#overlap them all for the true GEQ

[miirshroom]

The Multi-Faceted Gloam Eyed Queen

So one of the principles of Elden Ring is history repeating, especially with regards to Miquella. For this reason, I've recently been wondering if Malenia is a kind of proxy for the Gloam Eyed Queen.

Things that we could learn about the Gloam Eyed Queen if this is the case:

The Haligtree site was formerly the GEQ's domain and/or a place that the GEQ visited and uncovered something even more ancient embedded in the roots. It is where Malenia is found and fought. Essentially, Malenia's Rune would be an in-universe way of conveying that the story she claimed is the story of the Gloam Eyed Queen, who is a mysterious a figure because the records of her exploits were poorly kept and have rotted away.

Farum Azula can be seen from Malenia's isolated Divine Tower. Godskins of the GEQ are also found there. Basically adding strength to the fandom speculation that Farum Azula was within the domain of the Gloam Eyed Queen - though I suspect that it more likely originated as a domain for the God of Rot found at the deepest origins of the Great Rune. Critically, Farum Azula was uprooted by a twister and it is not impossible that the Haligtree site was believed to be one of its former locations - perhaps even the earliest (another site with good environmental clues is at the Woodfolk Ruins). In very early maps of the game the Haligtree itself was not in the Mountaintops, but instead south of Liurnia/Limgrave.

The GEQ went on a campaign of death around the continent starting from the north and going around to Caelid. This is corroborated by the way that Godskin related stuff is scattered in almost every region, and the Godslayer Sword locked away in Caelid.

Malenia and Radahn's battle would be a proxy match for the Gloam Eyed Queen vs Godfrey - presumably ending the campaign of both.

Millicent would portray the origin of an earlier depowered form of the Gloam Eyed Queen - a proto-GEQ or an amnesiac splinter of a former Goddess mentored by a Sage in the ways of Unalloyed Gold. This seems to pluck at and even older version of the conflicts between GEQ vs Godfrey and Malenia vs Radahn which occurred in the days of Siofra: The God who would one day become the God of Rot itself vs the Sun God that would later be known as the Fell God. Essentially, speculating that Commander O'Neil is fighting on the site where his ancestor faced the goddess of Rot (Millicent's sister "Polyanna" being available for this fight).

The Shaded Castle venerates Malenia in the present, but is implied to have been around for a very long time. Perhaps they previously were an ally of the proto-GEQ - responsible for "arming" her with certain weapons or tools similar to the way that Millicent is "armed".

The Godskin Swaddling Cloth being found in the Spiritcaller Cave implies that the GEQ travelled there, but that it was also where the practice of new conversions to her cause ended (the talisman was discarded here). Millicent also takes a detour to the Mountaintop of the Giants, and identifies Castle Sol as holding the key to the Haligtree. Sol = Sun = Flame of the Fell God. Similar to the Fire Giant having a weak leg, the Peg-legged Commander Niall is also serving as a Fell God proxy here.

The idea of identities breaks down a bit here, because it is implied from the One Eyed Shield that Marika was personally responsible for doing something believed to have slain the Fell God, and from other context elsewhere Hoarah Loux / Godfrey was the main driver of the campaign against the giants. So it would be contradictory to outright claim the GEQ as responsible for defeating the Fell God. However, in the Shadowlands Miquella has a configuration of 4 arms (although one is faded). Which similar to Ranni's four arms is reminiscent of some Hindu deities - an immensely confusing mythology where all of the gods seem to be portrayed as different aspects of each other and also there are many conflicting sects. Of specific note is four-armed Kali - blood drinking goddess of death and time, who wears a tiger pelt and necklace of severed heads and rides a lion into battle, and is also described as the black fire tongue of the fire god Agni. Kali is also generally understood as another aspect of the mother goddess Parvati and the animating force of the male god Shiva (Parvati's husband). Previous post describing Kali connections in greater detail.

And then there are the alternate universe versions to cross reference. The main angle of approach for this is following up on other appearances of the Valkyrie motif.

In Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel DLC there is the similarly eye-blind and similarly Valkyrie themed Sister Freide (or "Black Flame" Freide). Freide = Friday = Freya. This is the largest hint that the GEQ is paradoxically both jailor and pawn of the Fell God - Father Ariandel being chained in a secret room beyond Freide and his bowl of Embers having synergy with both the Fire Prelates and the Fire Giant who fights with the lid of a bowl (the forge). The DLC is also a snow world with themes of rot and blood similar to the Consecrated Snowfield (depending on whether proceeding to the Haligtree or taking the Mohgwyn Palace portal).

In Dark Souls 2 there is the Duke's Dear Freyja, and - aside from this boss being a big spider - it does maintain the theme that the "Freya" character is typically understood in context of a male character. I had a previous post speculating on the significance of spiders to the Haligtree.

In Dark Souls 1 the "Duke" is Seath the Scaleless who is implied to be the creator of half-breed Priscilla. Similar to Sister Freide, Priscilla is end boss of a Painted World - and the connection is strengthened by the wooden half-dragon statue covered by a rotted fur cloak that is found in Freide's arena. The Moonlight Greatsword is obtained by cutting off the tail of Seath the Scaleless - this is relevant for the next entry.

An entirely different portrayal in Demon's Souls where Selen Vinland wears the gold-winged helmet and armor similar to Malenia. Original on left and remake on right. She seeks to send a message to a younger brother named Garl Vinland who guards a helpless blonde woman named Maiden Astraea. Garl's silver helmet is smooth faced with no visible eyeholes and has a large crest that seems to imply that a conifer is the symbol of the houses of Vinland. Maiden Astrea lore indicates that she tends to the plague-stricken and diseased people of the Valley of Defilement and can be slain to obtain a Pureblood Demon's Soul, but when attacked may relate with a spell obtained from the Dragon God Demon's Soul. Give Garl's Crest to Selen and with low faith she returns "Dark Moon Grass". At faith above a certain threshold she returns a silver "Ring of Devout Prayer" which can be obtained in two alternate ways: 1) dropped by Saint Urban, 2) trade the Large Sword of Moonlight to a crow. Selena own equipment includes a unique curved sword named "Blind" which similar to the Large Sword of Moonlight (and no other sword in the game) has the ability to ignore shields.

I have guess for Bloodborne, but my understanding of that game is not complete so I'll reserve that one for now. Similar for Armored Core 4.

In the Shadow of the Erdtree, Freya is a golden warrior and former gladiator. A member of Radahn's army - but it was both Godfrey and Radagon who have themes of being former gladiators and Shadow of the Erdtree itself establishes Radahn + Miquella as a proxy for Hoarah Loux + Serosh. Her identity in generally is very confused with multiple eras and characters getting mixed up.

I wonder if Metyr's role is to be a GEQ imposter or mimic. Essentially a misinterpretation of the GEQ's narrative that does a Freudian slip and lingers too much on the "mother" aspect. There are no spiders in Elden Ring - again as discussed in a previous post - but the many finger creeper enemies are like a facsimile of spiders.