Pay no mind to the Acronym 👀 😂 PS. ANYONE ELSE NOTICE ANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THIS AND WHAT MIQUELLA DID??? LOL For anyone wondering how im feeling after the DLC? I am feeling vindicated. My video on miquella, which is incoming, will explain why in full.
@ravoniesravenshir3926 you'll have to watch the video to find out 😉 Hahaha jk, tldr: the amber egg wasn't used in the 3rd set of children so the third child's birth was delayed. Instead of using the amber egg, miquellas Cocoon as he slumbered was stolen, taken to moghwyn, and defiled in a profile crucible like ritual, which birthed the third child Messmer (and by extension, as miquella died and this gave birth to messmer in the shadow realm, st trina [Who was miquella as he slumbered in the haligtree] also died in the shadow realm, giving birth to melina in the REAL world. So really the third child is Mesmer and Melina (like Miquela and St Trina)
Just for fun, in regard to that Marica calling Radagon a leal hound echo, I interpret it as a coded “Im sorry for what is about to happen, goodbye.” She either anticipated being killed, or otherwise made incapable of action, or was about to vacate the shared body. The shattering of the ring was a bit of misdirection so that she could disembody herself and become a sort of amorphous matriarch type of thing. Perhaps, she could not fully expel her feelings and knowing she was about to condemn Radagon to an indefinite isolation with a true monster broke her heart.
One of my favorite moments in the game is indeed Enya going like: "Burning the Erdtree?! Are you crazy? You can't! ..... but also :D here are the instructions have fun lol :PPP"
AHAHAHA IKR biggest wtf moment I double took so hard Goes from: "NooooOOo you can't just burn the erdteeee 😒 " To: *morphs into palpatine* "DEWIT" REAL fast
@fleetstreet11 I love also how she is like "Omg and you say you wanna know about the rune of death too??? 🫨" Like no? I literally never asked 😂 she is wilding.
The algorithm is being so generous to bring people like you here ❤ Let me know what you think of the theory! If you like it, the last video I did is of the same calibre (Though the volume is quite soft, I added a louder version to the pinned comment)
When you wear the astrologer garb and wear the black knife hood, it raises the hood of the astrologer garb, as the astrologer hood would - it's the only hat in the game that has that effect
I can't help but think the story is actually much simpler than all this. Marika's people were victimized by the Hornsent. She was likely a successful jar saint and betrays the Hornsent when she ascended godhood. She commits a genocide against the Hornsent, and just about anything else that doesn't fit into the purview of the golden order (with the omen twins being an exception due her strong familial motivation). Emperian Grandam curses Marika's children. Godwyn is killed because Ranni refuses to be controlled by the fingers, Marika destroys the ring out of grief, and Radagon tries to fix it but can't. Godwyn's fate was likely cursed, not his body... while living normally at least. And Ranni's fate to lash out against the greater will is likely how she embodies a curse against Marika, so I don't think the three children with 2 cursed and one perfect series is actually present at all. They are all cursed, but the curse is meant to spurn Marika. I do like the possibility that Radagon is Marika's divested loyalty, but it feels unsubstantiated. It is clearly a parallel to how Miquela divested himself of aspects in order to achieve godhood or akin to how St Trina came about. St Trina was Miquella's embodiment of love, but he did not divest himself of her for quite some time. There's a good Chance that Radagon was never divested by Marika, and he merely is the embodiment, like Trina, that could be shifted back and forth from. Which appears to be the case with the text of the game. The fact that Radagon is hurting himself when hitting the ring is probably why he had to stop, as each hit only made things worse when trying to repair it. I really don't think the children are divested parts of Marika though. Or at the very least, I have yet to see anything in game text really speak to the possibility. The night of the black knives strikes me as Ranni's idea due to the general themes of Marika going so far as the committing genocide out of revenge for her family/people. I have trouble thinking Godwyn is just something Marika divested of herself as a grand plan to escape the godhood that she willingly took on, and think it speaks more to the text that he was simply her son, and she cherished him above others due to his lack of omen affliction. I don't think Ranni could even have known that Marika would shatter the ring, I think she just wanted to kill those loyal to the fingers and the Greater Will and Godwyn was the place to start. I do think the text of St Trina saying that godhood is a prison is accurate for Marika as well as Miquella, but I don't think Marika is a masterminding her own escape. I think she is essentially committing suicide out of grief with the shattering, as escape from The Greater Will is not possible for her. And we are there picking up the pieces of her selfish and destructive life as a god. Hurt people, hurt people. But this game gives enough room to make a lot of leaps for theory crafting, and it is fun to engage in this none-the-less.
The implication of Ranni surrendering her rune to the Moon would also act as a destabilizing event. In the night of the black knives Godwyn is killed in soul while in possession of the central anchor rune. At the same time Ranni's original body is slain, assumedly abandoning her rune then at this time. so the central anchor rune is now tied to a corpse and the larger anchor rune is sent to the black abyss.
My ONLY comment on this is that the night of the black knives happened BEFORE the shattering and distributions of runes. Ranni didn't admit to the crime right away obviously or at all (Except to us when confronted with insurmountable evidence lol) and therefore received a rune AFTER the shattering.
@johnvoices4087 the names get a bit confusing at times, but Godrick is not the son of Godwyn. Godrick is a descendant of Godfrey, but nowhere is it stated that Godrick is the son nor grandson of Godwyn. Anyways, back to your main point of the anchor rune... great runes are metaphysical and weren't originally "supposed" to go to anyone. Marika is the vessel that houses the elden ring, and only after she shatters herself (eldenring) the greatrunes become available for the demi-gods taking.
Radahn being massive with red hair genuinely does make a lot of sense being tied to the giants. I don't know if that's what you meant by curse with gigantism but he has the traits of the Giants. Another interesting aspect is the only other normal flame in the game like the Giants flame is the flame of the redmanes, used to burn away at the growth of a new gods influence, similar to the flame of the fell god burning the erdtree.
It sure is! I intend to explore how Rykards descent into madness is no mistake either (Hint, the carpet in the forsaken catacombs where the Merchants were genocided is the same carpet found in volcano manor, IMO denoting some form of relationship/association) Radhan = Giant with Red Hair, Punishment from meddling with giants Rykard = batsh*t insane, punishment for meddling with 3 fingers/madness
After Renalla's first phase we see a shadow come out of the egg (Rune of the Unborn) which becomes her second phase. This phase is her in her past glory and using spells she would have used in her prime. After we defeat her second phase it seems to return to the egg and is sealed away again. I think this lines up with your idea of the egg being a case to hold the aspects of a person that they divest from themselves (their shadow) because maybe Radagon's plan was to make Renalla put her fighting spirit into the egg and so nullify her as a threat to the Golden Order (since they couldn't conquer Raya Lucaria with violence). I'm not sure how he would have convinced her to do that but she seems to have loved him very much so maybe she trusted him enough to do that somehow.
Maybe it compels her affection, and like a parasite, feeds off of her, compelling her to rebirth her own forces into a disfigured and disabled mess... MMMMMM! Love the idea! I also find it interesting how the thing seemingly protected is the EGG, NOT Renalla, as the shadow / phantom only comes out when the EGG is dropped >_>
@@ScumMageInfa I believe the reason for the shadow coming out of the egg and it only coming out after she drops is because Ranni uses the egg and the rune within to power her illusion/projection of full power Rennala and it just makes sense that as attached as she is to it she would likely only drop it if she was threatened. P.S. I havent seen anyone talk about how the avatars of the Erdtree can create copies of themselves using Erdtree incantations, more specifically the one in the Mountaintops of the Giants. This seems to me to be a possibility of how Radagon was made. Maybe even infusing a silver tear with such incantations, seeing as how Marika would herself be somewhat of an avatar.
@@FaviomecAlso look into the cut mimic tear content. This could explain how Radagon and Marika could be the same but maybe not. Radagon at the end of the game, may have only been a mimic tear.
I regret to inform you my friend, I mixed the audio with literally the max option LOL If you turn the volume max is it still unhearable? I could hear it clearly at 50% but I have pretty decent headphones so its a skewed vision I have hahaha Thanks for letting me know!
@@ScumMageInfa It's still quite quiet unfortunately. It's not like it's impossible to hear in general, I want to clarify that the issue that I'm facing (and many others I'm sure) is that we're listening on speakers or at the same time as another audio source, I like to listen to lore videos while playing Elden Ring, and unless I mute the game entirely your audio can't compete. I also have a fan on and sometimes the AC as it's pretty hot where I live. I could switch to head phones but it would be exclusively to listen to your content while also setting ER's volume to 1 or 2 max. Grabbing a random recommended video, just listen at the same volume level to your final mix on youtube and this video: www. youtube. com / watch?v=NnJnDp_dBBg You should be aiming to hit whatever decibel level your audio system picks up on that video (or louder). edit: It's also important to remember in the audio world, basically an end user can always make a sound quieter, but once they're at the max they can't make a sound any louder. It's much easier to turn the volume down on a single YT video then it is to turn everything else down for the sake of one video. But of course, if you want to be a superhero about it, and you make your videos MUCH louder than the average vid, then PLEASE PLEASE start the video with some lower intensity audio that demonstrates what the volume is going to be so people have a chance to turn it down before something designed to be loud happens. A lot of those videos that start with a goddamn explosion and "WHATS UP EVERYONE! WELCOME TO ANOTHER..." are the ones that blast eardrums. Start with a slow fade in of a well known song, or start with a quiet voiceline, even a whisper, so that it doesn't just kill everyone listening instantly lol
@ScumMageInfa it's easy enough to make out on max volume. I'm just afraid of a noisy add barging in before I can adjust it. Thank for all you do man. Your content is great.
@@ScumMageInfa hey, just wanted to say im glad the algorithm brought me to your channel. Love ER lore theories and you put out great work. Also the audio is working just fine over here, same volume as any other video. 🤷♂ Just subscribed.️
love the slightly deranged style and while i dont agree with many aspects of your theory, both of your videos are extremely entertaining and interesting. please continue making videos :)
Deranged! LMAO Thankyou ❤ I have some shorts planned, two more longform video scripts I have done, and an absolutely trove of PVP material I've been gathering for years so, plenty coming! 😁
@@ScumMageInfa there’s a cool irony to it I think-it’s like, “we trust him so much, because he’s so wildly caught up and civilized as Godfrey, that we could give him a tool that is so anathema to us and yet never dare dream he would use it against us”
What an incredible video and presentation; as someone who loves the relationship drama and character stories the most, this was so easy to follow and compelling. I’ve long been in the camp that Marika was splitting off aspects of herself she wanted gone and it was so fascinating hearing all the ways in which she did so. I can’t wait to see more! And absolutely lovely voice to listen to as well 💙 Thanks to my darling friend K8 for sharing this with me!
Bless you and bless K8 ♡♡ It's so nice to be among like-minded lore psychosis afflicted that believe in the Marika Voldemort comparison ♡ it was driving me crazy having it only in my head bc when I tried to explain it to people I just sounded mental. I mean no wonder... it took a 45min video to get it all out 😂 Thanks for the gorgeous compliment and watching ❤
unsure about the star holding arguments, as soon as Radahn is defeated a meteor slams in to the ground, I believe Radahn was dealing with a threat but not from Marika, likely from greater will if another kind (cosmic life forms)
i think radagon was a form marika took at some point trying to survive possibly during the end of the age of the crucible, if the brick hammer is referring to radagon as the champion who led a revolt? She could’ve went undercover to gain the giants power to make Radagon and also Messmer/Melina, and get the fire needed to eradicate the hornsent who feared the fell god.
I genuinely appreciate that so much ❤ I see all these lore channels absolutely slaying it, so I started my channel with the mentality that it was just to get these thoughts out of my head and put them in a coherent format, not for blowing up or anything- But comments like yours truly do put a giant S.entient H.orcrux I.nfusion T.ransfer eating grin across my face, really makes it worth the effort!
That's interesting, I hadn't considered the connection with the giant ants. And there's that room with lots of ant queens and numen runes. Seems like the ants were somehow involved with the numen mimic technology, an ingredient for their recipe to create life.
I have a pretty good hypothesis on whenish Radagon is created. Its coincidentally around when Godwyn dies up to the liurnian wars, when Radagon joins the hero's ranks. So if you go to stormcaller church in Altus, the area and monuments around imply Godwyn died in war with the dragons, while also gaining their respect and defeating Fortisaax. The monument reads "the routing of the ancient dragons, Godwyn the golden fights to his last, earning the respect of dread Fortisaax" but also the dragon cult does not form until Godwyn defeats Fortisaax as mentioned by some incantations and dragon stone seal. The way I look at it is Godwyn beat Fortisaax but did not kill him, but Fortisaax must have seen Godwyn get assassinated or at least knew about it. The dragonbolt blessing you get at stormcaller church mentions only those believed to be loved by dragons can survive the ordeal. The incantation is hidden in the church where you would think a statue of Godwyn would be. So to be loved by dragons, you have to be strong and you have to be able to survive cheating death by being brought back with lightning. Back in the stormcaller church, below the statue is a circle of gravel stone(mentioned to be dragon scales) and a sacred tear(mentioned to have regenerative properties) with the dragonbolt blessing incantation hidden behind two dagger holding hollows. If anyone knows the works of Mary Shelly Wollstonecraft Godwyn, they might recognize the reference to Frankenstein. An undead monster grafted together with other parts, and zapped with lightning to be given an unatural life that ended up turning on its creator. References aside, when Godwyn died, it seems to have affected the erdtree in a way that it stopped blessing the land with erdtree blessing. And Marika seems to have needed to find a new form of immortality, with the erdtree now failing. I Believe this is why Marika recreated Godwyn as Radagon, not with his body, but his rememberance, etched into a well crafted gravel statue, with a sacred tear core and blessed by lightning, to continue to maintain order and stay the lands god, try and defeat Renalla, who was too strong and about to be the new god. So instead Radagon joins the family, learns intelligence and either during or after leaving, then creates the Golden Order, which does not exist up until this point. I believe Marika and her people before the death of Godwyn were the Erdtree Faithful.
it makes sense that Ranni's path would be the one that's the true ending. you can skip a lot if you ignore it and go to the generic end, just get the two halves of the lift medallion, kill renalla and radahn on the way, beat the draconic sentinel, beat margit, godfrey, gideon, the fire giant, radagan and the elden beast and done. only takes a few hours to go that route if you know where to look for everything and you're skilled enough at combat, but meanwhile you miss a huge portion of the game that the other quests do let you find.
By that logic, the Dung Eaters quest could similarly be the main ending... :'D OR even the frenzy flame.. But i absolutely understand your point, her ending seems the most intricate of all of them, with the most dialogue etc, and a very quick route.
Holy hell Batman, you are a fucking god of lore. This is the first fully comprehensive take on the lore of this amazing game that I’ve heard since “Miquella is the player tarnished” about two years ago. I will tell you the same thing I told AngelOfThePast 2 years ago: You’ve woven such a complex and beautiful story that if it turns out to be false, the game would be even better if your interpretation was true. I knew from vid 1 you are a fucking G. Keep cooking don’t stop now. You’ve got this thing 90-95% figured out.
@@ScumMageInfayou weren’t kidding when you said last video you were working on Marikas escape. This was so awesome, well put together and logically sound. I hope you continue to make lore videos. You have a natural talent and passion for it. I’m guessing you’ll eventually do a deeper dive on Miquella, or maybe I’m secretly hoping you are 😅 Would love to see a collab between you, TheCenteredTarnished and TimDiggity. You three on a podcast would probably crack the whole game. Not even kidding. Enjoy the rest of the weekend, I have a feeling you’re going to get a TON of eyeballs in your two videos in the coming days, all well deserved. See you in the land of shadow, fellow tarnished!
@OscarTheStrategist ❤ Oh man that would be one hell of a podcast and one I'd happy partake in lol I will most definitely be doing a deep dive in Miquella, who I'd my personal favourite of all of the characters, I just want to do it justice so the only way I can do that is by waiting for the DLC so I can scavange some juicy juicy lore from its assets 😂 It's going to be so much FUNNNNN! Hope you had a 10/10 weekend too :D
The thing is, they probably think they are telling the truth. It's just that their mother who is the head of all this is literally insane and probably always has been even before she was wounded.
These videos are well crafted, your understating of Elden Ring's lore and patterns is astounding, and your voice is perfect for long form video essays like this. Keep up the good work and you'll be up there with VaatiVidya in no time.
I love all these dope new subs ♡ A damn good deal if you ask me. Seriously though all of the new content being generated by the dlc is making me SO happy, it's an absolute swell if hype. I am so beyond keen for the DLC 😂
After listening to this explenation of the story. I wonder at the implications of the tarnished doing something so off the wall as to accept the frenzied flame, burn the erd tree, then cure themselves of it in ferum azula. Would malina being alive at the end affect merika's plan? Maybe such utter indiffrence to any influence of fate would help people like ranni to break from her own pre calculated end.
