Melina, The Failed Successor - Elden Ring Lore Theory

Hey everyone! A video long in the works. Melina has been one of my favourite characters in Elden Ring. She is steeped in mystery, from her involvement with Destined Death, to burning the Erdtree, being Marika's daughter and her connections with Ranni, Miquella and the Gloam Eyed Queen.

Today we dive into Melina's story, what we know about her and attempt to put the whole picture together.

Thank you as always to @DSCinematics for their fantastic Elden Ring cinematics.

[rabbidguarddog]

Most wholesome dialogue from Melina imo is when she asks us to be considerate of Boc.

[bjollnirbjordsen]

I think you nailed the timeline of Melina. Marika wanted a successor but when she realized her successor was going to bring back DD, she got cold feet, only to finally acquiesce when she realized there was no viable alternative that didn't involve using Melina

[Midnitethorn]

This is by far the most satisfying video out there on Melina.

[Pizzifrizzo]

I mostly agree with your theory, but I have a couple of issues with the timeline. First of all, Messmer seems to be informed of what a Tarnished is, which would place Godfrey's banishment prior to the Crusade. I'd say it's fair to surmise that the Crusade was the last thing Marika did before recalling Radagon to the Capital to become Elden Lord and estabilish the Golden Order.

Secondly, we find that the Crusaders have grown some Minor Erdtrees in the Realm of Shadows. Since the Erdtree sheds seeds only when it's in mortal danger, and something caused the early Erdtree's blessings to stop flowing, I'd say we can connect the dots and surmise that Melina's rebellion was before Messmer's crusade. This is why she's mentioned in Messmer's Kindling. Moreover, let's remember that the Godskins are serpentine in aspect, which may link them to Gelmir's Serpent God (who is said to be a traitor to the Erdtree and was already reviled during Godfrey's reign, as per the Duellist set). If things are as such, Marika's fear of Messmer would only be componded and give her one very strong reason to banish him to the Realm of Shadow. This may also explain why Messmer was so reviled among Erdtree aristocracy that when they disowned their scions when they chose to follow him.

One last addendum: there's some evidence suggesting that Destined Death wasn't completely sealed away until the creation of the Golden Order, which seem to coincide with Radagon's reign (Last Protagonist, amon others, has published excellent material about this matter). If this is so, is it so strange to conclude that Melina was the first "warden" of the Rune of Death, in a time where it was much less feared and its workings less restricted? Only, maybe she could smell blood in the water (plus her visions of the Erdtree burning) and got a feeling where her mother reign was headed, thus prompting her rebellion.

[Vugen]

Its insane how much lore there is in 1 game! This is a masterpiece that takes years to understand

[alsafyche]

Miquella's boss fight literally starts with him saying that he chose us from the start and guided our whole journey for his own purpose. So Torrent was just following what Miq told him to do.

Defeating Miquella means attaining our own agency. We might not have been mind controlled but we were set on a specific path.

[AlanSmithee-rt]

An interesting bit of dialogue that I think hints at why Melina is a kindling maiden is Marika's echo at the outer wall battleground site of grace. "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..." I think the use of the word 'sacrifice' there and in Enia's dialogue is significant. It really does feel to me like the story From is telling here is that Melina was the GEQ, was defeated by Maliketh and as a result became a kindling maiden.

Another small connection is the shapes of the Godslayer sword and fire knight greatswords, they are strikingly similar, hinting at a connection between Messmer and the GEQ.

[jmay]

How do you only have 801 subscribers?! Great job sir, ill certainly follow you for more content and theories going forward.

[nightfire]

Pretty much lines up perfectly with my general canon on Melina. Could nitpick the timeline specifics but the overall story seems to match perfectly. Easy subscribed.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the connection between Marika, Metyr, the eternal cities, and the Black Knife Assassins.

Marika is both a Numen and a Shaman. The black knife assassins are said to have ties to Marika and are described as Scions of the Eternal City. The eternal city betrayed and wounded Metyr (who presumably guided Marika or the GEQ). We know that the wound on Metyr caused it to be abandoned by the greater will and that the greater will punished the people of the eternal city. In addition the Nameless Eternal City is beneath Leyndell and its missing throne is found is Sellia.

There is just so much there it’s hard to make sense of and it feels important to the story at large.

[Gabriel-heuv]

This is by far the most concise and reasonable explanation video for the events in the game ive seen so far. I was maddening trying to wrap everything up and tough we still dont know 100% this was really neat. Thank you

[ravendelacour]

The idea of Melina being a reprogrammed Gloam-Eyed Queen and Marika's child was pretty common even before the DLC. However, I have also seen the idea that the god of the previous Crucible Age was the original GEQ, the giant serpent Marika harvests gold from in the story trailer, that had Placidusax as their Elden Lord and served as the vassal for the Outer God of Death mentioned in the Gravebird description. That the Death God would then seduce Marika's own child to serve as their new Gloam-Eyed Queen and challenge Marika would be a beautifully ironic revenge designed to mentally destroy Marika.

