An eagle-eyed Elden Ring player recently discovered an engraving of Malenia and Miquella in Miquella’s Haligtree. Elden Ring quickly became one of the highest-rated releases of 2022 when it launched last February, and fans are still discovering new tricks and secrets a full year later. In addition to FromSoftware’s trademark struggle to keep players coming back for more, Elden Ring also features deep lore from renowned Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin.
This legend includes the Elden Ring’s twin sibling, Malenia, Miquella’s Blade, and the dark, twisted story of Miquella. The former is one of the most recognizable enemies of the Elden Ring, and many players have gained fame among the fanbase by defeating her in amusing ways during her optional boss encounters, such as the now iconic Let Me Solo Her. Meanwhile, Miquela still doesn’t appear in the base Elden Ring, but he plays a key role in his sister’s backstory. It was Miquella who created Haligtree to bypass his curse of eternal youth and cure the scarlet rot that had infected Malenia since birth.
So it’s no surprise that carvings depicting the Elden Ring’s cursed Empyrean twins can be found in Haligtree, with Reddit user RagnaBreaker recently sharing a screenshot of one of the pair on r/EldenRing. The first engraving depicts Malenia awakening from Scarlet Aeonia, a spell that caused the Scarlet Rot she was suffering from. The second is that of Miquella apparently sealed in Haligtree’s “womb” in a “sublime sleep” – represented by an owl that lays a sleeping egg.
Other users have noted the apparent symbolism in the engraving found by RagnaBreaker, interpreting Malenia’s engraving as showing that she has been healed of her disfiguring Crimson Rot curse, as her image is devoid of the scars and infections found on her secondary Rot Goddess form . At the same time, the owl is said to represent endless sleep, since sleeping eggs never hatch, making them perfect for carving the endless sleep that befell Miquella.
Fans of Elden Ring may learn more about Malenia and Miquella’s tragic fate, as the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC reportedly focuses on the siblings – and may answer some big questions that still linger beyond the base game. Meanwhile, players are free to decipher the enigmatic carvings adorning the Hallig tree, which offers yet another glimpse into the lore of two of Elden Ring’s most memorable characters.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.