Wow! I am only 10 minutes in but already amazed, your literally voicing so many of my own theories and loose threads that I haven’t heard exploration of elsewhere! Thank you sir for your video! I was literally commenting the soul-jar, horcrux, body-swap theory the other day. Your ideas about the Amber egg seem spot on to me- I kept getting stuck with the reproduction metaphor between the silver tears (spermazoa) and the Amber egg (ovum) being a wedding of fire and ice, sun and moon, but thinking of Marika wedding the tree and taking that sap from the Erdtree as part of her turned magical technology seems like a good idea. Also the two cursed, one prefect born idea of triplets in each blood line has been super apparent to me! I’ll keep watching. 👀
Also, the roots of the Erdtree cannot reach Raya Lucaria, and the Radagon’s seal on the mask of the tutors keeping his affairs secret suggest even more strongly the use of the academy as stronghold against the greater will.
@positivecontacts agree on pretty much all points- its so great to hear from likeminded loretards ngl I had to just get it all out of my head and into a coherent format before it developed into mental illness lmao Thanks so much for the generous compliment ♡ I am glad you enjoyed it. I am literally frothing for the DLC and what it will tell us 😁
Marika is the most enigmatic and controversial figure I've ever seen in fiction. We have no idea whether she's good or bad, whether she succeeded or failed in her goals, and why she did the things she did. All we can do is speculate and piece together other character's accounts of Marika's actions. Then you have to consider who Marika the person was as compared to Marika the god. It's clear Marika the person was morally grey. She wanted revenge against the hornsent for forcing her people into jars, and sought out godhood to achieve this goal. Upon returning to her village, nobody was left. Marika the god then has Messmer genocide the hornsent/omens and then abandon him to the Lands of Shadow. Presumably she creates her golden order and marries Godfrey around this time as well. Messmer is confirmed to be Marika's oldest kid and he refers to Marika personally as mother (not Radagon like Rennala's kids), but he has the red hair like Radagon...so I don't think he's Godfrey's kid meaning Radagon was with Marika prior to Godfrey. That's a whole can of worms in and of itself. Miquella's entire ascension is also meant to mirror what Marika likely did (cast away her humanity) and you can't help but wonder if Marika felt imprisoned in her divinity just as St. Trina tells you that Miquella will be if he becomes a god. Considering the people involved in the story (GRRM and Miyazaki) it's quite likely that they don't even know and left it ambiguous for us to determine for ourselves. I know for a fact that GRRM HATES monarchies and deities...usually always depicting them in a negative light. Miyazaki will do the same but to a lesser extreme. Given this background knowledge, it seems completely logical to believe that Marika is a very flawed and somewhat terrible person. I'm personally of the belief that Marika is not maliciously evil, but she is certainly callous and responsible for a lot of the events that occurred. One can't help but wonder what Marika actually wants from you the player. I always got the impression that she sent Melina to us (whether Melina is a part of her or her actual daughter) and that Marika wants someone to defeat Radagon/Elden Beast to free her.
This theory was a joy to experience. You put into words what a lot of us intuitively felt through Elden Ring's narrative. The fact that the DLC didn't contradict this theory at all is a great indicator you're onto something here.
The GRRM way I’ve looked at Marika since release is to imagine if Jaime and Cersei Lannister were the one person, or, looking ahead to The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, if Jon and Dany were the one person. They love each other, they want to help each other, and yet their goals are fundamentally opposed despite their attempts to make them align.
Interesting thing to add at a meta level about Marika's goal being to usher in the Lunar Age is that Ranni's quest is the most straightforward NPC quest. I think most people who start the quest have a pretty easy time figuring out where to go to finish it, as if it was designed by a god to be that way. I think this sort of meta narrative us something they did with Elden Ring and is really cool. Another example of this is how, for two hears, Miquella charmed us all into thinking he was pure and innocent of any crimes while, in reality, he was just as messed up as the rest of them. Just my two cents, anyways, haha.
@masael255 agree with the first one, Jack is a mimic did an exceptional video on it and the way graces guide us As for that second point *shoves a miquella needle into your eye*
@@ScumMageInfa I'll check it Jack is a mimic's video! Thank you for the suggestion! Also, eye (cause needle in my eye) for one would usher in an age of compassion. And that's not just because Leda is awesome as heck. 👀
I literally just noticed Ranni has cracks on her neck in almost the same way Marika was cracked. It may just be since she is a doll, but when looking at her character model, the cracks and breaks elsewhere on her body are not as obvious
It was ROTTING my mind palace and I was driven, literally compelled to make the video so it just gtfo hahaha Please let me know your thoughts after you watch it and any ideas that may come to you, I am more than certain I have missed things that only others will pick up on.
Imagine if the GEQ, obsessed with bringing Destined Death to the gods, premeditated all of what you suggest, including tricking The Greater Will into selecting her as an Empyrean and surrendering herself to Maliketh. To seal away Destined Death, “defeating her” as the GEQ, much like Darth Vader “killed” Anakin. But instead, she’s been playing this 4D chess game so well that even a lowly Tarnished of no renown could eventually slay a god as far removed as the Elden Beast. Marika is the GEQ and raised you up, bearing a god slaying blade of your own choosing, but nevertheless fulfilling your purpose (and her own design), to become death to the gods.
This requires casting aside parts of your previous theory explaining the two empty crypt chairs with the GEQ as Marika’s sister, but the rest of your theory would hold pretty strong I think.
NO ACTUALLY THOUGH. Kick and I often must about it being one way or the other, as I have predicted, or literally the opposite and Marika is being revenged by the GEQ (Son killed and put on an eternal city crypt throne below her capital, daughter 'corrupted' by the snow crone [GEQ remnants], makes sense for the Godskin Apostles to be where they are, then, as well). It was SO HARD for me to choose one route, but for the sake of the video I had to. I 100% think what you say is totally plausible and even likely.
17:20 i think the reason why rennala is so subdued is because she was drugged with the celestial dew or something. not sure what that process is, but it seemed like they were at war, seemingly with the intentions to go forever, but turtle bro really loves the celestial dew and says it was able to end the conflict, something impossible
i don’t believe godwyn is her love, i think it makes sense that it would be miquella, who inherits it in the form of st trina, but i think godwyn is in a sense the abundance & grace that existed for a short period in the erdtree’s beginning, that’s why he has a whole lineage that leads to godefroy and godrick’s ugly ass, and that’s why he could end a fight with dragons with his charm or whatever. i think radagon was the only part of marika she needed the amber egg to make and so she buried the evidence of it with renalla and by the time she was forced to recombine with radagon by the greater will, she already set in motion the plan for the night of black knives, thus she says, “let us shatter” in that dialogue melina shares with us. she gets rid of her compassion/love by making miquella before the night so she can bear the grief of losing the thing she wanted most in godhood (a never ending age of plenty) and malenia is also likely symbolic of rot setting in by the stagnation of her age, deprived of true death, and finally ready to change things she strips herself of stagnancy (malenia). i’ve also got a theory that radahn is pride/honor, which she has to get rid of before planning the night of black knives, just like her loyalty with radagon.
also why the period was so short lived, because ig she realized she needed to separate from it in order to escape a caged divinity, and thus gave birth to godwyn and ended the age of plenty
Ranni is the only entity that mentions a cat, which don't exist in the landsbetween and even the shadowlands there are no mentions of cats, maybe the cats are extinct but in the Longtail cat talisman description it is said that the faerie cat likes to play with the great bell tower (spirit calling stuff) and of course she gives you a bell that calls spirits, however the Longtail Cat talisman also states the Cat depicted is from a fable so maybe Ranni got it from her bedtime stories. I think the Nox and Carians are from the same descendants only one went to the dark side(rebellion towards the greater will) and the other just complied. So think of Ranni, a Carian, discovering her ancestry and decide to rebel as well, like Marika did. So Ranni is Marikas rebellion part.
Lacrima is the name of that fairy cat. Lacrima is also Latin for "tear". There are quite a few tears in the game and the bat ladies even sing about shedding their tears. Godfrey sheds his tears by shredding his cat.
Hahahahahah thankyou for the reassurance ❤I felt a shiver go down my spine at the state of my descent into lore psychosis when I realised I was looking at CARPET and analysing it🤣But I honestly think it has some VERY interesting implications... Especially Rykards carpet only showing up in the chapel where the frenzied flame is locked away..... perhaps alluding to his curse of madness stemming from Marika's meddling in the 3 fingers (Just like Radahn's gigantism being the effect of her meddling with the giants)
10:53 Interestingly, the texture and behavior of the giant ball in Raya Lucaria is different from the Silver Spheres in the Eternal Cities. But it IS plausible that the ball was based off of/modeled on the Silver Spheres as like, a small experiment. However, if I recall correctly, the ones in Caelid look just like the Silver Spheres, and behave somewhat differently. If I had to guess I would say the Sellian sorcerers' giant ball experiments had somewhat more success, probably because of their connection to the Eternal City
That's actually a really nice take on explaining the appearance of perfect children among cursed one's which is somewhat natural for beings born conflicting deities. Basically Marika in whatever form the acts "fakes" a birth and puts a fake chesspiece on the board which can only serve her and for everybody outside it can only become apparent because she cant fake the eternal conflict consuming actual children.
I 100% agree that Marikas children are pieces of herself however I don’t believe it’s all of her children just ones that are emperiyans. Also after the dlc we see that messmer and Melina aren’t pieces of miquella as well as both miquella melania messmer and Melina have been around for a lot longer than we originally thought.
seriously though infa, another amazing video. so satisfying to see countless nights of unhinged lore yaps and staring at game assets under a glowstone, surmised and ordered into a finished and presentable format. so much thought and reasoning put into such an original and out-there theory. i cant wait to see what you cook up next 👀 i cant upvote this video enough 😭 and tysm for the extremely lovely shoutout ☺️🥹❤
Bless you, I am only in possession of ANY sanity bc of you keeping me from jumping off the cliff in the fringe, my lore therapist ❤ You've got a shill for life in me.
Another fantastic, well thought out video, mate. Who would have thought we'd produce TWO charismatic, softly spoken lore aficionados right here in Australia. You love to see it. Easy subscribe and looking for the next one. The only real criticism I have is maybe try to tone down those 's' sounds a bit in the recording. They're a little piercing 😅
Thankyou! ❤ First video was too quiet, now, the reason the last one was quiet (Ss Ts Ps) is the next mission! :P Thanks for letting me know, it is such an annoying balancing game lol
I'll admit that I am not fully on board with the horcrux theory, but I thought this is really interesting. I think Merica is one of the most fascinating characters in fiction and I've loved your discussions not just a for machinations but of her reasoning and emotions. I just watched both your videos and I want to express how much I enjoy your style, thoughtfulness, and humor. I'm really looking forward to the next one! One style note if you'll humor me though. During more discursive moments of either video, you have a clip of your tarnished in front of an interesting sky. I really like these shots for the discussion, but your character is really low in the screen and there is very little motion. The eyes like to wander during those moments, so I'd like to recommend getting a location with some wind or a bit of motion in order to dress up those shots a bit more.
I fully subscribe to the idea that Ranni is an aspect/scion/horcrux of Marika - breaking out of the vessel form. It’s a conclusion I came to myself in a different way. To me, it feels so obvious in hindsight when you just think about the presentation of Marika and Ranni in the game. With Marika seemingly ‘missing’ - as spoken by Ranni in the prerelease material herself. Knowing the level of machiavellianism that is implied that Marika went through - and the level of direct exposition we get from Ranni both in the game and in the prerelease - it’s nearly impossible for me to decouple the sound of Ranni’s voice from Marika. It’s Marika, she was there from the start, and she even hitches a ride with you and is one of the few who are able to give you some exposition on the nature of Elden Ring’s reality. Very excited to see the continuation of the ‘Grandmothers’ arc!
I have a feeling that she's a jar saint, giving all her children the traits of the people who were stuffed in the jar with her, and maybe she did that on purpose to become a "perfect" god and got rid of her jar traits
Oh wild! That is an interesting thought..... The fact she created them with Radagon is ultra tier suss, and that they are empyreans as well, so perhaps they are divested aspects of her as well, just in a different way.. Marika is a slimy.
My only point of contention is… I believe Marika was not duped by the Golden Order. That is, she infiltrated it after having decided that the Elden Beast and all that jazz was so great a threat that she would sacrifice any and everything to kill it and destroy the system it designed. But yeah. Fantastic video
@@ScumMageInfa Most welcome. I do always have a bit of a hang up with Ranni over certain dialogue. “The stars alter the fate of the Carian royal family. And the fate of your mistress, Ranni. “ I think someone else says something similar. It’s suspicious that Ranni is taped on as if she is not a Carian Royal… You’ve given a good explanation I can accept.
Ranni and Melina are the 2 sides of the twin birds as seen on the twinbird kite shield. The blue cold side with cold ghostflame and blue carpet (Ranni) and the hot red side with Melina. Melina's face IS the same face as the spectral face attached to Ranni's doll face. One has the left eye closed and the other the right eye. One whonwalks alongside cold and hot flame shall one day meet the road of destined death.
A brilliant take, and one which I think myself, and agree with. I have an alternative theory regarding the GEQ but I needed to go with ONE logic so the video didn't bleed into hours hahaha I am totally gonna make a video on the GEQ eventually.. Might wait for the DLC first though, these two vids near killed me.
@ScumMageInfa oooooh we cookin' now! Gloam = purple = blue + red. Super looking forward to it. In this crucible of ER lore you're growing like an erdtree
@steamedhamlet some of these comments have been third eye opening so the growth is definitely at least 50% thanks to that ♡ other people's perspectives help so much with how vast the game is.
Really good video. Congratz. One small problem though, it clearly says in Gaius remembrance that he and Mesmer were the Lion's elders and friends. So Mesmer cannot have been born after Miquella. Also Mesmer doesnot act like kindling that burns the Erdtree but as a kindling to burn the seal of the top tower. You can suggest that he could burn also the erdtree but there is no solid proof about it
I feel like you are very very close to the real story. I would also think Melina is a reproduction/sprout of Marika once she divested herself from love, from loyalty and from the rune of unborn, thus creating a being without a body
I'm sold on her being some part of the final set of children I'll be damned if the pattern of 3 children in each marriage is broken. DAMNED, I tell you! 😂
Another video! Oh, look! You changed the font for the big texts! Still not aesthetically pleasing, but a great improvement. But, wow. I am amazed at the amount of effort, research, and evidence gathered for your theories. What I appreciate most isn't if you're right or wrong, but that you put up new theories that are backed up by evidence. While a lot of people will regurgitate the same theories or get stuck on a specific theory and spend hours finding proof for it , you actually step a bit outside the box to come up with plausible speculations/theories that have a lot of merit! I only hope that we can find more proof to your theories, as I really enjoy yours and hope they turn out true. I love the way you brought your speculations and every time I was thinking "oh, but wait... what about..." you would bring up that exact question I had. That's some good writing. It was also, like last time, no non-sense and straight to the point, but still light-hearted enough for a 'bit of jokes. I really like your theory on Melina, but-and forgive me if I missed it earlier, but my memory retention sucks on long videos-if she was as you said in the video, then how does it explain her being already burned (like the skin on her hands) and bodiless? I feel like I may have missed a big point, but that's what I was thinking of when you were talking her being in her 'cell' and such; like, if she was stuck in that cell and raised carefully to fulfill Marika's plan then when did she become bodiless? Where did she get those burn marks? Also, what would Marika gain from having Ranni's ending on a personal level? Did she feel like she was scammed by Godhood and just wanted to get back at them by bringing about the age of stars? I feel like with how much of a schemer and planner Marika is she wouldn't count on her just being thanos snapped away at the end. That's all my speculation, but it does feel like Marika would have some sort of plan where she comes up on top with how much stuff she's done to get to where she is and all that. Anyways, amazing video! I look forward to your other videos, both shorter and long ones! I can't wait to see what you'll have to say with the new DLC theories. :D
Concerning your last point, I think the crux of the theory and really our whole point in the game is to kill a God. That is Marika. Hewg is enslaved by Marika and tasked with creating a weapon that can do so for the tarnished whom she planned to have come back to the lands between. The Marika we see strung up in the Erdtree wanted to die and be rid of the shackles of Godhood. Ranni's ending being the one Marika hoped for is supported by Marika's previous connections with the Numen/Nightfolk who wished for the Age of Stars/A Lord of Night. Erdtree Marika gets her Death wish while also living on in some capacity through Ranni. The Flame of Frenzy ending would also result in Marika dying but if the aspects theory is correct then I believe Melina is the part of Marika which does not want ALL life to end, just her own. Melina doesnt care what specific Order comes to be like Ranni does. She only cares that life continues to exist. That there is a new order and Lord established through the burning of the Erdtree and her death/sacrifice. Every other ending apart from those two has Marika still "alive". She may be a husk but she is still the vessel for the Elden Ring and bound by Godhood. In those endings Marika only gets half of what she wants. A New Order, but no death. A great irony for Marika the Eternal.
