Much is unknown about the Gloam-eyed Queen in Elden Ring, as she is only mentioned in tidbits throughout the lore. She is referenced in examinations of items like the Godskin Apostle Set, Black Flame Ritual, and Godskin Swaddling Cloth. Despite being mentioned so little, what is discovered seems to be quite important to the history of the Lands Between.
With little concrete lore known about the Gloam-Eyed Queen, fans have also begun to theorize about her origins. It's possible the Gloam-eyed Queen is closer to their world of Elden Ring than players may think; in fact, a lot of theories believe it's possible that players met her already. She is one of those figures that remains a mystery, but it's possible more about her could be revealed in DLC.
Facts About The Gloam-Eyed Queen
Based on her references in Elden Ring, the Gloam-eyed Queen was an Empyrean like Marika, Ranni, Miquella, and Malenia. This means she had the ability to be a vessel for the Greater Will and was chosen by the Two Fingers. While all other Empyreans are related, the Gloam-eyed Queen's relations are unknown.
The Godskins are known to be her children, but the relation is not literal. The Godskin were led by her, and she controlled Destined Death. Before Destined Death was taken and guarded by Maliketh the Black Blade, these Godskin people with their Dusk-eyed Queen sought to kill the gods with Black Flame. Back then, the Black Flame could have killed any god it touched, as it was magic that was the embodiment of Destined Death (which is described as death indiscriminate). This predates the Night of the Black Knives and may have been the first conspiracy against the gods.
However, Destined Death was taken by Maliketh, which made the Lands Between a place of immortals. He got Destined Death by defeating the Gloam-eyed Queen, and this was ordered by Queen Marika. With this, the demigods could no longer die. What happened to the Gloam-eyed Queen after her defeat, however, remains one of Elden Ring's biggest mysteries.
Gloam-Eyed Queen Speculation
Fans are divisive about whether Destined Death was part of the Greater Will's plan or not. Some believe that Marika was obeying the Greater Will by having Maliketh seal Destined Death away while others believe she was acting of her own will so that she would never die. It also brings up the question of whether Empyreans are born or made, as that would give different perspectives of the Gloam-eyed Queen. There is the possibility that the Gloam-eyed Queen was going to usurp Marika, but whether that was on behalf of a different Outer God, no god, or part of the Greater Will's plan is unknown.
There are a couple of NPCs fans think could secretly be the Gloam-eyed Queen. One is Ranni, whom fans have connected partly because Ranni has an affinity for the night, which relates to the definition of gloam. Other evidence fans have gathered is that Ranni is already known to be Empyrean, and it was she that killed Godwyn the Golden with Black Knife Assassins by stealing parts of the Rune of Death from Maliketh.
Another stronger possibility is Melina, whose background is a mystery and open to a lot of theory. She has some unknown connection to the gods, which is revealed by her intimate knowledge of Marika. She also is already dead, but never gets quite into what killed her. In the ending of the Frenzied Flame, Melina is also seen with different eyes and promises to deliver Destined Death to the Tarnished. When the ending fades to black, there is also an afterglow focus on her open eye. Due to this, many fans think Melina is either the Gloam-eyed Queen or possibly even her daughter.
Elden Ring is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.