Queen Marika is the immortal ruler of the Lands Between. She is not just a monarch but also a God. In the course of her reign, she commanded the Golden Army, which radiantly ruled the Lands Between for an eternal era. It was during that period, she was enshrined and worshiped all across the Lands Between.
Marika is descended from the race of Numens, who are said to be a race of otherworldly beings. You can even choose Numenian as your player’s race during initial character creation, it although bears no significance for us.
God-Queen Marika was also an Empyrean, which means someone who can receive great power. All Empyreans are regarded as deities and revered by inhabitants of Lands Between.
Despite her overwhelming introduction, Marika the Eternal Queen is the most convoluted character in the Elden Ring. She was groomed to host the Elden Ring inside of her, probably from a very young age. Afterwards she was elevated to become the ultimate authority of Lands Between on behalf of the Greater Will.
Greater Will itself does not have any physical form; just imagine it being similar to one of the laws of physics governing our universe. Queen Marika and her Golden Army spread the influence of Greater Will in many parts of Lands Between through conquest.
Queen Marika was the first to separate a Great Rune from the Elden Ring. She gave the Rune of Death to her shadow Maliketh in form of a black sword. Shadows are bound to the will of their master, and they never disobey their master’s orders.
Maliketh gained control over death itself on behalf of Queen Marika. The beings of Lands Between who were blessed with Erdtree’s grace were Immortal with their life force bound to the Erdtree. With the seperation of Rune of Death, this eternal life could be severed on Marika’s command if she deemed so, using Maliketh’s black sword.
Queen Marika’s intentions appear to have changed within her lifetime. She played the most integral role in enforcing the reign of Erdtree and the Greater Will upon the inhabitants of the Lands Between. She also waged countless wars, conspired and conducted diplomacy for the Greater Will.
Queen Marika before betraying the Erdtree caused great suffering on its behalf. Eventually, she also seems to be the one who deceived the Greater Will by triggering the Great Shattering of the Elden Ring. It is believed she realized the extent of her actions only after her son Godwyn was killed in the Night of Black Knives. Another instance could be when she fused with her male form, Radagon. These crucial experiences could have influenced and changed her.
Queen Marika was punished with an eternal imprisonment inside the Erdtree for her actions. Her crucified form that we meet at the end of the game almost looks like a puppet attached to its thread. She was in my opinion, puppeteered by Greater Will the whole time. When she rebelled she was punished by perpetually being hanged in the likeness of a puppet as an eternal example.
The players can only guess what kind of person Queen Marika is. What I can tell you is, she is a broken person haunted by her own legacy. This is clearly visible as her portrayal when we meet her is like a cracked clay doll who is missing chunks of her body.
Regardless, Queen Marika is a complex character who played the part of both the good and the evil.
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Are Marika and Radagon the Same Person?
As you play the game, it is revealed that Marika and Radagon are the same person. During the end fight of the game, Queen Marika’s golden hair becomes red as she transforms into Radagon.
The two who are one, Marika and Radagon, seem to have different personalities or souls even if they share the same body. During the shattering of the Elden Ring, Marika was hammering to break the ring, while Radagon was hammering to mend the ring.
Radagon and Marika share the same body, but have two minds. One was unable to control another’s actions. Despite them living in the same body, they got married and even had twin children Malenia and Miquella. The children were born cursed, as they were conceived by parents who were essentially the same being.
Why Did Marika Shatter the Elden Ring?
The aftermath of the shattering is the world experienced by the player during the gameplay of Elden Ring. After connecting a web of threads, we have reached a conclusion on why Marika could have started to oppose the Greater Will and Shattered the Elden Ring.
It is told that she conspired with Ranni to get the fragment of Destined Death (Rune of Death) stolen from Maliketh’s Sword. The piece of destined death was used to forge the black knives that Numenian assassins used to kill Godwyn the Golden, son of Queen Marika and Elden lord Godfrey.
After the death of her son it is said that Queen Marika lost her wits. It is not clear when she was driven to oppose everything the Golden Order and the Greater Will stood for, but even if just for a moment she must had regained her clarity enough to hammer the Elden Ring and cause the shattering.
Who Are The Husbands of Queen Marika?
Depending on the ending of the game, Queen Marika can have 2 or 3 husbands. Let’s not call them husbands, consort is the proper word.
First is Elden Lord Godfrey. Second is the Champion Radagon. Lastly the third can be you, the Player Tarnished.
Tarnished in Elden Ring will uncover the sites where Queen Marika was revered. Your path will be directed, or maybe misdirected by her, it is up to your interpretation. At the very end of your journey, you are led to Queen Marika. You can free her from her shackles when you become the Elden Lord. At that end moment you inherently become Marika’s third consort.
Who Are The Children of Queen Marika?
Queen Marika had children with 2 of her spouses. All of her children are considered demigods. They are the ones who fought the great war against each other for power during the Shattering.
With Elden Lord Godfrey she had Godwyn the Golden, Mogh, the Lord of Blood and Morgott, the Omen King.
With the Second Elden Lord and her Male form Radagon she had twins, a daughter Malenia, the Severed and son Miquella the Unalloyed.
When she was Radagon, he married Rennala, a Carian Queen. They had 3 children who are regarded as Queen Marika’s stepchildren. The 3 are Ranni the Lunar Princess, Praetor Rykard and General Radahn.
Are the Elden Beast and Queen Marika Same?
The Elden Beast is the living form of the Elden Ring. The Elden Beast is housed inside Queen Marika, so it can be said, the Elden Beast is the same as Queen Marika. But in reality, Queen Marika was used as a vessel to contain the Elden Ring and to impose its will upon the inhabitants of Lands Between.
During the end fight of the game after you defeat Radagon, the Elden Beast rises from the corpse. Meanwhile, the remaining body of Radagon becomes the sword that the Elden Beast holds.