I'm not enough of an expert to recommend, but I think something that fits the style of Elden ring that's maybe a bit more 'worn' might be nice! In the end anything with an aesthetic that would go well with your tone and the tone of the game/video! Helps the vibe imo because the way it looked reminded me of a slide you'd see back in school xD No hate! I promise! Really, the important thing is you made an amazing video!
Ah a fellow Lore Psychosis dweller. What about my previous video, still same train of thought? or do you have a different take on the eternal cities and crypt thrones?
@@ScumMageInfa Honestly I'm not sure what to make of the eternal cities. Your theory is the one that makes the most sense out of what I've heard but part of me wants them to be a seperate entity.
Yo man loved the video and wanted to point out that your right about the carpet go look at The Serpent Crest Shield it has the same designs to crimson carpet they are one in the same. You keep what your doing man and ill keep watching!
Thankyou SO much! I really appreciate it. So comforting being among people who think the same thing hahaha I have been on the fringes murmuring about horcruxes for too long, no more! 😂
Incredible video, well done and a fascinating take on the story. Personally, I don't quite like the idea of Marika being Ranni and Godfrey as well as Radagon. It seems too much like Bugs Bunny playing tennis against himself. It's incredible to me how many different interpretations of Elden Ring can tie so many things together though. Loved it!
If you don't believe me, I can't wait until you see my video after the next one which will be about how miquella essentially.copied his mother to a T :P Thanks for watching and the lovely compliment ♡
There's evidence to suggest that the erdtree ruled all life, and essentially "gives birth". Natural births are heretical, and every time in the game we see references made towards natural births they're talked about like blasphemies. The best example of this is Rya's questline.
Out of the massive number of videos I've watched the last few weeks, this is one of the best. I haven't seen an ending yet in my own playthrough, but I don't feel like this is spoiling it. I'm sure I'll still have questions of my own. All in all, came for the breakdown of Marika's left handed magic, but stayed for the low-key asmr. 😏 A win is a win.
@ScumMageInfa Absolutely, yw! I live for this kind of content. I had to share the video with a friend who is also currently obsessed with the lore despite never having played the game. 😅 I waited a year to play, and it has easily become one of my favorite titles. I can't put it down.
@GalacticIndulgence meanwhile I have been descending into mental illness awaiting this DLC hahaha I have friends who refuse to play it... and it just blows my mind 😅
@@ScumMageInfa Same! Legit had a dream about running around the Haligtree last night, so it's all good, lmao. I have one friend that plays and everyone else is like "It's too hard." Elden Ring is my first Souls game, and I've been kicking myself for not playing them in previous years.
@GalacticIndulgence I REALLY enjoyed Demon's souls I played the remastered one and the magic in it is SO strong. Felt like voldemort casting avada cadava with just the first spell 😂
Uh...seeing what has happened to her own people (Numens) considering they were genocided into become the living jars...among other terrible things that happened to her. she has serious PTSD as when Godwyn died she lost it completely....
So did Marika plan for our specific tarnished? Or just any tarnished at all? I assume she wouldn't want the tarnished to continue the age of gold as you stated that Ranni's ending was preferable to escape the greater will. I think the thorns of the tree are in place to weed out the devout golden order pawns. However, with that being said, i believe that the golden order is the easiest ending to get, so wouldn't the golden order being restored (which could be the most likely ending) be the opposite of her plan? Now I don't know what fixing the ELDEN RING actually does, like maybe she only wanted the elden beast dead and then for her revival since she internalized the ring. But the golden order still exists under this ending, so wouldn't the greater will still exist? Couldn't it just send another elden beast? Edit: Now maybe the greater will is cut off when the erdtree is burned (to cut off the influence of the greater will) and Marika is revived by the order in which death had been removed. But then what? We have taken the rune off death, we have killed gods, what stops her from dying now that death is released(but not incorporated into the ring). What does the ring actually do? Is it the throne so to speak that decides what outer gods will rule the era?
I would say Melina has been on the hunt gathering tarnished to the round table hold to brainwash and vet them to get the perfect one- That is why they eventually stop seeing grace, when they are crossed off the list as candidates by Marika prompting Melina to go find a more suitable one. The golden thorns are the erdtree / greater will defending itself, as the two fingers seize when Melina reaches the foot of the erdtree, as they realise they have been deceived. I reckon the Ring itself is comprised of: The Elden Beast, which houses fragments of reality in itself > Erdtree houses this beast, and the erdtree burials fuel the erdtree with souls > The elden beast feeds on these souls, giving it the power necessary to impose its 'will' (the greater will) on these shards of reality, and then redisperses these souls imbued with the greater wills influence throughout the lands between, in the forms of the leaves from the erdtree that we occasionally see at certain times absolutely everywhere, and when this does happen btw it gives us a boon of gold, which increases the amount of runes you get from killing enemies :P
I always believed that Radagon was created, not by Marika but by the greater will in order to restrict her with a loyal follower of the golden order. He was likely created in the wars that unified the lands between using dead champion's but unlike the jars, that use the bodies, runes were used in his creation. I would also add that a flame was used in his creation, the fire god lives in all giant's fire, and it would be the reason why he ultimately ends up with red hair, unless he was by the union of a human and dwarf giant (sword of milos). -Tapping into any of the outer gods power has a very transformative effect on the user and it very clearly seen on magic user and those who take other's power. - The real reason for morgott, mogh, malenia and miquella curse is due to the fact that they were born twins and it gave other gods a opening to curse them or at least influence them with their power. The only other twins is d and his brother, who are also cursed. Being born a twin has always had different superstition attached to it in history. One more thing I would add is that both set of twins tend to share the dual aspects of the gods that cursed them. It is very clear with malenia and miquella, death and rebirth. [Also the twin armor is a perfect metaphor of the golden order "defeating" raya lucaria, Radagon's love blinded renalla] I always believed that the nox were likely a faction of numen that separated from marika own faction of numen and they worked secretly to destroy her. It would also explain the fact the raya lucaria and the nox seem to share a lot of aspects of each other but are not the same. It would also explain the animosity between raya lucaria and leyndell, a continuation of an old disagreement. It would also explain why the assassin worked with ranni but ultimately decided to kill iji and try to her in her tower. A lot of the lore people seem to not take GRRM involment in the story into account but i find it to be the best way to filter and arrange a coherent story of the lands between.
Certainly an interesting take, radagon as a restrictor. I could have sworn there was an item suggesting radagon was involved in the war against the giants and that is where his red hair came from, as a curse?
@@ScumMageInfa the only mention of his hair is from the whip weapon you get from the remembrance of the fire giant, It just says he hates his hair. Radagon to me has always been separate from Marika until he was forced to constrain Marika and unite with her or maybe it was a continuation of the greater will need to unite all magic under the greater will.
A couple people have theorised that Marika is a counterpart to Eiglay who is just pretending to be a Numen woman after doing the whole seduction/betrayal thing to Placidusax. It probably won't be confirmed, but if the DLC confirms it, then doesn't it blow a hole in your interpretation of Rennala's actions?
Very possible, she is a very SLIPPERY, SNEAKY woman after all 😂 I am sure the DLC will obliterate many of my theories, and I HAPPILY welcome it hahahaha I am beyond excited for Fridayyyyyyy
Thankyou so much! I have a few more video scripts I am keen to turn into (shorter) videos later, but for now it'll be a few shorts from these 2 vids and some PVP montages ive been collecting 😊 then after the DLC I'll be making another big boy ❤
Thanks for the awesome video(s) and interesting theory! On the audio, this one's perfect :) Your theory is well crafted and has a lot of merit ^^ I have a 'pet' theory of my own, where I also think about Godwyn's "maternal" relationship with Miquella and Melania, although I won't take up more space here with my musings. Anywho, have a nice rest and hope you enjoy the Shadow of the Erdtree! :D
@@ScumMageInfa Aw cheers mate, I'll try to share a tldr cos its a part of smth I've been stirring on solo for a while xD I'll try to bullet point my thoughts in regards to Godwyn: - One of the basis of this is I think Marika and Radagon have always shared their body. - I think Godwyn's "absence from Historical accounts" ( post triumph and communion w the Dragons, pre night of the black knives), in all but his personal connection to his family, coincides with Radagon's activity. - Godwyn's death Prince form being 'mermaid'-like alludes to him being both male and female. - I think Godwyn was forced to take Marika's place in the Capital whilst Radagon was active elsewhere in order to keep M=R a secret - Godwyn being described as the Scion of the Golden Lineage while alive and his ability to create Deathroot life forms and Those who Live in Death makes me think he was used to propagate the lineage while impersonating Marika - In typical GRRM style, I think Radagon and Godwyn produced Miquella and Melania. This could explain Melania sharing Godwyn's ability to create life, Miquella's devotion to Godwyn and his androgeny. - I think that the reason why Miquella is allied with Ranni, who plotted Godwyn's murder to set her soul free from her body, is because it was also meant to set Godwyn's soul free through death. What I don't think was anticipated was that his body would continue to grow, gestate and birth in death. -I think Miquella first wanted to 'bring back' Godwyn's soul through the Eclipse, but with that failure, respected his wishes and just tried to grant him a true death. -I also don't think that Godwyn is the son of Godfrey. Although I had another idea for his origin, I think that your theory of Godwyn being formed by Marika divesting herself of love and giving it a corporeal form is very convincing, and perhaps could explain a part of what I'm cooking. If Godwyn embodies Marika's maternal love, he could also embody her ability to gestate, without making M/R infertile, as Radagon could still have children with Renalla. Sorry it ended up being long af - I tried to keep it short! I love your theory and the videos you've produced, as well as Tarnished Archaeologist's, Quelaag's and timdiggity's ^^ Cheers again :D I hope some part of this was interesting xD
@LionUniverse14 that was brilliant i can't believe you almost didn't post it hahaha I'm in the same frame of mind, I had to go for ONE train of thought for the videos sake, but I've always wondered if godwyn and radagon were made via a different method to ranni, who was made using the amber egg- since they are far more obscure and look literally exactly like marika, while ranni seems more... special. While the "third child" of the relationship with marika and radagon was born via a different egg/womb in a profane ritual, creating the antithesis of miquela in the shadow world (messmer) I am so wildly hyped for the dlc lol Have you considered trying to put your thoughts into a video?? I'd watch it.
I find the Marika-Godwyn-Ranni connection very plausible. For once, Godwyn is referred to as a martyr in some dialogs which bugged me to the point I started considering he might have been a willing participant in this plan. Another suspicious thing is how Ranni reveals her version of the Night of Black Knives to us without much pressure from us. It's almost as if she doesn't want us to dig further into the matter.
My page refresh and I had to struggle to find this video but the title alone intrigued me and I got to say man, I really like it. I really did your theories here. It was worth gutting the youtube search results lol
There is a Statue of Marika pouring Libation (from a jar) in the chapel of anticipation. Its a deliberate rework of a the same pose with hooded women seem throughout the lands between. She's just a girl in it. The other inconography and the material the chapel is built from, suggests its from a period when either godfrey or Serosh ruled the region, and the Erdtree religion wasn't the dominant faith. Instead, it appears a culture religiously centered on pouring out jars, possibly to "water" the crucible, was dominant. Those jars might have been the results of the jar saint ritual the hornsent preformed. The statues of Athena-like blonde women with golden spears along the public stairways in Lyndell depict a version of Marika that is reminescent of Mesmer, and might very well match the devices used to impale the giants. This is a grown Marika, unlike the libation statue which depicts a child version. The church of Eiglay, appears to be a reference to the mythological Eglé, a woman who married a snake king, which is later slain by her family after his snake nature is reveal, who turns herself and her children into trees in some versions of the myth. The Erdtree is the same kind of tree Eglè specifically turned into. There is snake skin outside of bonny village that matches Eiglay, but they spent time and effort changing the body. Marika might *literally* be a tree. She might be a Dryad. The grandmother sure seems like one. I said all this, by way of saying- Scum Mage Infa, you Might Be Right. There are statues depicting the process of "crown spouting" throughout liurnia, lyndell, and even the roundtable hold. They all have a melted looking bald guy standing on a tree stump, clutching a plucked branch while others spiral around him from the stump. Sometimes the branch is painted gold. Crown sprouting is a process where new growth arises from a "dead" trunk with a living root system. Crown sprouting is an integral part of *grafting.* The ideal time to graft on a tree is after its felled. Attach your desired plant, and cull the natural growths while it siphons nutrients from the root system. The plant grafted on this way is called a "grafted scion." In trees, a "clone" is a cut off trunk or branch that is replanted. Its genetically identical, but independant. Most trees have both male and female reproductive organs, but you can cut *just* the male and replant if you try. Like Radagon. Another her, who isn't at her level, hasnt grown to godhood, yet. Trees, like most plants, can be pollinated. The can produce hybrid offspring unintentionally unless their environment is culled of "contagion." The process of grafting i outlined above is plagued by "root suckers." Tangled growths of the natural extention of the roots, which must be constantly pruned or they'll stangle the scion- just like how the hornsent and omen are treated. Eventually root suckers will kill the scion. The best solution? Burn it all down to the root stock, and begin crown sprouting again. A tangle of root suckers allowed to overtake a scion, would look just like a tanglehorn. I think, if you look into tree reporduction, you can probably take this theoy to a level where some version of it achieves widespread acceptance. They *are* Marika, genetically. Some are infected, some are pollinated, some she pollinated other fields with.
Ah yes Marika the S.H.I.T enjoyer. Another interesting video and a great watch. Defo enjoyed this one again. Your videos have such a fantastic crackhead vibe tbh. I've been thinking about the 3rd children and the motifs of twins but also a *third*. What do you think about the 7 soulless demigod mausoleums?
Dung is the way, the truth, and the life. - Marika, probably IKR THEY are interesting. They have aspects of the eternal city ALL over them so I reckon they may have been from an age where Marika, GEQ, and the third sister ruled over the 3 eternal cities. I think the fireflies are the equivalent to the butterflies for the eternal city sisters- glintstone, silver, and gold- and marika had many children, many of whom died in the unstable and turbulent world or many different powerful forces that existed on equal footing before the golden order and monopoly of the greater will. That's the only way I can reconcile seeing one in the nameless eternal city........ underground 😂
@@ScumMageInfa Only other way it could make sense if is that was for godwyn (very unlikely) or a demigod close to godwyn. I suppose it could the first example of this practice occuring. First in the nameless city, then mimicked again later in the lands between. It could also be for whoever died to make the fingerslayer blade but that blade is a body and theres defo a body in the deeproots mausoleum. Its so strange.
