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.
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.- Queen Marika the Eternal — as quoted by Melina
Demigods (デミゴッド, Demigoddo) are special beings found in the Lands Between. They are the majority of the primary characters in Elden Ring.
The Lands Between are ruled by a family of demigods, heroes with an especially powerful blessing received from the blood of Queen Marika the Eternal.[1] They are immortals due to their fated deaths being removed from the Elden Ring[2] when Queen Marika created the Golden Order by sealing the Rune of Death.[3]
During the Night of Black Knives, a fragment of the Rune of Death enabled the murder of Godwyn the Golden.[4] This was the first death of a demigod in all history,[5] and it was after this that the demigods began to fall.[6] At an unknown period, Queen Marika told her demigod children to make of themselves that which they desired, whether it be a Lord, or a God. However, she also declared that if they failed to become anything at all, they would be forsaken, and amount only to a sacrifice.[7]
These events were precursors to the shattering of the Elden Ring,[8] whereupon several of the demigods inherited Great Runes, becoming known as Shardbearers.[9] The mad taint of the strength granted by their Great Runes triggered the Shattering, a war in which the demigods fought for control of the Lands Between. However, no lord arose from the Shattering, and the demigods were abandoned by the Greater Will.[10]
Upon their return to the Lands Between, the Tarnished were impelled by the Two Fingers to seek out the demigods and relieve them of their Great Runes.[11] At least three of the demigods were slain by The Tarnished in their quest to become Elden Lord.
Godrick the Grafted was only a distant relation, his divine blood linking him to Marika sorely diluted,[19] indicating unseen generations of Golden Lineage demigods. According to Kenneth Haight, Godrick is the last of the Golden Lineage, but the Grafted Scions are also suggested to be the dregs of the Golden Lineage.[17]
When Godfrey was divested of his Grace, he became Tarnished,[20] and lost his demigod status.
The union of Radagon and Marika led to the birth of at least two more demigods, the twins Miquella of the Haligtree and Malenia, Blade of Miquella, however they suffered afflictions from birth; the former was born with a curse of eternal childhood, and the latter harbored Scarlet Rot within.[25]
Soulless Demigods[]
The Wandering Mausoleums found throughout the Lands Between cradle the corpses of soulless demigods. At least eight demigods became these soulless demigods, and at least one of them is an unwanted child of Queen Marika's.[26] They are guarded by the Mausoleum Knights, who watch over a soulless demigod until their resurrection.[27]
Notes[]
According to Finger Reader Enia, the demigods are each and all the direct offspring of Queen Marika.[28]
According to the Overview Trailer, the demigods are "those who have inherited the blood of Queen Marika the Eternal."[29]
It is often speculated that the Kindling MaidenMelina may be a demigod, as she is called "DaughterMarika" internally and states her mother is inside the Erdtree.[30] Furthermore, she is bound by Grace,[31][32] quotes ancient words of Marika,[33] and implied to be the younger sister of Messmer the Impaler.[34][35] Like Messmer, Melina is associated with a butterfly and is fated to fulfill a purpose.[36][37][38][39]
Trivia[]
According to game director Hidetaka Miyazaki, the main demigod bosses of the game were initially written by George R. R. Martin.[40] As part of the creative process, Martin wrote the initial characters as grand heroes, and FromSoftware took them developed the way in which their Great Runes misshaped and distorted them.[41]
Localisation Notes
Rather than "unwanted child", the soulless demigod(s) of the mausoleum is referred to as Queen Marika's "ugly bastard" or "ugly spawn." (醜い落とし子, Minikui otoshi-ko.)
↑Overture of Elden Ring (p. 54)Miyazaki: "But the Demigods' immortality stems from having their fated deaths removed from the Elden Ring. I don't expect that to make much sense right now, but as you play the game, I think you'll gradually come to understand."
↑Sorcerer Rogier: "Someone stole a fragment of the Rune of Death from Maliketh, the Black Blade. And on a bitter night, murdered Godwyn the Golden. That was the first recorded Death of a demigod in all history."
↑Elden Ring Story Trailer: "On a night of wint'ry fog. The Rune of Death was stolen, And the demigods began to fall, starting with Godwyn the Golden."
↑Melina: "In Marika's own words. 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..."
↑Sorcerer Rogier: "That was the first recorded Death of a demigod in all history. And it became the catalyst. Soon, the Elden Ring was smashed, and thus sprang forth the war known as the Shattering."
↑Melina: "Upon the cliff, in Castle Stormveil, is a shardbearer. A demigod who inherited a fragment of the shattered Elden Ring."
↑Intro Cutscene: "Soon, Marika's offspring, demigods all, claimed the shards of the Elden Ring. The mad taint of their newfound strength triggered the Shattering. A war from which no lord arose. A war leading to abandonment by the Greater Will."
↑Finger Reader Enia: "Listen, the Fingers speak. "The Greater Will has long renounced the demigods." "Tarnished, show no mercy. Have their heads. Take all they have left." "The Fingers have willed it so.""
↑Kenneth Haight: "Honestly, Godrick's nothing more than a jumped up country bumpkin. Lord? Don't make me laugh. First he hid himself amongst the womenfolk to flee the capital, then hid from Radahn in that castle... Then he insulted Malenia, lost to her in battle, only to lick her boots rather than die like a man. Has he no shame, the big girl's blouse? And to think, he's the blood of Godfrey! Last of the golden lineage, though you almost wouldn't know it to look at him."
↑Finger Reader Enia: "The demigods are each and all the direct offspring of Queen Marika. Godrick the Grafted was but a distant relation... The runt of the litter, his divine blood sorely diluted."
↑Miriel, Pastor of Vows: "However. When Godfrey, first Elden Lord, was hounded from the Lands Between, Radagon left Rennala to return to the Erdtree Capital, becoming Queen Marika's second husband and King Consort. Taking the title...of second Elden Lord."
↑Finger Reader Enia: "But special kindling is required to reignite the flame. For the flame to burn the Erdtree, a sacrifice is needed. Of one who envisions the flame. And can lead you to the Rune of Death."
↑Melina: "My purpose was given to me by my mother. But now, I act of my own volition. I have set my heart upon the world that I would have. Regardless of my mother's designs."
↑Melina: "The one who walks alongside flame, Shall one day meet the road of Destined Death."
↑Messmer: "Yet...my purpose standeth unchanged. Those stripped of the Grace of Gold shall all meet death. In the embrace of Messmer's flame."
↑IGN - The Big Hidetaka Miyazaki Interview - Summer of Gaming Hidetaka Miyazaki: "One main theme of the main bosses of the game, in particular, are that they are essentially demigods – and characters who are written, again, by George R.R. Martin – and they inherited the mad tainted power of the Elden Ring shards once it was shattered."
↑[Game Informer] - Forging the Future of Fantasy, Hidetaka Miyazaki: "“When Martin wrote these characters, and when he provided that origin story and that mythos for the world of Elden Ring, these demigods were much closer to their original form, and maybe closer to human form back then, before the Shattering,” says Miyazaki. “So it was more up to us to interpret this and say, ‘how did they become such inhuman monsters? And how did the mad taint of the shattered shards of the Elden Ring and its power affect them?’ So that was our job to take these grand heroes and sort of misshape them and distort them into something that they’re not.""
