The Murder of Radahn EXPLAINED (Elden Ring DLC Lore)

[@BanditGames]

Would you like to see more Elden Ring DLC in the future, or do you think it's time for Miyazaki to move on to his next project?

[@Spudiffer]

It’s probably time to move on to the next project and sample test something else, it’s sad to move on and don’t think anyone truly will, but it’s nice to experience something new and come back to what you love later

[@VictorIV0310]

Move on to future projects

[@Cman04092]

As much as i love ER, i think its time for the next project.

[@soltonali69]

Im not happy enough without fighting godwyn tbh

[@soltonali69]

@@Spudiffer tbh i think now fromsoft is big enough to be able to carry multiple project and not mess things up ( like when they messed up ds2 because they where making bloodborne at the same time ) so they could do both

[@stakesishigh516]

“If Leonard can’t ascend to Godhood with me, I’m not going” - Radahn

[@matiasluukkanen7718]

Miquella: "You are not going to ascend in either way. Only person who ascends into Godhood, is me."

[@diegonei]

Still a better theory than they had "Radhan wanted to die for all this to happen".

[@runningoutofnames3CS]

@@diegoneiright? And idk why but I get victim blaming vibes in the “Radahn wanted this” theory so it just rubs me the wrong way

[@certifiedcib7958]

It’s interesting that Radahns castle is as far away as possible from the Haligtree and that leads me to believe that he wanted no part in Miquellas scheme. Possibly also trying to avoid being charmed by being as far as he can

[@kaingates]

Miquella talks about a promise between them, so it seems more like he agreed then found out about all the comets and shit ruining all his favorite places and backed out.

[@beekai6273]

@@kaingatesyeah but due to Radahn having no dialogue, and Assuming how conniving Miquella is with charming everyone for his end goals. It could be interpreted that Vow itself might have been one-sided to begin with. Why else would Malenia Nuke Caelid in an effort to kill Radahn so Miquella could have his soul?Rather than go and tell him he must abide by his part of the vow. If he ever even had a part. Radahn although a Warrior, seemed to be honorable. So I doubt he would reject Malenia, unless of course stopping the stars was more important than a Personal vow between half siblings? Which again can be interpreted but most evidence suggests otherwise

[@beekai6273]

@@kaingatesalso that vow seemed to be part of Miquella’s dream when he was still with Saint Trina

[@Cysubtor_8vb]

I've always been on the "Radahn did not agree to the vow" side as: One, he setup his fort as far as possible from Miquella and the Haligtree, forcing Malenia to march a long trek through the Lands Between to reach him. Two, he refused to simply die. If he truly had promised to be Miquella's consort, why go through all the hassle of continuing to halt the stars and suffer through the rot? We see many times how those charmed by Miquella speak as if his will is there own, so the phrasing of "promised" doesn't mean Radahn ever agreed and more so Miquella compels it. Three, Miquella abandoned St Trina as well as his doubt, vacillation and love. This suggests that even he knows what he's doing is wrong. Plus, we only see Miquella present for this promise that he literally wishes for. It sounds more like the wants of a child who just happens to be a demigod with the power to manipulate others to his will than a mutual meeting.

[@tiacool7978]

Maybe that's why he avoided Miquella? Miquella compelled him into agreeing the first time, and was banking on his honorable nature forcing him to keep up his end of the deal.

[@BlackHe4rtQueen]

Also, Miquella is a child. He may not be able to process complex emotions and doesn't have a sense for nuance. I don't see his attempts to heal Malenia to make her feel better, more like to repair his toy. Don't even get me started on how his idea of compassion is wrong.

[@SwineMaster1]

I very much agree with this take, I think releasing the scarlet rot indicates how desperate malenia was to win and that it only makes sense that radahn did not agree to work with miquella anymore, great content would love to see more

[@kaingates]

Don't think Malenia can control the rot considering when she's fighting she actively doesn't use rot until she is rebirthed as the goddess of rot. I believe Radahn beat her and then she returned in phase 2 to nuke Caelid as the goddess which only wants to spread rot.

[@xanderbucher9625]

@@kaingates she is trying to control it. we know that the unalloyed needle stifles the rot, and that malenia is constantly fighting the rot to keep it at bay. she can let it take over her

[@pn5705]

@@kaingates She can’t control it, but she CAN control when to let it out. She WILLINGLY nuked Radahn in Caelid, just as she low-key bloomed against us, the player/Tarnished, when she became desperate.

[@mh6276]

One thing that is interesting is that she is not immune to the Scarlet Rot even though she is supposedly the source of it.

[@xanderbucher9625]

@mh6276 well we literally see that she is affected by the scarlet rot. It blinds her and is probably the reason she has a prosthetic arm. We can see that she isn't immune, so I don't see why you now question the validity of her being the source of Rot. She isn't the source fo rot either, that's the rot outer god. Malenia is the goddess of Rot and it's vessel in the lands between but not the source.

[@ZeroFallout1]

I believe he did promise at first when they were young. The Shattering is what changed Radan. I believe it was his dream come true to finally show his prowess in battle. We know he was a big Godfrey and Radagon fanboy. The Shattering was his chance to create his own legend.

[@colvamoon6962]

I think it was earlier. He did agree, but broke off the vow once Miquella abandoned the Golden Order (since it couldnt heal his sister). After all, because of his love for Godfrey and Radagon, Radahn was heavily allied with the Golden Order.

[@skrotosd]

I think it happened after the shattering because the first consort of miquella was godwyn, probably radhan agreed because miquella was saving people taking them to the haligtree, but then he understood that miquella made people into puppets with his rune, so the battle of caelid happened

[@colvamoon6962]

@skrotosd not exactly. Item descriptions indicate that this Vow was made when they were young, before the Shattering. Besides, if it was during it, then Radahn's attack on the capital, which was one of the earliest battles, would've ended with Radahn winning, because he'd have not just his army, but also Miquella's, Malenia's,and Malenia herself.

[@matiasluukkanen7718]

True! Be his own man, so to say, instead of Miquella's enforcer. And if Radahn knew that Miquella could compel affection and obedience, perhaps Radahn sought to protect his own free will as well.

[@kinesissado9636]

I like to also believe that right before the battle Miquella and Malenia were like “be Miquella consort” and Radahn was like “over my dead body” and then Malenia unsheathes her sword like “so we have an accord?”

[@kurenian]

Godwyn: Ganked by death ballerinas Godrick: Killed by a tarnished unfit even to graft Radahn: nerfed by scarlet rot under the orders of a femboy, only to be killed by a gank and then resurrected to be shanked again immediately Rykard: Killed by a gimmick Morgott: Killed by low HP Malenia: farm-killed by naked fast rolling challenge runners Miquella: killed my frame rate Chads Messmer and Mohg: Actually put up a decent fight and died honorably Man the demigods all died in weird ways

[@countengladx7156]

I struggled with Mohg and the Godskins lol I swear Mohg can reach so far with his dumbass trident, I was so annoyed

[@chainclaw07]

Radahn and Jerrens promise of an honorable death probably means that Radahn survived and was of his own mind for quite some time after being infected with the rot - long enough to have a conversation with Jerren about wanting an honorable death.

[@dualwieldroxas358]

Definitely. The Shattering was centuries ago. Jerren, Ansbach, and Muriel seem to be the oldest living mortals in the Lands Between, as they were soldiers even before the Shattering (though i think in terms of age, it is Muriel -> Ansbach -> Jerren). It would make a ton of sense that that Radahn completely disagreed with Miquella's plan after the Shattering happened and challenged Miquella and his army. Though, i winder if he actually knew about Melania's rot affliction, as when she was in the prescence of others, she had the Unalloyed Gold Needle implanted in her, surpressing the rot. So when he realized what happened to him, he was determined to hold on as long as he could to deny Miquella control over him

[@t-mango2491]

@@dualwieldroxas358I have to disagree with you, he just let everyone go? He let finlay walk away? With malenia on her back? He let miquella steal freja in front of him? Nah that doesn’t really check out, he was as jerreen said driven insane, and jerren created the festival, refers to radahn wholly in third person, it was an act of his men to show him mercy from the rot, he was already gone

[@t-mango2491]

See my other comment but I have to disagree strongly

[@chainclaw07]

@@t-mango2491 but that could easily mean Jerren was manipulated by miquella to kill Radahn "out of compassion" if it wasn't something they had talked about before hand

[@t-mango2491]

@@chainclaw07 no, he tells you why he started it, like he didn’t ask radahn “Wanting to give their beloved leader an honorable death, Radahn's army holds the annual "Radahn Festival", inviting strong warriors to slay their general and put him out of his misery.” It was his men’s idea not his

[@Dominus_of_GLORY]

Miquella didn't even bring Leonard with him, Radahn was forced into this Ofc he was definitely forced into it, but this is just another reason why

[@colduser2994]

Yes, Leonard is the key. Radahn would not go anywhere without him of his own accord.

