The Shattering of the Elden Ring
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Ahh, the Great Runes are the stuff of the Demigods; the children of the goddess, Queen Marika. She who is vessel of the Elden Ring. Tainted by the strength of their runes, her children warred, but none could become Elden Lord. |
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The Great Runes (大ルーン, Dai Rūn) are Key Items in Elden Ring.
Overview[]
The Great Runes are mighty shards of the Elden Ring[1][2] which were inherited by some of the demigods.[3] The great strength they granted tainted the demigods, compelling them to war over control of the Lands Between.[4]
The known Great Runes are as follows:
- Ranni's Great Rune (mentioned only)[5]
Background[]
The Great Runes are the shards of the Elden Ring, currently making up the Golden Order, and represent the concepts of order and discipline that the demigods enforced on the physical world.[6] They were inherited by some of the demigod offspring of Queen Marika the Eternal following the shattering of the Elden Ring. The mad taint of the newfound strength granted by the Great Runes precipitated the Shattering,[3] wherein the demigods fought for control of the Lands Between.[4] The demigods who inherited Great Runes were known as Shardbearers.
The Tarnished, upon returning to the Lands Between, were compelled by the Two Fingers to seek out demigods to relieve them of their Great Runes in order to become Elden Lord.[7][8] The Tarnished required one Great Rune to be granted audience with the Two Fingers in the inner chamber of the Roundtable Hold.[9] They also required enough Great Runes to repair the Elden Ring before the Two Fingers would permit them to enter Leyndell, Royal Capital to have an audience with Queen Marika to become Elden Lord.[10] During the course of the game, this is two Great Runes, however since the Shardbearer Morgott, the Omen King guards the entrance to the Erdtree and must be killed to access it, they will have at least three when granted audience. Finger Reader Enia has only ever seen two Great Runes together once before this.[11]
Notes[]
- When initially obtained by the player, a Great Rune (except the Great Rune of the Unborn) would be devoid of any benediction, and had to be taken to the Divine Tower mentioned in its description, whereupon it would be restored by interacting with the image of the Great Rune above the inert Two Fingers at the summit of the tower. Further, a Rune Arc was required for The Tarnished (Protagonist) to be granted the blessing of a Great Rune after restoring it.
- The Great Runes acquired by The Tarnished were used to repair the Elden Ring in at least one ending.
- It is unknown if the Rune of Death is considered a Great Rune or an Elden Rune.
- The Great Runes reflect the demigods that inherited them. For example, Morgott's Great Rune was proof that he was born of the Golden Lineage, and the rightful Lord of Leyndell.[12] Mohg, Lord of Blood's Great Rune was soaked with accursed blood from his devout love for the wretched mire he was born into.[13] Morgott's and Mohg's Great Runes were naturally similar due to their bearers being twins.[13] Malenia, Blade of Miquella's Great Rune was half-rotted but infused with Malenia's spirit of resistance.[14]
- Miquella of the Haligtree and Ranni the Witch are the only Shardbearers known to have discarded their Great Runes.[5] The whereabouts of Ranni's Great Rune remain unknown. Miquella relinquishes and breaks his Great Rune after the Tarnished crosses into one of three areas of the Land of Shadow: the eastern half of Scadu Altus, the Rauh Base region, or Shadow Keep.
Trivia[]
- "Great Rune" (GR) was the developmental codename for Elden Ring.[15]
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice contained Project "GR" assets.[16]
Proper names for various Great Runes were cut before release.
- Rune of Life - In the Chinese and Korean 1.0 text Helphen's Steeple, the Golden Order Greatsword, and Icon Shield make reference to the Rune of Life, which provides the Erdtree's power and places a curse upon heroes of the Lands Between. It is presumably Marika's own Great Rune.
- Rune of Abundance — The cut Abundance Twinblade and Abundance and Decay Twinblade, weapons make reference to "the Rune of Abundance" and the "the Rune of Decay" in their descriptions belonging to Miquella and Malenia respectively.
- Rune of Decay
- Rune of Grafting — In the Chinese 1.0 text, the Grafted Blade Greatsword refers to "the Rune of Grafting" (“接肢”的卢恩, “Jiē Zhī” de Lú'ēn), presumably Godrick's Great Rune.
- Rune of Mind — In the Korean 1.0 text, the Dark Moon Greatsword refers to "the Rune of Mind" ("정신의 룬, jeongsin-ui lun), presumably Ranni's Great Rune.[17]
- In English, Enia calls the player a Shardbearer after they acquire a Great Rune,[18] while in Japanese she calls them "Master of the/a Great Rune" (大ルーンの主, Dai Rūn no Omo).
Gallery[]
See also[]
- Demigods
- Elden Ring
- Elden Runes
- Mending Runes
- Shardbearers
References[]
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