@@Rageikari Someone just nuked my brain by saying maybe they are the children the god slaying weapons were formed from (Like the fingerslayer blade). We were talking about Marika's other children and how the fingerslayer blade was made of a corpse n I said it would be vile if she made it from one of her children, like one of her babies since its so small and if it is made of a corpse like the sword radagon is made from why the corpse so smol.... and then he said 'yuh thats probably why the bodies in the colly are headless' and I was like 😯It very well could be children she used for other purpose LIKE that... the children she doesnt care about, like the ones that didn't 'rise to the occasion', as she does have that quote: Hear me, Demigods. My children beloved. Make of thyselves that which ye desire. Be it a Lord. Be it a God. But should ye fail to become aught at all, ye will be forsaken. Amounting only to sacrifices
@@ScumMageInfa that's defo interesting, I like the idea that she dropped the eternal cities because they turned one of her babies into a weapon tbh. That's just the right kinda messed up. But I feel like the mausoleum demigods are headless because they were useless to Marika in life but in death they could be a vessel for a soul. Maybe a back up for ranni's body (if not for the puppet body) or perhaps something similar to the night of black knives already occurred, with a demigod Marika truly cared for or needed, dying in body alone. Idk, either way these sets of ideas are interesting
Awesome work man, really compeling stuff and it's organized logically so it's not difficult to follow. I'm gonna leave some thoughts from your first video here as well, I guess firstly the idea of purple ghostflame which has had the red seperated from it is an awesome concept. However, I can't help but feel like we are seeing two different flames when comparing ghostflame to the blue flame found in the eternal cities, sellia, ordina, and caria manor. My favorite weapon is Helpen's Steeple and when I compare it to the blue flame of Nokstella they look different, and I can't help but think thats intentional. There's also the passage about the Hawk's inheriting the ghostflame when burning the bodies of their fallen comrades, which makes me think that if there was already ghostflame present the description would be worded differently, I'm not sure, love the idea conceptually though. There's something interesting about the idea of Marika orgainizing and coordiating such an elaborate plan just for the player tarnished to have several ways to really screw things up lol great work all around 🔺️
Hey! 😁 Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it! The ghost flame is tricky, in that tbh I kind of feel like there are 3 components. The red, blue, and black- red and blue making purple which was the hue, and the black flame being the foundation. Kind of like the cerulean and crimson talisman, that both have the black foundation of the knife. It's like it was shattered into 3 parts, but imo its the red component that was the god slaying component, hence the true power of the black flame being sealed when it was separated. On that second point that is why I call it a gambit, and the likelihood of us making the right decision is improved by Ranni taking us into her inner circle and "wedding" us. Sure it could fail, but so could any other component of hers plans :P Thanks again for coming and commenting my guy, appreciate it ♡
@ScumMageInfa just something that came to mind that would offer some pushback to your theory, specifically when going down that line of thinking, Ranni doesn't really go out of her way to "recruit" us, right? I mean she gives us the bell and gains our attention as the player, but I wouldn't say she directly recruits us to her cause. And along with that if you read the description of the ring we are meant to retrieve and give to her it talks about how she doesn't really want to take a lord, she's basically warning the potential consort against it. So those details may not mesh the greatest with that portion of thinking, but I don't think it dismantles anything either. It's almost unreasonable how complex this game is lol
@@justkubz Strange isn't it! Especially since seemingly she requires us to prompt the ending for her to ascend. Almost as strange as the fact that while she doesn't directly recruit us, she notes that it must have been fate that guided us together, assuming we didn't initially meet Blaidd- I think this is because she is used to fate (Marika) delivering such things to her, and readily accepts us into her service, telling us her plan outright, and trusting us enough to introduce us to her inner circle and start working for her on critically important missions straight away lol I think the warning on the ring is true enough, another person by your side can be a great strength, but also a point of weakness. The fact we have proven ourselves again and again, and pursued her still though, means she found the right one.
so, youre thinking the portal to moghs stronghold from the the consecrated snowfield allowed mogh to bypass the lift- the portal is one-way, is it not? Mogh would presumably still have had to use the lift, but could have made the portal to get out quick or something?
Ooooo Great observation... OR it was there ready for his escape... OR.... It wasn't Mogh that took Miquella from the Haligtree and someone handed him over to Mogh 👀
Seeing this video after Vaati's about the snake is really interesting for the last part of the video lol. There are many things I disagree with (especially Messmer who, to me, feels more like the First Born of Marika), but something surprised me : You didn't talk about the Frenzied Flame's quest and how specificaly Shabriri seems to know about the Kindling Maiden. I say that because it can confirm what you said about Marika's plan : It does seem that every Tarnished's maiden are supposed to end up being sacrified for the Tarnished to enter the Erdtree. Can they all send the Tarnisheds to Farum Azula ? I do not know, but that would have wild implications about said Maidens if they can. Now, that could be just Shabriri/The Frenzied Flame somehow learning Marika's plan and using this information to mindfck some Tarnished into comitting to the FF, but it's still something to point out regardless!
That's a great point about the frenzied flame! I'll have to give shabriri a good sniff now. I have not watched that vaati video, what about it and my video was interesting? 😳👀
@@ScumMageInfa It's about Melina's supposed hidden room. While you linked it to Raya Lucaria due to the carpet symbols, he linked it to Volcano Manor due to the "guard"s outfit being similar to the people working under Rykard!! His theory is also based on the fact that Rykard has the title of "Praetor" which basically used to be the title to ancient Rome's magistrates or judges who also could lead an army. Thus, Rykard could of worked with Leyndell and the Golden Order for a while as a judge or to get informations out of people, giving him more intimate knowledge to the city's and Order's secrets.
@vnolwen_art I did notice the paintings on the wall being similar to the officials outfit, however I didn't pursue that because they weren't an exact match. Frankly that was pretty silly of me given the fact nor are many things that are related, but similar. So that considered, melina does come across as somewhat of a grand conspiracy, involving the carians, volcano manor, and marika- against the golden will. Him being a judge lines up with the fact his carpet is found in the church of the forsaken- suggesting he was the one to sentence them perhaps to their entombment or was at the very least involved with it. I'll have to check vaatis video out, didn't think he was dropping another one before the DLC. Guess he couldn't help himself 😅😂 fair, can't blame him.
@@ScumMageInfa I didn't tell you everything he said in the video so as to not spoil you, but yes, it would definitely fit into this conspiracy lol. And yeah, so many theorists/lore hunters are dropping sooo many videos left and right at the moment, it's hilarious!
Given what we know from the DLC now, do you think that the nox and eternal cities was marika attempting to revive her people? As they all died in bonny village with her hometown being completely empty
This is very possible.. it's so damn hard to place events in the timeline so it's hard for me to confirm and I haven't had the time to meld the pre dlc and dlc in my brain yet 😂 The actions of the natural born children still have me whirling lol but I think I'm slowly getting it together The eternal cities HAVE to be the first civilisations marika made after the shadow land was created and all that came before banished... and then they were turned upside down as well, when the great will realised they were plotting betrayal.
@@ScumMageInfa Far as I have gathered the Nox, and black knife assassins are numen from the item descriptions in the base game, now that we know that the numen were wiped out with marika being the only survivor I think the eternal city under leyndell was the first eternal city and perhaps the first settlement in the lands between, and it seems the erdtree was originally planted there, now my guess is that marika fed the sapling erdtree with the remains of jarred numen to not only grow it but to rebirth her people and populate the lands between with her fallen kin, what I am unable to figure out is what the scism was that caused the nox / numen to rebel against marika and the greater will to be punished, did they start trying to craft a lord? Did they make the fingerslayer blade? I dont know.
@@ScumMageInfa Marika plucked death alright. Out of the grasp of the greater Will. Liberating her daughter. Melina would be Godfrey’s daughter. She was born at “the foot” meaning the beginning of the Erdtree. Miquella is their own person entirely to me. They are all going through different stages of their builds.
@@ScumMageInfaYes, and the Numen Queen of Beasts. She commanded Rossus and the Deathbirds. That’s why the crow feet is on her Eye. Maliketh is Melinas shadow not Marikas. That’s why he is stuck eating death instead of pleasing his appetite with the death of Gods trapped in time, without purpose. Similar to Blaid , foreshadowing what could have happened to Ranni but actually happened to Melina.
@BigBoss-sr6ur I'll need time to process that take, thankyou for your insight, I love getting alternative angles they make certain things click more often than not- can't wait to dig deeper into the characters.
BIRTH. Marika the fertile. NGL I have a theory the fireflies are the butterfly equivalent for the 3 sisters that ruled over the eternal cities (Hence the 3 small thrones [and sinular large one of their mother in nokstella] in Nokron, Nokstela, and Sellia [possibly moved from Nameless City where Godwyn now rests, though there MIGHT be a throne behind him, I can't confirm])
Couldn't your theory mean that Marika intentionally used her godly body to create her own version of the Fingerslayer Blade? That version being the Great Sacred Sword? If her body housed the Elden Ring, wouldn't turning that container into the weapon that could damage it be a desired outcome? If you remember, Radagon's hated red hair is associated with the giants and could be because of the Giants curse. Marika could've made a show of killing the Giants for the Greater Will while actually intending to get cursed in order to obtain power over the single flame that could kill the Erdtree/potentially damage or deter the Greater Will. She could've gotten cursed with the exact purpose of using it as an inherited genetic trait against the Greater Will. She could've had children with Godfrey while being cursed to have children who inherited it, split herself into two, and shoved the curse onto Radagon so his children/future parts of it would be born of it and benefit. AKA: she could've used it to create the children capable of burning the tree. The Fingerslayer Blade is made of the corpse of a God and was created to harm the Greater Will/achieve the age your theory says Marika also desired. If she improved upon technology to produce the egg, then she could've also improved upon the Fingerslayer Blade in order to perfect it. She could've intended to play the long game from the start. If the body of a God is a requirement for the Fingerslayer Blade, then becoming a God would make her the key ingredient. If she makes herself into an alloy by adding on the Giants flame, that gives her the exact way to damage the Greater Will. The ability to damage it could be what separates her blade from the Fingerslayer Blade. The Fingerslayer Blade can't harm the Greater Will, but one Marika crafted to exploit a specific weakness could have the potential to harm it. Radagon being turned into the Great Sacred Sword could just be her ultimate weapon. The Elden Beast could be killing itself while trying to protect itself. If you add on your Melina and Mesmer theory, Marika could've used them as part of her arsenal. She could've made the fire a part of herself by burning herself. If she did that, she'd potentially become a force of nature in perfect opposition to the Greater Will.
OMG LOL What you said about Marika making the blade from a part of herself just made me think: The thought of Marika maybe turning one of her Empyrean children into a fingerslayer blade is WILD and would make sense why the blade is so small... Man, GRIM... but totally possible....... Nice comment thanks for that ❤
@@ScumMageInfa The Fingerslayer Blade and the Great Sacred Sword suspiciously look like a body without a head. Marika has her headless and unwanted kids shoved in wandering Nox mausoleums. I wouldn't put it past her to put them in there for an unsaid later use.
@@ScumMageInfa Thanks! I really deep dived into the game to see if your theory applied because it's so interesting. Sorry if long. Your theory really does work. I only came up with the idea because you mentioned Melina talking about Maria's echoes and there's one echo where Marika tells her children to either become something or simply become a sacrifice. You could even apply the idea of that quote to the endings of the game and your theory. The game pushes for you to become Elden Lord. From what I remember, that's the consort position that Godfrey and Radagon held. So, becoming Elden Lord isn't replacing Marika. It's the player becoming the new sacrifice in replacing the previous two Elden Lords that Marika sacrificed for her ambition while she still remains the god container for the Elden Ring. Altering the Elden Ring with a new Rune could just be altering her body so she can survive to become the God of a new iteration of the Golden Order while still maintaining her previous position and being able to plan once again. If we use your theory and Marika is also both Ranni and Melina, then she wins no matter what. She survives to try again if the player chooses a 'become a new sacrificial Elden Lord and use a mending rune while Marika and Ranni survive to try again run' or 'Marika dies while Marika who is Ranni survives to be the new God' run. Under your theory, the only run that seems to completely disregard Marika would be a burn the world run. If this is the case, it would make sense for Marika to have created Melina with the express person of killing a person who chose to ruin her plans by burning the world. If Melina kills the player who used the flame and replaces them, it'd be Marika retaking her previous position in a world where the Greater Will has seemingly been removed. I recommend looking up the RUclipsr Tarnished Archeologist because their videos have details that might both support what you're saying and offer new ideas. One of them was that Marika used the Erd Tree as a means of human reproduction to replace live child birth for all of humanity. It has supporting evidence and would work with your theory of where the Nox went. The Nox could've been the starting fuel to create an Erdtree capable of processing souls and then the reproduction as a means to continue it. This theory might also support Marika specifically being able to manipulate souls with the Erdtree/her improved Egg and could've been how she inserted Mesmer to support your theory. It might also support your soul split theory because Marika could be demonstrating experimentation with human flesh, human souls, and herself. She'd be physically reproducing in a world where she rendered physical reproduction obsolete and messing with the souls that were a part of them. If you look at their Farum Azula video, the Tarnished Archeologist explains that there's evidence of Farum Azula having had a royal family that supported a previous iteration of the Elden Ring. They draw similarities between the Numen and Marika. Marika, Radagon, and Ranni also share the stone flesh that could share a genetic relation to Farum Azula.
@@GloryBlues A few people have recommended Tarnished Archeologist to me, I watched my first video of his today and subbed :P Brilliant content. Yes, marika's horcruxery is giving Flemeth from DragonAge (I dont know if you've played it). Contingency upon contingency.
Sorry about that! I did in fact upload a louder version and it is in the pinned comment on the last video, if you're still interested! :) I am so glad this one is better! I MADE SURE it would be this time hahaha
Pay no mind to the Acronym 👀 😂
PS. ANYONE ELSE NOTICE ANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THIS AND WHAT MIQUELLA DID??? LOL For anyone wondering how im feeling after the DLC? I am feeling vindicated. My video on miquella, which is incoming, will explain why in full.
Sugar Honey Ice Tea
Hey, who is the 3rd child of the Miquila/Melilenia bunch?
If it goes 2 cursed 1 perfect, where did the perfect child go?
@ravoniesravenshir3926 you'll have to watch the video to find out 😉
Hahaha jk, tldr: the amber egg wasn't used in the 3rd set of children so the third child's birth was delayed. Instead of using the amber egg, miquellas Cocoon as he slumbered was stolen, taken to moghwyn, and defiled in a profile crucible like ritual, which birthed the third child Messmer (and by extension, as miquella died and this gave birth to messmer in the shadow realm, st trina [Who was miquella as he slumbered in the haligtree] also died in the shadow realm, giving birth to melina in the REAL world.
So really the third child is Mesmer and Melina (like Miquela and St Trina)
Just for fun, in regard to that Marica calling Radagon a leal hound echo, I interpret it as a coded “Im sorry for what is about to happen, goodbye.”
She either anticipated being killed, or otherwise made incapable of action, or was about to vacate the shared body. The shattering of the ring was a bit of misdirection so that she could disembody herself and become a sort of amorphous matriarch type of thing. Perhaps, she could not fully expel her feelings and knowing she was about to condemn Radagon to an indefinite isolation with a true monster broke her heart.
@@kreadapelu8813 heer heer
Completely agree.
One of my favorite moments in the game is indeed Enya going like: "Burning the Erdtree?! Are you crazy? You can't! ..... but also :D here are the instructions have fun lol :PPP"
AHAHAHA IKR biggest wtf moment I double took so hard
Goes from:
"NooooOOo you can't just burn the erdteeee 😒 "
To:
*morphs into palpatine* "DEWIT"
REAL fast
@@ScumMageInfa "I want that shit to look like a road flare."
@fleetstreet11
I love also how she is like
"Omg and you say you wanna know about the rune of death too??? 🫨"
Like no? I literally never asked 😂 she is wilding.
@@ScumMageInfa Max0r's incorrect summary Elden Ring series are hilarious
Looks to me like the finger readers are representative of hindsight and foresight.
Imagine being as zooted as I am and trying to read that title
for real same here
About as zooted as I was writing it 😂
Why be proud of that?
@@Wizard_Pikachu Pride? None of that here. Naught but amusement :P
@@Wizard_Pikachu😂
I like how this man casually said “lobotomized her baby mama” lmao
LOVEbotomised 😏
Omg this title is an eye catcher. Also RUclips has realized I love elden ring theories with less than 10k views so I'm getting good shit rn
The algorithm is being so generous to bring people like you here ❤ Let me know what you think of the theory! If you like it, the last video I did is of the same calibre (Though the volume is quite soft, I added a louder version to the pinned comment)
When you wear the astrologer garb and wear the black knife hood, it raises the hood of the astrologer garb, as the astrologer hood would - it's the only hat in the game that has that effect
>_>....
I will definitely be checking this out. Good spot!
I can't help but think the story is actually much simpler than all this.
Marika's people were victimized by the Hornsent. She was likely a successful jar saint and betrays the Hornsent when she ascended godhood. She commits a genocide against the Hornsent, and just about anything else that doesn't fit into the purview of the golden order (with the omen twins being an exception due her strong familial motivation). Emperian Grandam curses Marika's children. Godwyn is killed because Ranni refuses to be controlled by the fingers, Marika destroys the ring out of grief, and Radagon tries to fix it but can't. Godwyn's fate was likely cursed, not his body... while living normally at least. And Ranni's fate to lash out against the greater will is likely how she embodies a curse against Marika, so I don't think the three children with 2 cursed and one perfect series is actually present at all. They are all cursed, but the curse is meant to spurn Marika.
I do like the possibility that Radagon is Marika's divested loyalty, but it feels unsubstantiated. It is clearly a parallel to how Miquela divested himself of aspects in order to achieve godhood or akin to how St Trina came about. St Trina was Miquella's embodiment of love, but he did not divest himself of her for quite some time. There's a good Chance that Radagon was never divested by Marika, and he merely is the embodiment, like Trina, that could be shifted back and forth from. Which appears to be the case with the text of the game. The fact that Radagon is hurting himself when hitting the ring is probably why he had to stop, as each hit only made things worse when trying to repair it.
I really don't think the children are divested parts of Marika though. Or at the very least, I have yet to see anything in game text really speak to the possibility. The night of the black knives strikes me as Ranni's idea due to the general themes of Marika going so far as the committing genocide out of revenge for her family/people. I have trouble thinking Godwyn is just something Marika divested of herself as a grand plan to escape the godhood that she willingly took on, and think it speaks more to the text that he was simply her son, and she cherished him above others due to his lack of omen affliction. I don't think Ranni could even have known that Marika would shatter the ring, I think she just wanted to kill those loyal to the fingers and the Greater Will and Godwyn was the place to start.