[@bruhelbruh6293]

Daaaym. First time I read this argument, and well it might have something to it

[@jacobmarkowski6464]

My headcannon is that Put Knight is Leonard

[@Dominus_of_GLORY]

@@jacobmarkowski6464 and discarded by Miquella because he's unneeded Goes to show how kind he really is. I really like that headcanon

[@judastaboo9373]

@@Dominus_of_GLORYy’all will say anything just to hate Miquella 💀

[@danilohernandez8989]

Radahns location is quite literally as far away from Miquella's Haligtree as possible. So it makes sense that he wanted to stay away from him and most likely disagreed with his child-like view of the world. Also his world views were opposite to Miquella who wanted to "fix" everything; Radahn wanted to keep things as they were and honored those before him (Godfrey/Radagon). All of the new lore on Miquella suggests that he always got his way and was ruthless when he wanted something (see Mogh/Ansbach). As you mentioned Radahn was nothing like this but instead lead his people with a heart of gold and a red lion's mane. Malenia's obsession with her brother has lead me to believe that she may always have been under his spell (depressing revelation tbh) and as such her Pride was all she had left. Also I firmly believe that Miquella requested that Caelid be nuked, as he has shown to throw tantrums like this before. Well put vid, and love that you explain both sides of the coin!

[@darcmoon9096]

Oh god you're right- Miquella threw a tantrum with the eclipse for his other brother and when that didn't work out, he abandoned the order entirely and they even made their own tree.. I personally believe Radahn gave her chances to leave but she believed dooming him was more important and afflicting Caelid was their way of making their intentions clear. It's like the Queen from Suikoden- she burned an entire city with the sun and drought to send a message..

[@jacquesbossou5484]

Something people often seem to forget is that Miquella used to be a Golden Order Fundamentalist. And Radahn IS the biggest Golden Order fanboy, admiring both Godfrey and his father Radagon (creator of Golden Order Fundamentalism). So, it's easy to theorise that Radahn agreed to be Miquella consort when Miquella was still a Fundamentalist, but retracted when Miquella switches to his Unalloyed philosophy.

[@ENIGMA-dark]

morgott is go simp not radahn hence why he calls him as traitor.

[@spicec3613]

@@ENIGMA-darkI think radahn and Morgott just disagree on who should rule. Morgott believed it was erdtrees will to spurn all who try and enter and claimed himself the last of all kings, and I’m sure radahn had other plans.

[@beniron5807]

Radahn was a war monger. An honorable one. But a war monger non the less. It just so happened that the two greatest hero’s of his era was Godfrey and his dad. He cast away his light infused sword in his later years so I disagree that he was loyal to the Golden Order. Only Morgott was loyal to the Golden Order. The rest were just born into it and influenced by it, but they did not proscribe to its dogma. Freya all but confirms that yeah, Radahn loved war and being the master of the battlefield. None of Radahns warriors ever mention the Order. You’d think if he was a fanboy or supporter like Godfrey, some of that loyalty would bleed over to his closest soldiers and friends but so far as I know, none of them express a shred of loyalty to the Golden Order.

[@beniron5807]

Which makes sense btw that Morgott who was excluded from the family, would never truly understand and see the corruption of the Order Created by his mother. His desire to be accepted shielded him from that reality, a reality his siblings both saw and knew very well. They saw the order for what it was, he was blinded by his faith and his desire to be accepted. Which made him a perfect pawn for the 2 fingers. With no allies left, they decided to grant him grace, to use him as the last line of defense. Truly tragic. Even Messmer, with his final words accepts and calls Marika by her true name to curse her (rather then mother) with his dying breath. Marika and her two fingers were indeed twisted from the very start. Which you know, trama tends to do to people. The cycle of hate and violence continues…..

[@miketurner2095]

I'm pretty sure it was godwyn that was the fundamentalist

[@robertotherabbit814]

Never noticed that before. But when Malenia attacks Radahn the last time she doesn't use her sword on Radahn but on herself to release the Scralet bloom. She is effectively acting sepukku on herself.

[@garethlawton5278]

She's breaking the golden needle that is embedded inside her. That's why she wounds herself not him. Without the stalling effect of the needle the curse has no brakes. If only she went to Faram to use it there and be totally free of the outer gods influence like we can with frenzied flame. Miquella abandoned a plan that would have worked instead of just halting but his nascence curse let all of his plans be stuck to never fruit. We thought it meant his growth, he'll always be young but that's just one part of that curse. Even his deeds and plans will always be young and never grow to their purpose. We make sure of that in the end.

[@ZharifAfiza-nj5sg]

bleed dex users smh🤦

[@robertotherabbit814]

@@ZharifAfiza-nj5sg sigh... My comment literally had nothing to do about dex nor bleed builds. If you are not aware the term seppuku is used in Japan when referring to self deletion. The fact that Malenia is stabbing herself to start the rotbloom was the point.

[@ZharifAfiza-nj5sg]

@@robertotherabbit814 dude its a joke man chill lol.

[@octobersvobear2450]

You just now noticed that? I hope you noticed she also whispers to him in the trailer

[@Wintertier]

I absolutely agree with your interpretation! Pretty sure Radahn never agreed to Miquella's plan. Or maybe he said "sure I gonna help you little buddy" and when he realised what that meant he was like "wtf nope!"

[@marswaggy1333]

Malenia has to constantly remind herself that’s she’s “the blade of miquella”because she knows she committed mass genocide by nuking Caelid!

[@jesuscardenas2551]

Not, it is because Miquella recognize and want Radanh as his blade. She have always wanted to be recognized like this.

[@Xenos369]

Yea! Her her mind was unravelling due to unleashing the Rot. She needs to constantly remind herself of who she is to keep it together. After what she did, its likely she isnt all there

[@t-mango2491]

@@Xenos369not quite, believe it or not that’s close but no cigar, the answer is milicent, malenia dropped her sense of self, her sense of pride, when she bloomed, which is exactly what milicent says, is she seeks to. Return it to her, malenia did a manus, and split into 4 (one of the daughters is adoptive) each seemingly representing a trait of her, though this is only expressly stated by Millicent, who is her daughter

[@Pung_Fungler]

Well good thing she says it again everytime she kills the player, she’ll never forget that she’s the blade of miquella after how many times she killed me

[@LordFarKwadth]

I don’t think she gives a flying shit lol

[@AlanWeirich]

I dont remember where, but someone theorized that the putrid knight guarding Trina is actually Leonard's corpse, and that Miquella had the horse cast away, because he only needed Radahn in his plan. That horse was everything to him 😢

[@juniorcrazy9461]

Why does that actually fn makes sense. Big guy on horse that was created from ghost flame from an ancient burial practice , also the same place Miquella abandoned his love St. Trina

[@Yeagerclubhouse]

I thought that as well for some reason

[@courier6640]

He cast both the object of Radahn's love, one who would leap into stratosphere with him, and Miquella abandoned his very ability to love in the Coffin Fissure... damn.

[@xanderbucher9625]

we know both the horse and the rider are masses of putrescence given shape

[@courier6640]

@@AlanWeirich With this theory, I think we can all agree that Miquella is unequivocally evil. You f*ck with Leonard, you f*ck with Radahn. They more close than whole *ss matrimonies. (Especially the ones in this game. Poor Rennala and Godfrey.)

[@unoriginal2552]

I think that Radahn actually wanted to be Miquella's consort until he learned how Miquella would carry out his age of compassion. While we only have Miquella to go off of and he's kind of unreliable, he makes it sound like they were both in agreement. He uses plural terms. OUR vow, not MY vow. And while we never get Radahn's side, Miquella's goal on paper seems like something Radahn would agree with based on his character. That is, he agreed until he learned that Miquella was just going to mind control everyone into peace. At which point he broke his side of Miquella's vow. Miquella's resurrection plan also seems... Rushed. Like his original plan at some point got turned on it's head and needed some last minute adjustments.

[@VictorIV0310]

Regarding your last point, his plan to become a god with Radahn as his consort also relies on several factors entirely out of his control, and he appears to make no moves to actually ensure said things happen such as killing Radahn (difficult) and Mohg (trying to find him alone is a a challenge in and of itself, also difficult to kill).

[@jhank0cean]

He says "THE vow"

[@unoriginal2552]

@@jhank0cean "to honor OUR part of the vow" Same thing

[@N7Allfather]

​@@jhank0cean even Freya says it's a vow with radahn not to radahn. Also radahn ushers him back as a god while miquellas charms were all broken. He 100% agreed and the game made that painfully obvious with naming him promised consort, the only one that can make that promise is radahn

[@unoriginal2552]

@@N7Allfather I don't agree that Radahn isn't charmed during the fight. I think he is, because it's not like Miquella can't still charm people. He was likely disappointed that Radahn still didn't agree even when he was resurrected and Miquella charmed him

[@KCDCish]

Melanie always hated her scarlet rot so for her to decide to bloom means she was desperate to kill him and still failed however she never knew she even failed

[@miketurner2095]

What????? Radahn was a rot zombie. There's nothing left of who he was by the time you fight him. A complete perversion of what he once was.

[@sfseven7404]

I love the idea that radahn held back the stars to fight against his own fate. I always found it weird he did that in opposition of his sister Ranni. But it would make sense when he was trying to save himself and even Ranni. Because if he became the promised consort of Miquella, where did that leave his little sister who was also poised to take the throne?

[@captainfalcon3742]

Me too man, I think at some point he saw his fate in the stars, that after becoming Miquellas consort he would die in an epic battle against the tarnished. By preventing that fate and refusing the vow he could keep on fighting endlessly. He knows that Malenia isn't fated to kill him when she arrives at Caelid, nor could she force him to honor the vow. He fights her in an honorable way and gives her opportunities to escape. She fights with everything, knowing that the fate of her beloved brother rests with Radahns death or capitulation. Malenia nukes his arrogant ass which weakens him enough to be killed at the festival. Then his fated death occurs in SOTE after his resurrection. I think he shared his fate with Jerren (hence the festival) and his desires with Freya (hence her dialog).

