Elden Ring's most iconic image is, without a doubt, the Erdtree. Clearly styled on the World Tree from the Berserk manga that Hidetaka Miyazaki so often pulls from, it can be seen stretching its branches across the sky throughout the Lands Between.
The World Tree is inspired by Yggdrasil and the Bodhi Tree from Norse mythology and Buddhism, which Elden Ring likewise appears to take inspiration from.
But Reddit user Independent-Design17 thinks there's another inspiration that we've missed — the Nuytsia floribund, AKA the Western Australia Christmas Tree.
As they point out, it looks a lot like the Erdtree, especially Minor ones. But there are much deeper similarities than mere aesthetic.
In Elden Ring, we come to learn that the souls of the dead were ceremoniously shepherded to the Erdtree, which is why we find catacombs built around its giant roots. Demigods and champions are even "hewn by the Erdtree" into remembrances. The cycle of life and death is a core part of its mythos, and the Nuytsia has similar cultural significance.
As explained on the Margaret River town website by author Sharnae Watson, the aboriginal Wadandi people know the Nuytsia as a "spirit tree", with each flower representing...
