Elden Ring is filled with mysteries, with several characters at the heart of it. One of those characters is Queen Marika, the Eternal, but unlike other mysterious characters such as Melina and Ranni, players never interact directly with Marika. Instead, her story unfolds as players learn more about the Lands Between, and her narrative slowly and subtly shifts throughout the game.
WARNING: There Are Spoilers AHEAD for Elden RingThe narrative players are first sold is that Queen Marika is a goddess tied to the Greater Will, who in a moment of heartbreak and weakness, shatters the Elden Ring after the Night of Black Knives. This is where her son, Godwyn the Golden, is killed. It seems like a grief-stricken act at the loss of her son, and the Greater Will punishes her for it. This Shattering leads to the events of the game, but the entire Shattering is brought into question throughout it.
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Elden Ring: Queen Marika and the Elden Ring
Marika is from the lands of the Numen, who—at least from what can be seen in Elden Ring—are all women. She’s also an Empyrean, which means that she has the ability to become a God with the help of an Outer God. It’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s the short of it. With the Greater Will, Marika is able to become the rule of the Lands Between. All empyreans have a shadow, with hers being her brother Maliketh. They are one part protector of their Empyrean, but also one part overseer should they turn against the Greater Will (or presumably any Outer God).
After achieving her godhood and rule over The Lands Between, she would name Godfrey as her consort who would become the first Elden Lord. At some point, she removed Destined Death from the Elden Ring and gave it to her brought Maliketh. This meant her children would be immortal, though there was still a cycle of death—just under her watchful eyes.
It’s also notable that SHE is the one who had Godfrey lead wars to conquer more territory, including the war against Fire Giants. It was Marika, however, who fell the Outer God of the Fire Giants and cursed its final survivor to tend the Flame of Ruin. This would be the only real threat to the Elden Ring, all of which she did in service to The Greater Will.
Afterward, Marika and Godfrey would have children including Godwyn and the twins Morgott and Mohg. It was around this time, many believe, that Marika began putting a plan together to betray the Greater Will.
Elden Ring: When and Why Queen Marika Wanted to Betray the Greater Will
There are two major and questionable factors in regards to when exactly Marika decided to plan against the Greater Will. The first is motive. It is said that she simply learned that the Golden Order was not as kind and good as she first believed. Given that the Golden Order, in essence, is the Greater Will’s dictate for how the world works and yet Marika had already removed the Rune of Death by this time in Elden Ring's timeline makes this dubious. It would make more sense if she questioned the Golden Order all along, hence removing the Rune of Death as PART of that plan. Perhaps she foresaw (as she is a goddess) someway through her children (or Radagon’s) alternative options.
It's not really certain, but then there is the question of why betray the god while having a family. She is seemingly, per the original story told, happy as this god and happy to have her children, who can never die. It essentially screams that there’s more to this that goes unmentioned in Elden Ring’s story. But, perhaps, the most logical explanation is that she never wanted to be this Goddess. That most of this is a falsehood. This is pure speculation, but even her war against the Fire Giants becomes a major part of her plan to betray the Erdtree/Greater Will. Killing its Fire Giants presumably makes it even easier for a Tarnished to access this flame, especially after she led her potential daughter Melina to this very same conclusion. She was an empyrean, bound to a god, and just as Ranni destroyed her flesh to escape this fate, Marika could have been looking to escape this fate.
Thus, Marika could have been looking for her own free will all along, setting into motion a series of events that would eventually lead to this. The alternative is that Marika is the vile one for turning against the Greater Will, which could be a matter of perspective. After all, Sir Gideon Ofnir betrays the Elden Ring player after learning something about Marika: “Queen Marika has high hopes for us that we continue to struggle, unto eternity.” Gideon the All-Knowing may see her as the villain, but perhaps she’s the hero of her own story.
After all, every step of the Tarnished’s journey can reflect Marika’s plans.
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Elden Ring: Marika’s Plan to Destroy the Elden Ring and Kill the Greater Will
Regarding Elden Ring's Rune of Death and Fire of Ruin, it’s possible that Marika did these with an alternative motive—if players buy that she was not as impulsive as the original story suggests. First, removing the Rune of Death does protect her children, but her children may play some role in her plan—not to simply keep them with her always. But by this action, her children live long enough to enact this war and their own plans.
