Understanding the Lore behind the Lands Between. Elden Ring, its Narrative and World-Building
In the most recent installment of gaming, one of the most complex worlds is “The Lands Between” in Elden Ring. It is often offputting that Elden Ring’s “Lands Between” is still mocked for having a base design, however, it’s incredibly intricate. This was made possible because of From Software’s unparalleled narrative design alongside George R.R. Martin, who crafted a land that, much like the fiction literature, myths, and conflict that weaved through its borders, is as exquisite as it is puzzling. As a “Sitz im Leben” With its Primary idea of worldbuilding, “The Elden Ring” aims to accentuate the beauty of bewildering history by revealing it through myriads of myths and metaphors scattered across lands of the “between.” The task ahead is Herculean, and to understand this lore in-depth, it is important to review the main aspects that constitute this world and how they work together to the main story the user progressively uncovers as they travel.
The Erdtree: The Emblem Behind Hierarchy and Authority
Scattered across the Lands Between, you will find the impressive, large, and blinding tree known as the Erdtree, which serves as both the center of the world and the reason behind the divine influence it has on the world. The Erdtree, with its golden shine illuminating the fields below, serves as a representation of the Greater Will (yeah, I know) – a puzzling power that reigns over the entire world. Its roots, metaphorically and not, reach throughout the land, bestowing life, order, and plenty. The golden leaves symbolize the power of the Elden Ring. In case you did not know, this is a mystical object that represents the laws and order of the universe. Fundamentally, the Erdtree (place at the center of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC) provides a breathtaking sight to lay eyes upon, but it also serves as the backbone for the entire land, its people, and its civilization.
With the Golden Order which forms a divine system, life and death can be controlled providing authority and stability to the world’s hierarchy. Nevertheless, and as clear as it may seem, such systems are not perfect. The state of the world, which is in decline, fractured, and corrupted gives room to wonder what is the notch in the Erdtree’s power.
The Shattering and Everything That Happened After Elden Ring’s Fall
At the center of Elden Ring lore is the event called ‘the Shattering’. This cataclysmic occurrence ruptured not only the perspective of the Elden Ring but also the entire power structure of the Lands Between. The Elden Ring was shattered into pieces, which served a higher purpose at one time: Keeping order, balance, and existence intact. With the Elden ring shattered, the greater will lose control over the world and it started descending further into chaos.
Everything went astray when Queen Marika, The never-ending ruler of the land between, violated the will of the higher power – Greater Will by eliminating the Elden Ring. Her concern behind it is still not fully known, but her rebellion was strong enough to set off a war with her demigod extremists. Every child, wanting more power, began to fight over each fragment of the broken ring. The horrific conflict known as the Shattering War began and resulted in multiple partitions with the rise of the demigod. Each loses their mind and morals, engaging in a never-ending race to seize control of the lands between them.
This break in the divine order rationalizes the players’ world which is broken and filled with remnants of many kingdoms deteriorating due to greed, ambition, and divine vengeance, with the player having to explore endless empires. As the Tarnished, you’re given the immense responsibility of not only piecing together the shards of the Elden Ring but also deciding what to do with the Lands Between; whether to set things in order or completely transform the region.
Queen Marika is perhaps the most controversial character in the lore of Elden Ring. It is her actions as a god and a traitor of Greater Will that make her a focal point of the game’s cosmic narrative. She was given dominion over the Lands Between by Greater Will as an enforcement of the Golden Order for her to exercise due to her divinity. The rebellion that she orchestrated by dismantling the system she was supposed to protect is what sets the stage for the game.
Marika’s children, as a result of her couplings with Radagon and Godfrey, are demigods who have great power and dominion over the different parts of the Lands Between. They came to be the heads of several factions, and after the Elden Ring was broken, they claimed its pieces, The Great Runes. The Great Runes granted each of the demigods a portion of divinity enabled by the Elden Ring, but it had its repercussions in the form of madness and corruption.
