The True Meanings Behind Elden Ring Character Names -

A look at the linguistic names of Demigods and other major characters in Elden Ring., and their sometimes strangely appropriate symbolism.

As an open-world dark fantasy RPG with lore written by George R.R. Martin and gameplay envisioned by Hidetaka Miyazaki, Elden Ring is rich with symbolism and implication, a "show, not tell" narrative experience players are encouraged to decipher as they explore, fight, die, and resurrect. One interesting source of symbolism in Elden Ring is the names the game's creators have given to Demigods, champions, and other major NPCs. Some of the characters have purely made-up fantasy names, while the names of others have roots in old languages like Anglo-Saxon and meanings fitting to the characters who bear them.

Authors of fantasy fiction and developers of fantasy video games have a well-deserved reputation for giving their main characters exotic-sounding names in order to give their worlds a more old-fashioned feel. J.R.R. Tolkien, philologist and author of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, went the extra mile and fashioned names for characters derived from the custom languages and writing systems he created for his Elves and Dwarves. In contrast, R.A. Salvatore, author of several books set in the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons & Dragons, made up the name for his iconic Dark Elf Ranger character, Drizzt Do'Urden, on the spot during a phone call with his editor, inadvertently starting a trend in fantasy fiction where authors gave their characters names with too many syllables and apostrophes.

George R.R. Martin, writer of the grim fantasy saga called A Song Of Ice And Fire, is an author who tries to give his stories a realistic feel, but doesn't let historical facts get in the way of telling a good story. Hidetaka Miyazaki, lead designer for games like Dark Souls and current president of the Japan-based FromSoftware studio, drew from the cultures and trappings of Medieval Europe when designing the fantasy setting of Elden Ring, but also likely prioritized aesthetic appeal over historical accuracy. Even so, many of the medieval-sounding names Game of Thrones author Martin and FromSoft's Miyazaki gave to key Elden Ring characters have strangely appropriate meanings in the ancient languages they originated from.

Meaning Of Elden Ring Demigod Names Like Godrick, Godwyn, & Godfrey

In the world of Elden Ring, there are many Demigod rulers and champions whose names have the "God" prefix - only appropriate considering the divine connection they have to the sky-spanning Erdtree. The two most noteworthy "god-children" mentioned in Elden Ring are Godwyn the Golden, whose death in the Night of the Black Knives heralded the cataclysmic wars of the Shattering, and Godrick of Stormveil, a runt of a Demigod who grafted the flesh of monsters and heroes onto himself in order to attain the strength of his kin. Both of these Demigods seem to be children (or at least direct descendants) of Queen Marika's first consort, Godfrey the First Elden Lord, who established the golden age of the Erdtree, only to be stripped of his grace and exiled as one of the first Tarnished.

Each of these "god-prefix" Elden Ring Demigod names has roots in old Germanic languages, including the old Anglo-Saxon dialects core to modern English. The name "Godrick" is a combination of the Anglo-Saxon word for "God" (unchanged to this day) and "ric," meaning "ruler" or "mighty." The similar Anglo-Saxon name "Godwyn," also spelled as "Godwin" or "Godwine," translates to "Friend Of God" a fitting sobriquet for a divine champion famous for defeating and befriending an ancient dragonlord. Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, has a name with Germanic roots that roughly means "Peace of God" according to the Posopography Of Anglo-Saxon England - an ironic title for a fearsome warrior, but an appropriate one for a champion who brought about a new age of prosperity.

What Elden Ring Names Like Rennala, Radagon, Radahn, Rykard, & Ranni Mean

If Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, fathered one major lineage of divine champions, then an equally prestigious bloodline of Demigods was birthed through the union of two great rulers - Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon and leader of the Glintstone Sorcerers at Raya Lucaria, and the red-headed Radagon, a Demigod champion of the Golden Order who harbored a strange secret. According to Miriel, Pastor of Vows (a giant turtle NPC in Elden Ring) Rennala and Radagon met on the field of battle, forged a peace between their respective nations, and became husband and wife, together birthing three Demigod children with tragic destinies and "R" prefixed names.

Unlike the Demigod children of Lord Godfrey, Rennala, Radagon, and their children seem to have more fantastical names with no direct root in ancient languages. The name Radagon does sound similar to the feminine name "Radgund" (Ancient Germanic for "Counsel of War"), while Ranni, the disembodied Snow Witch, has a name similar to the real-life "Rani" (which can mean "Queen" in Sanskrit or "To Sing" in Hebrew). Rykard, the Lord of Blasphemy, has an archaic-sounding version of the name Richard, old Germanic for "brave ruler"; both the serpentine Lord Rykard in Elden Ring and Godrick the Grafted share the "Ric" element in their name - a perhaps-unintentional nod to how both Demigods turned themselves into monstrous beings. General Radahn - both a fearless warlord and sentimental softy who mastered gravitational sorcery so his giant body wouldn't burden his favorite horse - has a name similar to Radovan, Rada, Radojka, and other sobriquets from Slavic languages - the "Rad" element of these titles roughly translates to "happy/willing."

Etymology Of Elden Ring Names Like Marika, Malenia, Mohg, & Morgott

Fantasy author George R.R. Martin, approached by FromSoftware to help with world-building and create Elden Ring's origin myths, has said he didn't choose to give Elden Ring characters names to match his own initials. There is, however, a significant pronunciation pattern in the names certain lineages are given in FromSoftware's open-world RPG. The Demigod offspring of Marika and Godfrey have names starting with "God–." The children of Radagon and Rennala have names starting with "R." Finally, many of the Omen characters in Elden Ring – Morgott, the Omen King and Mohg, Lord of Blood in particular – have names starting with M. Morgott and his persona "Margitt, the Fell Omen" have both been jokingly referred as "Margaret" by members of the Elden Ring fanbase; the name of Margaret, which means "Pearl" in Ancient Greek, seems to have no link to Mohg, Margitt/Morgott or the other Omens, a clan of humanoids with horns, tails, and other mutated growths on their bodies.

Malenia the Severed, Blade of Miquella, a Valkyrie afflicted with a contagious Scarlet Rot, became the mascot of Elden Ring in all but name back when its premiere trailer was released. Post release, Malenia's reputation changed, and she became known as one of Elden Ring's most challenging bosses – less a Goddess of Rot, and more a Goddess of "Rage Quit." For all the weight and significance Malenia has in the game and story, neither her name, nor the name of her patron Miquella, seem to correspond to any modern or historic names (the name of the Goddess Malenia in Elden Ring does sound similar to the ancient Greek word Melania, meaning "black" or "dark," but otherwise lack any etymological link).

The name of Queen Marika, the goddess of the Erdtree whose disappearance is the greatest mystery of Elden Ring, has a much more interesting etymological root. In several real-world cultures, Marika is a diminutive of "Mary" or "Maria," a name most famously associated with the Virgin Mary revered in both Christianity and Islam. In the Bible's New Testament, Mary, through immaculate conception, gave birth to the son of God, who was later crucified by the authorities of the Roman Empire. In Elden Ring, Marika, progenitor of Demigods, is depicted with arms spread wide in many of the statues players can find while exploring the open world – a posture with parallels to crucifixion imagery.

Next: Elden Ring Caria Manor Secrets (As Told By A Lowly Tarnished)

Sources: The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England,

Meaning Of Elden Ring Demigod Names Like Godrick, Godwyn, & Godfrey

What Elden Ring Names Like Rennala, Radagon, Radahn, Rykard, & Ranni Mean

Etymology Of Elden Ring Names Like Marika, Malenia, Mohg, & Morgott

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