Elden Ring fans have been wondering about one of the races they can choose from during character creation, known as the Numen. They are described as "long-lived but seldom born" and coming from very far away, possibly from even another world. What really makes them stand apart from the other races to choose from, though, is their involvement in the plot of Elden Ring.

Numen are connected to two large pieces of lore: Marika, and the Night of the Black Knives. Being connected to this major character and historic event has actually sprung some interesting theories as well. There has been a lot of fan discussion on whether Numens are like Tolkien's elves, or whether they are like aliens from another planet. However, their connection to Marika and the Night of the Black Knives has revealed some interesting information.

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The Numen and Their Ties to Marika

Marika.

Marika was one of the Numen before she became a god for the Greater Will. If players use the Elden Remembrance and obtain her hammer, the weapon is described to come from the lands of the Numen. Another Numen item players come across is Numen Runes, which are found in the various underground Eternal Cities.

The great debate, though, is as to where Numen actually come from. There is compelling evidence that makes an argument that Numen come from the Eternal Cities under the Lands Between. This is because Numen Runes are found there, and Rodgier mentions that the assassins in the Night of the Black Knives hailed from the Eternal City. Descriptions on Black Knife Assassin gear reveal that all the Black Knife Assassins were Numen women, much like Marika.

So it looks likely that Marika actually came from the Eternal Cities before the Greater Will plucked her away and made her its goddess. To make matters tragic, especially for Marika, these cities predated the Greater Will and were ultimately destroyed by it because they defied it. This leads to how the Night of the Black Knives happened.

Numen, Marika, and the Night of the Black Knives

Godwyn being killed by Numen.

With the Numen cities being destroyed by the Greater Will, it is no surprise that the Numen retaliated. This is shown from weapons like the Fingerslayer Blade, which Ranni later uses in her personal quest to destroy her Two Fingers. Items aside, what led to the Shattering was caused by Numen in the Night of the Black Knives. Numen women, armed with pieces of the Rune of Death, were able to kill Godwyn the Golden, the firstborn son of Marika.

This has made fans discuss whether Marika is behind the death of her own son, since she and the Black Knife Assassins are both Numen. There is a strong argument that Marika could have done this. It is possible she accepted her goddess role as a way to eventually get vengeance for her people. She may have indeed created the Tarnished so that they could one day come and fight against the Greater Will. She could also have easily stolen the Rune of Death from Maliketh and supplied it to the Numen assassins to kill Godwyn. This could also be why she bound Hewg to make a weapon to kill a god.

Of course, there is a bit of conflicting evidence. It was Ranni who is known to have orchestrated the Night of the Black Knives so that she could abandon her body and live her destiny outside the Greater Will. It was believed Marika shattered the Elden Ring out of grief for her son. It's possible Ranni and Marika somehow worked together, though there is a lack of evidence for that. It could be that Marika planned everything about betraying the Greater Will, except the Night of the Black Knives, and truly did grieve for Godwyn. Perhaps Marika's own people betrayed her trust, and that was the last straw that made her break the Elden Ring.

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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