Fans are starting to get a grip on Elden Ring lore after a couple of playthroughs and reading all the equipment flavor text. One of the most fascinating lore pieces of all is how all the characters relate to each other. The demigods are a complex family tree, as are most gods in mythology.
Elden Ring's naming conventions can make it all the harder to remember who is who and what their relationship to each other is. There is Godwyn, Godrick, Radagon, Rykard, Rennala, Malenia, Mohg, Morgott, and Miquella. A lot of R, M, and G names which are all related in some way or another.
The Children Of Rennala And Radagon
The relationship between Rennala and Radagon is very important in Elden Ring. Radagon meant to go to war with Rennala and her people, but they fell in love and got married. Rennala is royalty (not a god), but since Radagon is a god, they had three demigod children: Radahn, Ranni, and Rykard. Radagon and Rennala's relationship did not last, though, as Marika banished her consort, Godfrey, and bid that Radagon return to her and become her consort. He obeyed and left Rennala. Marika took in Radahn, Ranni, and Rykard as her stepchildren.
Radahn inherited his father's red hair and loved to show it off (despite Radagon actually hating his red hair). He is often mistaken by fans for Godfrey's son because he has lions (the symbol of Godfrey) on his armor. The truth is that the lions are there because Radahn looked up to Godfrey. Radahn also inherited skills in magic from his mother, Rennala, and studied gravity magic.
Ranni is the child most close to her mother, and she dedicated herself to magic. In fact, fans believe Ranni holds a grudge against the Greater Will, Marika, and Radagon for what they did to her mother. This would explain part of why she destroyed her original body and bound her soul to a doll. Unlike her brothers, she was actually up for replacing Marika along with Miquella and Malenia since they all inherited Empyrean blood. However, she did not wish to have that destiny and escaped it.
Rykard also inherited the magical curiosities of his mother and studied hexes in Mt. Gelmir before he built Volcano Manor there. Unlike Radahn and Ranni, he has little evidence to show a certain closeness or pride over his parents. Some evidence suggests he was a little close to Ranni, as she gave him traces of the Rune of Death before the Night of Black Knives.
The Children Of Radagon And Marika
Radagon and Marika are one god that can separate into two, and a lot of fans have theorized that that affected their children's unique conditions, as one was afflicted with Scarlet Rot and the other could not grow up past looking like a child. Both are Empyreans who, like Ranni, were up to replace Marika and their names were Malenia and Miquella.
Malenia inherited her father's red hair, and when the Shattering happened, she fought her half-brother Radahn over each other's Great Runes. She caused him to go insane by afflicting him with Scarlet Rot and then fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion from the battle. She was taken to the roots of the Haligtree, where she was going to meet up with her twin brother, Miquella. The two are suggested to be very close.
Miquella had issues of his own, though. He abandoned the Golden Order, finding it useless since it could not cure his sister's Scarlet Rot. He dedicated himself to finding a cure for his sister's ailment. With his own blood, he created the Haligtree and planned to find a way to grow up as well as cure Malenia there. However, he fell into a deep sleep and was kidnapped by his half-brother Mohg, who wanted to raise him to a full god and become his consort. That plan failed, as Miquella never responded to Mohg.
The Children Of Godfrey And Marika
Godfrey was the first husband of Marika and the first Elden Lord. He was not a god, but did lead a war against the Giants and was known as a hero. However, he was eventually exiled by Marika because his warrior spirit faded. They had a number of children, one demigod, and twin omens. The demigod was Godwyn and the Omens were Mohg and Morgott.
Godwyn the Golden was famous for defeating the dragons and gaining their respect. However, he was also the first demigod to ever die. He was assassinated in the Night of Black Knives through the actions of his half-sister, Ranni. This particularly devastated Marika, and it is believed to be what caused her to ultimately shatter the Elden Ring. Godwyn was not completely dead though, as he became the first of Those Who Live in Death. His spirit never returned to the Erdtree and his body corrupted the tree's roots. He became known as the Prince of Death.
The other two children were omens, which are oppressed people in the Lands Between. Due to their lineage, though, they were not killed and simply banished. They were Mohg and Morgott. Mohg studied blood magic and kidnapped his half-brother, Miquella, in hopes he could gain power while Morgott remained loyal and protective to the Erdtree.
Other Members Of The Demigod Family
There are also gods and demigods that do not fit neatly into the three piles. Maliketh is a half-wolf and is Marika's half-brother. According to the lore, he was incredibly loyal to Marika and was her sworn shadow much like Blaidd is to Ranni. He was put in charge of the Rune of Death, which would later have traces stolen by Ranni. He lived in shame from failing Marika.
Godrick the Grafted is a demigod, and has lineage back to Marika, Godfrey, and Godwyn. It is unknown how many generations he is separated from them, though. According to Kenneth, Godrick may be the very last living member of Godwyn's lineage. Due to his ancestry, Godrick boasts to be called Godrick the Golden, like Godwyn. However, the name never stuck because of how diluted his royal blood is.
Elden Ring is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
