One of the most important words in Elden Ring is “Golden Order”.

You might think none would die under the Golden Order, but know little about the Order.

In this article, the author, native Japanese, explained the lore of Gloden Order, taking the Japanese backgrounds into consideration.

目次 (Contents)

Notes Regarding to Golden Order
Golden Order
Postscript

Notes Regarding to Golden Order

Before the explanation of Goleden Order, let’s see some basic notes regarding to it

1, Life = Soul + Body + Mind

I would like to refer to the “Soul”, “Body” and “Mind” in the worldview of Elden Ring.

In conclusion, we cen see the relationship “Life = Soul + Body + Mind”.

Some texs below implies that Life consists of Soul, Boby, and Mind.

Cursemark of Death
Ranni was the first of the demigods whose flesh perished, while the Prince of Death perished in soul alone.

Mimic Tear Ashes
This spirit takes the form of the summoner to fight alongside them, but its mimicry does not extend to imitating the summoner’s will.
Mimic tears are the result of an attempt by the Eternal City to forge a lord.

Twinned Armor
Armor depicting entwined twins of gold and silver.
The two known as D are inseparable twins.
They are of two bodies and two minds, but one single soul. Not once do they stand together; not one word do they speak to one another.
Perhaps this armor longs to find its way to the other D.

For now, please read the following with “Life = Soul + Body + Mind”.

2, Destined Death

Next, let’s see the Destined Death.

The worldview of Elden Ring clearly distinguishes the ordinary death and the Destined Death.

In short, the ordinary death represents the state guided by a Order, while Destined Death represents that not guided.

For example, an ordinarily dead life would be guided by a Order and reach a new life, whereas a life meeting Destined Death cannot reach anywhere because no Orders guide it.

Here, it is the important point that Order (= Destiny) represents Ring(= cycle).

The best example would be Elden Ring, which indicates Ring represents Order.

Besides, the Mending Rune of Death-Prince is a Ring made from two semicircles.

In other words, it can become a Order only when it becomes a Ring.

Mending Rune of the Death-Prince
Formed of the two hallowbrand half-wheels combined, it will embed the principle of life within Death into Order.
The Golden Order was created by confining Destined Death. Thus, this new Order will be one of Death restored.

Cursemark of Death
Cursemark carved into the discarded flesh of Ranni the Witch. Also known as the half-wheel wound of the centipede.
This cursemark was carved at the moment of Death of the first demigod, and should have taken the shape of a circle.
However, two demigods perished at the same time, breaking the cursemark into two half-wheels.
Ranni was the first of the demigods whose flesh perished, while the Prince of Death perished in soul alone.

Therefore, the Destined Death would refer to the state where the Order is broken.

Especially in the Golden Order, the Destined Death means the disappearance of Bodies.

The cycle of Golden Order guides Souls and Minds to the same Bodies as they were in.

However, if the original Body disappears, the Soul and Mind cannot return to it.

So, the disappearance of Bodies means the Destined Death in the Golden Order.

3, Rune

In addition, let’s see what the Rune is.

In my opinion, Rune is Soul and bound up with Order.

The reasons are below.

The Enia’s dialogue below indicates Rune can be Elden Ring (= Order).

Enia
Brave Tarnished, your Great Rune is a handsome shard of the Elden Ring.

And, Ranni says that souls and order are bound tightly.

Ranni
As it is now, life, and souls, and order are bound tightly together, but I would have them at great remove.

And, since Rune is bound with Order, the Great Rune can mend Fractured Marika.

In other words, you can rule the Lands Between with the Order(= Rune) which you poured into the empty vessel, Fractured Marika.

Enia
Marika’s trespass demanded a heavy sentence. But even in shackles, she remains a god, and the vision’s vessel.

(From the Japanese translation, we can see the “vision’s vessel” means “empty or phantom vision’s vessel”.)

This article is explaining the the reason why Marika shattered the Elden Ring.

In adition, the Great Runes can reflect the Order of each Demigod.

The colors of Great Runes that Godrick, Morgott, and Radahn have are almost yellow, which would reflect the Golden Order.

The red of Mohg‘s Great Rune would reflect the Order of an Outer God symbolizing fire.

There are mushrooms on the Malenia‘s Great Rune, which would reflect the Order of Rot.

Gowry
I have dedicated myself to her.
And to the resplendence of the Order of Rot. The cycle of decay and rebirth

Rykard‘s shape is distorted, probably due to the influence of eating the Great Rune by a snake.