[@Ihadtodothisbecauseyoutube-v8t]

A thought I had was that Miquella also had a charm on Malenia - it's one of the reasons why her blooming is so important. It's also what resulted in the sisters, it says she lost a part of herself in doing so, and it sounds like an extreme that Miquella would be okay with her taking since he believed he would become powerful enough to fix the scarlet rot (and apparently had with Frejya).

[@BeYera3]

I think Radahn, although a ferocious and talented warrior, was a gentle giant. His love for his horse and concern for outer worldly threats shows me his true heart.... the bloodlusted war loving general was an ugly side to him that only showed up as the shattering war got worse. Caelid is so far away that he clearly didn't want anything to do with it or his deceptive, cruel and unhinged golden family (once he saw them for who they truly are). The more I learn about him the more tragic his story becomes and the more I realize that he should have been Elden Lord and ushered in a golden age of peace, honesty and strength.

[@chrisabili3040]

I agree 100% with this video. Still surprises me some people still think Miquella is 'good', only villains brainwash right? In regard to cut content, I think it stands up as good evidence because it was written by both GRRM and Miyazaki. And from Miyazaki's interviews he's always had a clear vision of the story. I believe he removes cut content as it gives us too many clues and leaves the story more open ended for the player.

[@AxeMain]

How can you remove cut content? Don't you just cut content?

[@PalpatineHatesgood-wy7he]

OMG guys I just realized Godwyn was Miquella's first option that's why he was trying to give Godwyn a true death and when that didn't work he went for option B

[@darcmoon9096]

D:

[@amandajas6287]

This whole theory actually aligns with my own thoughts on the matter. As an addendum, the idea that Radahn is desperate to avoid what Miquella intends creates a new note of tragedy. His gorging on bodies and howling at the sky no longer seems like the actions of a man descended to the state of an animal, but rather a desperate man fighting to keep his own will and defend the Golden Order he loves. He feasts to stay alive and howls not in animalistic fury, but in pain and despair.

[@trexelex8928]

15:05 the most likely reason miquella didnt take malenia as a consort is that malenia is an Empyeran, which might mean she is an unable to be a consort or that being an empyeran would complicated malenia being a consort. Or being married to your full sister is a line miquella wont cross

[@abdieljove2011]

Or because of the whole "infected by the God of Rot" thing. Miquella is trying to cure her, but he’s not sure if he can. He’s not gonna risk is whole plan and new world on that.

[@mh6276]

I think I may know who Malenia's partner is(not consort in this case), or at least I know who he is not (he is probably not anyone we hear about). Millicent is supposedly Malenia's daughter but the weird thing is that Millicent is also a Tarnished because she is vulnerable to the Death Blight if you decide to fight her and only Tarnished are affected by the Death Blight and so I think that on her travels (Malenia is sort of a wanderer and an adventurer unlike some of the other demigods) met a Tarnished and fell in love and had Millicent and was forced to abandon her for some reason.

[@shivlad6229]

I believe that Radahn did not kill malenia when had the full chance because he thought malenia was charmed (mindcontroled) by Miquella

[@KashimoJoestar]

Radahn probably never saw Miquella's bad side or thought he was capable of being a bad person so he agreed to help him out with his "Gentler World" plan and made the vow, but changed his mind after he saw what it was really about Kind of like a Hank / Heisenberg situation where he didn't think Miquella had the capabilties of being a "monster"

[@Eludvion]

I think the deal was Melenia would give Radahn an honorable fight and if he lose he will be consort king to Miquella but based on Milicent's dialogue about Malenia losing her pride; she couldn't defeat Radahn and resorted into using her scarlet rot which was a dishonorable move for Radahn and that is when he called off the deal and decided to put a hit on Malenia as revenge for not holding up the end of the deal.

[@mitchryan257]

Very good video, you brought up very pertinent points. I would also like to add that Radahn did not side with Miquella in the Shattering War, and made a move to become Elden Lord on his own. Further cementing that Radahn did not agree and thus was forced. Which also, I must admit, makes the story more compelling.

[@hunter_sure_man]

Isn’t it because Radahn was against Miquella until he was reanimated where he fell under Miquella’s influence while in Mohg’s body?

[@scarvello]

Miquella on some reverse R. Kelly sh*t 😂

[@vincentmincydeepgroundz8580]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@yurinoworry]

K. Relly or Mi. Quelly

[@casualobserver2000]

i guess i fall into answer 3 - i assumed that the vow was that: in the event radahn dies, Miquella agrees to ressurect Radhan, and in return Radhan agrees to be hos consort and fight for him as needed. Both sides get a win, but miquella left out that HE would be the one sending Malenia to kill him but Radahn was honor bound to keep his vow. He got picked up on a technicality whioch is why Malenia reminds him as she nukes him, and in the memory cinematic you see Miquella almost concerned whether radhan will keep his oath since Miquella kind of cheated/trapped him.

[@steamedhamlet]

Ooooh I like that! It seems to fit because he is promised consort not coerced consort. But also, in that cinemqtic Miquella is asking for a promise. Meaning the promise has not yet been made. If Radahn is indeed on the other side of this conversation (and not Godwyn) then I believe Miquella is putting the charm on him saying, " hey I'm gonna be a god (and I can grant life and grace to who I want) so be my baby please!" Maybe Radahn found out this deal might have been made with Godwyn already with less than desirable outcomes and halted the eclipse. Although to be honest I don't buy that. The eclipse has to do with the Sun and not the stars. In Elden Ring the Sun is nit just another star like in modern cosmology.

[@dasaggropop1244]

i always felt milenia was oblivious to miquellas true intentions, she was tricked into believing he was taken in order to make her kill radhan & mogh which would be exactly what he needed

[@patataeve]

Why does no one alludes to this BIG clue, the one from Miquella's incantation from the Remembrance of a God and consort thing: "Miquella sought to accept all that was and would be, BUT FOUND ONE THAT REFUSED to be embraced. No wonder, as one god, and one king consort, is all the world needs." Who refused him? Us? Or Radahn? 🤷‍♀

[@Rusty_Spy]

Clearly us. Since we're the ones who kill him.

[@ClonserHalphalive]

Miquella: Be my consort? 🥺 Radahn: Over my dead body! Malenia and later the tarnished: deal

[@AzaJabar]

She didn’t swear loyalty to him she was taken by him, in the womb. This is why what she did to Radahn is actually a disgusting thing because Radahn was a good person and didnt want anything to do with Miquella, he made her kill him basically destroying Malenia in process. Miquella is the real villain of Elden Ring

[@kinesissado9636]

Radahn??? A good person???

[@sebastianmorin9780]

I’m of the mind that he consented and then reneged on the promise when he found out he had to hold back the stars in order to save Sellia, it says so on one of the saga swords you can read. Which is why Malenia went to Caelid to collect her brothers prized consort. As for why he wouldn’t be swayed by Miquella’s enchantment is probably due to his lineage, since Ranni cannot be affected by Miquella’s Amber Star Shard when Seluvis concocts the puppet potion. Which would be why he needed Mohg (I think initially it was Godwyn) as a vessel for Radahn’s soul. Speculation.

[@mannytprimeministerofthemanate]

I think Rahdan did agree to Miquellas vow at first (while he was under his charm), but then the charm weakened or Rahdan broke/shook it off. In the transition cut scene of the final fight there is a red glow around Rahdan and then a surge of gravity magic. I believe this is Rahdan spirit starting to regain control. However, as Miquella steps out of the gate of divinity the red glow turns gold and Rahdans body stands stiff. If Rahdans spirit could fight miquellas charm in this revived state it could also when he was alive and in his prime. So here is how I think the events went. Miquella grew to admire Rahdan in the past (probably when both were living together in the capital), Miquella learns of his empyrean status and charms Radhan to make the vow, Rahdan then breaks free of the spell and, realizing what he did, flees to Caelidas far away from the capital and Miquella as he can. From there he probably came in contact with the alabaster lords in selia and started his studies in gravity magic. The rest is then history.

[@hedition9346]

Radahn was giving Malenia no quarter in their fight. He seriously injured Malenia forcing her to bloom, which she can only do 3 times before she fully becomes the goddess of rot. Also it was not a duel, it was a war involving two huge armies.

[@garethlawton5278]

Well... to say no quarter is a little odd because he does indeed actually not fight for his life but for honour at the point where he stands and waits for her to recover and sort her arm out after an unseen moment in their fight in the cutscene. He stands proud and ready while she's fumbling to sort it out, could have easily attacked her at that moment but he waited for the best his opponent could be. That's giving some quarter in my eyes at least. I don't think he wanted to continue with the vow, I think once he realised Miquella would create an order outside the golden order which Radahn while much different than the golden children, still adhered loyalty to out of sheer respect for Godfrey. He was down for a Golden Order fundamentalism age... not one stripped of gold. But Miquella continued with the plan anyway.

[@wildbard4112]

I don't think either of them was seriously injured before she bloomed.

[@thyzefi2878]

@@wildbard4112 did you see the spears on radahns back bro was jumped and still won

[@wildbard4112]

@@thyzefi2878 How is getting turned into a mindless zombie a win? Besides, Malenia was fighting off Radahn's army so she was injured when she fought Radahn.

