Summary
A lot ofElden Ringplayers assumed that FromSoftwarebrought Radahn back in Shadow of the Erdtreeas pure fan service. But evidence is mounting that this was the plan all along.
For context, the missing demigod Miquella is found at the end of the expansion. He uses Mohg’s corpse as a vessel to bring Radahn back to life as his consort so that they can both usher in the Age of Compassion (and tobeat us senseless).
One sleuth,a Reddit user called TarkEgg, put together an incredibly interesting thread that looks closely at some of Miquella’s imagery in the DLC. One of his emblems is a “golden grass motif”, seen on the Dryleaf Robe. A very similar emblem can be seen on the bottom of Starscourge Radahn’s cape in the base game, hinting at the two having already formed a union long before the DLC.
Radahn’s Cape Might Bear The Sigil Of The Haligtree, Not The Erdtree
If you’re not caught up on your Elden Ring lore, let me run you through a very simplified crash course.
The Crucible, described as the melting pot of all life, wasthe primordial form of the Erdtree. The Greater Will sent forward a comet housing the Elden Beast to take root in what item descriptions call the “Great Tree”, which we know is the same as the Golden Tree.
Siluria’s Tree, weapon of one of the two honoured as foremost among the Crucible Knights.
The primordial form of the Erdtree is close in nature to life itself, and this spear, modelled on its crucible, is imbued with ancient holy essence.
Much later in the timeline, after the Shattering, golden seeds flew across The Lands Between “as if life itself knew that its end has come”. These would sprout the Minor Erdtrees and smaller, luminescent saplings—even our runes left on death are marked by fledgling twigs.
At some point, either before or after the Shattering, Miquella left the Golden Order and entombed himself in a new great tree, the Haligtree, using his Empyrean blood to feed the sapling as it grew. This new rival to the Erdtree became a symbol of hope to the outcasts of society, as we discover from the Ivory Sickle wielded by the Albinaurics; “These weapons are evidence of their dedication to the Haligtree, despite never having entered its presence”. Given time, it would have reached similar heights to the Erdtree, but as Miquella was ripped from its roots, it never blossomed.
As pointed out by TarkEgg, Radahn’s cape in the base game features the same tree as the Promised Consort version fromShadow of the Erdtree.
What they suggest is that Radahn’s cape hasalwaysdepicted the Haligtree, not the Erdtree as previously assumed. Why would Miquella adorn Radahn in attire bearing the sigil of the enemy and not their own great tree? Side-by-side, it certainly looks closer to the Haligtree.
As for why Malenia would attack Radahn if the two were sworn to Miquella, the DLC finally gives us an explanation. In the base game’s trailer, she whispered something into his ear that we didn’t get to hear, but his new helmet tells us that she said, “Miquella awaits thee, O promised consort.” Radahn was always on Miquella’s side, we just missed it.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