I do think the text of St Trina saying that godhood is a prison is accurate for Marika as well as Miquella, but I don't think Marika is a masterminding her own escape. I think she is essentially committing suicide out of grief with the shattering, as escape from The Greater Will is not possible for her. And we are there picking up the pieces of her selfish and destructive life as a god. Hurt people, hurt people.
But this game gives enough room to make a lot of leaps for theory crafting, and it is fun to engage in this none-the-less.
Yea bro was making delusional speculations here lol but there was cool points still
The implication of Ranni surrendering her rune to the Moon would also act as a destabilizing event. In the night of the black knives Godwyn is killed in soul while in possession of the central anchor rune. At the same time Ranni's original body is slain, assumedly abandoning her rune then at this time. so the central anchor rune is now tied to a corpse and the larger anchor rune is sent to the black abyss.
My ONLY comment on this is that the night of the black knives happened BEFORE the shattering and distributions of runes.
Ranni didn't admit to the crime right away obviously or at all (Except to us when confronted with insurmountable evidence lol) and therefore received a rune AFTER the shattering.
@@ScumMageInfa I came here to say the exact same thing.
"Time is convoluted"
@calebgraham3334 farum azula is pretty solid proof that that is in fact possible 😁
I'll agree that godwyn was SUPPOSED to have the anchor rune, but when he died it went to Goddrick, his eldest son/grandkid.
@johnvoices4087 the names get a bit confusing at times, but Godrick is not the son of Godwyn. Godrick is a descendant of Godfrey, but nowhere is it stated that Godrick is the son nor grandson of Godwyn.
Anyways, back to your main point of the anchor rune... great runes are metaphysical and weren't originally "supposed" to go to anyone. Marika is the vessel that houses the elden ring, and only after she shatters herself (eldenring) the greatrunes become available for the demi-gods taking.
Radahn being massive with red hair genuinely does make a lot of sense being tied to the giants. I don't know if that's what you meant by curse with gigantism but he has the traits of the Giants. Another interesting aspect is the only other normal flame in the game like the Giants flame is the flame of the redmanes, used to burn away at the growth of a new gods influence, similar to the flame of the fell god burning the erdtree.
It sure is! I intend to explore how Rykards descent into madness is no mistake either (Hint, the carpet in the forsaken catacombs where the Merchants were genocided is the same carpet found in volcano manor, IMO denoting some form of relationship/association)
Radhan = Giant with Red Hair, Punishment from meddling with giants
Rykard = batsh*t insane, punishment for meddling with 3 fingers/madness
After Renalla's first phase we see a shadow come out of the egg (Rune of the Unborn) which becomes her second phase. This phase is her in her past glory and using spells she would have used in her prime. After we defeat her second phase it seems to return to the egg and is sealed away again.
I think this lines up with your idea of the egg being a case to hold the aspects of a person that they divest from themselves (their shadow) because maybe Radagon's plan was to make Renalla put her fighting spirit into the egg and so nullify her as a threat to the Golden Order (since they couldn't conquer Raya Lucaria with violence).
I'm not sure how he would have convinced her to do that but she seems to have loved him very much so maybe she trusted him enough to do that somehow.
Maybe it compels her affection, and like a parasite, feeds off of her, compelling her to rebirth her own forces into a disfigured and disabled mess... MMMMMM! Love the idea!
I also find it interesting how the thing seemingly protected is the EGG, NOT Renalla, as the shadow / phantom only comes out when the EGG is dropped >_>
@@ScumMageInfa I believe the reason for the shadow coming out of the egg and it only coming out after she drops is because Ranni uses the egg and the rune within to power her illusion/projection of full power Rennala and it just makes sense that as attached as she is to it she would likely only drop it if she was threatened.
P.S. I havent seen anyone talk about how the avatars of the Erdtree can create copies of themselves using Erdtree incantations, more specifically the one in the Mountaintops of the Giants. This seems to me to be a possibility of how Radagon was made. Maybe even infusing a silver tear with such incantations, seeing as how Marika would herself be somewhat of an avatar.
@@Faviomec fuuggggggg gonna go look at some thicc tree bois now, thanks for reminding me of that.
@@FaviomecYou need to watch Jakeisamimic! He also believes Radagon is a mimic, and I agree.
@@FaviomecAlso look into the cut mimic tear content. This could explain how Radagon and Marika could be the same but maybe not.
Radagon at the end of the game, may have only been a mimic tear.
1:12 [Post DLC] Oh hey, would you look at that. Marika the Plentiful is missing a braid.
I beg of thee speak up mine brother. I drill through too much concrete to appreciate the true textures of your velvety voice.
I regret to inform you my friend, I mixed the audio with literally the max option LOL
If you turn the volume max is it still unhearable? I could hear it clearly at 50% but I have pretty decent headphones so its a skewed vision I have hahaha
Thanks for letting me know!
@@ScumMageInfa It's still quite quiet unfortunately. It's not like it's impossible to hear in general, I want to clarify that the issue that I'm facing (and many others I'm sure) is that we're listening on speakers or at the same time as another audio source, I like to listen to lore videos while playing Elden Ring, and unless I mute the game entirely your audio can't compete. I also have a fan on and sometimes the AC as it's pretty hot where I live. I could switch to head phones but it would be exclusively to listen to your content while also setting ER's volume to 1 or 2 max.
Grabbing a random recommended video, just listen at the same volume level to your final mix on youtube and this video: www. youtube. com / watch?v=NnJnDp_dBBg
You should be aiming to hit whatever decibel level your audio system picks up on that video (or louder).
edit:
It's also important to remember in the audio world, basically an end user can always make a sound quieter, but once they're at the max they can't make a sound any louder. It's much easier to turn the volume down on a single YT video then it is to turn everything else down for the sake of one video.
But of course, if you want to be a superhero about it, and you make your videos MUCH louder than the average vid, then PLEASE PLEASE start the video with some lower intensity audio that demonstrates what the volume is going to be so people have a chance to turn it down before something designed to be loud happens.
A lot of those videos that start with a goddamn explosion and "WHATS UP EVERYONE! WELCOME TO ANOTHER..." are the ones that blast eardrums. Start with a slow fade in of a well known song, or start with a quiet voiceline, even a whisper, so that it doesn't just kill everyone listening instantly lol
@@KingBurgers Thankyou for the feedback, I will perfect the craft.... Eventually...
@ScumMageInfa it's easy enough to make out on max volume. I'm just afraid of a noisy add barging in before I can adjust it. Thank for all you do man. Your content is great.
@@ScumMageInfa hey, just wanted to say im glad the algorithm brought me to your channel. Love ER lore theories and you put out great work. Also the audio is working just fine over here, same volume as any other video. 🤷♂
Just subscribed.️
You’re the first person who has actually made the story click for me after years of confusion. Thank you dude
I'm beyond glad to hear it ♡
The DLC could blow it wide open but theorising is half the fun 😁
love the slightly deranged style and while i dont agree with many aspects of your theory, both of your videos are extremely entertaining and interesting.
please continue making videos :)
Deranged! LMAO Thankyou ❤
I have some shorts planned, two more longform video scripts I have done, and an absolutely trove of PVP material I've been gathering for years so, plenty coming! 😁
2:38 not sure why. But it just hit that the first tarnished lord uses an _axe_ to _defend_ a tree
Now that you mention it 😅
@@ScumMageInfa there’s a cool irony to it I think-it’s like, “we trust him so much, because he’s so wildly caught up and civilized as Godfrey, that we could give him a tool that is so anathema to us and yet never dare dream he would use it against us”
i absooluuutely loooove the way you make parallels and conjectures the silver tears and amber egg with the astels were greattt
What an incredible video and presentation; as someone who loves the relationship drama and character stories the most, this was so easy to follow and compelling. I’ve long been in the camp that Marika was splitting off aspects of herself she wanted gone and it was so fascinating hearing all the ways in which she did so.
I can’t wait to see more! And absolutely lovely voice to listen to as well 💙 Thanks to my darling friend K8 for sharing this with me!
Bless you and bless K8 ♡♡
It's so nice to be among like-minded lore psychosis afflicted that believe in the Marika Voldemort comparison ♡ it was driving me crazy having it only in my head bc when I tried to explain it to people I just sounded mental.
I mean no wonder... it took a 45min video to get it all out 😂
Thanks for the gorgeous compliment and watching ❤
This is very reminiscent of Griffith ascensión and lure by the godhand and we all know how much Miyazaki loves Berserk
Last time i was this early three fingers were the meta god
😂 WTH you were so quick
@@ScumMageInfa
First first comment in a non-obscure video, your video hopefully is going to blow up
@@arkeynserhayn8370 ❤
It doesn't have to be a Harry Potter reference, it could be a phylactery
Yeah but the thought of Marika being Voldemort is... Wonderful
@@ScumMageInfa As long as she's not a transphobe
@@phillipmitchell2254 I mean she (They?..) seems pretty gender diverse LMAO
She'd be a self loathing transphobe if she was one 😂
Lol the video title is an acronym: S.H.I.T.
The S.H.I.T theory 😂
inb4 anyone else can hurt me HAHAH
unsure about the star holding arguments, as soon as Radahn is defeated a meteor slams in to the ground, I believe Radahn was dealing with a threat but not from Marika, likely from greater will if another kind (cosmic life forms)
Damn - that's a pretty good theory and it all ties together so well! Convinced me - nice work!
*Does Mogh impression welcoming you to the dynasty of Elden Ring psychosis*
i think radagon was a form marika took at some point trying to survive possibly during the end of the age of the crucible, if the brick hammer is referring to radagon as the champion who led a revolt? She could’ve went undercover to gain the giants power to make Radagon and also Messmer/Melina, and get the fire needed to eradicate the hornsent who feared the fell god.
Thank you friend. I watch ALL lore content for from games. ALL... trust. Yours is as good as any.
I genuinely appreciate that so much ❤ I see all these lore channels absolutely slaying it, so I started my channel with the mentality that it was just to get these thoughts out of my head and put them in a coherent format, not for blowing up or anything- But comments like yours truly do put a giant S.entient H.orcrux I.nfusion T.ransfer eating grin across my face, really makes it worth the effort!
That's interesting, I hadn't considered the connection with the giant ants. And there's that room with lots of ant queens and numen runes. Seems like the ants were somehow involved with the numen mimic technology, an ingredient for their recipe to create life.
I have a pretty good hypothesis on whenish Radagon is created. Its coincidentally around when Godwyn dies up to the liurnian wars, when Radagon joins the hero's ranks. So if you go to stormcaller church in Altus, the area and monuments around imply Godwyn died in war with the dragons, while also gaining their respect and defeating Fortisaax. The monument reads "the routing of the ancient dragons, Godwyn the golden fights to his last, earning the respect of dread Fortisaax" but also the dragon cult does not form until Godwyn defeats Fortisaax as mentioned by some incantations and dragon stone seal. The way I look at it is Godwyn beat Fortisaax but did not kill him, but Fortisaax must have seen Godwyn get assassinated or at least knew about it. The dragonbolt blessing you get at stormcaller church mentions only those believed to be loved by dragons can survive the ordeal. The incantation is hidden in the church where you would think a statue of Godwyn would be.
So to be loved by dragons, you have to be strong and you have to be able to survive cheating death by being brought back with lightning. Back in the stormcaller church, below the statue is a circle of gravel stone(mentioned to be dragon scales) and a sacred tear(mentioned to have regenerative properties) with the dragonbolt blessing incantation hidden behind two dagger holding hollows. If anyone knows the works of Mary Shelly Wollstonecraft Godwyn, they might recognize the reference to Frankenstein. An undead monster grafted together with other parts, and zapped with lightning to be given an unatural life that ended up turning on its creator.
References aside, when Godwyn died, it seems to have affected the erdtree in a way that it stopped blessing the land with erdtree blessing. And Marika seems to have needed to find a new form of immortality, with the erdtree now failing. I Believe this is why Marika recreated Godwyn as Radagon, not with his body, but his rememberance, etched into a well crafted gravel statue, with a sacred tear core and blessed by lightning, to continue to maintain order and stay the lands god, try and defeat Renalla, who was too strong and about to be the new god. So instead Radagon joins the family, learns intelligence and either during or after leaving, then creates the Golden Order, which does not exist up until this point. I believe Marika and her people before the death of Godwyn were the Erdtree Faithful.
Not many item descriptions, without lube straight to the theorys. I LOVE it!
it makes sense that Ranni's path would be the one that's the true ending. you can skip a lot if you ignore it and go to the generic end, just get the two halves of the lift medallion, kill renalla and radahn on the way, beat the draconic sentinel, beat margit, godfrey, gideon, the fire giant, radagan and the elden beast and done. only takes a few hours to go that route if you know where to look for everything and you're skilled enough at combat, but meanwhile you miss a huge portion of the game that the other quests do let you find.
By that logic, the Dung Eaters quest could similarly be the main ending... :'D
OR even the frenzy flame..
But i absolutely understand your point, her ending seems the most intricate of all of them, with the most dialogue etc, and a very quick route.
Holy hell Batman, you are a fucking god of lore. This is the first fully comprehensive take on the lore of this amazing game that I’ve heard since “Miquella is the player tarnished” about two years ago.
I will tell you the same thing I told AngelOfThePast 2 years ago:
You’ve woven such a complex and beautiful story that if it turns out to be false, the game would be even better if your interpretation was true.
I knew from vid 1 you are a fucking G.
Keep cooking don’t stop now. You’ve got this thing 90-95% figured out.
That's such a beautiful compliment ♡ absolutely ginning from ear to ear 😊
I'll work hard to live up to that praise. Thankyou ❤
@@ScumMageInfayou weren’t kidding when you said last video you were working on Marikas escape. This was so awesome, well put together and logically sound. I hope you continue to make lore videos. You have a natural talent and passion for it.
I’m guessing you’ll eventually do a deeper dive on Miquella, or maybe I’m secretly hoping you are 😅
Would love to see a collab between you, TheCenteredTarnished and TimDiggity. You three on a podcast would probably crack the whole game. Not even kidding.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, I have a feeling you’re going to get a TON of eyeballs in your two videos in the coming days, all well deserved.
See you in the land of shadow, fellow tarnished!
@OscarTheStrategist
❤
Oh man that would be one hell of a podcast and one I'd happy partake in lol
I will most definitely be doing a deep dive in Miquella, who I'd my personal favourite of all of the characters, I just want to do it justice so the only way I can do that is by waiting for the DLC so I can scavange some juicy juicy lore from its assets 😂
It's going to be so much FUNNNNN!
Hope you had a 10/10 weekend too :D
It's honestly mind blowing to know that the Two Fingers were literally lying to everyone.
Sneakly little digits.
The thing is, they probably think they are telling the truth. It's just that their mother who is the head of all this is literally insane and probably always has been even before she was wounded.
These videos are well crafted, your understating of Elden Ring's lore and patterns is astounding, and your voice is perfect for long form video essays like this. Keep up the good work and you'll be up there with VaatiVidya in no time.
That is such a generous compliment, thankyou ❤
Ahahah I would happily be the 'We've already got a Vaait at home' to the 'Mooom can we get a Vaati'
I love all these dope new lore tubers!
I love all these dope new subs ♡
A damn good deal if you ask me.
Seriously though all of the new content being generated by the dlc is making me SO happy, it's an absolute swell if hype. I am so beyond keen for the DLC 😂
And the kicker is that after all that, Marika's grand plan is to take a thousand year vacation with her boy/girl toy.
She knows what she was doing 😂 the results speak for themselves
After listening to this explenation of the story. I wonder at the implications of the tarnished doing something so off the wall as to accept the frenzied flame, burn the erd tree, then cure themselves of it in ferum azula. Would malina being alive at the end affect merika's plan? Maybe such utter indiffrence to any influence of fate would help people like ranni to break from her own pre calculated end.
O Scum Mage, grant us eyes
Let us journey through the Scum and togethaaa, consume the very lore.
Wow! I am only 10 minutes in but already amazed, your literally voicing so many of my own theories and loose threads that I haven’t heard exploration of elsewhere! Thank you sir for your video! I was literally commenting the soul-jar, horcrux, body-swap theory the other day. Your ideas about the Amber egg seem spot on to me- I kept getting stuck with the reproduction metaphor between the silver tears (spermazoa) and the Amber egg (ovum) being a wedding of fire and ice, sun and moon, but thinking of Marika wedding the tree and taking that sap from the Erdtree as part of her turned magical technology seems like a good idea. Also the two cursed, one prefect born idea of triplets in each blood line has been super apparent to me! I’ll keep watching. 👀
Also, the roots of the Erdtree cannot reach Raya Lucaria, and the Radagon’s seal on the mask of the tutors keeping his affairs secret suggest even more strongly the use of the academy as stronghold against the greater will.