[@AttilaTheGreat1]

​@@wildbard4112What a convinient answer. Or maybe Rhadan injured Malenia in their fight when we saw them in the sinematics. Which is more probable, soldiers injured Malenia to the point where she needed to nuke, or it was Rhadan. I think the answer is obvious for any sane mind

[@tiacool7978]

It doesn't feel right to rely on that rememberance. Miquella is always a child, and he's the only one we see in the memory. If anything, they were all technically adults, because Malenia is supposed to be helping. I don't know, these seem like extremely lofty goals for a child to cook up. On the other hand, we have no idea if people age slowly due to death being sealed away. Plus we know through Marika, they're destined to have long lives; barring someone killing them. As for what I think, I think Radahn originally agreed and later changed his mind. Or was charmed into agreeing, and is doing everything possible to preserve his honor while trying to avoid Miquella's plan. I don't think Godwyn nor Malenia were ever options for him. Not Malenia because they were so close already. Plus despite her strength, she is constantly struggling to exist. Not Godwyn because he likely never intended to be one a god until after his death. Sure, he tries to revive him. But I think that has more to do with preserving/restoring his dignity. The poor guy was given a half death, and in return his corpse has mutated and become a blight on the Lands Between. Literally sullying people's memory of Godwyn. Some of his own people think he would want to be the prince of death.

[@AlexBilbieClarke]

I agree with your logic here but also... the vibes tell me you are right. The "he consented" explanation is honestly not dark enough for a berserk inspired story, it's quite cute. Him having a cute little pact just doesn't vibe with the miyazaki taste for major plot beats. Miquella seems to be quite is meant to be quite Griffith-inspired, a visually pure being of infinite ambition led to do weird and dark things. But obviously, my take is very far from evidence.

[@seductiveseaweed]

I love that you just glazed over that a whole outer god of vengeance we didn't know about lol

[@UltaFlame]

Let's not forget that Radahn set himself up in Caelid. You know, Caelid. The landmass as far away from the Haligtree and the center of Miquella's power it is possible to be and remain in the Lands Between. But then, Miquella is an innocent monster. He's cursed with youth and that seems to have effected his thought processes. He's brilliant, a genius - several spells detail this. But his actual method of thinking, the tremulous wonder in his voice in the post-fight dialogue... Miquella is a child in mind. He wants to make a kinder world because he sees the cruelty of complication and thinks the very simple thought that "why don't you just not be mean." The fact he reflexively uses his charm magic to remove the aspects of people's personalities that run their thoughts counter to his... he doesn't comprehend that people who aren't him don't think his thoughts. Because he can't grow past that immaturity.

[@garethlawton5278]

He did but Radahn wasn't opposed to the golden order at all. His idol was Godfrey. He was totally down with being a warrior for the Golden Order if needs be. His devotion despite his obvious distance to them in appearance and location is why he probably abandoned the vow. Miquella abandoned Golden Order fundamentalism at some point in his life we learn. Radahn likely grew to dislike him for this and cut off ties and willingness to meet up.

[@theopeneyes]

Radahn being in Caelid has nothing to do with Miquella and there's no proof for this. That's like saying Godrick holed himself up in Stormwind castle cause it's the farthest point from the Fire Giant. Radahn has strong personal ties to Sellia thanks to mastering the gravity magic taught there, the magic famous to the fanbase for helping him keep his weak horse. The take that Radahn is in Caelid cause he's trying to avoid Miquella just doesn't strike me as something he would do, the man attempted a raid on Leyndell post shattering which is much closer to the Haligtree so he's clearly not avoiding Miquella at all costs.

[@Rusty_Spy]

People keep saying this but it's the dumbest point of them all. MIQUELLA is the one that's hiding as far away from the Golden Order as possible. His Haligtree is supposed to be hidden, requiring secret medallions to take a secret path through a desolate Snowfield to the farthest and most remote part of the entire lands between. And we already know why his Haligtree is hidden, it's supposed to be a sanctuary for the oppressed and ostracized groups rejected by the Golden Order

[@soheelegb6851]

​@@theopeneyes Its not being in caelid but in being at the farthest point he could reach from the haligtree

[@theopeneyes]

@@soheelegb6851 Radahn would have moved to the Weeping Peninsula which is more naturally guarded than Caelid which has a very open boarder. The idea that Radahn moved as far as possible from the Haligtree to avoid Miquella is pure fan speculation with no basis in-game to suggest why he's there other than his connections to Sellia.

[@VictorIV0310]

Malenia's whispered words to Radahn, “Miquella awaits thee, O promised consort", in context, can just as easily be interpreted as Malenia rubbing Radahn's reneging of his promise to Miquella in his face before unleashing the Scarlet Rot. As far as we know, the Battle of Aeonia was just another battle fought during the Shattering and Malenia is nowhere stated to have been sent as an assassin to kill Radahn.

[@BanditGames]

It's great discussion, that's for sure.

[@unoriginal2552]

To be fair, Radahn in all probability didn't agree to Miquella's plan. Malenia really has no reason to even go after Radahn if he was cool with being Miquella's consort even if it was during the shattering war. If anything, Radahn may have agreed to Miquella's plan UNTIL he learned of how Miquella was going to do it (mind control), at which point he went back on it.

[@N7Allfather]

Exactly, that comment makes no sense if he refused or the crazy idea he didn't even hear the vow

[@mitchryan257]

@@N7Allfather​​⁠the comment makes perfect sense. It’s like Superman:TAS, in one episode Darkseid offered Superman a place at his side, but he refused. In a later episode, Superman is mind controlled by Darkseid. When Superman snaps out of it, Darkseid said if he would not be his knight then he would be his pawn.

[@N7Allfather]

@@mitchryan257 that didn't help your argument at all

[@ladooshka]

You forgot to add that Ranni actually the one who destroyed Radahn's plan to stop stars forever not Miquella or Malenia. We all did Ranni's quest so the fate of Radahn becoming Miquella's consort was sealed. He can thank his sister for it.

[@LoremIpsum-r5e]

7:14 my head canon is Radahn hold the stars itself to protect his family from grim future ahead, after he realizes Rykard's condition he determined to seal his family fate and trying to find the way to save them, then Miquella come up give him a deal and the rest is what we know

[@PhantomAngelofMusic]

Did I find this before the Discord post?

[@lorenzofilipazzi9621]

I also think he was against it mainly because of the stars being held, but also because of many other points, such as: 1-The duel: if Caelid's battle were to be indeed just a duel between the two demigods, there wouldn't have been any need for them to massacre their own men and, in Malenia's part, nuking a country in the process. Just a duel between them would have been enough. Some may say "Well, Radhan is all about making things big because he is a Radagon and Godfrey fanboy, so why not prove himself in the Shattering with a giant battke just for that?" Mh, the same Radhan that isn't just about strength or magic? The same Radhan that is considered a true Lord by Miquella because of his kindness? The same guy who is so loved and respected by his men that they held the festival? The same character whose main trait used for characterization is "he didn't want to abandon his scrawny horse"? If Radhan agreed to throw away their armies just for a duel, that would completely ignore all of his other points for characterization and just make him a... prideful psycho? Like, he would literally be just a dumb villain, if that were the case and i doubt a From character like this would be so blandly one sided. Also, Malenia's army didn't just go there to have a duel, they straight uo moved war and marched on the Lands between, as we know of their victories from the "lore giving greatswords" scattered around the map. 2-The Carian fate: Radhan not only might have stopped the stars to achueve a great victory, but as you pointed out too, to halt his fate and along his, his whole family's. Notice how after he is killed, Jerren says that now he has to fullfil a promise and his quest starts, with Sellen making a move and trying to kill Rennala. It's likely that he wanted (much like his father when he cast a protective seal on Raya Lucaria and tried to repair the Elden Ring ,after all) to mantain the status quo, or at least that he wanted to halt both his and his family's fate, asking Jerren to protect them if he ever were to fall and the stars were to resume their movement, and so he goes to hunt down Sellen (maybe they were aware of the oppositions in Raya Lucaria, in some way). And if Radhan only stopped the Stars because of his pride and not because he actually intended to halt fate, why would he keep stoppingnthe stars even after the battle, a sentiment so strong that persists even after his conciousness starts to fall because of the rot infesting him? Only two things remain in his decay: stopping the stars and caring about Leonard, likely the two most important things to him. He could have just acceppted his fate and let go, if he only wanted a duel, but he didn't. Malenia, on the other hand, discarded her feelings in the form of her daughters, Millicent being her honour, so it's likely that she understood that she was going to commit atrocities, Millicent's quest too wouldn't make sense if they just willingly agreed to a duel. Malenia was prepared to do ecerything in her war to help Miquella and her blooming shows how desperate she was, they weren't hilding back on some chivalrous intent, they were at each other's throat. 3-Show don't tell. So why did they made a vow at first? Here comes the "he changed his mind later" field of speculation. Wether one believes that he initially agreed to that and later changed his mind for whatever reason (be it the imposed control, the lack of conflict or both...), that after the Shattering he grew more ambitious (and actually attacked Leyndell, as we also see the art of him fighting Margit) or that, with the notion of the stars and the knowledge from his alabaster master, he simply changed aims, or maybe that he was actually charmed at first, i want to point out some particulars. After he falls and his first phase comes to an end, he gives the ONLY sign of emotion, when he starts trembling, looks up for the only time and starts to glow red, llikely using his Great Rune and/or having a Hooura Loux moment, but then his red aura gets immediatly sedated by Miquella's golden aura, as he descends on his back and Radhan's head returns down once more, never giving any emotion again. And speaking of Miquella's golden aura, the very same particle effect gets used when we are charmed, after being grabbed by him, with the same aura engulfing us as well, as we become his puppet. The fact that we can resist his charm and need to be subdued again for total brainwash might not be just gameplay, but also a lore implication. And speaking of that grab... That doesn't sound very "honourable", right? Like, with everything that we have said, with him being a honorable warrior and all... it doesn't sound much in character to agree on a 2v1 and win because his opponent just gave up and got charmed. The same guy who waited for Malenia to stand up? Who wanted an honorable death? He now faces the most important foe ever, a warrior who is considered the rightful candidate to be the next Lord (as the dlc characters are aware and comment) and he resosrts to cheap tricks, instead of dueling "his father's other possible successor"? (Well, or Lord of Stars, of Frenzied flame ofc... but the dlc characters don't know that and just consider us the next Elden Lord) mmmh, that doesn't convince me, he should be happy to share a duel with someone like The Tarnished. Finally, with him following Radagon to Leyndell and Messmer being a brother to him, he was probably on the Golden Order train, as Miquella was, but then Miquella conceived his plan and went for the unalloyed gold, which might have caused Radhan to disagree. On a side note, this isn't something that directly relates to ER's story, but rather the inspirations from Berserk. The way Fate and Causality work in ER are especially reminiscent of our good ol manga, and Miquella turned out to be indeed very Griffith inspired (Elphael was basically his Falconia, i mean...). If Griffith wanted his Guts at all costs, because he is his tool, even brandim him in a oath (you could call the brand of sacrifice that, in a way), you could say that the big greatsword guy, by halting the stars, was in a way.... "struggling against fate" like soneone we know, at least thematically. And speaking of thematics, with the way Miquella is basically the opposite of Ranni (even mirroring her words when we are grabbed), as the former wants to embrace past and future in his kindness by becoming a god (he is absolute and Order), forces in vows people who got charmed and basically gaslights everyone, the latter is all about chaos and freedom, she opensly tells us the atrocity she had to commit in order to leave the lands between untouched by any god and leave people in their doubts, sure, but also freedom. She gives us the choice, we decide to summon her and leave with her. It would be poetic to have the final clash between a Lord that freely chose how to oppose fate and the concept of gods or Order, and a Lord who is forced into an Order without free will

