In Elden Ring, the Tarnished's relationship with Melina begins with a lie: she promises she will become their Finger Maiden if she is brought to the foot of the Erdtree. However, as the Tarnished progresses in the path to become the Elden Lord, Melina reveals she never had any intention - or even the ability - to become a Maiden. While this initial dishonesty may paint Melina in a negative light, her lie is actually pivotal to the story of Elden Ring and can lead players to one of the game's secret endings if they pay attention to all that is suggested by her false promise.

[Warning: spoilers for Elden Ring below.]

The endgame of Elden Ring is to become the Elden Lord, reestablish a sense of order in the Lands Between, and grant the Tarnished a touch of Grace from the Erdtree once more. But to do so, the Tarnished will first need a Finger Maiden to guide them. A Finger Maiden is a woman chosen by the Two Fingers - a religious leader and devotee of the Golden Order - to pair with a Tarnished attempting to claim the Elden Ring. Whether the path leads to the safety of the Roundtable or the danger of a Shardbearer's fortress, Finger Maidens are expected to support their Tarnished in some way or another. Despite not being an actual Finger Maiden, Melina fulfills most of the duties of the title's duties in incredible fashion, introducing the Tarnished to the Round Table before defeating a Shardbearer and even gifting them Torrent, Elden Ring's spectral horse.

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However, the powers Melina uses to accomplish these feats are part of the reason why she is not a true Finger Maiden to the Tarnished. Melina is daughter of Queen Marika and thus a demigod like the Shardbearers the Tarnished must slay to become Elden Lord. She forms a relationship with the Tarnished simply to find out the purpose her mother has given her. But unlike some of her other siblings, Melina's specific lineage makes her a special type of deity: an Empyrean. Melina's status as an Empyrean means she could be come a god once married to a consort, a role the Tarnished could fulfill. But this would mean Melina would replace Marika as god the Lands Between.

Melina's Role In Elden Ring - What Is An Empyrean

Elden Ring Malenia Great Rune Secret Bloodborne Mode

The Empyreans of Elden Ring lore are demigods born from a singular god. This is different from how the Golden Lineage was born from the first sovereign couple in Elden Ring, Queen Marika and Godfrey: The Empyreans were produced from a singular entity alone. In the Lands Between, there are between three and four Empyreans depending on who is asked. Two of them more clearly fulfill the requirements of being an Empyrean. Malenia and Miquella are the daughter and son of Queen Marika and her male form Radagon. However, when Ranni the witch doll demigod explains who the Empyreans are, she lists herself as an Empyrean and not Melina. This conflicts with the title of being an Empyrean because Ranni is said to be born from Radagon and Rennala, while Melina is direct siblings with Malenia and Miquella. In either case, Ranni proves she is functionally an Empyrean, meaning there are around four in Elden Ring including Melina.

Being an Empyrean comes with major expectations in the lore of Elden Ring. In order for one to become the lord of the Lands Between and elevate to the status of a god-like Queen Marika, one needs three things: a consort, a Shadow, and Empyrean status. Queen Marika attained all three requirements by being born from one god, marrying Godfrey, and having her half-brother Maliketh become her Shadow (i.e., protector). The Two Fingers wish for one of the Empyreans to succeed Queen Marika and become the sovereign lord of the Lands Between and reestablish the strength of the Golden Order, as Queen Marika's rule has plunged the region into utter chaos.

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None of the Empyreans seems particularly interested in fulfilling this destiny, however. Malenia is infected with Scarlet Rot, Miquella hides inside his cocoon from those attempting to make him a god, and Ranni even destroyed her original body to sever herself from Empyrean flesh. This leaves Melina, who despite never stating she is an Empyrean, closely fulfills the duty of one. She establishes a relationship with a Tarnished, helps them along their path, and even explicitly states that her goal is to save the Lands Between from chaos. Once the Tarnished has claimed everything needed to enter the Erdtree, she says, "I have long observed the Lands Between. This world is in dire need of repair... and Death... indiscriminate.... Are you prepared... to commit a cardinal sin?" However, in burning herself as a sacrifice to destroy the thorns surrounding Elden Ring's mysterious Erdtree, she leaves the Tarnished without an Empyrean to replace Marika, calling into question her identity as both an Empyrean and a Finger Maiden.

Why Melina Cannot Become A God In Elden Ring

Elden Ring Ranni and Her Spirit From Melina

Melina is indeed an Empyrean, and her strong will and good wishes for the people of the Lands Between would have likely made her the number one pick for the Two Fingers to become the successor of Queen Marika. However, hints in Elden Ring point toward a fact about her identity that would make it impossible for Melina to become a god. Melina is the spirit form of Ranni and thus does not possess Empyrean flesh.

Melina makes it somewhat clear that she is only a soul in Elden Ring. She says so when admitting she is not a Finger Maiden, specifically stating, "Me, I'm searching for my purpose given to me by my mother inside the Erdtree long ago, for the reason that I yet live, burned and bodyless. There is something for which I must apologize. I've acted the finger maiden yet I can offer no guidance, I am no maiden. My purpose was long ago lost...." She lost her purpose as a possible consort for the Tarnished when Ranni's body was destroyed and became a spirit.

But even if Melina is proven to be a spirit, it is still confusing how she and Ranni are the same person. However, much like their parents Queen Marika and Radagon in Elden Ring, Melina and Ranni were likely fused into one entity; thus, when Ranni broke free from her flesh, so did Melina. This is further supported by the fact that Ranni would otherwise not be able to be an Empyrean because of her lineage. Furthermore, art of Ranni's spirit form shows that it looks identical to Melina, and both even share a closed left eye.

The consequence of Melina's fake Finger Maiden status thus leads players to interesting directions in the game. If a Tarnished recognizes the relationship between Melina and Ranni and pursues Ranni as a consort in Elden Ring due to Melina's interest in being one, one of Elden Ring's most unique endings "The Age of Stars" can be initiated. This goes to show the effort FromSoftware put into making Elden Ring an experience defined by how much players are willing to pay attention and explore its dense lore.

Next: Don't Let Pride Ruin Elden Ring For You