This also goes for the games’ dense lore, as our own interpretations of what’s actually going on in these worlds start taking shape. Elden Ring continues this trend. And, thanks to its sheer scale compared to past FromSoft games, hides a wealth information for lore fiends to salivate over – I only wish these damn names weren’t so confusing! The key players in Elden Ring’s world, both past and present, all have names that start with G, R, or M. I’ve always found that a bit odd, until it was pointed out to me that that those are author George R.R. Martin’s initials. Martin, of course, created a lot of a the backstory of Elden Ring before handing it to Hidetaka Miyazaki and the team at FromSoft to build the world of the game around it. Then it all made sense! What kind of dork would intentionally make it so the names of the demigods they created spell out their initials? I wish I could blame this on localisation, but a native English speaker came up with that! And sure, if you’re the celebrated author behind one of fantasy’s most iconic creations, you’ve earned a little bit of an ego trip. But the fact that everyone – including, presumably, Miyazaki – is in on this cruel joke, makes it all the more disturbing. This wasn’t even something Bandai Namco and co. revealed ahead of release as a sort of ‘ha ha, isn’t it funny?’ – we’ve only just realised this after playing. It took me a while to figure out why it was so hard to keep the major figures in Elden Ring straight in my head. One of them even has the odacity to change names, from something that starts with an M to a similar name that… also starts with an M. Here are some of those names, in no particular order or familial relation.
Godwyn. Godfrey. Gideon. Radagon. Radahn. Ranni. Marika. Maliketh. Mohg.
Which one was it who got assassinated and kickstarted the events of the game again? Was Godwyn the First Elden Lord? Or was that Godfrey? Is the pivotal mother named Rennala, or Ranni? Which of the first boss’ names is actually the real one, Margit or Morgott? What’s the name of the demigod who went mad in the Caelid wastes, Radagon or Radahn? Good luck trying to quickly make those connections in your head without tripping. I am just thankful the same isn’t also true for location names in Elden Ring, because not even Miyazaki is that cruel.