[@tkr1304]

We can see in the second phase that radahn got angery with red aura but when miquella ame out the gate white aura appears to calm him so you see that even after his death he doesnt let him he forced him to be his consort

[@DJYungHoxha]

So, there's an interesting little detail I haven't seen anyone talk about so far. And that's the fact that Radahn's face is already quite monstrous and contorted in the story trailer, during his fight with Malenia - most importantly, BEFORE getting hit with the scarlet rot nuke. And that seems like an odd design choice. It's possible this is something they just didn't put a whole lot of thought into, but if I'm allowed to take this at face value and assume it DOES mean something, I'm thinking this means that Radahn, by the time he fought Malenia, was most likely already corrupted by "the mad taint of [his] newfound strength", meaning the Great Rune he claimed. The fact that the two most commonly mentioned reference points when it comes to his visual design are Gaiseric/Skull Knight from Berserk and Ganondorf from Zelda really makes me think that they're driving home the point that Radahn - at this point - has been fully consumed by his desire for endless, bloody war. And that makes me think that, maybe, there is something to the third option - that Radahn consented initially, but was then turned into a monster of war by his shard of the Elden Ring. The game states numerous times that all demigods were corrupted specifically BY the shards of the Elden Ring, and that's why Miquella discards his Great Rune in the end. And that's why Radahn is still alive by the time we arrive; he refuses to be part of Miquella's perfect world of mindcontrolled puppets. Because war is - to him, at least - all about being your own master, domination through force and through the merits of your own power.

[@MaxHinaNaru]

So what you saying is Radahn was already corrupted by the shattering by that point that his new focus was to War.

[@DJYungHoxha]

@@MaxHinaNaru Yup, basically that. He may have been a noble, honourable knight type of guy in the beginning, and may have been Miquella's preferred option after Godwyn didn't turn out to be the consort he hoped he'd be, and he may have even agreed to Miquella's plan back then, but as soon as he inherited his shard of the Elden Ring, he became corrupted by his power and consumed by his desire for war. That's my reading of it, at least.

[@BrassPetals3Voices]

Shaun Dooley (Yura/Fire Giant) also voiced Guilbert. He talks in his voice actor interview about the character changing over time into what eventually became Yura. It isn't specific (he had to be vague to some degree in the interview) but in hindsight it makes sense. I imagine the cut/changed content was done so to bring the scope down some. It would have been a much longer game!

[@steamedhamlet]

Seems like everyone who is overcome with desire for revenge also falls under the flame of frenzy god. Like the guy from castle mourne who lost his daughter. And Yura himself is trying to resist the flame of frenzy throughout the game (aka the worms that writhe in his head) and has a deal with shabriri. So I wonder if the chaos god or frenzy god is the god of vengeance. And this god has some ties with the formless mother honestly.

[@williamladner290]

Maybe he say “only if you defeat me in combat will I become your consorts, without the use of your powers”. This is what I believe happens. In other words, prove to me that you will be a worthy god to follow.

[@really.willi3]

It’s funny this popped up right when I was searching Radhan lore 😂 W

[@Sotamursu90]

Amazing finds! Hope you keep making more videos. I have the same feeling, that Radahn might not be Miquella's consort willingly. So many things seemed like they didn't support Radahn's willingness. Another part I haven't yet seen really explored is the relationship's between Radahn's siblings. Radahn and Ranni seem to have dealing with Miquella, but at some point their plans diverged. Rykard was also a part of Ranni's plan with the black knives. Ranni's relationship with Miquella especially seems important, almost as if they are working together when you consider Ranni has both Miquella's Torrent and the spirit summoning bell.

[@tylerwastripped1590]

The Telescope item descript says: "During the age of the Erdtree, Carian astrology withered on the vine. The fate once writ in the night skies had been fettered by the Golden Order" This could imply Radahn was a Golden Order sympathetic, and didnt want anything to do with Miquella's order

[@bombthing]

Not only that but also his idolization of Godfrey, his pride in his red hair of Radagon and love for war all stated in his armor sets and other items all make it pretty clear that Radahn wanted to get as far away from Miquella as possible, which he pretty much did looking at how far Caelid is from Elphael

[@Doomboy292]

I think it's rather telling that we never hear what Radahn's response was. Think about that. We never once hear Radahn's answer to Miquella's request. That says, to me at least, that it wasn't important (to ol' Tricky Miq) what his answer was. Either he agreed now...or he would agree later, after a little....persuasion.

[@elyza9950]

Radahn's response was probably OH SHI- because a fcking nuke was about to explode on his back

[@ViniciusSilva-qq1rg]

I think people overcomplicate this Radahn thing so much, I have a very simple theory about what happened. I think the “vow” he made with Miquella was simply stating that he would do everything the twins wanted if the two managed to somehow defeat him in a fight and Miquella said “aight” and sent Malenia to do just that, then Radahn “showed her mercy” because he is a man of honor and wouldn’t attack her while unarmed and also because he underestimated her, and that was his demise, in the end the stealmate happened and Miquella went for the plan B or the brainwashed Radahn in Mogh’s body route Edit: Radahn did in fact make a formal vow to do Miquella’s thing if bested in combat, but he did that out of warrior’s pride and out of arrogance, thinking that it would never be possible for anyone to beat him.

[@Rusty_Spy]

Exactly. To believe Radahn didn't agree requires making a ton of assumptions and outright disregarding and invalidating things told to us directly (they had a vow/Freyja was completely onboard with the plan/Radahn halted the stars to protect Sellia) to fit their theory.

[@thesis_gaia7960]

Makes me wonder, Ranni kinda of have a part in this, cause we, by her order, along with other warriors finally put Raddhan to rest. Freeing the starts from his power and unleashing her destiny. That allowed her to wield the fingerblade to kill her two fingers and be free. While she was free, raddhan was not. Makes me think a lot, cause Ranni is not shy with fking others for her benefits, just like Godwin. And as we see, just like miquella itself.

[@jefferyschroeder3104]

One thing that I've barely seen anyone bring up that would really add to this, is that during the memory at the end of the dlc. We neither see nor hear anything from radahn himself. Which leads me to believe that either he wasn't there to make the vow himself and miquella made it for him. Or that they did make a vow at some point and once radahn got out of miquellas mind control he started controlling the stars and moved as far away from the haligtree area as possible so as not to fall under his control again. I personally believe it was just a one sided vow and radahn had no say in it. Cause that sounds exactly like something miquella would do.

[@JorgeOquendo-j8d]

Freyja confirms that Radahn made a vow to Miquella, she's trying to learn what the vow was in the Storehouse.

[@homerman76]

@@JorgeOquendo-j8d I mean, a vow made while charmed is still a vow 🤔

[@jefferyschroeder3104]

@@JorgeOquendo-j8d she knows a vow was made. That doesn't mean radahn made it of his own Accord. I think that fact that she was ok with him being revived, without really putting much thought into what it really meant, shows that she only had a very vague idea of the vow itself. Let alone knowing that radahn wanted a glorious death in battle.

[@JorgeOquendo-j8d]

@@homerman76 Radahn had to die to access the shadow lands. The suppressing pillar lets us know that all manner of dead end up there.

