Elden Ring frequently uses imagery and symbolism related to body parts, namely, fingers and eyes. From the unnerving presence of the Two Fingers within Roundtable Hold to the orange eye on the Fire Giant's chest, these out-of-place body parts can be seen in nearly every area of the game. There are obvious symbolic meanings for eyes and fingers in fiction related to vision, foresight, and power, but what do they mean in the context of Elden Ring?

The fingers in Elden Ring tend to be a bit more abstract, but for the most part, the eyes of Elden Ring center around a specific type of character: those who act as envoys of outer gods, Marika especially. The number of times eyes come up in relation to Marika and her actions is significant enough that it bears investigating and may even shed some light on hidden aspects of her character.

Eyes Are Found Everywhere In Elden Ring

Locating Instances Of Ocular Imagery

First, let's identify the important eyes in Elden Ring. Many can be found in the base game; after all, one of the key ways the player character can change their appearance is through alterations to their eyes, which come as a result of allying with different godly forces. But there are also the closed eyes of Melina and Ranni, the flaming eye on the Fire Giant's torso, the blue eyes on Fallingstar Beasts, and even certain talismans that resemble eyeballs: the sore and scarseal talismans, named after Marika and Radagon.

Since it is at least partially true that Marika and Radagon are one and the same, all four of these seal talismans bear a direct relation to Marika; and, given the presence of eyes that act as seals in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, it's clear that these were tools of Marika used to augment her followers.

Most notably, in connection to the player characters themselves, the Tarnished do not possess the "grace of gold," which leaves a golden tinge around the irises. The player character can still see fragments of grace, but non-Tarnished NPCs have clear golden parts in their eyes, which the Tarnished lack. Within the game, gold in the eyes is a direct symbol that Marika and the Greater Will are still connected to a person, and the absence of that gold makes people like the Tarnished pariahs in the Lands Between.

Changing one's eyes through processes like dragon communion and becoming a Bloody Finger acts as a visual representation of turning away from the Greater Will towards other powers. In addition, other characters like Yura talk about these processes as taking away from one's humanity, showing how closely identity in Elden Ring is tied to the eyes.

Finally, there are the eyes within the DLC. Shadow of the Erdtree includes two items, the Iris of Grace and the Iris of Occultation , that act as lenses to be put over a person's eyes in order to either deny or grant them Grace. They can be used on a couple of key NPCs to determine the outcomes of their stories. And, of course, there is Messmer, a main boss and child of Marika, who has his true power (and curse) sealed behind an artificial eye. There are many more small examples of eyes in Elden Ring, but these are the main ones that relate to Mairka's character.

How Marika Uses Eyes To Hide Her Secrets

Light And Darkness Are This God's Weapons

A key connection between all of these eyes is that they relate to the influence of an Outer God. The eye on the Fire Giant is the eye of Fell God, bestowed on their followers to keep watch and empower them. Astel and the Fallingstar Beasts are connected to their cosmic origins via their matching eyes, and Ranni and Melina's closed eyes likely serve to connect them to each other, as at least one of them is an Empyrean. Marika is an agent of the Outer Will, and she uses eyes to both grant power to her worshipers and hide certain things away.

Marika and her alternate form, Radagon, both possess seals which apparently represent their duty as godlike beings. The scar and soreseal variants in Elden Ring seem to reflect a deterioration they take on over time, as the burden of this responsibility takes its toll. Given how the eyes in Elden Ring are attached to the concept of identity, replacing an eye with one of these seals might represent sacrificing one's individuality to become a tool of the Greater Will, a process that inevitably wears on the person undergoing it.

Marika is a mysterious figure for a reason: she wants to hide her past from the Lands Between, keeping them focused on the god who lords over them and their eyes trained on only what she wants them to see.

Alternatively, the seals could serve to prevent doubt and the influence of other gods from taking hold; Messmer, Marika's son, has a similar seal that keeps a serpent locked away inside him. This serpent could represent Messmer's doubts about his mission or a desire to take a different path from the one his mother laid out. The seal prevents those things from happening, and represents how the blinding light of Grace doubles as a barrier keeping Marika's followers from seeing their alternatives.

Elden Ring's Flame Of Frenzy Is Marika's Twisted Mirror

A Clear Instance Of Eye Symbolism Attributed To Another Character

Some players may have likely noticed a clear instance of eye symbolism missing from this discussion thus far: represented as well by the Three Fingers, is the antithesis of the Greater Will and Marika. It's a force bent on chaos and the tearing down of order to create a world free of barriers, discrimination, and pain. The Three Fingers are simultaneously liberators and tyrants and, in that way, are much closer to Marika than they first appear.

Both forces effectively deceive their followers with rhetoric and ideology while using them for their own ends. Both forces seemingly use their eyes to guide their worshipers, ultimately turning their gaze away from the real danger they pose as leaders. Both forces claim to want something positive, whether it be peace or freedom but ultimately desire control. Eyes, which so often represent truth and vision in fiction, represent deception and suppressed identity in Elden Ring, the lies these gods tell to guide their followers and themselves.