Many believe Melina is also Marika’s child and perhaps the one she entrusted most. Melina spends the entirety of Elden Ring searching for the purpose set upon her by her intentionally unnamed mother—to commit the cardinal sin of burning the Erdtree, made easier by the death of the Fire Giants. In other words, Melina was Marika’s plan to burn the tree, where her other children would plunge the land into chaos and serve as obstacles for Marika’s Tarnished to overcome.
After all, the very existence of the Tarnished is Marika’s doing too. Many believe that Godfrey didn’t lose his battle spirit, that he did not lose the grace of the Erdtree, but that Marika betrayed her husband and took it from him. This is supported by how he went into the Badlands and battled, showing his power and spirit. He was loyal to the Greater Will, and perhaps Marika knew she would not be able to sway him. Either way, her Tarnished would be guided by grace back to the Lands Between and play their role in her plan. Who’s to say that the Grace guiding players is the Greater Will’s after all? It could certainly be Marika’s power, as even restrained she is still a god in Elden Ring, and it would explain how it guides players to things that go against the Greater Will too.
Furthermore, she would imprison Hewg and give him an important task: the creation of a weapon that could slay a god. She must have some knowledge of the Elden Ring’s true form—the monstrosity of the cosmic Elden Beast (which spawns from the ring that is said to have arrived in the Lands Between by an asteroid as an embodiment of the world’s, perhaps universe’s Golden Order). But Elden Ring's Hewg could do this—she had to have known or have had faith that he could. Gideon Ofnir believes no man can kill a god after all.
Sometime in all of this, Marika would take a new consort as Radagon—who players learn to be her other half. This is where an already convoluted plan goes off the rails. Marika and Radagon are one and the same, somehow connected, but they were still able to procreate in Elden Ring. Radagon remains loyal to the Greater Will somehow, perhaps representing that part of her, but it wasn’t necessarily the marriage to Radagon Marika wanted in this plan—it was to his children.
She brought his children—Ranni, Rykard, and Radahn—to Godhood, thus making them immortal. Why she would do this, if unloyal to the Greater Will, only makes sense through Radagon’s relationship with them (and thus hers?). Unless, it is because Rennala worshipped the Full Moon and a different Outer God that Marika did this. Ranni was an empyrean and could thus contain a god like Marika, but Ranni did not want this—much like Marika did not want this. Perhaps there was some exchange where Marika led Ranni to this path, or perhaps it was something Marika foresaw as a goddess. In other words, the marriage of Marika and Radagon had more to do with Ranni—in relation to one of Elden Ring’s endings—than it did with Radagon.
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Elden Ring: The Final Act of Marika’s Plan, the Night of Black Knives
With all of this in mind, potentially the connection between Marika and Ranni, the Night of Black Knives also takes on a different telling. Players are originally led to believe that Ranni orchestrates this to kill her body, which is true, but that the death of Godwyn so upsets Marika that she destroys the Elden Ring out of emotion. But, it would seem that this was the crux of her plan.
Marika knew that she had all the pieces on the board for one Tarnished to return and end the Greater Will. She knew she could not be around for this entire time, and she knew she would be punished for the Shattering. The question becomes: how to put the entirety of Elden Ring’s story into action then?
The fact that Ranni works with other Numen women to do all of this, Numen women who do not significant reappear at that, would suggest that Marika had some connection to it. She clearly hated the Golden Order more so than her husband, so allowing her son to die does not seem out of character—especially not if her children were part of the plan the entire time. Godwyn’s death gives her an “innocent, grieving mother” role in the Shattering, kills off one big support of the Golden Order, and gives Ranni an out from her fate as an Empyrean. It all lines up too well for Marika to not have been involved.
Plus, every Elden Ring ending restores Destined Death and burns the Erdtree. Every Elden Ring ending fulfills the parts of Marika’s plans that free her from The Greater Will, through its death, and it would seem that she leaves the fate of the Lands Between to the Tarnished who would become Elden Lord. Yet, in line with all of this, it all supports why everyone thinks Ranni’s ending is the best one in Elden Ring.
