She Who Lays with Death

Elden Ring is a game filled to the brim with storylines and characters that are notoriously easy to miss. Developer From Software is known for its obscure environmental storytelling, leaving much of the greater details of plot and worldbuilding up to interpretation. This method of writing, along with the trademark hardcore combat mechanics they are truly known for, has spawned a legion of diehard fans determined to get to the bottom of the many mysteries in their games. The obscurity of the storytelling does not, however, prevent dissection and connection, as many other creators have noted. Today, I'd like to explore the similarities between the storyline of Fia and the "Duskborn Ending" and the ancient Egyptian myth of Osiris.

To recapitulate and summarize the myth: Osiris was Pharaoh of all Egypt, and ruled with his sister-wife Isis. Their brother, Set, threw a banquet in honor of Osiris, and had a grand sarcophagus crafted. Whomsoever lied in the sarcophagus and fit perfectly inside would be gifted it to use when their own time came. Unbeknownst to all, Set had secretly taken Osiris' measurements, and ensured that the sarcophagus would fit him to a T. Once Osiris was inside, Set sealed shut the sarcophagus with nails and molten lead, tossing the stone coffin into the river Nile.

Right off the bat, we have certain imagery parallels between the myth and the game. For starters, From Software has developed a pattern of transporting players to new areas via coffin. In Dark Souls, the player can travel to the Tomb of the Giants, location of one of the main bosses, by lying in a coffin. Likewise, in Dark Souls 2, the Frigid Outskirts area is only accessible via coffin-slide. Elden Ring is no different, offering two coffins with which to travel (Sidenote: both of these coffins exist in underground rivers, which serves as a parallel to the Nile itself. Even the additional coffin in the DLC is found in a river). One coffin leads the player to the arena of Astel, as part of the quest in service of Ranni the Witch, while the other ascends the player to the Deeproot Depths, where you can find the corpse of Godwyn the Golden and Fia, the Deathbed Companion.

Upon discovering Fia in the Deeproot Depths, she explains to the player that she is known as the Deathbed Companion because of her ability to gather the "warmth of champions" (including the player). She does so in order to transfer that warmth--that life--to the undead Godwyn so that he may conceive a Mending Rune within Fia. Mending Runes are key items in the game, allowing the player to discover different endings upon completing the game and becoming Elden Lord.

This conception mirrors the conception of the god Horus in Egyptian mythology. After the sarcophagus containing Osiris is thrown into the Nile, it floats downriver before it is caught in the roots of a cedar sapling. Over time, the sapling grew into a great strong tree, surrounding the sarcophagus and concealing it within. The king of Byblos eyed the tree and had it cut down to serve as a decorative support pillar in his palace. Isis and her sister Nephthys (Set's wife) set out in search of Osiris' body, discovering it within the tree in the palace. Isis offered to make the prince of Byblos immortal in exchange for the tree, but when she finally removed the body of Osiris, she found that he was dead.

While Isis and Nephthys searched for a way to bring Osiris back from the dead, Set discovered the body and chopped it into 42 pieces. Thus began the quest to reassemble Osiris' body. After a long and laborious journey, Isis found and performed a funeral for 41 of the pieces of Osiris, only missing his phallus. After she finally found it, she used it to impregnate herself before burying it. With Osiris unable to be resurrected, his son Horus would rise and challenge Set, defeating him and becoming the a righteous Pharaoh once more.

In Elden Ring, the role of Osiris is filled by Godwyn, betrayed by his half-sister Ranni in an event known as the Night of Black Knives. Using forbidden magic, Ranni slays her own flesh at the same time as Godwyn's, allowing her to live on in spirit while Godwyn's spirit dies, leaving his own undead flesh to continue to grow and transform in grotesque ways. This undeath spreads throughout the Lands Between, giving rise to new forms of life such as basilisks and skeletons. Fia sympathizes with these undead beings, and seeks to create a world where they are treated equally alongside mortals.

While the desired outcomes differ between the myth and the game, the conception from a dead god of what would eventually become a ruling force in the world is one-to-one. By assisting Fia in her quest, the player character takes the Mending Rune of the Death Prince to the very end of the game, integrating it with the Elden Ring and allowing "those who live in death" a place within the Golden Order. In a way, this is similar to the Egyptian mummification processes--the ritual intending to send the dead to the underworld with the utmost respect, believing they will find a new life among the denizens of the Duat.

Life after death is a powerful motif in mythologies and religions across the world. The fact that it is so emphasized in Elden Ring only lends credence to the human fascination with death and its persistence throughout all time. By exploring these references and connections between the ancient world and modern stories, perhaps we can derive meaning from both life and death, and gain a new perspective on the world as well as our own stories.