Elden Ring: Why Ranni Doesn't Have A Real Body (2024)

FromSoftware'sElden Ringhas introduced many unique and interesting characters to players, however, one of the most notable is Ranni the Witch, the powerful, blue-skinned maiden whose body mysteriously appears to be a doll. Many players have speculated how she ended up like this, as well as what Ranni's mistranslated true intentions are inElden Ring. The truth is that Ranni's origins relate directly to how the Lands Between came to be and that Ranni is a force of rebellion against the divine powers that control humanity. Ranni is arguably a force of good, as she wishes to destroy the Two Fingers that push the Great Will's power into all living beings and thus, in doing so, grant humanity free will.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Elden Ring.]

Elden Ringis a brand new souls game by the developers FromSoftware. The story takes place in the mythical Lands Between, in which the player character known as the Tarnished must defeat a series of bosses to become the Elden Lord. The game features complex character customization and several classes players can choose from to begin their journey. On top of this,Elden Ring's story has multiple endings and questlines one can complete to become a true Elden Lord, one of the most pivotal of which involves Ranni.

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Ranni the Witch can be found at Ranni's Rise, residing on a throne in her tower. Ranni's Rise itself is located at the most northern part of the Liurnia of the Lakes sub-region and requires players to trek through the perilous Caria Manor. With some deep ties to the demi-gods of the Lands Between, Ranni is a prominent character in Elden Ring's narrative and lore.Ranni has a few notable heroes aidingher in her quest to grant humanity free will, including Blaidd, the Half-Wolf, and War Counselor Iji. If the player wills it, they too canserve Ranni as the Tarnished in Elden Ring.

Ranni's Story Ties Into The Beginning Of Elden Ring's Lore

The story ofElden Ringbegins with two rival houses residing in the Lands Between: the House of the Erdtree and the House of the Moon. A champion of the House of the Erdtree known as Radagon was sent to battle Rennala, the Carian queen of the House of the Moon. Upon meeting Rennala, Lord Radagon fell in love and repented for his actions. This caused a merging of the two warring houses and the birth of multiple demi-gods including General Radahn and Ranni. At the time, Ranni was only known as Lunar Princess Ranni.

The Greater Will is an otherworldly force that controls all living things, with the Two Fingers to help whichever god or demi-god is in rule to push its power forward.Ranni, being Carian royalty, does not want the Fingers or the Greater Will to determine her life. This causes her to hatch a plan after the Great Shattering of the Elden Ring in which she steals a rune of Death and, with the help of Elden Ring'sBlack Knife assassins, kills Godwyn's spirit.

Stealing The Death Rune Causes Ranni's Body To Die In Elden Ring

The Night of the Black Knives was a tragedy for the Lands Between, and Ranni was responsible for it. She allied with the Black Knife assassins to kill Godwyn the Golden, and it was during this same night that her physical body was killed.The Night of the Black Knivesled to the shattering of the Elden Ring which thenbrought about the main game's story of the Tarnished re-entering the Lands Between. Godwyn loses his soul during the Night, while Ranni lost her body. Both demi-gods bore the Cursemark of Death.It was also during this event whenQueen Marika shattered the Elden Ring.

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After obtaining the Death rune, Ranni uses it to separate herself from the Greater Will. This causes her physical body to die, yet her spirit is still intact. For some unknown reason, Ranni decides to possess the body of a doll. The bodyhinders her in some way as she is in a more weakened state. Ranni is an Empyrean, which, inElden Ring, are beings of immense power who are chosen to be a kind of vessel for the power of the Outer Gods. Ranni was chosen by the Two Fingers to be an Empyrean of the Greater Will, which is the Outer God of order. Ranni, of course, refused the call and would much rather have her life - as well as the life of others - free from the Greater Will.

Ranni's Voice Lines May Have Been Mistranslated In Elden Ring

Elden Ring needsa lore book, as there have been a few mistranslations that can completely ruin characters. Ranni's story is no exception, as the English translation of the game has caused players to deeply misinterpret Ranni's motives in the story.Mistranslations are fairly common in FromSoftware's games, with the dialogue originally being written in Japanese before being translated to English. This can make understanding the already mysterious and cryptic lore of FromSoftware's games much harder than it should be.

In the English translation of her voice lines, Ranni states that her age will be that "of the chill of the night" and that she wishes to make feelings like faith and emotion "impossibilities." In the Japanese interpretation, however, this is false as she wishes to take the order awayfrom the Lands Between into space. As someone who hates and has resisted the Golden Order, she wishes to take it and herself away from the physical realm of the Lands Between, allowing for humanity to live by its free will. She does not wish to rule the realm as a god as Queen Marika once did. This can be seen inElden Ring's Age of Stars ending, in which Ranni takes her new order away from the Lands Between.

Ranni the Witch has proven to be a prominent figure inElden Ring's storyline, with her ending being one of the better ones in the game. The entrapment of her soul into the four-limbed doll is entirely due to her own actions and her attempts to overthrow the Golden Order and the Greater Will. While her Age of Stars ending can still be up to interpretation, she appears to be a force for good. By removing the Greater Will from the Lands Between, mankind can live by its own free will. The story ofElden Ringcan be a confusingone tonavigate, but it features one of the most interesting stories FromSoftware has put out to date.

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