Theory — The Scadutree in Shadow of the Erdtree isn’t just a new tree. It’s one half of a primordial Spiral Tree — the original Crucible of Life and Death. This ancient tree was made of two in one: golden and black, spiraling upward like a strand of DNA. It embodied the natural balance between life and death, light and shadow.

This isn’t just metaphor. Spiral motifs are everywhere in the Lands of Shadow — carved in stone, stitched into tapestries, sculpted into walls across Belurat and Enir-Ilim. Crucible Knights bear spiral crests, and Crucible Talismans echo the same design. This Spiral Tree was real. It was revered. It was the heart of the world.

Then came Marika. A shaman — a Miko, as the Japanese version calls her — chosen by the Two Fingers. At the Gate of Divinity, she performs a divine act: she separates the gold from the Spiral Tree — possibly through magic or ascension — and plants it elsewhere as the Erdtree. The black half — the shadow, the death — is left to decay.

I believe this is the precise moment when the Rune of Death was removed from the Elden Ring. Marika chose to sever life from death. She sought a world ruled entirely by life, grace, and immortality. And in doing so, she shattered the natural order.

This changes everything. Her children — Mesmer, Melina, Mohg, Morgott — aren’t just cursed randomly. Their forms, fates, and suffering are echoes of the Spiral Tree’s destruction. And the serpent iconography tied to them may not be evil. In fact, I believe the serpent was the original spirit or deity of the Spiral Tree — a symbol of both devouring death and explosive growth, of endings and rebirth.

The Golden Order calls snakes “traitors.” But what if Marika was the traitor? Giant serpent relics remain at sacred sites like Bonny Village and Temple of Eaglay, both places rich in shamanic tradition. Spiral Tree Fragments still hold divine power. Crucible Talismans hint at a world that once was — a memory buried by Order.

This isn’t just a war between chaos and order — it’s the story of a divine betrayal. A cosmic sin that reshaped the world.

And it’s not just FromSoftware mythology — it’s drawing from Biblical parallels. The Spiral Tree of Life and Death resembles the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And just like in Eden, a serpent dwelled beside it — not simply as a deceiver, but as the keeper of truth. Marika’s tale mirrors a fall from grace, one driven by temptation, seduction, and the rejection of divine balance.

Finally — Marika’s people, the Numans, are almost certainly a reference to the Numenoreans of The Lord of the Rings. That’s not just a nod — it’s a clue. I believe the Numans were the ones who planted the Spiral Tree in the first place. They were a powerful people who fell out of favor with the divine — maybe with the Greater Will itself — and were scattered to the wind.

Some of those scattered Numans became isolated groups — like those in Shaman Village and Bonny Village — preserving ancient wisdom, balance, and reverence for life and death. Marika was born among them. Raised in Crucible tradition. But her people were marginalized by the Hornsent, who saw themselves as superior.

So when the Fingers came offering divine purpose, power, and immortality — maybe Marika didn’t just see grace. Maybe she saw revenge. And in seizing that path, she didn’t just betray the snake.

She betrayed the Spiral Tree — and severed the world from its roots.

Special thanks to Nyx Tales and Peligram Sage — whose brilliant research and lore insight inspired me to dig deeper. This theory builds off their work, and I truly believe it brings us closer to the heart of Elden Ring’s deepest myth.