[cyrusol]

The one Tarnished that is the player is special.
The Hornsent describes us as progeny of the strumpet, strumpet is Marika. Meaning we are yet another child of Marika, perhaps even a demigod although the latter seems unknown to the people of the Lands Between (if it was true).
The Walking Mausoleums only hold the most esteemed/valuable individuals, and in the very first seconds you can hear the sounds of such a mausoleum, heavily slowed, right before "crossing the fog", which could also be a metaphora for being brought back to life after a long slumber in one of these mausoleums.
Gideon says "not even you", Melina says "not even you" - could be a coincidence, could also imply that we/the player is actually really important/special.
Going back to the theory that we might be a demigod, that would explain why Gideon is wrong here (he is actually consistently wrong about a great many things, "all-knowing" has to be a joke).
When Melina recites Marika's command to come back, brandish the Elden Ring, become Elden Lord and so on, she also says Tarnished a manner as if it was one specific Tarnished (i.e. the player), and not a group of people.
And at the end of the day we are also maidenless which has never been the case for any other Tarnished.

[wanton-strumpet]

This was so well done love the format and the way you explained lore. Can't wait to binge your content - got my sub for sure 😁

[eveexeTV]

For me it's as you said Melina has the vision of death flame, the connection between Melina and the Destined Death is exactly what keeps her alive at the end of the frenzied flame enging. (I also could point after dlc that she "could" keeps herself alive divesting her golden eyes or the grace in it in order to open her sealed eye.) If we analyze what's in the game about, the destined death is even capable of killing the lord of the frenzied flame and she claims to be responsible for hunting and killing their lord. Not only is she the kindling maiden, with the purpose on guiding the chosen by grace tarnished on the path to becoming the Elden Lord, but she also has the purpose of killing that same tarnished with the flame of death if the path he chooses (aka three fingers) is not worthy of what she believes. The dialogue of her saying to you "don't speak ill of that" is also the dialogue response to the Shabriri saying that you have a choice on burning the Erdtree and saving Melina (aka taking the Frenzied Flame) and when you are in the Flame of Frenzy Proscription site of grace she says to us "as one who strives to become a lord, deny not the lives and the new births of this world" life is enduring and she see beauty in that. The blade of calling description says that is the blade of the ones that leaves to fullfil her duty and Melina says the exact same words to you after you inherit the frenzied flame she says "If you rise as Lord of Chaos I'll kill you. Such is my duty for allowing you the strenght of runes"

[StreakBreaker]

Great Video. I concur that Melina is the Gloam-Eyed Queen, although I believe the Rune of Death was given to Melina. I don't see a reason why Marika would leave the Rune of Death just lying somewhere, it opens the door for anyone to claim the very power that can kill Marika and her children. No, I think she gave it to Melina because she was a demigod, Empyrean, and her daughter. Who better do guard and bear that power? But as the finger reader Enia says "Tainted by the strength of their runes, her children warred, but none could become Elden Lord." I believe that the Rune of Death somehow corrupted Melina and that is why Maliketh had to defeat her.

[EuclideanVision]

Interesting idea :) nicely put together!
I think we can reconcile Melina in the FF ending?
Spirits are specifically what remains beyond Death of body & soul, the memory of the person per se, and would be still taken as dead.
Melina then is burned & bodiless, yet she lives - because she is a living soul split from its killed body, a la Ranni, and so isn’t actually a spirit?
(Could make sense then how Ranni knows how to use the Rune of Death so specifically?)
Could then argue FF's chaotic nature only reduces everything to nothing once the thing in question dies - it can "kill the dead" rather than the living, so to speak?

[minespatch]

I'd love to see you explore the lore of Sage cave where you find Patches hood, Necromancer Garris, and the black knife assassin. There's so much complexity with that cave that it's worth for a video on its own right.

Speaking of caves, Stillwater is another interesting one. Has the Sage's set, cleanrot knights, it's in Liurnia, might have some interesting speculation in its own right for a short lore video.

[sinuedavidsilvaescutia]

There is this theory from a guy called tomato-chan, that said that our tarnished is actually one of demigods that died long ago, if you think about it, it makes sense that why we are so unique and so powerful that we can defeat the god of our world and even when miquella, a new born god tried to killed the tarnished, he defeated by us and we continue our path to become elden lord.

[faman]

Melina is a Deathbird Priestess at a minimum, given the deathbird talon on her eye. She would have been a custodian of spirits, helping them on their journey. Examples of her role can be found statues in the four Chapels (Aspiration, Stormveil, Lleyndell and Sol) and Meliketh's arena in Farum Azula, where she's surrounded by 3 dogs (a gift from Torrent's former master). More likely than being anything Miquella had control over, it's far more likely that a spirit tender like herself would have access to a spirit animal like Torrent. When Renna gives you the Spirit Bell and Wolf Spirit Ashes, she even says she was asked to give it to you by Torrent's former master, and Melina is the one riding Torrent in the previous cutscene.

That we discover Melina is the Queen of Farum Azula, or a very damn important person there, after her sacrifice and after the final boss puts the nail in it for me.

[SuzumeMizuno]

Wonderful video!! Thank you for your work! <3