It's a convoluted and sometimes ironic way for Marika to escape her fate as bound to the Greater Will. But it all works so well when viewing her not as a grieving mother but a powerful goddess who would do anything to slay the Elden Beast.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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FAQs
Therefore, Marika rebelled against Two Fingers and shattered Elden Ring to protect her children from being killed.
How did Marika betray Maliketh? ›
shatter… The fragment of the Rune of Death stolen from Maliketh killed the soul of Godwyn and the flesh of Ranni at the Night of the Black Knives. In summarize, Maliketh sealed the Rune of Death inside himself, but Marika betrayed Maliketh and robbed the Rune of Death to carry out the Night of the Black Knives.
Why was Marika imprisoned Elden Ring? ›
She lifted her hammer and shattered the Elden Ring while Radagon simultaneously tried, and failed, to repair it. Unable to remove Marika as its vessel, the Greater Will imprisoned her in the Erdtree along with Radagon, the two bound together in a single body. And even in shackles, Marika would remain a god.
Why did Marika split into Radagon? ›
Marika eventually grew disillusioned with the Greater Will, and sought freedom from its influence. Radagon, on the other hand, remained loyal to the Golden Order. Their conflict would eventually come to a head when Marika shattered the Elden Ring.
Is the Elden Ring inside Marika? ›
Queen Marika is at the center of Elden Ring, being the one who caused the Shattering and having the role of goddess over the Lands Between on behalf of the Greater Will. Much is speculated about her, as Elden Ring is not a game that tends to just hand over its lore on a silver platter.
Why did Ranni assassinate Godwyn? ›
The reason Ranni had Godwyn killed was for a ritual. She wanted to destroy her body but preserve her soul in a doll. This way, she could escape her destiny and not be bound by the whims of the Greater Will like the rest of her family. It was this act that really made the plot of Elden Ring begin.
Why did Marika betray? ›
She was an empyrean, bound to a god, and just as Ranni destroyed her flesh to escape this fate, Marika could have been looking to escape this fate. Thus, Marika could have been looking for her own free will all along, setting into motion a series of events that would eventually lead to this.
Why did Marika leave Godfrey? ›
In other words, Marika wanted Godfrey to become the Elden Lord again when none can rule the Lands Between, such as the case the Elden Ring was shattered. In summary, Marika would have banished Godfrey to make him stronger in case he returned to Lands Between, which none can rule, in order to become an Elden Lord.
Is Queen Marika dead? ›
She has many powerful Demigod offspring, who seek the Elden Ring's remaining power. For her other half, see Radagon of the Golden Order. Now, Queen Marika the Eternal is nowhere to be found, and in the Night of the Black Knives Godwyn the Golden was first to perish.
Why did Melina sacrifice herself Elden Ring? ›
She also shows that she's not afraid of death as she willingly sacrifices herself to allow the player to advance and become Elden Lord.
The Elden Beast came to the Lands Between as a golden star sent by the Greater Will, and became the Elden Ring. It became one with Queen Marika the Eternal, a Numen Empyrean chosen by the Greater Will.
Is godrick Marika son? ›
Godrick the Golden, more commonly known as Godrick the Grafted, was a scion of the Golden Lineage, tracing his descent from Queen Marika the Eternal and the first Elden Lord, Godfrey, presumably through their eldest son, the demigod Godwyn the Golden.
Is Queen Marika also Radagon? ›
Radagon is her second spouse and Elden Lord, a red-headed champion who mastered magic and incantations. All of this is well known and communicated to players early on, but what is less well known is the fact that Radagon and Marika are one and the same.
How did Marika and Radagon have children? ›
The Offspring Of Marika And Radagon
When Marika took Radagon as her consort and Elden Lord, they produced two children: the twins Malenia and Miquella, who also attained status as Empyreans. The former received her father's red hair, while the latter seems to have inherited the golden blonde hair of his mother.
