Elden ring remembrance of hoarah loux

yeah no shot miquella is the size of a human child especially when demigods are huge in general, even before they claimed the shards of the elden ring (source: godwyn in the intro)

Blood and flame
The first thing I'd like to discuss is the relationship between Caelid and Mohgwyn, which is beneath its eastern side. The theorist Quelaag posited that the blood in Mohgwyn might be the result of the blood from the conflicts and wars fought in Caelid seeping into the soil and into the underworld. My first thought was that the red in Caelid in scarlet rot, not blood; but I still think she could be right.
This gave me some ideas on what the burning stone structures found in Caelid are, and what their purpose is. Throughout the region is something called the "Smoldering Wall", which just looks like burning rocks—kind of like charcoal. There's also the Smoldering Church found at the border of Caelid and Limgrave, which has the same fiery and stony constitution.
the Smoldering Wall
The theory I had went like this: Scarlet rot drives people to madness (e.g. Radahn), provoking them to shed blood and slaughter each other. In alignment with Quelaag's theory, this blood seeps into the soil and drips into the underground, filling Mohgwyn with blood. This blood is then lit aflame with the power of the Formless Mother—which can be seen in Mohgwyn, as the same fire architecture is present here. The fire burns and rises back toward the surface, inciting more conflict and inspiring more bloodshed, thus creating a blood-cycle analogous to the water cycle. In this framework, liquid water is gas, and gaseous water is both a) boiling blood and b) fire.
My take is that the boiling blood is just blood just hasn't been heated enough to become bloodflame. You might notice that the Sanguine nobles' blood emits steam; since they are lesser officials in the dynasty's hierarchy, it would make sense that their blood would not be as powerful, or hot enough to ignite.
Picture by LittleChurchLore; you can see the heated, steaming blood of the Sanguine Noble.
The Formless Mother and god of rot
I think this blood cycle could be more evidence for the view that the Formless Mother and god of rot are the same entity, or closely related. In a recent post, I talked about how the purple and green amorphous patterns visible in the Lake of Rot's map depiction support the theory that the Lake of Blood is analogous to cursed or rotted blood, and is being stabbed with the Ainsel River like the unalloyed gold needle. This is because the same purple and green coloring is found on Morgott's cursed sword, which we know contains the cursed blood of the Omen. So rot is compared to cursed blood, which I think can be brought back to the idea of rotted blood.
In the comments of that post, user ElA1to suggested this design on the Lake of Rot could also be representing the blood of the Formless Mother. I wasn't immediately convinced, because I didn't recall any mention of the Formless Mother's blood being cursed; plus, if the Formless Mother seeks out cursed blood as the game says, this might suggest her own blood doesn't have this quality. Why would she seek it if she already has it? Does she just want more? However, ElA1to's comment gave me the idea that the blood of the Formless Mother might be equivalent to the blood of the Omen, as a result of their symbiotic relationship. I think the Omens' and Formless Mother's blood might go through a blood cycle of its own: one in which the Omen sacrifice blood to her by wounding themselves, and in exchange, receive some of it back as powerups by wounding her in battle; the blood of the Formless Mother is actually their own blood returned to them.
So, there is quite a bit of information linking the Formless Mother to the rot god. As ElA1to mentioned, the Lake of Rot might be the blood of the Formless Mother, or analogous to it. Both rotted blood and cursed blood are something that is often suppressed by the afflicted, i.e. in the second phases of Malenia's and Morgott's fights. Fire architecture, which I think is interspersed with bloodflame, is found in both Mohgwyn (Formless Mother) and Caelid (rot). There are red geysers in both Mohgwyn, and in the Swamp of Aeonia. As Gideon the Half-Knowing noticed, there are only two "exultation" talismans in the game: the Kindred of Rot's exultation, and Lord of Blood's exultation. And finally, as I just discovered, the Mohgwyn swamp even contains scarlet rot.
I haven't been able to find scarlet rot anywhere else in Mohgwyn; it might just be this one spot.
