Summary
Elden Ringis the pinnacle of FromSoftware’s action RPG formula that first appeared in 2009’sDemon’s Souls. However, while FromSoftware’s games are mostly remembered for their difficulty, the studio is also praised for its unique approach to storytelling, which leads fans to scour every corner of the map for clues on how to solve lore mysteries.
Due to its massive size, Elden Ring has many more lore branches than previous FromSoftware games. That means the community has spent a lot of time putting everything together and unraveling the secrets of the Lands Between. Even so, there are some unsolved mysteries that no one can decipher, regardless of how many item descriptions and dialogue lines are available.
8Who Is The Gloam-Eyed Queen?
The Gloam-Eyed Queen is an important figure in Elden Ring history. As an Empyrean, the Gloam-Eyed Queen had the power to become a god and instaure a new order in the Lands Between. However, the Gloam-Eyed Queen used her domain over the Rune of Death to hunt down other gods, eventually leading Queen Marika to send her shadow, Maliketh, to take down the threat.
While Elden Ring explicitly tells you Maliketh defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen and bound the Rune of Death to his own flesh, it’s unknown if this mysterious figure is dead or alive. Still, the followers of the Gloam-Eyed Queen, theGodskin Apostles, continue to roam the Lands Between. There’s much speculation about who the Gloam-Eyed Queen might have been and how she can still affect the Lands Between. Unfortunately, without more information, her true identity will remain a mystery.
7What Is The God-Devouring Serpent?
After turning his back to the Golden Order and embracing blasphemy, Rykard gave himself to a God-Devouring Serpent that lived in the Volcano Manor. The Serpent absorbed Rykard’s strength and became one with the demigod.Rykard and the Serpent would devour great champions and warriors, growing their power one meal at a time.
It is confirmed that people worshiped the Serpent before the arrival of the Great Will in the Lands Between. Rykard also had a prophetic dream of the Serpent devouring the whole world. We still don’t know much about the Serpent, including its origins and true purpose. Sadly, without some added content, there’s no way to discover where this vicious reptile comes from.
6What Are The Giant Skulls in Caelid?
All over the rotten-infested lands of Caelid, we can see giant skulls blended with the mountains and valleys that form the region’s geography. These skulls are much larger than the head of the Last Giant, a member of the fire-worshiping race that once waged war against the Erdtree. So, if these are not giant skulls, what are they?
Even if we consider the skulls to belong to giants, it’s hard to explain what they are doing in Caelid. The giants’ lands are located on the North of the Lands Between, while Caelid is to the South. Nothing in Elden Ring lore describes giants working with Radahn on Caelid, so the origin of these skulls remains a mystery.
5Who Is Torrent’s Previous Master?
In the first couple hours of Elden Ring, Melina gifts you a whistle capable of summoning Torrent, the Spectral Steed. Torrent is essential for exploring the Lands Between, but the identity of its former master remains a mystery.
Melina and Ranni have some history with Torrent, indicating that the Spectral Steed’s previous master was a member of the Golden Lineage or someone associated with Marika. Still, there’s nothing in Elden Ring that confirms the identity of this person. Knowing who originally had Torrent could help clear the mysteries of Elden Ring’s complicated history.
4Who Was the God Placidusax Served As Elden Lord?
While Elden Ring has many lore bits describing how Godfrey was the first Elden Lord in the Lands Between, the items connected to the dragon Placidusax also describe him as a Lord. Specifically,Placidusaxhas served an unknown God of Dragons who has vanished from the Lands Between.
The existence of a Lord before the era of Marika raises some annoying questions about the history of the Lands Between. It’s unknown if the God of Dragons ruled the lands before the Greater Will’s emissaries arrived or if this God of Dragons was some sort of cosmic entity like other Outer Gods. By delving deeper into the identity of Placidusax’s master, FromSoftware could help solve this mystery.
3What Is The Purpose Of The Dancer’s Castanets?
Following Patches' questline eventually will grant you a key item named Dancer’s Castanets. Every key item in Elden Ring serves a purpose, moving an NPC quest forward or granting you a rare item. That’s not the case with the Dancer’s Castanets.
After you defeat Rykard, you can find his consort, Tanith, devouring the snake’s corpse in the boss room. There, you can give Tanith the Dancer’s Castanets. It makes sense that the Castanets belong to Tanith, as she’s described as a dancer Rykard met in a distant land. What is bothersome is that delivering this key item has no effect. You can’t change Patches’ or Tanith’s fate with these Castanets, nor deliver them to any other NPC in Elden Ring. So, their existence is quite puzzling.
The lack of use of the Dancer’s Castanets might be related to changes to questlines FromSoftware made mid-development. However, since no patch has corrected it, it’s hard to believe this is only a bug.
2Who Killed Iji?
The Black Knives assassins worked with Ranni to kill Godwyn, eventually leading to Marika breaking the Elden Ring and the Shaterring wars of the demigods. Since the Black Knives served Queen Marika, there is evidence to support that all these actors were playing together against the Golden Order — or they were using each other for their own goals. Whatever the case, it’s hard to understand who killed the gentle giant Iji and why.
Following thequestlines that lead to the Age of Stars ending, you will find Iji dead with Black Knives corpses around him. It’s hard to imagine Ranni has sent the assassins to kill Iji, as he was her most faithful supporter. It makes no sense for Marika to orchestrate Iji’s death somehow, as she’s trapped inside the Erdtree. So, a third party might be trying to ensure Ranni will not get what she wants. But who?
It’s also disturbing that Iji is engulfed by black flames that look much like the ones wielded by the Godskin Apostles. Nevertheless, there’s no apparent connection between the Gloam-Eyed Queen’s followers and the Black Knives. Finding out who ordered Iji to die and why could unlock some secrets of the Lands Between.
1Who Are The Mausoleum Demigods?
The Walking Mausoleums of the Lands Between are said to guard the soulless corpses of Marika’s unwanted children. That means Marika birthed many more demigods than the ones we meet in the same. This already raises some questions, as there’s no information about who these demigods might be. Furthermore, the fact they are soulless is weird.
We know Ranni shed her flesh at the same time that the Black Knives murdered Godwin’s soul so that she could be freed from the Greater Will’s influence. Because of this hideous act, Godwyn becomes the Prince of Death, alive only in body. Since Godwyn is also described as “the first to fall” in the Night of the Black Knives, the Mausoleums might keep the soulless bodies of other demigods killed in the same fashion. For the moment, though, that’s just speculation, and there’s no official information to confirm these Demigods’ identity.
If the Mausoleum demigods were killed like Godwyn, they may carry the Death Blight of the soulless champion. That would explain why their corpses are guarded by spectral knights and placed on top of a stone mausoleum, from where they can’t touch the gorund and mingle with the Erdtree’s roots.