[@JorgeOquendo-j8d]

@@jefferyschroeder3104 I take what is said straighforwardly here. Miquella mentions his part of the vow, letting us know they're both in a vow and ASKS Radahn to be his consort if they fulfill their end. Why ask at all? The description mentions that it was a "heartfelt wish" too. I really feel like people are injecting so much sketchiness into Miquella and his actions where the story has gone out of it's way up to now to literally hit us over the head with the fact that Miquella is genuine and caring. It's like, literally his whole character. If Radahn is charmed at that point, why make a vow at all? Why ask him to be his consort and why does he have to put effort into fulfilling his side? He's pretty much begging Radahn there.

[@ravendelacour1917]

Millicent's quest reveals that she is the personification of Malenia's sense of self, honor, and willpower. Since Millicent never rejoins Millicent, the version of Malenia the Tarnished faces is one stripped of honor and weak enough to succumb to the Rot again. Millicent probably represents Malenia at her best, the ideal version people remember.

[@ScarlettSpitfyre]

At 3:27, when he says that, doesn't mean that Radahn and Miquella had both a part to make of the vow and the vow was made with a third party that had a part of the vow to honor too? The vow was not made between Miquella, Radahn and Malenia clearly...

[@EKsUrbanTracks]

I think what we know about Radahn is pretty much straightforward: he loves fighting, honour and Godfrey and he is kind. I don't believe for a second he would agree to Miquella's endgame willingly, so I'm thinking he was murdered. The other victim might be Malenia, used as a literal tool to further Miquella's plan. It's unsure if she followed him out of being twins and genuinely loving him, or if she was despatched as a mindless puppet under his 'kind', 'charming' influence.

[@mh6276]

I think she just really loves her twin.

[@matiasluukkanen7718]

In DLC, Miquella wanting Radahn as his consort makes no sense. Miquella had huge ritual planned in Castle Sol to resurrect Godwyn's Soul. He obviously was close to Godwyn alongside Malenia. Godwyn was the honorable and chivalrous and presumably kind role model and heir everyone loved and Miquella would come to idolize. Like, Godwyn could fulfill Radahn's role easily and make much more sense. Forbidding death that caused Godwyn's loophole undeath also makes much more sense to be Marika's original "sin." Radahn holding back stars and preventing any change in the fate of gods is good enough reason for Malenia to challenge him. I can't be only one who feels that if Radahn would be replaced with Godwyn, and Freyja and redmanes with remaining Godwyn supporters, DLC would be much more coherent?

[@rclaws3230]

Nope. If you understand the metanarrative (the whole story of Elden Ring is an allegory for the entirety of Western philosophy, ranging from Christianity to Scientific Materialism to Atheism to Nihilism to fundamental scientific epistemology) the way the DLC plays out makes perfect sense. Hint: Miquella is the avatar of the Paradox of Tolerance and Radahn is the avatar of well-intentioned warfare. Godwyn is the manifest body of men divorced from purpose or definition, growing aimlessly in alien and dangerous ways, an INCEL of all things; he is unsuited for the global conquest Miquella requires to mass-slaughter the Age of Compassion into being. Without Godwyn being fully dead (his body is still kicking), he can't be manipulated to Miquella's purpose.

[@battlericky17]

Here me out, after watching this, if youre right…would that mean resurrecting via mog’s body made it easier to control undead radahn

[@atticusshadowmore3263]

I could believe that Radahn was willing to make a deal that if he was killed in honorable combat he would join Miq, but that still doesn’t seem to me like he wanted to die

[@kevcan2372]

I think miquella (in the end cut scene) when he's asking radahn, radahn wasn't there. Miquella is just talking to himself. He's forcing radahn to do it with out him even knowing

[@chuntsechien]

This. I think Radahn had never agreed to Miquella, it was only Miquella's one-way-wishing.

[@N7Allfather]

Then the comment from malenia makes no sense. He would have literally no idea what she's talking about. That line is what someone would say to someone that wasn't upholding their promise.

[@chainclaw07]

I think it was from Radahns point of view we saw it. that's why he isn't shown.

[@kevcan2372]

@@N7Allfather unless she was lied too

[@kevcan2372]

@chainclaw07 possibly, but we also know he's a manipulator.

[@darcmoon9096]

I honestly believe he gave Malenia several chances to fuck off and spare her out of compassion. I doubt he consented- the way things are phrazed with NPCs, Radahn would have been disgusted by Miqulla's plan. I fully believe she came there to force his hand and he have her the ability to leave in mercy each time and she decided that going out with him was the best optipn- she however, lived. We don't know of there was any correspondence with. Miquella by then- he was waiting on her to get her stuff done for him, we just happened to be ghe ones to finish the job for them.. So Miquella fucks over two of his half-brothers into submission to get what he wants. One in body, the other in soul.

[@wiremesh2]

I'm not convinced that Radahn was even aware of any promise, and if he was, I don't think he agreed to it. Radahn's major superpower seems to be his will, which might make him the one person that Miquella couldn't compel. Miquella is shown alone in the cutscene, and Miquella's vow may just be "become a god." I kind of like thinking of Miquella not only perpetually young physically, but in some ways mentally as well. For anyone that has played make-believe with a particularly willful child, they will happily make the rules regardless of your input and proceed as they see fit. Side theory that I don't think I've seen anyone else bring up: I think Malenia is Miquella's Empyrian shadow. I think she assumed that role when the rot took her eyes, as Ansbach explains the importance of Empyrian eyes. One other thing: I also don't think Radahn took mercy on Malenia. He was looking all imposing, but he may have needed a rest. I don't think he's the type to ever let himself look tired or weak.

[@S_B-]

3:30 miquella wasn't talking to radahn. He was talking to godwyn.

[@FirstKindleScorch]

My theory on Miquella's consort candidate. Why he don't pick them? And what most similar thing between Radahn and Miquella. 1. Godwyn A. This candidate was the most heavily implied but was not chosen. Despite existing as a wandering soul in a lifeless body, Miquella tried to kill him (presumably because, if he fully died, he would turn into a remembrance and reside in the Erdtree), but it didn’t work. Some say the prince is now under the control of the Twin Bird. Personally, I lean toward the theory that he simply doesn’t want to be Miquella’s consort. Through Fia's questline, we know he can only interact with the world through the infectious environment he can reach. Therefore, I would also say he isn’t under the control of the Twin Birds; he is free from them and simply does not want to be married to Miquella or become her consort. B. Those who live in death were not found near Miquella's tree. I assume Miquella either has a disdain for those who live in death or they were not there because they are unaware of it. C. The Rune of Death is highly related to the Gloam-Eyed Queen or even the Twin Birds; I am not sure at this point. If either of these connections is true, then, based on Miquella's needle, I would say he always chose any means to find a lord who is free from any Outer God. 2. Malenia A. That's his sister from the same mother B. The Scarlet Rot has chosen his sister as the major bud for their blossom. Even if they are married, the Rot Blasphemous God would crumble it all from within and perhaps overtake Miquella. This theory also from his needle Miquella and Radahn seem to be among those who are submitted to the people instead of God. Both don't mind that Erdtree and Radahn would prioritize the people over his Lucarian stars and all.

[@NicoChamaquito]

What an amazing theory, I absolutely loved it. Subscribed instantly ❤️

[@ANDERB0RN]

Nice video, showing the complexe situation of this important event in eldenring. As you said: to find the truth one seems to only be able to speculate. Im unsure myself, why Radahn and Malenia fought. But im quite sure, that Miquella did not force Radahn into anything, he wouldnt want. For me, because all of the NPCs in SotE are still liking Miquella after the charm, proofs, that Miquella doesnt abuse his power. (Even Ansbach says, he failed Miquella, if you kill him with Leda) Moreover, Freya does seem to know about the vow between Miquella, Malenia and Radahn. If Radahn was tricked/forced, she wouldnt try to defend Miquella. Additionally, Miquella was there, when Radahn and Malenia fought. He did cure the rott of Freya, when she lay dying in the lake of Aonia. As i said above, Miquella would not force Radahn and could very likely command Malenia to stop. So why they fought? Hard to say.... The only reason i can come up with, is that the greatrunes somehow tainted Radahn, so he had to be purified by death. Then again, if this whole debacle was planned that way, why did Malenia had to be carried by Finley alone? Why didnt Miquella helped his sister, who we know, he loved? I dont know. The very interesting cut contend regarding Radahn potentially hireing assasins to kill Malenia, does imply, that there is still more behind the story.

[@bartmongiello]

I think the whole reason he suspended the cycles of the stars was to hold Michela’s destiny in place. He was trying to prevent Michela’s age at all costs. Even staying alive with the rot eating away at him in order to keep the stars arrested.

