Malenia’s brother Miquella is an enigmatic figure inElden Ring. The most we see of him is a hand reaching out of a cocoon in Mohg’s arena in the subterranean Mohgwyn Palace. So much of his presence is obscured and hidden away in optional areas, but with him being a focal point of the upcoming DLC, fans are digging not only into Elden Ring’s world for clues, but FromSoftware’s past games.
Cue Siemens developer Cam Livingstone, who noticed while playingDark Souls 2that there’s a reference to someone called “Quella” in the Grand Spirit Tree Shield’s item description. The name might seem like a coincidence, but the imagery of Dark Souls 2’s shield is strikingly similar to that of the Candletree Wooden Shield in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring’s shield symbolises a “surreptitious prophecy of cardinal sin”, which could hintat Messmer’s factionin Shadow of the Erdtree. We know that Miquella ventured to the Land of Shadow andsome fans even speculate that he and Messmer are brothers.
Dark Souls 2’s shield is “said to possess divine powers” while the spirit tree adorned on the front “appears in the allegory of Quella”. Interestingly, Miquella created the Haligtree to overcome his eternal youth, allowing him to age. The Haligree also gives protection to Tarnished who cannot see grace, which is a similar theme to how Quella grants protection through the White Ring, which makes the host appear as a phantom to trick invaders.
Quella is the god of dreams. Whether this has any relevance to Elden Ring’s Miquella, only time will tell - perhaps the Land of Shadow is a dream-like world. The leading theories right now are that it’s the Lands Betweens' past or a sealed-off section of the world, hidden by the Divine Towers. But perhaps the real answer lies in Dark Souls 2.
This could very well be one big stretch and a simple coincidence, but it could also be a sign of how long Elden Ring’s ideas have been bubbling at FromSoftware. Whatever the case, it’s clear fans are itching to find out more about the hand reaching out to them from that strange cocoon.
Elden Ring
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With worldbuilding from Game of Thrones scribe George R.R. Martin and developed by FromSoftware, Elden Ring is a masterpiece in what has become known as the ‘Soulslike’ genre of action role-playing games.