@positivecontacts agree on pretty much all points- its so great to hear from likeminded loretards ngl I had to just get it all out of my head and into a coherent format before it developed into mental illness lmao
Thanks so much for the generous compliment ♡ I am glad you enjoyed it. I am literally frothing for the DLC and what it will tell us 😁
@@positivecontactsroots of the erdtree being unable to reach rayalucaria is a great idea. Must be the gigantic crystal under it, and lake of rot lol
Marika is the most enigmatic and controversial figure I've ever seen in fiction. We have no idea whether she's good or bad, whether she succeeded or failed in her goals, and why she did the things she did. All we can do is speculate and piece together other character's accounts of Marika's actions. Then you have to consider who Marika the person was as compared to Marika the god. It's clear Marika the person was morally grey. She wanted revenge against the hornsent for forcing her people into jars, and sought out godhood to achieve this goal. Upon returning to her village, nobody was left. Marika the god then has Messmer genocide the hornsent/omens and then abandon him to the Lands of Shadow. Presumably she creates her golden order and marries Godfrey around this time as well. Messmer is confirmed to be Marika's oldest kid and he refers to Marika personally as mother (not Radagon like Rennala's kids), but he has the red hair like Radagon...so I don't think he's Godfrey's kid meaning Radagon was with Marika prior to Godfrey. That's a whole can of worms in and of itself.
Miquella's entire ascension is also meant to mirror what Marika likely did (cast away her humanity) and you can't help but wonder if Marika felt imprisoned in her divinity just as St. Trina tells you that Miquella will be if he becomes a god. Considering the people involved in the story (GRRM and Miyazaki) it's quite likely that they don't even know and left it ambiguous for us to determine for ourselves. I know for a fact that GRRM HATES monarchies and deities...usually always depicting them in a negative light. Miyazaki will do the same but to a lesser extreme. Given this background knowledge, it seems completely logical to believe that Marika is a very flawed and somewhat terrible person.
I'm personally of the belief that Marika is not maliciously evil, but she is certainly callous and responsible for a lot of the events that occurred. One can't help but wonder what Marika actually wants from you the player. I always got the impression that she sent Melina to us (whether Melina is a part of her or her actual daughter) and that Marika wants someone to defeat Radagon/Elden Beast to free her.
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions.. What is the road to godhood paved with? 😂
This theory was a joy to experience. You put into words what a lot of us intuitively felt through Elden Ring's narrative. The fact that the DLC didn't contradict this theory at all is a great indicator you're onto something here.
The GRRM way I’ve looked at Marika since release is to imagine if Jaime and Cersei Lannister were the one person, or, looking ahead to The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, if Jon and Dany were the one person. They love each other, they want to help each other, and yet their goals are fundamentally opposed despite their attempts to make them align.
Literally incest, right?
We see you, George.
@@ScumMageInfa literally incest 👍
Interesting thing to add at a meta level about Marika's goal being to usher in the Lunar Age is that Ranni's quest is the most straightforward NPC quest. I think most people who start the quest have a pretty easy time figuring out where to go to finish it, as if it was designed by a god to be that way.
I think this sort of meta narrative us something they did with Elden Ring and is really cool. Another example of this is how, for two hears, Miquella charmed us all into thinking he was pure and innocent of any crimes while, in reality, he was just as messed up as the rest of them.
Just my two cents, anyways, haha.
@masael255 agree with the first one, Jack is a mimic did an exceptional video on it and the way graces guide us
As for that second point *shoves a miquella needle into your eye*
@@ScumMageInfa I'll check it Jack is a mimic's video! Thank you for the suggestion!
Also, eye (cause needle in my eye) for one would usher in an age of compassion. And that's not just because Leda is awesome as heck. 👀
The name Enya and Nananya is not a coincidence
Holy crap I just watched your previous video and checked your channel, only to see this video released 2 minutes ago lol
Welcome! ❤ I haven't slept yet (9:30am) since posting so we are both having ourselves a form of timewarp 😅😂
I hope you enjoy it!
*passes out*
@@ScumMageInfa Please have some sleep lol
Loving your theories. Keep up the good work!
I literally just noticed Ranni has cracks on her neck in almost the same way Marika was cracked. It may just be since she is a doll, but when looking at her character model, the cracks and breaks elsewhere on her body are not as obvious
The splitting of aspects makes sense as we already have examples of gods/dieties/equivalent in mythology.
Oh my God. I've had a similar theory going in my own mind Palace. Watching now. Already liked and subbed
It was ROTTING my mind palace and I was driven, literally compelled to make the video so it just gtfo hahaha
Please let me know your thoughts after you watch it and any ideas that may come to you, I am more than certain I have missed things that only others will pick up on.
Imagine if the GEQ, obsessed with bringing Destined Death to the gods, premeditated all of what you suggest, including tricking The Greater Will into selecting her as an Empyrean and surrendering herself to Maliketh.
To seal away Destined Death, “defeating her” as the GEQ, much like Darth Vader “killed” Anakin. But instead, she’s been playing this 4D chess game so well that even a lowly Tarnished of no renown could eventually slay a god as far removed as the Elden Beast.
Marika is the GEQ and raised you up, bearing a god slaying blade of your own choosing, but nevertheless fulfilling your purpose (and her own design), to become death to the gods.
This requires casting aside parts of your previous theory explaining the two empty crypt chairs with the GEQ as Marika’s sister, but the rest of your theory would hold pretty strong I think.
NO ACTUALLY THOUGH. Kick and I often must about it being one way or the other, as I have predicted, or literally the opposite and Marika is being revenged by the GEQ (Son killed and put on an eternal city crypt throne below her capital, daughter 'corrupted' by the snow crone [GEQ remnants], makes sense for the Godskin Apostles to be where they are, then, as well).
It was SO HARD for me to choose one route, but for the sake of the video I had to. I 100% think what you say is totally plausible and even likely.
17:20 i think the reason why rennala is so subdued is because she was drugged with the celestial dew or something. not sure what that process is, but it seemed like they were at war, seemingly with the intentions to go forever, but turtle bro really loves the celestial dew and says it was able to end the conflict, something impossible
i don’t believe godwyn is her love, i think it makes sense that it would be miquella, who inherits it in the form of st trina, but i think godwyn is in a sense the abundance & grace that existed for a short period in the erdtree’s beginning, that’s why he has a whole lineage that leads to godefroy and godrick’s ugly ass, and that’s why he could end a fight with dragons with his charm or whatever. i think radagon was the only part of marika she needed the amber egg to make and so she buried the evidence of it with renalla and by the time she was forced to recombine with radagon by the greater will, she already set in motion the plan for the night of black knives, thus she says, “let us shatter” in that dialogue melina shares with us. she gets rid of her compassion/love by making miquella before the night so she can bear the grief of losing the thing she wanted most in godhood (a never ending age of plenty) and malenia is also likely symbolic of rot setting in by the stagnation of her age, deprived of true death, and finally ready to change things she strips herself of stagnancy (malenia). i’ve also got a theory that radahn is pride/honor, which she has to get rid of before planning the night of black knives, just like her loyalty with radagon.
also why the period was so short lived, because ig she realized she needed to separate from it in order to escape a caged divinity, and thus gave birth to godwyn and ended the age of plenty
@@ang3l.0f.kniv3s I love the alternative theory :D
It is so fun investigating things like this off of the few things we have to go on.
or he is the personification of her believe in the golden order and the greater, which she kills with her own hands then
Ranni is the only entity that mentions a cat, which don't exist in the landsbetween and even the shadowlands there are no mentions of cats, maybe the cats are extinct but in the Longtail cat talisman description it is said that the faerie cat likes to play with the great bell tower (spirit calling stuff) and of course she gives you a bell that calls spirits, however the Longtail Cat talisman also states the Cat depicted is from a fable so maybe Ranni got it from her bedtime stories. I think the Nox and Carians are from the same descendants only one went to the dark side(rebellion towards the greater will) and the other just complied. So think of Ranni, a Carian, discovering her ancestry and decide to rebel as well, like Marika did. So Ranni is Marikas rebellion part.
Lacrima is the name of that fairy cat. Lacrima is also Latin for "tear". There are quite a few tears in the game and the bat ladies even sing about shedding their tears. Godfrey sheds his tears by shredding his cat.
Absolutely amazing.
You know what? You're right; that carpet is fascinating. What's that about?
Keep up the good work!
Hahahahahah thankyou for the reassurance ❤I felt a shiver go down my spine at the state of my descent into lore psychosis when I realised I was looking at CARPET and analysing it🤣But I honestly think it has some VERY interesting implications... Especially Rykards carpet only showing up in the chapel where the frenzied flame is locked away..... perhaps alluding to his curse of madness stemming from Marika's meddling in the 3 fingers (Just like Radahn's gigantism being the effect of her meddling with the giants)
10:53 Interestingly, the texture and behavior of the giant ball in Raya Lucaria is different from the Silver Spheres in the Eternal Cities. But it IS plausible that the ball was based off of/modeled on the Silver Spheres as like, a small experiment. However, if I recall correctly, the ones in Caelid look just like the Silver Spheres, and behave somewhat differently. If I had to guess I would say the Sellian sorcerers' giant ball experiments had somewhat more success, probably because of their connection to the Eternal City
That's actually a really nice take on explaining the appearance of perfect children among cursed one's which is somewhat natural for beings born conflicting deities.
Basically Marika in whatever form the acts "fakes" a birth and puts a fake chesspiece on the board which can only serve her and for everybody outside it can only become apparent because she cant fake the eternal conflict consuming actual children.
I 100% agree that Marikas children are pieces of herself however I don’t believe it’s all of her children just ones that are emperiyans. Also after the dlc we see that messmer and Melina aren’t pieces of miquella as well as both miquella melania messmer and Melina have been around for a lot longer than we originally thought.
Here before this jawn blows up
Staaahp ❤
seriously though infa, another amazing video. so satisfying to see countless nights of unhinged lore yaps and staring at game assets under a glowstone, surmised and ordered into a finished and presentable format. so much thought and reasoning put into such an original and out-there theory. i cant wait to see what you cook up next 👀 i cant upvote this video enough 😭
and tysm for the extremely lovely shoutout ☺️🥹❤
Bless you, I am only in possession of ANY sanity bc of you keeping me from jumping off the cliff in the fringe, my lore therapist ❤
You've got a shill for life in me.
Another fantastic, well thought out video, mate.
Who would have thought we'd produce TWO charismatic, softly spoken lore aficionados right here in Australia. You love to see it.
Easy subscribe and looking for the next one.
The only real criticism I have is maybe try to tone down those 's' sounds a bit in the recording. They're a little piercing 😅
Thankyou! ❤
First video was too quiet, now, the reason the last one was quiet (Ss Ts Ps) is the next mission! :P
Thanks for letting me know, it is such an annoying balancing game lol
I'll admit that I am not fully on board with the horcrux theory, but I thought this is really interesting. I think Merica is one of the most fascinating characters in fiction and I've loved your discussions not just a for machinations but of her reasoning and emotions. I just watched both your videos and I want to express how much I enjoy your style, thoughtfulness, and humor. I'm really looking forward to the next one!
One style note if you'll humor me though. During more discursive moments of either video, you have a clip of your tarnished in front of an interesting sky. I really like these shots for the discussion, but your character is really low in the screen and there is very little motion. The eyes like to wander during those moments, so I'd like to recommend getting a location with some wind or a bit of motion in order to dress up those shots a bit more.
What a gorgeous compliment thankyou so much 😊
I think I'll vary the background I'm sitting in moving forward ❤❤
I fully subscribe to the idea that Ranni is an aspect/scion/horcrux of Marika - breaking out of the vessel form.
It’s a conclusion I came to myself in a different way.
To me, it feels so obvious in hindsight when you just think about the presentation of Marika and Ranni in the game.
With Marika seemingly ‘missing’ - as spoken by Ranni in the prerelease material herself.
Knowing the level of machiavellianism that is implied that Marika went through - and the level of direct exposition we get from Ranni both in the game and in the prerelease - it’s nearly impossible for me to decouple the sound of Ranni’s voice from Marika.
It’s Marika, she was there from the start, and she even hitches a ride with you and is one of the few who are able to give you some exposition on the nature of Elden Ring’s reality.
Very excited to see the continuation of the ‘Grandmothers’ arc!
I have a feeling that she's a jar saint, giving all her children the traits of the people who were stuffed in the jar with her, and maybe she did that on purpose to become a "perfect" god and got rid of her jar traits
i like to think that melina is the numen version of marika, and she was created when marika divested her numen race
Oh wild! That is an interesting thought..... The fact she created them with Radagon is ultra tier suss, and that they are empyreans as well, so perhaps they are divested aspects of her as well, just in a different way..
Marika is a slimy.
Red is for the banished/exiled. Melina was banished from the view of the Fingers and the Greater Will, I think.
My only point of contention is… I believe Marika was not duped by the Golden Order. That is, she infiltrated it after having decided that the Elden Beast and all that jazz was so great a threat that she would sacrifice any and everything to kill it and destroy the system it designed.
But yeah. Fantastic video
That would fall in line with marikas' insatiable drive to manipulate things and attain power!
Thanks for watching and the kind compliment ❤
@@ScumMageInfa Most welcome.
I do always have a bit of a hang up with Ranni over certain dialogue.
“The stars alter the fate of the Carian royal family.
And the fate of your mistress, Ranni. “
I think someone else says something similar. It’s suspicious that Ranni is taped on as if she is not a Carian Royal…
You’ve given a good explanation I can accept.
Ranni and Melina are the 2 sides of the twin birds as seen on the twinbird kite shield. The blue cold side with cold ghostflame and blue carpet (Ranni) and the hot red side with Melina. Melina's face IS the same face as the spectral face attached to Ranni's doll face. One has the left eye closed and the other the right eye. One whonwalks alongside cold and hot flame shall one day meet the road of destined death.
A brilliant take, and one which I think myself, and agree with.
I have an alternative theory regarding the GEQ but I needed to go with ONE logic so the video didn't bleed into hours hahaha
I am totally gonna make a video on the GEQ eventually.. Might wait for the DLC first though, these two vids near killed me.
@ScumMageInfa oooooh we cookin' now! Gloam = purple = blue + red. Super looking forward to it. In this crucible of ER lore you're growing like an erdtree
@steamedhamlet some of these comments have been third eye opening so the growth is definitely at least 50% thanks to that ♡ other people's perspectives help so much with how vast the game is.
@@ScumMageInfa TOGETHAAAAA!
"We'd like to talk to you about your car's extended warranty. Psp Psp Psp Psp..."
Really good video. Congratz. One small problem though, it clearly says in Gaius remembrance that he and Mesmer were the Lion's elders and friends. So Mesmer cannot have been born after Miquella. Also Mesmer doesnot act like kindling that burns the Erdtree but as a kindling to burn the seal of the top tower. You can suggest that he could burn also the erdtree but there is no solid proof about it
I feel like you are very very close to the real story. I would also think Melina is a reproduction/sprout of Marika once she divested herself from love, from loyalty and from the rune of unborn, thus creating a being without a body
I'm sold on her being some part of the final set of children
I'll be damned if the pattern of 3 children in each marriage is broken. DAMNED, I tell you! 😂
ah sweet sentient horcrux infusion transfer
Dung is love, Dung is life.
I feel asleep to this and woke up on a video discussing smash and pass for the Elden Ring characters. Mohg? Smash 🥵
The risks and horrors of youtube ASMR
Another video! Oh, look! You changed the font for the big texts! Still not aesthetically pleasing, but a great improvement.
But, wow. I am amazed at the amount of effort, research, and evidence gathered for your theories. What I appreciate most isn't if you're right or wrong, but that you put up new theories that are backed up by evidence. While a lot of people will regurgitate the same theories or get stuck on a specific theory and spend hours finding proof for it , you actually step a bit outside the box to come up with plausible speculations/theories that have a lot of merit! I only hope that we can find more proof to your theories, as I really enjoy yours and hope they turn out true.
I love the way you brought your speculations and every time I was thinking "oh, but wait... what about..." you would bring up that exact question I had. That's some good writing. It was also, like last time, no non-sense and straight to the point, but still light-hearted enough for a 'bit of jokes.
I really like your theory on Melina, but-and forgive me if I missed it earlier, but my memory retention sucks on long videos-if she was as you said in the video, then how does it explain her being already burned (like the skin on her hands) and bodiless? I feel like I may have missed a big point, but that's what I was thinking of when you were talking her being in her 'cell' and such; like, if she was stuck in that cell and raised carefully to fulfill Marika's plan then when did she become bodiless? Where did she get those burn marks?