[@Ghoststacks]

Agreed “for now I can challenge the stars” definitely can have multiple implacations for sure

[@Butwhy23]

I think there is an alternative interpretation here and its a really ...really....really... long one... so here it goes. 1) I don't think Malenia used scarlet aeonia out of pride but that she had every intention of using it in her battle with Radahn right from the beginning. I am saying this because you can find the broken unalloyed gold needle from Commander O'Neill in Caelid who is clearly allied with Malenia and Miquella just like his counterpart in Castle Sol. I believe that Malenia broke the needle as she removed it from her body before the battle with Radahn and that is why it was in possession of O'Neill. In fact, that's the whole point of Millicent's questline. She wants to return Malenia's dignity to her. The dignity she lost when she removed Miquella's needle and basically committed mass genocie. It is also very clear from her movements itself. You can see in the video that she basically uses her hand as a bait for Radahn to attack(because she doesn't stop when he breaks her arm off and doesn't show any signs of shock). She uses that opportunity to surprise him by climbing on top of him and then he catches him off guard again by impaling the sword through HER body and not his. Using this clearly unexpected gambit to use Scarlet Aeonia and nuke Caelid. 2) So that leads to why she would do use scarlet aeonia. First of all she and her Army marched all the way from the consecrated snowfields down to Caelid - defeating every faction that tried to stop her (like how she absolutely decimated Godrick and spared him out of sympathy). And this would probably make it the longest campaign in the history of Lands Between after Godfrey himself. That means that she and her Army was clearly drained by the time they reached Radahn. So she very well knew that she had no other way to kill Radahn, who is unanimously agreed upon to be the strongest living being in the Lands Between after the Shattering. Not to mention that SHE IS BLIND AND LOST TWO OF HER LIMBS AND HUGE STRETCHES OF HER BODY TO SCARLET ROT. 3) Her intent to kill Radahn is also in alignment with her image of a Valkyrie. After all, the entire purpose of a Valkyrie is to sent honorable warriors to Valhala. A neat reference. 4) Then it boils down to why she intended to kill him in the first place. Whatever the details surrounding the "vow" might have been, it is clear that Malenia intented to kill Radahn and free his soul so that it can be resurrected in the Realm of Shadow. I think that the original vow between Radahn and Miquella was for him to get the ultimate battle that would finally sate his lust for war. However, Radahn might have turned on his initial word after knowing that Miquella's world would essentially be a world free of war, which is the exact opposite of what Radahn craves for. Or Maybe he had some other aspirations for the world different from Miquella. Or Maybe like the opening cutscene says , the demigods were all tainted mad by the strength of the runes. Whatever the reason might be, what matters is that in this context Malenia is 'honoring' their vow to Radahn through combat, even though she is treating it from a totally different perspective( a.k.a killing him.) 5) Then there is the matter of Radahn sparing Malenia during their battle. I think this supports the theory I mentioned above. Radahn is still treating their battle like a true test of strength whereas Malenia couldn't care any lesser about it. She basically wanted to get it over with and kill him once and for all and in a way, end her on misery as well. And I don't really even think the video shows him going easy on her. It seems like the end of a long battle between their armies and like Malenia is finally facing Radahn after dispatching off the last of his Soldiers around him. But its really not important. 6) I also think her line where she says that she has not known defeat, is not said out of pride but is spoken honestly. Think about it. She clearly lost consciousness after she nuked Caelid and she has no idea what happened afterwards as evident from how she had to be carried to the Haligtree by Finlay who immediately died as soon as the journey was over. It seems most possible that she night have woken up only after reaching the Haligtree. So in her eyes, she has never known defeat..A draw at worst, but never defeat. 7) This is going to be a MASSIVE tangent to what I was saying but it is related to this topic and gives more context. I feel like people are seriously downplaying Malenia and watering down Radahn's character to be some generic 'giga chad'. First of all, Malenia is a total badass . This is because she is the real definition of skill and mind-over-body. She is a pure melee fighter and do not possess any sorceries like Radahn or does not have any of his godly physical strength. Instead, she uses her CONSTANTLY DECAYING body and her SHEER WILLPOWER to use her katana in the most skillfull way to absolutely wipe the floor with eveyone (until she meets Radahn of course). She is basically the end game version of a pure DEX user. This is also evident in her battle with our player character where she only uses melee attacks in her first phase. and hence her tag as the the strongest sowrdsman in the Lands Between. Not the strongest demigod or living being, but the strongest Swordsman. Radahn on the other hand is clearly Miyazaki's and GRRM's take on the typical shonen manga protagonist like Goku and the typical badass warrior in a power fantasy trope. To begin with, he is shown to be kind and loyal to his friends and followers, and also inspires a great deal of loyalty from them as well... which is a staple in shonen manga. He is also on the other hand, clearly on a never ending quest to test his might in war and is always in pursuit of getting stronger and acquiring new techniques to his arsenal...another staple. Basically everything he does is straight out of an action manga or anime( like he managed to halt an entire cluster of stars so thoroughly that he was able to keep them in stasis even in his sleep or even after he lost his mind...like ..damn). Even the overall goofiness of a towering and completely overpowered Radahn on top of a teeny tiny Leonard references this dichotomy and his general 'shonen MC' vibe. I can't believe how NOBODY is talking about this .He is literally elden ring Goku. It does not however, make him an idiot as he still is the mightiest demigod and in all honesty, the true successor and the natural evolution of Godfrey and Radahn(both of whom are his idols as well). Which makes Miquella's assessment of him being the perfect elden lord not too far from the truth. This is what makes this battle so legendary. Not just because it is the clash of the two strongest warriors in the Lands Between, but because it has completely different meanings for both the combatants. Radahn is in the peak of his Main Character Arc and is raging with lively vigor because he might finally get his ultimate duel. He is basically living his ultimate fantasy out, whereas Malenia is at her lowest point where she is going into a battle she knows that she is not coming out the same from and might very well be completely consumed by Rot. On top of that they are aesthetically complete opposite too. Radahn is a giant masculine guy in peak physical condition with godly phsyical strength and unprecedented magical prowess. Malenia is a blind slender woman and a multiple amputee with a decaying body with nothing but her sheer will power, pure swordsmanship and of course....a NUCLEAR FRICKING BOMB(We also have to remember that Japan is the only country to actually suffer the horrors of nuclear warfare and that imagery is really strong in Caelid). And what happens to both of them? PURE TRAGEDY. Radahn is left to wander the battlefield for eons as he eats the bodies of his fallen friends and foes like a stray dog . To the point, where his followers organize a festival for his death(maybe by his own wish before he completely succumbed to the rot as discussed in the video)And if you think about it, it is nothing but a cover up for his mercy killing because he wouldn't die or cannot be killed otherwise. He is basically being put down like a sick dog. And his intro cutscene makes this connection very explicitly and is a direct reference to the multiple scarlet rot ridden dogs of Caelid. Basically the ultimate disgrace for a character who is supposed to be the clear winner in any other world. And Malenia lost everything dear to her and everything that she fought for. She lost her dignity and was left with a rot infested body that is in turn infecting her brother's Haligtree and killing the hopes of every living thing that flocked to it in search for a better future .Essentially destroying the entire purpose of the Haligtree and making it completely useless..She is also eternally waiting for him, and she doesn't even know that he is gone forever and more or less abandoned her. She becomes an ultimate victim because she doesn't even know that everything she did and all the sacrifices she made and even her title 'the blade of Miquella' , in the end had absolutely next to NO MEANING. Which is an even crueler fate than her knowing the truth about the situation. And of course, both of them gets absolutely demolished by a tarnished who ushers in an age that neither of them has any clue about or live to see. At least in Radahn's case he finally got what he asked for - The true test of strength with the elden lord of the current age who is a literal god slayer. Don't even get me started on how criminally misunderstood Miquella is😅. But that's a whole different thing. P.S: If you read the whole thing....wow.

[@mfk0204]

👏

[@mh6276]

If I could kill the Mother of Rot (the outer god that the scarlet rot comes from), I absolutely would.

[@mh6276]

I think I know who Malenia's partner is (not consort in this case), or at least I know who he isn't. Millicent is supposedly Malenia's daughter but the weird thing is that Millicent is a Tarnished, I know this because if you try to fight her, she is vulnerable to the Death Blight and only Tarnished are so I think that at some point in her travels (Malenia is sort of a wanderer) she met a Tarnished and fell in love and had Millicent and was forced to abandon her at some point.

[@TIGTC]

Miquella awaits thy cheeks, o promised escort. Or whatever he said

[@vincentmincydeepgroundz8580]

😂😂😂😂😂 That's FouL

[@kingofhearts6198]

Malenias pride is actually a large part of her characterization. I think somewhere it says how nuking radahn and letting the scarlet flower bloom was her tossing aside her pride as a swordsman. She probably has no idea radahn survived her attack even if only barely. She was almost certainly proud of the unalloyed gold her brother had created both as a gift from her beloved twin and for its honestly impressive effects of staving off the scarlet rot. Though considering what millicent says about why she removes the needle it may have been better to just rot away instead of blooming into something else entirely. miquella's compassion once again proving to have terrible consequences

[@DavidStavis]

Radahn held back the stars to protect Sellia. The Starscourge Conflict Sword Monument makes this pretty clear. On top of the English translation being fairly clear, the Japanese text is a bit more so: Instead of "Radahn alone holds Sellia secure", it says "Radahn, Sarria no mamori to nari", which I'd translate as "Radahn, becoming the protection of Sellia" "yuiitsu hito hoshi ni taishi, sore wo kudaku" the one and only person to stand against the stars, and crush them" Informed by the analysis in the Translationborne series and the translation choices that FrogNation often makes, moving a meaning from one line into another, they likely moved "Radahn alone stands against the stars" from the second paragraph into the first, making them reword it. That muddies the meaning of that first paragraph. In the Japanese, it implies that this is why Radahn did the action, whereas in the English it just says he's having that effect and might even be referring to the effect he's having in the present rather than when Radahn chose to take the action.

[@DavidStavis]

The Japanese phrasing, in contrast, more clearly uses that first sentence to indicate the purpose of the battle. i.e. in order to become the protection of Sellia, Radahn did this thing in the sentence to come.

[@kaiyz4222]

Base lore Radahn was holding back Rannis Fate aswell. And if u do Seluvis's Questline all way through you find amber starlight, which happens I believe after Radahn, and that amber starlight is found in Trina's Hideaway, giving his potion power to enchant a Demi god. Probably inferring that Radahn was holding back Miquellas fate as well.

