Malenia vs Radahn - The Scarlet Rot and the Starscourge
In a land torn by divine pride and cosmic ruin, two demigods met in a clash that would scar the world forever. One, the blade of Scarlet Rot. The other, a general who held back the very stars. This is not just a battle... It's a legend written in flame and decay. Welcome, lore-lovers - today we delve into the tragic, ritual-laced war between Malenia and General Radahn.
The Chronicle
Malenia the Severed and General Radahn were both demigods, born from Queen Marika and her second consort, Radagon. Despite being siblings, they followed very different paths. Malenia was afflicted from birth with the Scarlet Rot, a divine plague that consumed her body over time, forcing her to rely on prosthetics and develop a deadly, graceful combat style. She was deeply connected to her twin sister, Miquella, an Empyrean who sought to ascend to godhood. Malenia served not only as his protector but also as the vessel of his ambitions.
Radahn, in contrast, was a mighty general and warrior, obsessed with strength, martial valor, and cosmic power. Idolizing the legendary Godfrey, he even learned gravitational magic from a mysterious being known as a "Master of Gravity"--possibly an Alabaster Lord--so he could continue to ride his beloved but small horse, Leonard, despite growing to a massive size. His mastery over gravity became symbolic: he literally held back the stars from moving in the sky, earning him the title "Starscourge."
After the shattering of the Elden Ring and the disappearance of Queen Marika, a civil war broke out among her demigod children. Known as the Shattering, this war ravaged the Lands Between as the demigods vied for control of the Great Runes. Among them, Malenia and Radahn were two of the most powerful. Each led their own armies--Malenia from the Haligtree, Radahn from Redmane Castle in Caelid.
Their inevitable confrontation culminated in the Battle of Aeonia, one of the most devastating engagements in Elden Ring's history. The battle ended in a catastrophic stalemate. Malenia, having been pushed to her limits, unleashed her true power by blooming into the Scarlet Flower of Aeonia, releasing the full force of Scarlet Rot and contaminating the entire region of Caelid. Radahn, though not slain, was driven mad by the Rot and lost his mind. He began wandering the wilds of Caelid, devouring corpses and becoming a beast of primal instinct.
The Battle of Aeonia wasn't just a military clash--it was a battle of elemental and metaphysical forces. Malenia's Scarlet Rot represents death, decay, and the beauty of entropy. Her rot does not merely poison; it blossoms. The blooming of Aeonia signifies transformation through destruction. It is both her greatest strength and her curse.
Radahn, meanwhile, symbolizes defiance of cosmic forces. By holding back the stars with his gravity magic, he literally suspended fate. This act prevented the destiny of Ranni the Witch and other celestial-aligned beings from unfolding. When Radahn is finally defeated by the player during the Radahn Festival, the stars resume their motion--and one star crashes to the Lands Between, opening the path to Nokron, the Eternal City.
Their clash is thus symbolic: Rot vs. Gravity, entropy vs. order, inner decay vs. external force. It is one of the most poetic and tragic duels in Elden Ring lore.
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Radahn's descent into madness became a burden for his loyal soldiers, who couldn't bring themselves to kill their revered general. Instead, they devised the Radahn Festival, gathering champions from across the Lands Between to give him a warrior's death. This in-game event allows the player to participate in a mythic confrontation where Radahn is at once terrifying and tragic--infected by rot, maddened, but still holding onto his former glory.
When Radahn is defeated, the sky changes. Stars fall, including a red comet that crashes into the ground, opening up Nokron. This event is pivotal for multiple questlines, especially Ranni's, and suggests that Radahn's existence was a cosmic blockade--his death was a necessary price for fate to resume its course.
Recent lore emerging from Shadow of the Erdtree hints that Radahn and Malenia's battle may have had deeper, ritualistic undertones. A theory gaining traction is that Miquella orchestrated the confrontation between his sister and Radahn as part of a divine rite. In his efforts to ascend to godhood, Miquella needed a Promised Consort, and Radahn was chosen for that role--whether willingly or not.
Some players speculate that Malenia's attack was not purely for conquest but to force Radahn into death and rebirth, enabling Miquella to later resurrect him via Mohg and bind him into a divine rite. Supporting this are cryptic lines like "Miquella awaits thee, O Promised Consort," which Malenia whispers to Radahn during their final clash.
In the DLC, Radahn's soul is potentially reused by Miquella to fulfill this role, continuing the divine plan hinted at in item descriptions and theories.
Some fans argue that Malenia "won" the fight by leaving Radahn broken, while others point to the fact that she collapsed immediately afterward, unable to pursue victory. The ambiguous ending of the battle has become a central debate among lore enthusiasts.
Even more controversial is the retroactive introduction of the "Promised Consort" concept, which was not heavily emphasized in the base game. Some believe this is a retcon introduced by the DLC to tie Radahn more deeply into Miquella's arc.
Despite this, most agree: the Battle of Aeonia is one of the most iconic moments in Elden Ring--a confrontation of philosophy, tragedy, and cosmic horror, told not just in cutscenes but in the scarred land of Caelid and the whispered memories of those left behind.
Closing Words
The bloom of rot. The fall of a star. And the whisper of a god's design. The battle between Malenia and Radahn echoes far beyond Aeonia--and we've only begun to unearth its secrets. If this journey stirred your curiosity, give it a like, share it with fellow Tarnished, and make sure you're subscribed for more lore-fueled storytelling. And if you want to dive even deeper, join our Discord--where the theories never sleep, and the stars never stand still.
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