All that being said, there's good reason to object to this theory of the two gods being the same. I'm sure there are multiple valid counterarguments, but the one I'd like to bring to attention is the antagonistic relationship between fire and rot. The description for Radahn's great rune reads: "The Great Rune burns, to resist the encroachment of the scarlet rot." Some have claimed we can see Radahn using this rune in the trailer (since he's on fire), and I think this is probably correct. Nonetheless, Elden Ring is a game with a lot to say about combining things that contradict each other. Even if the Formless Mother and god of rot are not the same, it does seem they share a particularly close relationship. Maybe, if bloodflame burns rot, this is another example of a war between gods, and parallels the conflict between Melina/The Greater Will and the Frenzied Flame?
Here's an additional angle, while we're on the topic: If rot is indeed the blood of the Formless Mother, then maybe this is why she seeks Omen blood—because Omen blood burns, and can resist scarlet rot. This would potentially make Malenia a mirror to the Formless Mother, and Miquella a mirror to the Omen.
More on the smoldering architecture, and its significance
Another idea I had on the fire architecture is that it represents ambition. As mentioned, the wall and church are both described with the word 'smoldering'. Morgott tells us:
"I see thee, little Tarnished. Smoldering with that wretched flame of ambition."
So the flame of ambition smolders. This actually appears to relate to the cut content of the Smoldering Church, in which Bernahl's maiden could be found. In the restored content, she is seen covered in bandages, likely because she burned herself at the forge, or because she was preparing for it with lesser burns. Since becoming Elden Lord requires burning the Erdtree at the forge, there is a clear relation between the ambition of ascending to the Elden Throne, and fire. That appears to be the idea this church once, or still represents.
picture by Laurelinarean
There is a second hint in this line of Morgott's: the word 'wretched'. This word is used to describe the swamp in Mohgwyn. The last part of the description for Mohg's great rune reads:
"Mohg and Morgott are twin brothers, and their Great Runes are naturally similar. But Mohg's rune is soaked in accursed blood, from his devout love for the wretched mire that he was born into far below the earth."
I believe that when Morgott calls the flame "wretched", he is referring to the bloodflame rising from Mohgwyn. I also believe he is expressing his loathsome feelings for his brother, as well as himself, since like Mohg, he also possesses the flammable blood of the Omen. Still, I do think the wretched flame Morgott speaks of could also be the giant's flame, and the fire of the Crucible. I don't think there is necessarily a contradiction between these interpretations; Morgott seems to view all fire as bad.
The latter two interpretations, i.e. of the giant's flame and Crucible, actually have some evidence of their own, in the fire architecture I've been describing. I forget who it was (I'd cite them if I did), but someone noticed that the Mohgwyn mausoleum actually appears to be sitting atop, and embedded in, a petrified tree.
from the website Attack of the Fanboy
I'm not sure if they mentioned this part, but you can only see the fire on this petrified texture; the regular rock walls do not contain flames. If the theory is true, which I believe it is, then it's the fourth example so far of a region in the game being placed on or identical to a petrified tree. The other two are the Mountaintops of the Giants (credit to Eredin), Raya Lucaria, and Mt. Gelmir.
It's not hard to apply this new information on burning, petrified trees to Caelid. The smoldering wall and smoldering church might not be stone at all. Instead, I think it's more likely they are burning, petrified wood—once again, relating to Morgott's fear that the Tarnished will burn the Erdtree. This in turn could imply that all of common churches in the Lands Between are made of petrified wood.
Giants, scavenging, and dragonrot
It's been observed that the giant dogs in Caelid have some similarities with the crows. They kind of walk like birds, and have been compared to T-Rexes, which were likely ancestors to birds. And so, I find it interesting that Gurranq, who is found in the region of Caelid called Dragonbarrow, is sort of like a combination of a dog and crow. Gurranq is a wolf, but the armor he wears, particularly his headpiece, resembles the body of a crow. Furthermore, Gurranq is a giant wolf, and giants are also found in Caelid. So I think you could argue that he's like a synthesis of various creatures found in this region.
Something interesting about the larger animals in Caelid is that they are known for being scavengers. Crows are scavengers, as are some dogs. The theme of scavenging ties into Caelid because the whole area is rotted; and rot arises from corpses, which actually makes Caelid something like the ideal habitat for these creatures. Radahn is also depicted as a scavenger, since he is explicitly said by Jerren to gorge on corpses.