Is Margit the son of Marika? ›
Elden Ring: Why Does Morgott Introduce Himself as Margit
Morgott is a child of Marika but was cast aside, never having the same popularity or affection as his half-siblings: Godwyn and Miqeulla. Despite this, it seems Morgott still wants to protect his family and its legacy.
What happens if I touch Marika? ›
Once you defeat the Elden Beast and touch Marika, you'll have the option to use the Mending Rune of Perfect Order to repair the Elden Ring.
Why is Marika imprisoned? ›
But before the Tarnished were called home, there was the Shattering, a war fought between Marika's children over the shards of the Elden Ring. Following the Shattering, Marika was locked into the Erdtree, imprisoned as her children ran rampant across the Lands Between.
Is Ranni good or evil? ›
The Fingers and Ranni are in direct opposition, but neither one is “good” or “evil”; the former seeks to maintain the status quo (quite like keeping the Flame alight in Dark Souls' ending), while the latter wants something brand new for everyone who's suffering as a result of said status quo.
Is Miquella still alive? ›
In the Roundtable Hold, Sir Gideon Ofnir claims that Miquella is still alive but trapped in a deep slumber, which is further explored in content cut from the final version of the game, which states that Miquella is St. Trina, God of Slumber.
Why did Ranni want the Rune of Death? ›
Ranni wanted to overthrow Marika, and to do that she would need the power to kill a god. A power that only existed in the Rune of Death.
Elden Ring's story hints that Queen Marika is the one that originally sent grace to the resurrected protagonist to save her from Radagon. While there's nothing that confirms this absolutely, it's at least proven that she has the power to take away the gift of grace and turn individuals into tarnished.
Was Godfrey a good guy? ›
However, in spite of his actions, Godfrey was in fact an honorable and just man that cared for his loved ones. He remembered his son, Morgott when seeing him again for the first time, and was deeply saddened to see his corpse slowly fade away in his arms before leaving them to rest.
Was Marika married to Godfrey? ›
Godfrey was the first Elden Lord and the first husband of Queen Marika the Eternal. He was a mortal hero of legendary prowess, but after he achieved his crowning victory, he lost the grace of the Greater Will; he was then exiled from the Lands Between and became the very first Tarnished.
Is Godfrey the final boss? ›
Godfrey, First Elden Lord, is the first major boss located within Leyndell, Royal Capital, and the final barrier to facing the final boss of the dungeon.
Is Morgott Marika son? ›
Background. Morgott was the son of Queen Marika and her consort, the first Elden Lord Godfrey, and twin brother of Mohg, Lord of Blood.
Can you revive Marika? ›
As mentioned briefly earlier, there isn't any penalty or cost for choosing to revive at a Stake of Marika instead of a Site of Grace. Your Runes won't suddenly vanish, and you won't lose half your HP meter. The only cons present are the Stake of Marika's lack of an option to level up or manage your magic.
What happened to Melina's eye Elden Ring? ›
Elden Ring: Melina's Eyes
So too does Ranni the Snow Witch, and they each have a different eye closed. Melina will open her eye and reveal a dusky and murky dark blue, which many connect to the Gloam-Eyed Queen, under certain constants in the Lord of Frenzied Flame Ending.
Is Godfrey immune to sleep? ›
He's also resistant to the build up of Bleed, Frost, and Sleep making it tough to trigger their damage bursts on him. Godfrey is weak to slash damage:If possible, using weapons like katanas and curved swords will see you doing extra damage here.
Why does Melina want to burn down the Erdtree? ›
Thus, Melina's reason behind burning the Erdtree in Elden Ring is likely to enact the "Age of Stars" ending in which Ranni becomes the god of the Lands Between and establishes a world that bestows its inhabits free will and destroys the old order that bred the chaos of Elden Ring.
What happens to Marika Elden Ring? ›
The Greater Will is responsible for the condition Queen Marika is in by the end of the game. As punishment for her defiance in the Shattering, she was held prisoner beneath the Erdtree until the player and Melina burn Elden Ring's Erdtree.
7/12 Morgott/Margit Defeated Radahn
General Radahn is generally considered by most Elden Ring characters as the strongest demigod, except it seems even the strongest don't always win.