Also, what would Marika gain from having Ranni's ending on a personal level? Did she feel like she was scammed by Godhood and just wanted to get back at them by bringing about the age of stars? I feel like with how much of a schemer and planner Marika is she wouldn't count on her just being thanos snapped away at the end. That's all my speculation, but it does feel like Marika would have some sort of plan where she comes up on top with how much stuff she's done to get to where she is and all that.
Anyways, amazing video! I look forward to your other videos, both shorter and long ones! I can't wait to see what you'll have to say with the new DLC theories. :D
HAHAHAHA I was thinking of you when I was changing that 😂 Have any font/colour/size recommendations??
Thankyou for the generous compliment, again ❤
Concerning your last point, I think the crux of the theory and really our whole point in the game is to kill a God. That is Marika. Hewg is enslaved by Marika and tasked with creating a weapon that can do so for the tarnished whom she planned to have come back to the lands between. The Marika we see strung up in the Erdtree wanted to die and be rid of the shackles of Godhood.
Ranni's ending being the one Marika hoped for is supported by Marika's previous connections with the Numen/Nightfolk who wished for the Age of Stars/A Lord of Night. Erdtree Marika gets her Death wish while also living on in some capacity through Ranni.
The Flame of Frenzy ending would also result in Marika dying but if the aspects theory is correct then I believe Melina is the part of Marika which does not want ALL life to end, just her own. Melina doesnt care what specific Order comes to be like Ranni does. She only cares that life continues to exist. That there is a new order and Lord established through the burning of the Erdtree and her death/sacrifice.
Every other ending apart from those two has Marika still "alive". She may be a husk but she is still the vessel for the Elden Ring and bound by Godhood. In those endings Marika only gets half of what she wants. A New Order, but no death. A great irony for Marika the Eternal.
I'm not enough of an expert to recommend, but I think something that fits the style of Elden ring that's maybe a bit more 'worn' might be nice! In the end anything with an aesthetic that would go well with your tone and the tone of the game/video! Helps the vibe imo because the way it looked reminded me of a slide you'd see back in school xD
No hate! I promise! Really, the important thing is you made an amazing video!
@@ATC43 Hammer, meet nail. Nail, meet hammer.
Exactly that, sir.
@@otterly6875 I will have my eyes peeled for your next critique in the next one HAHAHA
I stg I'll get it right, me and my free canva thumbnails 😂
Wow such an amazing video and your attention to details is awesome
Thankyou so much!
About ready to drop the new one, I hope the detail is to standard :P
I love that you've managed to articulate what I figured out intuitively. RUclips algo doing hecking work.
Ah a fellow Lore Psychosis dweller. What about my previous video, still same train of thought? or do you have a different take on the eternal cities and crypt thrones?
@@ScumMageInfa Honestly I'm not sure what to make of the eternal cities. Your theory is the one that makes the most sense out of what I've heard but part of me wants them to be a seperate entity.
Yo man loved the video and wanted to point out that your right about the carpet go look at The Serpent Crest Shield it has the same designs to crimson carpet they are one in the same. You keep what your doing man and ill keep watching!
Bro, this is it. The best theory yet. I e been thinking very similar myself. On point bro. Beautiful poetry. This needs to blow up
Thankyou SO much! I really appreciate it. So comforting being among people who think the same thing hahaha I have been on the fringes murmuring about horcruxes for too long, no more! 😂
Incredible video, well done and a fascinating take on the story. Personally, I don't quite like the idea of Marika being Ranni and Godfrey as well as Radagon. It seems too much like Bugs Bunny playing tennis against himself. It's incredible to me how many different interpretations of Elden Ring can tie so many things together though. Loved it!
If you don't believe me, I can't wait until you see my video after the next one which will be about how miquella essentially.copied his mother to a T :P
Thanks for watching and the lovely compliment ♡
if people dont fuck in the lands between, how the hell did they even have kids?
They don't??? bruh idk, Selluvis doing SOMETHING in that secret chamber with those puppets and it aint playing uno.
There's evidence to suggest that the erdtree ruled all life, and essentially "gives birth". Natural births are heretical, and every time in the game we see references made towards natural births they're talked about like blasphemies. The best example of this is Rya's questline.
Okay. Okay. Hear me out... Our tarnished is the final Horcrux.
We are Marika.
Out of the massive number of videos I've watched the last few weeks, this is one of the best.
I haven't seen an ending yet in my own playthrough, but I don't feel like this is spoiling it. I'm sure I'll still have questions of my own.
All in all, came for the breakdown of Marika's left handed magic, but stayed for the low-key asmr. 😏
A win is a win.
Thankyou So much ❤Such a nice compliment!
I hope you are enjoying the game! Brilliant no? I've never played anything like it.
@ScumMageInfa Absolutely, yw! I live for this kind of content.
I had to share the video with a friend who is also currently obsessed with the lore despite never having played the game. 😅
I waited a year to play, and it has easily become one of my favorite titles. I can't put it down.
@GalacticIndulgence meanwhile I have been descending into mental illness awaiting this DLC hahaha
I have friends who refuse to play it... and it just blows my mind 😅
@@ScumMageInfa Same! Legit had a dream about running around the Haligtree last night, so it's all good, lmao.
I have one friend that plays and everyone else is like "It's too hard." Elden Ring is my first Souls game, and I've been kicking myself for not playing them in previous years.
@GalacticIndulgence I REALLY enjoyed Demon's souls I played the remastered one and the magic in it is SO strong.
Felt like voldemort casting avada cadava with just the first spell 😂
Uh...seeing what has happened to her own people (Numens) considering they were genocided into become the living jars...among other terrible things that happened to her. she has serious PTSD as when Godwyn died she lost it completely....
It has been an incredible experience, this DLC.
So did Marika plan for our specific tarnished? Or just any tarnished at all? I assume she wouldn't want the tarnished to continue the age of gold as you stated that Ranni's ending was preferable to escape the greater will. I think the thorns of the tree are in place to weed out the devout golden order pawns. However, with that being said, i believe that the golden order is the easiest ending to get, so wouldn't the golden order being restored (which could be the most likely ending) be the opposite of her plan? Now I don't know what fixing the ELDEN RING actually does, like maybe she only wanted the elden beast dead and then for her revival since she internalized the ring. But the golden order still exists under this ending, so wouldn't the greater will still exist? Couldn't it just send another elden beast?
Edit:
Now maybe the greater will is cut off when the erdtree is burned (to cut off the influence of the greater will) and Marika is revived by the order in which death had been removed. But then what? We have taken the rune off death, we have killed gods, what stops her from dying now that death is released(but not incorporated into the ring). What does the ring actually do? Is it the throne so to speak that decides what outer gods will rule the era?
I would say Melina has been on the hunt gathering tarnished to the round table hold to brainwash and vet them to get the perfect one- That is why they eventually stop seeing grace, when they are crossed off the list as candidates by Marika prompting Melina to go find a more suitable one.
The golden thorns are the erdtree / greater will defending itself, as the two fingers seize when Melina reaches the foot of the erdtree, as they realise they have been deceived.
I reckon the Ring itself is comprised of:
The Elden Beast, which houses fragments of reality in itself > Erdtree houses this beast, and the erdtree burials fuel the erdtree with souls > The elden beast feeds on these souls, giving it the power necessary to impose its 'will' (the greater will) on these shards of reality, and then redisperses these souls imbued with the greater wills influence throughout the lands between, in the forms of the leaves from the erdtree that we occasionally see at certain times absolutely everywhere, and when this does happen btw it gives us a boon of gold, which increases the amount of runes you get from killing enemies :P
I always believed that Radagon was created, not by Marika but by the greater will in order to restrict her with a loyal follower of the golden order. He was likely created in the wars that unified the lands between using dead champion's but unlike the jars, that use the bodies, runes were used in his creation. I would also add that a flame was used in his creation, the fire god lives in all giant's fire, and it would be the reason why he ultimately ends up with red hair, unless he was by the union of a human and dwarf giant (sword of milos).
-Tapping into any of the outer gods power has a very transformative effect on the user and it very clearly seen on magic user and those who take other's power. -
The real reason for morgott, mogh, malenia and miquella curse is due to the fact that they were born twins and it gave other gods a opening to curse them or at least influence them with their power. The only other twins is d and his brother, who are also cursed. Being born a twin has always had different superstition attached to it in history. One more thing I would add is that both set of twins tend to share the dual aspects of the gods that cursed them. It is very clear with malenia and miquella, death and rebirth.
[Also the twin armor is a perfect metaphor of the golden order "defeating" raya lucaria, Radagon's love blinded renalla]
I always believed that the nox were likely a faction of numen that separated from marika own faction of numen and they worked secretly to destroy her. It would also explain the fact the raya lucaria and the nox seem to share a lot of aspects of each other but are not the same. It would also explain the animosity between raya lucaria and leyndell, a continuation of an old disagreement. It would also explain why the assassin worked with ranni but ultimately decided to kill iji and try to her in her tower.
A lot of the lore people seem to not take GRRM involment in the story into account but i find it to be the best way to filter and arrange a coherent story of the lands between.
Certainly an interesting take, radagon as a restrictor.
I could have sworn there was an item suggesting radagon was involved in the war against the giants and that is where his red hair came from, as a curse?
@@ScumMageInfa the only mention of his hair is from the whip weapon you get from the remembrance of the fire giant, It just says he hates his hair.
Radagon to me has always been separate from Marika until he was forced to constrain Marika and unite with her or maybe it was a continuation of the greater will need to unite all magic under the greater will.
A couple people have theorised that Marika is a counterpart to Eiglay who is just pretending to be a Numen woman after doing the whole seduction/betrayal thing to Placidusax. It probably won't be confirmed, but if the DLC confirms it, then doesn't it blow a hole in your interpretation of Rennala's actions?
Very possible, she is a very SLIPPERY, SNEAKY woman after all 😂
I am sure the DLC will obliterate many of my theories, and I HAPPILY welcome it hahahaha I am beyond excited for Fridayyyyyyy
Awesome work!! Can't wait for more 👍
Thankyou so much!
I have a few more video scripts I am keen to turn into (shorter) videos later, but for now it'll be a few shorts from these 2 vids and some PVP montages ive been collecting 😊 then after the DLC I'll be making another big boy ❤
Thanks for the awesome video(s) and interesting theory! On the audio, this one's perfect :)
Your theory is well crafted and has a lot of merit ^^ I have a 'pet' theory of my own, where I also think about Godwyn's "maternal" relationship with Miquella and Melania, although I won't take up more space here with my musings.
Anywho, have a nice rest and hope you enjoy the Shadow of the Erdtree! :D
NO WAY you just stop cooking, this is the PERFECT place for your pet theories please, continue! >_>
@@ScumMageInfa Aw cheers mate, I'll try to share a tldr cos its a part of smth I've been stirring on solo for a while xD I'll try to bullet point my thoughts in regards to Godwyn:
- One of the basis of this is I think Marika and Radagon have always shared their body.
- I think Godwyn's "absence from Historical accounts" ( post triumph and communion w the Dragons, pre night of the black knives), in all but his personal connection to his family, coincides with Radagon's activity.
- Godwyn's death Prince form being 'mermaid'-like alludes to him being both male and female.
- I think Godwyn was forced to take Marika's place in the Capital whilst Radagon was active elsewhere in order to keep M=R a secret
- Godwyn being described as the Scion of the Golden Lineage while alive and his ability to create Deathroot life forms and Those who Live in Death makes me think he was used to propagate the lineage while impersonating Marika
- In typical GRRM style, I think Radagon and Godwyn produced Miquella and Melania. This could explain Melania sharing Godwyn's ability to create life, Miquella's devotion to Godwyn and his androgeny.
- I think that the reason why Miquella is allied with Ranni, who plotted Godwyn's murder to set her soul free from her body, is because it was also meant to set Godwyn's soul free through death. What I don't think was anticipated was that his body would continue to grow, gestate and birth in death.
-I think Miquella first wanted to 'bring back' Godwyn's soul through the Eclipse, but with that failure, respected his wishes and just tried to grant him a true death.
-I also don't think that Godwyn is the son of Godfrey. Although I had another idea for his origin, I think that your theory of Godwyn being formed by Marika divesting herself of love and giving it a corporeal form is very convincing, and perhaps could explain a part of what I'm cooking. If Godwyn embodies Marika's maternal love, he could also embody her ability to gestate, without making M/R infertile, as Radagon could still have children with Renalla.
Sorry it ended up being long af - I tried to keep it short! I love your theory and the videos you've produced, as well as Tarnished Archaeologist's, Quelaag's and timdiggity's ^^ Cheers again :D I hope some part of this was interesting xD
@LionUniverse14 that was brilliant i can't believe you almost didn't post it hahaha
I'm in the same frame of mind, I had to go for ONE train of thought for the videos sake, but I've always wondered if godwyn and radagon were made via a different method to ranni, who was made using the amber egg- since they are far more obscure and look literally exactly like marika, while ranni seems more... special.
While the "third child" of the relationship with marika and radagon was born via a different egg/womb in a profane ritual, creating the antithesis of miquela in the shadow world (messmer)
I am so wildly hyped for the dlc lol
Have you considered trying to put your thoughts into a video?? I'd watch it.
I find the Marika-Godwyn-Ranni connection very plausible. For once, Godwyn is referred to as a martyr in some dialogs which bugged me to the point I started considering he might have been a willing participant in this plan. Another suspicious thing is how Ranni reveals her version of the Night of Black Knives to us without much pressure from us. It's almost as if she doesn't want us to dig further into the matter.
My page refresh and I had to struggle to find this video but the title alone intrigued me and I got to say man, I really like it. I really did your theories here.
It was worth gutting the youtube search results lol
Hahahahaha thankyou! :)
I might try changing the keywords in the tags... IDK how youtube works NGL, the algorithm has really thrown me a bone here LOL
There is a Statue of Marika pouring Libation (from a jar) in the chapel of anticipation. Its a deliberate rework of a the same pose with hooded women seem throughout the lands between. She's just a girl in it.
The other inconography and the material the chapel is built from, suggests its from a period when either godfrey or Serosh ruled the region, and the Erdtree religion wasn't the dominant faith. Instead, it appears a culture religiously centered on pouring out jars, possibly to "water" the crucible, was dominant. Those jars might have been the results of the jar saint ritual the hornsent preformed.
The statues of Athena-like blonde women with golden spears along the public stairways in Lyndell depict a version of Marika that is reminescent of Mesmer, and might very well match the devices used to impale the giants. This is a grown Marika, unlike the libation statue which depicts a child version.
The church of Eiglay, appears to be a reference to the mythological Eglé, a woman who married a snake king, which is later slain by her family after his snake nature is reveal, who turns herself and her children into trees in some versions of the myth. The Erdtree is the same kind of tree Eglè specifically turned into. There is snake skin outside of bonny village that matches Eiglay, but they spent time and effort changing the body.
Marika might *literally* be a tree. She might be a Dryad. The grandmother sure seems like one.
I said all this, by way of saying-
Scum Mage Infa, you Might Be Right.
There are statues depicting the process of "crown spouting" throughout liurnia, lyndell, and even the roundtable hold. They all have a melted looking bald guy standing on a tree stump, clutching a plucked branch while others spiral around him from the stump. Sometimes the branch is painted gold.
Crown sprouting is a process where new growth arises from a "dead" trunk with a living root system. Crown sprouting is an integral part of *grafting.*
The ideal time to graft on a tree is after its felled. Attach your desired plant, and cull the natural growths while it siphons nutrients from the root system. The plant grafted on this way is called a "grafted scion."
In trees, a "clone" is a cut off trunk or branch that is replanted. Its genetically identical, but independant. Most trees have both male and female reproductive organs, but you can cut *just* the male and replant if you try.
Like Radagon. Another her, who isn't at her level, hasnt grown to godhood, yet.
Trees, like most plants, can be pollinated. The can produce hybrid offspring unintentionally unless their environment is culled of "contagion."
The process of grafting i outlined above is plagued by "root suckers." Tangled growths of the natural extention of the roots, which must be constantly pruned or they'll stangle the scion- just like how the hornsent and omen are treated.
Eventually root suckers will kill the scion. The best solution? Burn it all down to the root stock, and begin crown sprouting again. A tangle of root suckers allowed to overtake a scion, would look just like a tanglehorn.
I think, if you look into tree reporduction, you can probably take this theoy to a level where some version of it achieves widespread acceptance.
They *are* Marika, genetically. Some are infected, some are pollinated, some she pollinated other fields with.
Wait, if all the children of marika are part of her plan, then it would make sense why we are deterred only from outergod endings, no?