[@KatonRyu]

The one thing I've always wondered is why, in the video, Radahn already looks cursed when he fights Malenia. His expression is the same enraged one he has when you fight him as Starscourge Radahn, while I would've expected him to, at this time, still look human, like he does when he gets resurrected. Maybe something else happened to him before the fight that made him back out of the vow he made. Honestly, though, I think Radahn simply realized that Miquella was a bit too trigger-happy with the mind control and wanted no part of it anymore once he did.

[@RamenGucciChain]

I personally believe to some degree that Godwyn was supposed to be Miquella's original king consort, It is alluded to that Miquella & Godwyn (As well as Melania) we're extremely close & he was super supportive of them in childhood, Miquella even made a sword for Godwyn after his death, the "Golden Epitaph" that refers to Godwyn as his Lord Brother in the Item description too, Also of note, Miquella desperately attempted a ritual at Castle Sol to revive Godwyn and retrieve his Soul after he'd died in the Night of the Black knives event & when failed he resorted to Radahn as an Alternative after his beloved brothers death & that's who I think he could be talking to in the Memory at the end of the DLC. There are a few loose ends in this idea but seeing as Godwyn and Miquella were so very close I don't think it's that far fetched of an idea.

[@peterkoncz]

Miquella sent Malenia to kill Radahn and force him to enter the shadow realm, but he survives and the plan stalls. That’s why we must kill Radahn before entering the DLC.

[@Umbra_Ursus]

To hazard a guess to the sequence of events: Miquella had simply charmed/enslaved Radahn, he was agreeing to crap without wanting too, and when the Shattering happened, Radahn getting a greatrune broke the charm. As with Ansbach, Radahn ran off, and was determined to avoid being reenslaved, thus stopping the stars and seemingly refusing to rot to death. This would also explain why Consort Radahn is mute, and devoid of any humanity: He's being kept under the strictest chains, because he'd likely turn on his puppeteer the moment he gets any freewill. TLDR: Miquella was *always* the bad guy, and Radahn, like Mohg, didn't willingly agree to anything involving the twins.

[@DavidStavis]

I do see the through line of Radahn's kindness being shown. It begins with him caring about Leonard, which is something that Miquella, with his childish way of seeing things (exemplified in the Japanese version of the final cutscene of the DLC, where they have Miquella using language that only young children use in Japanese and seeming unconfident and sticking up for himself like a protesting child), would stick in his mind as proof that Radahn is kind and gentle, and which he, like a child, would get stuck on and make up his mind about. Then Radahn shows Malenia mercy as you described. Then he wishes vengeance on her for cursing Caelid. Radahn cares so much about Sellia that he held back the stars to protect it- the swamp of Aeonia is RIGHT OUTSIDE the walls of Sellia. Radahn was in Sellia when Malenia showed up to fight him; she by implication of marching an army straight to Sellia threatened the place he loved to force him to stand still and fight her, and he fought her on Sellia's doorstep. Like someone in a bar saying "let's do this outside", the nearest field fit for doing battle that isn't inside the town itself. And Malenia's scarlet bloom rotted the town that Radahn protected even from the stars.

[@jrc-kb3ug]

My theory is that Radahn was originally a very kind and noble in his youth, and did agree to be Miquella's consort, but became a bloodthirsty brute as a way to distance himself from Miquella's charm as much as possible. That maybe war and bloodlust was Radahn's way of breaking Miquella's allure, since Miquella was able to force his charm onto others, which Radahn never asked for.

[@ixiahj]

Its possible also that Rahdan agreed at first when he was younger but when he got older, he changed his mind. He's really attached to that Caelid Town, Sellia and to his horse. Maybe he was just humouring Miquella as a kid OR Rahdan realized what Miquella was trying to do (mind control all of Lands Between) and noped out.

[@payneful9238]

I think that Rhadan in someway consented as he wished to be like Godfrey. Farosh (I think, Godfrey’s lion) is very similar to Miquela in design during their bossfights, and somewhere in a vaatti vida (I’m probably butchering the spelling) video he brought up how rhadan looked up to Godfrey

[@rwberger6]

I think Radahn either wanted to try and become elden lord on his own or during the shattering he decided to have a go at becoming elden lord and attacked the capital. The twins only go after him after he fails at this and retreats back to his home.

[@kinesissado9636]

*player murders radahn twice* Also player: “why would Miquella and Malenia do this 😢”

[@zephyreagle]

I thought answer 2 was established in game as the real answer

[@darcmoon9096]

Same, idk why it became a debate, it's pretty spelled out. I honestly believe Radahn gave Malenia several chances to leave and she believed taking him and an ENTIRE COUNTRY out was worth it.

[@Rusty_Spy]

There's literally nothing in game that even suggests that

[@mbrackett710]

I like your theory, and I have one that might answer your question about why Miquella did not pick Malania as Queen Consort. I often wonder why we never meet or hear about Miquella's Shadow. We know empyreans get Shadows, just like Marika's Shadow Maliketh. I wonder if the Malania, Blade of Miquella isn't his twin, but rather his empyrean Shadow? If that was the case, that clould help explain why he didn't choose her to be Queen Consort.

[@GeraltOfArabia]

This ‘Miquella awaits you o promised consort’ seems like it was shoehorned in later iterations in the development of the DLC it’s painful.

[@richlacerra6668]

I think it is up for debate that the vow is between miquella and rahdan. It could very well be a vow between all of the Demi gods and marika. Actually I think this is more likely based on two things. One the words of marika Melina echos talking about Marikas children “be that of a god, a lord, or you will be nothing more than sacrifices.” (paraphrasing) And second miquellas line of dialogue that everyone says is a vow to rahdan literally says “I will become a god if we honor our part of the vow” which implies there are other parts, more than likely involving other people, and if that’s the case who else would it involve if not marika and the Demigods

[@MormonSwag66]

"...happened in Miquella's youth" As opposed to the time when we see grown-up Miquella

[@kofu1267]

I have a little extra bit to add in to the theory pool, just my own little musings. Radhan would use his strength to stop the stars to prevent Ranni from ascending to her destiny as a god, and in the meantime Miquella would be hard at work in the shadow realm - in exchange Radahn asked for an honorable dual/fight to the death, the Redmane's loved a good war. I further think that Malenia's rot/blossoming wasn't necessarily on purpose, the blossoming seems to happen on it's own, when Malenia gets pushed. The honorable death was only to put him out of his misery, since she wasn't able to actually kill him.

[@fgmcruz]

From my understanding, Miquella has casted his charming enchantment in everyone he wants to manipulate. Even Mohg and Ansbach were charmed by him, considering Ansbach speech before the last bossfight in DLC. Miquella could possibly charmed Radahn before the Night of Black Knives. So, when the Shattering cames to scene, Radahn received his great rune that makes him strong enough to possible subdue Miquella's charm. He did it with the Scarlet Rot (it is said in his great rune) while he was holding back the stars. We need to have in mind two facts to understand better the situation: First, the stars were held by Radahn, but the Golden Order was behind it, as stated in the Telescope description "The fate once writ in the night skies had been fettered by the Golden Order." so, it's unlikely that Radahn was acting by himself, but following orders. Radahn is very found of his father, who is known as the "Hound of the Golden Order". Second, the Shattering was triggered because the demigods, tainted by their newfound strength, started to fight for each others great runes. So, Radahn and Malenia had at least one reason to fight: grab the rune from the loser. With these two points in mind, we can look back to the battle. The Shattering was a big event, and Radahn, despite his gentle soul, is a warrior and likes to fight (as stated by Freyja). Malenia's last line in the Battle of Aeonia "Miquella awaits thee..." should be said in pride, in the heat of battle (and I really like this interpretation). But the demigods were fighting each other, from Lyndell to Caelid, mainly for the great runes. And I believe Malenia and Radahn were no exception. So, my point here is: Malenia and Radahn fought by the Shattering and they've want great runes as the other demigods. And then, aligned with Miquella's plan to have Radahn at is side, it was reason enough to Malenia to march from the very north to Caelid. For Radahn, he would not say no to a good honorable challenge as the Blade of Miquela who, until then, never had met defeat.

[@avajie]

What if Miquella asked Radahn, and R’s response was “if you can defeat me in honorable combat!” Which would explain both his combat mercy towards Melania AND why he would be angry enough with her to order her death, as well as giving a slightly better reason why he wouldn’t just… GO to the Realm of Shadows. Like the tarnished is able to. Apparently it isn’t so hard to get there if you have no plans of being a god… 😅

[@tyrib2749]

If Radahn knew Malenia would drop a nuke I’m sure he wouldn’t have let her put her arm back on😂

[@gabrielink1709]

I there's two main possibilities: 1) Radahn accepted the vow because it would give him a warrior's death. Malenia's design is inspired by valkyries, which lead warriors to Valhalla to make them fight in the Ragnarok as Einherjars. 2) Radahn initially accepted the vow, and wanted to have a honorable death, but after learning that Miquella's age of compassion would have 0 wars whatsoever, backed out at the last second.

[@dziosdzynes7663]

or the right one aka he refused like the gigachad he is

[@krissnoe500]

They pulled a switch, Radahn was promised millenia but they gave him Miquella and he ve like "Nah bro."

[@bobjim245]

My headcanon is that we killed rhadan against his will on the battlefield, I think he knew what miquella was like and saw the worst outcome for the lands between. So hit pause, sacrificing his mind on order to save everyone, till we turned up and killed him, that's why rhadan as consort is younger, because adult rhadan would have murdered him with gravity magic haha