A similar argument could be made for Gurranq. This is because Destined Death, which Melina calls "death indiscriminate" is able to consume (because it's fire) soulless bodies and spirits alike. (This is based on the idea that Destined Death can kill both body and soul, and is in this sense indiscriminate). To destroy whatever is left of the self (body or soul) is arguably similar to scavenging, since scavenging involves taking what's left of an organism, the body, and consuming/destroying it. So Gurranq, as well, is a kind of scavenger. Even more evidence for this is his appetite for Deathroot; if you eat something that is dead, that makes you a scavenger.
Gurranq: a combination of giant dogs (scavengers) and giant ravens (scavengers), who has the power to dispose of the remains of living (or half-living) things, and eats death
As the last part of this section, I wanted to share a thought I had on the dragons, and why Caelid (more specifically Dragonbarrow) contains so many of them. I believe it has to do with the poison-resistant attributes of great dragonflies, and that the regular dragons actually have some poison-resistant qualities as well. The great dragonfly head item description reads: "Head of a large dragonfly. Material used for crafting items. Long believed to have the ability to neutralize poisons." This neutralizing power is proven through the neutralizing boluses and immunizing cured meat, both of which require great dragonfly heads as ingredients.
Howling at the sky
Radahn imitates Godfrey, who is associated with lions. Radahn even identifies as Godfrey's lion, which might be an expression of admiration, or a more specific reference to Serosh. Yet, lions do not howl; they roar. What animal does howl? A wolf. This is likely why Jerren, earlier in the cutscene, likens Radahn to a dog:
"Now he gathers the corpses of former friends and foes alike, gorging on them, like a dog."
https://preview.redd.it/b2yqc26qi8ra1.jpg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=77b179a4c955f47212103ad0805672523ee53e9d
More evidence that that links Radahn's howling to wolves includes similar behavior from Gurranq and Blaidd. Depending on the conditions, Gurranq can be found outside the Bestial Sanctum, howling at the sky. It may not be a coincidence that this location is right next to the Wailing Dunes. Blaidd also howls at the night sky, on top of Mistwood ruins. So "howling at the sky" is a pattern that establishes Radahn as a character with lupine qualities.
Why is this important? Recall this text from Radahn's armor, which is unique to his helm:
"Helm of the golden lion, with flowing red hair. Worn by General Radahn.
Radahn inherited the furious, flaming red hair of his father Radagon, and is fond of its heroic implications.'I was born a champion's cub. Now I am the Lord of the Battlefield's lion.'"
Radahn used to be Radagon's "cub", since a) he is his child, and b) Radagon is associated with wolves, e.g. in Marika's description of him as a "leal hound", and in Radagon's red wolves.
So Radahn used to be Radagon's cub, and in adulthood, he imitated the Elden Lord he admired most: Godfrey. However, "now", after losing his mind to Malenia's scarlet rot, he is left wandering, scavenging, and howling like the dogs in Caelid. He's been reduced to a contradiction; someone who still wears armor emblazoned with lions, but who no longer has the strength to properly identify with one. To put it one way, he has regressed.
Fire is arguably Radahn's primary visual motif. As the aforementioned description states, Radahn inherited Radagon's "flaming" red hair. You may recall that fire is depicted as a regressive force, e.g. through the Frenzied Flame, and in Radagon himself, who tried to undo the shattering of the Elden Ring through smithing—another process that involves fire. In line with this idea of regression, I believe Radahn not only regressed from lion to wolf, he also regressed to a wolf cub; a child.
https://preview.redd.it/5wht43bzi8ra1.jpg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa75747560f19148ffb092ef2fddd9b3c2d2c907
Radahn howls at the sky because he has regressed to a childlike state. I don't think this is meant to represent immaturity, exactly, just the often-pitiable emotional states children experience, and their dependence on adults; I also think it's meant to reference the tendency for infants to cry. I believe Radahn is crying out in pain, for someone to kill him, and for his father, Radagon. I think he's expressing these cries through howls—as this is the language that another wolf would surely understand.