Definitely. I cannot WAIT to see how the new/alt ending after the DLC will play out / conflict with ranni.
Holy who are you? Amazing work you’re a genius!
I am The Scum Mage, Infabyss 😁
Thankyou very much! ❤
@@ScumMageInfa I big fan now!
@@christmasham4312 I will try and keep the standard high and not let you down! Thankyou! ❤
Ah yes Marika the S.H.I.T enjoyer. Another interesting video and a great watch. Defo enjoyed this one again. Your videos have such a fantastic crackhead vibe tbh.
I've been thinking about the 3rd children and the motifs of twins but also a *third*.
What do you think about the 7 soulless demigod mausoleums?
Dung is the way, the truth, and the life.
- Marika, probably
IKR THEY are interesting. They have aspects of the eternal city ALL over them so I reckon they may have been from an age where Marika, GEQ, and the third sister ruled over the 3 eternal cities.
I think the fireflies are the equivalent to the butterflies for the eternal city sisters- glintstone, silver, and gold- and marika had many children, many of whom died in the unstable and turbulent world or many different powerful forces that existed on equal footing before the golden order and monopoly of the greater will.
That's the only way I can reconcile seeing one in the nameless eternal city........ underground 😂
@@ScumMageInfa Only other way it could make sense if is that was for godwyn (very unlikely) or a demigod close to godwyn.
I suppose it could the first example of this practice occuring. First in the nameless city, then mimicked again later in the lands between.
It could also be for whoever died to make the fingerslayer blade but that blade is a body and theres defo a body in the deeproots mausoleum.
Its so strange.
@@Rageikari Someone just nuked my brain by saying maybe they are the children the god slaying weapons were formed from (Like the fingerslayer blade). We were talking about Marika's other children and how the fingerslayer blade was made of a corpse n I said it would be vile if she made it from one of her children, like one of her babies since its so small and if it is made of a corpse like the sword radagon is made from why the corpse so smol.... and then he said 'yuh thats probably why the bodies in the colly are headless' and I was like 😯It very well could be children she used for other purpose LIKE that... the children she doesnt care about, like the ones that didn't 'rise to the occasion', as she does have that quote:
Hear me, Demigods. My children beloved. Make of thyselves that which ye desire. Be it a Lord. Be it a God. But should ye fail to become aught at all, ye will be forsaken. Amounting only to sacrifices
@@ScumMageInfa that's defo interesting, I like the idea that she dropped the eternal cities because they turned one of her babies into a weapon tbh. That's just the right kinda messed up.
But I feel like the mausoleum demigods are headless because they were useless to Marika in life but in death they could be a vessel for a soul. Maybe a back up for ranni's body (if not for the puppet body) or perhaps something similar to the night of black knives already occurred, with a demigod Marika truly cared for or needed, dying in body alone.
Idk, either way these sets of ideas are interesting
@@Rageikari ooOOOOOoOooOOoO inert horcruxessssss
It's giving flemeth from dragonage
Awesome work man, really compeling stuff and it's organized logically so it's not difficult to follow. I'm gonna leave some thoughts from your first video here as well, I guess firstly the idea of purple ghostflame which has had the red seperated from it is an awesome concept. However, I can't help but feel like we are seeing two different flames when comparing ghostflame to the blue flame found in the eternal cities, sellia, ordina, and caria manor. My favorite weapon is Helpen's Steeple and when I compare it to the blue flame of Nokstella they look different, and I can't help but think thats intentional. There's also the passage about the Hawk's inheriting the ghostflame when burning the bodies of their fallen comrades, which makes me think that if there was already ghostflame present the description would be worded differently, I'm not sure, love the idea conceptually though. There's something interesting about the idea of Marika orgainizing and coordiating such an elaborate plan just for the player tarnished to have several ways to really screw things up lol great work all around 🔺️
Hey! 😁
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
The ghost flame is tricky, in that tbh I kind of feel like there are 3 components. The red, blue, and black- red and blue making purple which was the hue, and the black flame being the foundation. Kind of like the cerulean and crimson talisman, that both have the black foundation of the knife. It's like it was shattered into 3 parts, but imo its the red component that was the god slaying component, hence the true power of the black flame being sealed when it was separated.
On that second point that is why I call it a gambit, and the likelihood of us making the right decision is improved by Ranni taking us into her inner circle and "wedding" us. Sure it could fail, but so could any other component of hers plans :P
Thanks again for coming and commenting my guy, appreciate it ♡
@ScumMageInfa just something that came to mind that would offer some pushback to your theory, specifically when going down that line of thinking, Ranni doesn't really go out of her way to "recruit" us, right? I mean she gives us the bell and gains our attention as the player, but I wouldn't say she directly recruits us to her cause. And along with that if you read the description of the ring we are meant to retrieve and give to her it talks about how she doesn't really want to take a lord, she's basically warning the potential consort against it. So those details may not mesh the greatest with that portion of thinking, but I don't think it dismantles anything either. It's almost unreasonable how complex this game is lol
@@justkubz Strange isn't it! Especially since seemingly she requires us to prompt the ending for her to ascend.
Almost as strange as the fact that while she doesn't directly recruit us, she notes that it must have been fate that guided us together, assuming we didn't initially meet Blaidd- I think this is because she is used to fate (Marika) delivering such things to her, and readily accepts us into her service, telling us her plan outright, and trusting us enough to introduce us to her inner circle and start working for her on critically important missions straight away lol
I think the warning on the ring is true enough, another person by your side can be a great strength, but also a point of weakness. The fact we have proven ourselves again and again, and pursued her still though, means she found the right one.
These games are always so deep and trippy thanks for this exquisite lore
Thankyou so much for taking the time to watch it, it makes the effort worth it ❤ glad you enjoyed the lore 😊
so, youre thinking the portal to moghs stronghold from the the consecrated snowfield allowed mogh to bypass the lift- the portal is one-way, is it not? Mogh would presumably still have had to use the lift, but could have made the portal to get out quick or something?
Ooooo Great observation...
OR it was there ready for his escape...
OR.... It wasn't Mogh that took Miquella from the Haligtree and someone handed him over to Mogh 👀
Seeing this video after Vaati's about the snake is really interesting for the last part of the video lol.
There are many things I disagree with (especially Messmer who, to me, feels more like the First Born of Marika), but something surprised me : You didn't talk about the Frenzied Flame's quest and how specificaly Shabriri seems to know about the Kindling Maiden. I say that because it can confirm what you said about Marika's plan : It does seem that every Tarnished's maiden are supposed to end up being sacrified for the Tarnished to enter the Erdtree. Can they all send the Tarnisheds to Farum Azula ? I do not know, but that would have wild implications about said Maidens if they can. Now, that could be just Shabriri/The Frenzied Flame somehow learning Marika's plan and using this information to mindfck some Tarnished into comitting to the FF, but it's still something to point out regardless!
That's a great point about the frenzied flame! I'll have to give shabriri a good sniff now.
I have not watched that vaati video, what about it and my video was interesting? 😳👀
@@ScumMageInfa It's about Melina's supposed hidden room. While you linked it to Raya Lucaria due to the carpet symbols, he linked it to Volcano Manor due to the "guard"s outfit being similar to the people working under Rykard!! His theory is also based on the fact that Rykard has the title of "Praetor" which basically used to be the title to ancient Rome's magistrates or judges who also could lead an army. Thus, Rykard could of worked with Leyndell and the Golden Order for a while as a judge or to get informations out of people, giving him more intimate knowledge to the city's and Order's secrets.
@vnolwen_art I did notice the paintings on the wall being similar to the officials outfit, however I didn't pursue that because they weren't an exact match. Frankly that was pretty silly of me given the fact nor are many things that are related, but similar. So that considered, melina does come across as somewhat of a grand conspiracy, involving the carians, volcano manor, and marika- against the golden will.
Him being a judge lines up with the fact his carpet is found in the church of the forsaken- suggesting he was the one to sentence them perhaps to their entombment or was at the very least involved with it.
I'll have to check vaatis video out, didn't think he was dropping another one before the DLC. Guess he couldn't help himself 😅😂 fair, can't blame him.
@@ScumMageInfa I didn't tell you everything he said in the video so as to not spoil you, but yes, it would definitely fit into this conspiracy lol.
And yeah, so many theorists/lore hunters are dropping sooo many videos left and right at the moment, it's hilarious!
@vnolwen_art Ty Ty ♡ I got it on my to watch
Yeah HAHA everyone shooting their shot before the DLC drops 😂
Great videos! This is peak content, can't wait for the next xD
Thankyou ♡ peak content is very generous, I'll try to keep up the standard 😁
Given what we know from the DLC now, do you think that the nox and eternal cities was marika attempting to revive her people? As they all died in bonny village with her hometown being completely empty
This is very possible.. it's so damn hard to place events in the timeline so it's hard for me to confirm and I haven't had the time to meld the pre dlc and dlc in my brain yet 😂
The actions of the natural born children still have me whirling lol but I think I'm slowly getting it together
The eternal cities HAVE to be the first civilisations marika made after the shadow land was created and all that came before banished... and then they were turned upside down as well, when the great will realised they were plotting betrayal.
@@ScumMageInfa Far as I have gathered the Nox, and black knife assassins are numen from the item descriptions in the base game, now that we know that the numen were wiped out with marika being the only survivor I think the eternal city under leyndell was the first eternal city and perhaps the first settlement in the lands between, and it seems the erdtree was originally planted there, now my guess is that marika fed the sapling erdtree with the remains of jarred numen to not only grow it but to rebirth her people and populate the lands between with her fallen kin, what I am unable to figure out is what the scism was that caused the nox / numen to rebel against marika and the greater will to be punished, did they start trying to craft a lord? Did they make the fingerslayer blade? I dont know.
Marika is Fia, the Rotten Witch. She was done being a deathbed companion for Elden Lords… are you all not paying attention?
Ooooh, incest. Very George R R Martin...
I will have to revisit her quotes.
@@ScumMageInfa Marika plucked death alright. Out of the grasp of the greater Will. Liberating her daughter. Melina would be Godfrey’s daughter. She was born at “the foot” meaning the beginning of the Erdtree. Miquella is their own person entirely to me. They are all going through different stages of their builds.
@@BossFight101 GODFREYS daughter aye?
That WOULD explain why her incantations use a crucible sigil.
@@ScumMageInfaYes, and the Numen Queen of Beasts. She commanded Rossus and the Deathbirds. That’s why the crow feet is on her Eye. Maliketh is Melinas shadow not Marikas. That’s why he is stuck eating death instead of pleasing his appetite with the death of Gods trapped in time, without purpose. Similar to Blaid , foreshadowing what could have happened to Ranni but actually happened to Melina.
@BigBoss-sr6ur I'll need time to process that take, thankyou for your insight, I love getting alternative angles they make certain things click more often than not- can't wait to dig deeper into the characters.
Could seluvis embody ambition? Would kind of complete the trio of things Marika divested herself of
Crucible of blood aka womb. Requires wounds aka what menstruation basically is. Wounds in the womb to prepare for egg drop
BIRTH.
Marika the fertile. NGL I have a theory the fireflies are the butterfly equivalent for the 3 sisters that ruled over the eternal cities (Hence the 3 small thrones [and sinular large one of their mother in nokstella] in Nokron, Nokstela, and Sellia [possibly moved from Nameless City where Godwyn now rests, though there MIGHT be a throne behind him, I can't confirm])
Couldn't your theory mean that Marika intentionally used her godly body to create her own version of the Fingerslayer Blade? That version being the Great Sacred Sword? If her body housed the Elden Ring, wouldn't turning that container into the weapon that could damage it be a desired outcome?
If you remember, Radagon's hated red hair is associated with the giants and could be because of the Giants curse. Marika could've made a show of killing the Giants for the Greater Will while actually intending to get cursed in order to obtain power over the single flame that could kill the Erdtree/potentially damage or deter the Greater Will.
She could've gotten cursed with the exact purpose of using it as an inherited genetic trait against the Greater Will. She could've had children with Godfrey while being cursed to have children who inherited it, split herself into two, and shoved the curse onto Radagon so his children/future parts of it would be born of it and benefit. AKA: she could've used it to create the children capable of burning the tree.
The Fingerslayer Blade is made of the corpse of a God and was created to harm the Greater Will/achieve the age your theory says Marika also desired. If she improved upon technology to produce the egg, then she could've also improved upon the Fingerslayer Blade in order to perfect it.
She could've intended to play the long game from the start. If the body of a God is a requirement for the Fingerslayer Blade, then becoming a God would make her the key ingredient. If she makes herself into an alloy by adding on the Giants flame, that gives her the exact way to damage the Greater Will. The ability to damage it could be what separates her blade from the Fingerslayer Blade. The Fingerslayer Blade can't harm the Greater Will, but one Marika crafted to exploit a specific weakness could have the potential to harm it. Radagon being turned into the Great Sacred Sword could just be her ultimate weapon. The Elden Beast could be killing itself while trying to protect itself.
If you add on your Melina and Mesmer theory, Marika could've used them as part of her arsenal. She could've made the fire a part of herself by burning herself. If she did that, she'd potentially become a force of nature in perfect opposition to the Greater Will.
OMG LOL What you said about Marika making the blade from a part of herself just made me think: The thought of Marika maybe turning one of her Empyrean children into a fingerslayer blade is WILD and would make sense why the blade is so small... Man, GRIM... but totally possible.......
Nice comment thanks for that ❤
@@ScumMageInfa The Fingerslayer Blade and the Great Sacred Sword suspiciously look like a body without a head. Marika has her headless and unwanted kids shoved in wandering Nox mausoleums. I wouldn't put it past her to put them in there for an unsaid later use.
@GloryBlues I am absolutely in love with this.
If I ever use this point in a video I'll credit you for that beautiful comment.
@@ScumMageInfa Thanks! I really deep dived into the game to see if your theory applied because it's so interesting. Sorry if long. Your theory really does work.
I only came up with the idea because you mentioned Melina talking about Maria's echoes and there's one echo where Marika tells her children to either become something or simply become a sacrifice.
You could even apply the idea of that quote to the endings of the game and your theory.
The game pushes for you to become Elden Lord. From what I remember, that's the consort position that Godfrey and Radagon held. So, becoming Elden Lord isn't replacing Marika. It's the player becoming the new sacrifice in replacing the previous two Elden Lords that Marika sacrificed for her ambition while she still remains the god container for the Elden Ring. Altering the Elden Ring with a new Rune could just be altering her body so she can survive to become the God of a new iteration of the Golden Order while still maintaining her previous position and being able to plan once again.
If we use your theory and Marika is also both Ranni and Melina, then she wins no matter what. She survives to try again if the player chooses a 'become a new sacrificial Elden Lord and use a mending rune while Marika and Ranni survive to try again run' or 'Marika dies while Marika who is Ranni survives to be the new God' run. Under your theory, the only run that seems to completely disregard Marika would be a burn the world run. If this is the case, it would make sense for Marika to have created Melina with the express person of killing a person who chose to ruin her plans by burning the world. If Melina kills the player who used the flame and replaces them, it'd be Marika retaking her previous position in a world where the Greater Will has seemingly been removed.
I recommend looking up the RUclipsr Tarnished Archeologist because their videos have details that might both support what you're saying and offer new ideas.
One of them was that Marika used the Erd Tree as a means of human reproduction to replace live child birth for all of humanity. It has supporting evidence and would work with your theory of where the Nox went. The Nox could've been the starting fuel to create an Erdtree capable of processing souls and then the reproduction as a means to continue it. This theory might also support Marika specifically being able to manipulate souls with the Erdtree/her improved Egg and could've been how she inserted Mesmer to support your theory.
It might also support your soul split theory because Marika could be demonstrating experimentation with human flesh, human souls, and herself. She'd be physically reproducing in a world where she rendered physical reproduction obsolete and messing with the souls that were a part of them.
If you look at their Farum Azula video, the Tarnished Archeologist explains that there's evidence of Farum Azula having had a royal family that supported a previous iteration of the Elden Ring. They draw similarities between the Numen and Marika. Marika, Radagon, and Ranni also share the stone flesh that could share a genetic relation to Farum Azula.
@@GloryBlues A few people have recommended Tarnished Archeologist to me, I watched my first video of his today and subbed :P Brilliant content.
Yes, marika's horcruxery is giving Flemeth from DragonAge (I dont know if you've played it). Contingency upon contingency.
I couldnt last 5 mins trying to hear the last video's audio. This one is perfect, as well as the content.
Sorry about that! I did in fact upload a louder version and it is in the pinned comment on the last video, if you're still interested! :)
I am so glad this one is better! I MADE SURE it would be this time hahaha
@ScumMageInfa i did. Still lower than this video, but after listening to this, i had to go back to give it a like and view for your effort
@@charpkun Thankyou ❤