Godskin. They went to protect Blaid too but he had lost control after Ranni left and killed them.

[@BobBlibor]

Regarding Marika's ritual at the divine gate requiring mass sacrifice. Miyazaki has always talked about how the stories in his games do not exist independently of the gameplay, and how the story is often an offshoot of the gameplay. Elden Ring is a game about slaughter and becoming more powerful through killing others. The amount of death visited upon literally anyone is directly linked with one's individual power. By the game's end, the player is a god - you kill the god of the previous era and ascend in its place. Because the gameplay - all the way back in Demon's Souls - is about the consumption of the life force of the enemies you kill and becoming stronger through that, the story is about this as well. Marika's ascend to godhood mirrors the player character's ascend.

[@jameswoodish]

I would like to lean on some tree imagery with regards to the question of "What is Radagon?" In his statue, we see him against a lattice. Lattices are used to prop up plants that can not stand on their own. We also see in his depiction, roots across his feet, but roots that are not his own. Given the link that Marika and the erdtree, I propose that Radagon is a sort of cutting taken from herself. Cuttings taken from a tree are essentially the same plant, that grows a wholly independent body. A body that will begin to compete with itself if its roots are in the same area as the original tree. The golden lineage is already known to dabble with grafting, to which growing cuttings is a similar topic.

[@whutch1]

Great observation about the grace site that appears after Ranni leaves. I never thought about how the grace lines were used before and it got me thinking. I don’t Marika wants us to help Ranni. The way I see it, Marika uses those lines to point us in the direction of something she wants us to kill, or to lead us to a great rune. Hard to know which one since we always kill whatever is there and take the rune. Lol. But except in Ranni’s case. Which makes me think Marika wants us to kill Ranni, or she never discarded her great rune to begin with and in fact still has it in her possession.

[@insertedgynamehere___969]

9:29 well there's Our Tarnished too if we pick that in the character creation menu

[@mathewrogers5993]

When you do a video on Ranni, be sure to look at the Japanese version of her dialog as the English version was poorly translated and screws up her real character

[@johnberger7430]

I Just noticed that the Gate of Divinity kinda looks Like Marika's Rune, the Rune Arc with the flowing Center

[@tristanneal9552]

I feel like your point of the Guidence of Grace pointing us to help Ranni is just another piece of evidence that Marika did assist with thr NoBKs. There's just a lot of circumstancial evidence supporting it.

[@SmallOneEyedKing]

I really love Frat butt's analysis video it always expands our minds in thinking a different perspective that is off yet still makes sense It's complex

[@5DollarFtLng]

I hoped to see the question of what happened to all the heads of the statues of Marika in the Land of Shadow. Why cut off the heads without toppling the statues? The statues are mostly in places controlled by Mesmer's army, and Mesmer is a momma's boy. They like Marika, even worship her still. Someone cut off the heads for a reason instead of toppling the statues. Question #11 - Where is the closet full of heads from all the Marika statues that depicted ger with horns?

[@AmandaRoberts-f8z]

my interpretation of why the black knife assassins were used to kill Godwyn is that Ranni figured out Marika was of the same race as the other numen, and so using this knowledge she hired a group of mercenaries to deal with Godwyn. This would explain why we can find them in so many locations, since if they were some mercenary organisation like the Kaiden sell swords in Limgrave then they could be hired to act as a Standin for the armies of the haligtree and other factions during the shattering. It could also be possible that the reason the black knives were picked was because Marika had this connection to them being a numen, she may have known about the nox and had connection in there lands which would make outsourcing for the plot easier.

[@will2fite34]

one thing to note about Miquella and Marika mirroring each other that i don't think you have considered is that while yes, Miquella and Trina have always existed alongside one another, that doesn't necessitate the same for Marika and Radagon. Marika has produced multiple offspring with a dual nature, Miquella, Malenia, Messmer, and arguably Melina and/or Ranni. Save for Ranni, the other four are either confirmed or heavily implied to be children specifically born of the single-god union of Radagon/Marika, so they likely "inherited" dual natures as a sort of recessive gene where her other children did not due to a "dominant" nature of being born normally giving them normal natures. While her children born with dual natures likely inherited this trait it doesn't necessitate that she went through the same process so theories like the jar theory or her being changed at the gate of divinity still hold water unless we can find evidence of Radagon being active or expressed before Marika's ascension. In fact, given his notable absence as a character in the DLC, I can't help but feel that he was formed after or contemporary with her ascension.

