Summary
When traveling across The Lands Between inElden Ring, there are a few special locations where the player can hear words spoken by Marika.Melina, the NPC who acts as the maiden guiding the player, can somehow channel echoes of Queen Marika and relay her words to the Tarnished at selected Sites of Grace. This allows the player to gain some insight into the history of the Golden Order, through Marika herself.
The words alone can still be quite cryptic, providing just enough to leave them open to interpretation. It is up to players to strengthen their understanding with other clues, but even then, some questions will never have a solid answer. There are seven spoken echoes, all revealing just a little more about the missing Queen of theLands Between.
1Third Church Of Marika
Stripping Grace From Godfrey And His Warriors
My Lord, and thy warriors. I divest each of thee of thy grace.With thine eyes dimmed, ye will be driven from the Lands Between.Ye will wage war in a land afar, where ye will live, and die.
Here, Marika addresses her husbandGodfrey, and his warriors. She strips Godfrey and his followers of Grace, banishing them to a distant land where they will remain until death. Grace grants immortality, so taking this away before sending them towage warwould likely be the death of many.
This line explains how the Tarnished warriors were created, but not why. Her second spoken echo at the Church of Pilgrimage continues from this one, where she provides the context to understand the player’s journey.
2Church Of Pilgrimage
Making A Promise To The Tarnished
Then, after thy death, I will give back what I once claimed.Return to the Lands Between, wage war, and brandish the Elden Ring.Grow strong in the face of death. Warriors of my lord. Lord Godfrey.
Following on from the previous echo, Marika makes a promise. She says she will return Grace to all Tarnished, promising the title of Elden Lord to those with the strength to claim it. Her words don’t address Godfrey directly this time, as she returns Grace to every warrior who has become tarnished.
It is unclear how long Godfrey and the Tarnished were exiled. Marika remarried, the Elden Ring was later shattered, and unknown eons passed. Players even wonder if their character was one of the original Tarnished or a descendant, like Godfrey’s own Nepheli Loux.
3Grand Lift Of Dectus
Speaking To Those Against The Order
The Erdtree governs all. The choice is thine. Become one with the Order. Or divest thyself of it. To wallow at the fringes; a powerless upstart.
Here Marika speaks to all who would dare to stand against her Golden Order. She threatens banishment tothe fringes, which could mean a few different things. Perhaps some people were exiled, similar to Godfrey and the Tarnished. These, however, would have been the lucky ones.
Far worse fates awaited those who didn’t live by The Erdtree’s rules. The Fire Giants, theHornsent, the Great Caravan, the Omen, and more all suffered Marika’s wrath. Her words here confirm her intolerant nature.
4Outer Wall Battleground
Speaking To Her Children
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…
Marika’s expectations as a mother weighed heavily on her children and stepchildren. These words would likely spark their journeys to become who they were. All the children would reach for their mother’s praise. Most aspired to be Lords, and those born as empyreans would aim for godhood.
EvenMorgott, raised underground because of his Omen status, would become a beacon of a Golden Order that would never accept him. This pressure likely played a part in the many wars after The Shattering, with demigod siblings fighting each other for power.
5Queen’s Bedchamber
Speaking To Radagon
O Radagon, leal hound of the Golden Order. Thou’rt yet to become me. Thou’rt yet to become a god. Let us be shattered, both. Mine other self.
This echo confirms thatMarika is indeed Radagon, just as the statue in Leyndell reveals. These may be the words spoken as Marika shattered the Elden Ring, implying her understanding of the consequences of this act.
It also questions when Radagon and Marika became one. It is not fully understood if Radagon can share the body of a god, but not be one himself. Certain details, like Messmer’s red hair, may imply a different timeline than the one confirmed. Radagon’s connection with Marika may have been much earlier.
6Minor Erdtree Church
On The Golden Order
I declare mine intent, to search the depths of the Golden Order. Through understanding of the proper way, our faith, our grace, is increased. Those blissful early days of blind belief are long past. My comrades; why must ye falter?
Of all the people to doubt the Golden Order,Marikais probably the least expected. From these words, it appears as though she saw problems with the way that the faith was being practiced. This echo reveals her intent to shift fromblind beliefto true understanding.
This echo may provide a possible alternative to the reason for The Shattering. While many accept the fact that Godwyn’s death was the sole cause, Marika probably wanted to change things for a long time. This also aligns with her plan to bring the Tarnished back to the Lands Between.
7First Church Of Marika
Waging War On The Giants
Hark, brave warriors. Hark, my lord Godfrey. We commend your deeds. Guidance has delivered ye through ordeal to the place ye stand. Put the giants to the sword and confine the flame atop the mount. Let a new epoch begin. An epoch glistening with life. Brandish the Elden Ring, for the Age of the Erdtree!
Here, Marika speaks once again to Godfrey and his warriors. She commands them toconfine the flame,eliminating the threat of theFell God’sforge. This war is well recorded. Marika would purge the mountains, leaving one giant alive to watch the flame she was unable to extinguish.
This act would remove one of the main threats to the Erdtree, solidifying the Golden Order as a seat of power in the Lands Between. With the current state of things, it’s difficult to imagine the Age of the Erdtree in its prime, but it was surely a sight to behold.
