Elden Ring's lore is partly beloved due to how many layers it has. Very little in Elden Ring's story is laid out in front of players. Instead, they have to piece together bits of lore from items, in-game events, and conversations with NPCs to gain a greater understanding of what's happening and what's already transpired. Recently, an Elden Ring player drew attention to one such example. There's a connection between Melina, Elden Ring's cryptic guide, and the assassins that killed Godwyn the Golden.
Redditor imnicexDDD made a post to Reddit detailing the connection. The post features two images, each the description page for one of Elden Ring's weapons. The first weapon is the Black Knife, described as a dagger once belonging to an assassin who on the Night of the Black Knives slew the demigod Godwyn the Golden. The second weapon is named the Blade of Calling and is the weapon of Melina, the kindling maiden. The two knives, unlikely due to coincidence, are remarkably similar.
The two knives both featured a very similar curved shape to their blades. It's not a shape that's identical, but it's similar enough to say that the connection between the two was intended to be seen. The rest of the detail on each dagger is unique to each blade. The Black Knife is dark metal with violent hooks and a crack that may be the Rune of Death running down its length like a fuller. The Blade of Calling looks more like it's made from bone than metal.
The comparison that was intended to be made is that both daggers were perhaps created by the same person. While the lore isn't clear on this point, it's believed within the community that Melina is possibly the daughter of the goddess Marika. Further, it's believed that Marika was potentially responsible for the Night of the Black Knives and the death of her own son.
The idea is that Marika created these daggers to help their wielders complete tasks that she sent them out on. This is further hinted at by the fact that leaked gameplay assets for Melina reveal that she has a similar combat pattern to the Black Knife Assassin enemy found in-game.
What makes these details so exciting for Elden Ring players is that they confirm nothing. All players can do is put the pieces together like they're part of a puzzle with mostly missing parts. The lore of Elden Ring is as rich as it is deep, and yet frustratingly incomplete, too. That's FromSoftware's gift to its fans.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.