[@melkerbotin7098]

Amazing video as always!!

[@SDN999]

Very infomative video.. Thanks! Hopefully more to come

[@carlosperalta4351]

Now that you mention it, we really don't know what Radagon is Other than his motivation it's rather unclear how he can exist, how he can procreate with himself (?), is he a curse of some kind? To be frank it's frustrating that Radagon is more of an anomaly if anything

[@Carl-vx9ws]

Holes and gaps invites speculation, speculation invites conversation about the possible. Isn’t this why we’re all here, reading and watching? ✌🏼

[@thatlittlemonstrosity]

tbh with shattering, I think it’s a lash out from pent up trauma and misfortunes. Main mistake of the golden order are gods that are no better than men and neither she is. Shaman village, control from above, omen children, cursed ill children and the only pure thing she brought to this world perished right at the rise of his life. She couldn’t bear it no more and decided to destroy the thing that made all of this happen and if it wasn’t for Radagon, elden ring would’ve been fully destroyed

[@LarkyLuna]

There was an assassin at the door to Marika's bedchambers, to complicate things

[@Jordobaggins1]

Excited for the ranni video! I wish st Trina had more for her to be looked at

[@ApocalypseGuy1]

Assassins are of the similar people as Marika, which probably means theyre originally from the land of shadow. Marika screwed up the land of shadow with her genocidal war. Whether the assassins are hornsent or not is irrelevant, Marika destroyed their land so they naturally sided with her enemies/enemies of the golden order. Hence why they helped Ranni kill Godwyn, why they can be seen protecting catacombs where those who live in death are, why an assassin tried to find marika in her bedchamber but ended up emptyhanded, etc. Their leader is trapped in an evergaol like other notable enemies of the golden order, etc.

[@ApocalypseGuy1]

Marika wanting us to kill her doesnt make sense to me. If she wanted to die, all she had to do is take the rune of death back from Maliketh (he cant read her mind just like Blaidd cant read Ranni's, so he wouldnt stop her) and use it on herself.

[@WobblesandBean]

I agree with you that Marika wanted to die. There was probably a desire to sever the connection of the greater will, and maybe she thought shattering the Elden Ring would accomplish both. That's also why she had Godwyn merked, she knew he was likely going to be the next to ascend and she wanted to spare him her fate. It was a mercy. At least, she thought it was.

[@TheZoobZoobs]

Her guidance towards Ranni makes sense in that Ranni wants to create an age where divinity is completely separate from those who worship it, so on top of granting Marika's quest for death, it also brings an age where the fate of men is in their own hands with no more interference from the Greater Will and Miquella needs to go out of the picture for that to be possible.

[@skullkrusher-dx4kg]

I beleive the gate of divinity allows for communion with the outer gods. It explains why miquella and marikas interactions with it being so different.

[@oskarskulason6093]

You still really don't bother with getting the lore from the game itself (the videos about the Greater Will were so bad). Marika is the one who commands the guidance of Grace, She was guided to power by metyr (either by the mother herself or one of her two fingers) and she knows that the Greater Will exists, or more accurately the version that was being told by the two fingers since the Greater Will (who's not an outer god) was never in contact with Marika, Metyr or any of the two fingers during Marika's lore. The Shamans were a type of people that were likely related to the Numen that originated from outside the lands between and settled there, their main value to the Hornsent was that their flesh was able to meld very well with flesh from others. Marika used the Hornsent and their culture to gain power before betraying them to get vengeance for the horrible treatment towards her and her Tribe of Shamans (though it's also very likely that the Hornsent were still pissing off other races by the time Marika sent Messmer on his Crusade.. And Godfrey was just a strong warrior.

[@kemsat-n6h]

I think the point is to put us in their place and, from imperfect original conditions, make us decide what we should do. Marika is like The Joker, telling us we too would bring about an imperfect Era, for reasons beyond our control.