From these points, we can conclude Rune is Soul and bound up with Order.

Golden Order

Conclusion

Finally, let’s see what the Golden Order is.

To conclude, my interpretion is below.

In summary, the Gonlden Order represents the cycle(= Ring) of death, returning to Erdtree, and new life.

First reference is below.

Dialogue of the ghost at Stormfoot Catacombs
A proper death means returning to the Erdtree…the root calls to you

The text above implies that the dead lives guided by the Golden Order return to Erdtree through its root and get a new life again.

Moreover, this interpretion gives a clear understanding about Those Who Live in Death, Law of Regression, and Law of Causality, as described below.

Those Who Live in Death

Let’s think about Those Who Live in Death.

Those Who Live in Death are those whose Souls and Minds have separated from their Bodies.

So far, I explained the Golden Order represents the cycle(= Ring) of death, returning to Erdtree, and new life.

In this cycle, new lives will inherit the same Soul, Body, and Mind.

Actually, we Tarnished revives with the same Body, and Hoarah Loux, who is thought to be dead in badlands, returned to Lands Between with the same Body and memories.

The inheritance of the same Body under the Golden Order indicates the Bodies blessed by Erdtree will never disappear.

Actually, the flavor text of Gold-Tinged Excrement implies the Bodies guided by the Golden Order will never rot.

Gold-Tinged Excrement
Someone’s excrement. It has a golden tinge. Material used for crafting items.
Often hidden in woods and thickets.
Gold-tinged excrement is a highly stable substance; it doesn’t dry out, nor does it lose its customary warmth or scent.
For better or for worse, it remains as it is.

From the text above, Gold-Tinged Excrement would not be decomposed by microorganisms, so the Body blessed by the Golden Order will never rot.

Therefore, the disappearance of Body means getting outside the cycle of Golden Order and we call them Those Who Live in Death.

Here, you might wonder why the concept of Death exists in Golden Order although the Order started with the removal of Death.

However, what the Golden Order removed is not Death but Destined Death.

So, since the Golden Order have removed the Destined Death(= the disappearance of Body), Those Who Live in Death, whose Bodies have disappeared, are abominations in the Order.

Erdtree

Next, let’s see the role of Erdtree.

To conclude, a role of Erdtree would be record.

So far, I explained that new lives inherits the same Souls, Bodies, and Minds on the cycle of Golden Order.

In this cycle, Souls and Minds return to the same Bodies based on the records of Erdtree.

Actually, each flavor text of Remembrance implies that the Erdtree can record the memory of each life.

Elden Remembrance
Remembrance of the Elden Beast, hewn into the Erdtree.

From these points, the role of Erdtree would be the record of each life.

Law of Regression and Law of Causality

It seems difficult to interpret the meaning of Law of Regression and Law of Causality.

Law of Regression
Incantation of the Golden Order fundamentalists.
One of the key fundamentals.
Heals all negative statuses, dispels special effects, and reveals mimicry in all its forms.
The fundamentalists describe the Golden Order through the powers of regression and causality. Regression is the pull of meaning; that all things yearn eternally to converge.

Law of Causality
One of the incantations of the Golden Order fundamentalists.
One of the key fundamentals.
Manifests a small ring of causality within that allows the caster to automatically retaliate upon receiving a certain number of blows.
The fundamentalists describe the Golden Order through the powers of regression and causality. Causality is the pull between meanings; that which links all things in a chain of relation.

Law of Regression and Law of Causality are related to the fandamentals of Golden Order, the Perfect Order.

Mending Rune of Perfect Order
A rune of transcendental ideology which will attempt to perfect the Golden Order.
The current imperfection of the Golden Order, or instability of ideology, can be blamed upon the fickleness of the gods no better than men. That is the fly in the ointment.

The flaver text of Mending Rune of Perfect Order suggests that the Perfect Order represents the pure Golden Order.

The Perfect Order consists of two powers, Regression and Causality.

The following image shows the interpretions of these Laws.

The text “that all things yearn eternally to converge” means that all lives return to Erdtree.

The text “that which links all things in a chain of relation” means that workings of lives are developed centered on the Erdtree and Golden Order.

In other words, the Law of Regression and Law of Causality can make everything revolve around the Golden Order.

Postscript

This is the article about “The Lore of Golden Order Explained by a Native Japanese”.