Finally, I'd like to mention a parallel that the conflict between Radahn and Malenia, and the former's regression to a cub, has with Sekiro. In Sekiro, when you die to Lady Butterfly, she says: "You were still just a puppy." Of course, Lady Butterfly is similar to Malenia, because Malenia is also a butterfly, and is associated with them. So in both games, you have butterfly women attacking characters associated with wolves, and reducing them to cubs. Also, the fight takes place in a burning room with flaming columns, which kind of resemble the fire architecture seen in Caelid.
The Red Lion
From what I've found, in alchemy, the red lion represents the maturing of the green lion after it's swallowed the sun, and corresponds with the tempering of primal instincts. This didn't sound like it matched Radahn at first... but the part about the red lion being "matured" does remind me of the wolf-to-lion evolution described earlier. Another factor is that if Radahn is taking after Godfrey, he might have admired his restraint just as much as his strength. Again, he seems to have compared himself to Serosh, who inhibits Godfrey's bloodlust.
It's worth noting that the green lion symbol in alchemy is sometimes depicted as having seven red stars along its side, which may connect to Radahn's role as the starscourge. Furthermore, the green lion is depicted eating the sun, which is a star. If the green lion eats stars, could the other stars along its body represent other stars that it's consumed? Maybe this is in fact what turned the green lion red—the consumption of red stars. (Or maybe this was just the interpretation FromSoft went with.) It could also tie into Rykard's goal of devouring the gods, since he is Rykard's brother, and the sun and stars were frequently identified as deities in ancient times.
the Green Lion with red stars, devouring the sun
It might be important that the final color of the lion, if the alchemical process continues successfully, is gold. Godfrey has a stronger association with the color gold than red, and Radahn may have been trying to reach this final state of development, only to regress back to a red wolf cub. Alternatively, it's possible the red lion imagery was intentional, and that Radahn was trying to fuse Godfrey's iconography with that of his own lineage and father.
A final thought on Radahn and regression
Bosses in FromSoft's games have a tendency to unleash whatever powers they were previously suppressing, as part of their second phase. I believe this became a trend after Bloodborne's The Old Hunters DLC, which features Lady Maria as one of its bosses. The fight is well regarded for integrating the story of Maria's self-loathing as a Vileblood, and her eventual decision to abandon her dignity by using her cursed blood against the hunter in her second phase. This exact narrative can be seen in Morgott's and Malenia's fights.
In Radahn's case, what he is "holding back" are the stars. Thus, it is entirely fitting that he introduces his second phase by becoming the thing he fought: a falling star.
by Yzzlthtz
In this case, since the stars are something are external to Radahn rather than something he was withholding as a part of himself, the transformation is not technically regressive, but it can be more aptly compared to Nietzsche's famous line on becoming what you fight:
"He who fights too long against dragons becomes a dragon himself; and if you gaze too long into the abyss, the abyss will gaze into you."
This is highly applicable to Radahn's narrative, for multiple reasons. First, as mentioned, Radahn becomes the thing he fought. Second, Caelid is where most of the dragons live; the Wailing Dunes are technically located in Dragonbarrow. And third, Radahn literally did stare into the abyss, since holding back the stars would surely involve looking into space, which is often described as an abyss. Plus, Radahn is a Carian, so staring into the abyss is something he was likely doing from a very young age.
Links:
link for the thumbnail: https://imgur.com/a/Szj1x9j
Gurranq howling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umGVg_A0epM

I did three different builds, but did a pure Malenia build for NG+3 and omg I was raging. Glad it's over!

Hello, Elden ring is my first souls game and i feel kinda lost in terms of what weapon i should use or what i should do :
So far i've been double wielding a +5 moonveil and +16 magic uchigatana and just spamming transient moonlight on bosses
I've killed Rennala but i found Radhan very hard and i don't think i'm strong enough to fight him yet
I've killed most bosses in limgrave so i'm kinda lost and don't know how to keep progressing
Can u suggest which weapon i should use or places i should go and if i should respec my stats
any help is appreciated
https://preview.redd.it/14xc67s2b7ra1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=c2b3c3148ff4136ac067fc6493204727e87a7f8c