Is Queen Marika a good guy? ›
Queen Marika the Eternal is the main antagonist of the 2022 action-RPG video game, Elden Ring.
What is Radagon secret? ›
The clue left outside the Statue of Radagon hints at this word - Regression - and simply casting the spell in front of the Statue reveals its secret. Unlike most Incantations, Law of Regression is based on Int rather than Faith as it is a Golden Order Incantation.
Why did Morgott call everyone traitors? ›
Unlike his other fellow demigods, Morgott had no interest in obtaining power for selfish reasons, let alone desire to become Elden Lord. Instead, Morgott pledges his loyalty to the Golden Order and views his siblings as traitors for going against it in favor of their own ambitions.
Is Morgott the final boss? ›
At the top awaits the final boss of the area: Morgott, the Omen King, son of Marika and Godfrey. By this point in Elden Ring, Morgott should be a familiar face.
Is Morgott Margits brother? ›
Morgott is the true identity of Margit, the Fell Omen, and the self-proclaimed "Last of All Kings". He is found in Leyndell, Royal Capital. When he and his twin brother Mohg were born, they were imprisoned deep in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds for being born as Omen royalty.
Why did Melina burn Elden Ring? ›
Thus, Melina's reason behind burning the Erdtree in Elden Ring is likely to enact the "Age of Stars" ending in which Ranni becomes the god of the Lands Between and establishes a world that bestows its inhabits free will and destroys the old order that bred the chaos of Elden Ring.
What does state of Marika do Elden Ring? ›
A Stake of Marika essentially offers a way for you to respawn closer to where you met your unfortunate end, allowing you to get right back into the action. This system will allow you to potentially save your Runes without having to make an impossible run back to them from a Site of Grace.
Who did Marika marry Elden Ring? ›
The marriage of Queen Marika and the Elden Lord Godfrey was the beginning of what became known as the Golden Lineage. Together, they produced three children. The firstborn and Marika's most beloved child was Godwyn, the Golden.
Is there a way to save Melina? ›
All you need to do is strip down all your armor and walk in. Three Fingers will then award you the Frenzy Flame. Melina will not be happy with this, and she will get angry and disappear forever. You can then use the Frenzy Flame to light the Erdtree and save Melina.
Melina, too, is searching for her own path, but she shows her opposition to the Greater Will in her willingness to be the kindling for burning the Erdtree, an act she calls a cardinal sin. Queen Marika, mother of demi-gods, is Melina's mother, making Melina a demi-god and, therefore, Ranni's sister.
Does Melina have eyes Elden Ring? ›
Elden Ring: Melina's Eyes
So too does Ranni the Snow Witch, and they each have a different eye closed. Melina will open her eye and reveal a dusky and murky dark blue, which many connect to the Gloam-Eyed Queen, under certain constants in the Lord of Frenzied Flame Ending.
Is Melina a black knife assassin? ›
A Reddit user named Razhork has shared a comparison clip which shows a very subtle design choice about Melina's weapon, the Blade of Calling, which ties Melina to the game's Black Knife Assassins.
Does Melina burn to death? ›
Lord of the Frenzied Flame
The Frenzied Flame completely destroys the Erdtree and the Greater Will and covers the Land Between in perpetual flames. This ending is the only one in which Melina survives. She appears at the end of it promising to kill the protagonist.
Is Queen Marika a Radagon? ›
Radagon is her second spouse and Elden Lord, a red-headed champion who mastered magic and incantations. All of this is well known and communicated to players early on, but what is less well known is the fact that Radagon and Marika are one and the same.
Is the Elden Beast Queen Marika? ›
The Elden Beast came to the Lands Between as a golden star sent by the Greater Will, and became the Elden Ring. It became one with Queen Marika the Eternal, a Numen Empyrean chosen by the Greater Will.
Why does Marika need a consort? ›
For that, she needed someone to wage war on her behalf--a king to her queen, essentially. The role of consort to Marika was known as the Elden Lord, a person who would wield massive power in the Lands Between as Marika's right hand.
Why did Marika marry Godfrey? ›
As an Empyrean, Marika obtained great power and influence throughout the world, though she eventually took Godfrey as a spouse to secure victory against the Giants.
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