In this Elden Ring lore article, we will discuss our maiden Melina’s purpose and we’ll also try to understand her a little better. This article contains plot spoilers, obviously.
Meeting Melina for the first time
“Greetings, traveller from beyond the fog. I am Melina. I offer you an accord.”
– Melina introducing herself to the Tarnished
You encounter Melina after exploring a fair bit of Limgrave and unlocking a few Sites of Grace. But this is not the first time Melina has seen you. But I assume you knew that already. She and Torrent (the mount) first find you after you suffer defeat at the hands of the Grafted Scion, or after dying by treading on the unstable ground near the boss arena if you defeat the monster.
Melina has had her eyes on you since the very start of the game and she wants to make a deal. She will help you level up and understand more about the world and in turn, you have to lead her to the foot of the Erdtree.
Melina’s personality
Melina is a quiet and soft-spoken girl whose appearances throughout the game are uncommon. Many players have taken a liking to her while some complain about how she feels so distant from the Tarnished, unlike Emma from Sekiro or The Fire Keeper from Dark Souls III. Despite this, we can understand more about her by being attentive.
Despite being quiet and enigmatic, she seems like a caring person. A good example of this is how she talks about Boc, the Demi-human seamster.
Your seamster, Boc… I see him crying, from time to time. I think he misses his mother. He wants someone to tell him he’s beautiful. Does being born of a mother… mean one behaves in such a manner?
Melina
RELATED: How to Complete Boc’s Quest in Elden Ring
She will also be very grateful after you take her to the foot of the Erdtree, and at this point, she refers to you as a friend. The below quote taken from her dialogue proves this.
My utmost thanks. For bringing me to the base of the Erdtree. Here, I can govern my own movement. And thus, the accord is fullfiled. I shall depart to ascertain the purpose I was given. Farewell. I shall leave Torrent, and the power to turn runes into strength, here with you. I wish you luck, in realising your ambition. You have fought long and hard. I have no doubt you will become Elden Lord. May you take the throne.
Melina
Melina’s purpose
At the start of the game, Melina doesn’t know what her purpose is. She asks the Tarnished to guide her to the foot of the Erdtree because that’s where her mother gave Melina her purpose. It seems as if she’s dealing with an existential crisis. The reason that she still lives, despite being burned and bodiless, is because of the purpose that even she doesn’t know of.
At one point in the game, Melina reveals that she is not a Finger Maiden despite playing the role of maiden to aid the Tarnished.
There is something for which I must apologize. I’ve acted the finger maiden yet I can offer no guidance, I am no maiden.
Melina
My purpose was long ago lost…
Melina’s sole focus is to seek her purpose and fulfil it.
When you bring her to Leyndell, she thanks you and leaves to ascertain her purpose. The last quote in the previous section of the article is what she says to the Tarnished at this point.
After defeating Morgott (in this fight, you can summon Melina to fight alongside you. She’s a capable combatant) Melina reappears and talks to the Tarnished about her purpose.
Hello again, old friend. Allow me a moment to converse with you. You were unable to enter the Erdtree, no? Prevented by the mantle of barbs. The thorns are impenetrable. A husk of the Erdtree’s being; that spurns all that exists without. The only way to stand before the Elden Ring…and become the Elden Lord…is to pass the thorns. My purpose serves to aid in that very act. So I’d like you to undertake a new journey, with me. To the flame of ruin, far above the clouds, upon the snow mountaintops of the giants. The I can set the Erdtree aflame. And guide you. Down the path to becoming Elden Lord.
Melina
Here, she tells the Tarnished that her purpose is to aid him in his path to becoming Elden Lord. As the quote says, you’re unable to enter the Erdtree at that time and the tree needs to be burned.
After reaching the Giants’ Mountaintop, Melina changes for the better. She no longer wishes to fulfill the purpose her mother has given her. Now, she acts of her own mind and thinks for herself. Now that she has understood herself, she is no longer suffering from an existential crisis. She now believes in creating a world that she thinks is good, and she disregards her mother’s designs.
There is something I’d like to say. My purpose was given to me by my mother. But now, I act of my own volition.
Melina
I have set my heart upon the world that I would have. Regardless of my mother’s designs.
I won’t allow anyone to speak ill of that. Not even you.
Melina and Existentialism
Melina’s journey from being a lost girl who searches for a purpose given to her by a third party to becoming someone that acts of her own volition and believes in what she thinks is right is a prime example of existentialism. Let’s discuss a little more about existentialism and understand what we can learn from Melina’s story.
Friedrich Nietzsche was one of the pioneering existentialist philosophers along with Fyodor Dostoevsky, Søren Kierkegaard, and Jean-Paul Sartre. I will not delve deep into the subjects of philosophy that Nietzsche and the other philosophers pioneered, but I highly suggest reading the books Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche and Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky.
An existential crisis is something that almost every human being experiences at some point in their life. Let’s take the main focus of this article, Melina as an example. Existentialists believe that they should make their own way as free thinkers and that they themselves should determine what’s right and what’s wrong. Now, that is not a very descriptive explanation of existentialism but that will have to do for now.
The world of Elden Ring is absurd. There is death, destruction, and hopelessness everywhere. But despite this despair, there’s still life in the Lands Between and there are births. Melina sees beauty in that. That can be understood when you try to pursue the Frenzied Flame ending.
If you intend to claim the Frenzied Flame, I ask that you cease. It is not to be meddled with. It is chaos, devouring life and thought unending. However ruined this world has become, however mired in torment and despair, life endures. Births continue. There is beauty in that, is there not? If you would become Lord, do not deny this notion. Please, leave the Frenzied Flame alone.
Melina
She wants to ensure that the absurd, unfair, and hopeless world continues to endure and she thoroughly believes that it is the best choice. Is it the right choice? Probably not. Maybe. But Melina believes in that, and that’s the important and significant part here. The last quote in the previous section mentions how Melina stands by her beliefs and that she will not stand for any ill-speaking of her beliefs.
As the Tarnished as the Elden Lord, Melina wishes to see the world endure in the time to come.
But what if you think the best choice for the miserable world of Elden Ring is to let chaos take everything?
If you thoroughly believe in that, you should pursue that. In this regard, you’re not so different from Melina despite that you and she will be enemies if you pursue the Frenzied Flame ending. You both believe in what you think is right and you focus on attaining your goals based on that.
Who was Melina’s mother?
Now, let’s get back to discussing more lore. Who was Melina’s mother who gave her the purpose? The lore heavily implies that it’s non-other than Queen Marika herself. And Melina might be a child of Radagon and Marika.
Miquella and Malenia are also children of Queen Marika. And Melina’s name also starts with an M, which might suggest that she’s a sibling of the two demigods.
There are three types of butterflies in the game that represents each of the cursed children: Nascent Butterfly: Miquella, Aeonian Butterfly: Malenia, and Smouldering Butterfly: Melina.
Melina is known as the Kindling Maiden and she sets fire to the Erdtree. That may be why the Smouldering Butterflies represent her.