Take Godrick the Grafted, for example. He is an early major demigod boss who comes across as a hideous character whose obsession with power has led him to animalistic body augmentation. In a display of hatred and hunger for might, he implants the body parts of his slain enemies onto his own self. In the same vein, Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon is known to be a broken ruler due to being shattered by tumultuous betrayal and loss while grappling with her piece of the Elden Ring.
Each demigod embodies a piece of the broken world literally by having the Great Runes and thematically as the holder of different sides of the disconnected power system. To assemble the shattered Elden Ring, the Tarnished must fight the demigods and claim the Great Runes with their respective pieces. For the Elden Ring to return to its former glory as many players who buy cheap PS4 games know it, the Tarnished must come out as victors against the demigods. Now they can start their journey of rebuilding the world in a more balanced state.
Tarnished: Agents of Change in a Dying World
The Tarnished are a main component of the lore along with the Tale of the Elden Ring. The Tarnished are a stark difference from the mighty demigods, being exiles that had the grace of the Golden Order bestowed upon them but were abandoned once the Tarnished could not meet the standard of the Golden Order. After being sent away from the realm of Lands Between, the Shattering provided hope after calling back the Tarnished with grace and allowed them to go out into the world and reclaim their lost glory.
The Tarnished is a representation of a balance against the divine conflict of the demigods. While the demigods fought over shards of the Elden Ring, it was the responsibility of the Tarnished to assemble these shards while going beyond their existence as mortals, which means they served as intermediaries between the gods and men. The journey they embark on across the Lands Between serves as a metaphorical pilgrimage—one that seeks to achieve personal absolution and at the same time alter the outcome of a world tainted due to divine treachery and arrogance. The player is constantly faced with decisions that will determine the fate of the Lands Between, whether it be to bring back the Golden Order or completely oppose it and start fresh.
The Themes of Order, Chaos, and Choice
The lore of Elden Ring has intricate themes that mirror the power’s delicacy and the omnipotent rule’s cycle. The shattering of the Elden Ring portrays the brokenness of a once flawlessly structured reality that was left in chaos, decay, and relentless ambition. The player, as Tarnished, is thrown into this dying world with the Herculean task of making one of two choices: restoring the old order or embracing radical change.
Whereas the overarching theme of earlier FromSoftware games is cyclical rebirth or the idea of a curse enduring, Elden Ring focuses on rebuilding. The fragmented pieces of the world are yours to assemble. This shifts the deeply philosophical question of the narrative to whether the world should be restored or should it be time to let the gods perish and a new world order is established. The multiple endings of the Elden Ring, a great feat if you buy PS5 adventure games, convey this moral and philosophical decision and accentuate the matter of fact that the Tarnished has the responsibility to decide the fate and future of the world.
Crafting a World Through Environmental Storytelling
While they might have a rich history of storytelling in games, FromSoftware is renowned for Elden Rings and its environmental storytelling techniques. The backstory for the Lands Between is not given through regular exposition but rather through environmental hints such as ruined castles, statues of forgotten gods, abandoned temples, and the remains of once powerful civilizations.
The ruins of temples are some of the features that tell the story behind the Caelid region. Malenia, the Blade of Miquella, had a corruption rot inflicted upon her which parallels to the decaying scabs found in the Caelid region. Every decayed building, lore, and item descriptions form a larger narrative of deterioration, corruption, and the possibility for renewal.
A Universe of Forgotten Glory and Broken Gods
To elicit a master-class level of layered storytelling, a world within the lore of Elden Ring is teeming with diverse forgotten histories, divine scheming, and fractured alliances. The Lands Between is not simply set in the backdrop, but rather is another character of the story, alive and active, having been shaped by the actions of the mortals, demigods, and gods. As the Tarnished, it is you who strolls through a world in the effect of betrayal where the narrative’s power to shape the destiny of the world rests within you. This is where the intertwining mythos with narrative and world-building stems from, making Elden Ring irresistibly unforgettable, drawing players to a world where each inch is bursting with unexplored mysteries and each choice is able to shift the fundamental principles of the world.
