InElden Ring’s lore, there are people called Empyreans that live in the Lands Between. These are rare people, and much is still unknown about them. Known Empyreans include Malenia, Ranni, Marika, Miquella, and the Gloam-eyed Queen. In terms ofwhat being an Empyrean means, these beings are known to have godly potential. They can work on behalf of an Outer God, like how Marika does with the Greater Will.
One other detail known about them is that they are given shadows bythe Greater Will. These wolf-like shadows are incredibly loyal to their respective Empyreans, though these shadows also can go into a frenzy if their masters decide to go against the Golden Order. The only known shadows are Ranni’s and Marika’s, which are Blaidd and Maliketh respectively. With the Gloam-eyed Queen herself being unknown, it makes sense that her shadow would be also unknown. However, what happened to Malenia and Miquella’s shadows remains one of the games' greatest mysteries. The fact that they lack shadows and are also connected by being twins is quite interesting.
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About Malenia And Miquella
Malenia warred with her demigod siblings after the Elden Ring was shattered by Marika. She was born with the curse of Scarlet Rot. Her combat skills were taught by a blind swordsman who sealed away theOuter God of Rot. Malenia was very close with her twin brother and decided to become his blade. Miquella was also born with a curse: he could not grow past childhood. While Malenia worked as his blade, he studied for a way to undo both their curses. Both managed to claim shards of the Elden Ring, and continued to work together. Malenia won many battles after the Shattering, but eventually lost herself to the Scarlet Rot in order to defeat Radahn. This put her in a coma, and she was taken to the Haligtree to recover.
According to the description of Malenia’s Winged Helm, she considered Miquella the most fearsome of the Empyreans. This was because he could compel affection from others. It was likely that Miquella would have replaced Marika if the Golden Order had its way, but Golden Order and Miquella did not see eye to eye. Miquella did not like that the Golden Order had no cure for Malenia’s curse. He created the Haligtree in the hopes it could be a new Erdtree. He went into a deep sleep at the base of the tree but wasultimately kidnaped in his cocoon by Mohg.
No shadows are mentioned in any of the lore, despite lore dictating that Empyreans are all given shadows like Blaidd and Maliketh. Malenia can be fought and defeated while Miquella remains in a cocoon evenafter Mohg is killed. While the shadows are a big mystery with no clear answer yet, there are some convincing theories that fans have shared.
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Shadow Theories
The most likely theory fans have put out is that Miquella and Malenia had to kill their own shadows. This is because Miquella defiedthe Golden Ordermuch like Ranni does in her questline. Ranni had Blaidd as her shadow, who was incredibly loyal to her. If her quest is completed, though, Blaidd goes mad and has to be killed by the Tarnished. The shadows ultimately were created by the Greater Will and thus will revolt if their masters work against it. Blaidd was proof that, no matter how good-natured and loyal these shadows are, they will turn against their masters when their master betrays the Greater Will.
This means that Miquella could have seen his shadow betray him when he decided to go against the Greater Will andmake a new Erdtree. The same would be true of Malenia, who worked together with her brother. It’s also possible that the twins somehow trapped their shadows somewhere in the Lands Between. Some fans are hoping that DLC could get into Miquella and Malenia’s absent shadows. If the shadows were trapped somewhere, those could be fascinating boss battles.
Another theory relates to Malenia and Miquella’s curses. Their curses set them apart from other Empyreans. It’s possible that due to their curses, the Greater Will decided not to give the twins shadows. This could be particularly true for Malenia, as her curse also has to do with another Outer God that the Greater Will would see as an enemy. It could be that due to their curses, the Greater Willput more of its faith in Rannidespite there being three candidates to replace Marika.
Whatever the case may be, fans are hoping thatElden Ringwill get Miquella-related DLC, since his cocoon cannot yet be touched in the game and Sir Gideon hinted that it should be taken care of. If Miquella DLC does come out, then it’s also possible that fans will learn that fate of Malenia and Miquella’s shadows.
Elden Ringis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
