This Elden Ring Theory Changes Everything about The Shattering

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Even though Elden Ring has been released for quite some time, fans are still uncovering and debating its complex story. Like other games from FromSoftware, the lore isn’t directly explained – players have to investigate and interpret events to understand the full narrative. A recent theory offers a new perspective on The Shattering, a pivotal event in the game’s history. Traditionally, most players believe Marika intentionally broke the Elden Ring, but this new idea challenges that assumption.

Recent discoveries suggest The Shattering wasn’t just a magical event where Marika destroyed the Elden Ring. Instead, it may have involved a specific, physical object – and the Ring’s breaking caused its pieces to scatter.

Here’s the theory.

The Elden Ring is Marika’s Diadem

A Reddit user named DarkStranger111 has put forward an interesting theory about the events of The Shattering and what the Elden Ring actually is. The theory began with a close look at the game’s announcement trailer. When The Shattering is discussed, the trailer shows Marika smashing an unseen object with a hammer, which most people assumed was the Elden Ring. However, this theory suggests the object she’s destroying is actually her own diadem, or crown.

Most images and statues of Marika show her wearing her diadem. However, the moments when she doesn’t wear it strongly suggest a specific story. She’s without it when she becomes a god, and again when she’s hitting something on the anvil. This means when you fight her as Radagon within the Erdtree, the diadem is already broken – it’s been broken for quite some time.

Based on this understanding, The Shattering wasn’t just a large-scale event, but a deeply personal one for Marika. She physically carried the Elden Ring as part of her crown, symbolizing her status as a god. When her relationship with the Knight of the Black Knives soured and she no longer wanted to be a god, she intentionally broke the Elden Ring – the very thing that granted her godhood. This caused the Ring to shatter, and as a result, she faced punishment from the Greater Will.

Miquella Supports this Theory in Shadows of the Erdtree

The Shadows of the Erdtree DLC reveals that Miquella followed a similar path to Marika, striving to become a god. Though he does achieve this, you ultimately defeat him during the battle with Consort Radahn, ending his divine status before he can act on it. Crucially, Miquella, like Marika before him, passed through a gateway to ascend and returned wearing a Circlet of Light – a headpiece remarkably similar to Marika’s own diadem.

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After defeating Consort Radahn in the DLC and interacting with the memory in the arena, you obtain the Circlet of Light. Its description reveals it was meant to be the basis for Miquella’s hopeful new era, much like Marika’s Golden Order was founded on her own crown. The fact that the Elden Ring was shattered and its pieces held by different people—including you—probably prevented Miquella from achieving the same level of power as Marika when he ascended.

This new interpretation doesn’t alter what happened in the past, but it adds a more personal layer to Marika’s experience during The Shattering and offers a different understanding of why she acted as she did. It suggests she didn’t simply oppose the Greater Will when she broke her diadem and the Elden Ring; instead, she was rejecting the very idea of being a god and dismantling her own Golden Order. This fits with the overall theme in Elden Ring that godhood isn’t necessarily a gift, but more of a constraint.

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2026-04-20 18:39