Summary
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreemakes the already convoluted family tree of the gods and demigods even more confusing with the addition of Messmer, and the confirmation that Melina is also among Marika’s children. However, the only pieces of information that are concrete are that Messmer and Melina are Marika’s children, but the amount of missing details means that it’s difficult to place their births in the game’s timeline. As such, players have been analyzing the available information and the aesthetics of each character to find answers to the questions raised by the DLC.
It turns out that the question of when Messmer was born isn’t the only mystery left unanswered inShadow of the Erdtree. The identity of his father is also unclear, but several theories have popped up, and all seem equally plausible considering the scarce evidence to support any single option. Given that Messmer seems to have two curses – his flames and the serpent – he’s unique even among the demigod children. However, some theories suggest that the flames are a result of his parentage rather than a direct curse. But that’s only one of many theories that revolve around Messmer, and it’s time to take a closer look at each one.
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Radagon Could Be Messmer’s Father
The Most Popular Theory
This is not only the most popular theory, it might also have the most evidence to support it, as little as that still is. It relies on Radagon being the lord needed to help Marika ascend to godhood the way that Radahn was needed for Miquella. Then,the suggestion is that Marika and Radagon had Messmer and Melina before she was with Godfrey, placing them first in the demigod birth order. Overall, this theory lines up fairly well with the timeline, especially when it’s mentioned that Radahn saw Messmer as an older brother, so it’s at least known that Messmer is older than Radahn.
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Aside from the naming conventions matching, as all the children born to Marika have names that start with “M,” Messmer’s red hair that is reminiscent of Radagon’s is also used as evidence to support him being the father. However, that’s not the strongest piece of evidence to indicate Radagon might be the father of Messmer and Melina. Instead, there’s the small detail ofMessmer, Melina, Malenia, and Miquella all having butterflies connected to them, which could be a sign that they were born of Radagon and Marika, and it’s interesting to note that none of the other demigod children are associated with butterflies in the same way.
Being Radagon’s son would make Messmer a sibling to Malenia, Miquella, and likely Melina, as well as half-brother to Radahn, Ranni, Rykard, Morgott, Mohg, and Godwyn.
Messmer’s Father Might Be Related To The Frenzied Flame
Resulting In His & Melina’s Flames
While this theory is a bit more unusual, there are a few points about it that make it seem rather plausible.There are two similar versions that fall under Messmer’s dad being related to fire, so both will be discussed in this section. The first is that his dad was a fire giant, resulting in him and Melina having uncontrollable flames. Then, the second is that his dad has some connection to the Frenzied Flame, for which more evidence is found with Melina than Messmer, especially withher ability to burn the Erdtree.
With the flames inside Messmer being related to his parentage rather than a curse, it seems to fit better with the pattern of demigods having one type of curse, rather than Messmer being the only child to have two curses. Oddly enough,the only reason his fire wasn’t a bigger issue is because of his serpent curse, since it ate away at the fire inside him and kept it more-or-less contained. Then, the serpent was able to be contained due to Marika intervening and sealing it with her Grace. The result was he could survive with both of these competing forces in his body.
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However, Melina makes a stronger case for her and Messmer’s dad having an affiliation with fire. First, Melina doesn’t have a physical form, buther spirit has burn marks. This has led to speculation that she may have had a physical body in the past, but her innate fire burned it away since she didn’t have a serpent like Messmer to contain it. Second, the only case where the Tarnished doesn’t need to sacrifice Melina to burn the Erdtree is when they side with the Frenzied Flame. This means that, as kindling, Melina burns as intensely as the Frenzied Flame, and could imply a connection to it.
The Gloam-Eyed Queen Could Play A Role In Messmer’s Parentage
Although it’s a far-fetched theory, this is among the most interesting speculations about Messmer’s father.The Gloam-Eyed Queen is associated with both snakes and fire, so her having a male counterpart, like Marika has Radagon, creates a somewhat plausible theory that she’s Messmer and Melina’s father. This would also add a new reason why Marika sealed away Messmer and hid the existence of Messmer and Melina in the Lands Between, since theGloam-Eyed Queen was painted as her enemy, but it’s not unusual for Marika to rewrite history in her favor.
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Yet again, the bulk of evidence to support this idea comes from Melina rather than Messmer, and somewhat relates to the previous theory that she was the Gloam-Eyed Queen.In the Frenzied Flame ending, Melina’s sealed eye is shown to have a gloam (darker/shaded) color, and she’s focused on delivering Destined Death to the Tarnished, who is now essentially a vessel for the Flame. But instead of being the queen, Marika might’ve had Messmer and Melina with her male counterpart, then sealed away the evidence by keeping Messmer in the Land of Shadow and sealing Melina’s eye.
Uncovering the truth behind Messmer’s place in theElden Ringfamily treeis difficult, and there’s not enough information to definitely say that one option is the correct choice. As a result, an answer is unlikely to ever be revealed, since it seems like there aren’t plans for another DLC or a sequel, meaning that Messmer and Melina will remain shrouded in mystery. However, the theories that have popped up despite the small amount of evidence are intriguing, and it’s possible that tiny details are the key to uncovering Messmer’s place in the family of demigods inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Players venture into the shadowed realm of the Land of Shadow to confront new biomes, dungeons, and formidable bosses. Guided by the enigmatic Miquella, they face the terrifying Messmer the Impaler and uncover the dark secrets shrouded beneath the Erdtree’s influence, featuring new weapons, magic, and challenges.
