Summary
Elden Ring’sGloam-Eyed Queen is shrouded in mystery. She was the Empyrean who originally wielded Destined Death and cradled the Godskin Apostles who still hunt the demigods to this day. Chosen by her own Two Fingers, she rivalled Queen Marika’s rule, butMalikethdefeated her in battle and sealed away Destined Death within his blade, securing Marika’s immortal age.
The Gloam-Eyed Queen’s identity is still unknown even afterShadow of the Erdtree, but there are clues that lend credence to the theory that Melina, who becomes our maiden at the very start of the game, was the Gloam-Eyed Queen all along.
Breaking Down The Evidence
As Reddit user InfiniteTakedown explains in their incredibly impressive and detailed thread (which you can read in full above), it’s never stated that the Gloam-Eyed Queenstolethe rune of Destined Death, merely that she had it. This seems to imply that she was once a trusted demigod, and we know that Marika bestowed Great Runes among her children.
There’s countless evidence in Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree thatMelina’s mother is Marika. She was born at the foot of the Erdtree, which Shadow of the Erdtree places as the Shaman Village where Marika herself was born, can translate the messages left behind at Marika’s churches, and is seemingly referenced inMessmer’s Kindlingas his younger sister.
Melina says that she now lives “burned and bodyless” (which we can see as she fades in and out of existence at Sites of Grace), though we never learn why. This theory suggests that she was the one defeated by Maliketh, sending her soul to the realm of shadow where “All manners of death wash up”. We know that Queen Marika’s deathless age didn’t start untilafterMaliketh sealed away the rune of Destined Death in his sword, so if Melina is the Gloam-Eyed Queen, her defeat would leave her bodyless.
The Visual Clues
The most obvious clue is that Melina has a gloamed eye, which fits the description perfectly. But when she says she will deliver “Destined Death” upon you (another piece of evidence in itself), she finally opens her closed eye, revealing that it’s a dark purple hue—gloam can mean twilight or dusk, so this is yet another visual clue.
Shadow of the Erdtree’s key art also shows Miquella riding Torrent, and we know that Torrent is summoned from the realm of shadow. Melina is the one in possession of theSpectral Steed Whistleused to call on the horse, so it stands to reason that she and Miquella have some kind of relationship and that she is tied to the realm of shadow in some way.
Marika also decides that the Golden Order needs to end, hence the Shattering. InfiniteTakedown posits that she may have freed Melina, the Gloam-Eyed Queen, to bring about this future.
As for Melina’s true body, it might be hiding in plain sight. In the lower depths of the Caelid Divine Tower, we find a Godskin Apostle defending the Godslayer’s Greatsword, described as the “Sacred sword of the Gloam-Eyed Queen”. This could be her grave as without Destined Death, the sword wouldn’t be nearly as much of a threat as it once was. Sealing it away here appears to be purely ceremonial.
And lastly, the denizens of the Windmill Village can be seen dancing in a festival that “pre-dates the Erdtree”, flaying their victims as an offering to the Godskin Apostle at the top of the hill. In a painting quest located here, you can acquire theFire’s Deadly Sinincantation which states that “The burning of the Erdtree is the first cardinal sin”, and what is Melina’s ultimate goal? To offer herself as kindling to do just that. She even describes it as a “cardinal sin”.
So, to summarise. Melina is the Gloam-Eyed Queen, was defeated by Maliketh and sent to the realm of shadow, met Miquella and was gifted Torrent, and was then freed by Marika to find a Tarnished who could bring about the end of the Golden Order. It all fits together nicely.
Elden Ring
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
